Lin Xiao listened to Zhang Nu’s words and gave a small nod. If it weren’t for the fact that Zhang Nu and Liu Hai had no way to deal with those people themselves, he wouldn’t have had to step in.
However, Liu Hai had a different perspective. If Lin Xiao still couldn’t fully control his abilities, then he needed to train more. They couldn’t always protect him—things were only going to get more dangerous from here. If Lin Xiao didn’t improve, there might come a time when neither he nor Zhang Nu could keep him safe.
"Lin Xiao, I think you should train your abilities more. The more you use them, the better you'll get," Liu Hai said seriously.
"We're only going to face bigger threats as we move forward. If your powers remain this unstable, we might not be able to protect you next time."
Zhang Nu agreed with Liu Hai’s reasoning, but now wasn’t the time to pressure Lin Xiao.
"At least give him time to adjust," Zhang Nu argued, "He’ll work on it, but you can’t just expect him to improve overnight."
Liu Hai knew Zhang Nu was right, but he also feared Zhang Nu was being too soft on Lin Xiao. They had been through countless battles with YaoGuais, growing stronger with each fight. But Lin Xiao had always been on the sidelines, observing rather than participating.
"Next time we fight YaoGuais, we should let Lin Xiao handle some of them," Liu Hai suggested. "He needs to gain experience too—we can’t be the only ones improving."
Zhang Nu nodded, "That makes sense. It’ll help him grow stronger."
With just a few exchanged words, Zhang Nu and Liu Hai had already mapped out Lin Xiao’s path forward.
Lin Xiao, on the other hand, felt a headache coming on. He had purposely kept his abilities hidden, not wanting Zhang Nu and Liu Hai to notice his condition. But now, it seemed he could no longer avoid it.
As they spoke, the restrained "YaoGuais" behind them struggled against their bindings. Lin Xiao’s powers were already weak—his restraints wouldn’t hold for long.
"Enough talking. We need to leave now," he urged, "I've bound them for the time being, but they’ll break free soon. We must return to the villager’s house and act like nothing happened."
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai quickly agreed. The three of them rushed back and arrived at an eerily quiet village. With most of the "YaoGuais" drawn out to the outskirts, the village and the farmer’s home remained undisturbed.
And so, another night passed.
The next morning, Zhang Nu and the others woke with vigilance. They could no longer trust anyone in this village.
By day, the villagers were friendly, harmless humans. By night, they turned into ruthless, unrecognizable creatures. But why? What was causing this transformation? And why did some villagers remain normal while others changed? They needed answers.
Determined to uncover the truth, Zhang Nu led the group toward the forest where the farmer had claimed more YaoGuais lurked. When they arrived, however, something felt... off.
It was too quiet. There was no movement, not even the sound of birds or insects, a complete absence of life.
"You don’t think this place would have YaoGuais, do you?" Zhang Nu asked, "It’s too quiet. This whole place feels lifeless."
Lin Xiao and Liu Hai nodded in agreement. But intuition alone wasn’t enough—they needed to confirm whether anything was actually there.
"Zhang Nu, instead of searching blindly, why don’t we have Lin Xiao try sensing if anything is here?" Liu Hai suggested.
Lin Xiao’s expression tensed. His abilities were already limited. If he kept using them, he would only weaken himself further. He shot Liu Hai a look, silently pleading for him to take back his words.
Liu Hai, however, avoided his gaze. He wasn’t trying to take the easy way out—he genuinely believed Lin Xiao needed to push himself.
"Lin Xiao, Liu Hai’s right," Zhang Nu added, "It might help you gain better control over your abilities. We just want you to improve, we’re not trying to force you."
Lin Xiao sighed. He knew they wouldn’t back down. Reluctantly, he closed his eyes and reached out with his senses.
Seconds passed. His frown deepened.
"There’s no life here," Lin Xiao finally said, "Not even a single bird. That’s not normal. Even if there were no YaoGuais, a forest would still be full of life. Something else is happening here."
A creeping unease settled over them. If this wasn’t the work of YaoGuais…then what was responsible for the deathly stillness?