In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 22 Midnight Song

On their first night in Bingzhou, there were no post stations to rest at, so Wu Dayong led the group to set up camp by a grove of trees.

The constables were all veterans who had followed Wu Dayong for many years and were very familiar with his habits. They quickly directed the prisoners to set up their tents, and the supply wagons were tied side by side to the tents.

The exiled prisoners also had several large tents to use. They received the tents from the guards and, following the guards' instructions, set up four large tents in front of the main camp, while the guards' small tents were set up around the perimeter.

Because of the snowfall during the day, the cold gradually intensified after nightfall, and a cold wind began to blow. Whether they were servants or prisoners, they all quickly finished their dinner and hid in their tents to avoid the cold.

As night fell, a bright moon hung high in the clear sky, cold and aloof.

The two guards leaning against the door of the guard tent closed their eyes and began to fall into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, whispers arose from the woods behind, their sounds ethereal, melodious, and full of rhythm and beauty. The sounds swirled and drifted slowly towards the camp, circling around each tent before disappearing inside. Gradually, the entire camp was enveloped in the sound, sometimes near, sometimes far, drawing everyone into a beautiful dream.

The two guards on duty stood up with their eyes closed and followed the ethereal voice into the woods behind.

Then, from the largest tent closest to the main camp, three prisoners dragged out their shackles and followed the guards into the woods.

[Xiao Xi] Tuanzi's sharp cry woke Ning Xiao Xi.

Ning Xiaoxi suddenly opened her eyes and sat up straight.

Then they saw the old doctor Zhao and his three sons, with their eyes closed and dragging their shackles, slowly walking outside.

"Mother, Mother." Ning Xiaoxi shook her mother's arm, and then shook Ning Shi hard through her mother's arms. "Father, Father."

Ning Shi opened her eyes groggily, "Xiao Xi, what's wrong?"

"Father, there are demons."

"What?" Ning Shi snapped awake, sat up, and saw Physician Zhao and his son walk out of the tent. She quickly got up to comfort Ming Luoying, Ning Ziqing, and Ning Xiaoxi, who had already woken up, "I'll go take a look."

"Father, I'll go with you." Ning Xiaoxi got up and hugged Ning Shi's arm.

Ning Shi looked at Ning Xiaoxi for a moment, then said, "Ziqing, you stay with your mother. Xiaoxi, let's go."

The father and daughter quickly dressed and stepped out of the tent. The moonlight was unusually bright tonight, and the situation in the camp was clearly visible. Prisoners were constantly emerging from the other three tents, numbering about a dozen to twenty, with three guards mixed in among them. Everyone had their eyes closed, and a faint singing voice still lingered in the air above the camp.

Ning listened to the singing for a moment, and in a daze, he seemed to think that the voice was really nice, and he really wanted to go over and listen to it carefully.

"Father, don't listen to that song." Ning Xiaoxi grabbed Ning Shi's arm and pulled hard.

Ning Shi was startled and snapped out of his daze. "Let's go find Officer Wu."

The father and daughter arrived at the main tent. Ning Shi shouted loudly, "Officer Wu, Officer Wu!" He called twice, but there was no response from inside the tent.

Ning Shi got a little anxious and rushed into the tent without thinking.

Ning Xiaoxi didn't go in with them. Instead, she turned around and tried to wake the constables up.

Ning rushed into the tent and saw Wu Dayong sleeping peacefully on the ground. Forgetting all etiquette, he shook Wu the constable and shouted, "Wu the constable, Wu the constable!"

Wu Dayong was startled awake. He reached for the waist knife beside his pillow and shouted, "Who goes there?"

When Ning Shi saw Wu Dayong get up, he quickly took a few steps back and shouted, "Officer Wu, there's a monster here!"

Wu Dayong had already drawn his knife. Upon hearing the words, he instantly perked up, stood up, and drew his knife. He saw Ning Shi's retreating figure as he left the tent, and then followed Ning Shi out. He saw more people emerging from several nearby tents, all with their eyes closed, forming a human stream as they staggered towards the woods behind.

Ning Xiaoxi, who was rather thin and frail, was shaking the people one by one. Some would wake up after a few shakes and look around in confusion. Others, however, remained unconscious and kept walking. She didn't care about those who weren't awake and went to pull the next person up. Then she explained the situation to each person who had woken up, and everyone worked together to pull the others out.

"Sir, it's a voice! Don't listen to that voice! Shake these people awake!" Ning Shi said quickly, then grabbed at the people walking by.

Wu Dayong watched as the constable walked past him and slapped him on the back of the head. "Wake up!"

"Ah!" the constable cried out, his eyes widening as he looked at Wu Dayong and said aggrievedly, "Brother Wu, why did you hit me?"

Wu Dayong didn't even look at him, and slapped another person, "Don't listen to that singing, call for help."

The constable then noticed the strange situation around him. Seeing that Officer Wu and Ning Shi and his daughter were constantly pulling people around them, he joined in the effort.

Gradually, the people around them came to their senses, and the prisoners were once again herded back into their tents by the guards. The guards kept their eyes wide open and stood guard by the tents, preventing anyone from coming out.

Seeing that the camp was gradually calming down, Ning Shi quickly told Wu Dayong about the situation ahead, "Officer Wu, a few constables and prisoners have entered the woods ahead."

At this moment, the singing seemed to have left the camp. Only the faint sound of the wind mixed with faint echoes could be heard in the camp, but it was no longer a complete song.

Wu Dayong looked at the dark and gloomy woods behind him.

"Brother Wu, Old Li and Little Jiang, who are on night watch, are missing, and thirteen prisoners are also missing," the constable in charge of counting the prisoners reported.

Wu Dayong frowned. The singing was attracting people, which was definitely not a good thing. He couldn't let anything happen to his brothers and the prisoners he was guarding. Recalling what Ding You had told him during the handover last night, his gaze fell on the Ning family father and daughter who had been standing to the side.

"What do you think, young lady?" Wu Dayong asked Ning Xiaoxi directly, ignoring Ning Shi.

Ning Xiaoxi was stunned for a moment, then realized that her family's treatment today was the same as in Zhongzhou; they weren't handcuffed or shackled. It seemed Ding You had something to say to this constable Wu. However, she only had a basic level of spiritual power; she hadn't had time to create the spiritual ink yet and couldn't draw runes. But judging from how easily everyone else had been awakened, the owner of that voice didn't seem to be very powerful.

"Officer Wu, we can go in and see if we can bring those people back." Ning Xiaoxi didn't dare to make any promises, "At least we'll do our best."

Looking at this twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, Wu Dayong found it rare that she had the courage to say such a thing. "Zhang Hu, Wang Wei, stick close to the girl and protect her. Lord Ning, let's go together."

Ning Shi glanced at Ning Xiaoxi, saw his daughter nod, then turned and followed Wu Dayong. "Officer Wu, please."

The group, led by Wu Dayong, with Ning Shi slightly behind, followed by Ning Xiaoxi, flanked by Zhang Hu and Wang Wei. Under the watchful eyes of the guards watching the tents, they walked towards the dimly lit woods in the distance.