Li Wenhe only paid a small fee to rent the van, and the driver then chatted with them at length.

"Don't be fooled by the nice-sounding name of Xianyuan Village and the fact that a top scholar was born there in the past. Actually, that place is quite eerie."

"Every household loves to engage in feudal superstitions. They worship Buddha on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, and they also hold lake worship ceremonies every now and then. They're clearly dirt poor, yet they spend a lot of money on these things. Isn't that strange?"

The leader of the feudal superstition, Mingzhuo, nodded without changing his expression: "Yes, feudal superstition is unacceptable; we must believe in science."

The driver, feeling appreciated, remarked, "Our village used to be poor too, unlike Xianyuan Village, where an ancestor was a top scholar, the village is well-built, and we don't have the luxury of living off Chengxian Lake. But thanks to the government's efforts in revitalizing the countryside, our village was the first pilot village, and now everyone is living a better life."

Li Wenhe steered the conversation back on track: "You said that place is eerie, how exactly is it eerie?"

The driver said, "In a village of one or two hundred households, not a single one of them is successful; they can't do anything right. That's not all. I've heard that every now and then someone falls into the lake and drowns, and their body is never recovered. Isn't that weird?"

The car drove through a desolate hilly area, and a lake came into view, its surface shimmering and the scenery beautiful.

Everyone on the bus couldn't help but turn their gaze over there.

Having grown accustomed to the concrete jungle of the city, the sudden sight of such natural scenery was refreshing and invigorating for everyone.

The driver sighed, "The scenery here is quite nice. The old houses in Xianyuan Village and Wangxiantai are worth a visit. Otherwise, the government wouldn't have wanted to attract investment to develop tourist attractions in Xianyuan Village."

He glanced at Mingzhuo a few more times, his expression hesitant, "It's best not to stay there too late at night, their village is quite xenophobic."

The car dropped Mingzhuo and his group off at the village entrance and then left.

What appeared before them was an ancient village, with bluestone paving, white walls and black tiles, reflecting the lake on the other side, like a traditional Chinese ink painting, very artistic.

Zhuang Xun: "Should we go to the lakeside first, or take a stroll around the village?"

Mingzhuo: "It's fine, do whatever you want, just be careful not to get separated."

The assessment task was for the trainees, not the teachers, so Mingzhuo decided to let everyone be self-reliant while she went to the lake to enjoy the breeze.

It was almost six o'clock in the afternoon. The sun was setting, and a gentle breeze was blowing, carrying moisture, making it very cool and comfortable.

Wangxiantai is a pavilion built on the lakeside, with upturned eaves and an antique charm.

On the other side of the dock, many boats were moored, showing that the villagers live near Chengxian Lake and make a living by aquaculture or fishing.

On an open space by the lake, there were remnants of talismans, ashes, and traces of a ritual.

Li Wenhe walked over and said, "The yin energy here is quite strong, but we're a step too late. Teacher Shen and the others have already taken action."

The talismans left on the ground were exorcism talismans provided by the organizers; each person received one, which could dispel evil spirits.

The other side started ahead of them, which indeed gave them the upper hand.

Mingzhuo: "Let them drive away the yin energy if they want. It's not like the yin energy just disappears once it's driven away."

Zhuang Xun, being a rising star among the younger generation of the Xuanmen sect, quickly grasped the key point: "I knew the yin energy here was strange, it was like it was alive."

Mingzhuo glanced at the magnificent building not far away and smiled. "A master has set up a feng shui arrangement here to ward off evil spirits. Observe it carefully and come back after dark."

He Wangyao is a little nearsighted: "What is that house? It's really nice."

Pei Di's advantage in not liking to read became apparent: his naked-eye vision was quite good. "Hu Family Ancestral Hall."

"Ancestral hall? A place to enshrine memorial tablets?" He Wangyao suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Why would she go to see it after dark? It was quite frightening.

A few people wanted to take a stroll around the village before it got dark.

After passing through the archway and stepping onto the bluestone path, the houses on both sides are neatly arranged, and the aroma of food wafts from every household.

This is an ordinary village with a lively atmosphere, and its quaint buildings and cobblestone streets give it an exceptionally leisurely feel.

Although it has not yet been developed and commercialized, tourists have already come to visit and walk around the village taking photos.

Their group shouldn't have seemed out of place, but they were stopped shortly after entering the village.

The middle-aged man who arrived had a kind face: "You've come from afar, you must be tired. The village chief has prepared a banquet, and all your friends are here. Why don't you go and have a simple meal first?"

The group was immediately relieved upon hearing this, realizing that Shen Boyuan and his group had arrived first and had specifically instructed them to do so.

Mingzhuo walked at the front, then suddenly pointed to a spot and asked, "Who lives there?"

Li Wenhe and the others knew that Ming Zhuo never chatted idly for no reason, so they all looked over.

It was a small hut that was casually built with bricks outside the original house. It didn't look like a place for people to live; it looked more like a toilet.

The middle-aged man replied in a muffled voice, "No one lives here."

He then urged everyone to hurry up, saying they were almost at the village chief's house.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, his eyes betrayed a suppressed fear and panic, as if something terrible was there.

Li Wenhe and Zhuang Xun quickly exchanged a glance; something was off!

The group quickly arrived at the village chief's house. The village chief was obviously old, with gray hair, but he spoke fluently and clearly had received an education.

His gaze swept over the group, but when he saw Mingzhuo, he showed no disdain whatsoever. Instead, he said warmly, "We've been waiting for you, Teacher Ruan! Please take a seat!"

The group went inside, where five tables were set up in the spacious courtyard. The village chief warmly led them to the head table.

Shen Boyuan, Chu Yuqi, and others were all present. Seeing that everyone had arrived, the village chief hurriedly ordered the dishes to be served. Soon, several women brought the food to the table.

Mingzhuo also discovered that one of the women serving the dishes was an acquaintance—wasn't she Sister Hong, whom he had seen at the guesthouse?

Turning my head, oh, there's another one here, sitting at the table with a pale face. Isn't that Sister Hong's giant baby?

The giant baby also saw him and immediately looked terrified.

Mingzhuo smiled at him, which startled the other man so much that he knocked over the water glass in front of him.

Chu Yuqi said with a smile, "If you want to talk about truly delicious Xian Shui fish, you have to look to Xianyuan Village. Teacher Ruan, would you like to compare and see if the fish here is better or the fish at the guesthouse?"

Mingzhuo: "I ate too much at the guesthouse and I can't eat anymore."

Chu Yuqi: "Then you're out of luck."

Mingzhuo glanced at her: "Oh, you're lucky. Then eat more."

She didn't understand why this person could inexplicably feel superior while eating fish.

Chu Yuqi felt that Ming Zhuo was just pretending. He was probably furious inside, but she beat him to it.

In a good mood, she was indeed very hungry and ate a lot of fish. She thought the fish was incredibly delicious and she had never eaten such delicious fish before.

Mingzhuo seemed to have eaten too much at the guesthouse and didn't have much of an appetite, only taking a few bites of vegetables with his chopsticks.

By the time the meal was finished, it was completely dark.

As the person in charge of the negotiations, Ji Yong quickly discussed the matter of the evil spirit in the lake with everyone.