Shi Yu turned instantly, alert, and looked in the direction from which the crying originated. “Who is there?”
Mo Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly and reached out to gently pull Shi Yu’s arm. “What happened?”
Shi Yu raised his eyes, casting his gaze in the direction Mo Yuan was looking, his expression one of confusion and puzzlement. He frowned slightly, as if trying to recall something. After a moment, he pointed toward the distance and said, “I thought I vaguely heard a child crying over there.”
Mo Yuan looked in the direction Shi Yu pointed, but he saw nothing but a pile of weeds and no sign of a person. Still, he trusted Shi Yu’s words. He pulled back his gaze and signaled for Shi Yu to be silent, a small smirk playing on his lips. “It does not seem like anything special. You must have misheard. Let us go.”
However, Mo Yuan did not leave. Instead, he carefully walked toward the direction of the cries. Shi Yu also kept a cautious watch on the area, not missing the slightest movement.
Soon, the weeds began to sway gently, and a snow-white ball of fur crawled out from the brush. Shi Yu observed the creature closely; it appeared to be a fox. The little fox blinked its red, tear-filled eyes, but the moment it turned, it saw Mo Yuan standing right in front of it. Startled, it turned and scrambled to run away without hesitation.
Mo Yuan was quick-witted and agile. He reached out and grabbed the fox by the scruff of its neck, lifting it up.
The little fox was firmly held in Mo Yuan’s grasp, twisting its body and letting out soft whines, clearly trying to break free. When it realized it could not escape, a burst of dazzling white light suddenly radiated from its body.
“A-Yuan, let it go, quickly!” Shi Yu’s expression shifted, and he spoke urgently.
Mo Yuan immediately let go. The white light fell onto the grass and slowly transformed into the form of a child.
Just as the two of them were about to step forward to investigate, the silver-haired child suddenly opened his eyes, scrambled up from the ground, and turned to run for his life.
“Where do you think you are going?” Mo Yuan chuckled and swiftly reached out to grab him.
“Let me go! You are all bad people! Let me go!” The little child struggled to turn around, waving his tiny fists at Mo Yuan.
“With those short arms and short legs, who do you think you can hit?” Mo Yuan looked at the little fellow’s antics with great interest, a faint smile surfacing at the corners of his mouth.
“You are all bad people! Wuwuwu, bad people…” The child suddenly stopped struggling and began to cry at the top of his lungs.
Mo Yuan looked at the sobbing child, gasping for air, and glanced helplessly at Shi Yu. Shi Yu patted his hand to signal him to put the boy down. He squatted in front of the little fox, his tone gentle and soothing.
“Little fox, you cannot blame us. We only arrived here today.”
Mo Yuan stood to the side, his face rigid, watching Shi Yu’s tender demeanor toward the child with a flickering, jealous gaze. Why is A-Yu being so gentle with a brat? This kid is really annoying!
“You are lying! You are working with them. I have heard your voice before.” The little child pointed at Shi Yu, crying out with grievances, his eyes filled with resentment.
Shi Yu looked up at Mo Yuan, who simply shrugged, waving his small hands to show he had no idea what was going on.
“You are just a child; how can you remember their voices?” Shi Yu turned back, looking at the little fox suspiciously.
Seeing his expression, the little fox became defiant. “You dare to underestimate me? I am…”
“You are what?” Shi Yu’s eyes held a playful gleam of success as he curled his lips, watching the little child.
“Nothing… nothing at all.” The child looked anxious, waving his hands repeatedly while trying to explain, but his stuttering, illogical words lacked any persuasion.
“Forget it. Just tell us first, why were you crying here?” Shi Yu did not press him further, his tone filled with concern and confusion.
“I… my mother is gone. My mother was taken by bad people. She died just a few days after she came back. Mother is dead, wuwuwu.” The child began to shed tears again, looking truly pitiful.
Shi Yu felt a pang of pity and gently stroked the child’s silver-haired head. “Do you and your mother live in Lan’nan County?”
“Yes, we live in the… village just ahead. But the village now… it is so scary.”
The child stuttered as he spoke, his body swaying left and right. After finally getting his words out, he transformed back into a little fox! He curled up his tiny body on the ground, his watery eyes gradually closing as he looked completely exhausted.
Shi Yu picked up the small ball of fur. Satisfied that he was just sleeping, he breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.
Mo Yuan did not blink, staring straight at the little fox in Shi Yu’s arms. His gaze became increasingly deep and blurred, as if he wanted to see through the creature, and a hint of resentment even flickered on his face.
“Why is A-Yu being so gentle with him?”
Shi Yu keenly caught the jealousy in his eyes. He curled his lips slightly and turned his body just enough to block Mo Yuan’s view of the little fox.
“Grow up. Why are you competing with a child this small?”
Mo Yuan could only grit his teeth, looking away in reluctance, and pointed toward the intersection ahead. “Let us go to the village and see.”
He stomped off in a huff. Shi Yu looked at his back with disdain before following him.
At the entrance of the village, weeds grew wildly. The large trees nearby seemed to have been drained of all life by the passage of time, appearing deathly still and devoid of vitality. Shi Yu looked at the desolate scene, his suspicions deepening.
“Someone only reported this to the sect this morning. How could it have become this ruined?”
Mo Yuan became vigilant as well, observing his surroundings with a furrowed brow. He cautioned, “I do not know. A-Yu, be careful. This might be more complicated than a simple epidemic.”
“Understood. Let us go further in and see.”
Shi Yu and Mo Yuan searched the entire village, only to discover that aside from the corpses, there was not a single living person nearby.
“This is not right. How can there not be a single living soul?” Seeing the sky grow dark, Shi Yu stopped, as they had found nothing after walking for half the day. “This village is not safe. Let us find a place to rest outside the village.”
Mo Yuan nodded, then reached out to take the little fox from Shi Yu’s arms. “A-Yu must be tired. Let me hold this little child.”
Shi Yu looked at Mo Yuan’s rough handling and shook his head. What a jealous soul.
The two found a relatively decent wooden hut not far outside the village and settled in for the night. Mo Yuan set their things down and looked at Shi Yu with concern. “It is late. A-Yu, you should rest earlier.”
“Hmm. It is a bit chilly at night. Take a cloak and cover the little fox with it.” Shi Yu looked at the curled-up fox and instructed carefully.
Mo Yuan agreed perfunctorily, pulled out a cloak, and tossed it casually over the little fox. Shi Yu saw the action and frowned, staring at him. Mo Yuan could not withstand the scrutiny; he reached out and adjusted the cloak so it was no longer covering the fox’s head. Only then did Shi Yu look away, satisfied.
The night deepened. Their breathing gradually leveled out, and they sank into a peaceful slumber. Shi Yu was a light sleeper even in familiar environments, and a strange movement beside him caused him to snap his eyes open with alertness.
The little fox was shivering nearby, its round eyes wide open, staring intently at the door. Shi Yu looked toward the entrance but found nothing unusual. Just as he got up to check on the fox, he suddenly heard a faint, guttural roar.
Anxious, he tapped Mo Yuan to wake him up. Seeing him open his eyes, he quickly placed a finger to his lips, signaling him to remain silent. Mo Yuan’s gaze revealed a trace of vigilance; he nodded slightly to show he understood.
Shi Yu walked to the door and pulled it open just a crack, peeking outside. The distant village looked deep and terrifying under the moonlight, but Shi Yu could not find the source of the sound he had just heard.
Just as he was about to open the door to head out, Mo Yuan suddenly whispered a warning: “A-Yu, look quickly. What is that thing?”