"Looks like you’re luckier than . Since you can see that cluster of buildings, there’s no need to et up at the ancient town. You go there first and assess the situation. It could very likely be the Zhang Family. I’ll find a way out of the woods, then join up with you."
Lin Tian also envied this guy’s luck—he didn’t fall into the water. However, Lin Tian did not continue to bicker with him but reminded him to scout the Zhang Family first.
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a while. Just as Lin Tian was losing patience, Xu Feibai finally said, "It’s useless, there’s a barrier around the Zhang Family, we zombies can’t get close."
"Since Ning Luoxi arranged for you to co to Qingtan Town, there will be soone to receive you. Just wait and see who cos to get you," Xu Feibai added.
"How do you know there’s a..." Lin Tian was puzzled and couldn’t help but ask, because Xu Feibai sounded so sure, like he’d been there before.
But before the words "barrier" could be asked, Xu Feibai had already hung up, leaving Lin Tian without any response.
"Xu Feibai, damn you!" Lin Tian swore at the phone, but Xu Feibai couldn’t hear him, and he could only vent his anger fruitlessly.
Despite his anger, Lin Tian dialed another number, this ti to Ning Luoxi. Who would’ve thought, after ringing twice, the signal suddenly disappeared, and the call was automatically disconnected.
Damn it, Lin Tian had cursed countless tis, just having thanked the telecom operator. Who knew the signal would vanish after a bit of praise?
Lin Tian knew that signals were unstable in the wilderness. Quickly climbing a tall tree, he tried to find a signal. But who would’ve guessed, the signal seed to have never existed at all and wouldn’t reappear.
Forget it, I’ll just rely on my legs to get out of the woods, Lin Tian abandoned the search for signal and jumped back to the ground.
No signal, but the compass on the phone still worked, showcasing the advancent of modern tools. Based on the orientation of the ancient town he glimpsed before he fell, Lin Tian made a rough estimate of his position relative to the ancient town and started heading in that direction.
This way of walking might have so deviation, but as long as he could see the ancient town, he could get out of the woods.
After walking for a while, Lin Tian heard the sound of water ahead. He hurried his pace and discovered a small stream flowing from the mountain, crystal clear, with every pebble at the bottom visible.
More importantly, the compass direction on his phone aligned perfectly with the flow of the stream, further affirming to Lin Tian that he was moving in the right direction.
Continuing to follow the stream, Lin Tian still hadn’t seen anyone. Although the woods weren’t far from the ancient town, the ecology seed well-preserved, with no signs of deforestation.
Just as he was calculating how far he had left to go, he noticed a dramatic change in the scenery ahead. Previously, there were ancient trees and shrubs, but now there were many flowers that didn’t appear to be wildflowers, as their surroundings were free of weeds, clearly tended by soone.
"Finally, signs of civilization..." Lin Tian breathed a huge sigh of relief and sped toward the place.
As he got closer, Lin Tian noticed that the flowers belonged to a garden, within which stood a large wooden house surrounded by flower vines. More distinctively, the garden channeled a branch of the stream, forming a small pool.
Sunlight spilled over the garden, wooden house, and pool, creating scenery as beautiful as a painting, like a secluded paradise.
Soone lives secluded here. Who could it be? Lin Tian wondered as he ventured into the garden, mainly to ask for directions.
Entering the garden, he noticed soone squatting by the pool, carefully tending flower branches. This person was dressed in a white dress, but most striking was the long white hair, devoid of any black strands, reaching down their back.
Looks like an elderly person living in seclusion here, Lin Tian thought, pondering why they live in seclusion—perhaps their children are unfilial, or they are a follower of so belief, as the captain ntioned most people in Qingtan Town are devout.
"Hello, ma’am..." Lin Tian walked over, politely greeting from several ters away, even performing a bow and salute.
The ancient town retained its old customs, so Lin Tian assud the locals there also preserved ancient etiquette; and it’s never wrong to show courtesy to elders.
Only then, it seed, did the white-haired lady hear Lin Tian’s words. She stood up and slowly turned around, causing Lin Tian’s eyes to widen and freeze entirely.
This is no old lady! The white-haired woman’s face was devoid of wrinkles, her skin radiant as jade, rosy beneath the white, lips slightly pursed in an ambiguous smile, with long eyebrows complenting the glint of amusent in her eyes—charmingly spirited.
Wearing a simple white dress, her waist cinched with white silk, her figure tall and slender. Just this complexion, this build, and these bright eyes, would suggest she’s in her early twenties; viewed from the front, the long white hair adds to her allure.
As Lin Tian observed the woman, the woman was observing him. She gave Lin Tian a brief smile, saying, "I might not be much older than you, calling ’ma’am’—do I look that old?"
The woman spoke these words with laughter, a slightly wicked smile, her gaze on Lin Tian as if she were seeing a little lamb—a lamb that had wandered into a wolf’s den.
Damn, did I just stumble upon a woodland banshee? Lin Tian’s heart cried out; her beauty, her eyes—they seed intent on devouring him.
Nonetheless, Lin Tian was unafraid of any banshees. As so online joke goes, I dread last night of a female ghost strangling , riding atop . Resolutely, I turned a nightmare into a pleasant dream.
Lin Tian steadied himself, dissipating the shock caused by the woman’s transformation, then spoke, "Sister, how should I address you, then?"
"Sister?" The white-haired woman laughed openly, unabashed in front of Lin Tian, "That’s an interesting title."
"Uh, perhaps Sister hasn’t been online recently. It’s a way to term female elders closer in age, less so to call them ’aunt’ which sounds too old—so calling them ’sister’ maintains decorum and avoids offending them." Lin Tian explained.
The woman blinked, amused, "How interesting. You want to know Sister’s na, right? Co over, I’ll tell you."
The ’sister’ beckoned with her slender, fair finger, making a gesture that seed suggestive.
"Sure." Lin Tian raised a brow and approached the white-haired woman. Getting closer, he could detect a delicate aroma on her.
This scent, unlike Xiao Manxuan’s fragrance, seed naturally acquired from prolonged contact with flowers, not overpowering but subtly intoxicating.
The woman did not shy away from Lin Tian’s gaze, even scrutinizing him closely. She circled Lin Tian once before finally standing behind him.
"My na is..." the white-haired woman tantalizingly whispered, as a gentle, jade-like hand ascended onto Lin Tian’s shoulder.
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