At noon, not a cloud stretched across the sky, and cold white sunlight spilled over all of Feng'an City.
Yet the bustling streets of old were completely deserted. The entire city was deathly silent, like some terrifying ghost city.
In a secluded courtyard beneath the southern city wall, weeds grew rampant.
A group of seven or eight men crept into the courtyard.
"Big Brother, the City Lord's Mansion said the Fox-faced Scholar usually wandered outside the city. What if we run into it out there..." a short man said hesitantly.
"What? Having second thoughts?" The leading bearded man shot him a sidelong glance. "You don't actually believe that nonsense from the City Lord's Mansion, do you?"
"Let me tell you, the Fox-faced Scholar doesn't just wander outside the city. All of Feng'an City is its hunting ground." The bearded man snorted disdainfully.
"And that so-called Three Paths Curse—if it really could keep people safe, why would Old Liu Tou from Duofu Lane have had his heart ripped out by the Fox-faced Scholar?"
"Reciting the Three Paths Curse is like burning mosquito-repelling mugwort in the wilderness. It can drive off ordinary bugs, but it can't stop vicious venomous insects."
"The Fox-faced Scholar merely dislikes the aura of the curse. It's not like it can't force its way through." He swept his gaze across the crowd. "Stay in the city, and you'll only become lambs waiting for slaughter!"
"Are you really willing to stake your lives on that thing's mood?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
"Good. That's more like it." The bearded man nodded fiercely. "Rather than wait to die in the city, follow me out and fight for that slim chance at survival."
Seeing that they no longer hesitated, a faint smile appeared on the bearded burly man's face.
I