As they stepped out of the town, Lin Xiao suddenly grabbed both Zhang Nu and Liu Hai by the arms, stopping them in their tracks. Zhang Nu and Liu Hai exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of what Lin Xiao was up to.
“Lin Xiao, what’s wrong?” Zhang Nu asked.
Lin Xiao’s gaze was sharp as he looked directly at Zhang Nu.
“Don’t you think something about this whole situation is strange?”
Both Zhang Nu and Liu Hai frowned.
Strange? They hadn’t noticed anything particularly unusual.
“Lin Xiao, are you overthinking this? What exactly seems off?” Liu Hai asked, scratching his head.
Zhang Nu, too, tried to recall if anything had felt wrong, but nothing stood out.
“Lin Xiao, what did you notice?” Zhang Nu asked seriously.
Lin Xiao’s expression grew even more solemn.
“If these monstrous YaoGuais were truly out to harm people, why would they only appear at night?”
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai froze, realization dawning on them. He was right, if these YaoGuais truly wanted to kill indiscriminately, why not attack during the day as well? They would be able to claim even more victims, making their power grow faster.
“You have a point,” Zhang Nu admitted. “If they were truly ruthless killers, they wouldn’t limit themselves to just the nighttime.”
“Their cultivation would progress much faster if they hunted during the day too,” Liu Hai added.
But then, Liu Hai had another thought.
“What if… the YaoGuais aren’t strong enough?” he suggested. “What if they can only appear at night because their power isn’t stable enough to maintain their human form during the day?”
Lin Xiao immediately shook his head.
“That theory doesn’t hold,” he said firmly. “A YaoGuai that has already gained a humanoid form wouldn’t willingly revert back unless forced to.”
“Besides, didn’t the farmer say that the YaoGuais only appear when someone makes a sound or steps outside at night?”
“If that’s the case, then what’s their purpose in killing?”
Zhang Nu’s brows furrowed deeply. Lin Xiao was making a lot of sense. If these creatures were purely instinct-driven, they wouldn’t have such specific conditions for attacking.
Could it be that the farmer had lied to them? But why? If the YaoGuais truly weren’t a threat to the town, why would he want them dead?
Before Zhang Nu could ask anything else, Lin Xiao’s expression suddenly sharpened.
“We’re being followed,” he said in a hushed voice.
Both Zhang Nu and Liu Hai instinctively turned to look, but Lin Xiao quickly pulled them forward.
“Don’t look back,” he warned. “If I’m right, it’s the farmer who took us in last night.”
“He’s probably tailing us to make sure we really go to the mountain. For now, we have to pretend we suspect nothing. If we turn around now, we’ll alert him.”
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai immediately understood. They exchanged glances, then nodded. Acting as if nothing was wrong, the three of them continued their journey toward the mountain, their pace steady and natural.
Behind them, the farmer watched closely, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. As long as these three actually entered the mountain, then soon enough, they would become nothing more than nourishment. Satisfied that they had taken the bait, the farmer turned back toward the town, completely unaware that his every move had already been seen through.
Lin Xiao’s eyes darkened.
“There’s more to this town than what we’ve been told,” he murmured. “But what exactly are they hiding?”
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai didn’t have the answer. But one thing was certain—They were being deceived.
“Let’s not dwell on that for now,” Liu Hai said. “We’re already heading to the mountain. Let’s check if there are any YaoGuais here first.”
Zhang Nu and Lin Xiao nodded in agreement. The three of them continued onward, reaching the mountain within the hour.
Yet, no matter how long they searched, they found no traces of YaoGuais, or any lingering malicious energy. It was as if there had never been any YaoGuai here to begin with.
“This is odd,” Liu Hai muttered. “There’s not a single sign of YaoGuai presence. No tracks, no scent, nothing.”
“If YaoGuais were truly residing here, we should at least be able to sense their lingering energy,” Zhang Nu added.
But instead, what they found was the opposite. The air in the mountains was pure and refreshing. It was the kind of place that would actually benefit a cultivator’s training.
“This mountain isn’t cursed or tainted at all,” Lin Xiao said thoughtfully. “In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The air here is incredibly clean, and the energy is abundant.”
Zhang Nu nodded in agreement, “If there were YaoGuais here, they must’ve left a long time ago.”
“But if that’s true, then why did the townspeople tell us they were still here?” Liu Hai questioned.
The three of them fell silent, their gazes drifting back toward the direction of the town.
Something was definitely wrong.
And they were going to find out what.