The voice rang out suddenly, full of vigor. Though it came from afar, it sounded as if it was right beside them, making Quinn Shepherd's deer ears buzz and ring.
He looked toward the sound. On the distant cliff stood several figures. The path from the foothills to the cliff was six or seven li, so Quinn could barely make out their faces. Yet for their voices to travel so far and remain so clear, they could not be ordinary people.
Granny Sue slung her basket over her arm and laughed, "Heavenly Demon? What Heavenly Demon? I'm just a regular old woman from the riverside, and this little deer is just an ordinary deer—raised by me, nothing more..."
"Quinn, run!"
Quinn heard Granny Sue's voice and froze, wanting to speak but unable to make a sound. He didn't want to leave, worried Granny Sue would be in danger.
"A regular old woman from the riverside? With a voice that strong, able to reach us this clearly, no ordinary granny could do that."
On the cliff, an old but powerful voice sneered, "And as for the Heavenly Demon Creation Art, we Five Elders of River Lee would never mistake it. Skinning and tailoring, endless transformations—such vicious methods, we've seen them with our own eyes. Still trying to deny it?"
Another elder on the cliff said in a deep voice, "The Heavenly Demon Creation Art turns people into cattle and sheep, dragging them to market for slaughter and sale. You lot have done this more than once, haven't you? Many righteous elders have been turned into beasts by you demons, forced to plow fields and eat grass their whole lives! Your tricks can't fool us!"
Yet another elder spoke with a tone of pity: "A deer is a living being too, and you turned its skin and soul into evil things. If we don't kill you, who knows how many more lives you'll destroy? Who else should we kill, if not you?"
Granny Sue pinched the space between Quinn Shepherd's deer brows, pulled out a silver needle, and whispered, "Those old fools can't do anything to me, but with you here I have to divide my attention to protect you. Run! Run back to the village!"