Three Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty-One

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"": ""What are you trying to..." Before Luo Feng could finish asking, Luo Bin strode straight toward the corpse!

"Careful!" Luo Feng's expression changed slightly, and he immediately followed Luo Bin.

Luo Bin stopped, however, and slashed at a small tree beside him. He cut off a branch nearly as tall as a person, hacked away its twigs with a few strokes, then prodded the ground ahead with it.

Luo Bin had seen traps before.

And with Luo Feng's warning, he had to be cautious about everything.

Before long, they reached the spot beneath the desiccated corpse.

There were no longer any other traces of the trap visible on the ground.

The rope had bitten deep, terribly deep, into the neck of the man hanging from the tree, even cutting into the bone.

Both his hands were still clutching the rope on either side.

"He wasn't killed by this trap. After he was hoisted up, he kept hold of the rope to keep himself from suffocating. But no one found him. Then night came, and the evil spirits appeared. They clawed his body open and pulled on him, forcing the rope to break his neck and cut into it."

"Dad, we made it out."

"Actually, this place is like the village entrance. We were just walking around a bend outside it. We couldn't see the bigger picture, so we kept treating that bend as the central point and going in circles..." Luo Bin said hoarsely.

"People used to live here. This place is like Cabinet Mountain Village up in the mountains. While scouting for a way out, we reached their village and the path that trapped them."

"Actually, this place connects to Cabinet Mountain Village... But where are the villagers here? Why didn't they find their way to Cabinet Mountain Village? Did they get out?"

Luo Bin stared blankly at the hanged villager.

There were villages both up in the mountains and down below, each with a different way of life. Across the surrounding countryside, there were always people who traveled between them.

Why had only the people of Cabinet Mountain Village found their way here?

Why had no one from here found their way to Cabinet Mountain Village?

That left only one possibility!

The people of this village had found a way out and escaped this absurd, eerie place full of evil spirits!

"It's also possible they all died," Luo Feng said.

Without them noticing, the setting sun had flooded the sky with fiery red.

Their three trips around the loop had taken close to nine or ten hours. Luo Bin's Rewind and all his subsequent analysis had consumed a great deal of time, even though he had worked quickly.

"We can get back to our shelter in about half an hour. Let's head back first." Luo Feng let out a heavy breath, then looked at Luo Bin. "Xiao Shan, you figure out the direction."

Luo Bin felt a weight settle in his chest.

He had imagined such a hopeful possibility, only for Luo Feng's remark to throw cold water over it.

Luo Feng wasn't wrong.

But surely they needed evidence?

It was like knowing there was a wall ahead, yet still having to run into it before turning back.

They had already found this place, and no one had even discovered there was a village here before!

Surely they could find other traces of the people who had lived here?

What if?

Luo Bin wasn't sure whether what he now carried in his heart was hope, wishful thinking, or both.

He worked out their bearings and headed back, keeping as far as possible from the tree where the loop began.

Sure enough, the two of them made it out of the loop.

Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door.

Inside the house, Gu Ya's expression tightened slightly.

"Honey, open the door." Luo Feng's voice reached her ears.

Gu Ya rose from the filthy cotton bedding. Her legs were a little numb as she shuffled to the door.

Through the crack, she could see that it really was Luo Feng, with Luo Shan standing beside him.

Both looked exhausted and worn out, their hair soaked with sweat and plastered to their foreheads.

Joy welled up in her heart, and Gu Ya reached for the door latch.

But she didn't open it right away. She breathed out and stared steadily at Luo Feng through the crack.

"Honey? Why aren't you opening the door? Didn't I tell you I'd definitely be back before dark? I told you to remember what I said, too. It's almost dark." Luo Feng urged her on, knocking on the door.

"I remember..." Gu Ya bit her lower lip slightly before saying, "Say it, then."

"Say what? It's getting dark. Hurry up and open the door!" Luo Feng knocked harder again.

"Mom, hurry and open the door. There are some unnatural things out here, and it's almost dark." Luo Shan watched their surroundings with an especially wary gaze, a trace of panic showing on his face.

Gu Ya went pale, all her joy vanishing.

She said nothing more. She backed away to the filthy old bedding, sat down, and hugged her knees tightly.

"Honey, what's wrong with you?!"

"The evil spirits are about to appear!"

The pounding grew louder, like something slamming against the door!

Gu Ya gripped her trouser legs tightly. The Wooden House shook, dust drifting down continuously from its beams.

Her eyes reddened slightly, a faint sheen of tears gathering in them.

She wasn't afraid of the two "things" outside.

Once people ventured a certain distance into the mountains, these things would lurk in the shadows, eavesdropping on the details of their conversations before impersonating them.

She and Luo Feng had a password.

Before opening the door, she had to check the password. If it didn't match, something was wrong.

What frightened her was that night was coming.

Once it was dark, the evil spirits would emerge, and Luo Feng and Luo Shan still hadn't returned.

She was afraid something had happened.

Two years ago, she had waited alone at their shelter for seven days. She never wanted to go through that again.

Luo Bin and Luo Feng hurried along the mountain path.

The setting sun sank ever lower. Relatively speaking, they were actually moving quite fast, but compared with the energy they had possessed that morning, they were in far worse shape now.

It took nearly forty-five minutes before they finally spotted the Wooden House.

There was barely any time left before dark.

The two hurried up to the house.

"Mom! Open the door!" Luo Bin called, only for his heart to lurch.

The wooden door was covered in marks, as though it had been battered with a chisel. The sight was alarming.

No answer came from inside, only faint sobbing.

Growing even more anxious, Luo Bin was about to call again.

Luo Feng pressed a hand to his shoulder and said quietly toward the door, "Three thousand seven hundred and thirty-one."

Luo Bin froze.

Why had Luo Feng recited a number?

With a dull clunk, the door latch slid open.

Then the door swung open at once!

Gu Ya's tear-streaked face greeted them.

"Xiao Shan, come in! Honey, hurry!"

The two quickly entered the house, and Gu Ya locked the door again. The Lamp Oil had already been lit, filling the little house with light.

"You're all right. Thank goodness." Gu Ya nearly wept with joy.

"Mom... did something come here and attack you?" Luo Bin remained vigilant, staring at the door.

He vaguely recalled what Luo Feng had said. The things that had failed to deceive them earlier must have come looking for Gu Ya.

Sure enough, they had come for her!

"Don't worry. I'm fine. Your mom's clever too."

Gu Ya wiped away her tears and explained.

"Those things eavesdropped on our conversation, but they didn't know the password your dad and I agreed on before. Unless I hear those words, I won't have anything to do with them."

Only then did Luo Bin breathe a sigh of relief.

But his heart soon tightened again.

He really wanted to know what those things were, but Luo Feng simply wasn't willing to explain much.

The word "eavesdropped" in particular echoed in Luo Bin's ears.

That included some of Luo Feng's little gestures.

Those things were nearby, watching them all along?

Why did they seem even more terrifying than the evil spirits?

At least the evil spirits only used words to beguile and deceive people after dark.

These things appeared during the day. What was the logic behind their deception?

Cabinet Mountain Village clearly had nothing like them.

Otherwise, the danger would have been far more than a notch higher.

"Honey, sit down and rest. Xiao Shan, I'll get you both something to eat right away." Gu Ya hurried to rummage through their bundle.

"No need. We just ate some dry rations. We're not hungry," Luo Feng said.

For a moment, the house fell silent again.

Luo Feng's attention remained fixed on him.

Luo Bin felt deeply uncomfortable.

The candlelight had begun to sting his eyes, and his throat kept itching.

He needed to eat Lamp Oil.

"Xiao Shan really is exceptional. He's grown into someone capable. If it weren't for him, we definitely wouldn't have made it back before dark. This wasn't like last time, when I was only building a shelter outside. Even if I had seven days, I might not have made it back. I might even..."

Luo Feng left the sentence unfinished, his expression tinged with wonder.

Gu Ya froze, the unease in her eyes growing much stronger.

"Xiao Shan has made something of himself. I've always known he would be different. Back in the village, he discovered things none of you noticed. It's only natural that he could help here."

As Gu Ya spoke, she bit her lip again before asking, "What exactly did you encounter?"

Luo Feng recounted everything that had happened along the way in full detail.

Throughout his account, he kept looking at Luo Bin with admiration.

"Heavens." Gu Ya clenched both hands into fists and pressed them against her chest, barely managing to suppress her unease.

"Then let's go back, shall we? We can leave tomorrow and reach the village before dark. We'll tell the Village Chief about this. We were scouting in the wrong direction. This isn't something we can solve. We can only leave the decision to the Village Chief."

Clearly, his account had extinguished the enthusiasm Gu Ya had only just managed to muster.

"No. We can't leave tomorrow yet," Luo Feng said gravely. "Xiao Shan and I intend to explore the area and look for traces of the villagers who once lived here. I think they're all dead, but Xiao Shan thinks they might have gotten out."

"Well..." Gu Ya hesitated, but in the end, she said nothing.

"What's wrong, Xiao Shan? Are you feeling unwell?" Luo Feng frowned slightly. His eyes had already been on Luo Bin, and he had been particularly alert to the change in his expression.

Beads of sweat as large as beans dotted Luo Bin's forehead. His eyes were red, and his body trembled faintly.

Gu Ya also looked toward Luo Bin, unease showing in her eyes.

"Xiao Shan, what's wrong?" She started toward him.

"Don't come over!" Luo Bin's voice was startlingly loud, his breathing growing heavier.

"Xiao Shan... you..." Gu Ya stopped where she was, at a loss.

"Where do you feel unwell?" Luo Feng asked again in a low voice, his brow furrowing further.

Luo Bin didn't answer. He only stared fixedly in one direction-the door of the house!

His gaze was too fixed, too sharp, and even carried a trace of ferocity.

Luo Feng abruptly turned to stare at the door, then walked over and peered through the crack.

Gu Ya hurried over as well.

Outside the crack, there was nothing nearby. Only an evil spirit in the distance was approaching.

"Xiao Shan, what did you notice?"

Luo Feng glanced back slightly out of the corner of his eye.

Luo Bin's gaze remained fixed on the door. His expression was still tense, and even his lips were pressed tightly together.

"There's nothing there... an evil spirit is coming toward us." Gu Ya looked bewildered.