Is that a Wisp?

"Aargh…gah…gruaahh!" Grunting sounds erupted from Krune as he dragged the bodies of five people one after another. From one discrete location to another, he dragged the bodies over one by one.

To an old man, this was too much, causing his back to ache while he felt dizzy. Thankfully, the rations the five bandits had brought was plenty enough for him. He first returned to his home and placed all the rations and other valuables looted from the bandits there.

He then called the village head as the two of them arrived at the place, beginning to drag the bodies of the five. Even though the village head was startled at first, once Krune explained the reason for his action, he grinned.

They were planning to pit the Yin Beast and the bandits against one another. Naturally, these five bandits were the perfect bait for that.

It had already become nighttime as everyone from the village returned to their homes, dispirited. After finding something to eat, they all slept, unaware of the two old men toiling about, carrying in the darkness.

Eventually, they carried all the five bandits into Old Leaf's house since it was empty. Four bandits were unconscious, bound by Krune, preventing them from moving or even emitting any sound. After all, with their mouths stuffed, even their muffled screams wouldn't be audible to anyone beyond the house.

As for the fifth bandit, he had died. He was the one that had been targeted by the Soul Needle, dying as the nerves in his neck burned from the heat. As the place melted, it didn't bleed. Then again, he had died as a result.

All Krune did was tear some cloth from the bandit's pants and tie it around his neck to prevent it from breaking off. Of course, it was grotesque to see, so he wished to hide it.

The place was deathly silent as not even the sounds of any insects resounded through the streets, devoid of any signs of human activity.

The village head gulped in fear, slowly giving in to his sense of paranoia when Krune patted his shoulder, consoling him. "I'm here."

He then escorted the village head to his house before beginning to return, shuddering at the desolate atmosphere of the place, hurrying back to his house.

Placed at the doorstep to Old Leaf's house was the dead bandit, placed as bait for the Yin Beast. On top of that, the door to the house was left ajar, just to ensure the Yin Beast was able to see the bound bandits inside.

Then again, Krune didn't have to worry about that. The Yin Beast was a stealthy creature, unwilling to alert the people. That's why it first kidnapped Old Leaf, an old man living alone.

So, those living in a group wouldn't come at risk…yet. And, it seemed it was capable of detecting the state of people inside the homes.

Upon seeing Wang Hao sleeping, Krune gently patted his grandchild before resting his weary back, slowly feeling his heartrate accelerate as his eyes were wide open, with sweat dripping down his face.

Thump! Thump!

His heartbeats continued to accelerate as Krune tried his best to calm himself, patting himself. 'It's here!'

As he had expected, through the fluctuations in the air generated by his breathing, he barely sensed the rebounding sound waves, determining that a mysterious entity had appeared before Old Leaf's house.

However, the moment he sensed it, Krune was alarmed. Unexpectedly, there wasn't one Yin Beast there, but three. 'Did I inadvertently attract disaster?'

He was alarmed, but even through Su Zixin's memories, such a situation wasn't common. Typically, Yin Beasts moved alone. They were prideful creatures, not having any foes to worry about. Thus, they were solitary creatures.

As to how they were born, no one knew. Yin Beasts mysteriously appeared from time to time. So, even though they had existed since ages ago, nothing much was known about them.

And now, upon noticing that three Yin Beasts stood before the neighboring house, Krune was alarmed. But he soon calmed himself, noticing them carrying all four bandits with them before they left the village.

Krune slowly got up and stealthily exited the backdoor of the house. Once he wasn't confined by the walls, he was able to perceive farther through his echolocation. Also, since a faint wind blew, he was able to feel the presence of things based on the faint dynamics created when the wind hit every object along its path.

Thanks to this, he was able to sense the position of the three Yin Beasts, watching them carry the five bandits and slowly walk north of the village. 'That's…'

He frowned because to the north of the village was a dangerous place filled with sharp rocks and boulders. Countless hills stretched there, shaped bizarrely, with not even a speck of soil around.

The Barren Range!

That was what the villagers called it since no life existed there. Krune cautiously trailed after them, gripping the Cloud Whale for assurance, intending to find just where they lived.

Though, once he entered the Barren Range, Krune was shocked to see that he had actually lost track of them. First of all, he wasn't able to move as fast as the Yin Beasts. Secondly, the terrain was rugged, preventing him from even walking at his usual pace.

His straw slippers had almost been torn into shreds thanks to his actions, preventing him from walking beyond. With that, the sharp surface constantly prickled at his feet. All in all, he lost sight of them, sighing as he returned and slept on his bed, thinking for some time.

Soon after, he had fallen asleep. What even he hadn't known was that sometime after Krune had fallen asleep, a shadow flashed beyond the window, for a moment pausing as a hand gently pushed the window slightly, glancing within to see two people.

It then closed the window and vanished. The night continued to remain in silence after that as the sounds of winds at times resounded with an eerie tune. Within their house, the breathing sounds of an old man and his grandson resounded at a steady pace.