CHAPTER 1638: CHAPTER 701: THE EVIL SPIRIT IN THE MOUNTAIN

When Mu You regained consciousness, he found himself in a mountain forest.

It appeared to be late at night, with a layer of cloud shrouding the sky. The pitch-black canopy bore no starlight, only a solitary crescent moon shone weakly through the clouds, casting a bit of its pitiable glow so that the forest wouldn’t be completely enveloped in darkness.

In the direction of the foot of the mountain, a village could be faintly seen, with scattered buildings visible. However, it was eerily silent, and not a single light came from the vast village, as if it were an abandoned settlement.

"Hmm..."

Mu You looked around, feeling a bit bewildered.

He knew this was someone’s dream, where anything could appear, but he thought it should at least be daytime, with or without people, but at least there should be living beings.

Instead, he was greeted with midnight, a mountain village, and an abandoned village...

Mu You started to wonder if he had stepped into some horror movie dream.

With no inhabitants around and staying idle being unhelpful, Mu You prepared to head down the mountain to check out the desolate village.

A faint sound of crying suddenly came from another direction.

The sound was intermittent and mingled with the wind, sounding as if it came from deep within the forest. If not for Mu You’s ’Wind Listener’ talent, he might have overlooked it.

Mu You immediately changed direction and went toward the source of the crying.

According to horror movie tropes, finding the source directly often leads to encountering a ghost, but even if it was a ghost, at least he could gather some information, which was better than groping around in the dark alone on the mountain.

Mu You moved quickly through the forest and soon approached the source of the crying. By now, he could hear clearly that the crying was a female voice, and quite young.

Continuing forward a bit more, indeed, under a large tree in the darkness ahead, there was a little girl carrying a backpack, wearing a simple floral dress. She hugged her knees, sitting under the tree, her frail body curled up, her eyes red and swollen, with tears occasionally falling as she softly sobbed.

Mu You, not suppressing his sound deliberately as he approached, seemed to be heard by the little girl as his footsteps cracked on a dry branch. Her ears twitched sensitively, and she raised her head bewilderedly, only to see a shadow standing in the darkness ahead, scaring her so much that she scrambled to her feet and hid behind the big tree, covering her mouth tightly, not daring to make a sound.

Mu You was stunned when he saw the little girl. He hadn’t seen her before, but the familiar pigtails and the mole by her brow... could this be...

Mu You’s expression became strange as he slowly moved closer and circled to the back of the tree.

At this moment, the little girl squatted on the ground, clutching her backpack tightly with a fearful look in her eyes at Mu You, like a scared little rabbit. Her frail silhouette appeared especially helpless in the dim moonlight.

"Don’t be afraid, I’m not a ghost."

Mu You stopped at a safe distance, trying to speak in a gentle voice.

Even after he spoke, the little girl made no response, still fearfully watching him from under the tree.

Mu You thought for a moment and then snapped his fingers.

A ball of light formed at his fingertips, the Lighting Spell emitting a soft white glow, illuminating the surrounding space instantly.

"Ah..." The little girl was startled by the sudden change but soon realized that the lightball didn’t explode, instead providing her warmth and illumination.

The girl stared wide-eyed at the lightball in Mu You’s hand, rubbing her eyes, thinking she might have seen wrong.

Only after a while did she turn back to Mu You in a daze, "Big brother, are you an immortal?"

"If that helps you understand," Mu You replied.

He didn’t bother to explain magic or anything, after all, he was almost becoming a deity. Being called an immortal wasn’t a big deal.

"Little girl, what’s your name?" Seizing the moment when the girl’s vigilance had slightly lowered, Mu You quickly asked.

"I-I’m Shen Ya..." The little girl was still awestruck by the magic and said her name without much hesitation.

"..."

Mu You’s lips curled. So it was Little Ya. He also breathed a sigh of relief, recalling that Vivian mentioned he would most likely enter the dream of someone he knew. He didn’t expect his luck to be good enough to directly encounter Little Ya’s dream.

Mu You was very familiar with Little Ya, and he wouldn’t resist helping her fulfill her wish.

"Little Ya, why are you here alone? Did something happen?" Mu You moved a bit closer to the girl.

Judging by the little girl’s state, she was about seven or eight, suggesting it was a dream from Little Ya’s childhood.

"It’s too dark... I’m scared to go home..." The little girl spoke pitifully, with tears gathering in her eyes again.

"Afraid of the dark, huh..."

Gazing at her condition, Mu You roughly grasped the backstory.

Little Ya was born in a rural village in a valley, where schooling was not easy, and a long mountain path had to be traversed back and forth.

This must have been when she stayed late after school, and on her way home, it had already gotten dark. With Little Ya’s fear of darkness, she didn’t dare to walk at night, resulting in being trapped on the mountain as it got later and later.

"Grr..."

Just as Mu You was about to say something, an untimely sound emerged, it was the little girl’s stomach growling.

The girl’s face instantly flushed red, as she clutched her tummy tightly, afraid it would make another sound, while her head bowed low, not daring to look at Mu You.

Seeing the little Ya’s embarrassed look, Mu You felt a soft spot in his heart. He concentrated and conjured some small snacks like chocolates and bread in his hand, handing them to the girl, "Have some to fill you up."