Chapter 140: Night Falls

The lava crabs that had previously swarmed around the bronze treasure chest were all lured away by the little wolf cub.

At this moment, the area around the bronze treasure chest was completely deserted!

"Wait for me here."

After instructing the little wolf cub, Ye Da sprinted quickly in the direction of the bronze treasure chest!

By this time, the sky had grown mostly dark.

While it wasn't pitch black yet, the ambient light had faded to the point where it was practically useless for illumination.

Fortunately, Ye Da had a solar bug lamp, which he always kept tucked into the side pocket of his backpack.

Ye Da had specifically sewn a strap on the side of his storage backpack to hang the solar bug lamp. After all, since this gadget was a living creature, it couldn't be left inside the stone house, or else the house would fail to pack up due to the presence of living organisms.

Coupled with the powerful functionality of the solar bug lamp, Ye Da felt it was essential to carry it with him!

And now, it finally came in handy!

"Buzz, buzz~"

As night fell, the solar bug awakened, emitting a buzzing sound of beating wings from inside its glass enclosure.

As the solar bug fluttered about, its body gradually began to glow, resembling a small light bulb that not only illuminated itself but even lit up the path ahead.

The orange-yellow light fell upon the water's surface, creating sparkling ripples that looked exceptionally pretty.

Combined with the heavy mist rising from the hot spring pool, the light possessed a hazy texture that gave it quite a nice ambiance.

Of course...

If this ambiance were in a safe zone, it would be called romantic.

But here, Ye Da just wanted to get out as fast as possible!

"Hiss, so hot!"

Ye Da had already taken off his shoes, and when he stepped barefoot into the hot spring pool, the nearly forty-degree hot spring water washed over his ankles. His first sensation was scalding heat.

Yet his second sensation was pure comfort.

It felt like the soothing comfort of a foot bath, instantly washing away the exhaustion from his feet.

"What a pity!"

Ye Da sighed and said, "If only I could soak my whole body in this hot spring, it would definitely wash away the fatigue accumulated over these past few days."

"Woof!"

The little wolf cub echoed from the bank.

Although Ye Da had forbidden the little wolf cub from entering the water, little Bai was still eager to play in the water. However, the moment its tiny paws touched the hot spring water, it yanked them back instantly.

It was scalding hot!

After all, the definition of hot water for animals and humans is quite different!

Watching its awkward dilemma on the bank—wanting to go into the water yet not daring to, spinning around in anxious circles—Ye Da couldn't help but laugh out loud.

...

"Lord Landlord, why isn't he back yet!"

Chu Ping stood at the doorway of the stone house, pacing back and forth in anxiety.

He peered out into the darkness outside while checking the time on the light curtain; it was already 18:03!

Anyone who had managed to survive three days in the Mist World knew that one must return indoors after nightfall, otherwise all sorts of lurking demons and monsters outside would emerge!

"Swish!"

Yet just as Chu Ping was anxiously pacing back and forth at the threshold, a wisp of black fog actually began to creep into the stone house.

Chu Ping remained completely oblivious, as his mind was entirely consumed by the thick fog outside.

The outdoors was pitch black!

He was torn over whether he should take a torch and go look for the Lord, but looking at the dense fog and recalling a horrifying midnight encounter from the past, Chu Ping still suffered from a bit of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Back when he was still following Long Yi, Chu Ping shared a wooden cabin with fellow miners.

Living together saved on fuel while allowing them to guard each other.

It was considered relatively safe.

Yet on the night the disaster struck, Chu Ping half-asleep heard a knock on the door. When he woke up, he found the cabin door wide open, and of the four coworkers who originally lived inside, three were missing!

He was the only one left, and he suspected that because he feared the cold and slept close to the bonfire, he had escaped unharmed!

At that time...

Chu Ping was terrified out of his wits.

He didn't dare to close the door at all; he could only endure the smoke and high heat, curling up near the bonfire and pretending to stay asleep.

As time ticked by, Chu Ping saw that the entire cabin was filled with thick fog save for the bonfire, and his missing coworkers wandered within the mist, constantly calling out Chu Ping's name and telling him to come with them.

Some even tried to reach out and pull Chu Ping, but fortunately, Chu Ping was extremely close to the bonfire, and every time the coworkers were scorched back by the flames, failing to ever touch him. That was how Chu Ping managed to scrape by until dawn.

When day broke, Long Yi heard about the incident and rushed over with two capable aides.

As a result, apart from two patches of dried blood at the doorway and inside the house, along with a severed hand clutching an axe, those three men left no bones behind, and even their names had turned gray—neither seen alive nor dead!

From that day on, Chu Ping had deeply experienced the horrifying nature of nighttime in this world!

Therefore...

He was genuinely worried about the safety of the Lord, who still hadn't returned!

"Swish!"

As the black fog at the doorway grew thicker, it eventually condensed into a massive black hand, attempting to drag Chu Ping out through the entrance.

The moment Chu Ping felt a strange suction force sweeping him outward, he frantically grabbed onto the doorframe and screamed in terror, "Zhang Ya, help!"

"Something in the fog is pulling me!"

"Ah!! Help me!"

At this moment, Chu Ping was gripped by ultimate terror, and his entire body involuntarily turned weak.

Yet an immense surge of strength, originating from nowhere, filled his hands, causing him to grip the stone doorframe with all his might, refusing to let go no matter what!

Because he knew very well what the consequences of letting go would be!

"Boom!!!"

Zhang Ya rushed out wielding a torch, then thrust the flame straight into the black fog!

Under the impact of the torchlight, the black fog instantly dissipated significantly.

"Ah!"

Chu Ping finally felt the suction force from the black fog vanish.

Having been pulled sideways, Chu Ping tumbled down from the fog and practically collapsed, hugging the doorframe tightly without daring to let go!

"Th-thank you."

Chu Ping's complexion had turned pale to the extreme.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ya frowned as she stared at the wisps of black fog that had just been scattered but were already trying to creep back into the house, saying, "Close the door quickly, or the black fog will come back in!"

"No!"

Though deeply traumatized, Chu Ping remained stubborn on this matter, insisting, "The Lord hasn't returned yet!"

"If we close the door, wouldn't we be shutting off the Lord's last hope?"

"The door cannot be closed!"

Chu Ping shook his head repeatedly.

Zhang Ya frowned and asked, "Then what if he doesn't return all night?"

"Then I'll keep the door open and wait for him all night!" Chu Ping declared with unusual firmness. "Anyway, I cannot abandon the Lord. At worst, we can just move the bonfire to burn right beside the door!"

"Those ghost things are afraid of fire. As long as we guard the entrance with fire, they definitely won't be able to get in!"

Hearing this, Zhang Ya glanced around the courtyard—which was over twenty square meters in size—and at the black fog slowly drifting in overhead, before asking, "Are you certain that merely relying on a bonfire at the entrance can fend off the invasion of those ghost things?"