Even hybrid monsters have their day

Chapter 149 Night Encounter

Geng Miaowan moved closer to the crowd in search of Zheng Xiuxiu. Fortunately, the area was surrounded by weeds and trees, and even this one clearing looked like it had been temporarily cleared of weeds.

In addition, since she was a demon, she possessed extraordinary hearing. And since those people spoke without any restraint, every word of their conversation reached her ears.

Although Geng Miaowan did not understand what these people wanted to do by gathering here, she knew that what they were going to do was probably related to the cave they mentioned and the things inside the cave.

Because it was so dark, she really couldn't see the hole. If she hadn't heard them talking about it, she wouldn't have noticed the large hole not far behind them at all.

What could Keli be?

As night deepened, the people remained silent. Geng Miaowan was a little worried about Zheng Xiuxiu. Just as she was about to get up to look for her, the situation changed. A young man appeared, walking up from another path at the foot of the mountain.

As soon as the young man appeared, the group of people in the open space became restless.

This was the first time Geng Miaowan had seen such a young person since entering Qiluo Village, so she couldn't help but be curious and took a few more glances.

The young man was unremarkable in appearance, the kind you'd easily blend into a crowd. He went straight to the village chief, bowed, and said, "Village chief, the person has arrived."

The village chief nodded, looking in the direction he had come from. He saw several young men leading a group of women slowly towards them. The women's hands were tied behind their backs, their eyes were blindfolded, and they walked with a stumbling gait.

Geng Miaowan was shocked. Could these be the women from the carriage during the day? At the same time, she was very puzzled as to why they had brought them here.

The women looked terrified, and some were even crying. They quieted down after being scolded a few times by the leader.

Are all the people here?

The young man in the lead turned around and counted the number of people; there were exactly ten. He then replied, "They've all arrived."

"Then let's get started."

After the village chief finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the cave. Upon reaching the entrance, he bowed respectfully and recited a few words, nothing more than wishes for the villagers' health and well-being, protection from outsiders, and success for those seeking wealth elsewhere, so that they would be able to earn a living and laugh.

After saying that, he gave a wink, and a thin old man suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Geng Miaowan looked closely and realized it was Jiang Lao Er. Jiang Lao Er went up to the women, pulled on the ropes binding them, and shouted, "Go!"

"Go? Where are we going?"

"I'm not leaving, I'm not going anywhere."

"Where am I? I want to go home. Please let me go home."

The women huddled together and began to sob.

Geng Miaowan felt that these women's intelligence was questionable, as they were asking mostly idiotic questions. However, there were exceptions. Among them, one woman appeared remarkably calm and composed. She asked calmly, "Who are you? Where are you taking us? What is your purpose?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was sharp and insightful, hitting the nail on the head every time. However, it was no use; no one answered her, nor did it slow down Jiang Lao Er's pace as he led them into the cave.

When Jiang Lao Er arrived at the cave entrance, he paused for a moment, smearing himself with lint for a while before entering. The last girl had just gone in when he hurriedly came out.

A moment later, a heart-wrenching cry for help came from inside the cave, followed by a bloodcurdling scream that made one's heart clench.

The villagers in the open space hadn't left yet. A few of them showed a hint of unbearable discomfort on their faces, but it was quickly replaced by indifference.

Although Geng Miaowan didn't know what was happening inside the cave, she knew from the sound that it couldn't be anything good, and it might even be something cruel.

She crouched down, about to use her invisibility spell to go forward and take a look, when a voice called out to her.

"Don't go, it's very dangerous in there."

Geng Miaowan grabbed a tree trunk and steadied herself from flying out of the way. "Zheng Xiuxiu, where did you go?"

Zheng Xiuxiu immediately answered her. Because she had no head, Geng Miaowan judged from her figure that she was probably facing the group of villagers in the open space, or perhaps the cave that was still emitting miserable screams.

The screams gradually subsided until the surroundings returned to calm. Only then did Zheng Xiuxiu speak again, "Let's go back first."

“But those people…” Geng Miaowan looked at the empty space where even the villagers had all left. It was pitch black and she couldn’t see anything, but she felt as if there was a man-eating monster lurking in the darkness, ready to jump out and bite her at any moment.

Although she didn't see it with her own eyes, she had a feeling that the ten girls who had just entered the cave were probably in grave danger.

“Things here can’t be rushed; we need to weigh them carefully.” After saying that, she said something even more surprising: “I remember how I died.”

When the two returned to the place where they had eaten beggar's chicken, it was exactly midnight. Xu Ruwen and Xiaobai didn't feel anything special about Geng Miaowan, who had suddenly disappeared for several hours.

When Geng Miaowan returned, Xu Ruwen was sitting cross-legged under a tree, meditating, while Xiaobai was, as always, lying there asleep. Of course, it only appeared to be sleeping; whether it was truly asleep or not, only it knew.

"Tell me quickly, how did you die?" As soon as they arrived, Geng Miaowan couldn't wait to ask Zheng Xiuxiu the reason. Ever since she saw that mysterious cave, she had always felt that Zheng Xiuxiu's death might also be related to that cave.

Zheng Xiuxiu sat down, which was rare for her. She bent her legs, hugged her knees with both hands, and began to talk about that past event in a low voice.

That day happened to be her birthday, and her mother cooked a table full of her favorite dishes. After lunch, she went to play in the mountains with Jiang Xueping, the daughter of Jiang Lao Er from the same village. She and Jiang Qingping were best friends who had grown up together.

Originally, they only planned to play in the nearby mountains for a while and then come back. In this kind of rural area, children don't have many other entertainment options from a young age. Going up the mountain and down to the fields has become one of the few leisure activities for the children of Qiluo Village. Moreover, children in the countryside are not as particular as children in big cities. Even girls can usually run around like boys.

So this wasn't their first time going up the mountain, and their family didn't react much when they found out they were going. They just told them to be back before dark, as the mountain paths were difficult to navigate after dark. (To be continued.)