The outsiders vanished!

"": 200,

"": "",

"": "I was an idiot!

No, I was trying to be too clever!

I kept thinking about the relationship between Gu Yiren and Xu Kaiguo, wondering whether Gu Yiren had deliberately said those things to get me to save her.

But Gu Yiren had simply told me two things.

I can help you!

The window wasn't closed!

Luo Bin rushed out of the Wooden Cabin and over to the entrance of the Mountain God Temple opposite.

Thud, thud, thud! Luo Bin pounded on the door, but there was no response, only silence.

He immediately pressed himself against the door and peered through the crack. There was no one inside!

He raised his leg and kicked hard, throwing the Mountain God Temple's doors open.

Zhang Li, Zhu Qianqian, and Gu Yiren were all gone.

Not only were they gone, but the thin iron chain hanging from the mountain god's arm had disappeared too. They had even taken the oil lamp!

That lamp was larger than the other oil lamps, which was why it could keep burning continuously from day into night.

"Fuck!" Luo Bin swore.

He had noticed something was off about Zhang Li yesterday, but the upheaval that morning had made him neglect to keep watch over Zhang Li and the others.

Zhang Li knew all the information about the village. How could he dare run away? He was asking to die!

The missing kettle and the dozen or so flatbreads must have been taken by Zhang Li as provisions.

Pressing his index and middle fingers against the space between his brows and his thumb against his temple, Luo Bin struggled to stay calm. After several deep breaths, he finally composed himself.

Walking to the doorway, Luo Bin stared at the towering, dense forest beside the end of the concrete road, where even sunlight could not penetrate.

There was no way Zhang Li could get out of the mountains.

They knew they would keep getting lost if they tried to leave. Besides, how could they possibly walk out of these mountains before dark on foot?

Taking the oil lamp meant they had somewhere to stay. As long as the lamp was indoors and the doors and windows were shut, they could ward off evil spirits.

That shelter was the car!

They had gone to find the car!

As luck would have it, everyone in the village was gathered in one place right now. The village roads were almost empty, leaving Zhang Li and the others free to move unopposed!

Realizing all this in an instant, Luo Bin ran toward the village again.

Although taking Zhang Yunling home and then returning to the Mountain God Temple had cost him quite some time, the matter with Zhang Jun clearly still hadn't been settled. The concrete road remained deserted.

Luo Bin kept his eyes and ears peeled.

Getting the car wouldn't be easy for Zhang Li and the others. Even he didn't know where it had been put, and Zhang Li knew even less about the village. They would have to spend time searching.

Yet even after he had walked back to the fork leading to the clearing at the foot of the mountain, Luo Bin still hadn't found anything.

Just then, he spotted a crowd moving in the distance, heading noisily toward the main road.

Luo Bin quickly stepped aside to the roadside.

The crowd was wildly excited, waving their arms and shouting, "Parade him through the village! Parade him through the village!"

There was actually a prisoner cart in the middle of the road.

Seven or eight men were dragging it forward, and locked inside was none other than Zhang Jun!

Zhang Jun's legs were already shaking too badly for him to stand steadily, and his face remained utterly miserable.

There were too many people for Luo Bin to spot Gu Ya, but Luo Feng was among the men pulling the cart at the front.

Punishing Zhang Jun was something Luo Feng would inevitably be involved in.

Soon, Luo Bin spotted Village Chief Zhong Zhicheng among the crowd some distance diagonally behind the prisoner cart.

"Village Chief!" Luo Bin shouted, but his voice was swallowed by the roar of the crowd.

He had no choice but to squeeze his way into the crowd.

The villagers were too worked up, and they weren't friendly toward him. When he tried to squeeze past, they shoved him, and some even deliberately stepped on his feet.

At last, Luo Bin reached Zhong Zhicheng.

"Village Chief, the outsiders have run away!"

As he spoke, Luo Bin gripped Zhong Zhicheng's arm tightly.

Zhong Zhicheng's Arhat Brows drew together slightly.

"I see."

His reply was likewise drowned out by the clamoring voices.

Then Zhong Zhicheng's expression relaxed, and he continued walking as though nothing had happened.

Luo Bin froze for a moment. Only after someone shoved him did he hurry after Zhong Zhicheng.

"Village Chief, aren't you going to send people to look for them?" Luo Bin pressed.

Zhong Zhicheng stopped completely.

This time, Luo Bin was standing so close to him that none of the villagers dared openly shove him.

Soon, the crowd had moved away.

"Luo Shan, why should I send people to look for them?" Zhong Zhicheng asked in return.

"The outsiders!" Luo Bin answered without hesitation.

"Yesterday morning, I warned that young fellow called Zhang Li that I wouldn't put ropes on them again. They were not allowed to leave the Mountain God Temple, and if they forced their way into a villager's home, they would be responsible for any injuries or deaths. Outsiders must survive for three days before the village's rules will protect them," Zhong Zhicheng said.

"You did well not to let Zhang Jun take the outsiders away yesterday, and you did even better to expose him today. Since the outsiders have run away, there's no need for you to keep watch at the Mountain God Temple opposite anymore. Stay with your parents. There will be a village parade tonight. It's been a long time since we last used this form of punishment, which is why Zhang Jun started harboring twisted ideas about harming people. This will also serve as a warning to everyone in the village."

Zhong Zhicheng reached out and patted Luo Bin on the shoulder. His tense, square face relaxed a little as he walked onward.

The village chief's words had always been beyond question.

And the village chief himself never went back on his word.

He had repeated the instructions he had given Zhang Li, making his position perfectly clear: he would not look for them.

Either Zhang Li and the others survived today, and the village would begin protecting them tomorrow.

Or they would die tonight.

The sunlight was bright, yet chills kept running through Luo Bin.

So this was what it had meant?

Zhu Qianqian must have left with Zhang Li willingly. But Gu Yiren had been tied up, so she had effectively been taken away by force.

That was why Xu Kaiguo had told me to save her!

The villagers had all gone far ahead onto the regular concrete road. The village chief, too, had disappeared from Luo Bin's sight.

Another figure hurried toward him from the distance. Wasn't that Gu Ya?

"Shan, didn't I tell you to go back to the Mountain God Temple after taking Ling home? I spotted you a moment ago and kept calling, but you didn't hear me. Why are you standing here?" Gu Ya took out a handkerchief and wiped Luo Bin's forehead.

"You're sweating so much. Are you feeling unwell?" Gu Ya asked again.

Luo Bin felt as though someone had clenched his heart in their fist. For a long time, he couldn't breathe.

This wasn't sweat from the heat, but cold sweat. He knew how serious this was, how difficult it would be to resolve, and how hard it would be to save Gu Yiren.

In the past, Luo Bin would definitely have let it go.

He would never have risked his life over something so dangerous, especially since he knew the oil lamp was his remedy. As long as he could find a way to get one, he could stay safe. But Gu Yiren could not only help him; the ability she had displayed was even more frightening.

She had predicted that a window in the Luo family's home would be opened!

In such a dangerous place, an ability like that was far too important!

Only then did Luo Bin gather his thoughts and smile at Gu Ya. "Mom... I'm fine... The outsiders ran away. The village chief said I don't need to watch the Mountain God Temple anymore. I can stay with you and go home."

"They ran away?" Gu Ya paused, then shook her head. "Then let them run. Good advice can't save someone determined to die. After what happened with Zhang Jun, whichever house they enter today, they definitely won't come to a good

end. Everyone fears death, and everyone is frightened afterward." Gu Ya's attitude toward outsiders was rather cold.

In fact, everyone in this little village treated outsiders coldly.

Then another person approached from the distance: Luo Feng.