I manage female characters in all the heavens.

Nie Yan walked into the village, his gaze sweeping over the charred marks and charred corpses scattered in the ruins, his face grim.

"It seems they were robbed and then set on fire," he said in a deep voice. "Judging from the marks, it must have happened within the last two months."

"Master, shall we... stay here tonight?" a servant asked in a low voice.

Nie Yan looked around, remained silent for a moment, and nodded: "Let's spend the night here. It's getting late, and we might not be able to find a better place if we go any further."

He pointed to two relatively intact buildings not far away: "At least there are houses here to shelter us from the wind and rain. Go and tidy them up, we'll spend the night here."

"Yes!"

The servants quickly sprang into action, cleaning up the only two relatively intact houses left in the village and lighting bonfires inside.

As the campfire was lit, night had completely fallen, and a chilling, dark atmosphere enveloped the world, instilling a deep-seated fear of the darkness outside. Fortunately, the light and heat provided by the campfire helped to dispel this feeling.

Nie Xiaoqian, Nie Yan, and a dozen maids and servants sat around the campfire in this house, while the others were in another house.

The flickering firelight cast shifting shadows on everyone's faces, but the confusion in their eyes was clearly visible.

In just two days, the team had lost more than half its members, lost a lot of supplies and property, and encountered countless dangers.

Before setting off, everyone was eager to go to the capital to enjoy a better life.

But now, just two days later, everyone's thoughts have completely changed.

The capital is too far away, and the hope of reaching it alive is slim. It would be better to turn back and return to Jinhua Prefecture, where there might still be a chance of survival.

Everyone glanced at Nie Yan, pondering how to persuade him to go back, which was undoubtedly very difficult.

After all, if everyone went back, they would at worst be dismissed by the Nie family and have to fend for themselves. But if Nie Yan couldn't get to the capital, it would be considered disobeying the imperial decree, which would not only mean his death but also implicate his daughter.

Everyone understood Nie Yan's predicament and the necessity and urgency of his journey to the capital, but ultimately, nothing was more important than their own lives.

However, considering that Nie Yan had always treated them well, allowing them to live like human beings in this chaotic world, which was a great kindness, they hesitated about whether to persuade Nie Yan to turn back.

The group sat around the campfire, no one spoke, only the crackling sound of the burning firewood.

They were torn between their inner thoughts and their unpredictable expressions, and the atmosphere gradually became oppressive.

Nie Yan sensed the change in atmosphere and could guess what everyone was thinking, but just as they thought, he had no choice but to turn back.

The imperial decree gave him a month and a half to take office, which was already a tight schedule. If he turned back now and went back to Jinhua Prefecture to reorganize the troops and set off again, he would waste at least four or five days, which he simply couldn't afford to waste.

Moreover, even with such a dire situation, he was still confident that he could lead everyone safely and on time to the capital.

They faced so many dangers today, but under his command they all turned them into safe situations. This is proof of his ability!

If he really can't command anymore, doesn't he still have his swordsmanship, which even he finds terrifying? He can just go on a rampage and slaughter everyone in sight!

Nie Yan finally spoke, expressing his determination to go to the capital and his confidence in doing his best to ensure everyone's safety, hoping that everyone would remain steadfast in their beliefs.

He was very eloquent, and his words moved everyone and made them feel ashamed, which indeed strengthened their resolve.

Nie Xiaoqian sat next to him, listening to Nie Yan's earnest speech, and felt that he was just making a fuss over nothing.

Even without these servants, the father and daughter alone are more than enough to reach the capital; these people are just a burden.

However, she did not try to take the lead and directly bring Nie Yanfei to the capital.

First of all, even if she did that, it wouldn't be safe. Secondly, she was thinking of traveling around to see if she could find a cultivation sect to become her disciple. Flying directly to the capital, did she really want to become an official?

Just then, she suddenly stretched and yawned: "I'm so sleepy, I'm exhausted today."

She stood up and patted the dust off her skirt: "I'm going to sleep now, you two can continue chatting. Qingluo, it's cold at night, come here and I'll hold you while you sleep."

Qingluo followed happily. Her mistress was cold, and she was cold too. It would be so nice to be able to hug each other and keep warm while sleeping!

Looking at her carefree attitude, Nie Yan was both amused and annoyed: "This girl, she's really thick-skinned."

Lying down on the straw mat, hugging the soft and warm Qingluo, "Nie Xiaoqian" closed her eyes, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

The ballistic trajectory was initiated.

The long sword at Nie Yan's waist was silently drawn from its sheath, transforming into an invisible silver light that flew out of the house without a sound.

In the darkness outside, several charred corpses were slowly approaching.

They crawled out of the ruins, their bodies charred black, their faces unrecognizable, and their empty eye sockets gleaming with an eerie red light.

They are the dead of this Fengshui Village, corrupted by the resentment of heaven and earth, turned into walking corpses, instinctively craving flesh and blood.

However, just as they approached the courtyard wall, intending to launch a sneak attack—

A streak of silver light flashed by silently.

The charred corpses froze abruptly, then their bodies split open from the middle, falling silently to the ground and turning into a pile of charcoal.

The silver light circled in the darkness, then flew back into the house and quietly slipped back into the scabbard at Nie Yan's waist.

Nie Yan sat upright, still giving a speech to the crowd, completely unaware of what had just happened.

A hundred meters away, a female ghost in red stood on a crooked roof beam, staring at Nie Yan who was giving a speech.

A large group of people came to Fengshui Village today, and she originally planned to have a feast tonight, eating dozens of live people to satisfy her cravings.

But after witnessing what had just happened, she fell silent.

Then, she turned and disappeared silently into the darkness.

That man... he's terrifying.

Inside the room, Nie Yan's speech finally ended, and it was a resounding success.

"We believe in the master!"

"Following the master, I'm not afraid of death!"

"do my best!"

"May the lord live a long and prosperous reign, and rule the martial world!"

As Nie Yan watched this scene, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

"Very well!" he declared loudly. "Since you all believe me, then I, Nie Yan, swear here and now—as long as I live, I will definitely bring you all to the capital alive!"

"Get a good rest tonight, and we'll continue our journey early tomorrow morning!"

The flames in the campfire flickered and crackled, as if in response to his vow.

Nie Yan stood up and looked towards the corner.

There, his daughter was lying on a straw mat, fast asleep, hugging a green vine.

A smile appeared on his lips.

As long as she's there, I can keep going.

However, he was unaware that in the darkness he could not see, charred remains of corpses were silently scattered among the ruins.

The long sword at his waist seemed to tremble slightly the moment he sat down, emitting a faint, almost imperceptible sword hum, as if responding to some unseen presence.

The sound was so soft that no one noticed it.

Only the flickering flames in the campfire seemed to sway slightly.

Then, calm returned.

After everyone had fallen asleep, "Nie Xiaoqian" opened her eyes.

She left the house and wandered around the abandoned Fengshui Village, her face full of curiosity.

She had noticed the red-clad female ghost earlier; she looked pitiful.

Having never seen a ghost before, and encountering such a beautiful female ghost dressed in red, "Nie Xiaoqian" was very interested and eager to capture her.

Nie Xiaoqian probably won't be able to become a ghost and be with Ning Caichen in this lifetime, but if Nie Xiaoqian can get a beautiful female ghost and do this or that, isn't that another kind of "A Chinese Ghost Story"?

She is a beautiful woman, and a ghost is a wandering spirit; there's nothing wrong with that.

This ghost is connected to me!

The woman in red also noticed the woman who, instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, was wandering around the ruins filled with corpses.

It must be said that the woman's courage was admirable to the ghost, but her arrogant attitude of treating ghosts as nothing really angered the ghost.

They don't take us ghosts seriously at all!

The female ghost's eyes immediately blazed with ferocity, her once beautiful face twisted into a hideous grimace, and her malevolent aura surged dramatically.

She made up her mind. No matter how strong the man with the twin swords inside was, she would first scare the woman insane tonight, and then devour her alive, bite by bite.

You think my red outfit is just a superficial skin tone?

call--

A cold wind came from behind my ear, as if a ghost was breathing against my back, giving me goosebumps.

The female ghost was stunned. Wait a minute, I am a ghost!

She turned her head sharply and saw nothing, which immediately put her mind at ease.

Damn it, I, a vengeful ghost in red, was startled by a gust of cold wind. I've completely lost face!

After much painful reflection, she decided that from now on, she would no longer pay attention to any wind blowing behind her.

I'm the ghost, so it's impossible for a ghost to appear behind me and scare me!

She clenched her fists, preparing to see where the woman was and how she could scare her.

However, when she turned around, a mouth that was almost touching her nose appeared in front of her, about to bite her!

"what!"

Boom!

The woman in red screamed and flew backward, crashing through several ruins before finally coming to a stop against a wall.

She regained the ability to breathe, a skill she had lost after becoming a ghost. Clutching her chest, she gasped for breath, her eyes filled with terror.

"...What is that?!"

She retreated too quickly and didn't have time to see who it was; she only saw a gaping, blood-red mouth. But now, she's afraid to go back and see for herself.

Her heart, which had long since stopped beating, was now pounding violently. The woman in red swore that she had never been so frightened in her entire life as a ghost!

Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder.

That hand was very slender, with fingers as green as scallions, and it shimmered with a white jade-like luster under the moonlight, making it extremely beautiful.