It was his first ti coming to such a place. He had heard Yang Xiao ntion it before, but it was far less shocking than seeing it with his own eyes. The lake surface, which was originally empty during the day, actually revealed a Ghost Island.
Like last ti, the boat hit the shore and ran aground. The three disembarked quickly, with Yang Xiao leading the way, Hafeez carrying the pitch-black Ghost in the middle, and Sopa bringing up the rear.
After Yang Xiao and Sopa briefly identified their direction, they quickly advanced towards the hill on the right, where Ghost Village lay beneath, and the other end of the hill connected to the path leading to the sacrificial cave in the back mountain.
Their mission tonight was to return the pitch-black Ghost to the cave and place it back in its original sacrificial position.
This ti, the group chose to bypass Ghost Village, but when they climbed the slope and looked down, the keen-eyed Yang Xiao quickly noticed sothing amiss.
The streets of Ghost Village were empty, not a single silhouette in sight, quiet as if dead, yet the doors of each household were wide open.
The open doors indicated the village people were not inside their hos, so where did all the Ghost Village People go?
Now Yang Xiao and Sopa both felt a vague unease in their hearts. This visit was different from the last. Logically, the tis they arrived were similar, yet last ti, when they first arrived, these Ghost Village People hadn’t fully "awakened," remaining hidden at ho.
"Let’s go down for a closer look," Yang Xiao decided.
"Wait, you want to enter the village?" Sopa was stunned upon hearing this and stopped him, looking at Yang Xiao with doubtful eyes. "Is there really a need to take this risk, does it an anything?"
"I suspect that this Ghost Village is different from the last visit, possibly rebooted by so power. I must figure it out."
"Reboot..." Sopa hesitated for a few seconds, then her eyes lit up, shedding her previous doubts, volunteering to join Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao naturally knew what she was thinking. He imdiately poured cold water on her ambitions. "Don’t overthink it, the dead are dead. Even if you run into one, he can’t co back. Your brother wouldn’t want you losing your life over an impossible wish."
"I have my judgnt, don’t worry, I absolutely won’t drag you down."
Sopa was also a person of character, she and Yang Xiao were in a cooperative relationship, not an order between upper and lower ranks.
Yang Xiao had no objection to this, their goals aligned, so accompanied by Hafeez, they chose an easy path downhill. Once they confird the village was empty, the three sped along the trail, arriving at the once-fenced courtyard mansion as fast as they could.
They halted their steps ten ters outside the courtyard, and now the place was completely empty.
This scene delivered great shock to Yang Xiao and Sopa because last night, this spot was piled with corpses, nearly twenty of them, which Yang Xiao had helped the tavern owner move, and now all these bodies had vanished.
"It’s really rebooted, these fellows... have co back to life," Sopa tensed up.
"Let’s go to the back mountain," Yang Xiao said, choosing a new path rather than retracing their steps.
As the three delved back into the forest and reached halfway up the mountain, Yang Xiao, leading the way, suddenly stopped. Hafeez, following closely at his rear, was scanning either side alertly, nearly bumping into Yang Xiao due to lack of vigilance.
Once he steadied himself and looked forward, the scene before him made the hairs on his back stand up. In the dim woods ahead, several dozen stiff human shadows were scattered standing.
These figures appeared asleep, each turned away from them, not moving, nor making any sound.
From their attire, they were indeed those missing Ghost Village People, and lo and behold, these guys were blocking the path to the back mountain cave.
"Retreat," Yang Xiao slowly turned around, mouthing words to the two behind him, "Go around."
The three imdiately retreated cautiously, yet leaving quietly was easier said than done. The forest was too dark to see the ground clearly, and soon Sopa fell victim, stepping on a dried tree branch hidden under leaf litter.
Simultaneously, Yang Xiao hurriedly turned back to keep an eye on the Ghost Village People, but luck was not on their side. The Ghost Village People were startled, turning one by one, their bluish-grey faces harboring eyes full of malice.
"Run!" Yang Xiao was the first to dash away, the other two swiftly following suit.
Soon, chaotic footsteps ca from behind, the Ghost Village People gave chase.
Taking advantage of several opportunities to look back, Yang Xiao noticed that the few villagers in the lead seed familiar, resembling those he had tossed out of the window last night.
"There are too many, we can’t outrun them!" Sopa tugged on Yang Xiao, "Give your candle, I’ll distract them!"
This was the only way out. In this regard, Sopa, like her brother, was a dependable person.
While handing over the candle, Yang Xiao instructed, "Rember, after drawing them away, don’t co back looking for us. Head to the lakeside, guard the boat, and if you really can’t wait for us, just set sail on your own!"
As the two were having their final discussion, things took a sharp turn. Ahead ca the sound of footsteps; the Ghost Village People had encircled them.
Before Yang Xiao could respond, a figure erged from ahead, and upon seeing who it was, Yang Xiao and Sopa were both surprised.
It was none other than the tavern owner they t last night, the scruffy-bearded man!
But what shocked them even more ca next. After eting them, the tavern owner wasted no words, took out a piece of cloth from him, shook it open, displaying a line of blood-red words: "Follow him, et at the cave."
Sopa imdiately recognized that the bloody handwriting belonged to her brother.
For Yang Xiao, this scene was all too familiar, last night’s first eting with the tavern owner happened exactly this way. It was like déjà vu!
"Don’t ask too many questions, follow quickly, your friends are waiting for you!" The tavern owner didn’t waste ti, turned around and dove right back into the dense forest.
Yang Xiao had no other choice at this mont, promptly following suit, the tavern owner was familiar with the terrain here, leading them through twists and turns, miraculously shaking off their pursuers.
"Who are you?" Sopa demanded, teeth clenched. After the recent ordeal, her spirit and energy were nearing their limits.
Of course, she needed to probe the tavern owner’s mory and stance.
After this night, "River Immortal Village" was no longer the sa as before.
"I... I don’t know either," the man replied without turning his head, his voice sowhat deflated. "I only know that I’m not from this village because the people here are very strange; I don’t recognize them."
"And I’ve forgotten how I ca here; should be... should be lost, right. I’ve been trying to find a way out of here."
...
Sopa glanced at Yang Xiao, whose face was rather animated, since these words were exactly what the tavern owner had said last night, without missing a beat.
It seed the tavern owner had also been rebooted, forgetting their previous agreent. Yang Xiao couldn’t help but be glad. Thankfully, he had left a mark, returning to the tavern owner’s old mother to acquire so tokens once more.
Speaking of tokens, Yang Xiao secretly inspected the tavern owner’s wrist, soon spotting a silver bracelet on the man’s left wrist.
It was exactly the one he had brought last night, now clasped around the wrist in a very incongruous manner, even digging into the flesh, looking odd.
"Where’s the person who wrote you the bloody ssage?" Guessing she might soon et her brother, Sopa’s emotions rose sharply.
Just after she spoke, they erged from the forest to see a hidden cave ahead.
Yang Xiao imdiately recognized that this cave was the place they were seeking.
Without waiting for the tavern owner to speak, Sopa dashed directly into the cave.
Once inside, Yang Xiao first heard Sopa’s heart-wrenching cries.
Following the sound, he saw the dim candlelight beside an oval-shaped boulder, where Sopa was hugging Datou, crying tears streaming down her face.
Unlike Sopa’s intensely emotional state, Datou seed confused, unsure why his sister was so emotional, he could only use his broad palm to gently pat her back in comfort.
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