Chapter 44 - Is this the end?

In less than twenty minutes, Ximen Wei had already encountered something that made him fear for his life. As he trudged through the murky waters of the swamp, he saw a boat pass by. Atop the boat was a young girl, her face buried in her arms as she wept inconsolably. Ximen Wei couldn't make out her features, but he could feel the intensity of her sorrow.

As the boat drew closer, the girl suddenly stopped crying, and the atmosphere around Ximen Wei turned icy cold. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he felt a wave of terror wash over him. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Ximen Wei forced himself to keep moving, to ignore the overwhelming sense of dread that had taken hold of him. He pretended as if he hadn't seen anything, as if everything was normal, but deep down, he knew that nothing was as it seemed in the swamp.