"Uncle Liu, what's the story about the many deaths in the west of the city?"
"You do not know?"
"My junior sister and I sensed something was amiss outside and went into hiding. We know nothing about the situation outside," You Su said earnestly.
"Alas, do you know that there may be evil spirits lurking in this fog?"
You Su nodded, and Liu Nengwu continued:
"At first, the fog was just eerie, but later more and more evil spirits appeared in it. The cultivators sent by the City Lord's Mansion to patrol and protect us were gradually unable to hold out. It is said that many cultivators in the west of the city died at the hands of evil spirits, and even Sect Master Qi and Wu Cheng may have been affected. Later, fewer people patrolled, and all we could hear outside were the sounds of evil spirits passing by. At that time, an evil spirit broke into a house, and the cultivator who came to save us also died. The neighboring households were frightened, so we hid together in a cellar."
"Uncle Liu, do you know when this incident happened in the west of the city?"
Liu Nengwu shook his head. "Anyway, it's not in the last couple of days; we've already been hiding for two days."
You Su was shocked. If the evil spirits that had broken into the city could already threaten a cultivator of Qi Sect Master Qi's level, then what hope did they have?
"We were in such a hurry to hide that we didn't have time to pack much, and the food ran out quickly. Now everyone is starving, and we were counting on you and Uncle Huang to come out and find some food to take back. But then we encountered evil spirits, so we fled to this Peace Cave to hide. We never thought the evil spirits could still track us here. Luckily we met you, so everyone can be saved." Liu Nengwu looked at You Su with hope in his eyes.
"Yes! You Su, you're so capable, you can definitely lead us back to rescue them! Don't worry, our cellar is very safe!" Huang Shian echoed.
You Su was the one who won first place in the Ascension Gathering; with him around, their situation would definitely be much safer.
"What does 'Peace Cave' mean?" You Su suddenly asked.
"This is it. We used to take refuge here a long time ago, but it was abandoned by my grandfather's generation. Later, the City Lord's Mansion dug a new one. The people who rescued us were supposed to take us there, but they were eaten by that evil spirit." Liu Nengwu said sadly, then added, "We shouldn't delay, let's go quickly, You Su, there are still many people waiting for us."
You Su understood. No wonder his master said that the well was connected to the outside world; it turned out to be an abandoned refuge place from long ago.
He had originally planned to take his junior sister to find food and hide in a safe place. Now that a safe place was right in front of him, he hesitated to accept Huang and Liu's invitation, considering that his junior sister didn't like seeing strangers.
He turned around, intending to ask Ji Lingruo's opinion, Ji Lingruo popped her head out from behind You Su and asked first:
"Is there enough food?"
Liu Nengwu and Huang Shian exchanged a glance. Huang said, "There's plenty, definitely plenty. You Su is willing to protect us, so he'll definitely be given priority in eating."
"Let's go then." Ji Lingruo gently pushed You Su's back.
You Su felt a warmth in her heart, took her junior sister's hand again, and said to Huang and Liu, "Uncle Huang, Uncle Liu, you lead the way. If anything happens, hide behind me."
The two nodded and then groped their way forward.
Along the way, they encountered some more evil spirits, most of which seemed to be very low-level Flesh and Blood Type evil spirits, because even Huang and Liu could see them, and You Su easily dealt with them.
However, this situation is unreasonable. According to the two of them, the evil spirits that appeared in the west of the city have reached the point where even City Lord Liu, can be threatened. Even if there are no such powerful evil spirits in the city, they should not be so weak.
Moreover, they claimed that some of the rescuers died at the hands of evil spirits. How could such evil spirits possibly accomplish that? Could it be that they were just lucky today?
You Su couldn't figure it out either, so she could only cautiously move forward.
The extremely low visibility of the surrounding fog terrified the two guides, but it was not scary for You Su. He was already very familiar with the terrain of Chuyun City, and he could also see the evil spirits directly through the fog. It could be said that this kind of place was most suitable for him, a blind man, to fight in.
After walking through several familiar streets, they entered a tightly closed house, which was Huang Shian's residence.
There was also a skeleton lying at the doorway, the remains of the cultivator who had been devoured by evil spirits while trying to save them, leaving behind no name.
Huang Shian bowed respectfully to it, then led the group through several hidden doors. He then gently lifted a floorboard, called to the group, and climbed down the hidden ladder first.
You Su was surprised. This Uncle Huang was usually very honest, so why would he dig such a hidden cellar?
Ji Lingruo the last one to climb down. She almost slipped on the last few steps, but You Su caught her steadily in his arms. It's unclear whether she did it intentionally or unintentionally.
The four walked for another twenty meters or so before finally seeing the cave in its original state.
The cave was dimly lit, illuminated only by a single candle, which didn't light up a large area, yet twelve people were crammed inside.
In the dim candlelight, each of them looked very weak. When they saw the four people suddenly appear, they were as if they had seen saviors, and their eyes lit up.
"Old Huang! Old Liu! You're back!"
Everyone gasped and stood up, rushing forward to surround them.
Among them was a haggard but beautiful woman, who was none other than the proprietress of Zhaiyun Clothing Shop. She recognized You Su at a glance and rushed up to grasp You Su hand, saying:
"You Su! You're still alive!"
"Auntie, I'm so glad you're alright."
You Su exchanged pleasantries with a faint smile; seeing acquaintances in such a critical situation was quite reassuring.
Suddenly, You Su felt a chill run down his spine. Behind him, there was only Ji Lingruo. He quickly forced a smile and pulled his hand away from her grasp.
The proprietress glanced at the cold-faced girl behind You Su, then looked enlightened and said nothing more.
"You Su? Is he the top scholar in the Ascension Gathering?" Some people were not familiar with You Su.
"It really is him! We're saved!" an old man exclaimed excitedly.
You Su felt slightly embarrassed, but fortunately Liu Nengwu stepped in to defuse the situation and calmed the excited crowd down.
As he distributed the hard-won food, he recounted the dangers of the journey to everyone, ignoring his own weaknesses while vividly portraying You Su's strength.
After the distribution was completed, Huang Shian suddenly stood up, took out his own strips of meat, and placed them in front of You Su.
"You Su, you're a cultivator, so your energy expenditure will be higher. Uncle Huang will give you some; please protect everyone."
The remaining thirteen people followed suit, each sharing some of their food with You Su. You Su didn't say anything like "no need," and in such difficult circumstances, there was no need for any pretense of mutual benefit.
Everyone carefully enjoyed the long-awaited food, and few people spoke. Ji Lingruo became even more silent after entering, only staying close to You Su. Anyone who tried to talk to You Su was intimidated by the girl's aura of unapproachability.
Nothing happened that night, and just when You Su thought the next few days would pass like this, several uninvited guests arrived.
The transition section was inevitably a bit boring; I've tried my best to speed it up. I plead guilty.