Jiang You nodded solemnly. "I was the one who destroyed Four Seasons Valley back then. In a sense, I also saved Chen Family Village. The Gu family master won't have forgotten that, right?"
Gu Mingshi raised the corner of his eye and smiled faintly.
"Then, City Lord Jiang, shall we?" He raised a hand and made an inviting gesture.
But Jiang You did not move an inch.
Just then, Mei Qiu, who had been keeping watch in the air, let out a sharp screech and swooped down.
Jiang You bent her arm and raised it. The crow landed steadily on her arm.
The force of gravity combined with its speed made her arm sink slightly.
"Caw!"
The crow's mournful cry echoed through the woods.
Jiang You felt something and abruptly looked up. At some point, a familiar-looking figure had appeared beneath the archway of Chen Family Village.
The pale, gaunt youth wore gray hemp clothes, and his smile carried a gentle, refined air.
It was completely at odds with the atmosphere of this desolate village.
It was like a beautiful woman appearing at Lanruo Temple—eerie and ghostly.
At the sight of him, Jiang You's heart jolted. She knew she had come to Chen Family Village for the right reason.
The gentle-looking youth before her was Chen Nan.
But Chen Nan had clearly been transformed by the Mad Doctor into something half-human and half-ant. Yet the person standing before her now was unmistakably human.
The light-gray hemp clothes were stained with mud, wisps of hair clung damply to his forehead from sweat, and his long, straight legs—all of it showed that he was an utterly normal human being.
Yet in this kind of environment, the more normal someone looked, the more abnormal they seemed.
The Chen Nan before her gave off