Chapter 9: He Had a Premonition That Something Would Definitely Happen Tonight…

One person and one cat traveled through the woods for three days before finally making it out. Beyond their expectations, past the woods was actually a village.

Standing on the hillside, Feng Xixing looked at the village not far away, narrowing his eyes slightly.

The village didn’t look large in scale, perhaps a dozen or so courtyards. Being quite far, it wasn’t clear whether anyone lived there.

“Meow…?” Lin Chuyun was also a bit at a loss.

The original novel did describe Thunder Echo Grotto’s interior, but that was from the protagonist’s perspective; it never mentioned people living there.

As for Bai Linghan’s side of things—Lin Chuyun recalled the original novel’s plot and found that his original host actually had a role there.

In the original novel, Bai Linghan landed in a desert. The original host, worried about his crush, secretly followed him and protected him from the shadows.

As the protagonist, Bai Linghan naturally had good luck. It didn’t take long for him to find his first lucky opportunity. But the demon beast guarding the treasure was in the late stage of Core Formation. Bai Linghan, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, couldn’t possibly beat it.

Under normal circumstances, a person who knows they’re outmatched would simply turn and flee. But Bai Linghan wouldn’t. He insisted on provoking the demon beast and almost got slapped to death.

It was at this moment the original host appeared, playing the hero. To protect Bai Linghan, the original host had to reveal himself, defeat the beast, and was then discovered by the grotto’s formation, which promptly smacked him right out.

Bai Linghan got the treasure and the beast’s demon core. But the original host suffered terribly. His cultivation base was already unstable; he had to use all his strength to beat the beast, then took a hit from the formation. He ended up in seclusion healing his injuries for three full years.

By that time, however, Bai Linghan was no longer someone a pill-inflated Nascent Soul cultivator could match. Feeling utterly inadequate, the original host gifted Bai Linghan the Ice Void Robe before returning to Star Point Sect.

The next time he appeared was when the now Devil Lord Feng Xixing captured him and burned him for two hundred years.

Now, Lin Chuyun’s shell was the same, but the soul inside had long since been swapped. Without Lin Chuyun protecting him from the shadows, who knew if Bai Linghan would still provoke that demon beast.

The matter of Bai Linghan lingered in Lin Chuyun’s mind for less than a second before he tossed it aside. The question he needed to consider now was: should they enter this village?

The little black cat raised its head and meowed at Feng Xixing.

Feng Xixing came out of his daze and soothingly rubbed the little black dumpling’s ear. “What does Shizun think? Should we enter?”

Lin Chuyun hadn’t expected him to ask. Hesitating, he poked his head out to study the village more. The village didn’t give him a dangerous feeling; it should be fine…

Seeing the sky gradually darken, Lin Chuyun truly didn’t want to sleep outdoors again. Thinking of this, the little black cat let out a drawn-out meow.

“Then let’s go.” Feng Xixing stood up, taking Lin Chuyun down the other side of the hill.

Getting closer, the full picture of the village slowly revealed itself before their eyes.

It looked like the most ordinary village. The surrounding fields were planted with crops, the men working in them. A large tree was planted at the village entrance; under the tree sat several old people and children, along with some resting men. The women nearby chatted while mending clothes for the men of their families.

Everything seemed perfectly harmonious.

The children first noticed the arrival of the strangers. The bolder ones ran to the village entrance looking on curiously; the timid ones hid in their mothers’ arms, stealing glances at the arriving older brother.

The adults at the village entrance also quickly noticed Feng Xixing. They glanced at each other, their expressions tinged with confusion. The man who happened to be taking a break narrowed his eyes, took the initiative to step forward, and studied the newcomer with a trace of caution.

“Who are you?”

Feng Xixing’s gaze fell upon the man. He once again put on that youthful, boyish smile, as if completely oblivious to the man’s wariness, and spoke with particular decorum: “My name is Feng Xing. I am a scholar.”

“A scholar…?” The man paused, scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly, “Oh, you mean a teacher, right? What are you doing here?”

Upon hearing this, Feng Xixing pursed his lips slightly, his eartips reddening a little. He asked shyly, “I previously strayed into the woods by mistake and lost my way after getting out. May I ask… where is this?”

Seeing this, the man’s guard against Feng Xixing lessened considerably. “This is Xin Family Village.”

Seeing Feng Xixing still looking completely lost, the man had no choice but to ask, “Where are you trying to go?”

Feng Xixing casually made up a place name, and sure enough, the man had never heard of it either.

As the sky grew darker, the man offered to let Feng Xixing stay the night in the village, telling him to head north when morning came; there was a larger town that way where he might find someone who knew the way.

Feng Xixing nodded and agreed.

The man led Feng Xixing into the village. Along the way, Feng Xixing exchanged a few words with him. The man’s name was Xin Changfeng, and he was the current village chief. He had been born in Xin Family Village and, aside from monthly trips to town for essentials, had never left the village. The other villagers were much the same.

Outsiders rarely appeared here, which was why everyone was so surprised when Feng Xixing first showed up.

The man brought Feng Xixing into the courtyard next to his own. After confirming Feng Xixing didn’t need anything to eat, he returned to his own home. Once the man was gone, Lin Chuyun finally poked his head out from Feng Xixing’s arms.

“Meow?” Any findings?

Feng Xixing pushed open the door, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room, and gradually darkened.

Xin Changfeng had said earlier that this house was his previous residence, later building a new one next door, leaving this one empty. But someone would come clean it every month, the last time being just yesterday.

Yet now, the entire room was covered in dust. It looked like no one had entered for at least a year.

Lin Chuyun was choked by the dust, sneezing twice. He shrank back down, burying his nose in the robes, leaving only his cat eyes visible. “Meow meow meow?”

Was Xin Changfeng lying?

“Probably not.” Feng Xixing stood by the door, eyes narrowed. “There’s no reason to tell a lie so easily seen through. Besides… what would he gain from such a lie? To provoke someone into a fight?”

That seemed plausible… Lin Chuyun blinked.

Once the dust in the room had settled, Feng Xixing slowly walked inside.

It was, indeed, a perfectly ordinary room. Apart from the heavy dust and the furniture beginning to rot from neglect, there was nothing else amiss.

Feng Xixing used his spirit power to create a layer of protection around himself, ensuring no dust stuck to him, then reached out to gently touch the table beside him.

Instantly, the table crumbled to dust.

Feng Xixing withdrew his hand, not intending to touch anything else. He turned and went next door to find Xin Changfeng. After hearing Feng Xixing’s words, Xin Changfeng’s face was full of disbelief: “How is that possible? My wife just cleaned that room yesterday, and I even helped.”

The two returned to the door. Xin Changfeng reached out and pushed it open.

Feng Xixing’s pupils contracted slightly. The dilapidated appearance from just moments ago was gone; not only was there no dust in the room, but the furniture was also half-new.

Xin Changfeng walked in, paced a circle, and lit the candle on the table. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Feng Xixing suppressed the astonishment in his heart and smiled sheepishly. “I must have been too tired and imagined things. Sorry for troubling Brother Xin to make an extra trip.”

Xin Changfeng waved his hand and left.

Lin Chuyun didn’t even wait for the sound of his footsteps to completely fade before popping out. Looking at the completely different scene before him, his cat pupils widened in shock. “Meow… meow?”

Could it be an illusion array?

Feng Xixing confirmed there was no array in this room. He also confirmed that what he’d seen initially was absolutely not a hallucination. He exited the room again and then pushed the door open himself.

The scene inside did not change again.

Lin Chuyun carefully poked his head out from Feng Xixing’s arms and jumped onto the nearby table. The table was sturdy, nothing like the crumbling piece from earlier. The candle was indeed burning, its light giving off a sensation of warmth.

“Meow meow meow???” Could there be a ghost?!

Lin Chuyun was a bit spooked. He feared such things the most.

“It could be the work of a Ghost Cultivator, but it’s not certain,” Feng Xixing said.

G-g-g-g-ghost Cultivator?!

Lin Chuyun froze, the words echoing ceaselessly in his head. Right, this was a cultivation novel; humans could cultivate, demon beasts could cultivate—of course ghosts could also cultivate!

This world truly had ghosts!!!

One must know, Lin Chuyun had never feared anything since childhood, except for ghosts!

Feng Xixing noticed that the little black cat on the table, which had been looking around, suddenly lowered its tail soundlessly. Although it still seemed to be surveying its surroundings, its movements clearly carried a hint of panic.

As if it had been frightened.

Had he just said something scary?

Feng Xixing recalled, but he had said nothing of the sort. He had only mentioned Ghost Cultivators. So… Lin Chuyun was afraid of Ghost Cultivators?

Feng Xixing was baffled.

But, why would a Nascent Soul stage cultivator be afraid of Ghost Cultivators? Shouldn’t it be Ghost Cultivators who fear Nascent Soul cultivators? After all, unless a Ghost Cultivator has cultivated to the Spirit Ghost stage, they couldn’t withstand a single strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Meow meow meow?!” Wh-what are you looking at?!

Seeing Feng Xixing staring at him with a strange expression, saying nothing for a long time, Lin Chuyun thought there was something behind him. His fur bristling, he spun around, only to nearly be scared by his own shadow cast on the wall.

Feng Xixing walked over, gathered the frightened, panicked little black cat into his arms, and soothingly stroked the fur on its back. “It’s fine. If worst comes to worst, we’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

The familiar scent calmed the little black dumpling considerably. Lin Chuyun meowed pitifully twice, deciding he would sleep in Feng Xixing’s arms tonight. No one was going to make him move!

Outside, the sky had completely darkened. Through the window, one could see the lights in the neighboring houses being extinguished one by one; the people inside must have gone to sleep.

The little black cat in his arms was already drowsy. Seeing the black dumpling so desperately sleepy yet too afraid to fall asleep, Feng Xixing felt a pang of sympathy and comforted him in a low voice: “Shizun, don’t be afraid, your disciple is here.”

Half-asleep, Lin Chuyun heard this sentence.

His panicked heart inexplicably calmed, as if convinced he would come to no harm, and he slowly drifted off.

Seeing the little black cat asleep, Feng Xixing habitually encircled the cat’s tail in his palm. The little tail twitched slightly before finally settling down. He didn’t go to the bed to sleep; instead, he sat sideways on the window frame, one leg bent resting upon it, silently observing the village that had fallen into silence.

He had a premonition that something would definitely happen tonight.