The Black Mountain Sheep was dealt with extremely cleanly; not a thing was left behind. This locust forest was like the gaping maw of the Abyss, insatiably greedy, capable of swallowing every last drop of blood, every single hair, without a trace.
Old Yang had seen much and knew much, and if he was sure there would be no repercussions from how things were handled here, then naturally no one else had anything to say.
Yet, no one seemed to feel any joy.
The locust forest, which had remained unchanged for so long, had clearly grown stronger.
To leave or enter the village, one had either to pass through Cece or through the locust forest.
Yu Ziqing had always wanted to ask—although the village was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with the physical condition of the people in the village, climbing over should not be particularly difficult.
Why did everyone, including those from outside the village, only take this one sole passage in and out?
But having seen so many odd things and learning of so many wonders, Yu Ziqing no longer wanted to ask.
There must be reasons not to leave by other routes; since everyone said this was the only way in and out, then it surely was.
The group stood there for a while, watching as the locust forest returned to tranquility, and the rolling sinister winds dissipated along with it, before preparing to depart.
Yu Ziqing had already turned to leave, but the village chief was still gazing at the locust forest, speaking to himself.
"There used to be some locust trees here, just not this many."
Yu Ziqing stopped in his tracks and walked back to stand beside the village chief.
He had never inquired about the locust forest or about Cece, and no one in the village ever discussed these matters privately. When he was considered an outsider, it wasn't his place to speak out of turn, but now that the village chief treated him as one of their own, even intending to grant him a say in matters, he needn't ask anymore.
If the village chief thought it was something he could share, then he would surely tell him.
And that time was now.
Yu Ziqing didn't speak, simply standing there quietly waiting, while a hint of nostalgia flickered in the village chief's eyes.
"Back when the weather wasn't so bad, there would often be small wild animals around, and some locust trees would grow here too. Every year, before it got too hot, strings of white locust blossoms would bloom.
The people of the village would even harvest the blossoms to celebrate, as it was hard for anything else to grow here, and these were a rare edible delight.
But this year, the locust trees haven't bloomed white flowers again. Originally there were only a dozen or so trees, but now in this forest, there are no other trees—just locust trees.
Anything that entered the forest vanished, and we could no longer taste the yearly locust blossoms.
Even now, we still don't understand why this change occurred."
As he spoke, the village chief glanced to the right, his expression growing more complex.
"You came this way when you entered, didn't you? You must have seen her, right?"
"Yes." Yu Ziqing nodded his head.
"I knew that those who were able to come here definitely didn't come through the locust forest. To enter from her side... I was certain that you bore no ill intent and that you were not a shepherd; no shepherd could have made it alive through her territory."
Yu Ziqing glanced at the Despair Abyss of Cece, and in an instant, he understood why the village chief had not questioned him upon his arrival, allowing him to settle in without displaying any doubt. From beginning to end, the village chief had actually been quite benevolent.
"A few months ago, I don't know what happened outside, but a flood of refugees kept pouring into the village.
Many naturally predatory animals, even demon beasts, acted as if they had gone mad. They didn't attack each other; instead, they all fled, and some even rushed into the village.
If it had only been that, it might not have been such a problem.
But among those fleeing, there were people who were clearly not from poor households struggling with hunger—people from all walks of life and the village suddenly became chaotic.
Some merely passed through, intending to continue their flight, but within a couple of days, they all ended up returning to the village. More and more people gathered.
I decisively quelled the chaos and killed many people, including cultivators. However, what I didn't expect was the disaster that followed.
One night, an earth-shaking tremor collapsed the mines, killing many. Among them were many of the main strengths of the village. Er Han's brother died there as well.
The collapse of the mine was one thing; the problem was that the burrow where the Jinlan Mushrooms grew had also collapsed.
The village chief slowly closed his eyes, his breathing growing more labored.
Yu Ziqing hurriedly went up to support the village chief, who shook off his assistance and shook his head.
"I'm alright."
"At that time, all of our food relied on the fresh Jinlan Mushrooms.
I led others to dig again and, once we got down there, we discovered that where the burrow was, there was now an Abyssal Rift, and all the Jinlan Mushrooms were gone.
We ran out of food.
Some started to flee, and a day after they managed to escape, those who escaped next found all the others dead outside.
Frozen to death, killed—they all died.
They returned to the village, hoping to find food again to survive the winter and make it until spring."
Alas, nothing was left.
The underground river had changed its course, the water had dried up, and the insects that were often by the river had vanished. In less than ten days, all the living creatures we could find had dwindled to just one kind."
The village chief opened his eyes, a sharp chill flashing within them, and his tone carried a hint of murderous intent. Anger began to surge, but within that anger was a deep sense of helplessness.
"By the time I found the first person who secretly ate human flesh, it was already too late.
Those driven mad by hunger were no longer human; they had lost all reason, lost everything, thinking only of eating, just to survive.
Like a plague, it spread in just one day. A large number of people started losing their sanity, fighting, devouring... In just one day, over a hundred people died.
The air was filled with the smell of madness and the stench of blood. We wanted to control it, but we couldn't anymore, because more than half of us who were still sane had starved to death. Those of us left didn't even have the strength to speak, just lying in our burrows waiting for death.
Seeing those mad people dragging others out of their burrows, all we could do was watch, lacking even the strength to cry out."
Yu Ziqing's breathing slowed down; just listening filled him with despair, imagining how desperate people must have been at that time.
On one side were those barely hanging onto life by a thread, about to succumb, and on the other were the Cannibals, both crazed and strong.
"What happened after that?"
"After that, those who would rather die than take a bite had starved to death in sufficient numbers.
Somehow, they all became starving ghosts, never to starve to death again.
They came seeking revenge on those who had devoured them."
The village chief laughed, a laugh filled with irony, yet his face was covered in sorrow.
"More and more starving ghosts appeared, tirelessly fighting with the Cannibals day and night, killing off all the people who fed on human flesh.
We were already waiting for death; seeing those Cannibals all die off was a small consolation before the end.
Who would have thought that these starving ghosts would not attack us? They dug tunnels downward with their bare hands, found a new underground river, and brought us water.
They also unearthed a new cache of Jinlan Mushrooms underground, feeding us, and we all survived.
Taking advantage of our sanity before hunger drove us mad, they all left the village, burrowed into the ground, and disappeared without a trace.
From their appearance to their disappearance, it only took three days. By the time we regained some strength and could stand, the village had become what it is now."
With that, the village chief suddenly took a step forward, stepping into the chilling Despair Abyss.
Yu Ziqing was shocked and tried to grab the village chief, but he had already vanished. Looking at Er Han beside him, trying not to cry, there was no movement, and he too followed, stepping into the Despair Abyss.
The village chief stood there, looking at Cece in the Despair Abyss with eyes full of heartache.
"She was a good child, very strong. She alone managed to escape to the village with a child. She was not second to anyone in anything she did, and most importantly, she brought a child to the village.
When I realized that the turmoil was spreading like a plague, I urged her to flee, to flee, for there was at least a glimmer of hope to survive. Otherwise, her and her child would surely be the first victims of those people.
Only I hadn't expected that after everything in the village was over, I would find out that she hadn't escaped. Instead, even after death, she was trapped here.
She didn't stop the villagers nor harmed anyone, but later, those refugees that came with ill intentions were all kept out by her."
Brother Yu, I would like to ask you for a favor, can I?"
With that, the village chief started to bow in respect.
Yu Ziqing, startled, quickly propped up the village chief.
"Village chief, what are you doing? We are all one family, eating from the same pot. There is nothing to ask or not ask for, you do not see me as a member of your own family."
The village chief shook his head, stubbornly insisting on bowing.
"This is different. What I ask of you is not for me, nor for the village.
I am asking if you could, when you have the power, find a way to rescue her, to set her free.
I'm not forcing you to do it; just remember that there's such a matter."
With the village chief having said so much, what more could Yu Ziqing say?
"Village chief, stop being stubborn, get up. Of course, I promise, I'll remember and look for a way in the future."
The village chief looked one more time at Cece, who threw her bundle from her arms over the cliff in agony, closed his eyes in pain, and took a step forward, effortlessly walking out of the Despair Abyss.
Yu Ziqing, who considered himself not too kind and quite tough-hearted, could not bear to witness such a scene again, even if it wasn't his first time.
He understood what a child meant to the village, its great significance.
He also came to understand why, despite the grand medicinal value of the Jinlan Mushroom the village people, including the village chief, held it in such high esteem; treating it as mere food just to fill their stomachs. Those foods that could be harvested and stored meant a lot more to the village than he had thought, a significance he might never truly empathize with.
"Do not worry, there will be an opportunity in the future," Yu Ziqing muttered to himself, gazing at Cece on the hillside. He turned and left the Despair Abyss. This time, he too felt no hindrance whatsoever.