After leaving the Red-roofed Manor, Lu Yunfei and Li Yecheng did not look back.
They silently maintained their unspoken agreement, walking down the winding forest path, with the dappled shadows of trees scattered on the ground beneath their feet. The air was filled with the scent of fresh grass and damp earth, but this natural atmosphere did not fully put them at ease.
Time passed slowly and silently. They did not know how long they had been walking, but eventually, the dense woods started to thin out. Li Yecheng stopped first, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Up ahead…"
Lu Yunfei followed his gaze, and before them, the forest opened up to reveal a vast meadow. The tender green grass stretched out like a carpet, and as the sunlight poured down, the blades of grass swayed gently in the wind, rippling like layers of water.
"This… is a farm?" Lu Yunfei asked, his voice tinged with doubt.
At the edge of the meadow stood two large wooden houses, their exteriors weathered and worn by time. Beside the houses was a stable, its red paint peeled away in patches. A few sheep and horses leisurely grazed along the edge of the grassland, giving the impression of a quiet, peaceful rural farm.
Li Yecheng narrowed his eyes and observed the surroundings warily. "It feels like I've seen this scene in a movie."
Lu Yunfei raised an eyebrow. "A movie? Are you sure?"
As they passed through the meadow, the sheep and horses were scattered on either side, lazily grazing. A few sheep occasionally lifted their heads, seemingly curious about them, but for the most part, the animals were unnervingly still.
"These animals…" Li Yecheng suddenly spoke, his voice low, almost as if he were talking to himself. "It feels like when we're not looking, they're watching us. But whenever we look at them, they quickly lower their heads to graze or do something else."
Lu Yunfei quickly turned his head to glance at a horse to the left. Sure enough, the horse's gaze shifted the moment he looked at it, as if disinterested, returning to nibbling the grass. But as soon as Lu Yunfei turned back, his peripheral vision suggested the horse was staring at him again.
"That's definitely odd…" Lu Yunfei whispered, "Don't let these things distract you. Let's check out that big wooden house first."
Li Yecheng nodded, and the two of them quickly moved toward the central wooden house.
The wooden house was large, about two stories high. The doorway was a wooden staircase, its paint chipped and faded, revealing the raw wood beneath. The roof sagged slightly, supported by several thick beams, giving it a solid, rustic appearance. Hanging from the eaves were strings of dried peppers and garlic.
As they approached the door, Li Yecheng scanned the surroundings. "It looks like an ordinary rural house… but it's strangely well-maintained."
Lu Yunfei did not respond immediately, his gaze fixed on a window. He pointed at the glass and said to Li Yecheng, "Look…"
Li Yecheng followed his finger to the window. What had once been a nearly transparent reflection of the sunlight now appeared to have a shadow.
It was a face.
A strange face.
The face belonged to a man who appeared to be in his fifties, with weathered skin marked by the passage of time. His eyebrows were thick and furrowed, and his eyes were deep-set, sharp like a knife. He wore a shabby straw hat, and his clothes were a rough, brown homespun shirt—typical farmer attire. He stood behind the window, his face almost pressed against the glass, staring intently at the two men at the door.
"Someone's here," Lu Yunfei immediately stopped, his mind on high alert.
Li Yecheng saw the face too. He did not act immediately but instead asked in a low voice, "What do you think?"
"Do I need to ask?" Lu Yunfei replied quietly. "We need to find out who he is."
Li Yecheng nodded. The two exchanged a glance and then cautiously moved closer to the window. However, just as they were about to reach it, the face disappeared!
"He hid?" Lu Yunfei frowned.
"No, he's still inside," Li Yecheng's gaze shifted to the door. "Stay alert."
The two of them slowed their pace and arrived at the door. It was not locked, and seemed to open with just a light push. Li Yecheng grasped the doorknob, gently exerting pressure, and the door creaked loudly as it slowly opened.
"Let's go in and take a look," Li Yecheng said quietly, glancing at Lu Yunfei before stepping inside.
The interior was dimly lit, filled with the musty scent of aged wood, with a faint hint of tobacco. A stove was still burning, its weak flame providing enough light for the main area of the house.
On the walls hung several old oil paintings, depicting simple rural scenes that had an oddly eerie feel. A bookshelf along the wall was cluttered with thick books, and crumpled newspapers were scattered on the floor.
"Nobody?" Lu Yunfei scanned the room but did not see the man from the window.
Li Yecheng did not respond immediately. He slowly walked over to the window, where the face had appeared. The spot was now empty, with the curtain gently blowing in the wind, as though someone had hastily left.
"It seems like he knew we were coming," Li Yecheng turned and said.
"Whoever he is, we need to be cautious," Li Yecheng's tone was steady but with an undertone of wariness.
Suddenly, from behind them, the man appeared quietly, holding a hunting rifle.
His lips trembled, and he spoke in a low voice, "I guess I figured out what you are." He paused, seemingly struggling to find the right words. "But you won't find what you're looking for here. I always thought no one would ever find this place. How did you find it?"
Lu Yunfei did not rush to respond. Instead, he stared at the man calmly and said, his tone even colder, "Tell me some information, and I'll tell you something in return." There was no sign of softness in his voice, only an underlying threat.
The man was silent for a moment, his eyes flashing with a hint of resignation. He took a deep breath, as if forcing himself to calm down. "I don't really care how you got in," his voice dropped lower, "but your arrival means I've been exposed. I can't hide anymore."
The words he spoke did not seem like those of a regular farmer. There was an underlying fear of being "discovered" in his tone. "I just want to live quietly, without being followed by those people," his eyes flickered nervously.
At that moment, as though suddenly struck by some strong emotion, the man turned and rushed upstairs. Soon, he came back down, carrying a bag on his back and tightly gripping his hunting rifle.
His steps were quick, his eyes full of anxiety and panic. He looked at Lu Yunfei and Li Yecheng, his voice hurried, almost pleading, "I can't tell you too much."
He then turned and hastily headed for the door, as if trying to escape the place.
Li Yecheng reacted quickly, whispering to Lu Yunfei, "We can't let him get away." The two of them sped up and followed him.
The man, hearing their footsteps, suddenly turned around, lifting the rifle. His expression grew even more tense. "Don't chase me anymore! I really can't tell you!" His voice was filled with unmistakable fear.
It was clear that he realized he had no way out now. Whether he continued to flee or confronted them, both choices seemed risky. A flash of despair crossed his eyes as he tightly gripped the rifle, his face filled with anguish.
He looked up at the sky, his expression full of helplessness and sorrow, and then turned back to the wooden house. His steps were heavy, as though he had lost all strength. Collapsing on the sofa, his hands limply hung at his sides, as if all vitality had been drained from him.
"I was bound to be discovered. It was only a matter of time," he murmured, his voice full of resignation and despair. Each word seemed to come from the depths of a dark abyss, heavy with an inescapable weight.
Lu Yunfei and Li Yecheng stood nearby, the atmosphere growing more intense. Suddenly, Li Yecheng's eyes darted to the window again, his brow furrowing. He muttered under his breath, "Look, the sheep and horses outside are gone."
Lu Yunfei turned abruptly, looking outside. The sheep and horses, once grazing leisurely on the grass, had disappeared without a trace.
The entire farm had become eerily silent, and the sudden disappearance of the animals was unsettling. The change had occurred so rapidly that it defied logic and reason. It was as though the meadow had been completely emptied in the blink of an eye.
"Where did they go?" Lu Yunfei felt a tightness in his chest as a strange sense of oppression began to fill the air.
Li Yecheng stood motionless for a moment, his gaze scanning the empty landscape. His mind raced, analyzing the situation. "This isn't natural," he said slowly. "Something's wrong."
The once peaceful farm, with its grazing animals and calm atmosphere, now felt like a deserted place, almost as if something had swallowed the life from it in an instant. The silence seemed to stretch on unnaturally, amplifying their every breath, every movement.
Lu Yunfei glanced back at the man, who was now slumped on the sofa, his body seemingly drained of all strength. The fear and anxiety in his eyes were unmistakable, and it was clear that whatever had just happened—whatever was happening in this place—was more than just strange. It was terrifying.
Li Yecheng walked over to the man, his expression stern. "What is happening here?" His voice was firm, but there was a flicker of unease in his eyes that he couldn't hide.
The man lifted his head slowly, his face pale and haggard. He seemed to hesitate before speaking, as if the weight of his own words was too much to bear. "You… you've triggered something," he whispered hoarsely. "No one was supposed to come here. No one was supposed to find this place."
His voice trailed off, his hands trembling as he clutched the edges of the sofa. It was clear that whatever secrets this farm held, they were too dangerous for him to reveal fully.
Lu Yunfei exchanged a glance with Li Yecheng, both of them sensing that they were on the edge of uncovering something far deeper and darker than they had anticipated. The strange behavior of the animals, the man's cryptic words, and now the disappearance of the creatures—everything pointed to a mystery that was far beyond the ordinary.
As they stood there, the oppressive silence of the farm continued to weigh heavily on them. It felt like they were being watched, not by the animals that had disappeared, but by something far more insidious and hidden in the shadows.