Don't go out at night.
This was the most frequently heard line in Ning Ming's thirteen years of life.
And this was also common knowledge in this world.
After bringing those three men and one woman into the house, Ning Ming looked back at the village in the night.
The desolate village was empty as always, quiet as a graveyard in the mountains.
Bang!
The tall, thin man suddenly closed the door, which made Ning Ming take notice. The other party seemed to be in a hurry?
Once inside, the tall, thin man spoke first, "I didn't expect there to be a village deep in the Daqing Mountain, it really surprised me."
"Luckily there is a village."
Another fat, white man said, "Otherwise, we would have had to tie our heads to our belts to sleep tonight."
Hearing the two men's conversation, Ning Ming couldn't help but be curious.
After all, he had lived in the village all his life and had never been out, so he didn't know much about the outside world.
"What's your name?"
At this moment, Chen Jianjia looked at Ning Ming.
She was dressed in white, with skin as white as snow. She had a slender figure and a unique temperament that the village women did not have.
"Ning Ming." Ning Ming showed a shy smile.
Chen Jianjia looked at the fat white man, "Wu Xue."
The so-called Wu Xue took out several heavy silver coins and handed them to Ning Ming, and said, "Thank you, Brother Ning, for taking us in for the night. Also, what is this village called?"
"Desolate Village."
"Desolate Village..."
They silently remembered this in their hearts.
At the same time, the other tall, thin man was looking around Ning Ming's house.
The house was in the shape of a "le" character. There was an outer house, and another room inside. The furniture was simple, and there was nothing noteworthy.
"Hmm?"
The tall, thin man saw that there was another door inside, and tried to go in and take a look.
But Ning Ming quickly blocked him and said, "My sister is resting inside, please don't disturb her."
"You have a sister?"
The tall, thin man's eyes were sharp like an eagle's, with a scrutinizing look.
"What's wrong?"
Ning Ming asked back puzzledly.
On the other side,
Wu Xue found a place to sit down and asked, "Then where are your parents?"
Ning Ming said, "They died a few years ago."
The tall, thin man took another look at the door behind Ning Ming, then turned and went back to the side of the white-clothed woman.
From this, the hierarchy of these outsiders was very clear.
Chen Jianjia was the leader, and the fat and thin men were her servants. As for the other young man in blue, his status was probably not much different from Chen Jianjia's.
The reason was simple. This guy had a faint arrogance on his face all the time.
As if he couldn't fit in his own home...
Ning Ming chatted with these people for a while longer.
Wu Xue asked many questions about Desolate Village: how many people were in the village, how the villagers made a living, whether many people had died recently...
Ning Ming was young but not naive. Naturally, he would not give full details.
"The people in our village are simple, honest, enthusiastic and hospitable."
Ning Ming looked young on the outside, and spoke very naively, "You can come and play more in the future..."
"This kid is probably not that simple!"
But Wu Xue exchanged glances with the tall, thin man. They both felt something was up.
At this moment,
the young man in blue spoke for the first time. His voice was clear, "I see there is no Long Life Lamp in your home, aren't you afraid?"
"Long Life Lamp?"
Ning Ming was slightly stunned, this was the first time he had heard of this term.
"Damn! Seeing how calm it is here, I almost thought I was back in Black Water City."
Saying that, Wu Xue patted his head and quickly took out a stack of yellow paper from his backpack.
Unfolding the yellow paper layer by layer,
inside were several candlesticks as thick as a thumb, with a matte white appearance throughout.
When lit, the flame was not the usual orange-yellow color, but blue. And it also emitted a faint, strange fragrance when burning.
Ning Ming was very curious, "Is this the Long Life Lamp?"
"You don't know?!"
Hearing this, the fat white man Wu Xue was stunned, as if very surprised.
Ning Ming really didn't know, "Is there anything special about it?"
"The Long Life Lamp is something that protects our lives! It can dispel most evil spirits!"
Wu Xue looked at him as if he was a monster, "How did you live to be so old without even knowing about the Long Life Lamp? Didn't the people in the village tell you?"
Hearing this,
Ning Ming didn't know how to answer for a while.
"I can tell you very clearly: without the Long Life Lamp, you would definitely not survive a night out there!"
Wu Xue emphasized, "Ever since the Taboo God Demon Star fell to earth thirteen years ago, as soon as night falls, those things in the dark make a lot of trouble."
"Even in Black Water City with hundreds of thousands of people, every household has to light a Long Life Lamp after nightfall... otherwise, you'll see things more terrifying than death!"
The last sentence made Ning Ming's expression stagnate slightly, and he seemed to feel a chill down his back.
What did he mean?
Is this world so terrifying?
This was the first time Ning Ming had learned about the outside world from outsiders.
Previously, although the old people in the village had mentioned it, Ning Ming had only taken it as the old people not wanting him to leave and deliberately exaggerating.
He didn't expect the real world to be dozens of times more terrifying than what the old people said!
"Miss, this village is definitely not normal!"
At the same time, the tall, thin man whispered to Chen Jianjia, "This kid has never even seen a Long Life Lamp before, unless he is too poor, too backward..."
Before he could finish speaking,
Chen Jianjia nodded slightly, and couldn't help thinking more about it.
Even in the cultivation sect she was in, once night fell, every disciple had to light several Long Life Lamps, whether they were traveling outside or even just staying in the residence, to prevent misfortune.
And for such an isolated village in the wilderness...
Suddenly, Chen Jianjia glanced at the pitch-black nightscape outside the window. For some reason, a strange feeling rose in her heart.
"Hope we can get through this night safely."
Thinking so, Chen Jianjia reached out and touched a black pebble in her arms.
Fiddling with the object, her heart gradually calmed down.
......
......
The thick night curtain obscured the window.
Therefore, Chen Jianjia did not see the scene outside, so she was not scared.
What was terrifying was that
in the night, in the village as quiet as a graveyard, there were actually two black figures standing under the old locust tree.
They just stood there silently, motionless, like black stone sculptures, seamlessly blended into the night.
Although there was no wind between heaven and earth, the old locust tree rustled, and every leaf shook, as if playing music.
"The Long Life Lamps have all been lit, so it should be soon."
Suddenly, a hoarse voice sounded.
"Brother Ning has wanted to cultivate for more than just one or two days."
Another somewhat familiar voice also sounded, "Let him see what cultivators are really like tonight."
......
The night was getting deeper.
Inside the house.
After chatting with the outsiders for a while,
Ning Ming had gained a lot of information about the outside world, and even learned about the special Long Life Lamps.
There was some faint fear in his heart, and also some excitement.
This cultivation world was very special, and it should be even more exciting for him.
Looking at the blue candlelight, Ning Ming was already imagining such a scene: holding a candle, walking in the cold, silent night. The firelight illuminated a small area, and outside the firelight was the presence of unknown horrors...
"Cough!"
Suddenly, Chen Jianjia covered her nose and mouth and coughed.
"Miss!"
Wu Xue and the others immediately changed color.
"It's nothing."
Chen Jianjia shook her head, her face slightly pale, got up and walked to another place, then sat down, leaning against the wall.
"Is this...an injury?"
Ning Ming looked at Chen Jianjia in the distance in surprise.
At this moment, the tall, thin man suddenly said coldly, "Don't ask what you shouldn't."
"Something's not right."
Ning Ming vaguely sensed something wrong.
Why would Li Grandpa let these outsiders stay in his house?
First of all, the villagers were not very keen on him cultivating. They had reminded him many times that there were taboos in cultivation that they did not want him to get involved in.
And there must be cultivators among these outsiders. Could Li Grandpa have changed his mind?
Ning Ming felt it was unlikely, and his eyebrows gradually furrowed.
Just then——
A slight sound suddenly came from the inner room.
Wu Xue and the others' eyes changed.
Ning Ming then quickly got up and explained, "It should be my sister waking up. I'll go in first."
Bang!
After closing the door, Ning Ming entered the inner room.
The square space had two beds on the left and right, with only one window. The air was slightly stuffy.
Lying on the bed to the right was a young girl.
That was Ning Ming's sister, Ning Yao.
The girl was also thirteen years old, wearing pure white silk clothes. Her small body was quite delicate. Her palm-sized face had exquisite features, but looked somewhat malnourished. Her hair was a bit withered, and her skin did not have much color.
It is worth mentioning that Ning Yao was not a biological sister. She was an orphan in this village.
After Ning Lame died, Ning Ming and Ning Yao depended on each other and lived together for a full seven years.
"Awake?"
Ning Ming walked over quickly and thoughtfully poured a cup of water.
Ning Yao took a sip of water, then said, "Brother, did someone come to our house?"
"Um." Ning Ming nodded, "They're from outside and staying overnight at our house before leaving."
But Ning Yao frowned, covering her tender chest, "Brother, I just had a dream and feel like something bad will happen tonight."
Hearing this, Ning Ming was slightly shocked.
He thought for a moment, then held his sister's little hand, smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, it's normal to have nightmares."
Ning Yao blinked at the teenager.
Just then——
Clank!
There was a huge noise from the outer room.
Ning Ming's eyes changed drastically.
In the next moment, the noise came suddenly and disappeared abruptly. The room instantly fell into a terrible silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.