Chapter 243 Xiao Luo
Outside the door, that footstep sound paused for several breaths before finally sounding again, and it was approaching once more.
"Creak."
The girl glared fiercely at Han Yu, walked up taking three steps as two, and closed the gap in the window the instant the footsteps drew near.
This time, no knocking sound came from outside the door.
Han Yu stood before the window, his hand having unconsciously touched the sword hilt. Although he could not see, he could feel that the figure outside was currently standing by the window, separated from him by a single wall.
Suddenly, a distorted face pressed tightly against the window paper!
Inside the sunken eye sockets, two turbid eyeballs were rotating crazily, as if wanting to penetrate the thick window paper to look directly into the room.
"Tap."
A drop of cold sweat smashed onto the ground from Han Yu's jaw.
He had cultivated immortality for many years and seen countless strong enemies, but this was the first time seeing such a bizarre scene, making his hair stand on end.
Outside the window, the putrid breathing sound was clearly audible across the window paper.
Separated by a single wall.
As if life and death were on a single line.
The distorted silhouette on the window paper was slowly wriggling, and the blue-gray skin printed web-like patterns on the thin paper.
Han Yu's eyes flashed with cold light; sitting and waiting for death had never been his choice. However, just at the instant the cold gleam was about to unsheathe—
A small icy hand suddenly pressed firmly onto his wrist.
It was that girl.
She looked up, her pale lips opening and closing silently: "Don't." Those eyes surged with a plea bordering on despair, shimmering with watery light under the flickering oil lamp.
The friction sound between the sword blade and the scabbard stopped abruptly.
A sticky inhaling sound came from outside the window, as if something was sniffing against the window lattice. A putrid aura seeped in through the cracks of the window paper, mixed with a certain sickly sweet fishy smell, making one's scalp numb.
Han Yu's muscles remained taut like a fully drawn bowstring, but amidst Xiao Luo's trembling head shake, he ultimately slowly released the sword hilt.
"Creak—"
The shadow outside the window suddenly pressed its entire face against the window paper. The sunken eye sockets printed two black holes on the oil paper, and the split corners of the mouth almost tore to the roots of the ears.
It remained still like this for more than ten breaths, until the four people in the room dared not even tremble their eyelashes, before slowly retracting into the darkness.
The flame of the oil lamp had turned a bizarre green at some unknown time, illuminating the four pale faces like ghosts.
"Since there are outsiders..." The voice outside the window suddenly sounded, startling the little girl into a tremble.
"Then pay more attention."
"Understood." Her response carried a subtle tremor.
After a long dead silence, the footsteps finally sounded again, gradually melting into the thick night color.
It was not until the sound had completely disappeared for more than ten breaths that the three people dared to slowly exhale the breath held in their chests.
The oil lamp burst a spark with a "pa," illuminating the cold sweat all over the little girl's face.
...
The room was silent for a long time. It was not until confirming that the footsteps outside had completely disappeared that the little girl's tight shoulders relaxed slightly.
The dim yellow halo of the oil lamp reflected on her tender yet grave face, appearing exceptionally incongruous.
Chen Xingcai seized the opportunity and asked in a lowered voice:
"Who are they? Where is this place? Just now... what exactly was going on?"
The little girl did not answer immediately. She first walked cautiously to the window to confirm there was no more movement outside, then turned around, her gaze sweeping back and forth across the three people's faces, seeming to evaluate something.
"They are the villagers you saw during the day." She finally spoke, her voice so light it was almost inaudible.
"But you tell me first—where did you come in from? Why did you want to come in?"
Han Yu and Jiang Che looked at each other and simply described the process of them entering the secret realm through the light ball.
After the little girl finished listening, her brows furrowed even tighter:
"So that is it... You came over from the 'passage'." She paused.
"Tomorrow during the day, you had best hurry back the way you came. This place is not yet considered too 'deep'; the daytime... is still considered safe."
"As for those people just now," her voice suddenly turned extremely cold, "I can only tell you... if you are caught by them, you will be in very, very deep trouble. In all likelihood... you will become like them, and never be able to return."
Jiang Che keenly captured the information in her words and leaned a step closer:
"Little sister, they call you 'Xiao Luo', right? Why are you different from them? And listening to your tone, you seem very familiar with outsiders. Do outsiders come here often?"
Xiao Luo shook her head, her eyes flickering:
"Xiao Luo is my name. As for other matters, there is no meaning in you knowing too much."
She paused.
"As for outsiders... there is indeed a batch every few hundred years, but most are like you, having entered by mistake from the 'passage'. That is why I said you still have a chance to escape."
Her voice suddenly lowered, almost becoming a whisper:
"If one came from the 'other side'..."
The words were not finished when she abruptly shut her mouth, as if touching upon some taboo.
Han Yu's brows locked tightly, and he suddenly spoke up to ask:
"Why did you stop me just now?"
Xiao Luo's pale fingertips were still trembling slightly. She took a deep breath before speaking:
"You... do not understand the rules here."
Her voice was as light as a fallen leaf.
"If you still want to get out alive, you absolutely must not make a move against them."
Jiang Che could not help but interject:
"Is it that those things cannot be killed?"
"It is not a question of whether they can be killed or not..."
Xiao Luo bit her lip and shook her head.
"Rather, once you make a move, you will be 'noticed'."
"There were once outsiders who, relying on their powerful strength, came into conflict with the people in the village. But no matter how powerful you are, once you are 'noticed', no one has ever been able to leave here; therefore, tomorrow during the day is your best chance to leave this place!"
The three people pressed with a few more questions, but Xiao Luo remained tight-lipped, only repeatedly emphasizing:
"Leave at daybreak, do not look back, and do not linger."
The room fell into a brief silence, and the flame of the oil lamp danced uneasily.
Chen Xingcai stared at Xiao Luo and finally asked the most crucial question:
"One last question—you should at least be able to tell me, where is this place?"
Xiao Luo's expression clearly froze, and her brows knitted slightly:
"You... barged in without even knowing where this place is?"
The three exchanged glances, and Han Yu spoke up:
"Is this place not an Immortal Venerable Secret Realm?"
"Immortal Venerable Secret Realm?"
Xiao Luo shook her head, a trace of confusion flashing through her eyes.
"What Immortal Venerable Secret Realm?"
She said:
"This is the foot of Kunlun Mountain, Cold Brook Village."
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