The village head was helpless but he didn’t dare to offend Jiang Cheng. He shot a look at the tanned man who was holding an umbrella above his head to move to Jiang Cheng’s side. It was not until Jiang Cheng was right under the shade that he revealed a satisfied expression.
“Miss Yu!” Jiang Cheng invited Yu Man to join him. They walked side by side. Perhaps they had similar professions. They seemed to have endless topics. Jiang Cheng would lean into the woman’s ear, causing the woman to laugh and blush. Then, the two would turn to look at Chen Xiaomeng funnily. Then, they would share another incomprehensible laugh.
Chen Xiaomeng was annoyed. She turned her head to stop seeing him.
The mountain roads were harder to trek than they thought. The trip was supposed to be a few hours long, but they only saw the village in the distance when the sky was almost dark. The village head shuffled on his cane. He stood on a natural rocky perch and looked at the village. Lamentation coloured his eyes. The group slowly stopped.
The mountain village looked serene under the setting sun. It was shrouded in a sacred veil. The black-and-white roof tiles shone through. Smoke rose out of the chimneys. They were like snakes slithering through the mountain forest. It looked as picturesque as a Chinese ink painting. Even though he was on a mission, Bei Qian, who was a painter, was impressed by the scenery at Little Ravine Village.
A clear stream winded through the village. Green pebbles slowly appeared underneath their feet. The green-pebbled road led to the village. The village was not large. It probably had around 100 families. After the village head scattered the following villagers, only Jiang Cheng’s group and the tanned man who held his umbrella remained. The group came to a courtyard. Well, instead of a courtyard, it was more like a few low brick houses being surrounded by fences and made to look like a courtyard.
The village head entered the place first, probably to set up the sleeping arrangements. The travellers didn’t follow him but stayed outside the way. Jiang Cheng looked around curiously before his eyes settled on the large pans placed in the yard. The pans were lined along the fence. They had large sweet potatoes in them. The potatoes had wet mud stuck on them. They looked like they had just been dug up.
They suddenly heard arguments in local dialect. Moments later, the village head came out with a sad face. One of the doors inside the yard was open and a woman’s face appeared. Zhou Rong noticed the woman holding a wooden club that had a charred end. She looked aloof and hostile.
The village head looked awkward. His mouth hung open for a moment, but he had to explain, “The family head is not here. It’s inconvenient. Why… don’t we check the other houses?”
The village head led them to the smaller of the two rooms to the east. The interior was quite clean. The door opened to a small living room. In the middle was a stove made from unrecognisable material. Inside the stove, there was coal ash.
The village head seemed to be very familiar with this place. He easily found some charcoal inside a bamboo basket leaning against the wall. Then, the tanned man walked in from outside, holding a bundle of firewood that seemed to have mysteriously appeared. With both of them cooperating, the fire inside the stove started to spark.
They sat around the stove and enjoyed the warm. The fatigue from the journey melted away. The man who followed them was very reticent, and his eyes were dull. After the flame stabilised, he carried the charcoal and firewood to the house next door and started a fire.
The village head said apologetically, “I’ll have to trouble you to stay here for the night.” He pointed around him, “This house comes with two bedrooms, one on each side. Two people can stay in one room. Therefore, one house can accommodate four people. The other four can sleep in the house next door.”
Bei Qian interrupted. He looked at the old man. “It’s fine. All of us can stay in this one house.”
The village head didn’t expect this. He paused for a few moments and then laughed awkwardly, “Of course. It is as master wishes…” Then, he thought of something and corrected himself, “I mean, masters…”
Jiang Cheng gave him a side-eye but said nothing. The village head licked his lips.
“Now, can you tell us what has happened here?” Yu Man sat before the fire. The flame cast her profile in a seductive way. She smiled, “You didn’t ask us here for the countryside scenery, right?”
No one brought up the inn boss’ warning. There was no one trustworthy in the nightmare, be it the NPCs or the teammates.
The village head swallowed nervously. When he saw the tanned man return, he stood up, closed the door and eased a wooden log through the handles to use a lock. Then, he sat back down. His expression changed drastically. It was a mixture of fear, regret and helplessness.
“Do you… believe in ghosts?” He raised his head to ask.
The travellers groaned internally. They wished they could skip this introduction part of the mission. They wanted to get to the core of the plot!
However, they were also worried that they might miss some clues. Therefore, Zhou Rong nodded. “We do. Spirits are everywhere around us.”
“But, I’m talking about… Ghosts!” The village head continued with difficulty, “The kind who would kill without remorse.”
At this point, for some unknown reason, everyone felt a chill. It happened so suddenly that even the flame in the stove was affected. Under everyone’s scrutiny, it dimmed.