Once inside, Li Feng saw his senior sister already seated at the table in the center of the room.

The sight of her elegant figure in such a seemingly ordinary place only made her beauty stand out even more , like a noble lotus blooming in muddy water.

He then walked forward and took a seat beside her.

"Junior Brother, what exactly happened ?", Fen Ziyan asked the moment he sat down.

Li Feng frowned slightly , thinking for a moment before replying , "To be honest, I'm not sure either....Everything happened too fast."

He then began explaining how he had suddenly sensed something while they were riding the horse and before he knew it, that monster had already crept so close and launched its attack.

It didn't feel like any ordinary demonic beast either with its strange ability to appear and vanish without a trace was completely unnatural.

"Good thing my instincts warned me early." Li Feng concluded with a slight frown.

Fen Ziyan , who roughly understood the situation couldn't help but furrow her brows as she tried to recall any demonic beasts that matched his description.

But after a while , she shook her head and sighed softly.

"… I've never heard of such a beast before."

"It's not a beast … that thing is an evil monster !"

A youthful voice suddenly rang out from above.

Both Li Feng and Fen Ziyan turned their gazes upward and saw two young children peeking down from the stairs.

The speaker was a boy , about twelve years old with bright eyes and a bold tone.

Beside him stood a younger girl , perhaps eight or nine, timidly clinging to his sleeve as she half-hid behind him.

Just then, the old man from before appeared again , this time coming out of the kitchen with a tray of tea in his hands.

"Ah Ming! Stop spouting nonsense!" the old man scolded lightly. "Let the great immortals continue their talk!"

The boy pouted at his grandfather word but didn't back down.

Instead, he puffed out his chest and said, "But Grandpa, I saw it! That shadow...when it passed by the forest, even the dogs stopped barking! It wasn't some beast… i-it just felt so wrong, like the night itself was alive!"

The old man's expression darkened for a moment before forcing out a smile. "Nonsense , nonsense.... Don't scare your sister."

He set the tea down before Li Feng and Fen Ziyan , his wrinkled hands trembling slightly. "It must've been a beast....a weird one that's all."

Li Feng raised an eyebrow.

The old man's words were calm , but his qi was restless , betraying his unease inside.

So Li Feng asked gently, "Grandpa, it seems you know something about this… can you tell us more about that creature?"

The old man froze , his eyes flickering toward the window as though afraid something might be listening.

Then, after a long pause, he sighed.

"...You're not wrong, honored immortals. That thing… it has appeared before."

Both Li Feng and Fen Ziyan nodded slightly.

" It was about a month ago..." the old man continued, his voice trembling with age and fear.

"Just as the rainy season began , when the river overflowed. Cattle began vanishing... and dogs stopped barking when the sun set. People said they heard chewing sounds at night… wet and slow."

He swallowed hard, " Then one morning , a man's body was found near the riverbank....with his head gone."

The little girl whimpered and clutched her brother's sleeve tighter.

"Shh , don't be scared" the boy whispered , though his own face had gone pale.

Fen Ziyan frowned deeply but didn't interrupt.

Li Feng also stayed silent, realizing the old man's tale wasn't over yet.

The elder took a shaky breath and continued,"Then the nightmare got worse… Some of our villagers started disappearing one by one. Every day, someone new would vanish ! So we finally went to report it to the city, b-but they didn't believe us ! They said it was just some wild beast from the forest and told us to be careful when hunting...."

He gripped the edge of the table tightly, his voice rising "B-But we knew it wasn't a normal beast ! So after we kept insisting, the city finally said they would ask a sect to send help. So we just have to wait… so we wait…"

The room fell eerily silent before his next words came out in a hoarse whisper.

" But after a few days, that thing came back again. And than, even locking ourselves inside didn't help ! By the next morning… more people were gone."

The old man got up hurriedly before falling to his knees , bowing so deeply that his head touched the wooden floor.

"P-Please, great immortals! Help us rid this land of that nightmare…!" he cried , voice cracking with desperation,"We common folk ask for nothing....but only peace for our families!"

His frail body trembled...not just from fear , but from the helplessness that had been gnawing at him through countless sleepless nights.

The two children, seeing their grandfather's desperate gesture, quickly followed suit and knelt.

Yet the boy's eyes were wide and filled with a stubborn spark of courage, while the little girl simply hid her face in her brother's arm , her small shoulders quivering slightly.

Fen Ziyan's lips parted, but no words came.

Even with all her indifferent and noble upbringing, seeing these mortals kneeling and pleading so desperately stirred something soft within her chest.

"Please rise, elder," she finally said , and help the kneeling figures standup with a gentle wave of her hand. "You've done well enduring this far. My junior brother and I will look into this matter."

The old man hesitated but slowly lifted his head, his old cloudy eyes filled with both hope and disbelief. "Y-you mean… you'll really help?"

Li Feng smiled faintly and sip the tea that had gone cold. " Since it already dared to attack me, do you think I'd just let it go ?"

His calm tone carried quiet authority , and for a moment the room seemed to brighten as the gloomy atmosphere fade away.

" Thank you… thank you, Immortal !" the old man's voice trembled again , this time with relief.

He turned to his grandchildren and urged, "Ah Ming, Ah Mei, hurry and thank the great immortal!"

"T-Thank you…""Thank you!"

Li Feng smiled faintly and let out a quiet sigh in his heart.

The mortals in this world truly had it rough, especially those living in forgotten corners like this village.

If it weren't for him accidentally seeing their quest poster, there might not be anyone coming to help them.

'...In worse case, they would've ended up hunted one by one by that nightmarish creature until all of them are dead.'

But then something else popped up in his mind as he frowned.

'...Judging by the short clash I had with that thing... it isn't exactly weak either , and it should have enough strength to wipe out all of these weak villagers... so why didn't it do it?'

With that thing's speed, strength, and stealth, if it weren't him that was here, others would've been seriously injured with that first encounter, or even... died.

And yet, with that kind of strength, it still chose to hunt the villagers one by one every night instead, almost like....

'...As if it's trying to instill fear and terror...'

But if that's the case , even more questions arise as to why it would do that.

Li Feng rubbed his chin and tilted his head even more at this conclusion.

BOOM!

Then a sudden clap of thunder roared through the sky, shaking the small wooden house.

Rumble...

Outside , thunder suddenly rumbled faintly in the distance as the rain slowly began to fall, pattering against the windows.

The faint scent of wet earth seeped into the room.

The old man glanced toward the darkening window before turning back with a faint, weary smile " It's getting late, great immortals. How about you rest for now ? I'll prepare the best room we have for the two of you. "

Li Feng just nodded slightly and agree.

With him here, there was nothing to fear.

If that monster dared to appear again tonight , he would be more than happy to let it taste his Falling Star Fist.

The only reason it had escaped earlier was because its sudden appearance caught him off guard a bit , that was all.

He didn't believe it could get away a second time.

"Alright" he said with a small grin, "....but just one room is enough."

Fen Ziyan, who sat beside him , heard his teasing tone stiffened slightly.

She almost immediately realized Li Feng true intention and could hardly believe that , after being ambushed by a monster , he was still in the mood for mortal indulgences.

Still , she didn't object.

She simply closed her eyes with a quiet sigh and crossed her arms beneath her ample breast , pretending not to hear him.

" Oh… okay ? " The old man blinked in slight confusion but didn't think much of it , assuming the pair simply wished to discuss their plans privately.

Then he turned to his grandson "Ah Ming, show the great immortals to the best room."

"Yes, Grandpa !" the young boy replied eagerly.

Before long, the two children led Li Feng and Fen Ziyan to a modest but tidy room , the best their humble home had to offer.

_

_

_

Meanwhile , outside

Unlike the warm, comforting atmosphere inside the house , the world beyond was swallowed by the falling rain.

The downpour fell endlessly , tapping against rooftops and flooding the narrow dirt paths as the villagers hurried back into their homes.

For once , instead of the usual fear and silence that haunted the nights , the village atmosphere seemed a little brighter, as hope had returned with the arrival of the sect disciples.

In the already dark forest ,

A massive cloaked figure moved slowly along the muddy path, its heavy footsteps sinking deep into the soaked ground.

Rain poured relentlessly from above , yet the figure seemed completely unconcerned about getting wet.

Suddenly , its massive frame stopped as it knelt down, one large hand brushing across the mud as if examining something.

Then it raised a finger and inspected what appeared to be black slime on it.

Even under the pouring rain, the viscous substance refused to dissolve, holding its shape.

And judging by its freshness , it had only recently been left behind.

That meant someone or something....had been watching the village from this very spot for quite some time.

Slowly the cloak figure turning it gaze and follow the trail on the mud which seem leading deeper into the dark forest.

"..."

Beneath the shadow of the hood , a pair of golden eyes flickered to life, glowing faintly in the darkness as if the figure currently deep in thought.

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