The two women's thick cotton-padded coats were stuffed with quite a few lightweight but essential items as well, making them look somewhat bulky.
The village remained suffocatingly quiet, as though last night's terror had yet to fade.
Every household still had its doors tightly shut, none daring to rise early.
They traveled in silence. Fang Yuan warily watched the gray, murky road around them.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened along the way.
From afar, the entrance to the Chen Family Compound was as chaotic as a pot of boiling porridge.
Several horse-drawn flatbeds and donkey carts were already lined up neatly outside the gates.
A steward dressed in a respectable cotton robe stood there with a stern face, barking orders from time to time.
"The corner of that chest got chipped! Handle it gently! Are you trying to draw some Unclean Thing here?!"
The two servants shrank their necks and became even more careful, though sweat had already appeared on their foreheads.
Several servants nearby were tying luggage onto the donkey carts, struggling to tighten the ropes.
At the same time, they could not help whispering among themselves. Their voices were extremely low, but their terror was impossible to hide.
"I heard... there were strange sounds from the back mountain again last night. Like... like someone crying..."
"Ah, these times... Let us just hope Lord Mountain God does not take offense..."
The steward suddenly turned and glared at the two young servants whispering to each other.
"You worthless fools! Lower those torches! Don't you know what times we're living in?
Making such a spectacle of yourselves—if... if Lord Mountain God sees it and sends down punishment, none of us will survive!"
Just then, several men carrying pitchforks, Chopping knives, and even an old hunting bow hurried over.
They wore coarse cotton-padded