"My lord, going to the Skeleton Forest at night is truly unwise. Even Lord Yang, a Xuan-rank demon hunter, died there. Wouldn't the three of us be walking to our deaths?" Wang Fatty said with a frightened expression.
"Wang Fatty, are you trying to annoy me? If you don't want to go, then stay in Black Water Village by yourself." Gu Qingfeng headed straight for the Skeleton Forest without looking back.
Wang Shan and Xu Fan had no choice but to follow.
After all, among the three, Gu Qingfeng was the strongest. In this eerie Black Water Village, Gu Qingfeng was their only pillar of support, so they naturally had to stick close to him.
The Skeleton Forest was located behind Black Water Village. After about the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, the three arrived at the Skeleton Forest.
By then, darkness had fallen. Dense clouds covered the sky, thoroughly concealing the moon's radiance.
The Skeleton Forest was pitch black. As the breeze blew, the leaves rustled, sounding like some beast lurking in the darkness whispering.
Gu Qingfeng walked briskly at the front, holding a torch.
In the torchlight, the shadows of the trees in the Skeleton Forest twisted into bizarre shapes, adding to the gloomy atmosphere of the place.
Wang Fatty nervously swallowed and stayed close behind Gu Qingfeng, not daring to glance at the woods on either side with even the corner of his eye.
He was afraid a human face might suddenly appear.
"Hu Liang!"
Gu Qingfeng's loud shout startled Wang Fatty and Xu Fan, making them jump.
"Get out here, you bastard!"
However, there was no response, only the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.
After a moment of silence, Gu Qingfeng suddenly broke into a sinister laugh: "Hehehe... Hu Liang! And you three little brats, you think I can't find you just because you're keeping quiet?
Playing hide and seek with me? Well, you better hide well...
Because once I find you... hehehe..."
Gu Qingfeng's tone was fierce and cold, appearing particularly terrifying against the backdrop of the Skeleton Forest.
Wang Shan and Xu Fan exchanged glances, both seeing the shock and bewilderment in each other's eyes.
They had a strange feeling - who was the real demon here?
Why did Lord Gu seem more demonic than the actual demons?
Usually, when the Demon Suppression Bureau went on missions, which team wasn't extremely cautious and nervous, afraid of unexpected mishaps? After all, demons were cunning and unpredictable.
But with Lord Gu, the situation was completely opposite.
Facing demons that had previously wiped out a team led by a Xuan-rank demon hunter, Lord Gu wasn't afraid or running away, but instead actively searching for them?
Just because the demons had deceived him, he was this angry?
At this point, both Wang Shan and Xu Fan made a mental note never to deceive Lord Gu - this man had quite a temper.
.......
Deep in the Skeleton Forest, a pair of blood-red eyes stared intently at the demon-like Gu Qingfeng, filled with deep confusion.
Was this guy really human?
Why didn't he know fear?
He had originally planned to frighten away the three of them with this method, making them report back and lure the newly appointed Xuan-rank demon hunter here.
After all, three mere Qi-Gathering realm insects weren't even enough to fill his teeth.
But unexpectedly, this Gu Qingfeng didn't follow the script - not only was he not afraid, but he got angry?
Can you believe he got angry over this?
When this man got angry, he became completely irrational, like a wild beast.
Any normal demon hunter, seeing such an eerie situation, would be at least somewhat afraid, especially since a Xuan-rank demon hunter had died here. Shouldn't the normal reaction be to turn tail and run?
But this Gu Qingfeng wasn't afraid at all, and even ventured into the Skeleton Forest at night, determined to find those who had deceived him - it was absurd.
The owner of the blood-red eyes wanted to kill this reckless youth, but feared that the killing might discourage the newly appointed Xuan-rank demon hunter from coming to investigate, causing them to report directly to the Demon Suppression Bureau and bring another Earth-rank demon hunter.
Then he would have to lay low for another period.
The key was, while he could wait, the Blood Divine Son couldn't.
Never mind, he might as well ignore this reckless youth. Once he vented his anger and couldn't find anyone, he should leave on his own when his anger subsided.
......
As the three ventured deeper into the Skeleton Forest, they suddenly discovered a clearing with numerous tombstones standing densely packed together.
In such a gloomy place, the sight of these inauspicious tombstones made Wang Shan and Xu Fan's scalps tingle.
However, Gu Qingfeng's eyes lit up, and he immediately ran into the graveyard.
"The Skeleton Forest used to be a mass burial ground, so it's normal to have tombstones, very normal," Wang Fatty, being an adult, was good at self-consolation.
Gu Qingfeng wandered around the graveyard, turning left and right, seemingly trying to trigger some event.
Based on his gaming experience, such places usually triggered boss battles.
But after several rounds of walking around, nearly dancing on the graves, nothing happened.
Seeing Gu Qingfeng bouncing around unharmed, Wang Shan and Xu Fan relaxed and entered the tombstone area.
Perhaps because they hadn't encountered any demons or ghosts along the way, Wang Fatty's courage grew slightly, and his small eyes casually scanned the tombstones.
Suddenly!
His gaze stopped on one tombstone, his eyes fixed upon it.
In that instant, Wang Fatty's body froze, his pupils contracted sharply, his heartbeat nearly stopped, and an indescribable terror enveloped his entire body.
"Ahhhh!!!"
A sharp, piercing scream split the night air.
It gave Gu Qingfeng quite a shock!
When Gu Qingfeng recovered, he was furious - he hadn't been scared by demons, but Wang Fatty had startled him enough times.
He turned to glare at Wang Fatty, cursing, "Wang Fatty, are you sick? Can't you act more like a man and stop screaming at everything!"
Wang Fatty seemed not to hear Gu Qingfeng's angry words, but instead pointed a trembling fat finger at a tombstone, stuttering, "This tombstone... this tombstone..."
"What about the tombstone?" Gu Qingfeng impatiently walked over, pushed aside Wang Fatty's fat body, and looked closely at the tombstone.
Instantly, Gu Qingfeng's expression changed.
On the tombstone were written several large characters:
Here lies Hu Liang, Village Chief of Black Water Village!
"Village Chief Hu... is dead? Then who was the person talking to us today?" Xu Fan asked, his face pale.
Wang Fatty quickly retreated from the tombstone, trembling as he hid behind Gu Qingfeng.
"Isn't it obvious? The Village Chief Hu we met today must have been his ghost!"
Xu Fan's face grew even paler as he swallowed hard. "Besides Village Chief Hu, could these tombstones be... all the villagers of Black Water Village?"
"No wonder all the people in Black Water Village disappeared. They were already dead."
With each word Xu Fan spoke, his face grew paler, until finally, there was no color left in his face. Even his voice became distorted with fear, though he didn't notice it himself.
Wang Fatty's legs went weak as he listened to Xu Fan's analysis.
"Lord Gu, I beg you, let's leave. I'll kneel..."
Before Wang Fatty could finish speaking, Gu Qingfeng suddenly let out a furious roar: "You old bastard! I've finally found you! Still pretending to be dead, are you?!"
As his words fell, to Wang Fatty and Xu Fan's shocked and terrified gazes, Gu Qingfeng raised his right leg - his size forty-plus foot, with fresh mud still on the sole - and viciously kicked Hu Liang's tombstone.