Volume 1, Chapter 19: They Left the Village

"Oh, Aunt Gu, it was my oversight. In a situation like this, how could I leave you, a young girl, alone at home?" Gu Ya held Zhang Yunling’s hands tightly.

Luo Bin’s heart rate quickened.

He felt something was off with Zhang Yunling. Because when he brought her home earlier, she kept leaning against him—was it possible she had feelings for the original owner of this body? But Gu Ya had warned him not to provoke her, which implied the original owner must have done something truly egregious. With that in mind, the theory about her having feelings could be immediately dismissed. Was she simply unsteady on her feet? Was he being too sensitive, overthinking things? Fortunately, he had neither the intention nor the actions to take advantage of her; he had been polite, at least. His racing heart now was simply because Zhang Yunling was very beautiful. Everyone loves beauty, and Luo Bin was no exception. In his previous life, Zhang Yunling would have been a quintessential school beauty.

Luo Feng went to open the door, appearing rather indifferent.

"Don't hold it against your uncle, and don't blame him. He’s just stubborn by nature and can't change his ways overnight," Gu Ya said, pulling Zhang Yunling toward the house.

"I understand. Uncle wasn't wrong, either. After such a major incident, it was only right to explain everything clearly to the village chief," Zhang Yunling said, appearing very reasonable.

Listening to this, Luo Bin understood: Zhang Yunling had been detained because of Luo Feng. That made sense. Luo Feng’s mind was so sharp that anyone who had visited their home would be his prime suspect.

As they entered the courtyard, Luo Bin closed the gate. Gu Ya and Zhang Yunling went into the kitchen to prepare a meal. Luo Bin followed and glanced inside, noticing that the window had been completely sealed with a wooden plank. There were many bloodstains on the wall, looking quite shocking.

"Was someone hurt last night?" Luo Bin’s heart skipped a beat.

"It’s rat blood. Those evil spirits, in an attempt to lure your mother into the kitchen, caught and tortured several rats. The blood soaked the wooden board on the rice vat, and the rat carcasses were stuck to the wall this morning. They were furious because their scheme failed," Luo Feng said, sitting on a small stool by the well, sharpening his wood-cutting knife.

Luo Bin felt a lingering fear.

"It’s fine now, Xiaoshan. You go rest. Your Sister Ling and I will handle the cooking. You’ve really grown up; Sister Ling keeps whispering to me how grateful she is to you," Gu Ya said with a radiant smile.

Gu Ya’s tone had changed. Before, she had been very gentle with him—a typical doting personality—but now, her praise felt deliberate, as if she were showing off. Yes, that was exactly the feeling.

"It was nothing... one shouldn't wrong an innocent person," Luo Bin replied before rushing off to his room.

Once inside, he closed the door and gave a bitter smile. In his past life, he had been socially awkward and never knew what to say when interacting with women. It seemed that in this life, there hadn't been much improvement.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and walked to the window, staring blankly at the crack. He took out the note and looked at the portrait of Gu Yiren. Suddenly, he felt even more troubled. Things were already complicated enough—Zhang Li was missing, and now Zhang Yunling had arrived. Could he explain this to Luo Feng? No... it seemed he couldn't talk to Luo Feng about it. Gu Yiren’s first message, read from her lips, was that she could help him! How could he let Luo Feng get involved in that?

Sweat beads trickled down his temple. Deep contemplation took time. A knock at the door coincided with Gu Ya’s call: "Time to eat, Xiaoshan."

Coming back to his senses, Luo Bin left his room to eat. The four of them filled the main room; it almost seemed harmonious.

"Dad, I want to go for a walk later. I also want to take a look at the newcomers' car," Luo Bin said while eating.

Gu Ya was about to speak, but Luo Feng answered cleanly and decisively: "Fine."

"Finish your meal. You can take a nap with Sister Ling later; you didn't sleep well last night," Luo Feng said, placing a piece of food into Gu Ya’s bowl. Gu Ya said nothing more.

After the meal, Luo Feng and Luo Bin went out. Luo Feng didn't ask questions or say much; he led Luo Bin to a specific location. It was also at the foot of the mountain, but completely different from where the others had gathered. The area was overgrown with weeds, and the empty space was filled with dense clusters of vehicles—many rusted, tires blown out, windows shattered.

Luo Bin didn't see Zhang Li’s car. Luo Feng walked until he reached a specific spot where there were tire tracks, a discarded spare tire, and many chaotic footprints.

"It seems you don't need to worry about the newcomers. They’ve left the village," Luo Feng said. "A man, bringing two frail women—to think they would try to leave the village when they know it's impossible. Tonight, they will die outside." Luo Feng shook his head slightly.

Luo Bin felt a sense of relief. At least Zhang Li and the others hadn't broken into someone’s home to be killed by hatchets and axes. He probed cautiously, "They might get lost and come back, right? Actually, these outsiders are quite pitiful. When they return, can we bring them back to the Mountain God Temple?"

"I fear they won't come back. Once they reach the village entrance and turn around, hoping against hope to find a way out, by the time darkness falls, it will be too late to enter," Luo Feng shook his head. "No one will open their doors for them. Besides, tonight is different. If they try to enter the village after dark, they will die even faster!"

"Why, Dad?" Luo Bin wiped the sweat from his forehead, a sense of unwillingness rising in his heart. Gu Yiren could help him! Was he just going to let this opportunity slip away? Truth be told, he hadn't yet figured out what to do tonight. He couldn't just watch the parade; he would undergo a noticeable transformation unless he had spare lamp oil.

"What did you call me? We are the only two here," Luo Feng frowned.

"Dad," Luo Bin replied naturally. He had been identifying as Luo Shan, so he felt a natural sense of belonging toward Gu Ya as his mother. By extension, Luo Feng was his father.

Luo Feng fell silent for a moment. After a while, his brows relaxed, and he looked toward the sunlight. He let out a long sigh and said, "The parade is not something the villagers do."

"Evil spirits come out from the mountains. They delight in deceiving and torturing the villagers, slowly letting them die. They place people in prison carts and parade them through the village, slowly slicing at their bodies—it is akin to death by a thousand cuts."

"The villagers choose a section of the road before dark and stay in that family’s courtyard to witness different stages of the parade. This is one of the village’s harshest forms of punishment. Those who use evil spirits to harm others will eventually face the spirits themselves."

"Once those three outsiders return, they will collide with an unprecedented number of evil spirits. Even if they have lamp oil and their car has doors and windows, they will realize how naive their thinking was." Luo Feng’s words were logical and grounded.

Just listening and imagining it, Luo Shan began to tremble. *This* was the parade? The memory of the driver’s horrific state from the first night echoed in his mind, and goosebumps surged over his skin. Indeed, as Luo Feng described it, Zhang Li had better return before dawn, or... it would be better if he never returned to the village at all.

But in their desperation, would they stay safely in their car outside the village for the night?