Chapter 513: The Death of a Close Relative
Upon hearing the words "Golden Silkworm Gu," not only Wu Chi but also Shi Yuyan and the others' expressions changed.
However, Wu Chi's mind was entirely on Ye Wanxi at the moment, and he did not notice the strangeness of the others.
"How do you know about the Golden Silkworm Gu? Who exactly are you?"
Wu Chi's gaze toward Ye Wanxi was no longer as gentle as before, tinged with calculation and disdain, but cold and full of hostility.
"I'm just an ordinary person. To be honest, I'm just like you all, knowing a few things that ordinary people don't. As for why I know about the Golden Silkworm Gu, it's because we saw it with our own eyes not long ago, and we almost became its meal. Is this explanation satisfactory, Young Clan Leader?"
"Have you ever seen the Golden Silkworm Gu? Where did you see it?"
"It's in a remote village less than two hours from here. The owner of the Gu has been raising this Golden Silkworm Gu for about twenty years. In order to make it work for him for a long time, he has killed four or five people."
Wu Chi's face was more gloomy than ever before, and his hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched into fists, almost digging into his flesh.
"Is everything you said true?"
"Of course. If you don't believe me, you can have your father or grandfather call and ask them directly. This matter is related to your clan's Gu poison, and I believe that as long as you ask, they shouldn't hide anything from you."
"I will ask." Wu Chi was preoccupied with the Golden Silkworm Gu and had no energy left to investigate Ye Wanxi's identity. "You must be tired after shopping all morning, so go back and rest. I'll have someone bring you food later. I have something to attend to, so please excuse me."
Shi Yuyan and the others frowned as they watched him hurriedly leave, muttering under their breath, "What do you mean, 'shopping all morning'? He got angry as soon as he stepped out of the store, what's so tiring about that?"
Ye Wanxi chuckled: "Why don't you go out for a stroll again now?"
"...Then forget it. I'm afraid they'll be too jealous of my good looks and put a sack over my head."
Shi Lang glanced disdainfully at her shameless younger brother, who was trying to glorify himself, sighed, and said knowingly, "Why did Miss Ye bring up the Golden Silkworm Gu with the young clan leader? Could it be that you know something?"
Ye Wanxi did not answer directly, but only smiled and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
The group exchanged glances and followed Ye Wanxi and her companion into the house.
As soon as the door to the room was opened, a figure quickly jumped into Ye Wanxi's arms, gurgling and complaining.
Last night was a special case; Ye Wanxi brought the little rabbit in a bag.
Fortunately, the little guy isn't very big, and the backpack is large, so it's not too cramped when he's inside.
Hearing the little rabbit's aggrieved cries, Ye Wanxi reached out and stroked its soft fur, soothingly saying, "Were you bored at home by yourself? Alright, alright, we're back now, aren't we? It's not that I didn't want to take you out, but this isn't our own home. There are so many poisonous insects just outside the village, there are definitely even more inside. If a big fat rabbit like you really ran out, you'd be left alone if you weren't careful, and you wouldn't even be enough to fill their teeth."
The little rabbit huffed and puffed, clearly unconvinced by Ye Wanxi's comforting words. Could those little creatures possibly hurt it?
Before it could remain arrogant any longer, a cold glare flew over.
The little rabbit froze, looked up and stared at Feng Tianyu for a moment, then silently looked away.
Alright, a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. It's magnanimous and won't stoop to its master's level.
Ye Wanxi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it had stopped making a fuss. She then turned to Shi Yuyan and the others and asked, "What are your thoughts on going out?"
"What can we possibly think?" Shi Yuyan pouted, looking frustrated. "It's true what they say, 'bad people come from poor and remote places.' We didn't do anything, but they... made us feel like rats in the street, despised by everyone."
"Ahem..." Shi Lang rolled her eyes at him, telling him to watch his words.
Shi Yuyan was somewhat unconvinced: "Did I say something wrong? This isn't my fault; they started it."
Shi Lang: "..." You're so stupid, you might as well die!
Shi Lang gave up on continuing to talk to his foolish younger brother and said carefully, "The people here are indeed very xenophobic, and they have a natural hostility towards outsiders. At first, they didn't know we were from out of town, so they were quite polite. But as soon as they heard we were from out of town, their expressions changed."
“Yes,” the young Taoist priest chimed in, “and I think a few people’s attitudes toward us are rather strange.”
"Which ones?"
"Those few who gave us attitude, and that old man who just carried the candied hawthorns away, they were all quite strange."
The young Taoist priest's words made the others realize that something was amiss.
Indeed, many people on that street didn't treat them well, but those few stood out.
While others were merely wary and resistant, these few were clearly hostile towards them, and occasionally one could even discern a subtle hint of hatred.
This is very strange. This is their first time here. Logically speaking, they have never even met them before, let alone become enemies.
It's utterly absurd that they would hate someone simply because they are outsiders.
"You have a keen sense. Those few are indeed hostile towards us."
"But why is this? We have no past grudges or recent hatred, this is too inexplicable!"
"I think it's because of misplaced anger."
"Taking the blame out of others?" Several people's eyes immediately fell on Ye Wanxi.
"The people you just mentioned all have one thing in common when you look at their faces."
What's similar?
“They all have direct blood relatives who died violent deaths a long time ago, not recently.”
"A direct blood relative...died violently?"
"Wait a minute." A thought flashed through Shi Lang's mind. "I remember someone among those people shouting something... something about something from twenty years ago. Have you forgotten? Do you think it's possible that..."
All eyes turned to Ye Wanxi again, and Ye Wanxi didn't keep them in suspense: "So, the most important task now is to find out what exactly happened in this village twenty years ago. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle. Only by knowing what happened can we find the right solution and change their perception of us, or rather, of the Second Young Master, and make them accept his relationship with Tao Wan."
"That's easier said than done," Shi Yuyan said, finally realizing what was going on. "I knew this guy would be so kind, coming out early in the morning to take us out for a meal and shopping. Turns out, that's what he was up to! Now everyone in the village knows we're outsiders, and they're wary of us in everything they do. How could they possibly be willing to tell us the truth? I'm afraid we won't be able to get anything out of them."
Feng Tianyu, who hadn't said much since entering, chimed in at this moment: "No need."
"What?"
“I said, there’s no need for platitudes, they’ll say it themselves.”
Everyone: “???”
(End of this chapter)
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