The night quietly fell.
The two people guarding the door had left at some point. Fang Ming struggled to roll to the wall, and using the corner of the wall, he stood up and hopped to the door, peeking through the crack.
Outside was still a courtyard, similar in layout to the room where the woodpile was, or rather, all the houses here had a similar structure.
"Sigh~" Fang Ming sighed heavily, leaning weakly against the door. He had reached a dead end. After all his calculations, he never expected that the fool wouldn't be interested in him.
In the woodpile room before, there was at least a chance to escape, but now, locked up here, there was no opportunity at all.
However, that wasn't entirely true. Even if he escaped the woodpile room, he couldn't escape the village. It could only be said that time was not on his side.
Fang Ming leaned against the door, lost in thought. He didn't know what would happen to his main body if he died in Baimu Village. Everything was unknown, and it made him increasingly panicked.
"Rustle, rustle..." A sound arose.
"Huh?" Fang Ming's spirit jolted, and he quickly looked for the source of the sound.
Outside the door?
Fang Ming peeked through the door crack and saw a shadowy figure stealthily approaching his room. In the moonlight, he could only discern the outline of a person.
A moment later, the figure reached the door, and Fang Ming finally saw their appearance – it was Granny Bai?!
What was she doing here? No, no, why was she human at night? Didn't the people in this village turn into monsters at night? Or had he misunderstood something?
Fang Ming calmly analyzed the situation. Why hadn't Granny Bai turned into a monster?
"Little girl, little girl?" Granny Bai cautiously approached the door and called out softly.
"I'm here. Is there something you need?" Fang Ming replied.
Granny Bai was overjoyed to hear Fang Ming was still conscious. She quickly said, "I'll get you out of here now. After you leave the courtyard, walk straight down the street to the right. Don't look back, no matter what! Remember, don't look back, no matter what happens!"
Was she going to save him? Fang Ming was overjoyed. Granny Bai was indeed kind-hearted.
"Rattle, rattle..." The sound of the lock turning, followed by a click, and the door unlocked and opened a crack.
"Thank you, Granny Bai!" Fang Ming exclaimed in gratitude before even leaving.
Granny Bai waved her hand and cut the ropes binding Fang Ming's body. "Remember what I said, hurry!"
Fang Ming rubbed his arm and asked, "What will happen to the villagers if they find out you helped me escape?"
"Don't worry, they won't find out." Granny Bai sounded a bit anxious. "Hurry up and go, or you won't be able to escape if it's too late!"
Hearing this, Fang Ming glanced at Granny Bai, then fixed his direction and ran out. The courtyard gate was already open, and Fang Ming rushed out.
"As expected..." Fang Ming scanned his surroundings, his heart sinking. Monsters were moving between the houses. He figured he'd be discovered by monsters within a few steps!
He couldn't worry about it anymore! Fang Ming gritted his teeth and, exiting the courtyard, turned sharply to the right, not stopping even if he encountered monsters.
"Human!" An adult-sized monster was the first to spot Fang Ming, and it chased after him, its mouth dripping with foul-smelling liquid.
It was so fast that Fang Ming had no chance of outrunning it!
"This is bullshit, how are their eyes so sharp!" Fang Ming cursed, not daring to look back, and sprinted forward at full speed.
Granny Bai told him not to look back, so he would obey. He didn't want to experience any melodramatic scenes by insisting on looking back.
"Flesh... Heh heh..." After running only a dozen meters, another monster spotted Fang Ming and charged madly towards him.
Fortunately, both monsters were behind him, and it would take another minute or two to catch him.
"Buddha, Jade Emperor, please protect me, please don't let any monsters block my path." Fang Ming muttered to himself, running forward frantically. Houses were left behind him, and he didn't know he could still run so fast.
But fate was contrary to his wishes. The thing Fang Ming feared most appeared – the two-headed monster was blocking his path directly ahead!
"Why is it you again!" Fang Ming's heart flared. It was because of this thing that he had ended up in this situation.
"Heh heh..." A foul-smelling tongue extended behind Fang Ming and licked the back of his neck. A cold sweat broke out on Fang Ming's back.
He was about to be caught! Under immense pressure, Fang Ming's speed increased again, and he ran straight towards the two-headed monster.
The commotion here also attracted the attention of more monsters. Instantly, monsters roared and charged towards the area. Both heads of the two-headed monster turned to look.
"Bride~" The two-headed monster bared a grotesque smile and strode towards Fang Ming. Other smaller monsters along the way were caught and flung aside by its tentacles.
"It actually has memories!" Hearing the two-headed monster speak, Fang Ming's guess was confirmed. Among these monsters, this two-headed one truly retained human memories! Or rather, its memories were not lost after its transformation.
Thinking of this, an idea struck Fang Ming.
"Aren't you afraid I'll bite you again?" Fang Ming yelled ferociously at the two-headed monster. "Believe it or not, I'll bite off your other fingers too!"
Hearing this, the two-headed monster stopped, its eyes struggling. It still retained the memory of being bitten in the woodpile room and knew how painful it was to be bitten by the "bride."
Seeing the monster hesitate, Fang Ming knew he had to do something drastic. He glanced at the nearby wall, gritted his teeth, and slammed into it with the momentum of his run!
"Bang!"
This collision made his vision go black. If not for the roars of the monsters behind him spurring him on, he could have fainted on the spot.
Pain shot through his forehead, and a liquid flowed out. Fang Ming grinned bitterly, dipped his hand in the blood, and rushed towards the two-headed monster.
Seeing the blood on Fang Ming's forehead, the two-headed monster was overcome with terror. Although it didn't know what the blood did, it felt an inexplicable fear!
The bride's blood would kill it!
Escape!
The two-headed monster let out a few strange cries and bolted. However, its brain wasn't very sharp, and it ran straight backward, knocking aside or trampling the monsters blocking Fang Ming's path, creating a scene like a major car accident.
Fang Ming never expected his clumsy move to inadvertently help him so much. He instantly felt hope of escaping.
Without looking back, he flung the blood from his hands behind him. He only heard the screams of monsters behind him. Fang Ming finally smiled. As long as his blood didn't run dry, he was sure he could escape!
"Whoosh!" Suddenly, a whistling sound came from behind him. Fang Ming was startled and quickly rolled to dodge.
"Bang!" A slender tail struck the ground. Red light flashed on the ground, and runes activated, protecting the ground from damage.
Fang Ming's heart pounded. If this tail had hit him, with his frail body, he would have certainly died!
Continue to flee!
Fang Ming dared not look back to assess the situation. He didn't know what he would see. He still had a slim chance of survival. If he looked back, it might mean certain death.
...
After Granny Bai let Fang Ming go, she quickly left the courtyard. She glanced at Fang Ming's retreating back, a smile on her lips.
From her perspective, there were no monsters behind Fang Ming. The moment Granny Bai appeared, all the monsters trembled and lay still on the spot, watching the human run past them.
"Use illusions to scare this little girl and send her to the thatched hut," Granny Bai thought. "That old man has been stealing my fertilizer since he arrived. This time, I'll use this Four Yin Girl to test him."
...
Baimu Village was not large, and Fang Ming soon reached the end of the road. A dilapidated iron gate blocked his way, with two dim yellow lanterns hanging on either side.
"Reached the end?" Fang Ming calmed down. If Granny Bai wasn't trying to harm him, did reaching the end mean he was out of danger?
"Hoo, hoo, hoo..." Fang Ming panted and stopped in front of the gate. In the dim light, he finally dared to look back. But there were no monsters behind him, only a clear, desolate road stretching into the darkness.
"Where are the monsters?" Fang Ming was stunned. "This... this... they were right behind me just now?"
"You're finally here... Fang Ming..." A man's voice suddenly sounded from behind him. Fang Ming's pupils contracted, and he turned back in disbelief.
How could anyone in this village know his real name?! It was impossible!
An elderly man held a small flashlight, illuminating the ground. He wore a black Zhongshan suit, appearing impeccably neat, with a short beard and cloudy eyes, looking like he was on his last legs.
"Who are you..." Fang Ming asked in surprise. He didn't recognize the old man. He could guarantee that he had never seen him before.
"You can call me Principal." The old man patted his back and, stooping, turned around. "Come with me."
Fang Ming didn't hesitate. Since this person knew him, he might know his parents. The clue might be in this old man's hands!
Following the Principal through the gate, Fang Ming discovered it was a school. The school was large, though not compared to many other schools, but for Baimu Village, the area of this school was almost half the village's size!
This school could accommodate at least several thousand students, but Baimu Village had a population of at most a thousand.
They walked in silence, Fang Ming fully embodying the excellent tradition of observing more and speaking less, taking in the school's layout.
There were a total of seven buildings, arranged in pairs, each about ten stories high. The buildings were brightly lit, and the sound of reciting could be heard, occasionally interspersed with students' laughter.
By the light from the buildings, Fang Ming also noticed several continuous mountain peaks behind the school, faintly visible in the white mist. However, according to Fang Ming's memory, Baimu Village was located on an endless plain, and there were no mountains. Not to mention, the tallest structure near Baimu Village was the ancestral hall. These tall buildings would normally be visible from Baimu Village!
This place seemed like two different worlds from Baimu Village, everything was out of place.
Fang Ming followed the Principal into a large building and walked down a corridor to the Principal's office.
"Sit wherever you like." The Principal coughed twice, walked to his office chair, and sat down, placing the flashlight on the desk.
Fang Ming looked around the Principal's office. Compared to the external appearance, this office was simple. The Principal's chair was made of woven bamboo, the desk was a long wooden table full of marks, and there were two wooden benches on either side of the room, looking somewhat dilapidated.
Fang Ming sat down, looked up at the Principal, and asked, "May I ask where you learned my name?"