While the two women were sweeping the snow, two other women were cooking something on the corridor on the third floor of the cave. The white steam that Yun Ge had seen earlier was coming from there. In addition to these four women, Yun Ge also saw two male guards outside the open area.

  The two guards, armed with crossbows, stood on the watchtowers on both sides of a stone-and-wood-stake wall. Although Yun Ge couldn't see the expressions of the two guards, their vigilant posture suggested that this cave was not a place anyone could approach casually.

  Just as Yun Ge was about to wave to get the attention of the two guards, he suddenly felt a hard object pressed against his waist. At the same time, he heard an order from behind: "Stop! Don't move!"

  Yun Ge immediately stopped in his tracks and raised his half-raised hands, saying, "Please, don't hurt me! Help me! I beg you, help me!"

  "Help you? Tell me, who exactly are you?" the cold voice continued to question.

  "I, I really mean no harm! I accidentally entered this forest! Then, I just kept following the path and found my way here," Yun Ge explained.

  Then, Yun Ge quickly added, "Oh! Right! Actually, I followed the trail markers and unintentionally entered this forest! Because I can understand the trail markers you left in the forest! Because we use the same trail markers in Candy Town!"

  "What? You say you're from Candy Town?" At this moment, another voice asked with a tone of surprise and caution.

  "That's right. I, I am from Candy Town! No! To be precise, I ran away from Candy Town to look for a woman! In the process of searching for her, I accidentally fell into a deep pit. Later, I stumbled through the underground path of the pit and blundered into this mysterious forest."

  "I really didn't mean to disturb you! I just want you to help me return to the Lost Woods so I can continue searching for the woman! Because if I can't find her in time, she will——, sigh!" Yun Ge continued to explain, and when he mentioned Lily's situation at the end, he sighed helplessly, not knowing whether he would have a chance to save her.

  " What does the woman you're looking for look like? How did she go missing?" the second man's voice asked again.

  "The woman I'm looking for is named Lily. She has long hair with a slight natural curl, and she's very young and kind! She was chosen as a sacrifice by Candy Town and was forced to offer herself to the spirit of the forest to seek its protection."

  "I had planned to rush to the altar at midnight on the night of the sacrificial ceremony to save her, and then escape from Candy Town and the Lost Woods with her! But I accidentally fell into a deep pit while trying to evade the beasts. ”

  “I, I must return to the Lost Woods as soon as possible to continue searching for Lily! I beg you, please help me get back to the Lost Woods quickly!" At the end, Yun Ge pleaded urgently with a voice that clearly had a crying tone.

  However, the two people behind Yun Ge did not respond but said in a commanding tone, "Put your hands behind your head and keep walking forward! When we return to the village, the Candylord will decide how to deal with you! Remember! Keep walking along this path towards the village! Don't even think about playing any tricks, or I'll shoot an arrow through your head with my crossbow!"

  After the man finished speaking, Yun Ge felt a cold weapon pressed against the back of his head. With both his head and waist held by others, Yun Ge naturally dared not move, and since he had no ill intentions and just wanted to seek their help to leave quickly, he obediently followed their instructions and was escorted towards the village.

  During this time, Yun Ge learned through questioning that when he saw the village, the guards in the village had also spotted him and immediately notified the two who had just left to patrol around the village. Then, the two used the information provided by the guards and their familiarity with the surrounding terrain to quickly approach Yun Ge from behind and successfully captured him.

  Yun Ge was soon escorted into the village by the two patrolling guards. As soon as he entered the village gate, he noticed that everyone in the village had come out of the caves. They were either standing on the corridor or in the open area in front of the village. It seemed they had all heard about the patrolling guards capturing a stranger and came out to watch the commotion.

  In the middle of the village open area stood a man who was obviously much taller and more burly than the others, and slightly plump. However, since the man was wearing a thick leather robe, Yun Ge couldn't see his face clearly at first glance.

  The patrolling guards escorted Yun Ge to the man and said respectfully, "Candylord, this is the guy we found earlier. Although he was carrying a sickle with a slightly rusty blade, it seems to be just for self-defense and poses no threat. Also, he said his name is Yun Ge and that he ran away from Candy Town."

  Then, the two patrolling guards told the Candylord everything they had learned while escorting Yun Ge back. Yun Ge noticed that after the guards mentioned his name and the reason for his arrival, many women in the crowd let out gasps of surprise. The men, on the other hand, started inquiring about the situation from the women around them, and then everyone began to whisper and discuss among themselves.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, the Candylord listened to the guards' report and then said with a simple and honest tone, "Hohoho! So you are a guest from Candy Town! Welcome! Welcome!"

  After speaking, the Candylord removed the wide hood that covered most of his face and combed his black-and-white, thick, and dirty braids, continuing, "Hohoho! Welcome to Honeysnow Village! I am the leader of this village, named Tang Tang Xiong. But everyone is used to calling me Candylord, and Brother Yun Ge can call me that too! Hohoho!"

  "Hello, Candylord! My name is Yun Ge, and I'm from Candy Town. No, to be precise, I ran away from Candy Town," Yun Ge quickly replied, while staring in disbelief at the Candylord standing in front of him.

  Yun Ge was extremely surprised to see the Candylord's true appearance because his face was covered with thick hair, and he had a set of teeth that sent chills down one's spine. Moreover, even though the Candylord's appearance looked like a black bear evolving towards a human form, Yun Ge could still tell at a glance that his features closely resembled the mayor of Candy Town.

  Seemingly noticing Yun Ge's reaction, the Candylord awkwardly combed his black-and-white braids again and said, "Hohoho! It seems Brother Yun Ge must have been reminded of someone else upon seeing my appearance! Hohoho! To be honest, that guy and I are actually biological brothers, but it's because of our different ideologies that I ended up here."

  Hearing this, a look of confusion crossed Yun Ge's face as he waited for further explanation from the Candylord. However, the Candylord showed no intention of elaborating and instead revealed an extremely sorrowful expression, standing still and looking up at the sky where heavy snow was falling. The others present also stopped their conversations because of the Candylord's words, and the scene fell into an uncomfortable silence. But this silence only lasted for a dozen or so seconds before it was broken by a woman standing in the open area.

  The young woman, who was quite attractive, mustered her courage and approached Yun Ge, asking with a tone full of caution and confusion, "Yun Ge, what——has happened to you? Don't you recognize us?"

  Yun Ge didn't expect such a question and looked at the other women the woman was pointing to, then replied in confusion, "Who are you? Should I know you?"

  Upon hearing this, the woman seemed to understand something, sighed disappointedly, and nodded affirmatively towards the Candylord. After exchanging a glance with the woman, the Candylord smiled simply and said to Yun Ge, "Hohoho! Since you are indeed a friend from Candy Town, please come inside and talk in detail! Oh dear! It's been snowing for the past few days, and it's quite cold. Everyone should hurry back inside too!"

  "By the way, Lauren, quickly prepare some hot food. I'm sure Brother Yun Ge must be hungry and cold after his journey. We must treat him well and not neglect our guest!"

  The woman named Lauren responded and left, and the Candylord walked up to Yun Ge, patting him on the shoulder amicably, then said, "Let's go! We'll talk inside. It's quite cold, and we wouldn't want you to catch a chill."

  With that, the Candylord politely stepped aside to indicate that Yun Ge should follow him.

  Seeing that the group had no hostility towards him, Yun Ge first expressed his gratitude to the Candylord with a polite gesture, then said, "Thank you for your kindness, Candylord! But I really can't stay here for long! The reason I fled from Candy Town was to rescue a woman named Lily. She was forced by Candy Town to be a human sacrifice and sent into the Lost Woods. I must save her before the spirit of the forest takes her life!"

  "Therefore, I can't linger here. I implore you, Candylord, to show me the way out of this forest as soon as possible!"

  "Ah! Even if the spirit of the forest truly exists, it may not be interested in the so-called sacrifices from Candy Town! Moreover, strictly speaking, you haven't left the Lost Woods. This place is also part of the Lost Woods, but it's a different area, which is why the climate here is so different from the Lost Woods where Candy Town is located," the Candylord said in a tone that seemed to see through everything.

  Then, the Candylord gave Yun Ge a mysterious smile and said, "As for the girl named Lily——, she's very lucky, so you don't need to worry too much about her life! Let's go back inside and warm up, and you can also explain your situation in detail. Then, when Lily wakes up, I'll take you to see her."

  "What?! Lily is here?!" Hearing this, Yun Ge couldn't help but become excited and shouted loudly.

  "Hey! Can't you speak a little more softly? Aren't you afraid that your voice might resonate with the snow on the mountain, causing an avalanche?" the Candylord said, rubbing his ears and scolding him in annoyance.

  Yun Ge bowed apologetically, feeling very embarrassed, and then asked in a lowered voice, still anxious, "I'm sorry, Candylord! Did you really save Lily? The woman you saved, is she really——"

  "It's her! We rescued her from the altar three days ago and brought her here. Plus, several people, including Lauren, know Lily, so we definitely wouldn't mistake her. Since you're so curious, why not come inside and talk in detail? I'm not keen on chatting outside in the cold," the Candylord said, feigning impatience before Yun Ge could finish his sentence.

  Since the Candylord had spoken, and Yun Ge was eager to learn more about Lily's condition and why they had saved her, he didn't hesitate any longer and quickened his pace to follow the Candylord back to his cave on the third floor of the village.

  The cave where the Candylord lived was much larger than Yun Ge had imagined. Although the furnishings were very simple, it could be said that all kinds of household items were available.

  These household items were completely different from the products of Candy Town, all meticulously handmade by the villagers according to local conditions. Although these items were roughly made, they had a unique charm when paired with the distinctive living environment of the cave.

  Yun Ge took a cup of hot tea from the Candylord, but instead of sipping the fragrant hot tea immediately, he cautiously sat down on a handcrafted wooden chair and then looked out the window. He noticed that the two guards who had escorted him inside earlier hadn't left but were standing outside the cave with two other soldiers who had arrived subsequently.

  Seeing this, Yun Ge couldn't help but feel a bitter smile in his heart; it seemed that although the Candylord had confirmed his identity, they still had doubts about his story of fleeing Candy Town.

  "Hohoho! After all, we still can't be sure of the real reason you ran away from Candy Town, so for safety's sake, I have to keep a close watch on you for the time being. If my order offends you, please forgive me," the Candylord said with a smile.

  Since he was now essentially under the control of others in this cave, and Yun Ge didn't think he could defeat the Candylord, who was a bear-like yet human-like creature, in his current state, he could only force a smile in response, "I understand. After all, I'm a stranger who suddenly arrived here, and it's only natural for you to be cautious."