Chapter 1775: Chapter 1018: Don’t Separate
The matter of Hasegawa Hideji had come to an end, but those of them still alive needed to find a way to keep living. Their current clue led them to Asakura Yodou’s hometown, Chao Wei Village, and Qingshui Cangjie decided to go once more.
This time, besides the original trio, Beiyu Ye also requested to join. So, the four of them set off again in the car toward Chao Wei Village.
With Hasegawa Hideji being executed, their original group of 16 was down to just 10, and it had only been three days. On the road, Heize Lin, who was driving, half-jokingly said it was fortunate there were more of them this time, otherwise a group wipeout could be a real danger.
Hearing this, Yang Xiao silently sighed, thinking to himself that this kid was a real genius, hitting the nail on the head.
"Mr. Heize, you’re overthinking. As long as I’m here, we won’t be wiped out," said Beiyu Ye, sitting in the passenger seat, looking very confident.
This statement left Heize Lin momentarily dumbfounded, while Qingshui Cangjie, sitting in the back seat, uncharacteristically chuckled twice, his face kindly, half-joking, and half-complimentary, "Then we’ll count on Mr. Beiyu."
"No trouble at all." Beiyu Ye squinted his eyes, looking very sure of himself.
Yang Xiao took a deep breath, knowing this kid was acting up again. If he didn’t show off for a day, he’d feel uncomfortable; he was really holding back.
An hour and a half later, they drove into Chao Wei Village. Qingshui Cangjie had already contacted Principal Suzuki in advance, and now Principal Suzuki was waiting at the village entrance with a man.
The man looked to be about 45 years old, slender but quite robust, with bright eyes. Due to years of exposure to wind and sun, his skin was quite dark.
After getting out of the car and exchanging greetings, Principal Suzuki introduced the man to the group. The man’s name was Shimajima Seiichiro, and he was considered the last batch of fishermen from Chao Wei Village. However, he had long since stopped going to sea. Nowadays, he ran small trades in the village, helping elderly people with difficulty moving to buy some daily necessities, living a peaceful and stable life in this remote and declining little fishing village.
"Mr. Katou, my legs aren’t good, I can’t travel far, so I’ll have Mr. Xie Di show you around the nearby areas," Principal Suzuki said politely.
"Principal Suzuki, I have some matters I’d like to discuss with you," Qingshui Cangjie requested.
So, Yang Xiao and the other three split into two groups. Qingshui Cangjie and Yang Xiao followed Principal Suzuki, while Beiyu Ye and Heize Lin followed Shimajima Seiichiro. Their destination was Asakura Yodou’s former home.
That place was now known as a haunted house, the place most avoided by the villagers, but Beiyu Ye insisted on going. He didn’t force Shimajima Seiichiro, as it was clear to everyone that Shimajima still harbored fear in his heart. Beiyu Ye only requested that he guide them nearby, intending to walk the remaining part alone.
Asakura Yodou’s house was located deep in the village, at a distance from the sea, backed against the mountains. In the fishing village, this was a relatively remote location. There was a small courtyard in front of the door, but it wasn’t large, having long been abandoned. The wooden fence was extremely decayed, with weeds growing rampant in the yard.
The whole area nearby was empty. As they walked here, they didn’t see a single person, and the surrounding houses all appeared dilapidated, with doors and windows tightly shut, as if they had been neglected for a long time.
Beiyu Ye walked around the front gate of Asakura Yodou’s courtyard, found a damaged part of the fence, and was about to squeeze through, but a hand stopped him.
"Mr. Beiyu, are you really going in like that?" Heize Lin looked a bit nervous, his eyes constantly glancing inside, after all, this was a ghost’s house.
This unsolicited entry seemed a bit too risky. According to the information they had, many people had died in this house, including Asakura Yodou’s parents and his grandmother, at least three.
Even if they wouldn’t be killed on the spot in the haunted house, who could guarantee that the ghost wouldn’t target them because of this by night? It was too risky.
"Mr. Heize, are you scared?" Beiyu Ye bluntly poked at Heize Lin’s pride.
"I’m not scared, I just think we should be more cautious," Heize Lin argued.
"You have a point," Beiyu Ye thought for a moment, then very seriously pulled some weeds from the fence and had Heize Lin extend his hand. He tied a very complex knot around his wrist, "Alright, now you’re safe."
"This is..." Heize Lin didn’t understand, but the technique looked impressive. He guessed it must be some sort of Amulet.
If someone else had done this, he might not have believed it, but Beiyu Ye was different. This person had real skills; he excavated those "Resentment Bottles" buried near the hotel just through calculations. That alone was convincing enough.
Without further hesitation, with the protection of the Amulet, Heize Lin followed Beiyu Ye through the fence into Asakura Yodou’s home.
On the other side, Yang Xiao and Qingshui Cangjie arrived at Principal Suzuki’s house, sat together in the familiar tatami room. Qingshui Cangjie inquired about the past events of Asakura Yodou. They needed to speed up their progress.
Yang Xiao and the others clearly recognized that the turning point in Asakura Yodou’s personality was crucial, specifically around the summer when he was promoted from the first year to the second year, and they needed to find someone in the know.
But now the situation was that all of Asakura Yodou’s family was dead.
"What about his neighbors?" Yang Xiao refused to give up. "Are there any neighbors around his house that we can contact?"
"There are none left," Principal Suzuki shook his head, "Some unfortunately died, and the remaining ones have all moved away; no one lives in that area anymore."
