Chapter 50: Desperate Flight

Just as Chen Fei was about to speak to wake the others, he suddenly saw a burst of red light emerge from Qian Jiijiang's chest, followed by a plume of scorched black smoke. Qian Jiijiang shuddered in pain.

"Huh? No, we've been here before!"

Qian Jiijiang's eyes regained clarity. Looking at the surrounding scene, especially the mountain village in the distance, his face turned deathly pale.

"How do we wake them up?"

Chen Fei asked. Qian Jiijiang indeed possessed some skill; if not for the Heart-Clearing Incantation, Chen Fei would likely have been bewitched by the eerie phenomena and remained unconscious.

"Are you alright?"

Qian Jiijiang gave Chen Fei a surprised glance, but he had no leisure to press for details. Instead, he pulled a stick of incense from his pack and lit it. As a thin trail of blue smoke drifted through the air, Yan Qing and the other three experienced a moment of sudden clarity. Looking back at the distant village, their expressions changed drastically.

"There is something eerie in that village! We must leave, quickly!"

Seeing that everyone had recovered, Qian Jiijiang didn't have time to explain. He bolted forward headlong. The others dared not delay and followed closely behind him.

Chen Fei trailed behind, continuously circulating the Heart-Clearing Incantation. The cooling sensation helped him gradually calm down. As he watched the encroaching mist, he struggled to look further into the distance, feeling a chill slowly welling up in his eyes.

"It's working!"

Chen Fei felt a surge of joy, but his expression immediately shifted to one of horror. Although he could see further, what appeared in the distance was not another path, but that same small mountain village.

Compared to the first time, the group was now much closer to the village; they could even clearly see the houses within the settlement.

The land was flat, the houses were orderly, and there were fertile fields, mulberry trees, and bamboo groves, with paths crisscrossing the landscape like a hidden paradise. Faintly, one could even see many silhouettes among them, all facing this direction as if waiting for their arrival.

Chen Fei couldn't help but shudder and shouted loudly, "Stop! We are getting closer to that village!"

Everyone was startled. Remembering that Chen Fei had been the first to wake up, Qian Jiijiang believed him and halted his steps.

"What do you see?" Qian Jiijiang asked urgently.

"Houses, fields, and many people standing there, facing us!"

Chen Fei's expression was grim. At this moment, the bone-deep chill felt as if it were about to freeze his arms solid, and the dread in his heart grew even deeper. If they couldn't pass this trial, they likely wouldn't live to see Xingfen City.

"Old Qian, think of something, quick!"

Chi Defeng turned to Qian Jiijiang. If anyone could lead them out of here, it would be the experienced Qian Jiijiang.

"Stay close to me! I'm going to run with everything I've got!"

With a sense of heartache, Qian Jiijiang pulled a half-burnt red candle from his pack. It looked no different from an ordinary household candle, but he carefully lit its wick.

A ring of red light expanded, enveloping the entire group.

Whether it was an illusion or not, under the red light, the chill that had permeated their bodies vanished completely, replaced by a sense of profound peace.

Simultaneously, the surrounding mist seemed to retreat from the red light, as if it feared the candle's glow.

"Run!"

Qian Jiijiang gave a low command and bolted. The others didn't dare hesitate, following tightly in his wake.

The group of six all possessed decent movement techniques; thus, even though Qian Jiijiang was exerting his full strength, the others managed to keep pace.

The mist ahead dispersed, and the small village finally ceased to appear, allowing their hearts to ease slightly. Had they seen that village again, they feared they might have lost their minds.

"No, no! Stop! Everyone, stop!"

Qian Jiijiang suddenly screamed, his face terrifyingly pale. Everyone looked at him in confusion, but Chen Fei noticed the red candle in Qian Jiijiang's hand—in just a short while, more than half of it had already burned away.

As Chen Fei watched, the candle was shrinking at a visible rate. At this speed, it would be completely consumed within fifteen minutes.

"What's wrong?" Chi Defeng asked, puzzled.

"The candle is burning too fast! We aren't moving away from the eerie presence; we're getting closer to them!"

Holding the candle, Qian Jiijiang tested the four directions. Only toward the southeast did the burning slow down.

"This way!"

With that, Qian Jiijiang charged forward.

Chen Fei looked around, his heart trembling. The Heart-Clearing Incantation was useful for maintaining consciousness, but mere awareness seemed insufficient. If they didn't escape this place, they would likely be eaten while wide awake.

In particular, the faint, chilling gazes from behind made the hair on Chen Fei's neck stand on end, as if the entities would pounce on them at any second.

"The village... that village has appeared again!"

After running for a while, Feng Yu pointed into the distance and cried out. The group looked back and saw indeed the same village they had seen before.

After all that running, they seemed to have returned to the starting point. And the red candle in Qian Jiijiang's hand had less than thirty percent remaining.

"What a loss... what a massive loss!"

Qian Jiijiang looked at the red candle, then at the distant village. Gritting his teeth, he pulled another candle from his pack. Unlike the previous red one, this was a pure white candle.

"The eerie presence is too strong. We have no choice but to gamble. Otherwise, none of us will leave here today," Qian Jiijiang said heavily.

"What do you want us to do?"

"Once I light this white candle, I will throw it directly behind us. Its effect is the opposite of the red candle; it will attract the eerie entities. Therefore, it will be extremely dangerous behind us. Run as fast as you can," Qian Jiijiang whispered.

This was a life-or-death gamble. But if they didn't do this, they would likely continue circling until the red candle ran out, resulting in everyone's death.

Yan Qing and the others exchanged glances but did not stop him. They had no better plan and could only follow his lead.

Qian Jiijiang lowered his head and lit the white candle.

An indescribable scent drifted from the white flame. Using all his strength, Qian Jiijiang hurled the candle backward. The white flame flickered wildly but refused to go out.

In the next instant, Qian Jiijiang, clutching the red candle, began running forward with frantic speed.

Compared to before, his movement speed had increased by more than half.

While the others were startled by his sudden burst of speed, Chen Fei followed steadily behind him, with Chi Defeng following Chen Fei.

Yan Qing and Yan Ding let out muffled grunts, using their sword blades to pierce each other's bodies. Amidst the spray of blood, their forms suddenly vanished, and they caught up closely behind Chi Defeng.

The old woman, Feng Yu, tossed a pill into her mouth. A green mist surged across her face, and with her rhythmic strides, she actually surpassed Yan Qing and the other, catching up to Chi Defeng.

"Jie, jie, jie..."

A low, sinister laughter seemed to drift through the mountain forest. The surrounding mist grew denser, but fortunately, the mist was surging from behind them, while the mist in front of them was gradually thinning.

The group's spirits lifted slightly. The white candle had indeed worked; that sensation of being constantly watched had vanished entirely.