Translator: Cinder Translations
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"Village Chief! Village Chief!" A person rushed in from outside, shouting while running, "Something happened in the town again!"
Upon hearing this, the Village Chief's already strange gaze seemed to find its focus. He immediately turned to look at what he thought was the leader of the group, Pei Qian. "Master," he said anxiously, "Where's that fat brother from your group?"
Pei Qian swallowed the crumbs of the steamed bun in his mouth and calmly replied, "I don't know. When we woke up this morning, he was already gone."
After hearing Pei Qian's words, the normally silent and wooden man standing to the side suddenly changed his expression, as if he had thought of something extremely terrifying.
The Village Chief sighed and waved his hand toward the villager who had brought the news, "What happened in the town?"
Clearly, he had already realized something had occurred in the town, and his asking was only for the messenger to explain to everyone.
"In the town, another body was found," the messenger said, his voice growing softer as he spoke, "The body was hung in a tree, its belly ripped open, and the intestines, lungs, and other organs were thrown on the ground..." The more he spoke, the more fear he couldn't suppress in his eyes.
"Go ask if anyone in the village is missing?" The Village Chief instructed the dark-skinned man.
But before the man could leave, the messenger stopped him. "I already asked when I came," he said, swallowing nervously. He glanced at everyone cautiously and whispered, "No one is missing in the village."
It seemed clear that the horribly mutilated body was that of Ben Fu.
The Village Chief's face grew serious, and he seemed to want to say something but stopped several times. After all, the person was invited by him, and just one day after entering the village, one of them had died in such a tragic way.
He didn't know how to explain it.
The situation fell into an awkward silence.
Luckily, the composed Pei Qian spoke up slowly, coming to his aid. "Village Chief Liu," Pei Qian said, "There's no need to blame yourself. We had considered the risks before coming. Moreover, Ben Fu left quietly on his own, so this has nothing to do with you."
Upon hearing this, the Village Chief's embarrassed expression softened slightly. "I'm really sorry. Because of our negligence, the fat brother has suffered. Our village will try to make up for it as best as we can."
Yu Man sneered, "Easier said than done. How are you going to make up for it?"
"Double!" The Village Chief said decisively, raising his head. "We'll double the reward we promised earlier! The extra part will be compensation for Fat Brother's family!"
Chen Xiaomeng sized up the elderly man, who appeared to be in his sixties. His determination was not to be underestimated, suggesting that Zhao Xiangmei had forced Xiao Shijian Village into a difficult situation.
While everyone was distracted, Jiang Cheng stuffed the remaining steamed buns into his clothes, causing his chest to bulge out, more conspicuous than Yu Man's.
The dark-skinned man stared at the buns in his hands, swallowing unconsciously.
Jiang Cheng thought for a moment and then took out another bun from his clothes and stuffed it into the man's sleeve. The man pursed his lips and gave Jiang Cheng a hearty nod.
After doing all this, Jiang Cheng turned around and slowly raised his right arm.
"I have a question," Jiang Zhongyi said once everyone was looking at him. "Why was Ben Fu missing from the village, but his body was found in the town?"
"Does that mean all missing people end up with their bodies in the town?"
After a moment of silence, Zhou Rong subconsciously remembered the woman who had rushed into the inn, searching for her husband with a portrait. According to the elderly man who was watching the town's fence, the woman's husband had also gone missing in the village, but she had come to the town looking for him.
"Sigh!" The Village Chief sighed and nodded. "You're right. The bodies of people who go missing in the village always end up around the town, specifically Anping Town." He added.
"But why?" Li Lu asked, holding a bun, her eyes filled with confusion.
"To be honest, we don't know," the Village Chief answered, frowning. "Maybe... maybe Zhao Xiangmei still can't let go of the past and wants everyone to know what happened in the village and how they treated her."
At first, this explanation seemed reasonable, but it lacked convincing power.
"When can we set off?" Zhou Rong asked, his gaze toward the Village Chief now more scrutinizing. "We want to see the body."
When the Village Chief understood that they were planning to return to Anping Town, his expression became somewhat unnatural. "Don't worry, we've already sent someone to bring the body back. It should arrive... later today."
"With such a big case, will the police in the town let you take the body?" Jiang Zhongyi's question was more reasonable.
But the Village Chief seemed to ignore it, signaling for everyone to pack up and head to the back mountain's deep pond, where the stone tablet curse left by Zhao Xiangmei was located.
Jiang Zhongyi, seemingly ignored, appeared a bit confused. He took a few steps forward and was about to ask the same question again when something soft and large was suddenly shoved into his mouth.
It was a steamed bun.
"Eat more buns," Jiang Cheng said casually, retracting his hand. "Steamed buns are good for the brain."
Jiang Cheng was not someone Jiang Zhongyi dared to offend. In nightmares, many people are tortured to the point of mental instability, but those who survive such mental torture are much fewer.
Moreover, he realized the underlying issue.
It seemed that the police in the town were already aware of the strange occurrences in the village, but for some reason, they turned a blind eye, allowing Xiao Shijian Village to go unchecked.
Such matters were naturally inconvenient to bring to the surface.
Having not brought much with them, there was no need to pack. Led by the Village Chief, everyone set off lightly toward the back mountain's deep pond.
Following the same cobblestone road they had walked on the previous day when entering the village, they headed deeper into the village.
Since they had arrived late yesterday, they hadn't had the chance to observe their surroundings, making them believe the courtyard they stayed in was in a remote area.
But now it seemed their courtyard was actually right in the center of the village. If the cobblestone road in front of the courtyard was the dividing line, it split the entire village into two parts.
However, the side where their courtyard was located was completely abandoned, with every door shut tight. Some even had broken door hinges, and half a door hung crookedly on the frame.
The wind blew through, making strange sounds.
It was not hard to imagine that those who left had either lost their lives to Zhao Xiangmei or had fled with their families. After all, staying here meant risking losing one's life at any moment.
As if reading everyone's thoughts, the Village Chief, who was walking in front with a cane, lowered his voice, "After that incident, the police arrested all the men who bought the women. They were sentenced, but... but in the end," he paused, "they all disappeared from the prison."
(End of the Chapter)
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