The nighttime breeze brushed across the mountainside, and clusters of trees lay in shadow among the hills. Stars glittered beneath the pitch-black curtain of night.
Chen Yuan stood before the wooden door and examined it carefully. "There are no signs of damage to the door, and it was locked from the outside."
This kind of wooden door was exceptionally thick and could effectively withstand attacks from large beasts.
When entering the house, two pieces of wood were used as bolts to secure it; when leaving, an ordinary iron lock was used to lock it.
"Aw."
At the same time, Cola stood upright, planted both paws on the windowsill, and craned its neck to look inside—but the window was blocked by a handmade curtain sewn from all sorts of scraps of cloth, making the scene within completely invisible.
"No need to look. Old Xing definitely hasn't come back yet." Chen Yuan patted Cola on the head, his voice heavy with worry.
Every sign showed that Old Xing had not returned to the cabin. He had to still be outside.
But it was already deep into the night. Why had Old Xing not returned?
And from the depths of Chen Yuan's heart came an even more terrifying suspicion—ever since the Spiritual Tide began, Old Xing had been alone on the mountain. Facing the increasingly dangerous Qinling Mountains, could he have already...
Chen Yuan shook his head, forcibly throwing off the terrifying thought. He spoke to Cola in a solemn voice. "Cola, I'll have to rely on you again."
"Aw!"
Cola's eyes shone brightly, its tail wagging madly. It pressed its nose to the wooden door and diligently sniffed for other scents.
Ever since evolving, Cola's sense of smell had become far more powerful than before, and it was not greatly affected by