The old man continued to babble, and his speed was extremely fast for an old man.
In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of her.
His eyes were cloudy and distant, and his face was full of saggy wrinkles that threatened to fall off his bones as if he were melting before her.
His head sagged upwards, and he repeated his words, “Don’t knock after dark, or you’ll be heard by those things.”
A strange smell came to her nostrils—a pungent smell of the elderly plus an indistinguishable smell.
Gu Qianqian shivered. She didn’t dare speak out.
In the past years, under the guidance of the system, she has faced many urban legends, which taught her to be resilient in the face of danger.
However, fear seemed to grasp at her heart.
She subconsciously took a few steps back until her back hit the door: “G-gramps? Heard by what?”
“Don’t knock after dark.” The old man didn’t answer her question, turning around and walking away.
Gu Qianqian swallowed the breath that was stuck in her throat: “System, what now?”
The system was silent. It didn’t know how to answer her—to its knowledge, there weren’t many urban legends here before. Last time, it was simply eradicating the scarlet lanterns whenever you saw them, but now…
“Don’t knock after dark… Come with me… I’ll take you to find a place to live.”
The old man stopped at some point and beckoned Gu Qianqian over as if he were a puppet.
“System… should we follow?”
“Yes. Go and see what the hell he’s up to.”
The system thought it was better to follow the old man rather than stay in the village. Besides, those figures hidden in the houses seemed much more terrifying than the old man.
Gu Qianqian walked up and walked with the old man. Looking at his back, she kept guessing what expression the old man would have at this moment.
‘Numb and lifeless, or fierce and ferocious? Or… a sinister smile!’
The old man led Gu Qianqian along a desolate dirt road towards the edge of the village, making a few turns before stopping in front of a temple.
It was a temple in the design of a mountain temple; the tiles were of simple shapes, and a thin layer of moss grew over the tiles.
The walls were peeled and pitted, and in some corners, they collapsed.
The old man stepped into the temple and pushed open the door that smelled of rotten wood. He walked in without beckoning Gu Qianqian in as if he had forgotten he had a guest with him.
She followed him into the temple and immediately felt a chill washing over her as if she had dipped herself into a cold sea. The air was so humid and heavy that she found it hard to breathe.
The system sensed something strange and immediately widened its senses, but found nothing strange.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, her footsteps froze alongside her body.
In the courtyard, there were about thirty water tanks densely packed together, and each tank was big enough to hide an adult male.
The tanks were filled with water, reflecting the shimmering light that came from nowhere. Every time the wind blew, ripples would form, and the tanks would rumble as if something was going to leap out of the tank.
The old man walked between the tanks and clenched the walking stick in his hands, and his aura became as thick as the mountain.
He’s about to attack! Gu Qianqian thought.
However, at this moment, a rough hissing sound came from the hut on the side of the courtyard.
“Dad, it’s too late! Why did you run out again? Why don’t you listen to me?”
Somebody came out of the hut, and his face was illuminated by the dim candlelight in his hand.
It was a strong and tall man, and his dark face was covered with deep and shallow scars as if a wild beast had slashed his skin.
Strangely enough, the scars were almost parallel. His walking posture was normal—like a human and not like a puppet.
Gu Qianqian was slightly relieved, but the reaction of the man was completely opposite.
When he noticed Gu Qianqian, his pupils constricted violently as he shouted, “Outsider! Dad, why did you bring an outsider back? Do you want to kill?”
“Don’t knock after dark… That thing is not human. They will hear.”
The old man’s voice gradually became weaker as his figure faded away.
Hearing his words, the man was startled before looking at Gu Qianqian and saying, “Come with me. I will arrange a place for you to live, and no matter what, promise me to stay inside. No matter what you hear, don’t come out. And after dawn rises, leave. We have never welcomed outsiders here, and others will not be as welcoming as me.”
His expression was laced with resentment and hatred, and Gu Qianqian couldn’t help but ask, “There are other people in the village? Do you…”
“You don’t want to know other people,” the man simply said, staring daggers into her eyes. “Hurry up and go to sleep. No matter what you hear, don’t come out.”
After he spoke, he let Gu Qianqian into the hut and closed the door.
She was plunged into darkness, and she could hear a click from outside and the crisp sounds of a door being locked.
The old man continued to babble, and his speed was extremely fast for an old man.
In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of her.
His eyes were cloudy and distant, and his face was full of saggy wrinkles that threatened to fall off his bones as if he were melting before her.
His head sagged upwards, and he repeated his words, “Don’t knock after dark, or you’ll be heard by those things.”
A strange smell came to her nostrils—a pungent smell of the elderly plus an indistinguishable smell.
Gu Qianqian shivered. She didn’t dare speak out.
In the past years, under the guidance of the system, she has faced many urban legends, which taught her to be resilient in the face of danger.
However, fear seemed to grasp at her heart.
She subconsciously took a few steps back until her back hit the door: “G-gramps? Heard by what?”
“Don’t knock after dark.” The old man didn’t answer her question, turning around and walking away.
Gu Qianqian swallowed the breath that was stuck in her throat: “System, what now?”
The system was silent. It didn’t know how to answer her—to its knowledge, there weren’t many urban legends here before. Last time, it was simply eradicating the scarlet lanterns whenever you saw them, but now…
“Don’t knock after dark… Come with me… I’ll take you to find a place to live.”
The old man stopped at some point and beckoned Gu Qianqian over as if he were a puppet.
“System… should we follow?”
“Yes. Go and see what the hell he’s up to.”
The system thought it was better to follow the old man rather than stay in the village. Besides, those figures hidden in the houses seemed much more terrifying than the old man.
Gu Qianqian walked up and walked with the old man. Looking at his back, she kept guessing what expression the old man would have at this moment.
‘Numb and lifeless, or fierce and ferocious? Or… a sinister smile!’
The old man led Gu Qianqian along a desolate dirt road towards the edge of the village, making a few turns before stopping in front of a temple.
It was a temple in the design of a mountain temple; the tiles were of simple shapes, and a thin layer of moss grew over the tiles.
The walls were peeled and pitted, and in some corners, they collapsed.
The old man stepped into the temple and pushed open the door that smelled of rotten wood. He walked in without beckoning Gu Qianqian in as if he had forgotten he had a guest with him.
She followed him into the temple and immediately felt a chill washing over her as if she had dipped herself into a cold sea. The air was so humid and heavy that she found it hard to breathe.
The system sensed something strange and immediately widened its senses, but found nothing strange.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, her footsteps froze alongside her body.
In the courtyard, there were about thirty water tanks densely packed together, and each tank was big enough to hide an adult male.
The tanks were filled with water, reflecting the shimmering light that came from nowhere. Every time the wind blew, ripples would form, and the tanks would rumble as if something was going to leap out of the tank.
The old man walked between the tanks and clenched the walking stick in his hands, and his aura became as thick as the mountain.
He’s about to attack! Gu Qianqian thought.
However, at this moment, a rough hissing sound came from the hut on the side of the courtyard.
“Dad, it’s too late! Why did you run out again? Why don’t you listen to me?”
Somebody came out of the hut, and his face was illuminated by the dim candlelight in his hand.
It was a strong and tall man, and his dark face was covered with deep and shallow scars as if a wild beast had slashed his skin.
Strangely enough, the scars were almost parallel. His walking posture was normal—like a human and not like a puppet.
Gu Qianqian was slightly relieved, but the reaction of the man was completely opposite.
When he noticed Gu Qianqian, his pupils constricted violently as he shouted, “Outsider! Dad, why did you bring an outsider back? Do you want to kill?”
“Don’t knock after dark… That thing is not human. They will hear.”
The old man’s voice gradually became weaker as his figure faded away.
Hearing his words, the man was startled before looking at Gu Qianqian and saying, “Come with me. I will arrange a place for you to live, and no matter what, promise me to stay inside. No matter what you hear, don’t come out. And after dawn rises, leave. We have never welcomed outsiders here, and others will not be as welcoming as me.”
His expression was laced with resentment and hatred, and Gu Qianqian couldn’t help but ask, “There are other people in the village? Do you…”
“You don’t want to know other people,” the man simply said, staring daggers into her eyes. “Hurry up and go to sleep. No matter what you hear, don’t come out.”
After he spoke, he let Gu Qianqian into the hut and closed the door.
She was plunged into darkness, and she could hear a click from outside and the crisp sounds of a door being locked.
