Li Jia and Zhang Shou exchanged glances, seeing both gravity and doubt in each other's eyes.
Zhang Shou signaled his companion to step back, then retreated alongside him while speaking to the villagers: "Everyone, don't be afraid. We are not bad people, and we mean no harm. Our companions and we were passing by the village at the foot of the mountain when we noticed it was deserted and found it strange, which is why we came up to investigate. What happened here?"
The villagers looked at each other in dismay, their expressions hesitant. They did not know whether they should trust these suddenly appearing strangers, especially since they looked like formidable martial artists.
Chapter 28