"They have come again... Hide in the room and stay silent."
The old man whispered, clumsily and slowly returning downstairs, opening the silence-enshrouded wooden door.
Lu Li retreated silently, vaguely observing the hem of a black robe through the gaps in the floorboards.
Faint, intermittent voices came from downstairs.
"Yes... It's a young outsider... Who knows..."
Outside the door, a viscous presence spoke in long, hard-to-hear whispers.
The old man's hunched figure: "I will convey it to the outsider."
The hem of the black robe left from outside the door, and the old man sighed, seemingly relieved, as he closed the wooden door.
"Are they here for me?"
A calm voice suddenly sounded behind him.
The old man turned to look at the outsider standing on the steps.
"Yes... Many townsfolk saw your arrival and informed the cult."
"The Daqi Esotericism?"
Lu Li spoke the name of the only church he had seen since arriving in the town.
