The village was small, with only a few dozen households, each with a neatly built courtyard.
The streets, too, were paved with a hard stone.
They were clean and tidy, without a scrap of rubbish.
Red lanterns hung on either side of every courtyard gate.
They bathed the entire village in brilliant light.
Yet the whole village was eerily quiet. Only the breeze stirred the lanterns on the courtyard gates, making them rustle.
There was no other sound at all.
Knock, knock, knock...
Zhao Su and the others exchanged glances. Li Fan stepped up to one of the houses and knocked on the gate, but there was no response.
"Could this be an empty village?"
As Li Fan spoke, he casually pushed the courtyard gate.
Creak!
The gate opened a crack just like that.
Without giving it much thought, Li Fan pushed the gate open and walked inside.
"Is anyone here?"
After entering the courtyard, Li Fan called several more times toward the candlelit house.
Still, there was no response.
Zhao Su and the others then entered the house, only to find it empty despite the burning lights.
A peculiar fragrance also filled the entire room.
"What's going on?"
"Come on, let's check the other houses."
In the end, they checked almost every household in the village. Every house had its lights burning, yet not a single person was there.
The same fragrance lingered in every home.
"Should we rest here for the night, or leave now?"
Qian Renxue asked Zhao Su.
Among the four of them, Zhao Su was now their pillar, and everyone followed his lead.
"There's definitely something strange about this village. Since that's the case, let's find somewhere to rest for the night and decide once dawn comes!"
Ordinary people might have been frightened at the