The village ravaged by bloodshed

Qiao Wei watched herself slowly sink in the water, yet she could still breathe as if she were on land. The layer of light surrounding her was like glass, separating her from the water. Aimlessly, Qiao Wei searched for the box, but after a long time found nothing. What struck her as strange was that there wasn’t so much as a fish, not even a single blade of water grass in this lake. In this confined place, the silence was so profound she could hear her own breathing and the pounding of her heart, filling her with fear and panic.

Suddenly, a whirlpool appeared below her, swiftly pulling her in. Qiao Wei screamed, shutting her eyes in terror. She felt the magic of her pendant slowly fading, and the lake water began to seep in. At last, the water enveloped her tightly, nearly suffocating her. In the last moment before she lost consciousness, she thought in despair: Am I going to die?

On the shore, Luo Xuan and Luo Chen grew more and more anxious as time passed. Luo Xuan sat beneath a tree, his brow tightly knit, worry etched deeply on his face. Luo Chen paced impatiently at the water’s edge, finally unable to hold back his urge to go after Qiao Wei. Rhine grabbed him suddenly, "Luo Chen, don’t go! You’ll die!"

Luo Chen, his anxiety spilling over into anger, shouted at Rhine, "Shut up!"

Luo Xuan came over and pulled the tearful Rhine aside, his voice also edged with irritation, "Stop arguing! All we can do now is wait!"

As the three stood locked in tense confrontation, a small head suddenly broke the surface of the water. A little girl, eight or nine years old, climbed out, her face deathly pale, her eyes filled with terror as she gazed at them.

Luo Chen darted forward to shield the trembling girl, asking, "How did you come out of the lake?"

The girl shrank back, wary of strangers. Luo Xuan stepped forward, pushing Luo Chen aside, his scarlet eyes gleaming as he coaxed the girl, "Don’t be afraid, little one. We mean no harm. Tell me, how did you come out of the water?"

The girl stared vacantly at Luo Xuan and answered, "This lake connects to our village. Just now, a monster came to the village and killed so many people. My mother told me to escape through the lake."

Luo Chen and Luo Xuan were both startled, then quickly realized that Qiao Wei might have reached the village. Luo Xuan continued to coax the girl, urging her to lead them to the village.

When they arrived, a thick scent of blood assaulted them. The sweet, metallic aroma roused Rhine’s fangs and she began to lose control. Luo Xuan gripped her shoulder, using his power of persuasion to force Rhine to ignore the smell.

Luo Chen looked around warily. The village was filled with people who had been drained of blood, the entire place ransacked. His emerald eyes narrowed slightly, and he quietly slipped away from the scene.

"Did you notice that person…" Luo Xuan spoke in a low, grave voice.

Luo Chen nodded and continued forward. None of them noticed the unremarkable, tiny bite mark on the girl's neck, which was slowly healing.