Before arriving, Zhang Yiyi had already scanned every inch of the village multiple times with her divine sense, yet she had never detected any other living beings aside from herself and Lu Qiao. But now, a child had suddenly appeared near the big pagoda tree, stealthily watching them. This was undoubtedly unnatural.

Either her divine sense had somehow failed, or this child was not ordinary.

However, Zhang Yiyi had absolute faith in her abilities—it was impossible for her divine sense to have made such a glaring error. That left only one explanation: the child himself was the anomaly.

"What's wrong? That kid may have appeared strangely, but I checked him. He's just an ordinary child," Lu Qiao remarked, sensing Zhang Yiyi's wariness. "This whole village reeks of something strange. Maybe we shouldn't rely too much on our divine sense right now. Let's just use our eyes, like ordinary people, and observe."

Hearing this, Zhang Yiyi reconsidered and nodded slightly before releasing her grip, tacitly agreeing with Lu Qiao's reasoning.

"Little one, why are you all alone here? Where did everyone in the village go? We haven't seen a single person around," Lu Qiao asked gently, stopping about six or seven steps away from the tree. She bent slightly, smiling as she waved at the child to encourage him to come closer.

Unexpectedly, the child paid her no heed. Instead, his wide eyes remained fixated on Zhang Yiyi, filled with hesitance—he clearly wanted to approach her but seemed afraid.

"Uh... looks like he prefers talking to you," Lu Qiao said, slightly disappointed but perceptive enough to step aside for Zhang Yiyi.

"Are you looking for me?" Zhang Yiyi asked, studying the child closely. Her tone carried a hint of certainty.

The child didn't speak, but after a brief pause, he nodded vigorously, his eyes lighting up with a flicker of hope.

"Do you have something to tell me?" Zhang Yiyi continued.

Once again, the child nodded. This time, he even beckoned her with his small hand, signaling for her to follow him.

Without hesitation, Zhang Yiyi followed as the child suddenly dashed away from behind the tree, swiftly leading them toward an unknown destination.

"Where is he taking us?" Lu Qiao murmured, intrigued by the sudden turn of events. The eerie tension she had felt earlier was momentarily forgotten in her curiosity.

Zhang Yiyi didn't answer. The child would run a few steps, then turn back to make sure she was still following before continuing onward, maintaining a precise distance between them.

Eventually, he led them to a large, open square in the village.

It was a designated gathering space for the Chen clan, a place where villagers assembled for meetings. But at this moment, it was utterly desolate, making its vast emptiness all the more unsettling.

"Wait... where did the child go?" Lu Qiao's voice suddenly sharpened with alarm. Just a moment ago, the boy had been right in front of them. Now, he had vanished into thin air.

And that was precisely the problem—there was nowhere for him to hide. The clearing was open, devoid of any cover. The boy had been there one second and gone the next.

It was too bizarre.

Even Zhang Yiyi had only taken her eyes off him briefly to scan the surroundings. In that split moment, the child had disappeared.

"Why did he bring us here?" Lu Qiao unconsciously moved closer to Zhang Yiyi, her earlier bravado fading. Despite being a cultivator, she felt her courage shrinking in the face of such inexplicable occurrences.

Before Zhang Yiyi could respond, the child reappeared just as suddenly as he had vanished. This time, he was clutching a rusty hoe, struggling to drag it across the ground as he approached them.

"What the—" Lu Qiao's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. "He's back... but why does he have a hoe?"

The child's expression was eerily blank. He ignored both Zhang Yiyi and Lu Qiao, instead trudging toward the center of the clearing. Once there, he raised the heavy tool with great effort and began striking the ground, digging one feeble scoop of soil after another.

"What... what is he doing?" Lu Qiao watched in horror. The hoe was far too big for his small frame, and with each swing, it looked like he might collapse under its weight.

Zhang Yiyi remained silent, eyes locked onto the scene with an unreadable expression.

Then, a gust of wind swept through the square.

And suddenly, the entire village came alive.

"Oh, come on! What's so urgent that the clan leader had to call a meeting right now? I just finished making dinner and haven't even had a bite!"

"Same here! My child has been hungry for ages, and now we have to drop everything?"

"We don't have a choice. If the clan leader calls for us, we have to come. If we don't, we'll be in for it!"

"That's right. I just wish we knew what was so important. It's barely dawn, and we're already being dragged out."

Complaints and chatter filled the air as men, women, and children streamed out from their homes, gathering in the square.

One by one, villagers emerged—young and old, male and female, their expressions a mixture of confusion and mild annoyance.

It was as if they had never disappeared.

More and more people appeared, their voices rising in a cacophony of discussion. It was as if the entire village had suddenly come back to life—those who had been inexplicably missing were now all present as if nothing had ever happened.

"This... this... sister, are these people really... real?" Lu Qiao stood frozen, her face pale as she watched the growing crowd of villagers emerge. Her heart pounded with indescribable fear.

"Oh my, where did these young ladies come from? Looking as beautiful as fairies!" An enthusiastic auntie had long since noticed Lu Qiao and Zhang Yiyi, her curiosity piqued. "You two are such beauties—haven't been betrothed yet, have you? Auntie Wu can introduce you to a good match, I promise to find the best husband for you!"

As she spoke, Auntie Wu even reached out to grab Lu Qiao's hand, her enthusiasm overwhelming.

"Auntie, no, no, no! I can handle that myself, no need to trouble you!" Lu Qiao quickly dodged, pulling away to maintain a safe distance, unwilling to let these suddenly appearing villagers touch her.

"Oh dear, little girl, you can't just say things like that! A young lady picking her own husband? That's improper! Don't say such nonsense again." Auntie Wu chided playfully and once again reached out, this time successfully grabbing Lu Qiao's wrist.

"Let go! Let go of me! What is going on here? Why was this village completely empty just moments ago, and now suddenly all of you have appeared?" Lu Qiao was alarmed, shocked at how easily she had been caught by an old village woman. She had completely failed to evade her grasp.

Something was terribly wrong. Lu Qiao was a Foundation Establishment cultivator—how could she possibly fail to dodge a mere mortal?

No, she was certain now. These people—these men, women, and children—were indeed alive. They weren't ghosts. Their breath, their presence, it was all real. They were undoubtedly human.

"Oh dear, have you been possessed or something? We've always been here in the village! What do you mean we suddenly appeared?" Auntie Wu let go of Lu Qiao's hand, now looking at her with wary suspicion, as if she had caught some kind of disease. She took a few steps back, as did the other onlookers, whispering among themselves.

"Sister... sister, they—" Lu Qiao finally regained her freedom and turned instinctively to seek Zhang Yiyi's help—only to freeze in horror, her eyes widening.

She was surrounded by villagers—where was Zhang Yiyi?

Even more terrifying, she had no idea when Zhang Yiyi had disappeared. It had happened so silently, so seamlessly, that it sent shivers down her spine.

"You're looking for that other pretty girl, aren't you?" One of the villagers spoke up helpfully. "Was she your sister? She suddenly disappeared just now. Is she a cultivator? Can she do magic? Otherwise, how could she vanish like that?"

"What? You saw her disappear?" Lu Qiao was utterly confused. She didn't know whether or not to believe these strange villagers.

"Yes, yes! She just vanished! You were with her, right? Can you do the same? Are you also a powerful cultivator?" A few villagers eagerly asked Lu Qiao, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Well... I am a cultivator." Lu Qiao's expression was complicated as she countered, "Does your Chen family not have any cultivators?"

"Oh heavens! She really is a cultivator! Our clan leader won't have to worry anymore!" Auntie Wu ignored Lu Qiao's question entirely, instead clapping her hands in delight. "I heard our clan leader has been fretting over the monster in the back mountain for days now, unsure where to find powerful cultivators to help us get rid of it and protect our village. But now, fate has sent us a great cultivator right to our doorstep!"

"Is that why we were all summoned here so urgently today? To hear this good news?"

"I think so! These two young ladies must have been invited by the clan leader. Otherwise, why would they suddenly appear in our village?"

"Yes, yes! The clan leader must have prepared a big surprise for us! No wonder he rushed us here before we could even finish breakfast—he must want to take us all to the back mountain right away to get rid of that monster before it causes more harm!"

"Look, the clan leader is here!"

The villagers grew even more excited, parting to make way as they eagerly welcomed their revered clan leader.

"So the esteemed immortal has already arrived? Forgive us for failing to welcome you properly!" The Chen clan leader, an elderly man, approached Lu Qiao with great enthusiasm, bowing deeply in respect.

Seeing their leader's deference, the rest of the villagers immediately followed suit, bowing in unison.

Lu Qiao was completely bewildered. She wanted to explain that this was all a misunderstanding, but she didn't even know where to start. Worse yet, when she tried to step back and refuse, her body wouldn't obey. It was as if some unseen force compelled her to play along with their charade.

And sure enough, the clan leader soon brought up the matter of the back mountain monster, earnestly requesting Lu Qiao's aid in eliminating the creature.

Lu Qiao definitely did not want to run off into some creepy mountain to hunt a monster. She desperately wanted to refuse. She screamed her objections in her mind.

But her mouth betrayed her.

Instead of protests, she heard herself speaking words of reassurance, promising to rid them of their great menace.

Lu Qiao wanted to cry—but she couldn't. She was being ushered along by the villagers, forced into this bizarre and terrifying scenario.

She had tried to say, Sister, help! This place is terrifying, I need to get out!

But what came out of her mouth was confident assurances that she would slay the monster.

Everything was wrong. The sheer strangeness of it all filled her with fear. And yet, she was powerless to resist.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yiyi was experiencing almost the exact same situation.

However, the force attempting to manipulate her was significantly weaker.

"Does the clan leader even know what this so-called 'monster' is?" At a critical moment, Zhang Yiyi managed to stop Auntie Wu and a few others from physically dragging her toward the back mountain. She planted herself firmly, refusing to move until she had answers.

"No one knows! That's why we need you, esteemed immortal! That thing has already devoured over twenty of our people—it's incredibly dangerous!" The clan leader's tone darkened with irritation, his earlier respectful demeanor beginning to crack. "But don't worry, as long as you get rid of it, you will be rewarded handsomely!"

"Oh? And what exactly do you have to offer me?" Zhang Yiyi smirked, her eyes cold as she scanned the gathered villagers. "And where are the Chen family's cultivators? Where have they all gone? Why haven't I seen a single one? Since when did this entire village become a settlement of mere mortals?"

"You're spouting nonsense! If we had cultivators, why would we need to invite outsiders like you to help us?" The clan leader's temper flared. He glared at Zhang Yiyi, his expression turning sinister. "Are you trying to back out of your promise? That's not an option! Since you've come here, you must eliminate the monster for us. Otherwise, you won't be leaving—we'll throw you into the back mountain to feed the beast instead!"

"Yes! If she won't help us, we'll just toss her to the monster! That way, it'll stop preying on our village!"

The villagers, now enraged, turned on Zhang Yiyi with murderous glares. All the earlier excitement and respect had vanished, replaced with hostility. They looked ready to tear her apart.

"The time has come! Take her to the back mountain—whether she wants to or not!" The clan leader gave the command, and the villagers surged forward, ready to seize her by force.