Zhang Hongsheng's group stayed in the woods for about 10 minutes before emerging one by one.
The white-haired old man led the way, accompanied by a few individuals who seemed to be discussing something with him.
Zhang Hongsheng supported Aunt Zhang, walking at the rear of the group.
Aunt Zhang was now isolated, with the other women keeping their distance and whispering to each other.
As they approached the village, heading in my direction, I quickly moved to the other side of the firewood pile and hid.
When they passed by, I caught a glimpse of them and overheard a deep, powerful voice with a hint of old age saying, "It has to be at Zi hour, no other time will do."
It took me a while to recall what "Zi hour" meant.
After they walked past the firewood pile and their conversation faded away, I cautiously peeked out to see that they were heading towards the village.
I waited until they were out of sight before pondering the white-haired old man's words.
"Zi hour" refers to the period between 11 PM and 1 AM.
This meant that they might be planning something for tonight.
Since the path was straight, I waited until they turned into the village before emerging from behind the firewood pile.
I took a deep breath, glanced at the woods in the distance, and then headed towards the woods, making sure Zhang Hongsheng's group was out of sight.
Despite thinking I'd become tough and resilient over time, I could feel my heart racing as I walked towards the woods.
I tried to reassure myself that it was nothing to worry about, that I'd faced worse dangers like the walker, but it didn't seem to help.
It was afternoon, and the snow had stopped, with some sunlight filtering through the trees.
The reflection from the snow made the surroundings quite bright, which gave me a bit of courage.
I stood in front of the woods, took a few deep breaths, and finally steeled myself to step inside.
The snow on the ground was thick, and there were many footprints in the woods.
I followed the footprints, my heart pounding in my chest.
After advancing about 2-3 meters, I heard a sound coming from inside the woods.
It was a sound that I could identify instantly, even with my toes - the sound of an walker.
Hearing the walker's call, I felt a sense of familiarity, probably due to my extensive experience with killing them and the recent silence.
I chuckled and shook my head, drawing my dagger from its sheath.
The sound of the walker brought me back to reality, and I felt less fearful.
I continued towards the source of the sound, following the footprints.
The trail led me to a deep pit, where the walker's calls were coming from.
I peeked into the pit... and instantly confirmed my previous suspicions.
This was definitely some kind of ritual site.
The pit was relatively small but very deep, at least 2 meters.
There was about 30-40 cm of water at the bottom, likely from the recent snowmelt.
However, that wasn't the main focus.
What caught my attention was that the pit had been dyed red by some unknown substance.
I was certain it wasn't blood, as I didn't detect a strong metallic smell.
There weren't as many walker in the pit as I expected.
Instead, there were only three, including two that appeared to be children.
What's unusual was that they hadn't decayed, with pale faces and no signs of life.
However, their mouths were covered in blood and dirt, indicating they had recently fed on something.
I was certain they were walker.
At the bottom of the pit lay a badly mangled corpse, likely Wang Waizui, the one who had fallen in.
The water's surface was littered with yellow talisman papers, and there were several black fire pits around the edge of the pit.
Scattered paper money suggested that people regularly came to pay their respects.
I crouched down and examined the pit more closely.
The three walker were all looking up at me, moaning and groaning.
I tossed a handful of snow at them and then stood up, brushing off my hands.
Apart from the walker not decayed, I didn't notice anything particularly unusual about the pit.
I gazed at the walker again, wondering what could be causing them to remain preserved.
I couldn't think of a reason, so I decided to head back and ask Suo Tian if he knew anything about it.
Maybe he could provide some insight.
I picked up a piece of paper money from the ground and put it in my pocket before leaving the woods.
When I returned to the village, I detoured to Zhang Hongsheng's courtyard and found the gate tightly closed.
This wasn't unusual, but what caught my attention was the sound of Aunt Zhang's mournful cries and wails coming from inside.
Her voice was shrill, and occasionally, she would utter words I couldn't understand.
I listened for a while, and apart from Aunt Zhang's cries, I only heard Zhang Hongsheng occasionally saying, "Mom, stop crying."
Just as I was about to press my ear against the door to listen more closely, someone tapped me on the back, startling me.
Instinctively, I reached for my dagger, but my hand was caught by a warm hand.
I turned around and found myself face to face with Suo Tian's dark eyes.
Before I could react, he signaled for me to be quiet and pulled me away.
I followed him in a daze, and it wasn't until we were at a distance from Zhang Hongsheng's courtyard that I regained my composure.
I cleared my throat and asked, "How did you get here?"
Suo Tian still had a grip on me, and he paused before turning to look at me with an expressionless face.
"Shen Xue is back, but you're not," he replied. "I was in the woods the whole time."
I was taken aback again. "In the woods? You were in the same woods as me?"
I asked, surprised that I hadn't noticed him.
Suo Tian turned his head back, his gaze fixed on the path ahead, and said in a slow, drawling tone, "That's normal."
"What do you mean it's normal? How could I not have seen you? The woods were empty, and if you were there, I would have definitely noticed you!" I said, still thinking he might be joking.
Suo Tian didn't look at me and continued in his slow, measured tone, "I saw you pick up the dead man's money and put it in your pocket."
I was taken aback, and my mouth twitched involuntarily.
His words were blunt, to say the least.
I reached into my pocket, grasped the paper money, and discreetly dropped it on the ground.
"If you were there, why didn't you come out?" I asked.
Suo Tian didn't respond until we had walked a bit further.
"Watching you sneak around, all timid and cautious, was more interesting," he said.
My mouth twitched even more at his response.
When we returned to our courtyard, Yangyang, Shen Xue, Shen Feng, Jun Di, and the others were all waiting at the entrance, stretching their necks to see us.
As soon as they spotted me and Suo Tian turning the corner, they rushed over, pushing Suo Tian aside and surrounding me.
They examined me from head to toe, seemingly satisfied that I was safe, before launching into a barrage of criticism.
"What's wrong with you, sis? Have you gone crazy? Did hitting those walkers too much mess with your brain? How many times has this happened? Who are you following, and what's it got to do with you? Can't you just stay out of it?"
Yangyang was visibly worried, his words tumbling out in a passionate rush.
But I'm his sister, and I raised him, so I wasn't about to let him get away with talking to me like that.
Just as I was about to scold him, Shen Xue cut in.
"We can't even get you to listen to us. You preach teamwork, but it seems like you're just a lone wolf. When it comes to your own life, you're reckless and irresponsible. Why should we listen to you when you don't even practice what you preach?" Shen Feng chimed in.
"Save it, Sis. You're not exactly a great role model. One of these days, you'll get yourself into trouble, and then you'll be in a world of trouble."
The others continued to lecture me, not giving me a chance to respond.
They went on and on, from the entrance to the courtyard, until they finally ran out of steam.
I stood there, feeling a bit overwhelmed and frustrated, but also knowing they were worried about me.
It was a long, intense scolding, and I had to bite my tongue to avoid escalating the situation.
When they finally stopped talking, I let out a sigh, feeling a bit drained.
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