“Friends? Since when?” asked the man feeling a little strange. He was curious about how his younger siblings could have friends while they and all the villagers never lived permanently or in other words, always moved around.

“Since today, never mind they are good people, believe me,” said Xue Ning. ​​

“Hmm, all right,” he said, then he told all the things he had seen, although not too detailed but it was enough to give a clear picture of what happened.

After hearing Big Brother Xue Ning’s narrative, the two of them decided to return to the academy, not because of the chaos but worrying about Elder Chen and Elder Huang Bao.

“Hopefully they are well,” hoped Fu Xie Lan

“Looks like we have to leave immediately.” Fu Xie Lan started to move from her bed.

“Isn’t it too hasty? You’ve just come to your senses and haven’t fully recovered, you’d better stay a few more days,” said Xue Ning.

“We have something to do,” Wan Lie replied.

“Are you sure?” asked Xue Ning again confirmingly.

“Yes, there’s no need to worry. Thank you for your help, by the way, where is Grandma Chu? We want to say goodbye to her,” said Wan Lie, who no longer saw the middle-aged woman’s whereabouts.

“Grandma Chu? Who is Grandma Chu?” asked Xue Ning.

“Middle-aged woman you live with, she was sitting here before, “Wan Lie explained while pointing to the place he meant, but something was strange. The chair with the herbs and the potion bowl he drank had disappeared as if they never existed previously.

“Middle-aged women? The only two of us in this house. Whose woman are you talking about?” Asked Brother Xue Ning.

“Never mind forget it. Maybe Wan Lie is wrong,” said Fu Xie Lan.

Previously she had also seen a middle-aged woman who was sitting not far from Wan Lie, but hearing Xue Ning and her brother’s answers made her not want to discuss any further. As long as that middle-aged woman doesn’t bother her then everything is fine.

“Are you going to leave now?”

“Yes, thanks again.”

Wan Lie and Fu Xie Lan then prepared to leave the village.

.

.

.

Walking away from Parqus Village, a middle-aged woman slowly transforms into an adult woman who has very clean and smooth skin with slightly sharp ears, a smile etched on her lips then disappears and leaves a trail of light on the stars that remain in the air.

“Mom, I don’t know the way back to the academy,” said Wan Lie, stopping his steps and turning to turn to his mother. Right now they had just walked out of Xue Ning’s house.

“Do you know where this is?” asked Fu Xie Lan, her eyes absent the number of houses that were lined up irregularly.

“Parkus Village, don’t be surprised to see this place. We are that few because we don’t live in one place and always move around.” A subtle voice answered Xie Lan’s question. She is Xue Ning.

“Take this,” she added, handing her a small porcelain bottle containing a few pills. She was confused about herself, she felt that she should give the pills to them. She seemed to have lost something but at the same time felt that what had happened was just the way it should be. Very strange.

Fu Xie Lan accepted the pill and thanked her again.

“Be careful,” Xue Ning said, occasionally glancing at the girl, she thought was very strong. The picture of the massacre that her eyes had witnessed was still vivid in her mind.

Wan Lie and Fu Xie Lan started to walk away.

“Ouch,” Fu Xie Lan’s body faltered and grabbed Wan Lie’s clothes for support. A glass made of bamboo managed to upset her balance. If only Wan Lie wasn’t in front of her, she might have fallen to the ground. She kept on cursing herself for being so careless.

“Be careful, are you okay?”

“Hhhhh, who put this glass here?” Xue Ning immediately grabbed the glass that was on the ground, which had turned black because of a bonfire.

“It’s okay. Then we’ll go, thanks again.”

The sun was getting hot and the people living in the village still had not yet seen themselves. Walking while looking at the left and right sides of the house, Fu Xie Lan felt strange. Even though Xue Ning said that they were nomadic, that didn’t mean they didn’t do other activities, right? Why does she feel that this Parqus Village is like a dead village?

“What’s wrong mom?” asked Wan Lie who saw his mother suddenly stop walking.

“Shhh,” Fu Xie Lan brought her index finger closer to her lips.

Wan Lie only frowned in confusion and stopped in his tracks.

Suddenly, the door to the house at the end of the village opened, giving rise to a child who wobbled. His skin was very pale, his breath sounded very weak, his dull clothes adhered perfectly to his body adding to a very sad impression.

The boy had been trying to walk towards where Wan Lie and Fu Xie Lan were standing from the first time he saw them.

“P-please us,”

“What happened?” The male voice that came from behind shifted Wan Lie and Fu Xie Lan’s gaze. He is Xue Ning’s brother running towards the child who was kneeling on the ground with a small cry escaping from his lips.

“Big Brother Xue Ying,” called the boy hoarsely.

“Get up, don’t cry. Tell me what happened,” Xue Ying coaxed as he carried the child into his arms.

“My father disappeared, and my mother …” Xue Ying who was carrying the boy immediately entered the boy’s house without waiting for the boy to finish his sentence.

Wan Lie and Fu Xie Lan followed suit.

And what they witnessed was a middle-aged woman lying unconscious, with her lips starting to turn dark, still clearly audible a weak breath coming out of her nose.

Seeing the woman’s condition made Fu Xie Lan reflexively approached and touched the woman’s wrist and checked her pulse.

“Stop, what are you doing?” Xue Ying’s hand tugged at Fu Xie Lan’s arm and managed to make her take a few steps back.

“Hey, don’t be too harsh,” shouted Wan Lie, releasing the man’s grip on his mother.

“It’s okay, Wan Lie,” said Fu Xie Lan.

“She’s poisoned,” she added again, pointing at the middle-aged woman.

“It happens again?” after Xue Ying said that, the child in his arms suddenly vomited out something black and extremely rotten.

“Let go of that kid, hurry up,” Fu Xie Lan ordered in a high tone. One hand reflexively covered her nose with the other led Wan Lie’s hand to do the same, take a few steps back.