While the rune went to investigate, Zhu Yu and the others could do nothing but wait from a distance.

Perhaps it was due to the impending rain, but a wind had picked up in the mountain hollow, erratically clashing within, passing through the narrow gaps between the trees, and occasionally letting out piercing howls.

The branches swayed in the wind, casting flickering shadows in the darkness, with a constant rustling sound, making the surrounding night feel even more deathly silent. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Zhu Yu looked at the small wooden building through the gaps in the trees, wondering if the surroundings had affected her mood. The building, ordinary just moments ago, now seemed like a monster standing in the darkness, ready to leap out and swallow them whole.

Though the night breeze was pleasantly cool compared to the daytime humidity, Zhu Yu couldn’t shake a vague sense of unease lingering within her.

A while later, the rain began to fall before the rune returned. Even though Zhu Yu had anticipated this when the wind first rose, she was still caught off guard as the rain came pouring down.

The Fu Lu quickly pulled out the cloaks they had prepared earlier and handed them to Zhu Yu and Lu Qing. The two draped them over their shoulders; the treated fabric didn’t absorb water, slowing the pace at which their clothes got wet.

As the rain intensified and the wind didn’t relent, Zhu Yu was worrying when the rune finally returned.

Soaked to the skin by the rain, he rushed to Lu Qing and didn’t even bother with the cloak Fu Lu offered. He hurried to report his findings: "Master, there’s no one in that building. It’s completely empty.

The rain outside is too heavy. Why don’t we go inside to take shelter?"

"Are you certain?" Lu Qing asked for confirmation.

"I’m sure. I’ve checked both upstairs and downstairs. It’s not big inside, desolate and dusty, with cobwebs everywhere.

The second floor is partially damaged and leaking, but the first floor is relatively dry. It’s certainly better than getting soaked outside," the rune replied confidently.

"Alright, let’s go inside to avoid the rain, but stay vigilant and cautious," Lu Qing agreed to the rune’s suggestion, seeing that the rain was causing water to pool at their feet.

The four of them quickly moved toward the small wooden building, with the rune leading and Fu Lu covering the rear.

At the entrance, the rune cautiously pushed the door open halfway to let the four of them in, and once Fu Lu was inside, he quietly closed it again.

They treaded softly, advancing slowly while listening intently for any surrounding disturbances.

The wooden building was eerily silent, save for the sound of rain beating against the wooden walls.

The four found a hidden spot behind the stairs, intending to sit and rest there.

At this point, none of them had the energy to worry about the dirt or dust on the floor. They simply sat down directly.

With their clothes already damp, sitting on a dry surface felt so much better than getting rained on outside.

Zhu Yu sat cross-legged on the ground, feeling the thick layer of dust with her hand.

But something felt strange to her.

Logically, an abandoned small wooden building like this, uninhabited for long, should either smell dusty when someone enters or, in damp, rainy conditions, emit a scent of decaying wood over time.

Yet there was no odor here whatsoever.

Zhu Yu felt around with her hand and suddenly touched something hard. She brought it over, unable to see in the dark but could tell it was a small bone, likely not human but from a poultry like a chicken, duck, or goose.

The bone was intact, with a head and tail, and aside from missing cartilage, it showed no signs of being gnawed at.

Zhu Yu was taken aback, and just then, she caught a faint whiff of fragrance in her nostrils, startling her. Without further thought, she exclaimed, "Be careful, something’s off here!"

After speaking, she realized the silence around her was too pronounced. She turned to look, only to find no trace of Lu Qing, or the rune and Fu Lu.

She was suddenly panicked, stood up, and moved out from behind the stairs, surveying her surroundings.

Dim moonlight filtered through the unsealed window cracks, but in the small wooden building, Lu Qing and his attendants were nowhere to be seen. Everything was silent, as if she were alone there.

"Where are you?" Zhu Yu wanted to shout, but realized they likely fell into someone’s trap and feared exposing their identity. She called softly without using names.

Silence remained around her, with no reply.

Zhu Yu reached out, feeling around her surroundings but found nothing, the space around her open and empty.

Eventually, perhaps due to time passing, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she began to see everything around her.

She was standing in an octagonal hall, with a staircase and a door in each of the eight directions on the walls, all identical and indistinguishable from one another.

Rationally, she knew she should stay put, not moving was the safest option.

Yet something compelled her feet to move toward one of the doors, and before her mind could react and stop her, she reached out and opened it.

The door creaked open, revealing another room inside with seven or eight more doors, all shut tightly save for one. This one was ajar as if about to close, and through the gap, she glimpsed the hem of a robe—a flash of someone stepping through.

Zhu Yu immediately recognized it as one of Lu Qing’s robes, intimately familiar to her.

Without hesitating, she dashed forward, barely making it through before the door closed.

But ahead was only Lu Qing’s retreating figure, disappearing through yet another door.

Zhu Yu, growing more anxious, ran faster, pouring all her strength into reaching it, pushing the door open just as it was about to shut.

Then, she stepped onto an unexpectedly soft surface.