Chapter 287: Has Monsters

The group of eight, including the little girl on horseback, exchanged glances, surprised by the sight before them. It was evident to everyone that the village was largely uninhabited, and the person making the fire was merely a transient traveler.

"Oh, it's a deserted village after all..."

"He's all alone; isn't he afraid to travel this road?"

"Perhaps he has companions inside." "Doesn't seem like it..."

Seeing Jiyuan by himself, a few people exchanged whispers. Then, one of the younger, robust men among the leaders spoke to the grizzled man next to him.

"Second Uncle, I've had a look. Along this path, there are no suitable houses nearby. Only that large manor where he is seems relatively intact, and there's a well in front. Should we go over and...?"

The man's "Second Uncle" frowned, glancing towards Jiyuan. They were still about a dozen *zhang* away. As dusk settled over the eerie, deserted village, the lone figure showed no sign of fear as he watched them.

"I think it's better if we find another place to rest. Someone brave enough to travel alone and stay in a deserted village like this is best left undisturbed."

Hearing the man's words, the others exchanged glances and offered no objections. They led their horses towards a different area. After all, the village was quite large, and despite being abandoned, they ought to find a suitable spot.

Jiyuan stood at the doorway, opening it wider, observing the group who appeared to have no intention of approaching.

A rumble of thunder echoed. Thunder rumbled again. Jiyuan looked up at the sky, sniffing the damp air. The words he had been about to speak remained unsaid for now.

Rain began to fall. The rain started suddenly. While not a torrential downpour, it was definitely more than a light drizzle.

"Damn it, hurry, hurry, take shelter from the rain over there! You'll catch a cold if you get soaked!"

"Quick, run towards the light!" "Lead the horses, lead the horses!"

At that moment, the group found themselves in an awkward predicament. The houses along the village path were all too dilapidated to offer shelter for even two people, let alone for them and their horses. Searching for a new building in the rain was clearly the worst option, so their only choice was to hurry towards the spacious mansion where Jiyuan was.

The Second Master and the stout man were at the forefront. Before they even reached the manor, they shouted towards Jiyuan.

"Friend, a sudden downpour has started. May we share your shelter from the rain?"

"Would you be so kind as to accommodate us—!"

Jiyuan demonstrated his goodwill through action, quickly opening the door wide and responding loudly.

"Please, come in quickly, everyone. It's only early spring, and getting soaked out here in the wilderness could easily lead to illness."

"Thank you, thank you, friend!"

The Second Master, bowing his hands as he ran, led the way with several other men. The rain was intensifying, so everyone quickened their pace, rushing into the large house.

Once the last horse was led inside, Jiyuan at the doorway partially closed the door, leaving a gap about a fist's width to avoid making the newcomers uneasy.

Inside, people were jumping and moving, patting themselves vigorously to shake off the raindrops before they had a chance to seep into their clothes.

A short while later, the group had settled themselves. As the rain continued to pour outside, the "Second Master" (as the little girl called him) straightened his clothes, approached Jiyuan near the side door, and bowed with cupped hands.

"Thank you, sir, for your generous help. My name is Han Ming, and these are all my younger companions."

Noticing Jiyuan's refined attire, Han Ming tried to be as reasonable as possible. Jiyuan, observing the man who appeared to be in his fifties, returned the respectful bow.

"My surname is Ji. This manor is abandoned and without an owner; anyone can rest here. It's hardly a service, so please make yourselves at home..."

As he spoke, Jiyuan pointed to the firewood he had gathered earlier in the corner.

"The kindling outside is likely all wet. I won't use all of this firewood myself, so since you've all been caught in the rain, you can take some and light a fire inside to warm yourselves."

Jiyuan did not suggest sharing his own fire. Firstly, his fire pit was situated near the corner by the door, comfortably accommodating one or two people but not a larger group. Secondly, he needed to maintain a certain level of wariness towards strangers, not as a pretense, but to put the newcomers at ease.

As expected, Han Ming did not object to Jiyuan's suggestion. After bowing in thanks once more, he called another person to help move the firewood. The kindling for their new fire was, naturally, taken from Jiyuan's existing fire.

Soon, another fire was kindled further inside the manor, and the entire group gathered around it to warm themselves.

Apart from his initial assistance with starting their fire and gathering kindling, Jiyuan largely left them to themselves, maintaining a suitable distance. He sat alone in the corner by the door, baking a flatbread and reading a book.

Jiyuan's demeanor proved effective in putting the group at ease; he could distinctly hear their laughter and conversation become noticeably more relaxed.

However, Jiyuan's primary focus wasn't on them. After reading for a while, he would often peer through the door crack, his gaze seeming to pierce the hazy, rain-swept night in search of something.

'What is that strange scent, and why has it vanished again?'

As Jiyuan pondered this, he turned a page in his book. A different aroma reached his nose this time: the warm, toasty smell of his flatbread.

"Second Master, that gentleman is just for show. He must be uneducated. I secretly saw just now that his book is nothing but blank pages; there are no words at all, yet he sits there turning them..."

"Children shouldn't talk nonsense." "But I'm not talking nonsense..."

Though the voices from that side were low, they naturally didn't escape Jiyuan's keen hearing.

Jiyuan pretended not to hear. He picked up the wooden stick propped against the stool leg, took down the now soft flatbread from it, tore off a piece, and began to chew.

"I noticed, sir, that you keep looking outside. What are you observing?"

A voice came from the side. Jiyuan turned to see Han Ming approaching, wearing a straw hat, as if preparing to go outside.

"Nothing in particular. This place is deserted, so I'm just keeping an eye out for wild animals."

"Oh, I see."

Han Ming acknowledged, opened the door, stepped out to the eaves, and picked up an iron pot he had placed there earlier; it was now full of rainwater. Although there was a well outside, using rainwater was more convenient under the circumstances.

As Han Ming carried the pot inside, he instinctively glanced at the book Jiyuan had placed beside his stool. It was closed, so he couldn't tell if it contained any writing, but the space where the title should have been on its blue cover was indeed blank.

Just as Han Ming, holding the pot, closed the door and turned to go back, Jiyuan suddenly spoke.

"Mr. Han, I have a question I'd like to ask. Why is this area so sparsely populated along this entire route?"

Han Ming winked towards the interior, handed the pot to a man who approached, then started conversing with Jiyuan by the doorway.

"Mr. Ji, you must rarely travel this route, right? Many years ago, during the war with Dazhen, all the able-bodied men from around Nanyuan Road were conscripted into the army, leading to a severe imbalance everywhere. For a long time afterward, there were also bandit issues, and it's rumored that some 'unclean things' appeared. That's why many people from Nanyuan Road headed north, but in these times... alas!"

Han Ming sighed with emotion as he spoke.

"This time, I also received a message to pick someone up, and I traveled the Nanyuan Road. The situation here truly seems a bit exaggerated. Anyway, Mr. Ji, why are you alone in a place like this? It's very dangerous!"

Jiyuan swallowed the bite of flatbread he was chewing, then looked outside as he spoke.

"I am not from Zuyue Kingdom. I've been traveling north simply to explore and see new places."

Not from Zuyue Kingdom? Traveling north?

Han Ming paused, then asked.

"Could it be that you are from Dazhen?"

Jiyuan smiled.

"That's right, I can indeed be considered a person from Dazhen."

"Oh, oh... you're from Dazhen, how rare! How is Dazhen these days? I heard that, apart from the royalty and nobles, most families struggle to get by."

Jiyuan turned to look at Han Ming.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Uh, that's what everyone says."

Jiyuan pondered for a moment, then spoke.

"Dazhen is doing reasonably well; it's not as bad as that. Given the strained relationship between Zuyue Kingdom and Dazhen, it's perhaps understandable that..."

His words abruptly trailed off. Jiyuan looked outside again, sniffing the air. He didn't smell anything, but his ears had caught faint, indistinct sounds moments ago. Even for his keen hearing, they were too distant, and muffled by the heavy rain, they almost seemed like auditory illusions.

"Mr. Han, everyone should rest early tonight. It would be best not to venture outside carelessly. I dare to travel alone, naturally, because I possess certain unique skills. In my opinion, this place is not peaceful."

"Understood, Mr. Ji. Thank you for the warning."

Han Ming sensed that Jiyuan wished to end the conversation, so he returned to the fire with his group.

Human interactions can be peculiar. Sometimes, even after just a few words, one can sense another's sincerity. Clearly, Jiyuan had made a very favorable impression on Han Ming.

Approximately seven or eight *li* from the deserted village, two groups of people were engaged in a fierce battle amidst the rainy night. One side, consisting of about a dozen individuals, was clad in tight-fitting combat attire. The other group, however, wore a mix of straw raincoats and tattered helmets and armor, wielding a motley assortment of weapons including swords, spears, and halberds.

The air was filled with the clang of weapons and desperate screams.

A rider, armed with a long spear, galloped back and forth along the periphery, shouting.

"Behead one, and earn a whole roasted lamb leg! Kill two, and get half a sheep! Brothers, don't let them escape!"

"Charge!" "Kill... for my mutton!" "Kill!"

Clang... Clang...

The weapons of three to five bandits were parried by a long staff, while another burly man attacked with his palm.

"Hahahaha... If you value your life, come and get it! Hmph!"

A brawny man, headscarf-clad, roared like thunder and delivered a powerful blow to a bandit. With a resounding "thud," the bandit was sent flying seven or eight feet, landing on the ground and struggling to get back up.

"To catch the bandits, first seize their leader!" "Right!"

Two men in combat attire collaborated, parrying the surrounding weapons as they charged towards the distant rider, but several figures immediately sprang forth to block their path.

A bandit's clothes were seized again by the strong man, who then used the bandit as a human shield, swinging him around to block the surrounding blades and axes. However, with too many attackers, the strong man found himself unable to advance.

"Ah..." "Yuerong—!"

"Quick, go help them—!"

The piercing shriek of the woman from behind was distinctly audible amidst the din. Hearing this, the other martial artists in combat attire quickly converged towards their companions.

The martial artists regrouped, fighting as they retreated. Everyone was panting heavily, and many were already wounded.

The periphery was swarming with bandits, estimated to be between one and two hundred, many of them mounted.

"Good thing it's raining; their bows and crossbows are far less effective, otherwise the situation would be even direr!"

One man spoke, simultaneously snatching a bandit's long spear and hurling it towards a distant mounted leader, but the leader dodged it, clearly possessing martial skill.

"It's not much better now, hmph!"

Clang-clang... Thud...

"Watch your left!" "Thud..."

The relentless fighting continued on this side.

Meanwhile, many wounded bandits were dragged to a safer area by their comrades, enduring pain as they bandaged each other. Their attention, however, remained fixed on the ongoing battle.

"These people are proving troublesome today!" "Hmph, they won't last much longer."

"Hehehe, those women are in for a nasty surprise later!"

"That's only if they don't get chopped to pieces first..."

Many of the wounded still had the presence of mind to converse.

One bandit, his arm twisted and leg broken, had just had his bones set and was now lying on the ground, his face contorted in pain.

"Hhh... hhh... hhh..."

A strange, hoarse gasping sound came from nearby. The injured bandit opened his eyes and turned his head to his left, suddenly confronted by a horrifying head. Its eyes appeared decayed, its skin like withered tree bark. Only the head was visible; its body seemed to be buried underground.

The bandit's face immediately turned ashen.

"There's... Uh-oh... Mmph..."

The bandit's terrified scream was cut short as a large, foul-smelling mouth, lined with yellowish, decaying teeth, clamped down on his neck.