Chapter 1245: Chapter 827: Village People (2)
"Clack, clack."
Footsteps sounded outside the door, as if someone was drunk, drawing closer step by step until finally stopping right outside.
Yang Xiao didn’t dare move a muscle, his heart in his throat while Aisha was separated from him by just a door.
The mysterious person behind him also became noticeably tense, the hand covering Yang Xiao’s mouth started to tremble slightly.
Time ticked away second by second, and after a full half minute, there was finally some movement outside, the stiff footsteps gradually fading away, signaling Aisha’s departure.
But Yang Xiao and the person behind him still dared not move. The two of them held on for a full two minutes more until they were sure Aisha had indeed left, then Yang Xiao slowly raised his hand and gently tapped the hand covering his mouth.
The skin of the hand was tight and smooth, confirming Yang Xiao’s suspicion—it was indeed a young woman.
However, it couldn’t be Sopa, as the feel from behind was much bigger.
"Whew—"
The person behind exhaled a breath, seemingly also scared out of their wits, slowly loosening their grip.
As Yang Xiao turned around, he immediately put some distance between them. The room was quite dark, without any light, but it wasn’t completely pitch black.
By now, Yang Xiao’s eyes had gradually adjusted to the environment, and he saw that standing behind him was a woman around the age of thirty.
The woman wore shabby clothes, had relatively dark skin, ordinary features, long hair tied up with a red-painted wooden hairpin.
The woman had quite an exaggerated figure, rare even in modern society.
Yang Xiao stared at the woman without saying a word, and being stared at like this, the woman became a bit embarrassed, her gaze constantly avoiding his.
"You must have been frightened. Those things outside are really scary, they’ve already killed many people. None of the village people dare go outside at night," the woman whispered to Yang Xiao, her hands twisting in front of her.
"Thank you for saving me. Are there many of those things outside?" Yang Xiao asked.
"A lot, and people captured by them also turn into those things," the woman answered.
Yang Xiao remained cautious of the woman, his eyes surveying their surroundings, "Why don’t you light a candle?"
Upon hearing this, the woman panicked a little, quickly waving her hand, "No, no candles. Those things are very sensitive to light, they’ll come if they see it."
"Is it just you in the house?"
"Yes, my husband joined the village’s Demon Extermination Team, and they live on the mountain, it’s been... it’s been a long time since he came back," the woman said, lowering her head.
"The Demon Extermination Team, are they dealing with those things we encountered?"
"Yes, that’s them. Their nest is in the Demon Cave behind the mountain, you must be careful, never go there. Almost everyone who went to the back mountain has died."
The woman kindly warned, looking at Yang Xiao with a different emotion in her eyes, "Are you here alone, or do you have friends?"
"I’m alone, I got lost in the mountains and somehow ended up here," Yang Xiao speculated that the woman was someone from the former village, but she seemed unaware that she was already dead.
It seemed that River Immortal Village existed in a very peculiar way, an independently operating world, a scenario reminiscent of the "Thousand Prison Country" to Yang Xiao.
As long as he didn’t provoke these "village people," there wouldn’t be any issues. He could even gather information from their mouths or seek assistance.
Yet, he had to be cautious around them. This was why Yang Xiao hadn’t revealed the existence of his teammates.
"Thank you for your help, I should be leaving now." Yang Xiao planned to bid farewell.
But the woman blocked his way, "That’s not possible. It’s late, and this is when those things are most active. Leaving now means certain death."
Just as Yang Xiao hesitated, the sound of "rustling" came from outside again, like something crawling on the ground.
"Stay here for now, tomorrow morning I’ll take you to see the Village Chief and have him send you back," the woman kindly and thoughtfully suggested.
"Our village is surrounded by forests, and there are smoky marshes and poisonous insects. Without someone to guide you, you’ll never get out," the woman appeared sincere and attentive.
As she spoke, she pulled Yang Xiao inside, into a room with a bed. She let Yang Xiao sit on the edge of the bed first, then found a wooden box, and after opening it, a strong medicinal aroma wafted out.
Inside the box was a crushed, black herbal paste.
During an earlier fight, Yang Xiao’s arm had been cut, and the woman gently pulled his hand over, considerately intending to apply medicine for him.
But Yang Xiao found an excuse to refuse, simply washing the wound with clean water.
"That won’t do, you need to apply the medicine," the woman coaxed playfully, one hand roguishly touching Yang Xiao’s thigh.
Seeing no reaction from Yang Xiao, the hand slowly moved upward, nearly reaching his thigh’s root when Yang Xiao caught it with a laugh, brushing it aside, "Big sister, I’m tired and want to rest."
The woman’s eyes lit up and softly she said, "You can sleep here, my husband won’t be back tonight."
"Thank you for your kindness, but how can I sleep on the bed? I’ll just find a storage room to spend the night without troubling you," Yang Xiao replied.
Yang Xiao was a man of integrity; he knew this was a classic honey trap, where once he undressed, several burly men would burst into the room, the leader claiming to be the woman’s husband, and the woman would corroborate that Yang Xiao tried to take advantage of an empty house, and then husband and wife would fleece him for a hefty sum.
Ignoring the woman’s persuasions, Yang Xiao left the room, heading to a small adjacent room. He pushed the door open; it was filled with clutter. Once he confirmed it was safe, he locked the woman outside.
"Big sister, you should go rest too; I’m going to sleep. Thank you," Yang Xiao said through the crack of the door, wishing the woman goodnight.
The woman lingered by the door, trying to entice him for a bit longer. When Yang Xiao didn’t take the bait, she dejectedly left.
Once it was completely silent outside, Yang Xiao cautiously approached, peering through the crack. What he saw shocked him immensely.
The woman hadn’t left at all; she stood rigidly outside his door, her eyes filled with malice fixed on the entrance, her body unmoving.
After the initial shock, Yang Xiao quickly realized something was wrong. It was one thing for her body not to move, but even her eyes remained still, not even blinking.
The suspicion in his heart was confirmed—the woman wasn’t human but a Ghost. Aisha had stopped chasing them at the door likely because she sensed a fellow spirit’s presence.
Perhaps... Yang Xiao’s heart sank; this being might be more terrifying than the likes of Aisha’s Corpse Ghost.
This place wasn’t safe; he had to leave quickly.
Rubbing his shoulder that had inexplicably become sore, Yang Xiao found the door blocked. He turned to search for another way out, grateful to find a window in the small room.
But as Yang Xiao climbed up using a wooden box, despair settled in. He pulled apart the tattered paper window only to discover it was purely ornamental, bricked shut from the outside.
Pushing against it, the dirt wall didn’t budge, and to Yang Xiao’s horror, he noticed traces of rubbing and knocking on it.
Some were even clawed at with fingernails, leaving behind spots of dried blood.
He wasn’t the first person trapped in this room; many unlucky souls had perished here before him.
There was no other choice; the window was out, leaving only the door as an option.
With determination hardening his resolve, Yang Xiao devised a plan in his mind; staying would mean a slow death, so he needed to make a break for it while he still could.
He stealthily returned to the door, squatting to peer out through the crack; the woman remained standing in place, her expression unchanged.
Squatting there, Yang Xiao reached back to rub his shoulder. It was no longer just sore but inflicted with a chilling cold, making even raising his hand difficult.
"Something’s off..."
Yang Xiao quickly retreated, eyes scanning the room. Acting decisively, he took out a Fire Starter and a stick of 15-minute incense.
As the incense burned and smoke began to curl, a horrific scene unfolded. The smoke seemed drawn to something, slanting toward Yang Xiao’s shoulder.
