After a series of hurried footsteps, three figures emerged from the fog.
Li Cancan looked at the small mountain village in front of her and asked, “God Xin, is this the abandoned village? It doesn’t look too deserted.”
Bai Lixin’s voice was low, “No, this isn’t it.”
Sun Ning: “Then where are we?”
Bai Lixin: “This is the precursor to the abandoned village.”
Sun Ning and Li Cancan: “…”
So, they had arrived at the village where women were being kidnapped?
The three of them stood at the village entrance for a while, and saw two people walking on the road.
Bai Lixin absentmindedly rubbed the wolf cub in his arms and said, “Let’s go in and take a look.”
Li Cancan: “Okay.”
This time, there was no wedding banquet or other activities in the village. The village, which already had a small population, seemed particularly desolate without collective activities.
At the village entrance, some shirtless middle-aged men were playing poker.
Bai Lixin and the others walked straight in. Suddenly, a voice shouted from the side, “Hey, what are you three doing?”
The three of them stopped and looked at the middle-aged men playing poker with suspicion.
Those men raised their heads in unison, their eyes filled with scrutiny.
Bai Lixin, Sun Ning, and Li Cancan exchanged glances. They noticed that those men had discarded their poker cards and were walking towards them.
These villagers could see them.
As the villagers approached, the three put away their suspicious gazes and met their eyes directly.
Four middle-aged men approached them. They quickly glanced at Bai Lixin and then shifted their eyes to Sun Ning and Li Cancan.
When their gaze fell on the two, their eyes instantly turned appraising. They looked at the two as if they were commodities for sale.
Li Cancan wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Sun Ning shielded Li Cancan behind her and said coldly, “What are you doing!”
With the sharp rebuke, the villagers finally withdrew their gaze and continued to look at Bai Lixin. “You three, who are you?”
Bai Lixin said casually, “Oh, we came out for a trip. Our car broke down on the way, so we wanted to find someone to help. After searching for a while, we found this place.”
“Oh, I see. Where did you park your car?”
Bai Lixin pointed in a random direction, “Over there, it’s quite far.”
The villagers casually glanced in the direction Bai Lixin pointed, “It’s quite far indeed, we can’t even see it. How about this, it’s getting dark now, why don’t you stay overnight in our village? Tomorrow morning, I’ll find some people from our village to help you.”
The tone that was just questioning became warm, “Our village has a few empty houses, you can stay there.”
Bai Lixin said, “Okay, thank you. Please show us the way.”
The villagers immediately changed from their previous indifference to enthusiasm. They stood on both sides of the three, guiding them into the village with smiles on their faces.
They hadn’t walked for long before stopping at the entrance of an alley. “Here it is.”
“The entire family here has moved to the city, so this old house is empty. But they haven’t moved out for long so the things inside should be relatively complete. You can stay here for one night.”
He paused, “Or you three can come to our place.”
With that, the villagers looked at Sun Ning and Li Cancan again.
Sun Ning refused bluntly, “No need, thank you for your kindness! The three of us are used to being together, staying here is fine!”
“Why are you so fierce?” The villager frowned and glanced at Sun Ning, “If you continue being so fierce, you might not find a husband in the future.”
Sun Ning retorted, “Whether I find a husband or not is none of your business. I’m not marrying you, mind your own business.”
The villagers suddenly revealed a subtle expression and one of them laughed, “That’s not necessarily.”
Not necessarily what?
Not necessarily “not marrying you”?
Disgusting.
“Alright, alright, we’re just joking with you,” one villager tried to smooth things over, “We were just teasing you because you seemed too tense and we wanted to break the ice. Don’t take it to heart. By the way, tonight, Li’s wife has something to celebrate, so she’s inviting the village for a feast. You’ve arrived just in time, come and enjoy the meal with us.”
“What good thing?” Bai Lixin asked.
“I heard it’s her birthday. Well, you know how it is in the city, birthdays are a big deal. Li’s wife is usually nice to us, and since it’s her birthday, we can’t refuse her,” one villager explained.
As they were talking, a person carrying a heavy bucket emerged from the alley. It was a woman, and they alley she came out of was a small road away from where they stood.
One of the villagers pointed, “See, that’s Li’s wife. She’s quite pretty, isn’t she?”
He shouted to her, “Li’s wife, what are you busy with?”
The woman’s hair was a bit messy, and she was wearing an apron. She was pouring water from the bucket into the ditch and upon hearing the shout, she looked up and smiled gently, “Brother, I’m pouring kitchen wastewater.”
The villager said, “Why are you doing that? Your arms and legs are so slender, why not let your husband do it?”
She replied, “My husband just came back from the fields. How could I let him work? It’s my birthday tonight, everyone is gathering in the village square. You all can’t escape.”
“Haha, of course, we’ll be there. None of us can miss it. The Li family is blessed to have a wife like you,” the villager chuckled.
“Haha, brother, you’re teasing again, aren’t you?” She glanced at the strangers beside the villager, “Who are they?”
“Outsiders, their car broke down on the way, so they are staying here for the night. I told them about your birthday, and I invited them to join us tonight.”
She smiled, “Okay, the more, the merrier. Everyone is welcome.”
“I’m going back now, brother. I need to prepare dinner for tonight.”
After a friendly farewell, she carried the bucket and disappeared into the alley.
Seeing the woman disappearing into the narrow lane, the villager couldn’t help but sigh, “Did you see? What a good wife. Alright, you guys should tidy up quickly, we need to get back to work.”
When everyone had left and only the three of them remained, Li Cancan finally asked in a low voice, “God Xin, who is that Li family’s wife?”
Bai Lixin’s eyes darkened slightly, “It’s Ah Jing. Come, let’s talk inside.”
After entering the thatched house, the three found a clean spot to sit down.
Bai Lixin checked the time displayed in the system bar; it showed a little after eight in the evening, but outside, it still looked like afternoon.
Time here was chaotic; they couldn’t define it using time in the real world.
Li Cancan’s voice rang out in the cramped and narrow room, “Didn’t Ah Jing escape already? Why is she still in this village? Did we come to the timeline before Ah Jing escaped?”
Sun Ning: “It’s also possible that Ah Jing came back.”
Li Cancan: “But why would she come back? Didn’t she escape already? Could she have been caught and brought back?”
Red clothes, slaughter, over twenty people, corpses in the well…
The answer to why she came back seemed imminent.
Li Cancan’s face turned inexplicably pale, “Could she have come back for revenge? Revenge for whom? Could something have happened to Liang Tingting?”
Sun Ning: “Theory is not as good as practice; let’s go to Pan Pan’s house.”
Bai Lixin agreed, “Good, I was thinking the same thing.”
After a while in the cramped and dusty room, they walked out.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. Resting here was unnecessary.
For Bai Lixin, the path to Pan Pan’s house was a familiar and they quickly found the front gate.
It was a bit different from Bai Lixin’s last visit. During his previous visit, they were having a wedding, and everything, including the gate, was freshly painted, looking new and clean.
But now, the paint on the gate had peeled off, and the entrance seemed to have been scratched by some sharp object. Wood chips from inside the door were scattered outside.
The gate hung crookedly on the door frame, looking desolate.
Bai Lixin attempted to push the courtyard gate. The originally closed gate made a creaking sound and opened.
The main gate was not locked.
Inside the courtyard, there were scattered leaves and dust, giving the impression that it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time.
So no one had been living here for a while?
As soon as the three entered the courtyard, they heard a cough from inside.
Then the door of the main house was pushed open, and a man walked out.
Though somewhat disheveled, Bai Lixin recognized him. This man was the one who had married Liang Tingting, Pan Pan’s father.
The man’s eyes were clouded. He leaned on the door frame, looked at them and asked, “Who are you?”
“We’re outsiders staying temporarily in the village today. Some villagers said there are a few empty houses in the village, so they let us choose one. Sorry, the courtyard was covered in leaves, and we thought no one lived here,” Bai Lixin explained.
“I’m not dead yet!” the man pounded the wall forcefully. “I’m still alive and well. Don’t think that just because my family only has me, you can bully me. I, Huang Shongwei, am not that easy to bully!”
Li Cancan mumbled, “Exactly, you’re the one who bullies others. Who’s going to bully you?”
“What did you say?!” The man suddenly widened his eyes, glaring fiercely at Li Cancan.
“Why are you getting so angry?” a familiar female voice came from outside before the figure appeared. “Let me see who dared to provoke our Brother Huang.”
With the sound of the voice, Ah Jing walked in.
Compared to the last time Bai Lixin saw her, Ah Jing now had a few faint wrinkles on her face. Her once delicate hands had calluses.
Ah Jing smiled gently, her eyes formed crescent moons as she glanced at the three people before focusing on the man opposite her. “Brother Huang, I’ve come to bring you something.”
Seeing Ah Jing arrive, the man’s expression softened. “What is it?”
“I made you a new outfit. Try it on and see if it fits,” Ah Jing said, pulling the garment out of the bag she carried.
It was black.
Seeing the garment, the man was momentarily stunned. “This is…”
“Black. It makes you look young and clean. I sewed it stitch by stitch myself. Try it on quickly,” she said, stuffing the clothes into the man’s arms.
“As for these three,” Ah Jing spoke, “I just met them. They are outsiders invited by the village chief to stay temporarily. Their car broke down, so the chief asked them to stay in our village for a day.”
Ah Jing looked at the three of them. “But why are you all here?”
“Why else?” the man said, his anger flaring up again. “They thought my house was empty, and so did the village chief. They bullied me first.”
“ Brother Huang, don’t be angry,” Ah Jing smiled all the while. “The village chief probably didn’t explain properly. It’s their first time here; they’re not familiar with our village. Don’t take it to heart. Today is my birthday. If you get angry again, it means you’re not giving me face.”
The man instantly suppressed his anger. “No, no. I’m still living a decent life thanks to your daily support. I won’t let you lose face on your birthday.”
Ah Jing nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes. By the way, today is not only my birthday, but it’s also a special day. Can you guess what day it is?”
The man looked puzzled. ”What special day?”
Ah Jing slightly opened her eyes. “You don’t even know?”
The man felt a bit guilty. “I don’t know. Remind me.”
“Hahaha, it’s said to be King Yama’s birthday.”
“King Yama? Really?”
Ah Jing: “Who knows? King Yama celebrates his birthday underground, it doesn’t concern us ordinary folks. We can’t celebrate with him. Right?”
Man: “Yes, yes, you’re right about everything. I’m going to try on the clothes now.”
Ah Jing: “Okay.”
When the man entered the room, Ah Jing put away her smile and looked at the three of them. “You three need to leave the village now and head west over the mountains. There’s a small county there where you can stay. Our village will be very lively tonight, but I don’t like unfamiliar strangers attending my birthday.”
“Sister,” Li Cancan said, gripping Ah Jing’s hand. “But we’ve been traveling for a very long time. We can’t even walk a mile now, let alone ten miles.”
Ah Jing’s smile faded, but she quickly regained it. “It will be very lively tonight. I like noise and I prefer my birthday to be lively. It might overwhelm you.”
She hinted, “The unforgettable kind of lively. Would you still want to stay?”
Li Cancan continued to pout and pleaded, “Please, Sister, we’ll just stay for one night. We’ll leave at dawn tomorrow.”
Ah Jing’s eyes flickered. “Fine, this is what you said. Leave early tomorrow morning.”
Li Cancan smiled sweetly, “Thank you, Sister.”
Seeing Li Cancan’s smile, Ah Jing was in a daze for a moment.
The next second, she withdrew her arm from Li Cancan’s grip. “I have to go get something. Wait for me in the courtyard, when I leave, I’ll take you to the empty house to avoid you getting lost again.”
After giving her instructions, Ah Jing adeptly entered a small house.
After five or six minutes, Ah Jing and the man came out of their respective rooms simultaneously.
The man came from the main hall, while Ah Jing came from the small house.
After Ah Jing emerged, Bai Lixin noticed her bag looked full, as if there was something hard and angular inside.
From the outside, it seemed sturdy.
The man had changed his clothes, and he spun around in the courtyard to show himself to Ah Jing. “How is it?”
Ah Jing’s gentle smile returned. “It fits perfectly, very good. It seems my skills are not bad.”
“That’s for sure,” the man scratched his head shyly. “But making clothes for me, won’t your husband get angry?”
Ah Jing: “What’s there to be angry about? There’s nothing between us. You’re my sister’s husband, and my sister isn’t here anymore. Of course, I have to take care of you for my sister’s sake.”
Bai Lixin and the others exchanged glances.
Not here anymore?
So, has Liang TingTing already passed away?
When did she die?
How did she die?
Li Cancan hesitated, wanting to speak but stopped herself. She took a deep breath and managed to control her emotions.
Before leaving, Ah Jing instructed the man to make sure to come to her birthday celebration. Only then did she lead Bai Lixin and the others away.
Before leaving, Bai Lixin glanced back at the man.
Wearing the black and yellow flowered clothes, the man stood in the courtyard, his face slightly pale. From a distance, the clothes looked like funeral attire.
Ah Jing didn’t smile anymore as she led them to a courtyard. “No one is inside. You can stay here tonight.”
“But you probably won’t sleep tonight,” as they left, the group faintly heard Ah Jing muttering.
Once Ah Jing disappeared into the alley, the three quietly slipped out again.
They passed the school on their way to Pan Pan’s house.
The school that was intact when Bai Lixin visited last time was now reduced to ruins.
Burnt traces were everywhere.
Plus, he had seen the charred face of the female ghost in the deserted village. It could be reasonably assumed that the woman who was burned was Liang Tingting.
So, there was a high possibility that Liang Tingting had died in the fire, and the fore had started in the school.
There were few people on the road this time. When they passed the small square, a few tables had already been set up.
Taking advantage of the absence of people, they quickly slipped into the school.
The school had been turned into ruins by the fire, and the school gate was also destroyed.
The raging fire had burnt down trees and grass, and the ashes of the grass and trees had become nutrients for wild plants. Although the buildings were gone, the school grounds were now covered with wildly overgrown weeds.
