67: Learn the truth

Hearing the commotion from this spot, Luo Hongzhuang, who was searching in another area, also quickly approached.

The two stared at the hole leading underground, exchanged a glance, then tacitly, one after the other, leaped into it.

Lu Ming walked ahead with his blade. When he landed steadily on the ground, the anticipated attack did not come, but this did not cause him to relax in the slightest. His body was slightly tensed, ready for any attack that might occur at any moment.

Compared to Lu Ming's vigilance, Luo Hongzhuang, by his side, was quite calm. Her nostrils twitched slightly, then she whispered, "There's no scent of demons here."

Lu Ming did not respond. His gaze was fixed on the artificially dug passage, which seemed to be quite old. With his eyesight, he noticed messy footprints on the ground.

Clearly, someone had walked through it.

The two quickly pursued to the end of the passage. Not long after, a faint candlelight appeared before them. Walking closer, they discovered an empty secret room inside.

And in the secret room, several figures flickered.

"Who's there!" A sharp voice, as if startled, rang out as Lu Ming and Luo Hongzhuang emerged from the darkness.

The one who spoke was a dark-skinned man dressed in coarse linen, who appeared quite flustered by the sudden fright. But even so, he still instinctively shielded his wife and children behind him, his body trembling violently from fear.

As for his wife and children behind him, they had already begun to sob softly, as if their discovery meant they could not escape death.

"You can rest assured, we are not bad people. What exactly happened in Gu Xiang Village, and why are you hiding here?" Lu Ming knew that their sudden appearance had startled the family. He wisely sheathed the long blade in his hand, scanning them with a glance, knowing they were all ordinary people.

Even after hearing these words, the dark-skinned man still looked incredibly nervous and did not respond to Lu Ming.

This silent atmosphere lasted for several breaths, and during this time, Lu Ming did not explain further, but simply waited silently.

"You... you're really not those damned bandits?" Swallowing, the dark-skinned man cautiously asked.

"We arrived in the village near dusk. You say there are bandits in the village, but as far as I know, there are still many people moving about in Gu Xiang Village." Lu Ming frowned slightly, recalling He Qingyun, whom he had seen.

"It's those guys! They pretended to be a caravan and came to our village, but as soon as they arrived, they began to slaughter our entire village. And those guys are colluding with demons! I personally saw those demons feasting." The dark-skinned man was extremely agitated, his voice filled with indignation.

After all, his village had suffered such a calamity, and people he knew had been brutally slaughtered. How could he remain calm?

"How did you find this secret passage? If the villagers of Gu Xiang Village were truly slaughtered, this place should have been exposed as well." Luo Hongzhuang spoke abruptly.

Although from the other party's agitated appearance, he did not seem to be lying, but to ensure everything was foolproof, it was still necessary to investigate thoroughly!

"I also discovered this place by accident. It was built by the older generation in the village to avoid war. As the situation gradually stabilized, it was abandoned. Very few people knew about it. It is precisely because of this that our family was able to avoid the demon's attack." The dark-skinned man answered honestly.

From the old traces and the dust covering the place, it was clear that this secret room had not been visited for a long time, and even the air was stale.

After the dark-skinned man's explanation, the current situation gradually became clear.

"Those guys must have come for the convoy. It seems we've fallen into a trap this time." Lu Ming said in a deep voice, a look of solemnity in his eyes.

Colluding with demons, and with many Martial Artists, Lu Ming almost immediately thought of the Hundred Weapons Sect.

Although he had prepared for dangers along the way, he had not anticipated that the Hundred Weapons Sect would commit so heavily this time.

"How many men do those guys have?" Lu Ming knew this was not the time for contemplation. The other party would surely act under the cover of night, and they did not have much time left.

"I... I'm not quite sure. The bandits plus the demons number at least over a hundred." The dark-skinned man replied with some difficulty.

Lu Ming did not expect to get precise information from him. He subconsciously looked towards Luo Hongzhuang.

"Since those guys want to die, then let them come." Luo Hongzhuang gave a cold smile, seemingly not too worried about the current situation.

Seeing her demeanor, Lu Ming also felt a little relieved. He knew that as an Extremity Realm martial artist, her methods were extraordinary, which was evident from how easily she severely wounded the Black Nightmare Demon that day.

"In that case, we'll split up. I'll go into the village to search for the location where the surviving villagers are being held, and you'll take this message back. How does that sound?" Lu Ming asked.

As Princess Nanping, his status was absolutely incomparable to hers. If he were to send the message, no one would likely realize the seriousness of the matter, whereas she would not even need to send a message, only issue a command.

Luo Hongzhuang looked at Lu Ming with surprise, seemingly not expecting him to still want to venture deeper alone, knowing there were demons.

This was knowing the danger and still being willing to take the risk. Most importantly, the eagerness in Lu Ming's eyes at this moment clearly wasn't for showing off, but because he genuinely intended to do so.

"Good!" Remembering Lu Ming's palm strike from before, Luo Hongzhuang nodded.

Hearing Luo Hongzhuang's agreement, Lu Ming once again turned his gaze to the dark-skinned man's family.

"We are all from the government, and there are many more people outside. For now, don't move around. Wait until the situation outside stabilizes before coming out." Lu Ming instructed.

He knew that if he took the family out now, once they encountered enemies, he might not be able to look after them during the battle. Rather than risking it outside, it would be safer to stay here.

"We will follow all your instructions, sir." The dark-skinned man quickly nodded, a sigh of relief in his heart.

Understanding the current situation, the two left through the secret passage. Upon returning to the incense workshop, they pushed the display cabinet back into its original position.

"Be careful yourself." Luo Hongzhuang said softly.

Lu Ming's eyes froze slightly. Before he could reply, he saw her disappear into the distance as a blur.

Watching her figure vanish into the darkness, Lu Ming's face showed a strange expression, but fortunately, he did not dwell on it too much.

Suppressing the restlessness in his heart, Lu Ming took a deep breath, his gaze profound as he looked at the distant village with its faint lights, and quietly, swiftly, approached.