Feng Yang turned and glanced toward the village entrance.
Sure enough, he hadn't noticed anything unusual outside the village, but upon entering, he discovered it.
A huge red barrier, like an inverted giant bowl, enveloped the entire village at its edges.
From the old man's words, Feng Yang easily deduced that ordinary people couldn't pass through this barrier; only he, for some reason, could easily go in and out of those barriers.
Though he didn't know why, he understood it was best not to tell others.
Thinking this, Feng Yang changed the subject and asked the two old men, "It's already dark. May I stay here for the night?"
They didn't seem to mind his evasion. One of the old men who had spoken to him earlier said, "There is an empty house here; you can stay there if you want."
He stood up, glanced at Feng Yang, and added, "Follow me. I'll take you there."
"Thank you, grandpa." Seeing how approachable the old man was, Feng Yang quickly expressed his gratitude.
But the old man seemed visibly uncomfortable upon hearing the word Grandpa. A strange expression crossed his face as he looked at Feng Yang, leaving him unsettled.
Was there something wrong with what I had just said?
Feng Yang followed closely behind the old man, keeping his expression calm despite his inner doubts.
The village was small, and after a short walk, they arrived at a small wooden house.
The old man said, "This house has been empty for a long time. You can stay here tonight."
"Okay, thank you."
"It's nothing, just a small favour," The old man waved his hand without showing any emotion on his face, turned, and left.
Feng Yang silently watched him go. Only when the old man was completely out of sight did he turn and enter the wooden house.
The cabin had clearly been uninhabited for a long time. As soon as Feng Yang pushed the door open, a cloud of dust rushed out, carrying the smell of moldy wood.
Frowning, Feng Yang stepped inside, enduring the musty odor.
After about ten minutes, he could bear it no longer. The dust was tolerable, but the damp, rotten stench was unbearable; not even a dog would choose to live there. He would rather sleep in the open than suffer in this wrecked cabin.
Reluctantly, he retreated outside and took a deep breath.
Just then, standing in the open, Feng Yang heard the rustle of footsteps, light, as if someone was deliberately walking slowly.
Had he not been outside, it would have been hard to notice.
The sound put him on alert.
Was someone coming? And from the sound of it, more than one.
Ancient times weren't like modern society with its vibrant nightlife. Night had already fallen, and logically, villagers shouldn't be wandering around at this hour.
A thought sprang into Feng Yang's mind: "Were these people coming for him? Did they plan to rob and kill me?"
Thinking this, Feng Yang immediately fled in the opposite direction and quickly reached a tree near the village entrance.
What happened next confirmed his suspicions.
Less than a minute after Feng Yang left, more than a dozen people carrying torches gathered in front of the wooden house where he had been.
By the torchlight, Feng Yang observed a strange scene: although the villagers surrounding the house included both men and women, they all shared one trait, nearly all were white-haired elderly people!
These old folks, some even walking unsteadily, were hardly fit to rob anyone. Had it not been for their numbers, Feng Yang might not have run.
This was strange.
Typically, a village wouldn't send only the elderly for something like a robbery. Unless only the elderly remained in this village. But where had all the young people gone?
As Feng Yang pondered, he continued watching from the shadows.
After lingering outside the house for a while, one of the old men finally pushed the door open. But since Feng Yang had already escaped, they found nothing.
Still, they didn't seem ready to give up. Splitting into groups of two or three, the old men began searching the village with their torches.
Though elderly, they were armed with pitchforks, hoes, and machetes, and there were many of them. Under the circumstances, Feng Yang had no desire to confront them directly.
He crouched down and crept slowly toward the edge of the village.
But just then, an old voice called out from behind him, "Over here, over here! Quick, I see someone!"
The one who spotted him was a hunchbacked old man. He was shrewd, after seeing Feng Yang, he didn't rush forward but kept his distance. Once he felt safe, he immediately shouted to attract the other villagers.
The moment the shouts rang out, Feng Yang knew he'd been discovered. Without looking back, he fled toward the village's edge.
Though the old men outnumbered him, their unsteady gait made it hard for them to keep up. In less than half a minute, Feng Yang had reached the edge of the village.
The shouts behind him gradually faded. Clearly, he had shaken them off.
Catching his breath, Feng Yang turned to look back.
He saw a bizarre scene: all the old men in the village were gathered at the entrance, unable to move forward, as if trapped by an invisible, transparent wall.
Feng Yang guessed they were blocked by the red light barrier.
"How exactly had this barrier formed?"
As Feng Yang observed the group of old people at the village entrance, they noticed him too.
One of them shouted, "Brat! Come here!"
It seemed they had something to say to him.
In truth, if these old men hadn't intended to harm him, Feng Yang, as a completely clueless ghost in this world, would have been glad to talk with them. After all, this strange world was far too bizarre and unfriendly to him; he needed more information, but those old people obviously weren't good people as well.
Thinking this, Feng Yang turned back.
Of course, to be safe, he didn't get too close, stopping about fifty meters away, holding his long sword tightly. Ready to deal with any unexpected situation.
Seeing him approach, one of the old men called out, "Don't be afraid. We just want to ask you a question."