第49章

As I hummed, the stone creatures seemed to relax further. Some of them even lowered their stony limbs. The tension in the air completely vanished, replaced by a sense of ancient, still serenity.

Jian, who had been watching with a mixture of fear and awe, slowly lowered his machete.

The stone creatures remained for a few more minutes, silent and still in the light of the sculpture. Then, as if a silent command had been given, they slowly, deliberately, turned and retreated back into the shadows of the mountain, disappearing as silently as they had appeared.

The clearing was empty again, the only sounds the crackling campfire and our own breathing.

Jian looked at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of respect and fear. He had witnessed something he couldn’t explain with his traditional knowledge of the mountain spirits.

“你… 是谁？” He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

I didn’t know how to answer that question anymore. I was still the same person who had come here for a break from my city life, but I was also someone who had walked between worlds, wielded ancient power, and faced the unknown.