“Can we leave this place, it’s all up to you, Brother Song.”
After Xu Yi finished speaking, he bowed to me, and Fang Huixin and the others followed suit.
“Don’t do this, you’re putting too much pressure on me!”
I looked at Xu Yi with some resentment. I was supposed to be the most relaxed one, but now I had become the one with the heaviest responsibility on my shoulders. Leading the way wasn’t just about my own life; if I led them the wrong way, I could endanger all of them.
Seeing my slightly nervous expression, Zhang Dabiao patted my shoulder to comfort me, “Don’t feel burdened. You’re the only one among us suitable for leading the way. After all, your Yin Gua lineage excels at avoiding risks. Who among us two is more suitable than you?”
Xu Yi nodded in agreement, “Brother Song, think of it this way: if we stay here, the end result is death. If we go out, there might be a sliver of hope. Just consider it you fighting for us.”
Fang Huixin, Old Zhou, and another person, Xiao Li, remained silent, but their faces were filled with hope as they looked at me, as if they were about to kneel.
“Alright! I’ll try, but where should we go?”
This was a problem. The path down the mountain was not only long but also likely blocked by the people outside. Without finding a good escape route, blind action would still lead to only one outcome – death.
Zhang Dabiao frowned and thought for a moment, then said solemnly, “How about we go back to that cave?”
Xu Yi was the first to refuse, “I’m afraid that’s not a good idea. We just burned zombies there, and they are likely in league with the evil spirits outside. If we voluntarily walk into their trap, wouldn’t that be courting death?”
Seeing his suggestion rejected, Zhang Dabiao didn’t get angry. “Since this place won’t do, it’s up to you, Brother Xu. Think of a safe place, and we’ll try to find our way there.”
“I’m not familiar with this place, where am I supposed to find it? You…” Xu Yi glared at Zhang Dabiao, but he couldn’t do anything about him.
The thought of the cave suddenly sparked an idea in my mind. How could I have forgotten this place?
A great man once said that the most dangerous place is the safest place. Didn’t Bai Ling’er say that the mountain god was trapped in the valley? Then why not go to the cave under the cliff outside the valley?
That place was not only hidden but also strategically advantageous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as we could reach it, even if evil spirits came to harass us, we could hold them off until dawn. Once it was light, even a Ghost Emperor would be powerless against us.
I slapped my thigh and said softly, “Brother Zhang, do you remember the cave we escaped from?”
Zhang Dabiao’s eyes lit up, “That’s right! How could I not have thought of that place? That’s a great spot, but it’s quite far from here. I’m afraid they…” He then looked at Fang Huixin and the others.
When had Fang Huixin ever been looked down upon? It was just that the events they encountered were too bizarre, which had caused her to be so frightened that she was somewhat mentally unstable.
Old Zhou and Xiao Li’s faces turned red, and they glared at Zhang Dabiao.
“Don’t underestimate people. Back on the battlefield, I was also a skilled killer.”
Facing Old Zhou’s taunt, Zhang Dabiao sneered and said nothing. After all, it wasn’t the time for bickering, and every moment we lingered meant more danger.
After discussing the escape route, Xu Yi took out a red thread from his bag and was about to tie it to my wrist.
“What does this mean?”
“The black fog outside is thick, and I’m afraid everyone will get lost. Tying this will ensure safety.”
It made sense, so I let him tie it.
I was naturally placed first, followed by Old Zhou, then Fang Huixin, then Zhang Dabiao, with Xiao Li behind him, and Xu Yi bringing up the rear. According to him, if the substitute paper figures didn’t activate in time, he could control them. However, in my opinion, this guy was just a coward afraid of death.
We exited the tent, and the black fog outside had thickened even further, to the point where we couldn’t see the path three steps ahead. The air was filled with a chilling aura, and breathing the air into my lungs felt like it was about to freeze.
This made my heart sink. Such dense Yin energy, it was almost comparable to the underworld. What kind of entity was this that trapped us here?
I took out the compass, and the needle spun like a top, making it impossible to tell which direction was north and which was south. Trying to find our way with it would be akin to seeking death.
I removed the needle from the compass, then took out a piece of yellow paper and placed the needle on it.
“Heaven follows Earth, Earth follows Kun, Qian Kun guides the way…”
I silently recited the incantation, and the needle floated up from the yellow paper, with the ‘n’ representing north pointing to my right. Although it trembled slightly, it allowed me to determine our direction.
The valley was located to the west. According to the orientation of north at the top, south at the bottom, west to the left, and east to the right, we were heading in the correct direction.
I gently tugged the red thread tied to my wrist, signaling them to move forward. Soon, Old Zhou behind me responded, indicating he understood.
To avoid attracting the attention of the evil spirits, we didn’t even turn on our flashlights, forcing us to move forward like blind men feeling their way, which made me feel like life was worse than death.
After walking about a hundred meters, I felt the black fog in front of me weaken slightly. This made Fang Huixin, who was following me, extremely excited. She expressed her joy by gently tugging the red thread.
I didn’t react much to this. Logically, the evil spirits had been lingering around the camp, and they shouldn’t have failed to notice our escape. Why were they letting us walk out of their encirclement so easily?
After walking for another few dozen meters, a light suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Fang Huixin, who was half a meter away from me, exclaimed excitedly, “Oh, we’ve finally seen light! We’re out!”
Old Zhou and Xiao Li, who were right behind me, also excitedly came forward towards the light.
“Why has a small city suddenly appeared? Have we returned to Molu Village?”
“Damn it, I’m finally alive and back from that hellhole. Wife, kids, I’m back…”
As soon as Old Zhou finished speaking, he bolted like a wild horse towards the direction of the light. Fang Huixin and Xiao Li followed suit, running in that direction without giving me a chance to stop them.
I knew the city before us was fake, but it felt incredibly real, and I had a faint urge to go in and explore it. However, I suppressed it because I knew that no city should appear here, and the direction I chose was not towards Molu Village but towards the valley.
When something is out of the ordinary, there must be a demon. This bodes ill.
Xu Yi walked over from behind with a grim expression, “Damn it, we’ve fallen for it.”
“Xu Yi, do you know what this is?”
“Yes!”
“This should be what we commonly call a City God Temple.”
I was dumbfounded. How could a City God Temple appear here? As time passes and technology advances, fewer people believe in City Gods nowadays. Only in some remote areas do people still worship them.
Logically, this valley was within the territory of the mountain god. Even if a City God wanted to establish a presence here, he would have to get the mountain god’s permission.
At this moment, Zhang Dabiao beside me nudged me and said, “Don’t just stand there gawking. Those three are going in. What should we do now?”
I turned my head to look at Xu Yi, and found him looking at me as well, seemingly waiting for me to make a decision.
“What else can we do? We follow them in. I’d like to see what this City God wants to do?”