Yang Zhai was sitting quietly in his room, lost in his thoughts as he gazed outside the window.
The scene before him was serene; only the rustling of leaves could be heard, carried along by the gentle blowing wind. Everywhere he looked, there were trees stretching far into the distance, and beyond them was the endless sky. A fading mist lingered, slowly driven away by the breeze.
"Brother Yang, the food is cooked, sister is calling you down." Wen Bo's voice sounded as he knocked on the door.
Hearing this, Yang Zhai rose, opened the door, and followed him downstairs.
On the floor table, the food was already served and neatly placed. Wen Bo moved forward and sat beside his sister, ready to eat. Yang Zhai looked at the two for a moment before taking his seat opposite them.
"Let's continue," Wen Xui said in a calm tone, her lips carrying the faintest of smiles—so subtle it would be missed unless one looked carefully.
Wen Bo nodded and was the first to take a bite. Yang Zhai, however, paused before speaking.
"Wen Bo, can I exchange this plate of mine with you? I don't like this piece of meat."
"You don't? Then here, take mine." Wen Bo replied simply, giving him his plate and taking Yang Zhai's in exchange.
"You still don't trust me." Wen Xui remarked with a slight smile, her voice calm as though unbothered by Yang Zhai's choice.
Yang Zhai quietly finished his meal and then stood up.
"I need to go, but I will be back," he said.
"Where?" Wen Xui asked with clear confusion. After all, on this isolated island, Yang Zhai had nowhere else to go except her house.
"Didn't I tell you I would help you? I am going to do exactly that."
With those words, he left.
"He is a good guy, after all," Wen Xui muttered with a smile.
"Hmm, hmm. We will be able to leave this island soon," Wen Bo nodded, smiling faintly.
Meanwhile, Yang Zhai arrived at the village leader's residence. The guards led him straight to the main hall.
"I am here to collect my rewards," Yang Zhai stated firmly.
Standing in front of him was Gu Dan.
"Here, the beasts and the fruits you requested," Gu Dan said, pointing toward the pile of beasts placed beside him.
Yang Zhai activated the storage ka, storing them all before turning back with a question.
"Am I not even worthy enough to be welcomed by the village leader now?" he asked with a calm smile, noting that Gu Dan was the only one attending him.
"About that—he died last night. So, I am the only one handling things now," Gu Dan replied, smiling as though the matter was trivial.
"Oh? How?" Yang Zhai asked, raising a brow.
"Maybe he finally aged out of the responsibility," Gu Dan quipped, showing no trace of sadness, almost as if he would celebrate the old leader's death.
"Oh, by the way, you said you had three more water hounds, right? Can you give me one?" Gu Dan suddenly shifted the topic.
"Of course, why wouldn't I? But you do know the condition, don't you?" Yang Zhai said, smiling calmly.
"Yes, I know, which is why I prepared two more beasts for you. It would be even better if you hand me the other two as well—I can give you four, no, five more beasts. What do you say?" Gu Dan pressed, trying to persuade him.
"No, I can't do that," Yang Zhai rejected without hesitation.
"Are you sure? I can give you six beasts if you want," Gu Dan insisted, leaning forward.
"No, no, I can't. Even if you gave me ten beasts, I still wouldn't agree. So there's no benefit in persuading me further—you're only wasting both of our time."
"Sigh…what can I do if you don't want to give me the other two? Well, it's your loss if you ask me." Gu Dan finally gave up.
Yang Zhai stored the rest with a faint smile before handing one of the water hounds to Gu Dan.
"Now that this has been settled, I'll take my leave." With that, he turned and walked away.
Soon after, he stood at the edge of the ocean. Without hesitation, he threw all the beasts and fruits he had just received into the waters before leaving the scene behind.
He had no other choice—if he didn't, suspicions would surely fall on him. So, he went to collect the food anyway.
"But I also cannot eat them. Who knows what they might have added into these things? It's better to be cautious than to regret later."
…..
"Damn it! Last night's attack was clearly aimed at my residence, since there was no damage anywhere else in the village," Jang Tang said, visibly annoyed.
"Who do you think could have done this?" Gu Dan asked.
"Who? Isn't it obvious? It was definitely that outlander who just arrived—or that cursed daughter of yours!"
"What reason would that outlander have for attacking your residence?"
"How would I know? If I knew, would I be sitting here arguing with you?!" Jang Tang snapped.
"But—"
"Enough with this! I've had more than enough already, and now you're testing my patience. That bastard just had to die right now, and he wanted to stay as the village leader for a long time…" Jang Tang's anger boiled over, though after a moment he calmed himself and continued, "Forget it. Now that the old man is gone, we can't afford to make a mistake. You, get everything ready—we need to be prepared. Don't let anything unexpected happen, or I swear I'll eat you alive."
…..
A few days later.
It was morning. Mist covered everything, slowly thinning as the sun rose higher. The villagers were just beginning to wake. Quietness stretched across the village—no bustling, no noise, only stillness. Even the forest, shrouded in mist, was unusually silent.
A lone reign elk grazed peacefully, but its ears twitched at a sudden sound. It lifted its head, looking toward the direction of the noise, only to see a body hanging from the fence that guarded the village. Blood dripped slowly from the body, falling to the ground with a wet, chilling sound—disturbingly clear in the still silence.
"Everyone, listen to me! Everyone! You are all being fooled!" A girl's voice suddenly broke the stillness, ringing out through the mist. Every villager awake heard it.
"Wen Xui, you again? Didn't you leave the village? Why are you back here causing trouble again?" a man shouted, criticizing her.
"No, uncle Mao, listen to me! I am not lying! They are only here for their selfish desires! They have been feeding you your own flesh!" Wen Xui cried out, her voice trembling yet firm.
"Wen Xui, don't joke around, just leave already…" A girl around her age joined in, clearly frustrated.
"Sister Hai, please believe me! Why won't you believe your own kin instead of some strangers?!" Wen Xui pleaded.
"Is your father a stranger?" Sister Hai retorted.
"This… he is also with them! Otherwise, why would he even go against his own daughter?!" Wen Xui hesitated but forced herself to reply.
By now, a large number of villagers had gathered. Yet their eyes looked at her as though she were an outsider, not one of them.
"Wen Xui, don't disturb us and just leave. I don't want Master Jang to misunderstand us because of you," an old woman scolded.
"You all, believe me! The food you've been eating is your own kind—your own flesh and blood!" Wen Xui shouted desperately, their gaze piercing through her eyes.
"Wen Xui, stop lying and just leave already. Don't speak without proof! Do you have any evidence?" someone demanded.
"Evidence?" Wen Xui froze at the word, falling silent. But after a moment, she spoke again, her voice stronger. "Everyone, then tell me—why would he need your body parts? For what purpose?"
!|!*****!*****!|!