Chapter 10: The Place of Malevolence

Gu Zheng smiled gently and said: "Spring brings life, summer nurtures growth, autumn harvests, and winter stores. The four seasons operate according to their own laws. Li Jiayu, deep within these mountains, must also adhere to these natural laws. Although Li Jiayu has been transformed into a place of malevolence, the intensity of this malevolent energy varies with the seasons. In spring, a time of flourishing for all things, the world is vibrant, and the malevolent energy is restrained; during this time, Li Jiayu is at its safest, and no ghosts or spirits appear. Even if you visit Li Jiayu then, you will not see its true form, only a small part of it, while the rest is concealed by the art of Qi Men Dun Jia. As we reach May and June, the vitality of spring fades, and all things reach a peak of growth, the malevolent energy begins to surge, leading to strange phenomena in Li Jiayu. If you go there, you may discover its true nature at any moment, and you might also be attacked by the evil spirits drawn to this malevolent energy. This explains the reasons behind the deaths of those who perished and why your experiences in Li Jiayu on two different occasions were so different."

Gu Zheng nodded, expressing strong agreement with Sun Yan's words. He reached out and patted Sun Yan's shoulder, saying: "Rest assured, they will have to pay a considerable price if they want to enter Li Jiayu. Hmph, even if they manage to get into Li Jiayu, it is not guaranteed that they will come out alive. We still have plenty of time." At this point, Gu Zheng suddenly said: "Brother Sun, I must warn you, once we enter from here, it is very likely that by the end, less than one-third of this group will survive. Are you still determined to take this path?"

Sun Yanwei sighed deeply and said, "I have no choice!" After a bitter smile, he continued, "The section of the road leading to Lijia Valley before entering the mountains has been destroyed by a landslide. Taking a detour through other areas would require even more time. This direction is the one that saves the most time!"

Seeing the slight change in Sun Yan's expression, Gu Zheng knew that he understood his meaning. He continued, "The builders of Lijia Valley, shortly after its construction, discovered that the place they had created was problematic. Consequently, they built temples and Taoist monasteries in several nearby locations, inviting monks and Taoists to practice there in hopes of suppressing the malevolent forces of Lijia Valley. However, this arrangement proved to be utterly ineffective. Before long, the practitioners residing in the temples and monasteries they had built all perished, and ultimately, everything fell into disrepair." Gu Zheng's tone was as calm as water. Yet, within Sun Yan's heart, a storm was brewing. Although he was aware that Lijia Valley was unusual, he had not realized it was this terrifying.

Gu Zheng waved his hand and said with a worried expression: "It is currently autumn, a time when spring gives way to autumn. Li Jiayu is now a very lively and dangerous place, filled with the ominous energy of death. Moreover, if we approach Li Jiayu from this direction, the journey will surely be fraught with peril. Whether we can safely reach Li Jiayu remains a significant concern!"

"Clever!" Sun Yan praised Gu Zheng with a wry smile. "A few days ago, when we discovered that this group of Japanese had quietly turned back with the books, it was already too late to chase after them. That night, during the heavy rain, when we reached the mountainside, a landslide occurred, blocking our path forward. Thus, we had no choice but to stop and seek a new route. In the end, we could only find our way to you, hoping you could lead us in from this side to locate that group of Japanese. Regardless of their intentions, we must stop them!" Sun Yan's tone was very firm.

Sun Yan let out a cold breath; the designer of Li Jiayu was truly ruthless, having coldly taken the lives of thousands. Such methods are chilling to the heart. However, this person's final actions plunged the entire Li Jiayu into a dire predicament, which can be seen as a manifestation of cosmic justice

Sun Yan slapped his thigh, as if enlightened by a sudden realization, "So that's how it is!" Sun Yan noticed that Gu Zheng's expression was already one of deep admiration.

Sun Yan's expression suddenly became serious. He was well-versed in various esoteric texts and knew that Gu Zheng was referring to the Eight Gates in the art of Qimen Dunjia. The Eight Gates are Rest Gate, Life Gate, Injury Gate, Du Gate, Scene Gate, Death Gate, Surprise Gate, and Open Gate. Correspondingly, these relate to the eight geographical directions. According to Gu Zheng, the geographical directions are as follows: Northeast is the Life Gate, due West is the Surprise Gate, due South is the Scene Gate, while the direction of his group in the Southwest is the Death Gate

Gu Zheng noticed a slight change in Sun Yan's expression, so he continued, "I believe that the group of adventurers must have gone to Lijia Valley in May, right? And your first visit to Lijia Valley was in early June, while your second visit was at the end of June" Gu Zheng said slowly, curling his fingers.

Sun Yan gave a bitter smile and said, "Do you think I have a choice?" Upon hearing Gu Zheng's words, Sun Yan felt a stir in his heart; from Gu Zheng's words, he sensed a vague piece of information, which was that Gu Zheng seemed to know what this group of Japanese was searching for. However, since Gu Zheng did not bring it up, he did not ask. In fact, although he was unaware of the purpose of this group of Japanese, he was well aware that Professor Lin Hai in the team was very knowledgeable about it. In his eyes, Lin Hai was just as mysterious as Gu Zheng. Although this old fellow seemed not to be very involved in matters, he was fully aware of what was happening. Many pieces of information were beyond the reach of Sun Yan at his current level and that of the members of the library, so Sun Yan, who was well-versed in the rules of the organization, would not be foolish enough to touch these bottom lines.

Gu Zheng listened to Sun Yan's words, his face filled with confusion. After pondering for a moment, his expression suddenly changed. "Why are you all in such a hurry to go to Lijia Yu? Is it because that group of Japanese has turned back?"

Gu Zheng seemed to be expounding on a matter unrelated to himself. He picked up a dry twig, dipped it in the stream, and drew a triangle on a rock. Then he dipped a bit of water inside the triangle and placed a dot within it. He pointed to that dot and said, "This is Lijia Valley." He then pointed to the three points of the triangle and said, "These represent three temples. Not far from the temples, there are also three Taoist temples, with Lijia Valley at the center. The geographical locations of these temples and Taoist temples are situated to the northeast, directly west, and directly south." At this point, he made a dot in the southwest corner and said, "Here, this is the location of the road we are currently taking to Lijia Valley. Can you discern any profundity in this?" He again made a dot in the southwest corner and said, "Here, this is the location of the road we are currently taking to Lijia Valley. Can you discern any profundity in this?"

Sun Yan was taken aback once again and asked in confusion, "How did you know?"