Chapter 613: Mute Girl
The terrifying hum of wings and the bloodthirsty aura exuded by the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps struck fear into the hearts of every living creature in the mountains. Even wolves, tigers, and leopards were frightened into submission, urinating in fear as chaos erupted across the ranges.
Strangely, the swarm seemed uninterested in the corpses littering the ground. Not a single wasp flew over to trouble him.
Just then, the corpse on the ground moved.
With a sudden roll, he slipped back into the river, as if summoning every ounce of strength left in his body. Using his one remaining arm, he clung tightly to a thick log, then stopped moving altogether. Carried by the current, he was swept away, narrowly avoiding the agony of being devoured by the swarm.
By evening, the rain had returned, misty and lingering. A cool wind stirred the fine drizzle.
The mountain range lay shrouded in haze, its silhouette like indigo ink from afar.
On a steep peak encircled by a winding river stood a cluster of stilted wooden dwellings. They were built close together, rising in tiered layers up the slope. A rough count revealed over a thousand households.
This was the Thousand-Household Village.
Its size wasn’t particularly grand among nearby settlements, but it wasn’t small either. The surrounding hundred-li region was under the joint control of this village and several others. However, much of the land was perilous and unsuitable for exploration by ordinary folk.
Although night had yet to fully fall, lamps were already lit across the village, twinkling like stars in the dark.
Yet behind the mountain stood a dilapidated little thatched hut, small and solitary, nestled in the wilds. A sparse fence was all that marked its boundary.
A few brightly dressed girls, adorned with colorful garments and playful flair, gathered outside the hut, chattering noisily and calling for the girl inside to open the door.