Chapter 375: Chapter 322: Trap
The conversation had reached this point, and for the mission to proceed smoothly, Yang Xiao and Cheng Cha had no choice but to proactively agree to help. The Du Family Patriarch thanked them profusely but still humanely advised them to go back and discuss with the others, given the great risk involved in the matter.
"Patriarch, rest assured, we have already discussed it. Those who are reluctant to stay will leave, and the six of us will remain. From now on, Du Family Village is our home." Yang Xiao took the Du Family Patriarch’s hand, his attitude and micro-expressions sincere to the utmost.
"As long as we get through this crisis," you... you will be the great benefactors of our Du Family Village!" The Du Family Patriarch’s lips trembled with excitement; he could hardly speak clearly.
"Cough... cough cough..." As he spoke with emotion, the Du Family Patriarch began to cough violently, and the next second, he quickly covered his mouth and fumblingly took out some dark brown stuff from his pocket, quickly stuffing it into his mouth to chew.
This scene seemed familiar. The dark-skinned man who had led them into the village and many villagers had the habit of chewing this stuff. As they were closer this time, Yang Xiao managed to get a slightly clearer look. It looked like some kind of dried plant leaves and stems. After chewing, it gave off a potent aroma, an odd medicinal herb scent Yang Xiao had never smelled before.
"Patriarch, are you ill?" Yang Xiao feigned a concerned look.
The Patriarch waved his hand with a helpless expression, "It’s an old problem for mountain people. On cloudy and rainy days, my bones ache, but it’s nothing serious."
After saying this, the Patriarch asked Yang Xiao and the others to go rest, saying that he would tell them later what needed to be done.
When Yang Xiao and Cheng Cha returned to the hall where they ate, Tong Han, Sui Chengguo, and the other four had already left. Clearly, someone had informed them. The remaining six of Yang Xiao’s group were taken to a well-decorated spacious room in the house to rest by a woman in her early twenties. She was wrapped in gray, somewhat outdated clothes and appeared to be a maid from the Patriarch’s household.
After asking, they learned the maid’s name was Xiao Zui. After settling Yang Xiao and the others, Xiao Zui turned and left. Roughly the time it takes to brew a cup of tea later, she returned with a tray holding a bronze censer. At that moment, something was burning in the censer, continuously emitting white vapors.
However, as soon as Yang Xiao and the others smelled the aroma coming from the censer, they all frowned. The scent was pungent, even a bit irritating – the same scent as the medicinal herb that the Du Family Patriarch and the villagers chewed.
Having placed the censer in a conspicuous spot in the room, Xiao Zui explained, "This is something the Patriarch specifically prepared for you. He has a kind heart. The mountain has heavy Yin energy, and he’s worried you folks from outside wouldn’t be able to withstand it."
Since it was the Patriarch’s kind gesture, they did not feel it was polite to refuse. Yang Xiao asked if they could go outside to take a walk and get familiar with the village surroundings, but Xiao Zui directly refused, saying the Patriarch had already ordered that their esteemed guests should rest well.
"Are there other outsiders who have stayed in the village besides us?" Yang Xiao inquired. "We would like to talk to someone."
"No, after being given some food, they were all sent away by the village chief," Xiao Zui sighed, seemingly aware of the crisis facing the village.
"What is being burned here?" Cheng Cha asked curiously, approaching the censer to examine it.
"It’s a medicinal herb that grows near the village, it can stimulate blood circulation, reduce bruises and also refresh the mind. Many people in the village chew it for alertness," Xiao Zui explained. "Knowing that you outsiders might not be used to this scent, the Patriarch asked me to find some to fumigate the room with, to dispel the cold Yin energy for you."
Yang Xiao said with a smile, "The Patriarch has taken a lot of trouble. Actually, we are all pretty rough folks, satisfied with just a meal to eat, not so delicate."
"The cold is fierce in the mountains, there are several thick garments in the wardrobe, you’ll want to put them on quickly. If you catch a chill, the Patriarch won’t let me off easily," Xiao Zui insisted stubbornly.
Ever since arriving in Du Family Village, Yang Xiao had noticed several strange phenomena. First, these people often chewed strongly scented medicinal herbs. Additionally, they seemed to be extremely sensitive to the cold, wrapping themselves in bulky clothes from head to toe, leaving only their heads exposed.
In comparison, the tattered clothes on Yang Xiao and his companions could only be said to barely cover their bodies, yet despite this, they hadn’t felt very cold in the mountains last night.
With their spirits on high alert, the sudden release brought waves of drowsiness. Yang Xiao and the others took turns resting, after all, tonight was the main event.
The weather was not great, the sky in the mountains was seldom clear and bright, always gloomy as if it were about to rain.
This weather was perfect for sleeping.
Yang Xiao, dozing in a half-sleep, was suddenly awakened by someone. They said another team had returned. He immediately rolled out of bed and before he even reached the door, he saw Tong Han, Sui Chengguo, and their group, covered in mud, walking toward them.
One, two, three, four... Seeing that all four people had returned without any loss, Yang Xiao finally let out a sigh of relief.
But he noticed Tong Han, leading the way, had a terrible look on his face, and the expressions of the others weren’t any better, as if they had encountered some trouble.
"What happened?" Cheng Cha was even more anxious than Yang Xiao, quickly stepping forward to ask.
After guzzling several gulps of tea, Sui Chengguo’s expression was both frantic and furious, "Damn it, we encountered a ghost, we got lost."
"Lost? You didn’t find Mangjia Village?"
"No, we followed the direction pointed out by the villagers, headed north after leaving the village, but somehow, we ended up back here... and from the same road we took to enter the village this morning, completely losing our sense of direction," Lu Youcheng complained, too.
This morning’s route to enter the village and the route Tong Han’s group took to leave were in completely different directions, and no matter how lost they got, they shouldn’t have circled back, "Did you come across any forks in the road?" Yang Xiao asked, trying to make a final confirmation.
"No, the mountain path was just muddy and difficult to walk, but there wasn’t a single fork, we walked very carefully," Tong Han said.
Cheng Cha seemed to suddenly realize something, her brow slightly furrowed, "Was it just you few on the road? Didn’t the village send someone to guide you?"
"No, I asked for a guide, but nobody dared, they said there were monsters in the mountains," Tong Han replied.
"Ghost Hitting the Wall," Yang Xiao took a deep breath.
"Yeah, that’s the only explanation. The roads leaving the village have been sealed off, once you’re in, you can never leave," Tong Han’s voice unnaturally lowered.
The people present fell into deep thought. Yang Xiao was beginning to understand; no wonder the Du Family Patriarch had put on a righteous facade from the start, letting them leave freely—he had known all along that once they entered the village, they would never be able to leave.
To leave, they had no choice but to cooperate with the Du Family Village residents and deal with the ghost that was snatching bodies.
It was a trap.
