Of the two, she was very familiar with Yue Qi. In any case, he was generally a person with sound values, so she didn't have to worry about being tricked by him.

As for the other one, she wasn't sure. A few days ago, the two of them came to her door at the same time, and apart from knowing that he was Yan Qing's older brother, she knew nothing about him.

Her agreement to travel with them was actually related to this person. Ever since she met him, the system in her mind had been frantically recommending that she win him over, and surprisingly, it even advised her to abandon all tricks and take the most sincere approach.

This was the first time Wen Jiajia had ever been so speechless. But then again, Yan Qing's older brother was definitely to her liking, and he looked like a well-mannered elite with a touch of asceticism. His charm was undeniable.

However, neither she nor Yan Che had that thought right now. The main reason was Yan Qing, who had completely disappeared, neither alive nor dead.

According to Yue Qi's secret introduction, coming to the Zhang family's old residence was Yan Che's idea. Although she didn't know what connection Yan Qing had with the Zhang family's old residence, as her only female friend, she still cared about her, which is why this trip happened today.

Ami excitedly led the way, and the group crossed several mountains one after another. Along the way, they also encountered several groups of people dressed as outsiders, all of whom were the standard two men and one woman.

She found it strange that all the Zhang family members who came back to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors today were so young. And they were all two men and one woman. Could it be that they had planned this together?

Despite her curiosity, Ami obediently led them to the market.

The market is nestled in the mountains, and it would be difficult to find without a local guide.

The market at the Zhang family's old residence is located in a small valley. The valley has a complex terrain, with tall, dense forests on both sides. If you didn't see it with your own eyes, you really couldn't imagine that there would be a market here.

"We're here! This is it!"

Ami's cheerful voice rang out as she turned and waved to the three of them, "Big brother, big sister, I'm leaving now!"

Then he quickly ran into the crowd at the market and soon disappeared from sight.

Wen Jiajia clicked her tongue in disbelief, "It's unbelievable that there's such a large market deep in the mountains!"

It wasn't that she was exaggerating; the market before her was truly no less impressive than any of the large markets she had seen in big towns. Considering the rugged terrain, she couldn't help but marvel at the Zhang family's strength and wealth.

Yue Qi's brows had been furrowed the entire time he had entered. Something was clearly wrong with this market.

“This is the Heavenly Star Eight Trigrams Formation.” Yan Camera’s voice sounded beside him. “You’ll understand if you look at those stalls and displays.”

Following Yan Che's direction, the two deliberately found a high place and looked down from there. Sure enough, the entire market looked like a giant Bagua (Eight Trigrams) array.

All the stalls in the market were built with a kind of vermilion stone, and the vendors only needed to place their goods on the stalls.

After a brief observation, it appears that there are no restrictions on setting up stalls here; they look like ordinary, unremarkable stalls.

When the three arrived, it was almost noon, which was also the busiest time of day. Wen Jiajia was very curious to see many locals dressed in various ethnic costumes coming and going in the market, which was very lively.

She wants to go and have some fun too!

"No way!" Yan Che refused her as expected. "Look at them—"

The "they" he was referring to were those out-of-towners who looked exactly like him. They were all in groups of two men and one woman, just like the three of them.

Strangely, these people, as if they had planned it together, all squatted at the entrance of the market after arriving there.

No matter how bustling the market was, they seemed oblivious to it.

As a result, she herself didn't dare to do anything. She could only imitate everyone else's actions and watch the locals having a lively time.

Fortunately, this eerie atmosphere did not last long.

They waited for about half an hour, and the nearby groups of three had grown to an astonishing eighteen people. At this moment, at the far east end of the market, something finally happened.

A group of men, armed with spears and dressed like ancient guards, led by a handsome man, walked toward their direction.

The handsome young man looked clean-cut and gentle, like a kind and approachable senior in college. His clothes were also the only normal-looking one in the group; he wore a plain shirt and jeans.

"Welcome back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors, everyone. My name is Mu Xiao, and I am your guide."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of Yue Qi and the other two changed drastically.

Especially for Yue Qi and Wen Jiajia, the name "Mu Xiao" was almost a nightmare. The strangeness inside the Azure Dragon Coffin was all inextricably linked to this "Mu Xiao".

The two couldn't help but exchange a glance, and simultaneously raised their vigilance to the highest level.

Moreover, Yan Che keenly noticed that, apart from their group, everyone else almost couldn't help but smile when they heard the name "Mu Xiao".

It seems this "wooden flute" is quite something.

Mu Xiao, however, seemed completely oblivious to all of this, maintaining his warm and gentle demeanor as he smiled.

"The old house has already prepared resting places for everyone to welcome back relatives and friends to pay respects to their ancestors. Please follow me—"

After saying that, he turned around first and led everyone in another direction. Only then did Yan Che realize that there was actually a small bluestone path hidden at the entrance of the valley market, which looked quite old.

Mu Xiao led the way, and everyone followed him in groups. However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the group of strangely dressed spearmen that Mu Xiao brought stood still and did not move.

They were like sliced ​​cakes, with each group of two men and one woman walking by, followed by a guard holding a spear.

In this way, the six groups of people were completely separated. Yue Qi glanced silently at the spear-wielding guards following behind them, but ultimately said nothing.

At the very front, Mu Xiao, who had been silently leading the way, revealed a strange smile on his lips.