On that morning, he successfully returned to the village where cherry blossoms fluttered.

The past's prosperity and excitement had been reduced to ashes, and today's flower spectators were nothing but silent dead people. He walked into the desolate and quiet village, surveyed it, and found that it seemed to have been looted once more since the time he and the others left, not knowing whether nearby villagers or bandits came upon hearing about it.

Or perhaps it was the survivors who fled that day, coming back to take their last bit of savings to start a new life?

Because there were no living people, no prey, the desolate village was empty, without monsters roaming. Gu Mo found the former house according to his memories; the piled thatch he had arranged was still there, though it was somewhat scattered and messy, and a thin layer of dust had settled on it.

He tidied up the house, planning to rest here for a while.

Even though he had arrived here, his mood was very excited; however, he managed to maintain a basic sense of calm, knowing that he couldn't rush. Considering the timing of his earlier entry, it was best to return according to that timing.

If that were the case, the real world should be in the middle of the night...

At that time, most people in the neighborhood would be asleep, and his sudden appearance wouldn't attract too much attention...

Looking at the custom-fitted light armor outfit on himself, Gu Mo sighed. The style of ancient armor appeared to be like this generally, and his clothes had already been ragged since the night of entering the dungeon, an unavoidable situation.

He sat on the pile of straw, stretched vigorously, and then fell into a dazed, trance-like state, not knowing what he was thinking about.

Whether short or long, this journey was finally coming to a temporary halt, and his heart was naturally filled with mixed emotions, quite complex thoughts, both excitement and anticipation for returning soon, alongside reluctance and worry, with a slight inexplicable guilty feeling.

Hmm, perhaps not so inexplicable. He clearly understood the source of his guilty feeling.

After a while, Gu Mo smiled bitterly, raising his hands to rub his face. He sighed, leaning slantwise against the wooden wall behind the straw pile, gently closing his eyes.

The phantom warmth and heat, which only he could feel, from the big fox surrounded him, making him feel immense reassurance, while the White Viper kept somewhat of a distance, probably due to the seasonal reason, as it was still the time of chilly spring breezes carrying slight coldness. By the time June rolls around, the situation would probably be reversed.

Anyway, does that mean for the rest of my life, I'll be worry-free in winter warmth and summer cool, with lifelong central heating and air conditioning assured?

Gu Mo's thoughts were a jumble, wandering idly in such ponderings.

The White Viper Guardian Spirit, gifted by the old man, had a permanent protection effect of "Poison Resistance +20, Prosperity +30, Poison Attribute Damage +15%, Health Value regenerates 0.5% per hour (when not in a state of serious injury or illness)."

This was probably because the White Snake was revered as a divine envoy or incarnation of gods in various regions, symbolizing growth, rebirth, longevity, and prosperity. Also, as the divine envoy of Benzaiten, the goddess symbolizing talent and wealth among the Seven Lucky Gods, people believed snakes attract wealth; shed snake skin was thought to enhance fortune.

Besides, the Viper was originally revered due to its potent venom and mighty life force; people believed a completely white viper would possess formidable spiritual power, so having such protective effects wasn't surprising.

However, Gu Mo hadn't felt much presence of these continuous protective effects; perhaps owing to not having had the chance to let it function well since obtaining the Guardian Spirit. So far, the only tangible sensation was… this snake felt cool, resting by it in summer might be quite comfortable.

Time slowly passed; the sun set, and the moon rose.

In the deep quiet of night, all was silent, and Gu Mo patiently waited until midnight, believing it to be roughly the time he originally entered, before taking action. He left the house, torch in hand, stepping towards the village's main gate once more.

Traversing the rugged mountain path outside the village gate, he steadily approached the dungeon entrance.

At this time, the Guardian Spirit sent out a warning.

There seemed to be some commotion ahead...

He cursed inwardly, realizing that even at the last moment, he couldn't afford to relax. But having come this far, retreat was not an option. He continued to carefully move forward, seeing a somewhat familiar figure curled up by the riverbank, hair trailing on the ground, body wet, lower half submerged in the dark water.

If the lower half wasn't visible, most people would probably assume it was a refugee woman who had floated here along the river, fainting due to exhaustion, merely having the fortune to grab on to the riverbank at the last moment, avoiding further drift downstream...

No matter whether driven by good intentions or evil, approaching would result in instant decapitation.

It's another Wet Woman...

But it's normal for a demon, transformed from the undead of a drowned woman, to appear by the water; it's simply that my luck was bad… or too good, seeing as I didn't encounter one on the first night passing through here, otherwise, I might never have gotten to meet Ah Xiu.

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