About 4-5 hours passed uneventfully, and Leshy decided to call an end to today's trip.

Suddenly Leshy heard a sound of steps on forest evil and short after saw four deer-like creatures grazing freely. Their legs were bit more massive than typical dears and horns looked more dangerous, but the resemblance to deers was still there. Leshy continued observing, hidden behind one of the trees. He noticed that animals were eating some mushrooms and violet fruits that dropped from a nearby thousand-year-old tree. Then the feeling of danger came back to him. This time it was a more gentle feeling, more like it was not sure but still decided to give a warning. He wanted to quietly back out and return to his cave when some strange, loud whispering was heard. A moment later, Leshy realized that he did not listen to it with ears. Still, the whispering was echoing directly in his head. He could not understand words, but with sounds came the urge to go in a specific direction, it was hard to resist calling. At that moment, the qi energy inside him started to circulate on his own, which helped him to shake off the hypnotizing whispers.

But the dears were not as lucky, and they started to behave strangely. Their eyes went blank they froze for a second in place and shortly after started swaying back and forth. Then they began to walk to the west. However, their moves were stiff and unnatural.

This scene before him was bizarre, giving Leshy goosebumps on the thought that he was close to being hypnotized. With slight hesitation and uneasiness, he decided to follow the animals.

"Enemy known is always better than the unknown one. I need to understand where this whisper is coming from so I can avoid that place in the future. For now, I will follow those animals from a safe distance since I seem to be immune to this hypnotizing effect" gritting his teeth Leshy as he made a decision. After that, though, the sensation of warning stopped as if his gift done its job and call it a day.

Leshy without sparing it further thinking, started sneaking behind dazed animals, making sure to circulate qi as whispers were becoming louder and more melodious. After about 200 hundred meters he could see a lone character whirling like a dervish on top of a small hill next to a tall wooden building covered in moss. The creature was female, had long, dark green hairs and was wearing something that looked like multiple sew together rags. Those rags were swaying on a wind due to spinning, making the whole character blurry in a way that was hard to take eyes off it.

Beside 4 dears there was a rabbit-like creature and a humanoid character which was grey and tall. This grey creature looked very weak with thin legs and arms that had almost no visible muscles. Its head was nearly twice as big as Human's one who gave it a bit ridiculous look. All of creates were sitting in a circle around the spinning character and swaying back and forth in the same rhythm with a blank look on their faces. In the next few minutes, all of the creatures beside grey-man and the most abundant deer stood up. They walked one after another to the wooden tower disappearing from sight.

Not long after, the figure in rags stopped spinning, and the remaining two creatures ceased their rhythmical moves, closed their eyes and dropped on the ground. The ragged creature unhurriedly moved to the last deer with a long rope in its hands and tied the creature's legs. The other end of the line was flipped over a branch of a nearby tree, so once the ragged character pulled the rope, it has raised the deer to about half a meter above the ground. The green-haired creature took from its back a bone knife and in swift move cut the dear's throat putting and bucket underneath to catch the flowing blood.

Then unhurriedly moved to the grey-man and tied its hands and whisper something while pulling out strange-looking herbs and staffing them in a still an unconscious grey creature. The grey man opened its eye and start chewing the herbs. After the herbs were eaten, a grimace of pain appeared on the creature's face, and it curled in a fetus position. The ragged character closed its eyes, but both heads on the lying head and keep that position.

Leshy suddenly could feel qi swirling around, then flow towards the lying man and gather around his head. During that process, the grey one seems to be more and more in pain as muffled groans started to come from its mouth. The ragged creature remained indifferent to moans and started performing incantation gestures with one hand. At the same time, the other was still kept on a big grey head. After a time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the ritual ended, and the ragged creature stood up with a pleased expression on its face. Then hissed something hoarsely making the grey man stand up and let him be pulled by the arm and dragged to the wooden tower.

Shortly after the green hair creature returned and started methodically gutting the hanging deer from time to time cutting a piece of meat to chew it.

“Well, survive today fight tomorrow. It’s time to leave this place and never to come back. That Baba Yaga seems dangerous and I have no reason to stay here any longer” thought Leshy and at that moment he felt his danger senses tingle making him drop to the ground. Right after he heard a dull bang as something blunt darted in the tree behind him on the height of his head.

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Then he saw a ragged creature to start walking towards him.

“Leaving already? If you wanted to hide you should at least try to restrain your aura from leaking all around this place. But you can’t, since you have no idea how to do it. Isn’t that right?” laughingly said Baba Yaga “Normally I wouldn’t dare to provoke qi practitioner but you are not there. Not yet at least” the creature continued with utter confidence as it was getting closer and Leshy could see her vicious smile more clearly. The female was very old, almost ancient with countless wrinkles. Her eyes, however, were amazing, bright and green, making you want to admire them.

Without much thought, Leshy charged forward-thrusting spear at incoming enemy. However, his spear went through without any resistance and the image of the ragged creature disappeared from in front of him. It was just an illusion so where was the real Baba Yaga?

“What th…” couldn't finish Leshy as he got knocked out from behind with a single precise hit.

When Leshy slowly opened his eyes it was already dark outside. He found himself tied in a huge cell inside a wooden tower. Next to him was lying gray-man, he seemed to be sleeping, his breathing was irregular and body emanated great heat as if he was in a fever. Whatever baba Yaga gave him, it wasn't harmless. The whole-cell was filled with bones and skeletons of different humanoid creatures. Most of them must have been very young at the moment of death.

“I wonder why I am not dead or on drugs like this Grey-man here,” thought Leshy looking around “Based on how Baba Yaga can charm animals she should have no problem with getting food, so I probably won't be eaten…then what she wants from me?”

Of course, whatever it is, it’s nothing to look forward to. So that information would only help Leshy to decide whether to be scared, semi-scared or terrified. Not that much of difference.

In the next moment, the Baba Yaga entered the room, looked at Leshy a smiled revealing row of white human-looking teeth. Without saying anything she walked to a grey man and started examining it. She sighed, whispered something causing Qi to fluctuate, then moved to the middle of the room and started drawing some strange symbols.

“You see the Grey one here? He is another failed experiment and is being transformed in medicine that will help me to prolong my life by a couple of months at most… you see my life is closing to an end” started bitterly her story Baba Yaga, still drawing some symbols and rune on the floor. After a short break, she continued

“About 5 years ago I used to be a cultivator like you, except I was much, much stronger, had great talent, extraordinary spirit roots and was beautiful like a deity. I was the center of praise of awe and envy of many. Perhaps too many. One day when I was ordered to go on missions for sect together with the son of the sect master. The sect master son, Yang, deeply desired me, he wanted to make me one of his concubines but I refused him on many occasions. The mission was to fight a Spirit Beast that was a guardian 10000-year-old ginseng in this very forest… such ginseng was a very beneficial herb for foundation building cultivators like me and I got tempted to go for it. After flying for thousands of miles we got in the middle of nowhere which supposed to be the location of the Beast. Instead, there were about 10 lackeys of young master waiting for us. With their help, the young master was able to defeat me and raped me. Then to prevent anyone from knowing he scattered my cultivation leaving me on verge of life and death. The best part is that it was all arranged by his doting father, as part of his birthday gift.” Continued emotionless the female, as if those memories no longer affected her.

“You see, I was a person with no background, no powerful clan backing me up, making it easy for people with great influence to do as they pleased” explained bitterly the woman, thinking about how cruel the world is built.

“So I was left for sure death in the middle of Forest of Fogs, with no idea how to get back or means for it. I was left with only thought of vengeance. Without cultivation I was weak and my aging was no longer suppressed changing my body to the way you see me now - old 65 years old lady.

However, the spirits of the Forest of Fog must have seen it all and have taken pity of me, healed my wounds and nourished my poor soul from going crazy. Then they bestow me some of the forest magic you saw earlier. However, without cultivation, I could utilize only the smallest part of that legacy.”

“I don’t know why I am telling you this, maybe because I had not spoken to anyone since then…or maybe I feel a little bit guilty for what is about to happen or maybe I know that my end is near and I don’t want to be forgotten” ponder Baba Yaga in cold, indifferent voice.