“I know you mean well and truly want to help us,” the old woman said, her expression heavy with concern. “But the situation in our town is far too complicated. With your current strength, I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do for us. You should leave while you still can!”
“Many Taoist cultivators have come before you,” she continued, her voice trembling slightly. “But in the end, all of them died at the hands of those YaoGuais.”
Zhang Nu and the others could see the genuine worry in the old woman’s eyes. She wouldn’t have shared so much with them if she didn't care. Now it was up to them to prove whose words held the truth.
“Granny, we’ve already learned quite a bit about the situation in your village,” Zhang Nu said gently. “We really do want to help you. If you’re willing to share everything with us, we can get to the bottom of this together.”
“We’ve already identified the true culprit behind everything,” he added. “All that’s left is to take him down.”
The old woman stared at Zhang Nu in disbelief. All the cultivators who came before boasted of their power, but none had ever gotten close to discovering who the real culprit was—many didn’t even notice the odd behavior of the villagers.
But this young man… he actually knew the truth. Perhaps he was different.
“You mean it? You’ve discovered who’s behind all this?” she asked hesitantly. “Then… do you also know about our—”
Zhang Nu nodded slowly. “We know about the abnormalities in your village. We noticed something was off the very night we arrived and have been investigating ever since. Now that we’ve identified the true threat, we won’t rest until we’ve defeated it.”
The old woman’s heart filled with worry again. Those YaoGuais were beyond vicious. Could Zhang Nu and the others really defeat them? She doubted it.
Many outsiders had died trying to do the same. The village had closed itself off entirely, and yet, somehow, these young people were still here.
“No,” she said firmly. “Even if you’ve learned all this, you’re still in danger. Those creatures… their cultivation is far beyond yours. Please, listen to me. Leave this place while you still can. We don’t want to see more outsiders die for our sake.”
Zhang Nu was touched by her words. Despite their own suffering, the villagers still put the safety of strangers first. He could feel just how peace-loving the townspeople truly were.
“Don’t worry, Granny,” he said with a warm smile. “We’ll deal with the YaoGuai. You don’t have to worry about us. We know what we’re doing.”
The old woman’s anxiety only grew. If they really knew what they were doing, they would have left already. Still, she knew there was no convincing them now. With a sigh, she gave up trying to persuade them and returned to her own business.
Seeing her walk away, Zhang Nu and the others exchanged a quiet, contented smile.
“Now you understand, don’t you?” Zhang Nu said to the YaoGuais behind him. “Most of the townsfolk are peaceful. They know it’s not your fault. The reason the blame was pushed onto you was because someone didn’t want the truth about the real monster getting out.”
The YaoGuais nodded. They had seen enough to believe Zhang Nu’s sincerity, and now they knew he truly had their best interests at heart.
“Zhang Nu,” one of the YaoGuais said, “We know you truly care about us.”
“Now that we know what’s really going on, we need to stand up and clear our names. That YaoGuai was bold enough to use our identities to commit atrocities—he must be stopped!”
Zhang Nu smiled at their determination. These YaoGuais were kinder and braver than he’d imagined, and he was glad they had found clarity.
“Alright, we’ll head for the bamboo forest,” he said. “We four will take on the YaoGuai first. If we can’t handle it, then the rest of you can step in.”
“But remember—don’t act unless absolutely necessary. If you do, you may not come back alive.”