Ever since they had arrived in Wugong Village, the sky had been gloomy. Mist shrouded the distant forests, and one thing after another had happened, leaving everyone struggling to catch their breath.
In a place like this, time seemed to have lost all meaning. By the time the villagers who had come to help left, only their group remained.
The last to leave was the old woman. She held Li Bai's hand, her fingers rough as tree bark as they rubbed back and forth over Li Bai's hand. Though Li Bai felt repulsed deep down, she didn't let it show on her face.
"How wonderful, how wonderful!" The old woman's cloudy eyes brimmed with emotion. "My granddaughter was about your age when she left. She was even prettier than you, but she..."
Afraid that the old woman might be confused and say something inappropriate, the others hurried to pull her away. The middle-aged woman they had met earlier stepped forward and reminded them, "Let me say this again: make sure you keep the doors securely shut at night. If a stranger knocks, don't answer. You outsiders are new here and don't know how dangerous things can be. Those evil cultivators are no joke. Plenty of families in the village have already come to harm."
Jiang Cheng accepted the middle-aged woman's kindness without reservation and said gratefully, "Don't worry. Brother Fuqing has already warned us several times."
"Oh, and one more thing: you don't need to leave the door open for Xiuling tonight. She won't be coming back. Ah, it's such a sad situation. Though she's a woman, she's practically the only family her Grandpa has left. She'll be staying with his memorial tablet tonight, keeping him company and talking to him." After she finished speaking, the woman sighed sadly.
"That's