"Damn it, we've been running all day and they're still chasing us. Chase my ass!"
"Exactly. In this cursed weather, whoever comes out suffers."
"I'm not going any farther. We'll spend the night here today and head back tomorrow to report."
"..."
Faint, low curses drifted through the cold wind, appearing and vanishing by turns.
At the edge of Lin, a group of five black-robed figures looked around in all directions. They held or carried various weapons, their faces full of resentment.
"This patch of Lin is pretty dense. You don't think anyone might be hiding here, do you?" one of them asked, tilting his head, his gaze carrying a trace of vigilance.
There were, though not many.
"Keep dreaming. If it were me, I'd have run long ago. After offending Old Demon Mo, who'd dare stop here?"
"Exactly. They've probably vanished without a trace already."
"This is just a good place to shelter from the wind. The polar night is getting closer, and this cursed weather..."
"Come on, come on, we'll stay here. Search my ass. One word from those above, and those below run their legs off. None of them are worth a damn."
"Enough, watch what you say. This is a task Old Mo gave us. If Old Mo hears you, watch your bones." At that moment, the sturdy man walking at the front barked a rebuke.
The other four black-robed figures hurriedly shut up upon hearing this, not daring to speak again.
The sturdy man swept his gaze toward the depths of Lin, sniffed, and could not help frowning. "Keep your voices down. This is a good place to spend the night. We might run into a Night Watchman."
"Wouldn't that be perfect? Kill someone to pass the time, skin them and pull out their tendons.