Jiang Qiao withdrew his gaze.
He turned and headed downstairs.
Shen Boxia stood at the entrance to the lobby, gazing up at the green moon with an unlit cigarette between his lips.
When he saw Jiang Qiao coming down,
he hurried over to meet him.
"Mr. Jiang, something's wrong here."
"I know." Jiang Qiao offered no further explanation. "We're leaving the city now."
"All right."
Shen Boxia did not hesitate in the slightest.
In fact,
at least half the people in the lobby had made the same choice.
The remaining half did not think the green moon and fog were normal, either. They were simply afraid they would run into terrifying evil spirits if they went outside.
They left without delay.
Without even packing their things, Jiang Qiao and Shen Boxia pushed open the inn's doors and walked straight out.
Out on the street,
the fog had already grown much thicker.
Visibility was less than three meters.
The outlines of houses ten paces away had vanished completely into the white fog.
The smell in the air had also grown stronger. That scent of rotting wood mixed with incense ash was far more distinct than it had been inside the inn.
"At this rate,"
"everything outside will probably be completely white in another fifteen minutes."
Shen Boxia spoke.
"Yes."
"And whether it'll still be part of the real world by then is anyone's guess."
"That's why we're leaving now."
"There's no need to confront an evil spirit head-on."
Jiang Qiao spoke.
Any evil spirit capable of causing a disturbance like this was surely terrifying beyond his imagination. Unless absolutely necessary, there was no point in confronting such a thing.
Squelch!
Squelch!
Squelch!
The stone slabs paving the street were still soaking wet, making noises with every step.
Those sounds were especially