The sound of the Shadow Soldiers had completely faded. Although I couldn't fathom what method Ning Manwan had used to divert them, I remained frozen in place for what felt like an eternity, unwilling to step beyond the white circle she had drawn.
The sheer terror of the Shadow Soldiers' proximity earlier still lingered, and I had no desire to experience it again.
Outside, the clanging of armor receded into the distance. Peering through the window, I noticed that the black mist had thinned considerably. It seemed the Shadow Soldiers had indeed passed through.
As I mustered the courage to step out, I suddenly heard footsteps approaching from outside.
The sound made me tense up. Could it be the Shadow Soldiers returning?
Fear gripped me, and I abandoned Ning Manwan's earlier warning. Quietly, I slipped behind the door to hide, holding my breath as the footsteps drew closer.
The door creaked open, and the first thing I saw was a pair of canvas shoes stepping inside.
My mind raced. Shadow Soldiers were clad in armor, their movements heavy and metallic. These footsteps, light and soft, didn't match. Before I could think further, the person entered fully—it was the master.
But something was wrong. He was clutching his right shoulder, his clothes soaked in blood.
Rushing forward, I asked, "Master, what happened to you?"
The master frowned when he saw me. "Didn't I tell you to find a way to escape?"
His words left me puzzled. Earlier, he had explicitly instructed me to wait in the circle until he returned. But this wasn't the time to argue. His injury looked severe—what could have hurt him so badly?
"Master, never mind me right now. Your injury needs immediate attention, or you'll bleed out!" I reached out, intending to examine his wound, but he stopped me with a firm grip.
"Forget the injury. It's minor," he said gravely. "We need to find a place to hide. This spot will be exposed soon. If we don't move, we'll both die here."
His words sent chills down my spine. Something powerful enough to injure the master was out there, and it was hunting us.
"What exactly is after us, Master?"
"Do you remember the Shadow Soldiers?"
I nodded. Their ominous presence was still fresh in my mind.
"How much do you know about Shadow Soldiers?"
I hesitated, recounting what little I had gleaned from novels and movies. In those stories, Shadow Soldiers appeared at specific times and places, usually just passing through to retrieve souls that didn't belong in the living world.
But my experience earlier was different. The soldiers had seemed to target me specifically. If not for Ning Manwan's intervention, I was certain I would have been taken.
"Are you saying the Shadow Soldiers weren't just passing through by chance?"
The master gave me a withering look, as if my ignorance annoyed him. "The tales you've read don't apply here. Shadow Soldiers appear in the living world for two reasons: either they're dispatched by the underworld to maintain balance, or there's something in this realm that doesn't belong—something so powerful it requires their intervention to capture."
This explanation was unlike anything I'd heard before, but it fit the situation too well to dismiss.
"What could be so strong that it would alarm the underworld?" I asked, dread creeping into my voice.
"You're finally realizing the gravity of the situation. Yes, something powerful and malevolent is here, and the Shadow Soldiers are here to retrieve it."
Fear gripped me as the implications sank in. If such an entity existed here, what chance did I have of surviving an encounter with it?
"And yet," the master continued, his tone sharp, "when I told you to escape, you didn't listen."
I wanted to protest, to remind him that he had told me to stay in the circle, but there was no point in arguing now.
"What do we do next?" I asked, desperate for a plan to stay alive.
"We head deeper into the village to find a hidden spot and wait it out. Hopefully, we can survive this ordeal. If not…" His voice trailed off as he glanced at the jade pendant I carried. "The curse will simply move on to another poor soul."
So he was already thinking about the next victim? I shot him a look of disbelief. Couldn't he at least care about the one currently suffering from the curse?
The master pulled a roll of gauze from his bag and hastily wrapped his wound. Then, gesturing for me to follow, he led the way out of the house.
The black mist still lingered, but the oppressive sound of clanging armor was gone. We moved cautiously toward the heart of the village. I had suggested leaving the village entirely, but the master dismissed the idea, explaining that the Shadow Soldiers were stationed at the outskirts, blocking any escape route until their mission was complete.
Eventually, we came upon a dilapidated temple. Inside, a weathered statue of the King of Hell stood atop a crumbling altar. The state of the temple puzzled me.
"Master, this is a temple, right? Why is it in such disrepair?"
Most of the houses we had passed, though dusty, were intact. This temple, by contrast, had missing roof tiles and gaping holes, letting in the faint light of the thinning mist.
"This is the only temple in the village. The villagers must have worshiped here," I said. "Why is it in such a sorry state?"
"This is my second time here," the master admitted. "The last time, the temple was in much better condition. Could this state of disrepair be connected to the Shadow Soldiers' presence?"
He seemed genuinely perplexed, but I had no interest in speculating further. Survival was my only concern.
"So, what do we do now? Hide here?" I asked, eyeing the open space skeptically. "This place isn't exactly discreet."
Ignoring my skepticism, the master examined the altar. Without a word, he yanked me toward the base of the altar and shoved me into a narrow compartment beneath it.
"You'll stay here," he said firmly. "Do not come out unless I tell you. No matter who calls for you, stay put. Understand?"
"What about you, Master? Won't you hide here too?" His injury still worried me.
He chuckled, glancing at his blood-soaked clothes. "Do you think they wouldn't find us if we were both here? If I stay, we're both dead. Better one of us survives."
His words carried a grim finality that left no room for argument.