Before Qin Jiujiu could clearly see what kind of insect it was, she saw swarms of black insects pouring out from within.
The insects moved with extreme speed, and several had already crawled onto the wooden stick in her hand.
Startled, she threw the stick away.
The insects swarmed densely from the white bones, overflowing from the eye sockets and mouths of the skulls.
"Sister Bai, Brother Xie!"
They looked behind them, initially thinking Qin Jiujiu had found another pile of white bones. However, their gaze fell upon a black mass heading towards Qin Jiujiu. Xie Yun immediately exclaimed, "Jiujiu! Danger! Come here quickly!"
Qin Jiujiu also noticed the insects rushing towards her, appearing like a pool of flowing sewage from a distance.
It sent shivers down her spine.
She hurried towards Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo. Xie Yun had already taken out a fire charm.
As Qin Jiujiu reached them, Xie Yun threw the fire charm behind her.
Immediately, the area behind them burst into flames. The sizzling sound made her turn back.
The black insects, not having time to scatter, were engulfed by the fire.
"This place isn't safe! Let's go!"
They all ran forward at Xie Yun's words, but what about Xie Jing?
Qin Jiujiu was the first to notice this problem. She had always thought he was at the rear, but she hadn't seen him at all just now.
"Brother Xie, Xie Jing is gone!"
Xie Yun glanced back and indeed, Xie Jing was nowhere to be seen.
However, he had two women with him at the moment. He had to escort them to safety first before going back for Xiao Jing!
"Let's get to a safe place first!"
Qin Jiujiu had faith that the villain wouldn't die that easily.
They ran forward, encountering no more insect swarms along the way. A bamboo house appeared before them.
It was late, and there was light coming from the bamboo house.
The three of them stopped. Xie Yun's demon-catching bell had not rung, so there should be no abnormality.
But this bamboo house in the middle of the rainforest was truly eerie, especially after the dangers they had faced. It was unsettling for the house to be standing here.
Moreover, Xie Yun's demon-catching bell hadn't been of any use at all!
Xie Yun stepped forward and knocked on the door. It wasn't long before the door opened from the inside, but only by a crack.
Through the gap, they saw the person inside.
An old woman stood at the door, peering out through the crack with a cautious expression.
The moment Xie Yun saw the old woman, he felt a cold, sinister gaze fall upon him, chilling him to the bone.
But it disappeared quickly.
Could it have been his imagination?
He spoke first, "Old woman, we are lost. We saw a light from afar and came here. May we rest here for a while?"
He appeared polite and gentle. The old woman looked at him, her gaze suddenly falling upon Bai Qianluo and Qin Jiujiu.
The door opened from the inside, revealing a hunched-over old woman standing at the entrance.
Qin Jiujiu instinctively thought of witches from horror stories. Whether it was her own thoughts or something else, she felt a chill of disgust.
But looking around, the sky had darkened, and there were man-eating insects in the forest. The bamboo house before them was the best place to stay.
She gritted her teeth and followed Bai Qianluo.
"Then you may come in..."
The old woman, hunched over, turned and walked into the house.
"I have an old man... Don't mind him. The old man doesn't like strangers. Just ignore him..."
As expected, upon entering, they saw an old man sitting in a chair watching them.
Qin Jiujiu only glanced at him briefly but found it hard to look away. She looked back at him.
It was strange!
The old man seemed oblivious to her gaze, not looking in her direction, his eyes fixed on the old woman, unmoving.
Qin Jiujiu wanted to get a closer look but felt a burning gaze on her. She followed the direction of the gaze and saw a pair of deep, dark eyes.
Those eyes were incredibly peculiar, not like the eyes of an elderly person!
Qin Jiujiu's heart suddenly pounded. When she looked again, the gaze had changed. She felt confused. Had she imagined it?
She looked back at the old man. He suddenly blinked and looked at her.
Qin Jiujiu was startled and quickly turned her head away.
Staring at someone was indeed impolite...
"Our place is a bit simple. Please make do with staying one night... it's not safe outside!"
Xie Yun asked, "Madam, my younger brother got separated from us. He might come looking for us..."
The old woman's eyes flickered slightly. "You must know it's not peaceful outside. Your brother might have..."
Xie Yun looked worried. He had already tried contacting Xie Jing with a communication charm but had received no response. Helplessly, he left him a message.
He believed that if Xie Jing was safe, he would find this place.
The old woman prepared two rooms for them. Xie Yun first escorted Bai Qianluo and Qin Jiujiu to one room to settle down, and then was led by the old woman to his and Xie Jing's room.
For some reason, Qin Jiujiu still felt uneasy, especially when looking into the old woman's eyes, her unease reached its peak.
Bai Qianluo thought she was worried about Xie Jing's safety and was restless, so she comforted her, "Jiujiu, are you worried about Yan Xing? With his skills, he'll be fine!"
Qin Jiujiu knew Bai Qianluo was referring to the powerful demonic energy within him. With that demonic energy protecting him, the external poisons and evils couldn't harm him.
However, Qin Jiujiu's unease stemmed from the house itself!
She couldn't express her thoughts to Bai Qianluo, as she herself didn't know the source of her unease.
Xie Yun's voice came from outside the door, "Qianluo, Jiujiu, have you slept yet?"
It was Xie Yun's voice. Qin Jiujiu felt a little calmer. Bai Qianluo got up to open the door, and Qin Jiujiu also got out of bed.
Xie Yun didn't enter. He stood at the door and spoke softly to Bai Qianluo for a few moments before returning to his room.
"Sister Bai, is there any news about Second Young Master Xie?"
"Not yet... Chenzhi just asked us to lock the door..."
A knock sounded again. Bai Qianluo thought it was Xie Yun again and opened the door.
It was the old woman outside.
Qin Jiujiu stood in the middle of the room and could see half of the old woman's face and half of her body.
She heard the old woman say, "You must have been frightened today. This ginger soup can calm the nerves!"
Qin Jiujiu saw Bai Qianluo take the tray from the old woman and say, "Thank you!"
As the door was about to close, Qin Jiujiu looked outside. As the old woman turned, she suddenly glanced back into the room. Her gaze was still strange.
Qin Jiujiu happened to meet her eyes, and the feeling of revulsion intensified. The coldness crawled up her legs from the ground, reaching her back.
The door finally closed, but Qin Jiujiu's unease did not cease with its closing.
"Jiujiu, drink this..." Bai Qianluo saw her pale face and thought she was still frightened by the bones and insect swarm from earlier. The ginger soup in her hand was perfect for calming nerves.
Qin Jiujiu didn't dare to drink it. She said, "Sister Bai, I think this place is very strange, and that old woman is even stranger..."