The rainstorm lasted for three full days, and during this time, they remained inside the cave.
Throughout these three days, Asharuiya kept asking Mo Fan various questions about himself, but unfortunately for her, Mo Fan wasn't particularly cooperative. For instance, when she inquired about his cultivation level, he had no intention of sharing. Mo Fan thought to himself, "If I answer everything she asks, won't I lose face?"
"The rain has stopped; we can get going now," announced Ali, Asharuiya's bodyguard, as he returned from outside the cave.
"You guys are still going to Weiju village?" the short man asked, looking at the group.
"Yeah," Mo Fan nodded, and Asharuiya also nodded in agreement.
"I've heard rumors about a dangerous pit of evil spirits near Weiju. If we accidentally stumble upon it, not even hundreds of lives will be enough to survive!" the short man warned.
"Either you take us there, or refund the money. You don't really have a choice," Mo Fan replied with a grin.
Hearing the word "refund," the short man quickly shook his head. "Refund? That's impossible!"
With no other option, he reluctantly agreed to continue leading them.
The journey to Weiju went relatively smoothly. They encountered a few wandering undead, but managed to get through the encounters without much trouble. However, when they finally arrived at the village, they were puzzled to find it completely deserted.
The village was a mess—wooden houses were destroyed, haystacks were scattered, and there were smears of dried blood in some places. It was clear the village had been attacked, though unlike other places they had seen, the village itself was still standing.
"Man, I'm so thirsty. I hope this well isn't contaminated," the short man said as he spotted a well in the middle of the village and hurried over. As he leaned over to check the well's depths, a face suddenly popped up from below, almost touching his own. Both of them screamed in shock, and the short man fell back while the other person fell back into the well with a splash.
Seeing the short man's reaction, everyone immediately turned to the well, realizing that someone was down there.
They pulled the man out of the well. Drenched from head to toe, the young man looked around at the group and sighed with relief upon realizing they were alive.
"You're Hong Jun, right?" the big man recognized him and quickly rushed over.
"Oh, it's you, Fang Youmiao from the neighboring village!" Hong Jun recognized him as well.
Despite the rain having stopped, the sky was still overcast, and the sunlight struggled to break through the clouds. The village remained shrouded in a gloomy haze.
"Zhang Xiaohou—uh, General Zhang, I thought you'd spend the rest of your life in a daze. But someone's here to take you home now!" Su Xiaoluo said cheerfully.
"I'm not going," Zhang Xiaohou blurted out, as though he was afraid of losing something.
"How can you stay? Your friend says you're a guardian mage. He'll take you back for treatment. Maybe your memory will return!" Su Xiaoluo urged.
Zhang Xiaohou hesitated because he knew members of the Holy Church were lurking in the village, and he didn't want to drag Mo Fan into their dangerous schemes. After all, Mo Fan was someone who held the holy spring of Bo City, which the Holy Church had been coveting for a long time.
"We've decided—while it's still daylight, we're migrating to the ancient capital," another young man from the well interjected.
Mo Fan glanced at him, recognizing him as a legitimate member of the Holy Church. However, he chose not to act. Stirring the hornet's nest at this point wouldn't do him any good. And as for the rivalry between the two villages, Mo Fan had no intention of getting involved, even though they had been helpful to him.
Mo Fan had wanted to convince them all to leave together, but some of the villagers insisted they were safer staying put. He wasn't about to force them.
The villagers had differing opinions. Some stubborn individuals refused to leave. They would rather hide in the well and endure the difficult times than venture outside the village.
In their view, leaving the village might result in a quicker death.
Village chief Xie Sande supported the idea of migrating, so he could only organize those who were willing to leave.
However, the number of people actually willing to leave the village was far fewer than expected. The majority of people chose to stay.
"The village is in this state, and you're still staying here waiting to die?" Su Xiaoluo shouted in frustration at the stubborn villagers.
"Yeah, let's all go together. If we stay in the village, we'll be killed by the undead. We've already lost their protection," a younger boy added.
"We've made our decision," a middle-aged man said as he sat down next to the well.
"It takes at least two or three days to reach the ancient capital from here. We'd have to spend two nights outside, and that's just asking for death," an older woman remarked.
"Zhang Xiaohou's friends will escort us to the ancient capital. Once we reach the outer city wall, we'll be safe," Su Xiaoluo continued to persuade.
"How can a few young kids deal with the things out there? We're not leaving, no matter what!"
He wanted to save people, but he wasn't going to beg them to let him do so.
The villagers split into two groups: those who were willing to leave and those who weren't. Mo Fan had nothing more to say, and Asharuiya had her own business to attend to, so they parted ways.
What exactly Asharuiya was up to—whether she was meeting with Sarang or someone else—Mo Fan didn't know, nor did he care. Asharuiya was someone who navigated both the black and white sides of society, but since she wasn't a bad person, Mo Fan had no reason to interfere.
(End of Chapter)