Although Yu Han hadn't been able to completely trust the two young men, he was willing to help them with their investigation of the strangely healthy village.
The general public health assessment only required them to walk and talk around the streets. For any information that the villagers were hiding, they had to seek the head or the elders of the village. Older people or children generally have fewer filters when speaking, so they were the only way to get information.
Lei Chen was against using children for information, however. He believed talking to elders was enough.
Upon discussion, the three decided to split up, each aiming to enter a different house and seek their elders.
Yu Han randomly knocked at a house's front door. He didn't have any hopes of being accepted right away. Even if he represented the local government, people had to be more cautious than he thought, right?
A young lady opened the door and peeked out, "How can I help you?"
"I'm Yu Han from the Ministry of Health. We're conducting a general health assessment to provide you with better healthcare. Can I speak to your elders?" he felt good about his voice and tone. He thought he sounded professional and convincing.
Still, he hoped the girl would be cautious of a stranger. Instead, she opened the door widely, inviting him inside without a word. He was taken aback. As a cautious person himself, he considered the girl's act dangerous.
"Why aren't you coming inside?" the lady asked, "Don't you want to talk to my grandfather?"
Yu Han nervously chuckled and nodded, entering the house sheepishly. The young lady guided him to a room at the back. She knocked at the door before letting him enter.
"Grandpa, someone wants to see you!" she announced by the door before closing it shut and leaving the two alone.
The room was dimly lit with most of the light coming naturally from the large windows. An elderly man sat in a rocking chair, smoking pipes. His large white beard was the only thing that caught Yu Han's attention.
"H-Hello, I'm Yu Han from the Ministry of Health-"
The old man interrupted him, "We are healthy, kid. What's next?" he asked while his eyes were still closed. He didn't even raise his head to look at Yu Han.
Yu Han was taken aback. How did the old man know exactly what he was about to ask? Why did he randomly utter the preplanned answer even though it sounded fake?
"Why are you lying to government officials?" Yu Han asked bluntly.
The old man opened his eyes only to look at his pipe. He still refused to look at Yu Han.
"Isn't it better for you to get the most out of your taxes?" Yu Han asked, "By refusing to get better healthcare, what are you implying?"
The old man scoffed, "I'm refusing healthcare?" he asked sarcastically, closing his eyes again, "Your Emperor doesn't want us to live. It's fair, though. We know too much for our own good," he randomly uttered while turning toward Yu Han. His eyes immediately widened. His mouth opened, but words didn't pass through.
Yu Han frowned, "What do you know?"
The old man quickly turned away, "You're not a government official…" he uttered under his breath, "Why should we answer you?"
Yu Han was surprised the old man could tell so much just by looking at him. He had already claimed too many suspicious things, so Yu Han couldn't back off now.
"I'm working on behalf of a government official. We're sharing labor. Whatever you tell me will reach the relevant government branch. Trust us," he tried to convince the old man.
The old man chuckled softly, "Did you see my granddaughter just now?" he asked randomly, "She is the only one I want to live. The rest of us can die. How about your government doing us a favor and saving our innocent kids?"
"I don't understand…" Yu Han gulped, "Are your lives unimportant?"
The old man gestured to Yu Han to leave, "Just because of you, I said more than I should. Be grateful and leave."
Yu Han's eyes widened, "How am I special? How can you tell just by looking at me?"
The old man turned away, staring out the window while puffing from his pipe. His gesture was enough to tell Yu Han that he was unwilling to share more. Yu Han slowly turned around to leave. The young lady was standing right outside the door, ready to show him out.
This encounter was the strangest thing that had happened to Yu Han. Even the assassinations paled compared to this encounter. He saw how ghastly the old man looked after glancing at him only once. Who was he? Why was he so important? Nothing made any sense.
Yu Han had only gone to one house before feeling unmotivated to move any further. The old man spoke in riddles, but Yu Han could guess a lot out of his little words. It didn't make sense why Yu Han could suddenly read through people, almost as if he was equipped with a lifetime of experience in that field.
It was all unexplainable.
The villagers had an unusual enmity with the Emperor directly.
The local government had no control over the Emperor's personal decisions.
Therefore, what the old man was trying to imply was that the Emperor personally wanted the villagers dead. No one could overwrite that decision—not a puny Ministry of Health nor the allied local governments.
If Yu Han told this to Lei Chen and Sun Kang, what would they do? Sit tight and wait for the Emperor to slowly destroy the village through poor healthcare?
Maybe going to Zhongping State didn't assure Yu Han of any safety. Maybe the veiled lady was right when she claimed that the Emperor was 'paranoid'. Something was wrong, but Yu Han couldn't pinpoint what.
Just as he was busy pondering over what just happened, someone tapped on his shoulder. He turned back to see that Lei Chen was already back. Yu Han was afraid he had nothing to tell him.
As Lei Chen read the tension surrounding Yu Han, he noticed a young lady glancing at Yu Han before returning to her house. Her gaze held both concern and fear—one confusing Lei Chen.