"Evil cultivators?" Jiang Cheng's expression tightened. He immediately thought of the strange things hidden in the mist. "What are these evil cultivators you're talking about?"
But the one-eyed man in the lead waved him off. "Don't ask unnecessary questions yet. I'll take you into the village first. It's not time yet, but who can say what those things might do?"
"Asheng, go tell the villagers. These are all living, breathing people. Tell them not to worry."
The man called Asheng gave a muffled acknowledgment. After glancing at Jiang Cheng and the others, he turned and ran into the bushes alone, quickly disappearing from sight.
"Let's go, too."
The one-eyed man carried his harpoon and turned toward the bushes.
"Wait." The Fatty couldn't help speaking up. He looked at the village nearby, then at the dim thicket. "What do you mean? Weren't we going back to the village?"
The one-eyed man paused, then quickly realized what he meant and explained, "This path through the woods leads to the village. The path you see in front of you can't be taken. It doesn't lead anywhere."
"Why?"
This time, the man didn't answer. He only urged them to hurry. Jiang Cheng seemed to understand something; he squeezed the Fatty's shoulder and shot him a look. The Fatty obediently fell silent.
They made their way through the woods. The seemingly remote path wasn't too difficult to walk, since the grass on the ground had been trampled flat. Clearly, people often used this route.
After winding this way and that, they followed a cliffside and emerged to find a village before them. It felt like the clouds had parted to reveal the moon.
What reassured them even more was that the village was already lit with firelight. It seemed the man who had gone ahead