The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

"But who is he? Why is he doing this?" Han Yue asked, puzzled.

"And why are you only nice to us?" Shi Hao chimed in.

"Maybe he's a good person," Luo Yifei joked.

"Stop joking," Shi Hao said.

“Perhaps he knows something, but he can’t tell us directly. He can only guide us in this way so that we can discover it ourselves,” Shen Lixi said.

"So what do we do now?" Han Yue asked.

"Let's see if there's a village ahead. Otherwise, we'll have to camp in the wild again," Luo Yifei said.

“Okay, let’s go,” Shen Lixi said.

The four continued on their journey, walking for about an hour, until they finally saw smoke rising from chimneys in the distance. This was the fourth village they had encountered on the Illusionary Continent.

"Great, finally we have a place to rest," Shi Hao said.

"Yeah, I feel like I'm starving," Han Yue said.

The four walked toward the village and saw several signs by the roadside.

"There's an inn here! That's great!" Luo Yifei said, pointing to one of the signs.

The group followed the sign and found the inn. Inside, they saw an elderly man in a long robe with a beard calculating accounts at the counter.

"Boss, are there any rooms available?" Luo Yifei asked.

"Yes, yes, how many are there?" the old man asked, looking up and seeing four people.

“Four,” Luo Yifei said.

"Alright, four gentlemen, please come upstairs." The old man said, putting down the account book in his hand and leading the four people upstairs.

The four found a larger room, put down their luggage, and the old man said, "What would you like to eat? Our roast chicken and stewed meat are exceptional."

"Four roast chickens, and a few vegetable dishes," Luo Yifei said.

"Alright, please wait a moment." After saying that, the old man turned and went downstairs.

"Finally, we can have a proper meal," Shi Hao said.

"Yes, these past few days have been either spent traveling or fighting," Han Yue said.

"It seems you've gotten used to it," Shen Lixi said with a smile.

"What are you used to?" Luo Yifei asked.

“I’m used to taking risks,” Shen Lixi said.

"Haha, that's true, I've gotten used to it without even realizing it," Luo Yifei said with a smile.

As the group chatted, the old man brought up the food.

"Please enjoy your meal," the old man said.

"Thank you, boss," Luo Yifei said.

The four of them started eating, and the four roast chickens were quickly devoured.

"Boss, the bill, please." Luo Yifei called out.

The old man went upstairs, collected the money, and said, "If you don't have anything else to do, it's best if you don't go out tonight."

"What's wrong?" Luo Yifei asked.

“The village has been rather unsettled lately. There are always strange noises at night, and we don’t know what they are,” the old man said.

"Strange sound? What is that sound?" Luo Yifei asked.

"It was just some whimpering sounds, like someone was crying, but not quite," the old man said.

"Thank you for the reminder, boss. We will be careful," Luo Yifei said.

"Alright, then you all get some rest. I won't disturb you any longer." After saying that, the old man turned and went downstairs.

The four of them exchanged glances, all seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.

"What do you think it will be?" Han Yue asked.

"I don't know, but be careful tonight," Shen Lixi said.

“Yes, that’s right, we need to stay vigilant,” Luo Yifei said.

After the four finished their meal, they each went back to their rooms to rest. Luo Yifei lay in bed, thinking about the old man's words, and couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"I hope it's just a rumor," Luo Yifei muttered to himself.

Night fell, and the village was quiet. Luo Yifei lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. He got dressed, went out of his room, and saw that Shen Lixi's room light was still on.

"Shen Lixi, are you still awake?" Luo Yifei knocked on the door.

"Yeah, I can't sleep either," Shen Lixi said as she opened the door.

“Me too, let’s go for a walk,” Luo Yifei said.

"Okay." Shen Lixi nodded in agreement.

The two left the inn and walked onto a village path. The village was exceptionally quiet at night, with only a few barks coming from afar.

"What kind of sound do you think it will be?" Shen Lixi asked.

"I don't know, but it's definitely not just a rumor," Luo Yifei said.

As they walked, they suddenly heard a moaning sound. The sound grew closer, and the two exchanged a glance, both seeing the tension in each other's eyes.

“Let’s go take a look,” Luo Yifei said.

The two followed the sound and arrived at a corner of the village. There, they saw a dark figure moving about, making a whimpering sound.

"What is this?" Luo Yifei asked.

As the two approached, they saw that it was a black dog, curled up in a corner, whimpering.

"Oh, it was just a dog," Luo Yifei said with a sigh of relief.

"It might have gotten lost, or been abandoned by its owner," Shen Lixi said.

“Let’s take it back,” Luo Yifei said.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes were watching them from the darkness.

The two men took the dog back to the inn and gave it some food and water. The dog seemed very grateful to them and kept circling around them.

"Let's give it a name," Shen Lixi said.

"Let's call him Xiao Hei," Luo Yifei said.

The two decided to take Xiao Hei on a trip, which could be seen as a way of redeeming it.

The next morning, Luo Yifei, Shen Lixi, Han Yue, and Shi Hao set off with Xiao Hei. Xiao Hei seemed very clever, following them closely the whole way.

The four walked along the mountain path, with Xiao Hei following behind them, occasionally running ahead to scout the way. Its presence made the otherwise somewhat dull journey more interesting.

"Little Black, you run really fast," Luo Yifei said with a smile.

Little Black seemed to understand him, wagging its tail and running even more happily.

Along the way, they encountered many difficulties and dangers, but with Xiao Hei by their side, they seemed to become braver and stronger. Xiao Hei also seemed to understand its responsibility, always protecting them and keeping them safe from any harm.

Gradually, they emerged from the mountains and arrived at a bustling town. The town was lively and bustling with people. They found an inn to stay in and planned to rest there for a few days.

That evening, they sat in the courtyard of the inn, enjoying the cool night breeze. Little Black lay peacefully asleep at their feet.

"Xiao Hei is such a good dog," Shen Lixi said.

"Yes, it has been a great help to us," Luo Yifei nodded and said.

Suddenly, Little Black's ears twitched, as if it had heard something. It raised its head and looked into the distance.

"What's wrong, Xiao Hei?" Luo Yifei asked.

Little Black didn't answer, but continued listening to the sounds. After a while, it suddenly stood up and ran in one direction.

"What's wrong with Xiao Hei?" Han Yue asked.

"I don't know, let's go and see," Luo Yifei said.

The four followed Xiao Hei into a narrow alley. There, they saw Xiao Hei circling a dark figure, letting out low growls.

"What is this?" Shi Hao asked.

As they approached, they saw a ragged man huddled in a corner. His face was covered in filth, obscuring his original features.

"He looks like a homeless man," Luo Yifei said.

"Little Black, stop calling," Shen Lixi said.

Xiao Hei seemed to understand her words, and stopped growling, but still kept a wary eye on the homeless man.

“Let’s give him some food,” Shen Lixi said.

They took some food and water from the inn and handed it to the homeless man. The homeless man looked up at them, a hint of surprise and gratitude flashing in his eyes.

"Thank you," the homeless man said.

His voice was hoarse and deep, but it sounded very sincere.

"How did you end up here?" Luo Yifei asked.

“I…I don’t know,” the homeless man said, shaking his head. “I woke up here and I don’t remember anything.”