In my heart a tiger dwells, sniffing the rose

"": 200,

"": "",

"": "Returning to Luo Feng and Gu Ya, Zhong Zhicheng continued calling the roll.

The process lasted about an hour. At least one person from every household in the village had come to stand outside the Ancestral Hall. The only name that received no answer belonged to a man called Tang Ji. He was the unfortunate victim.

The crowd began dispersing, everyone heading home.

Many of their gazes still held a gleeful relish for others' misfortune.

A few people stood diagonally ahead of them. One even made a throat-slitting gesture at Luo Bin.

Judging by their thuggish appearance, Luo Bin figured they were Zhang Jun's no-good friends-the ones who had thrown a sack over him and beaten him.

Just then, Luo Feng suddenly stepped forward and headed toward them.

The men immediately began to scatter. Luo Feng abruptly picked up speed, leaped into the air, and unleashed a flying kick!

A scream mingled with a dull thud. One man was sent flying and slammed into the Ancestral Hall's outer wall, wailing that someone was trying to kill him.

The villagers fell silent, all staring at Luo Feng in astonishment.

Zhong Zhicheng came out of the Ancestral Hall, his brows tightly furrowed.

"They beat Xiao Shan." Luo Feng met Zhong Zhicheng's eyes.

Luo Bin's heart hammered. He had never imagined Luo Feng would actually strike!

Hadn't Luo Feng said before that if you couldn't eliminate a danger, you should avoid making enemies as much as possible?

Yet he had attacked so brutally in front of all these people!

Zhong Zhicheng said nothing.

The man who had been kicked down shakily got to his feet.

He had a long face, thin lips, a high hairline, and a buzz cut. He looked every inch the village thug.

His eyes widened, his gaze vicious as he shouted, "Village Chief! An evil spirit's eaten Luo Feng's brain! Who beat Luo Shan? Who saw it? Did Luo Shan himself see it? He's accusing us in broad daylight..."

"Chen Xianxian witnessed it. She also said they went too far," Luo Feng added.

"Mm." Zhong Zhicheng nodded.

Luo Bin's heart gave another jolt.

Right. When he had passed Chen Xianxian earlier, she had said those things.

He hadn't expected Luo Feng to take them to heart.

Actually... the second set of injuries on his face had been faked. Chen Xianxian simply hadn't known that, and had instinctively blamed the first group who had beaten him.

Everything happened in a flash. Luo Feng strode forward.

With a faint scrape, he drew the billhook from his waist. It whistled through the air as he hurled it, skimming past the man's head and lodging firmly in the Ancestral Hall's outer wall.

The man abruptly fell silent, clamping his mouth shut, too frightened to speak. Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.

"Don't play games with me, and don't try to brazen your way out of this. I know it was you. Xiao Shan knows it was you too. If anything happens to Xiao Shan, I'll hold you accountable!" Every word Luo Feng spoke was firm and decisive.

"I only have this one son. His life is my life."

Luo Feng stepped forward again. The man's legs trembled, and he ducked his head and fled in the other direction.

Luo Feng didn't chase him. He simply pulled the billhook free and tucked it back at his waist.

"You'll be going into the mountains in three days. Go home and prepare properly. I'll come by again later, and the Spirit Medium will come to drive out evil and pray for blessings."

Zhong Zhicheng finally spoke.

"Mm." Luo Feng nodded, then motioned for Gu Ya and Luo Bin to leave.

The villagers' chatter grew quieter, and their stares became a little more restrained. Still, their delight in his misfortune remained.

Luo Bin still held the black lot in his hand, his palm growing slightly sweaty.

Gu Ya's expression had brightened a little when Luo Feng stood up for Luo Bin earlier. Now, however, worry covered her face again.

As they walked along the road, a scene flashed through Luo Bin's mind.

In the courtyard, Luo Feng had used his questions about drawing lots as an opportunity to teach him.

"There are still too many dangers, and many unknown things in the mountain forests. But if your lot is drawn, you have to explore. If everyone fears death, all we can do is wait to die in the village."

Gu Ya had pressed her lips together beside them and said, "Not everyone thinks the way you do. Dear, stop teaching Xiao Shan these things all the time."

The mountains... Luo Bin had been there last night.

But it had been so dark that he had focused entirely on avoiding evil spirits. With Gu Yiren leading the way, he hadn't noticed any other dangers.

Danger. The unknown...

Luo Feng advocated exploration.

But Gu Ya thought differently? Did she represent the views of most villagers?

Did they even have a choice in this matter?

Luo Bin's heart kept pounding.

Before he knew it, they were passing the Morgue.

The enormous single-room building had a stone foundation and gray brick walls above it. The word "Morgue" appeared on a pitch-black wooden plaque. In the sunset's fading light, the white lettering seemed almost piercing. A peculiar smell hung in the air-a mixture of blood, flesh, and burning.

The villagers had only two paths available to them.

Either they walked out.

Or... they walked in?

How could anyone go through life without ever making a mistake? A single slip would mean dying at the hands of an evil spirit and ending up as a handful of ashes.

"Xiao Shan, why are you standing there in a daze? It's getting dark. Come on." Gu Ya raised her head and called to Luo Bin.

"Tang Ji lived alone. When he first came to the village, he had a wife and daughter, but they were killed by evil spirits. After that, he spent his days drinking to drown his sorrow. The evil spirits gradually learn everyone's weaknesses, then trick them into leaving their homes." Luo Feng spoke casually.

Luo Bin met his eyes, his eyelids giving a slight twitch.

He hadn't actually said what he was thinking.

Had Luo Feng realized he was thinking about the village?

A phrase surfaced in Luo Bin's mind.

In my heart a tiger dwells, sniffing the rose?

And earlier, in front of all those people, Luo Feng had broken his own rule and directly threatened them.

Luo Bin hadn't merely watched it happen.

He had also felt faintly moved.

Put simply, this was a father protecting his child.

Even knowing it could cause trouble down the line, Luo Feng had still turned on them on the spot.

The village was frightening, yet his home was warm.

Gu Ya cared for him, and Luo Feng defended him.

Given another life, what more could he ask for?

"Dad, Mom, we'll get out." Luo Bin drew a deep breath and said with conviction, "One day, our whole family will leave this place together."

Gu Ya pressed her lips together again without a word.

"Let's go," Luo Feng said, starting forward once more.

They encountered someone else along the way.

In fact, she had come running over.

It was Zhang Lingyun.

The blood-red sunset brought out the rosy glow of her fair skin, and a sheen of sweat still covered her forehead.

"Xiao Shan, your clothes."

"Uncle Luo, Aunt Gu, I got pushed to the very edge of the crowd at first. I heard you'd arrived, but then everyone started leaving and pushed me out again. Anyway, Xiao Shan, you're going home safely. That's wonderful."

Zhang Lingyun spoke hurriedly, joy shining in her eyes.

"Thank you, Sister Xiaoling." Luo Bin took the clothes.

"That was thoughtful of you, Xiaoling. Hurry home. It'll be dark soon," Gu Ya quickly said.

"I'll be off, then, Aunt Gu." Zhang Lingyun hurried away.

The clothes in Luo Bin's hands were clean and still carried a faint fragrance. His spirits lifted a little more.

Soon, the family of three returned to their courtyard, and Luo Feng locked the gate.

Gu Ya lit the lamp, then went into the kitchen to cook.

Luo Bin returned to his room first. Carefully leaning halfway into the wardrobe, he retrieved the lamp oil wrapped in a plastic bag, opened it, and took a sip.

He drank a little more than before, suppressing his aversion to light and thirst for blood.

When he returned to the main room, Gu Ya happened to be bringing out dinner: two large bowls and one small bowl of noodles, each topped with a golden fried egg.

Luo Bin ate with relish, but Gu Ya barely tasted her food.

Just before darkness fell.

A woman stood quietly at the bend in a small path.

It was Chen Xianxian, her hair reaching her waist, her eyes bright and her teeth pearly white. Unseen by anyone, she had been watching the Luo Family's courtyard all along.

"Does my sister like you?" Chen Xianxian pouted slightly, a strange emotion in her eyes.

Then she hurried toward home.

At the very instant before darkness fell, she reached her house and lit the Oil Lamp.

The house was clean and tidy, and an elegant fragrance of incense filled the air.

Chen Xianxian entered the room on the right. It was her bedroom, decorated in soft pink and white.

She lifted the bedding, then raised the bedboards, revealing an opening about half a meter across with a hanging ladder.

Chen Xianxian climbed inside.

It was an underground room, roughly the same size as the bedroom above.

A woman lay curled on the floor, her hands and feet bound so tightly she couldn't move at all.

Even her mouth was stuffed with a wad of cloth.

The woman had short hair. Tears kept seeping from the corners of her eyes, forming a small patch of grime on the floor. The bruised injury on her forehead had a purplish-red tinge.

Seeing Chen Xianxian descend, Zhu Qianqian began whimpering again, her face filled with terror as she struggled desperately.

"How did you get yourself so dirty? My sister doesn't like people who aren't clean." Chen Xianxian frowned. She helped Zhu Qianqian up, propped her against the wall, and wiped her face.

The terror in Zhu Qianqian's eyes deepened, and still more tears streamed down.

There was another person in the underground room.

A woman stood against the back wall. Her hair also reached her waist, and she was dressed exactly like Chen Xianxian. Even her face was identical to Chen Xianxian's. They were clearly twins!

But iron chains bound her waist, shoulders, and thighs. The chains were only two meters long, confining her to the area beside the wall.

At that moment, she smiled serenely, her eyes fixed on Zhu Qianqian.

Once Chen Xianxian finished wiping Zhu Qianqian's face clean, she hauled her up. Zhu Qianqian's legs went weak, leaving her unable to struggle, and she was shoved hard toward the foot of the wall.

The woman seized Zhu Qianqian by the shoulder. Her lips parted slightly, and she buried her head against Zhu Qianqian's face and bit down. Blood poured out wildly. Even with the cloth stuffed in her mouth, Zhu Qianqian let out an agonizing scream.

"Eat slowly, Sister. There's no rush."

A chair stood nearby. Chen Xianxian sat down, rested both hands on her knees, and tilted her head slightly, as though the scene were a delightful sight.

But the person she was still thinking about was Luo Bin.

That day, Luo Bin had been beaten outside her house.

Originally, she had only checked whether anyone was nearby. If Luo Bin had come inside, she could have given him to her sister as food.

Luo Bin hadn't come in. That in itself meant little.

But her sister had actually reacted then, making a sound.

It had still been daylight!

Evil spirits didn't react at all during the day. Her sister had never done anything like that before!

It made her want badly to bring Luo Bin home and see whether he was the reason her sister had awakened during daylight.