Chapter 154: The Deceptive Wizard (Part V)

The sudden anomaly startled countless people. Villagers who had been fast asleep stumbled out of their homes, most of them in disarray.

Crowds quickly gathered, lighting torches one after another. The growing flames grew brighter and brighter, blocking off the entire street tightly.

Zhao Nan quickly dressed. Awakened by the commotion and witnessing the bizarre scene on the street, Night Moon turned pale, quickly heading outside. She noticed the little girl had also been woken up early, peering out the window at the events unfolding on the street below. Instead of looking frightened, the child seemed thoroughly amused.

"Children shouldn't watch this, go back to sleep!" Night Moon hurried over and scolded.

"I won't! I want to go out and see the excitement!"

Little Anya made a cheeky face, bounced out of bed, skillfully slipped on her slippers, and darted away.

"This child!"

Night Moon frowned. At that moment, Zhao Nan was outside the door, saying in a deep voice, "Let's go out and take a look too."

……

The entire street was packed; it seemed as though the whole village had turned out. Zhao Nan found little Anya in the crowd and dragged her back with a stern expression. Night Moon took the little girl, held her in her arms, and softly reprimanded her.

"Excuse me, brother, what on earth is happening?" Zhao Nan caught hold of a man and asked immediately.

"Oh, it's Zhao Nan!" The man turned around, glanced casually, and said with a serious expression, "We've caught the witch!"

"A witch?"

"That's right!" The man snorted coldly. "So many people have died in the village lately, and this time we've finally caught the criminal! Thank goodness the village chief used to be a soldier and still possesses formidable skills; otherwise, there's no way we could have caught that witch. She's incredibly strong. Three or five people couldn't even get close to her. Just now, she went completely mad, hacking around with a sword. She even managed to chop the post at the entrance of the village in half with a single strike!"

"That powerful?" Hearing this, Night Moon shivered slightly and hurriedly asked, "What does this witch look like?"

"Golden hair, very pretty. Though it's probably just an illusion she conjured up using witchcraft." The man shook his head. "The chief said the witch kills people to harvest their souls for her witchcraft! Monsters like that must be burned to death!"

Zhao Nan felt a jolt in his heart and hastily pushed aside the people in front of him. In a cleared open space, a pile of firewood had been stacked. A wooden pillar stood in the center of the pyre, and tied to that pillar was a young woman.

The woman's blonde hair was disheveled, and her head was lowered, making her features unclear. She appeared to have lost consciousness.

At that moment, an elderly man stood looking full of vigor before the pile of firewood. Under the glare of numerous torches, his silhouette appeared exceptionally robust. He wielded an old, weathered sword, and his arm was wrapped in a bandage with blood seeping through. This was the village chief who had just fought and captured the witch.

"Listen up, everyone! Today, we will burn this witch to death and avenge those who have died!!" the village chief shouted with all his might.

"Burn her to death!"

"Burn her to death!"

"Burn her to death!!"

In an instant, public indignation surged. Some wept aloud, declaring they wanted to avenge their lost husbands. Torches were raised and lowered rhythmically, the firelight rising and falling along the street as deafening roars shook the heavens. Little Anya was finally frightened and buried her face in her mother's embrace.

Night Moon reached out and took Zhao Nan's hand; his palm was cold and slick with sweat. Zhao Nan offered a soft word of comfort. Although the surrounding noise was deafening, his heart was ice-cold.

Amidst the clamor, the blonde woman tied to the wooden pillar shook her head slightly and regained consciousness. She raised her head, her scattered hair blown by the wind, revealing her true appearance. The blonde woman looked around in a daze, staring at the ropes binding her and the circle of firewood surrounding her, her breathtaking face filled with terror and unease.

She wanted to scream, but a ball of cloth was stuffed in her mouth, allowing only muffled whimpers to escape.

At that moment, Zhao Nan felt a splitting headache, as if countless sharp steel needles were piercing the center of his brow simultaneously, causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain. He forced his eyes open, refusing to tear his gaze away from the wooden pillar even for a second. Every glance felt like a knife twisting in his heart; another glance, and he felt almost suffocated.

"Let's go back! What's wrong with you..." Night Moon supported Zhao Nan in a panic, pulling him forcefully outward.

"Light the fire!" The village chief gave the order.

Several burly men stepped forward from the crowd, swiping their torches across the firewood. A burst of flames immediately flared up, instantly spreading toward the wooden pillar inside.

Ah—!

Zhao Nan couldn't help letting out a muffled groan. His eyelids grew heavy once more, and he collapsed to his knees in excruciating pain. Night Moon cried out in panic, "Someone help me! Where is the doctor?"

"Daddy, don't cry, don't cry~"

Zhao Nan raised his head with difficulty, forcing open his closing eyes. At that moment, the terrified face of the little girl came into view. He bared his teeth, waved away the hand Night Moon extended to support him, and staring at the panicking mother and daughter, suddenly brought his hand to his mouth and bit down hard.

Spit!

A mouthful of blood immediately filled his mouth, but the sharp pain brought him a sudden wave of clarity.

"Honey... what are you doing?" Night Moon's face turned instantly pale.

Zhao Nan fiercely wiped the blood from his mouth; the wound on his palm was still oozing blood. He shook his head, clearing his mind further, and without a word, he broke into a sprint toward the blazing fire!

"No!!"

An imposing figure suddenly burst from the crowd, running at a terrifying speed. Several meters away from the raging fire, he used his momentum to leap forward, soaring directly into the pyre and landing beside the blonde woman.

The flames had already spread to their feet.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the village chief roared furiously. "Are you trying to rescue this witch?"

Ignoring the shouts of the crowd outside the flames entirely, Zhao Nan simply followed his instincts and began untying the blonde woman.

He pulled the cloth out of the blonde woman's mouth and hurriedly asked, "Are you alright?"

"Who... are you?" The blonde woman hesitated before asking, "Why... save me?"

"I don't know. I wanted to, so I did." Panting, Zhao Nan asked quickly, "What about you? Are you really a witch?"

The blonde woman replied, "They said I am... I don't remember. I just always felt I wasn't... And there's someone I want to find."

At that moment, the flames had already licked up past their legs.