A bent-backed old man walked in, with a girl of seventeen or eighteen following behind him.
The old man's face was etched with ravines, his hair already grizzled, and his clothes were covered in patches. The girl following him, however, had delicate features and clear eyes. Wearing a red padded jacket, she timidly looked at the people in the temple.
The old man also seemed startled by the number of people in the temple. "This old man didn't know there were so many people here. Forgive me, forgive me. We'll leave at once."
The man in blue rose to his feet. "Hey, old man, why are you running? We're not bad people."
"It's the middle of the night, and you're taking your granddaughter along the road. Aren't you afraid of running into demons or evil spirits?"
"I'm telling you, there really are demons around here. We're demon hunters who came to catch them."
At the mention of demons and evil spirits, the old man's whole body trembled. His little granddaughter was even too frightened to walk, clutching only at the old man's arm.
The man in blue called out, "What are you afraid of? I told you already, we're demon hunters. Come sit here and warm yourselves by the fire."
After hesitating for a moment, the old man walked over to Cui Lang's fire. "Sorry to trouble you. Could this old man and his granddaughter warm ourselves by your fire?"
"We're fleeing disaster. Demons appeared in our hometown, so we planned to seek refuge with relatives."
Only then did Cui Lang become alert. He shifted aside a little, just enough to block his sister from view. "Sit wherever you like."
The man in blue immediately looked displeased. "Old man, what do you mean by that?"
He had warmly invited them