After seeing Little Beggar Girl nod, Zhou Yi carried New Moon on him and swiftly followed Little Beggar Girl out of the inn.
Rumble~
A clap of thunder exploded beside Zhou Yi's ear, and half the sky lit up as lightning streaked above the village.
Zhou Yi looked up at the sky. He had not expected the rain to persist; instead, it was only growing heavier.
He draped his outer coat over Little Beggar Girl, then ran in the direction she pointed. But after only a few steps, Zhou Yi heard panting behind him.
Zhou Yi slapped his forehead. How could Little Beggar Girl possibly keep up with his speed? When he stopped and turned around, she was already gasping for breath, her mouth hanging wide open as she thirsted for fresh air like a fish stranded on shore.
Zhou Yi walked over without minding the dirt on her and simply picked her up. Perhaps it was the first time anyone had held her like this. Little Beggar Girl's eyes widened as she stared at Zhou Yi in disbelief, her mouth agape as though she had even forgotten how to breathe.
Seeing Little Beggar Girl staring blankly at him, Zhou Yi gave her a little shake and said softly, "Point out the way for me. I'll take you there."
Little Beggar Girl nodded at Zhou Yi, then pointed in a direction.
The wind raised by his sprint carried the rain from the sky straight into Zhou Yi's face, obscuring his vision somewhat. He could only run for a while, stop for a while, and make out the road beneath his feet.
At last, after running for some time, Zhou Yi arrived at the destination with Little Beggar Girl. She pointed at a dilapidated little wooden hut before them.
The hut was already surrounded by martial artists dressed similarly to the Patrol Team. Every one of them stared at the wooden hut as though facing a mortal enemy, their eyes bloodshot, as if some man-eating beast lurked within. They seemed to need to clutch their weapons tightly just to feel a trace of security—yet they gripped them so hard that their hands were trembling.
Zhou Yi set Little Beggar Girl down and slowly walked toward them. The martial artists, whose nerves were already stretched taut, heard his footsteps and immediately all turned around. Only after seeing that he was human did they relax slightly. One martial artist who appeared to be their leader saw Zhou Yi approaching and frantically gestured for him not to come any closer.
Seeing this, Zhou Yi stopped and rummaged around on his person for a while before taking out the Provincial Governor's Office identity token.
As the constables watched Zhou Yi pull something from his clothes, their expressions could not help but tighten. Only when he produced the identity token did everyone breathe a sigh of relief, their eyes lighting up at once. After all, one more martial artist meant one more shred of hope.
Only then did the leading martial artist react. His subordinates might not know, but he knew perfectly well that anyone who could join the Provincial Governor's Office at such an age had to be a Vitality Realm martial artist. The person before him could absolutely be called accomplished in his youth. Looking at the young man, then thinking of himself—already so old and still stuck at the early stage of the Vitality Realm—he truly had lived his life like a dog!
He shook his head and drove the stray thoughts from his mind. The most pressing matter was to deal with the strange creature inside the wooden hut. Otherwise, there would surely be countless casualties tonight. This young man might well be his hope!
With that thought, the leading martial artist reversed his grip on his blade. He first pointed at the wooden hut, then pointed at his mouth, and finally bowed to Zhou Yi without making a sound.
Zhou Yi understood what the man meant. Since there was a strange creature inside, he had not spoken in order to avoid alerting the enemy.
Zhou Yi nodded to the leading martial artist, then activated his spiritual perception. In his mind's eye, he saw that there was not a trace of life left inside the wooden hut. At the same time, a cold, sinister aura reached his mind. That must be the strange creature.
Zhou Yi slowly drew New Moon. Everyone saw a flash of white streak through the darkness. Looking carefully, they realized it was the gleam from Zhou Yi's blade beneath the moonlight. It swiftly faded again as a faint red glow covered the blade, concealing its shine.
After nodding to the leading martial artist, Zhou Yi made another gesture, signaling them to retreat.
Seeing Zhou Yi signal for them to fall back, the leading martial artist could not help worrying whether the young man could handle the strange creature in the hut. But when he saw the color of the vital energy shining from Zhou Yi's blade, he dismissed that thought. This young man was at least a mid-stage Vitality Realm martial artist. Moreover, judging from the color of his vital energy, it was nearly compressed to its limit, about to form source energy he himself had never possessed!
After nodding to Zhou Yi, the leading martial artist gave a signal to the men around him. They began to slowly move their feet and retreat backward.
Once Zhou Yi saw that they had withdrawn a sufficient distance, he took a deep breath and carried New Moon, covered in vital energy, toward the wooden hut's door.
When he reached the hut, he looked once more at the Patrol Team members and Little Beggar Girl. After confirming that they had retreated to a safe distance, Zhou Yi kicked the wooden door.
The old wooden door crashed down. Only then did Zhou Yi and the Patrol Team members beside him clearly see the scene inside. A humanoid strange creature with no hair anywhere on its body, pale skin, and exceptionally long limbs was squatting on the ground with its back to them. It seemed to be holding something in its hands, but its body blocked their view.
When the strange creature heard the enormous sound, it suddenly turned around. Only then did Zhou Yi and the others see its face clearly. Its complexion was pallid, its eyes were vertical pupils like a snake's, and its mouth hung open, revealing sharp teeth stained with blood. It seemed to be chewing something.
Upon seeing Zhou Yi at the doorway, the strange creature immediately turned fully toward him and let out a howl.
Only then did everyone see what it held in its hands. It was a human leg, drenched in blood. Flesh was missing from parts of it, exposing the white bone beneath. When the strange creature roared at Zhou Yi, they also saw what was in its mouth. It was flesh—human flesh.
Everyone who saw this was already furious beyond measure, wishing they could charge forward with their blades and hack the strange creature to pieces. Even Zhou Yi's eyes reddened at the sight. Then a peal of thunder rolled over, lightning flashed, and Zhou Yi and the others saw an even more enraging scene.
Rumble, rumble~
The lightning illuminated the inside of the hut as brightly as day. Once they saw it clearly, everyone began to tremble uncontrollably. It was not fear, but fury taken to its utmost extreme.
Inside the hut, it looked as though blood had washed over everything. The floor and walls formed a world dyed crimson, while the scattered bones and chunks of flesh to one side showed exactly what the strange creature had done.
Zhou Yi could no longer endure it. He would not let this strange creature die so easily. He would make it taste pain ten times greater than that suffered by these people.
Before you continue