"I don’t know if what you’re saying is true," Ling Xi said, her voice steady but filled with conviction. "But I can tell you this—the YaoGuais on this mountain have never harmed anyone from the village below. In fact, it’s the villagers who come here, hunting us down. That’s why you can’t find any YaoGuais now, they’re all hiding."
After hearing her words, Zhang Nu and Liu Hai’s brows furrowed even deeper. They couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Had the villagers lied to them?
But Lin Xiao’s expression began to ease.
Ling Xi noticed this change immediately, and for the first time, she realized how handsome Lin Xiao looked without his usual frown. His posture was tall and graceful, like a lone bamboo standing against the wind. His cold, distant eyes seemed unfocused, yet there was a profound calm in their depths. His dark hair, falling naturally around his ears, added to his enigmatic aura.
Unconsciously, Ling Xi found herself captivated by him. Her fear had faded without her even realizing it. Who would have thought that simply relaxing his expression would make such a difference?
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai noticed her gaze lingering on Lin Xiao, and couldn’t help but glance at him too. They had to admit—Lin Xiao’s face certainly had its advantages. However, Zhang Nu was just as handsome, though his charm was of a different nature. Lin Xiao had the cold, aloof beauty of an untouchable mountain peak, while Zhang Nu exuded the gentle elegance of a noble gentleman.
Seeing Ling Xi lost in admiration, Zhang Nu cleared his throat loudly. Now wasn’t the time for her to be distracted—especially when they had serious matters to resolve.
Ling Xi quickly snapped out of her trance, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"Sorry, I got a little… distracted," she mumbled.
Lin Xiao, however, remained puzzled. He had noticed her staring at him but didn’t understand why.
"Are you sure you’re not lying?" Zhang Nu asked, his voice serious. "Can you swear that the YaoGuais on this mountain have never harmed anyone from the village below?"
Without hesitation, Ling Xi nodded and solemnly made her vow.
"I, Ling Xi, swear that if the YaoGuais of this mountain have ever harmed the villagers below, I will suffer endless misfortune and die a painful death."
Zhang Nu immediately believed her. As cultivators, they took oaths very seriously, no one would make such a heavy vow unless they were absolutely certain they could uphold it.
But if what she said was true, then who was lying? The villagers or Ling Xi?
"What’s going on here?" Zhang Nu muttered. "Why are their stories completely contradictory?"
"Who should we believe?"
Liu Hai’s words only deepened Zhang Nu’s confusion.
But Lin Xiao remained calm, his gaze unwavering. In his mind, the answer was clear. If Ling Xi dared to swear such a severe oath, it meant the problem likely lay with the villagers. He had sensed it from the beginning—the oppressive, deathly aura lingering over that village. Yet Zhang Nu and Liu Hai had dismissed his warnings from the start.
"I don’t know why the villagers would say such things," Ling Xi said quietly. "But I’m willing to go down and confront them face-to-face if that’s what it takes. I swear on my life: the YaoGuais here have never harmed a single human."
Zhang Nu believed her. Someone who had made such a heavy vow couldn’t possibly be lying. But why would the villagers deceive them?
"You don’t need to come with us for now," Zhang Nu said firmly. "We believe you. We're going back down to see what’s really going on in that village."
"If their story doesn’t match yours, we’ll bring you both together for a confrontation."
Ling Xi nodded without hesitation. She had already sworn an oath, there was nothing left for her to fear.
But Lin Xiao thought Zhang Nu was making things unnecessarily complicated. The truth was obvious. If anything, the real monsters might be hiding among the villagers themselves.
The most frightening thing in the world wasn’t YaoGuais—it was the human heart.
Unfortunately, Zhang Nu and Liu Hai still trusted the villagers too much.
"We’ll head down the mountain now," Zhang Nu said, "If all goes as expected, we’ll return in a few days."
Ling Xi nodded again. In their brief time together, she had realized that although these three were YaoGuai hunters, they weren’t quick to judge. They didn’t harm YaoGuais indiscriminately and they could distinguish between good and evil.
Her parents had always warned her that YaoGuai hunters were merciless. But now, she knew that wasn’t entirely true.
"If you return," she said softly, "I’ll make sure to welcome you properly next time."