Chapter 42: Chapter 42 Regret

Ah!

Li Dong let out a mournful, harrowing scream,

The shadowy figure pressed down on him, opened its blood‑filled maw, and lunged at his neck!

"Damn it!"

Li Dong struggled desperately, but to no avail, for the figure's strength was astonishingly great!

"Help... help me..."

Li Dong felt his strength waning, his eyes filled with despair and regret.

He regretted, regretted not listening to Jiangnan's words, regretted his momentary softness that put him in mortal danger.

Just as Li Dong thought death was certain, a flash of golden light suddenly ignited, piercing the dense fog's darkness.

"Get out of the way!"

A cold shout, like thunder from the nine heavens, rattled the eardrums painfully.

The figure pressing on Li Dong seemed struck by an invisible force, let out a howl, was flung backward, crashed heavily onto the ground, twitched a few times, then fell still.

Li Dong only felt a lightness in his body, and his surroundings brightened considerably in an instant.

In a daze, he saw a silhouette block before him.

The person was Jiangnan.

Jiangnan's face was expressionless, his hand gripping a golden‑glimmering Talisman, its runes swirling, exuding a powerful aura.

"Are you alright?"

Jiangnan asked without turning his head.

Li Dong gasped heavily, shaking his head, paused for a while, then, with a trembling voice, began:

"I... I'm fine..."

This post‑disaster joy tangled with fear of death, leaving him unable to settle for a moment.

Li Dong struggled to stand, gazing at the strange corpse on the ground, his heart filled with lingering dread.

Had Jiangnan not intervened in time, he would probably have died.

At this moment he finally understood that Jiangnan's earlier command was not cold‑blooded cruelty, but a life‑saving admonition!

Li Dong staggered to Jiangnan's side, his voice trembling with deep gratitude:

"Jiang... Mr. Jiang, thank you, thank you for saving me!"

Jiangnan gave a slight nod, turned, his expression still stern, showing no emotional shift, merely casting a faint glance at him:

"Next time, remember my words."

"Mr. Jiang, rest assured, from now on whatever you say I will never contradict!"

Li Dong quickly nodded; at this moment his reverence for Jiangnan had seeped into his bones.

The group returned to the vehicle, and the atmosphere grew considerably heavier.

Li Dong kept driving, yet occasionally wiped cold sweat from his forehead,

after calming for a while, he finally, with lingering fear, whispered:

"Mr. Jiang, what exactly was that just now? A ghost? Or a zombie?"

Murong Wan, hearing the topic raised again, felt a churn in her stomach. She gave Li Dong a reproachful look, prompting Li Dong to apologize repeatedly at once.

Yet Ye Wan didn't seem frightened; instead, she wore a face eager to try.

"I actually think that thing looks more like a zombie from a movie!"

Jiangnan listened to the discussion, a hint of disdain curling at his mouth.

"It's not that demonic. It's merely a Companion Creature born from post‑mortem resentment condensed by the evil entity in this fog. It differs fundamentally from ghosts and zombies."

"Companion Creature?" Li Dong was startled, looking at Jiangnan in confusion.

Jiangnan gave no extensive explanation, merely said calmly, "The creation of ghosts is extremely stringent. As for the zombie virus, it's even rarer; it doesn't appear so easily."

Li Dong and Ye Wan exchanged glances; though the explanation was vague, they dared not ask further.

They had already witnessed Jiangnan's methods, knew he was no ordinary mortal, so his words naturally carried weight.

The latter part of the journey saw no further incidents.

Though the road was bumpy, the path rugged and visibility extremely low, Li Dong's driving skill held up, and no mishaps occurred.

Finally, after a long ordeal, the car emerged from the thick fog, and the view opened up brightly.

An ancient, simple village appeared before them, yet at this moment it was silent, devoid of any life, no human silhouettes, houses dilapidated, courtyards barren, as if abandoned by time, exuding an eerie deathly stillness.

Li Dong stopped the car, stared at the surroundings, his face exceedingly grim.

This was the place he had lived since childhood, now turned into such a ghostly visage.

Where are those familiar villagers?

Where are his own relatives and neighbors?

Have they gone out for treatment, or...

Li Dong dared not think further, for he feared the consequences of his thoughts were beyond his bearing.

He clenched his teeth, turned to Jiangnan and asked:

"Mr. Jiang, this is Divine Spring Village. Now... should we go straight to River God Spring?"

Jiangnan's gaze swept over the ruined village, his brows slightly furrowed, for he sensed no living aura here.

The air here was pervaded by a rotting scent, making one feel nauseous.

After a brief pause, Jiangnan said in a low voice, "No rush, let's first assess the situation."

Li Dong nodded, opened the car door, and a chilling aura hit him, making him shiver.

Murong Wan and the two others also got out of the car, staying close behind Jiangnan.

Such a place made them feel uneasy, so they unconsciously moved closer to Jiangnan.

Jiangnan slightly frowned, but said nothing.

The few of them walked into the village together; beneath their feet was a pebble‑paved path, and on either side were dilapidated houses, collapsed courtyard walls, overgrown weeds—a desolate scene.

The whole village was eerily silent; no chickens or dogs could be heard, not even a whisper of wind, and only their footsteps echoed through the empty village, standing out starkly.

"This… why is there not a single person in this village?"

Li Dong's voice trembled; he looked around, a foreboding feeling rising in his heart.

Murong Wan and the others clutched Jiangnan's arm tightly, their bodies trembling slightly:

"Mr. Jiang, we… we are scared."

"Don't worry, with me here nothing will happen."

Jiangnan's expression remained calm, as if the surroundings could not affect him in the slightest.

They searched the village in a circle, yet found no valuable clues.

Jiangnan looked up at the sky and saw that the heavens had already grown dim.

After a moment of contemplation, he said slowly:

"Night is falling; that thing in the mist will grow stronger."

"I can deal with it, but you may be in danger."

"To be safe, let's go to River God Spring at noon tomorrow."

The others had no objections to Jiangnan's words.

Li Dong nodded repeatedly, raising both hands in agreement.

He now trusted Jiangnan's words completely and hurriedly said:

"Alright, alright, we'll first return to my family's Lao Zhai and make do for one night."

"It's not far, just at the east edge of the village."

Li Dong said this and stepped forward to act as guide.

"If so, fine then."

Jiangnan nodded and followed.