At that moment, Lin Xiao suddenly remembered something important — if Ling Xi really intended to travel with them, had she informed the other YaoGuais yet?
“We don’t have a problem with you coming with us,” he said, “but what about the others? Did you tell them you were leaving?”
Ling Xi fell silent. She knew all too well how unpredictable the other YaoGuais could be. If they found out she planned to leave the mountain and set out on her own, they would never approve.
“But no matter what,” she said firmly, “I have to go out and see the world. I’ll do my best to persuade them. Just wait for me.”
The others nodded. They still had unfinished business, they needed to return to the village and explain everything to the townspeople.
“Then we’ll head down first,” Zhang Nu said. “The villagers deserve an explanation.”
With that, the trio descended the mountain and returned to Apricot Spring Town.
Meanwhile, Ling Xi returned to her cave and quickly gathered the other YaoGuais. She was determined to tell them her decision. No matter how difficult it would be, she had to convince them.
When Zhang Nu and the others arrived at the town, they immediately noticed how eerily quiet it was. Unlike before, there were no signs of life, no hustle and bustle. Zhang Nu frowned. This didn’t make sense. The threat had been eliminated — shouldn’t the villagers be more active now?
“Lin Xiao,” Zhang Nu asked. “Can you sense anything strange? Is the town really safe? Why is no one coming out?”
Lin Xiao nodded. “The town is much better than it used to be,” he replied. “The deathly aura is completely gone. As for the villagers… I think they’re still too afraid. They probably don’t believe the danger is really gone. They might think more YaoGuais have arrived.”
Zhang Nu nodded. It made sense. The villagers had likely suffered a great deal under the black mist. Even with the YaoGuai vanquished, their fear lingered.
“Then we’ll just go door to door,” Zhang Nu said. “Eventually, they’ll believe us. And maybe, just maybe, this town will find its peace again.”
Lin Xiao and Liu Hai both nodded in agreement. There was no other way. They couldn’t leave the villagers in the dark. After everything they’d been through to eliminate the YaoGuai, it would all be meaningless if no one knew the truth.
So the three of them began spreading the word. But the townspeople responded with disbelief. They were convinced Zhang Nu was lying. How could such a powerful YaoGuai be so easily trounced?
“Villagers, I’m not lying to you,” Zhang Nu urged. “Didn’t you notice? There were no YaoGuais last night.”
His words made some of the people pause and think. It was true, there had been no attacks the previous night. Even when there were strange noises, nothing had come to frighten them.
“He’s right,” someone murmured. “There weren’t any YaoGuais last night.”
“Maybe… but that doesn’t mean they’re gone for good,” another said.
“Exactly. What if the YaoGuais just held back because these people were here?”
“What if, the moment they leave, that YaoGuai comes back and we all suffer again?”
Doubt spread through the crowd. They murmured back and forth, unwilling to trust Zhang Nu’s words.
But Zhang Nu and the others didn’t lose their temper. It was enough that the villagers had noticed something was different. Eventually, they would come to accept the truth.
“Zhang Nu, where do we go now?” Liu Hai asked.
Zhang Nu wandered aimlessly for a moment. Since the situation in the village had been handled, there was only one thing left to do.
“Let’s check on Ling Xi. See how things are going on her end.”
The three nodded and began climbing back up the mountain.
But when they arrived, they were met with an unsettling silence. The entire mountain was far too quiet — a sharp contrast to the vibrant energy they had felt on their last visit. It was as if all signs of life had vanished overnight.
“What’s going on?” Zhang Nu muttered. “Is that Black Mist really still alive?”
“Why haven’t we seen a single YaoGuai?” Liu Hai added, his voice low. “And where’s Ling Xi?”
A growing unease settled over the group. Something was terribly wrong.