Translator: Cinder Translations
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After exchanging a few pleasantries, the village head led his group away. At that moment, Jiang Cheng suddenly spoke, "Village Head!"
When the village head's group turned around, Jiang Cheng pointed at the pitch-black night and asked, "Are you still heading back tonight?"
"We..." The village head appeared slightly embarrassed at first, but it was quickly replaced with a wry smile. "Thank you, young brother, but we won't be returning tonight."
"Then come inside and stay with us," Jiang Cheng said naturally. "You can tell us about what happened in the village tonight."
Upon hearing mention of the events in the village, the expressions of a few of the young men beside the village head changed. Eventually, the village head took over the conversation. "Thank you, young brother, but... we won't disturb you. You should rest well. I'll come to pick you up early tomorrow."
After saying this, the village head and his group left in a hurry, looking as though something terrifying was chasing them.
Once they saw the village head's group disappear into the night, the group turned around, preparing to return to the inn. However, they suddenly noticed the inn's owner standing at the entrance, silently watching them.
As they approached, they realized the innkeeper hadn't been looking at them, but at the direction where the village head and his group had left, with an expression that was difficult to describe—disgust and an uncontrollable fear.
"Brother Liu," Zhou Rong naturally noticed the odd behavior of the innkeeper. It was clear that the innkeeper knew the village head and his group, and his impression of them wasn't good. Otherwise, he wouldn't have refused to let them in.
Thinking back to the woman they had seen in the afternoon and the old man who gave them the cigarette, it seemed that people from Xiao Shijian Village weren't well-regarded in Anping Town.
It wasn't just one person being targeted, but the entire Xiao Shijian Village.
What had happened in that village?
The innkeeper, who had been called by Zhou Rong, suddenly seemed to snap back to reality. He shuddered involuntarily, which the group noticed.
"Brother Liu," Zhou Rong maintained a friendly tone and appeared quite familiar. He glanced in the direction the innkeeper had been looking and curiously asked, "What are you looking at?"
The innkeeper swallowed nervously, pursed his lips, then spoke in a low, hurried tone, "Come inside, we'll talk inside."
Once everyone had entered the inn, the innkeeper immediately closed the door. He hesitated for a moment, as if unsure, then grabbed a long wooden stick to brace the door from the inside.
After doing all this, the tension on his face slightly eased. He cautiously peeked through a crack in the door and, after a while, pulled his head back inside.
"You outsiders, how did you get involved with them?" The innkeeper looked at them, his tone less than polite.
"We're here to visit relatives," Jiang Zhongyi, standing closest to the innkeeper, quickly came up with an excuse to deflect the question. He continued, "We've been away for many years, and we plan to settle back in our hometown."
But unexpectedly—
"You're lying!"
The innkeeper's face darkened abruptly, his expression turning as though he was about to swallow Jiang Zhongyi whole. His next words stunned everyone.
"No one would willingly go back to that village!" The innkeeper's expression became tense as he stared at Jiang Zhongyi, almost spitting each word out. "Anyone who was willing to return to that place is dead!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhongyi froze.
It was finally Pei Qian who slowly spoke, helping Jiang Zhongyi out of his predicament. "Innkeeper," Pei Qian's tone was slow but forceful as he looked directly into the innkeeper's eyes and spoke sincerely, "To be honest, we were invited here to resolve an issue in Xiao Shijian Village."
Without asking about the details, the innkeeper seemed to already believe this matter, his expression anxious as he said, "You all are mistaken!"
"You think you can get involved with what happened in Xiao Shijian Village?"
"That's a curse!" The innkeeper suddenly became agitated, clenching his fists. Veins stood out on his neck as he continued, "It's the souls of those who died unjustly, coming to collect their debts from Xiao Shijian Village!"
Zhou Rong watched the innkeeper, seeing that his agitation was not only from fear but also from anger. It seemed that something happened in Xiao Shijian Village that had angered both man and deity.
TL/N: angered both man and deity, or another similar expression angered both the heaven and earth is a Chinese proverb.
This not only caused the so-called curse of the unjustly dead but also led the nearby people to harbor hostility toward anyone from Xiao Shijian Village—even a lonely woman who had lost her husband.
With this in mind, Zhou Rong asked in a low voice, "What exactly happened in that village?"
Sighing, the innkeeper pulled out a long bench and slowly sat down. A small oil lamp burned on the table, and as the wind blew, the flame flickered, casting shadows on his face.
"This story goes back 20 years," his voice changed as if he was trapped in a distant memory.
"Xiao Shijian Village is located in the mountains, a remote area with slow development. The villagers have always relied on fishing and hunting for their livelihoods."
"But many years ago, the Jia Lan River downstream built a dam and reservoir, which greatly impacted the fishing industry. Originally, it was a poor village, and now things got even worse," he sighed and shook his head slowly. "No woman would want to marry into this place."
"But a village needs women, and having no heirs is the worst sin. So, someone suggested finding women from outside," the innkeeper sneered. "Said they were looking for wives, but in truth, they were abducting them."
"But the women weren't fools. After being tricked and brought there, they found the reality was nothing like they had been promised or imagined. So they tried to escape, causing a big scene, even trying to flee secretly."
"But how could they escape? Every household there had single men, all... all needing women."
"No matter where they tried to run, they were facing hell."
Chen Xiaomeng, standing beside him, noticed the innkeeper's eyes suddenly flash with sharpness when he spoke of the women. His arms hung at his sides, and the veins in his clenched fists stood out, showing his sympathy for their tragic fate.
"What happened next?" Yu Man asked softly.
She had also softened her tone, showing respect for the suffering these women endured.
"There's no such thing as a wall that doesn't let information through," the innkeeper placed his hands on the table, his expression slightly relieved. "In the end, the police followed the clues and found the hidden village in the deep mountains. Many people came that day—there were not only police but also anxious parents whose daughters had been abducted."
"When the parents saw what had happened to their children, they were heartbroken. In their anger, they broke through the police blockade and took the main criminal from the hands of the officers, then beat him to death."
"It's said the scene was extremely bloody. Flesh and dirt mixed together, and not even a whole body was left."
(End of the Chapter)
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