Chapter 108: The Puzzlement in People's Hearts

"Huh?"
"Ah! He’s back..."

Two people noticed Zhang Pu at the same time. In an instant, many eyes converged on the student, who was drawing closer in the moonlight.

Liu Yingde had been in a state of utter confusion ever since Zhang Pu was abducted. Seeing him return now, he felt as if he were dreaming. Yet, Zhang Pu’s approach was an undeniable, living reality. Once it was confirmed that Zhang Pu was not possessed by some malevolent spirit, the crowd swarmed him, their questions erupting in a chaotic cacophony.

At such a juncture, Zhang Pu found the clamor insufferable. He immediately summoned Liu Yingde and the others, as if to have them act as his protectors. Only under the unified peacekeeping efforts of Liu Yingde and Elder Yang did the crowd finally settle down.

Zhang Pu then offered his explanation: he told them that everything was fine now, and that "thing" would never come to harass them again.

Coming from Zhang Pu, this sounded like nothing more than a tall tale, and naturally, the vast majority of those present did not believe him. Liu Yingde and the two experts from the Witch-Ghost Sect felt a nagging suspicion: could that phantom have been dealt with by Zhang Pu after all?

Zhang Pu often enjoyed playing the fool to catch a tiger, a trait Liu Yingde and his fellow sect members knew all too well. Liu Yingde had long held a profound admiration for Zhang Pu’s abilities, even deigning to serve him despite his status as a sect leader, simply because he felt Zhang Pu was unfathomably deep and worthy of such devotion. If that shadow truly would never return, as Zhang Pu claimed, then he must have subdued or even destroyed it. Liu Yingde’s conviction in this theory grew stronger by the moment.

Because many remained unsatisfied with his explanation—Elder Yang included—and because Zhang Pu did not want to reveal the true circumstances of his departure with the shadow, he finally told everyone to wait and see whether the phantom would continue to haunt them.

With Zhang Pu having laid out his stance, Liu Yingde led his two experts to disperse the crowd, preventing them from further crowding Zhang Pu. To Elder Yang, Zhang Pu merely said that the shadow had inexplicably let him go and departed on its own. He claimed that the shadow seemed to be suffering from some major affliction, appearing to be on the verge of death when he last saw it.

Elder Yang remained deeply skeptical. He had no way of knowing what Zhang Pu had truly experienced, but through his own methods, he had verified that Zhang Pu was not possessed, nor did he seem mentally deranged. He understood that after such a bizarre ordeal, Zhang Pu might have reasons for not wanting to disclose the full truth. He decided it would be better to find another opportunity to question him the following day.

Zhang Pu and Liu Yingde announced that it was time to rest, as the night was already late. However, the crowd, having received no satisfactory answers, found it impossible to sleep. Despite the exhaustion of the day, the night’s events had been far too supernatural to ignore. Zhang Pu, however, cared little for their anxieties. He found the tent belonging to him and the Witch-Ghost Sect members and fell fast asleep.

Seeing this, Liu Yingde decided to rest as well. He ordered his two subordinates to take turns standing guard to prevent any mishaps, telling them he would rest for a short while and take over the watch before dawn. Because of the night's events, the two men originally scheduled for sentry duty were no longer willing to stand alone, and with most of the group unable to sleep, the organized watch collapsed. Each small group ended up taking shifts among themselves if they chose to rest at all.

Zhang Pu slept soundly, while the rest of the group tossed and turned until nearly dawn before finally succumbing to sleep. Consequently, the next day’s journey was naturally delayed. No one complained, however; they were all grateful that the night had passed without incident, as the shadow had indeed not returned.

Regardless, they still had to press on toward the Poison Dragon Pool. Although some, particularly the wealthy young masters who had accompanied Zheng Lan, were now deeply unsettled and considering turning back, no other group followed suit. Zheng Lan herself showed no intention of retreating, and those few who harbored doubts were too afraid to return alone, terrified that the shadow might be waiting for them in the darkness behind.

Sensing the need to boost morale, Zhang Pu stepped forward to remind everyone that they had been perfectly safe since the night before.

Elder Yang, as if lingering near him intentionally, began to beat around the bush. Seeing the elder’s intent, Zhang Pu simply went with the flow, embellishing the "story" he had told earlier with more detail. By the end, Elder Yang was left exclaiming in astonishment.

"Could it truly be a coincidence, or was it fate?" Elder Yang was incredulous.

Zhang Pu told him that the shadow had likely suffered a cultivation deviation, abandoned him, and fled toward a cliffside, eventually vanishing into the depths of an abyss. He reasoned that even if the creature hadn’t perished, it would remain dormant for a very long time, making it impossible for the shadow to reappear before they completed their business at the Poison Dragon Pool.

Elder Yang remained half-doubting, but as the group traveled for the better part of the day without any interference, he found himself leaning toward believing Zhang Pu’s words.

What Zhang Pu knew, however, was that the shadow—Old Man Ge—had already caught up to them and was following in their wake.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. When it came time to find food, the people were far more vigilant, moving in small groups and maintaining a distance that allowed them to echo one another. Because of the previous night’s interruption, the day’s progress was slower than planned, and by nightfall, the group had not yet reached their destination.

They were forced to camp in the wilderness once again. As night fell, the memories of the shadow, which had almost faded during the daylight hours, surged back into the minds of many. In their view, the shadow only appeared at night—which explained why the day had been peaceful.

But now that the sun had set, could they hope for another smooth night?