As soon as I put it on, I met a sickly man

The carrier pigeon flapped its wings and landed on Ding Chen's shoulder, bringing a sudden restlessness and breaking the tranquility of the garden.

Ding Chen took off the letter tied to the pigeon's leg, unfolded it, and his originally relaxed brows suddenly furrowed.

What was said in the letter made his heart sink.

A distant relative who has not been in contact for many years has disappeared mysteriously, and the village where he lives has recently been plagued by strange things. Weird lights and shadows often flicker at night. The villagers are in a constant state of panic and rumors are spreading.

An invisible pressure loomed over him, and Ding Chen felt a strong sense of unease in his heart.

He stood up suddenly and paced back and forth in the garden, his mind racing.

This sudden news was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

"I'm going there." Ding Chen said in a firm tone, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

When Xiaoxuan heard this, her heart tightened and her worry was evident on her face.

She held Ding Chen's sleeve tightly and said softly: "Brother Chen, this matter is strange. Could it be aimed at us again? We have finally lived a peaceful life..." She had experienced too many storms and now just wanted to stay with Ding Chen in peace and not be willing to be involved in any danger again.

Ding Chen understood Xiaoxuan's concerns. He gently patted the back of her hand and said softly, "Xuan'er, I understand your concerns, but I can't ignore the safety of my relatives. Besides, if someone really set this up, we should take the initiative and find out the truth."

General Lin and Yingfeng on the side also fell into deep thought.

General Lin stroked his beard and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Ding is right. If it is really a trap, we have no way to avoid it. We might as well take the initiative to fight it." Yingfeng remained silent, but nodded slightly to show that he agreed with Ding Chen's decision.

Seeing that Ding Chen had made up his mind, Xiaoxuan stopped trying to dissuade him, but the worry in her eyes became even stronger.

She knew Ding Chen's character very well. Once he made a decision, he would never change it easily.

Just as the four of them were deadlocked, the old butler hurried over from a distance, panting and saying, "Master, Madam... outside... outside..."

The old butler took a deep breath and finally calmed his rapid breathing, then said: "Master, Madam... a mysterious old man came outside and said he wanted to see you!" Ding Chen and others looked at each other, and their doubts became even greater.

These sudden incidents one after another made them feel that things were far more complicated than they had imagined.

At this moment, an old man with white hair and youthful face, and an immortal look, slowly walked into the garden.

He was dressed in a simple and elegant robe, holding an ancient wooden staff, and his every move revealed an extraordinary temperament.

The old man's eyes were like torches as he scanned the crowd, finally stopping at Ding Chen. He smiled slightly and said, "I have traveled here and heard that Master Ding will be going on a long journey soon, so I came to help you."

Ding Chen was shocked. This old man actually knew his plan. Could he be the mysterious person mentioned in the letter?

He quickly stepped forward, bowed, and respectfully asked, "May I ask your name, sir?"

The old man stroked his long beard, smiled, and said nothing. He simply pulled out an ancient sheepskin map from his bosom and handed it to Ding Chen, saying, "This map records the secret passage to the village, which can help you avoid the dangers along the way. In addition, I have some old acquaintances who are quite influential in the martial arts world and may be able to provide some assistance to you, young master."

Ding Chen took the map and was overjoyed. This was really a timely help!

He looked at the old man gratefully and was about to express his gratitude, but the old man waved his hand and said, "It's just a small favor, no need to thank me. I have something important to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." After that, the old man turned and left, his figure gradually disappearing at the end of the garden, as if he had never appeared.

Ding Chen and others looked at the direction the old man left, their hearts filled with confusion and awe.

The appearance of this mysterious old man undoubtedly added a glimmer of hope to their journey, but it also made them feel more complicated and weird.

According to the map, Ding Chen and others avoided the official road and chose a hidden mountain path.

Along the way, they did not encounter any obstacles and arrived at their destination smoothly.

However, the moment they stepped into the village, they found that the atmosphere here was extremely strange.

The village was deserted, the doors of every household were closed, and the air was filled with a suffocating silence.

"What exactly happened here?" Ding Chen muttered to himself, feeling a strong sense of unease in his heart.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, blowing up the fallen leaves on the ground and making a rustling sound.

Ding Chen suddenly turned around and saw a black shadow flash by and disappear into the darkness.

"Who?!" Ding Chen shouted and drew the sword from his waist.

There was silence all around, and no one responded.

Xiaoxuan held Ding Chen's hand tightly...

Xiaoxuan held Ding Chen's hand tightly at this tense moment, and the sweat from her palms soaked Ding Chen's sleeves.

Ding Chen held her trembling hand, turned around and gave her a reassuring smile, his eyes revealing determination and confidence.

When Xiaoxuan saw Ding Chen's smile, her tense nerves relaxed a little. She snuggled up to Ding Chen, as if she had someone to rely on as long as she was with him and no danger was to be feared.

Suddenly, those strange lights and shadows in the night sky appeared again, floating in the air like ghosts, making sharp whistling sounds, and approaching them rapidly.

Ding Chen and others immediately became alert and took a fighting stance.

Yingfeng's figure flashed, and he rushed into the light and shadow first, with the dagger in his hand flashing with cold light.

He discovered that these lights and shadows were not illusions, but could be materialized to attack, and they were powerful, incredibly fast, and unpredictable.

Seeing this, General Lin also joined the battle, waving his long sword. Every swing was as powerful as thunder and the wind from the sword was whistling, but he still couldn't completely disperse the light and shadows.

Just when everyone was gradually feeling exhausted, Ding Chen keenly discovered that these lights and shadows seemed to be very sensitive to strong light, and they would dissipate briefly after being exposed to strong light.

He immediately thought of a mirror among Xiaoxuan's medical tools that could be used to reflect sunlight.

Ding Chen told Xiaoxuan about his discovery. Xiaoxuan immediately understood and took out a mirror to reflect the sunlight onto the light and shadow.

Sure enough, the light and shadows collapsed after coming into contact with the strong light, melting quickly like ice and snow encountering a raging fire.

This discovery gave everyone hope, and they worked together to use the sunlight reflected by the mirror to drive back the light and shadow.

When the villagers hiding in the houses saw this scene, they all stuck their heads out, their eyes full of admiration and gratitude.

When they finally beat back all the light and shadows, they discovered a hidden cave deep in the village.

The entrance to the cave is covered by dense vines, and it is difficult to detect its existence without careful observation.

An eerie chill emanated from the cave, as if it led to another world, where some huge secret seemed to be hidden.

Ding Chen and others looked at each other, their eyes full of curiosity and desire to explore.

They decided to enter the cave to find out what was going on. Perhaps the missing relatives and the strange things happening in the village were related to this cave.

However, they had no idea what kind of danger was waiting for them in the cave!

Ding Chen took a deep breath, raised the torch, and stepped into the cave first, leaving only one sentence echoing at the entrance: "Be careful."