Dark Moon Era

Chapter 166: Key (3 in 1)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The mission the Dream Domain issued to a Dream Seed would always be a test of the line between life and death.

However, when the others knew about what this particular line was about, they would probably understand it as the line that measured how dangerous the whole incident was.

Was it wrong to understand the line this way? No, it was not.

The level of danger was there definitely there, but there was another way to understand this line.

Regardless of the clues or battle that happened in the Dream Domain, there would always be a chance, and the line was that chance.

The key was to grasp the line.

Grandfather Han was the first person he met after he entered the Dream Domain, then Qingxi town.

At first glance, the arrangement was perfectly fine because regardless of how authentic the dream world was, it was not real and a reasonable entry point was needed to bring Tang Ling into the world.

However, Tang Ling was sensitive. In Andrew’s words, he was oversuspicious. No matter how reasonable it might seem, he viewed Grandfather Han’s appearance as an abrupt and unusual one.

There were a lot of simpler and reasonable ways for the Dream Domain to bring him into this world naturally. The most direct one would be inserting the information directly into his brain. He was the second young master of the Tang family and he had a mission in Qingxi town.

Therefore, Tang Ling paid extra attention to Grandfather Han because of the unexpected feeling. Just think about it. When he arrived, all the houses were closed and the streets were empty.

The Dream Domain had to send several kids to run past him to subtly tell him what happened to the town.

The kids’ appearance was acceptable. They were the most fearless, curious and fun group of living beings.

What about Grandfather Han? Did he come out to the streets just to locate Second Young Master Tang? Hmm, it did not make sense.

Did he coincidentally have something to do outside the manor? Plausible.

However, Grandfather Han kept criticizing Second Young Master Tang after their meeting, and he hinted obviously and subtly that he purposely came out for him. Why?

Did he get the news and come out for him? It made zero sense even with an explanation.

Tang Ling would never be affected by Grandfather Han’s identity. He kept reminding himself that he was in the Dream Domain and that it was not real.

Since it was a dream, given Grandfather’ Han’s identity as the guardian that raised the Second Young Master, the elements that hindered Tang Ling from getting to the bottom of the incident should not have existed.

Feeling a little ambitious, he decided to observe carefully and carry out some extra investigation.

After analyzing all sorts of thoughts, the first time he had doubts about Grandfather Han was when he grasped Tang Ling’s hand. At the same time, the Dream Domain instantly provided the identity and background for his cover.

During that particular meeting, it was the closest Tang Ling ever got to Grandfather Han and with some intentional probing, he realized a little problem: Grandfather Han’s scent.

It contained the faint smell of blood.

Tang Ling’s sight was excellent and his sense of smell was not half-bad either. Be it the hunting life in the wild all year long or the recent battles on the battlefield, it made him very sensitive towards blood.

Moving on with his observation, he then intentionally observed a particular place to verify the existence of the faint blood smell on Grandfather Han.

He carefully observed Grandfather Han’s fingers, especially in between the nails. It was a tiny spot that many neglected, but if his hands had touched blood before, the blood would have easily left traces in the nailbeds.

Tang Ling noticed that Grandfather Han’s left thumb and right index finger had traces of dried blood.

Aside from the two vague shreds of evidence, there was also Tang Ling’s personal sentiment. It was a matter of sentiment and not evidence. Nonetheless, it became the most significant reason for Tang Ling’s decision to investigate Grandfather Han.

His suspicion originated from the whites of Grandfather Han’s eyes that reminded Tang Ling of the grayish-white eyes of the zombies.

In fact, it was actually a difficult call. There were eyes in which the white sclera was whiter or darker. Some even looked a little bit yellowish. At first glance, the zombie’s eyes seemed to be pupilless and the whole eyeball was just white.

The grayish-white color left a heavy impression on Tang Ling as if it had been branded in his heart. How could he not be concerned about it?

With all the mentioned evidence and suspicion, Tang Ling was very harsh about his observation of Grandfather Han.

He realized that Grandfather Han never ate in front of people. At least, he did not see Grandfather Han eat anything inside Tang Manor. He even purposely asked the servants about Grandfather Han’s eating habits. The servants claimed that he was fond of half-cooked meat because it could increase his stamina. As the guardian of the Tang family, everyone deemed it normal.

Then, Tang Ling realized that Grandfather Han was overly straight. Every word that he spoke screamed compassion as if he cared for all mankind. He felt like he carried the burden of righteousness and justice on his shoulder.

Other than that, Grandfather Han was overly loyal and concerned about himself, Master Tang, and Young Master Tang.

Tang Ling had a problem with exaggerated care. If someone really cared so much, he would not be so brazen about and intentionally express his concern.

As for the compassion and the burden of righteousness and justice, Tang Ling was not overly concerned about it since even the servants felt that it was normal.

Of course, all the trivial matters in life and many other minor details were not crucial factors to prove that Grandfather Han was problematic. The key factor was the murder incident in Qingxi town. Time was required to commit murder. Tang Ling had to find the flaw in Grandfather Han’s crimes, but he failed to.

Grandfather Han lived with the Tang family. He always followed his master and usually ran errands for the family but still did so within a reasonable time frame.

Tang Ling secretly asked around for the reason why Grandfather Han went out that day when he brought Tang Ling back to the Tang Manor. The answer he got was Grandmother Wang’s death. Grandfather Han had gone out to check on her but ran into Tang Ling instead.

However, due to Tang Ling’s sensitivity, he felt that Grandfather Han’s words were too strong, hence his immediate suspicion.

Based on how things had unfolded, it might seem like Tang Ling was being oversuspicious, but he did not think so. The Dream Domain would only leave a single thread of hope for the Dream Seeds. A single thread of hope meant that the chances were narrow. If he could easily grasp it, it would not be a thread anymore but a wide, gaping hole.

Therefore, Tang Ling had to get to the bottom of it.

The time Grandfather Han spent on the outing was fine, or at least, it seemed fine. As the number one martial artist in the Tang family, it was easy for Grandfather Han to create a window of opportunity for himself.

It was clear that all three deaths in the town were caused by jiangshi attacks that happened at midnight.

What did that mean?

His suspicion of Grandfather Han remained, and it was not something easily erased.

However, that night when Tang Ling was brought home, he did not have a chance to investigate because the Tang family decided to help Grandmother Wang’s family with the funeral. As the second young master of the Tang family, Tang Ling had to show himself.

Moreover, Grandfather Han would not be busy all the time, so he had to wait for the perfect timing.

Therefore, during the night of the funeral, Tang Ling got an important clue in his seat. There had been a talkative girl beside him, and what she said provided evidence that the incident had been intentionally caused by someone.

As for the evidence that she provided, maybe after Grandmother Wang’s dead body came back to life, others might deem her words as nonsense, but Tang Ling believed her.

Why? A constable in ancient Huaxia was equivalent to the police. Their identity determined their right to carefully investigate the scene and provide the very first impression and judgment of the case, plus the understanding of the key evidence.

Although there was no pathologist in ancient Huaxia, and one might doubt the accuracy of an autopsy, the coroner was not a paper tiger either, so analyzing a bite mark should be easy.

Organs shattered by a single palm strike? What an interesting description of death.

Tang Ling recalled how the servants of the family praised Grandfather Han. They said that Grandfather Han’s iron palms were invincible and that his set of Heaven-shattering Thirteen Palms was unrivaled.

What Heaven-shattering Thirteen Palms? All martial arts were built on top of speed and power. Techniques were only ancillary.

Teaching the best martial arts to a weak child would not make him stronger than a grown man. All martial arts were about the technique of strength and dodging.

Grandfather Han’s martial art skills did not scare Tang Ling at all.

Given Tang Ling’s current power, if he wanted to, he could simply punch a hole in the skull in these commoners of the Dream Domain.

From the moment they met and shook hands, the comparison in power started. Tang Ling was certain that with his arrival, Grandfather Han could only be the second strongest in the Tang family.

In short, what the girl said increased Tang Ling’s suspicion of Grandfather Han and raised some new doubts in his heart, but he could get the answers to his new doubts the moment he nailed Grandfather Han down.

After that, Tang Ling shamelessly lured the children with money and asked them details about the jiangshi . What he got from them further solidified his theory about all this being intentionally caused by someone.

It was at that moment that Tang Ling’s doubts about the incident rose to the peak.

Did he go in the wrong direction? Was everything was caused by man? Did it have nothing to do with the jiangshi ?

The ultimate goal of his first Dream Domain mission was to apprehend the “psychopath man-eating killer”, and the final boss of the mission was Grandfather Han? Such difficulty was a joke!

Because of that, as though the Dream Domain decided to go along with Tang Ling’s suspicion, it gave him fresh hints.

The hints did not appear directly in his mind but in the scenes within the Dream Domain: the children knocking the coffin over, Grandmother Wang’s body rolling out and instantly coming back to live and Tang Ling beheading her right away.

If the dead could come back to life, then it must have something to do with the jiangshi or zombies, but the empty skull was one of the points that puzzled Tang Ling.

A jiangshi or zombie was not an unfounded theory. There must be a plausible hypothesis to explain why it could move. Like how a scrapped car could still move, its engine must have still been alive. However, when the engine of a car died, you could never move it even if you scrapped it.

A body in which the brain was destroyed would never turn into a zombie or jiangshi . It would at least require an intact cerebellum and a working neural network.

That was why Tang Ling asked the children whether there was a hole behind her head. The answer was no.

Nevertheless, even with the brain dug out and the important motor nerves destroyed, the body might still come back to life. Still, the zombie or jiangshi would be crippled or dysfunctional based on how serious the damage to the head was.

Grandmother Wang’s movements were still swift and nimble after she came back to life. Although she only appeared for a brief period of time, Tang Ling discovered something shocking.

She sat up and grasped her grandchild before Tang Ling decided to behead her in front of everyone. It was at that moment when he discovered that the neural network in her brain was intact.

Through this particular scene, the clue that the Dream Domain showed Tang Ling was utterly clear. It was also terrifying and confounded him.

However, if he was correct, it should be the latter part of the mission.

Tang Ling first had to verify it again and then pin Grandfather Han down. He headed to Nanli Hill for verification purposes and the result was self-explanatory.

As for pinning Grandfather Han down, from the moment Tang Ling decided to strike him with a high-profile and decided to brazenly borrow the county journal for a look, Tang Ling was already doing it.

Should he wait for the prey to fall or deliver a preemptive strike?

Tang Ling chose the latter. He had limited time in the Dream Domain anyway, so it was destined for him not to be able to go with the first option.

Even after all that, Grandfather Han was just a suspect and not the culprit yet. He would only become the culprit when Tang Ling caught him red-handed.

Tang Ling always had a clear mind. As for whether Grandfather Han would be caught in the end or he would blow his cover, that would depend on the pressure Tang Ling gave.

Tang Ling had to make Grandfather Han anxious.

Therefore, the high-profile kill was to pressure him. Borrowing the county journal was also compelling. At least, it would make Tang Ling look profound, wise and have a certain level of understanding about the matter.

Then, he purposely called Grandfather Han to accompany him to the county. It might seem necessary in the people’s opinion, and it would also make the pressured Grandfather Han doubtful.

Other than that, Tang Ling would have enough time to act in front of Grandfather Han.

Everything including his probing gaze at all times, the ambiguously smart comments, and the faint attempts of probing was an act. He still had to show a little caution in the end, hence he did not speak a word after reading the county journal regardless of what clues or results he found.

Then, Tang Ling gave Grandfather Han another chance, hence the two separate wagons on the way back. Of course, even if he were to return with Grandfather Han in a single wagon, the latter would still make a move at night if he was frightened.

However, Tang Ling was hungry, and the separate wagons would make it look like he was being extra cautious with Grandfather Han.

Everything was simple after their return.

In order to avoid a potential mole among the servants, Tang Ling pretended to be exhausted after he returned to the Tang Manor. He claimed he wanted to rest, but after Grandfather Han left, he snuck out.

He was not afraid of losing Grandfather Han at all. In Qingxi town, the roads within the town were all flagstone roads and the roads outside the town were mere muddy roads. It rained yesterday, so the wagons would surely leave a trail behind. As an experienced hunter, Tang Ling had no problem tracking Grandfather Han down.

Moreover, the hooves of the horses and the wheels were covered in mud, so they would also leave clues behind.

Tang Ling then followed the trail and located Grandfather Han easily. The old man really went to the estate in the suburbs, but he slipped out with an excuse.

The wagoner was tied up and brought back to Grandfather Han’s old lair on the other side of the suburb which was a regular-looking manor.

On top of that, Tang Ling eavesdropped on the conversation between Grandfather Han and the woman when he was on the roof.

After some thought, he decided to catch Grandfather Han red-handed with a grand entrance. Only when a person was caught off-guard would he unintentionally reveal more truth and clues.

Looking at the entire structure of the mission, Tang Ling knew from the entry in the county journal that Grandfather Han was just a key. He was a key to unlock the crucial point of this mission.

After pinning Grandfather Han down, the mission would enter the next stage which was the exhausting battle stage.

Then, the real line between life and death would come forward, would it not?

“What’s wrong, Grandfather Han? I’m just here to have a meal. Why are you so unhappy? Didn’t you love me the most?” Tang Ling was still smiling. His smile was utterly dazzling in Grandfather Han’s eyes.

Subtly, Tang Ling adjusted his body to an optimal angle. There was no obstacle between him and the wagoner at that angle, so he could dash forward and save the innocent man.

“How did you know it was me? And how did you locate me?” Grandfather Han’s reaction was similar to a typical antagonist’s reaction, and the questions he asked were expectantly boring as well.

He was in constant anxiety before this. Even during his enjoyable meals, he could not calm down. However, after Tang Ling showed up, he found a sense of peace.

Would Tang Ling answer him? Of course not!

The woman’s face beside the wagoner then flashed with a fierce expression. She raised the knife towards the wagoner’s heart. Where did this little bastard come from? Disgusting! But we can still take him down! I should kill this wagoner first. If things go south and the wagoner escapes, the delicate dates between my husband and I are over.

Tang Ling was cautious, but was he a person who would surely follow the wind? Mostly, he did, but there were times when his ways were a little weird. The position in which he stood gave away his intention of saving the wagoner.

Since Grandfather Han was able to spot the stance as a martial art practitioner, he quickly dashed out and stopped Tang Ling.

However, Tang Ling did not really do what the old man thought he would. Grandfather Han saw Tang Ling remove the hidden weapon from his waist and point it at where the woman and the wagoner were.

Bang!

The hidden weapon exploded and the woman screamed in pain. The knife fell from her hand.

How powerful was the Desert Eagle? Because Tang Ling shot the woman’s feeble hand at such a close range, there was no hole in her palm since it blasted her hands into smithereens!

With the woman hurt, Grandfather Han was furious, but a stupid question came out from his mouth. “What kind of hidden weapon is that?”

“A Desert Eagle,” Tang Ling answered before he then leaped towards the wagoner.

“Gu Gu! Move. I will stop him!” After a quick moment of shock, Grandfather Han recovered and raced towards Tang Ling.

The woman known as Gu Gu was obedient. Right after Grandfather Han’s order, she turned around and ran towards the house.

Tang Ling did not stop her though. The Wolf Crunch appeared in his hand when he was running and he quickly cut the wagoner free from the ropes.

He pointed the Desert Eagle at Grandfather Han and the woman, firing a quick shot at each of them.

“You’ve used your hidden weapon once.” Grandfather Han seemed dauntless in front of the gun, but he instinctively performed dodging maneuvers.

Martial art practitioners reacted quicker than common men. With heightened caution, Grandfather Han was able to avoid the bullet from hitting his weak spot, but it hit his thigh.

The impact from the bullet was so strong that it made Grandfather Han pause for a bit and even made him falter backward.

Gu Gu was shot in the back, but it did not seem to inflict any damage to her as she was still sprinting at full speed towards the house.

However, when Grandfather Han grunted after he was shot, she got distracted and screamed his name, “Husband! Guo Er!”

Why does it sound so strange? Tang Ling felt something was off but could not find an explanation. He felt that it was a little too much to be calling Grandfather Han, whose real name was Han Wuguo, Guo Er, meaning Little Guo.

Why would an old man be called “little”?

The thought was just a brief flash though. Tang Ling did not expect the Desert Eagle to kill them both since he only wanted to stall them for a while.

“Run. Don’t simply tell anyone. Tell the people the culprit is Han Wuguo and his wife, and that I’m here to hunt them down.” Tang Ling sent the wagoner away before he jumped towards Grandfather Han.

Grandfather Han got back on his feet. The gunshot on his thigh did not really slow him down, but he was too late to stop the wagoner, so he went for Tang Ling instead.

“Gu Gu, run! With you alive, I can still come back to life!” Grandfather Han bellowed at the woman who was stunned. As he spoke, he launched both his iron palms towards Tang Ling.

Tang Ling was a lot stronger than Grandfather Han in every aspect. Together with his Precise Instinct, Grandfather Han would never hit him.

Tang Ling had no martial art skills. He instinctively leaned his body to the left and dodged the first palm strike. He curled his right hand into a fist and met Grandfather Han’s other palm.

It was just a punch, but the bones in Grandfather Han’s palm started to crack.

Tang Ling was slightly impressed. So, is this martial art?

The martial art skills allowed someone, who was at most equivalent to Orston before the First Reserved Camp, to unleash such power. Even his Precise Instinct felt a little strenuous dodging the palm strike.

Grandfather Han’s other palm twisted into another angle for a follow-up attack after Tang Ling dodged him. His attack seemed to be ever-changing.

The discovery excited Tang Ling. A new thought popped up in his mind, one that he could not discard.

Nevertheless, he still had to deal with the battle at hand. Tang Ling did not want to get tangled. If he could capture Gu Gu, things might be a little easier.

Therefore, Tang Ling pushed Grandfather Han away with a firm shoulder strike. Before Grandfather Han could catch his breath, Tang Ling turned and kicked him in the stomach.

The push and kick would have killed a normal person, but even though Grandfather Han’s chest caved in and he spewed a mouthful of blood, he was still alive.

“Guo Er, even if you can come back, you aren’t you anymore!” Gu Gu finally uttered a complete sentence after Tang Ling and Grandfather Han disengaged.

Tang Ling ran straight towards her.

“I will still be me. I believe in you.” At that moment, as though Grandfather Han was blessed with momentary strength before his death, he suddenly threw himself at Tang Ling, hugging him.

Tang Ling wanted to kick Grandfather Han away, but he saw the old man’s wide-opened mouth and a cloud of strange mist being sprayed out.

Gu Gu glared at Tang Ling with a vengeful glare before she turned around and fled.

It was then that Tang Ling knew even if Grandfather Han survived, he might not be himself anymore. The vengeful gaze from the woman stated it all. Even if Grandfather Han believed her, it would be useless.

The name Gu Gu and Guo Er...the love between an old man and a personified mushroom [1] made Tang Ling reconsider his understanding of the Dream Domain.