Even hybrid monsters have their day

Since entering the village, she had had a strange feeling. The ground beneath her feet seemed somewhat different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. She only sensed some strange energy fluctuations in the village, but she quickly dismissed the idea, because she wasn't sure what the faint green gas floating around the village was; perhaps it was just nighttime mist.

When Geng Miaowan reached the middle of the village, she knocked on the door of another house, but the result was the same.

The village wasn't very big, and she soon reached the end of it.

Standing at the end of the village, looking ahead in the dim moonlight, two narrow paths stretched into the distance, one to the left and one to the right. She didn't know which path to take to reach the slightly more bustling town, and although she wanted to ask someone for directions, she had nowhere to turn.

Suddenly, she felt someone was watching her, but when she looked around, she didn't find anything unusual.

The two roads were bathed in moonlight, their surfaces shimmering with a pale white glow that stretched into the darkness. It was a truly eerie sight. Her humanity overshadowed her demonic nature, and a sense of fear rose within her, making her hesitant to proceed.

Geng Miaowan squatted down, picked up Xiaobai at her feet, stroked its smooth fur, and said softly, "Xiaobai, what should we do now? Should I keep going, or stay here for the night? It seems like the people here don't really welcome us."

"Ugh……"

Geng Miaowan's eyes widened suddenly. She hadn't just let out a sigh, had she?

She turned around abruptly, and a withered, emaciated face came into view, startling her so much that she screamed "Ah!" and fell to the ground.

"You...you..." She looked at the old man, unable to utter a complete sentence.

He was a thin, small old man, less than half her height, his skin seemingly wrapped directly over his bones, with hardly any flesh on his body. In the moonlight, his skin appeared a faint bluish tinge, his eyes were deeply sunken in their sockets, and his cheeks were hollow. Yet, he looked remarkably energetic, especially his small eyes, which were now wide open, staring intently at Geng Miaowan, their vitality rarely seen in the elderly.

At this moment, the usually docile little white dog suddenly stood on end, baring its teeth at the old man. If Geng Miaowan hadn't been holding it, it probably would have charged at him.

"Who are you, and why did you suddenly appear behind me?" Geng Miaowan asked, taking a few steps back, a hint of wariness creeping into her heart towards the strangely-looking old man who had suddenly appeared. She had been knocking on the door for ages without anyone answering, and now a living person had suddenly appeared—how could she not find it strange?

The old man looked at her with a look of surprise on his face, and a dry, hoarse voice, like a board cracking, escaped from his mouth, "You can see me?"

The sound struck Geng Miaowan like an electric shock. She shuddered and felt goosebumps rise all over her body. Mixed with Xiaobai's low barking, the whole scene looked extremely strange.

She stepped back a little further, retreating to the intersection of the two roads, and said in a shaky voice, "You...you're such a big...person standing...standing here, I'm not blind, how could I not see you?"

"Hehe..." The old man let out a harsh laugh. Seeing that Geng Miaowan took several steps back after hearing his laughter, he quickly stopped laughing and continued in his hoarse voice, "Little girl, why are you here alone? Don't stand so far away, come over to my side."

With that voice and tone, coupled with that appearance, Geng Miaowan got the feeling that a creepy old man was trying to seduce a little girl. She tightened her grip on Xiaobai and asked, "Who are you?"

"Me?" the old man thought for a moment and said, "I'm from this village."

Geng Miaowan looked at him suspiciously, her eyes quickly sweeping across the entire village. "You're talking nonsense. The people in this village won't even open the door for me, so how could I possibly come out?"

“I really am from this village,” the old man explained anxiously, then looked into the darkness behind her with a deep gaze. “Young lady, come closer and talk to me.”

Seeing that she remained unmoved by his words and still stood there, he took two steps to her side and reached out to take her hand. Suddenly, Xiao Bai let out a "yelp" and bit the old man's hand. The old man withdrew his hand in pain, but still advised, "Young lady, why don't you come with me to the village and we'll talk about it there."

He didn't hear Geng Miaowan's reply. He looked up and saw her staring at his hand with a pale face.

The old man looked down and saw that a little green liquid was seeping from the spot where Xiaobai had bitten him. He looked up in surprise, but this time he was looking at Xiaobai. Xiaobai was still staring at the old man with an unfriendly gaze, its eyes showing no sign of letting its guard down.

Geng Miaowan and Xiaobai had only known each other for a short time and didn't know what it meant. However, when she saw that the old man's blood was green, she vaguely guessed what was going on. People often say that cats and dogs can see things that humans can't...

A chill ran through her; this old man might not even be human.

Thinking of this, she unconsciously took a few steps back, moving out of the old man's reach.

At this moment, a gust of wind suddenly rose from the previously calm surroundings. The old man shrank back, looked around with his small eyes, and said somewhat anxiously, "Young lady, come with me first. Let's talk about it inside the village."

The old man's hands were still dripping with green liquid, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain, taking a few steps closer to Geng Miaowan and reaching out to grab her. His urgent manner startled Geng Miaowan, who quickly retreated a considerable distance, stammering, "You...you stay away..."

Just as the old man was about to say something more, a voice suddenly came from behind Geng Miaowan, "Demon, let go of that girl, or I'll punish you today!"

The sound was as clear and melodious as a mountain spring hitting rocks, but it came so suddenly that Geng Miaowan's heart jumped. She had no idea someone had appeared behind her. Were people here used to appearing silently behind others...?

She turned her head, and a man in white stood against the wind. Beneath his delicate, almost feminine eyebrows were a pair of captivating black eyes, deeper than the night itself, seemingly capable of drawing one into their depths. His eyes were slightly upturned, exuding an alluring charm. His lips were parted slightly, and his skin was as white as snow.

Holding a short sword, he had an air of otherworldly elegance. At this moment, he was glaring angrily at the old man.