"In answer to your question, my lord, this is Yi Province. Another sixty li ahead lies Linhe County."
For some reason, the instant Shen Ming met Lin Nan's gaze, his consciousness grew hazy.
He felt that the woman before him was utterly dependable, as though he were facing the mother he revered most, and he could not help wanting to trust her.
Yet his subconscious detected nothing amiss.
He steadied himself, gathered his thoughts, and continued, "We are constables from Linhe County. On the county magistrate's orders, we were escorting a shipment of important medicinal herbs back to the county town.
"Who could have expected us to encounter this vicious Spider Demon? Our brothers suffered terrible casualties. If you hadn't intervened, we would probably already be..."
Lin Nan continued questioning him, her voice carrying a strange cadence. "What power governs this region? What are these demons you speak of? What are martial artists?"
A trace of confusion rose in Shen Ming's heart. He did not understand why she was asking about common knowledge even children knew.
But when he met the pink glow in Lin Nan's eyes, his doubts instantly vanished. He answered respectfully, "This land belongs to the Great Yin Dynasty, which rules the Seven Provinces under heaven.
"Demons are foul creatures that wreak havoc upon the world. They are said to be born by drawing in the killing intent between heaven and earth, and they particularly relish feeding on the blood and qi of us humans. This Spider Demon coveted our blood and qi, which was why..."
At this point, his gaze swept over his brothers' mangled corpses, and his expression grew more sorrowful.
Having watched the faces of men he had drunk and joked with, men he had called brothers, being brutally devoured by the Spider Demon,