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A force drew Bian Chunchou through a long, deep passage. Passage was a generous word for the narrow tunnel through the mountain, barely wide enough for one person. Perhaps because it lay deep in the forest, the air inside was thick with moisture. After only a short walk, he felt mist beading on the tip of his nose.

And perhaps it was his imagination, but the damp air seemed to carry the smell of rotting wood.

How had a mountain tunnel this wet and sticky not collapsed?

"Young sir, you'd best stop struggling. The Sacred Tree won't treat you badly."

The tunnel was not long, and the group soon emerged. Bian Chunchou, of course, had been dragged along. Then, as the last person stepped out, he watched with his own eyes as... the tunnel sealed shut!

More precisely, a thick tree root swallowed the entrance. It looked as though it had always grown there, as though the passage they had just walked through had never existed.

Bian Chunchou went numb. They were going to get him killed!

"Pah! You're forcing an honest man into marriage! Who wants your rotten Sacred Tree—mmph, mmph!" Someone clapped a hand over Bian Chunchou's mouth.

"You mustn't disrespect the Sacred Tree, young sir. Once you see the girls of our Little Tree Village, you'll understand. What female cultivator outside could compare with the softness and beauty of our village daughters? When the time comes, you'll..."

The group moved on in silence, their footsteps soft, their bearing reverent, like believers bringing offerings to a god.

But to Bian Chunchou, the sight sent a chill down his spine. Every one of them had an ordinary human face, yet he could not shake the feeling that... they were not his kind.

What sort of wolves' den and tigers'