The three finally reached the entrance of the cave. However, Zhang Nu found that it appeared surprisingly ordinary—nothing as terrifying as Lin Xiao had described.
For a mont, he doubted Lin Xiao’s warning. But then he recalled all the previous tis Lin Xiao had sensed danger before anyone else, and his concerns turned out to be correct. This ti, Zhang Nu wouldn’t dismiss his intuition so easily.
"This cave doesn’t seem as frightening as you said, Lin Xiao. Could it really be hiding a powerful YaoGuai?" Zhang Nu mused aloud.
Although he hadn’t expected much of a response, both Liu Hai and Lin Xiao took his words seriously. Especially Lin Xiao—he rembered the oppressive feeling from before and was now certain that sothing sinister lurked within.
"There’s a high chance that a dangerous creature is hiding inside," Lin Xiao said grimly， "Everyone, be careful. If anything feels off, we need to retreat imdiately."
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai nodded. They trusted Lin Xiao’s instincts now, knowing he would never lead them astray. With that, the three ventured into the cave.
The mont they stepped inside, the stark contrast between the interior and the peaceful exterior beca painfully obvious. Outside, the cave had looked calm and unassuming. Inside, however, the air was thick with darkness. Shadows stretched unnaturally long, and a chilling wind howled through the narrow passages. A suffocating atmosphere pressed down on them as they moved forward.
Despite the eerie surroundings, they pressed on until they reached the deepest part of the cave—only to find... nothing. The cave was empty.
"What's going on?" Zhang Nu frowned, "There’s nothing here. No YaoGuais, no creatures—nothing."
Lin Xiao's expression darkened.
"It’s not that the cave is empty," he said in a low voice. "The YaoGuai is simply hiding."
A shiver ran down Zhang Nu’s spine. He instinctively tightened his grip on his weapon, glancing around, half-expecting sothing to lunge at them from the darkness. As they debated whether to leave an ominous black mist suddenly surged toward them.
Imdiately, the three assud battle stances.
"We’ve been tricked," Zhang Nu muttered, "They set us up. We’re trapped."
Liu Hai and Lin Xiao nodded grimly. There was no easy way out.
A deep, echoing voice reverberated through the cave, "You think you can just co and go as you please?"
"You've walked right into my lair," the voice sneered, "Now, you belong to . Consider yourselves honored to beco my nourishnt."
Zhang Nu clenched his jaw, eyes burning with fury.
"Who the hell would feel honored to be your al?" he snapped.
Then Lin Xiao suddenly stiffened.
"Wait… the aura of this thing—" He narrowed his eyes, studying the swirling mist, "It feels the sa as the mutated villagers."
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai turned to him in shock. Now that they were paying attention, they realized Lin Xiao was right. The eerie energy surrounding the mist bore an uncanny resemblance to the twisted villagers.
"Could this thing be the one controlling them?" Liu Hai asked, his voice low.
The black mist let out a deep, rumbling laugh, "You finally figured it out?"
"Yes," it said, its voice thick with amusent, "I was the one who granted them power."
"They sought immortality, and I simply gave them what they desired. They should be thanking ."
Zhang Nu’s grip on his weapon tightened. The rage bubbling inside him was barely contained.
"Thanking you!?" he scoffed, "You took away their free will and forced them to kill each other!"
"How is that sothing to be grateful for? You should be the one to die!"
The black mist paused as if genuinely perplexed by Zhang Nu’s anger.
"Why do you bla ?" it asked, "They ca to ."
"They were the ones who asked for power. I simply… fulfilled their wishes. It was their own greed that led them here."
Zhang Nu froze. Because… the Yaoguai wasn't wrong. It was the truth. The villagers had allowed their greed to consu them.
And now, Apricot Spring Town was paying the price.
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