After dinner ended, the group thanked the elder and his family and returned to the small house that had been designated for them. As soon as the door was closed, they gathered together in the main room.
"Something is wrong with this village," Wang Fei said in a low voice, his eyes glinting in the darkness. "The elder and the villagers were far too guarded."
Su Ming, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, nodded. "I noticed that too. Even isolated villages are usually more welcoming to travelers."
"And what about the fog?" Liu Yan added, sitting on a mat on the floor. "It disappeared suddenly. That alone is unnatural."
Zhang Yong sat in the corner, while Mona slept peacefully on the bed.
He looked at his companions, his red eyes appearing deeper in the darkness.
"The formation was real," he said quietly. "But its sudden disappearance wasn't natural. And do you remember what the elder said? 'Don't wander around the village at night.' How can that be explained?"
Wang Fei stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Do you think the village itself is the source of the danger? Or is there something else hiding here?"
Zhang Yong smiled calmly. "There's only one way to find out. I'll break the rules."
Everyone knew this meant taking a risk, but they also knew that Zhang Yong rarely made uncalculated decisions.
"I'll go alone," Zhang Yong continued, his red eyes flickering with determination. "If there's nothing in the village, the worst that can happen is punishment from the village. That's all."
The others objected at first, especially Wang Fei, who insisted on accompanying him.
But Zhang Yong convinced them that having one person would be less conspicuous, and if he hadn't returned by midnight, they could search for him.
The village was submerged in a heavy silence, broken only by the sounds of night insects and the distant croaking of frogs. The moon, full and complete, cast a silver light on the dirt alleys, making the scene look enchanting yet unsettling at the same time.
Zhang Yong moved cautiously, avoiding areas well-lit by moonlight. His senses were on high alert.
Using his five senses from the Six Desire Art, everything seemed normal. Even when activating his Heavenly Eye,
there was nothing unusual. And that itself was not normal—at the very least, there should have been some guards, even if just near foreign guests like themselves. But the place was empty.
After confirming that no one was around, he quietly stepped out. "Strange. There's not a trace of movement."
Then he began to walk and suddenly stumbled over something near his foot. He quickly caught himself before falling and looked down.
There was a small child standing in front of him, appearing to be three or four years old, with a curious expression on his face.
"What are you doing out at this hour, little one?" Zhang Yong said with a smile.
But suddenly, the child's curious expression twisted into a greedy smile, revealing three scattered teeth in his mouth—two on top and one on the bottom, with wide gaps between each one.
"You broke the rules, big brother," the child said with that smile, sticking his finger in his mouth.
"Oh, no need to tell me. I was just looking for the bathroom," Zhang Yong said with a smile.
"Big brother... is lying!" Suddenly, the child's head twisted and flipped upside down, as if he had no neck.
Zhang Yong leaped back quickly and watched the scene with wide eyes. The child flipped onto his back and walked on all fours while his neck stretched upward like a lizard's, separating from his body and connecting to it only through a red silk ribbon.
The creature shot toward Zhang Yong at astonishing speed, its extended neck waving through the air like a snake. The scattered teeth in its mouth suddenly grew larger, forming a round mouth full of sharp teeth.
Zhang Yong didn't hesitate. A Death Qi sword appeared in his hand in an instant, and he struck swiftly toward the extended neck.
A clean cutting sound. The extended neck was severed, but instead of blood, a sticky black substance flowed from it. The severed head fell to the ground but continued laughing, while the body staggered back, then pulled the head back via the ribbon and ran away.
Zhang Yong pursued it relentlessly until the forest they had come from.
"Tch, you bastard... you won't escape!" Zhang Yong leaped after it and continued the chase.
The next morning, the village was covered in a faint white fog. An old man sat on the ground wearing a yellow robe.
Then he quietly stood and began walking away. "Hmm, what a good day."
Then he noticed the eastern side of the village, and the house was full of people. "That's strange. Were there new residents in the village? The elder didn't tell us anything about this."
The old man in the yellow robe turned and headed toward the eastern house.
His steps were slow and deliberate, but his eyes were sharp, scanning the area. He was curious about what was happening.
Inside the house, Wang Fei, Su Ming, Liu Yan, and Liu Yin were on high alert. Zhang Yong had disappeared and hadn't returned.
"Little Brother hasn't returned," Wang Fei said in a quiet but worried voice. "I can't sense him at all through my spiritual perception."
Su Ming, who was standing at the window staring into the morning fog, nodded slowly. "We need to go look for him. I don't care what he said. We have to find him."
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
Knock... knock... knock...
The knocks were slow and steady, as if the person outside was in no hurry.
"Who's there?" Wang Fei asked.
"I am Zhou Fang, one of the village elders," came the reply in an old man's voice. "I've come to welcome the new guests."
Wang Fei cautiously opened the door to find the old man in the yellow robe standing outside. He seemed calm and friendly, but there was something in his eyes that made Wang Fei feel uneasy.
"We thank you for your welcome, Elder," Wang Fei said politely. "But unfortunately, we are about to leave."
The corners of Zhou Fang's mouth twitched slightly into a faint smile. "Leave? But the morning fog is very thick. It's easy to get lost. Why not stay a little longer?"
"We appreciate your hospitality, but we must move on," Su Ming interjected, his voice firm.
"I see. I understand. I'll leave you then." Zhou Fang turned and began walking away. Just as he did, a faint shadow moved swiftly between the alleys, with a rustling sound like insects.
The four exchanged suspicious glances. Zhang Yong's disappearance and the strange visit from the old man in the yellow robe made them feel like they were in a trap.
"We need to get out of here now," Wang Fei said in a firm voice. "This place isn't safe."
Su Ming nodded in agreement as he readied his golden sword. "I agree. But what about Zhang Yong?"
"We'll search for him as we leave," Liu Yan replied, trying to hide her concern. "We can't stay in one place."
The group packed their quick belongings and left the house cautiously. The morning fog was still thick, limiting their vision to just a few meters.
The streets were eerily empty, as if the entire village had been evacuated.
Just as they were thinking that, a small shadow appeared before them. It was a small child, no more than five years old, with black hair and wide, innocent-looking eyes.
He wore simple cotton clothes and held a rag doll in his hand.
"Where are you going, guests?" the child asked in a pure, sharp voice, but his tone carried a maturity that didn't match his age. "The fog is thick in the morning. It's easy to get lost."
Wang Fei stopped suddenly, his hand touching his sleeve dagger. His senses were telling him something was wrong with this child.
"We thank you for your concern, little one," Wang Fei said, trying to appear calm. "But we must go. We have an important appointment."
The corners of the child's mouth twitched into a wider smile, revealing small white teeth. "But Zhang Yong is waiting for you. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
"...!"
The group froze in place. Then the child's head turned completely upside down, and he opened his mouth. The inside of his face began to turn outward, and the outside turned inward.
Like peeling a banana.
The scene was horrific and unnatural. The face that had turned outward was covered in interconnected red muscle tissue and two white, pupil-less eyes.
The inverted mouth was smiling a wide smile full of sharp teeth.
"Zhang Yong has become one of us now," the boy whispered in a mechanical voice. "Why don't you join him?"
At that moment, Su Ming shot forward, his golden sword gleaming in the fog. "Get out of our way!"
But before the sword could reach the boy, the old man Zhou Fang suddenly intervened from the fog, his extended hand catching the sword's blade with astonishing ease.
"Guests, this is not a proper way to treat your hosts," Zhou Fang said quietly, his eyes glowing with a faint yellow light.
Wang Fei, Liu Yan, and Liu Yin were on high alert, their weapons appearing in their hands. But they were now surrounded—from every direction, villagers began emerging from the fog. Men, women, children, all wearing that same inverted smile.
"What have you done to Zhang Yong?" Liu Yan asked in an angry voice.
Zhou Fang smiled. "We didn't do anything. He simply found his true place. As you all will."
The villagers began to advance toward them slowly, their inverted faces smiling those grotesque smiles.
...
Elder Zhou Fang sat quietly in his rocking chair, staring at the blue sky. "Hmm, what a carefree life."
From a distance, one of the villagers ran toward the elder. "Elder Zhou! Elder Zhou! The hunting party has returned, and they've brought abundant spoils!"
Zhou Fang smiled, his wrinkles becoming more pronounced. "That's good news. Let them place the spoils in the central square. We'll distribute them this afternoon."
"Yes, Elder!" The man bowed and ran off again.
Zhou Fang rose from his chair and headed toward the village's central square. The sun had now risen, scattering the morning fog and revealing a quiet, orderly village.
The blue-tiled houses were neatly arranged, children played in the alleys, and women worked in the small fields around the village. Everything seemed natural and harmonious.
When he arrived at the square, a group of hunters had already gathered, with piles of fresh meat and hides laid out on the ground.
Their leader, a large-built man named Da Chun, was inspecting the spoils with pride.
"Elder!" Da Chun bowed when he saw Zhou Fang. "The hunting was abundant this week. The beasts in the area have become bolder, but we managed to catch enough to feed the village for weeks."
"Excellent work, Da Chun," Zhou Fang looked at the spoils with satisfaction. "But remember, don't hunt more than we need. We must maintain balance with nature."
"Understood, Elder," Da Chun nodded seriously.
As he watched the distribution of the spoils, Zhou Fang thought about the past. Years ago, when he was young, this land was a dangerous place, full of beasts.
But his ancestors had built this village from nothing, turning barren land into a safe home.
The old man suddenly noticed a boar's carcass covered in bloodstains and approached it quietly. "Did you hunt this with arrows?"
"To answer the elder, yes, we did. We tried not to damage the hide as much as possible," Da Chun bowed as he replied.
"I see." Elder Zhou approached the boar closer, and suddenly the image of the boar overlapped with a body full of red cavities before the scene returned to normal.
The old man Zhou Fang covered his mouth and felt the urge to vomit. He shook his head, trying to dispel these disturbing thoughts.
"Elder, are you alright?" Da Chun approached with concern.
"Yes... yes, I'm fine," Zhou Fang sighed. "Just a little dizziness. Continue your work."
He returned to his house with heavy steps. These episodes had been recurring lately—strange visions appearing to him from time to time.
When he entered the house, he rested on his bed. Then his gaze turned to an antelope head he had hunted when he was younger, full of vitality and a desire to explore life.
But suddenly, the image of the antelope head overlapped with that of a small child's head, and the human head appeared to be hanging in place of the antelope's. "Brother...."
In a moment of rage, the old man stood up and threw the antelope head out the window. "Damn it! Why won't you stop bothering me!"
His chest rose and fell rapidly, and his eyes were wide with terror and anger. These visions... these strange memories... were growing stronger and more frequent.
Then the entire house burst into flames. Red fire spread across the walls and ceiling, emitting an immense heat.
Elder Zhou Fang rushed out of his burning house in panic, his chest heaving rapidly as thick smoke obscured his vision.
"Help! Help!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, but the sound of the fire was louder than anything else.
He looked back at the flames in terror before noticing something—two bodies—or rather, two silhouettes—within the flames.
'Who are they... why do I want to save them so badly?'
Without hesitation, and with strength he hadn't known in years, he charged back inside the burning house. The thick smoke nearly choked him, and the heat burned his skin, but he continued forward.
Then he carried them in his arms and rushed outside, the flames chasing him as if alive.
He burst out of the house and collapsed to the ground, the small body still in his arms. He coughed violently as he tried to catch his breath, his eyes stinging from the smoke.
He looked at the body he had saved—a young girl with long black hair and ordinary clothes... but half her body was burned.
"I'm sorry... Zhang Yong," came a weak voice from the girl.
Zhang Yong? Who was that?
Why did his heart ache so much?
Why?
Why must he suffer!
In an instant, Zhou Fang remembered everything. He put it all together and immediately realized what had happened.
Suddenly, his bewildered face filled with hostility as he screamed in anger: "I'm not some pathetic old man! I am Zhang Yong!"