"Are they… sick?"
Su Ling'er stared at the ajar wooden door. The stench of rot clung to the air, lingering in her nostrils. She couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
Mr. Chen stopped in his tracks.
He turned around. The friendly warmth from moments ago vanished in an instant, his old, wrinkled face falling, leaving only sorrow.
"Yes."
He sighed deeply. His gaze passed through the crack in the door and fell upon the half-naked body inside. His eyes were clouded, his emotions unreadable.
"The people of our village seem to have been cursed by someone, and we've been plagued by constant trouble… so we developed this method of inscribing runes."
Here, Mr. Chen paused. "They're used to ward off sickness and evil influences, to pray for the protection of gods and buddhas. That's their purpose."
This explanation sent a ripple of excitement through the Cultivators present.
'Ward off evil influences? The protection of gods and buddhas?'
