Sleeping Valley (Part 2)
Yu Shu crawled into the green tent, and the little boy was no longer visible. What came into his sight was not undeveloped mountains and wilderness, but a quiet and beautiful paradise on earth.
The river is crystal clear, sparkling like gems in the sun. The bottom of the water is covered with colorful gravel, and the vegetation is thriving but not messy, neat and beautiful, as if someone had repaired and maintained it not long ago.
The houses located in front of the river valley are densely packed together like a stack of Tetris blocks.
Yu Shu walked forward with his long legs, hoping to get some information from the village.
Only when he walked in did he find that the village architecture was abnormal, almost identical to the black and white photos in the scenic area museum. However, the introduction also said that Baishui Town often suffered from severe floods and landslides, and the residents gradually moved away. Later, it was acquired and developed into a scenic area.
According to the introduction, the scenic area is Baishui Town, but the village in front of us does exist.
Yu Shu took out his cell phone and took several photos, wanting to send them to Jiang Yu.
The buffer circle went on for a long time and finally showed that the sending failed, even though the phone had full signal and the traffic status was normal.
His heart began to beat fast and he dialed Jiang Yu's number.
"Sorry, the number you dialed is out of service area. Please try again later."
Yu Shu's heart sank. He hung up the phone and tried to edit the text message.
It's strange, pictures can't be sent, calls can't be made, but text messages can be sent.
He bravely walked a little closer. The huge village was so quiet that there was no one in sight, as if no one lived here.
But the doors and windows of every household were open, and the food on the dining table was still steaming, obviously it had just been served.
"Hello, is anyone there?"
The only answer he got was the echo.
The opened door is like a gaping mouth, and the neatly placed objects are carefully designed baits to lure people in and then swallow them up in one gulp.
Yu Shu took a small step back and stepped on a dead branch. The slight tearing sound was amplified countless times in the extreme silence.
The sudden sound of the WeChat message alert startled Yu Shu, and he almost dropped his phone.
He recently sent a text message to Jiang Yu: I followed the little boy to the corner of the valley and saw the village of Baishui Town.
"Return the way you came, immediately."
Jiang Yu's message was full of tension.
Yu Shu also knew that something was wrong, so he ran back. His footsteps were like a dotted line, separating the village.
After running hundreds of meters, Yu Shu slowed down and replied to the message.
"Did the surveillance find anything?"
Jiang Yu replied immediately.
"I found out. You and I are the only ones who went there in the past three days."
"And there was a problem with the surveillance just now."
"The little boy's face in the surveillance video has turned into a blur, just like the little girl in the photo."
Jiang Yu sent a series of messages. Not satisfied with typing, he also sent a voice message.
But when Yu Shu opened the voice message, all he heard was the rustling noise of snowflakes, and he couldn't make out a single character.
"Why are you sending me snowflake sounds?"
Jiang Yu replied with a question mark.
It was obvious that the lengthy voice message of about ten seconds had content, but Yu Shu couldn't hear it, which made him feel even more uneasy.
"The scenic area is located in Baishui Town. What you saw isn't normal, so get back as soon as possible. Those two children are probably not human, but this place is very normal. I'm afraid what we encounter this time will be more difficult than before."
Jiang Yu sent the text again.
"I'll meet you at the bridge."
Yu Shu replied with a "good".
He was soon back to the tall, dense bushes that stood like a wall.
As long as he passed through, he would return to the scenic area and would be able to see Jiang Yu. Thinking of this, the strange scene in the village reappeared in his mind and he was not so scared anymore.
"Jiang Yu, listen to me..."
Jiang Yu is not in front of me, and the village is ahead, exactly the same as what I saw when I first came in.
Yu Shu's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and he turned his head to look back. The impenetrable wall of trees was right on top of him, and there were still traces of a few small branches that had been broken when he came back just now.
Something happened.
Even the direction changed. He should have been facing southeast after passing through the bushes, but he was still facing northwest.
He walked through it again, and it was the same.
"Hasn't it come out yet?"
Jiang Yu sent a message.
Not only did Yu Shu feel cold in his heart, but his hands and feet were also slightly cold.
The surrounding plants and trees were like countless hands, surrounding him. If he ran, they would catch him and bring him back to where he came from, determined to keep him here.
"Jiang Yu! Can you hear me? I'm here!" Yu Shu shouted loudly.
The loud voice traveled far away, but there was no response, not even the small animals were alarmed.
After he finished shouting, his fingertips trembled slightly as he typed: "Can you hear me calling you?"
"I didn't hear it."
Yu Shu took a breath of cold air.
"Listen to me, I'm in that bush right now, but I've tried crossing it several times and can't get back to the bridge. I just tried to shout your name, but you couldn't hear me. You're right, this time we're dealing with more trouble than before."
But at the end, the text started to go in circles, and after about half a minute, a red exclamation mark appeared.
The message failed to send.
Even the most basic text communication is impossible.
Yu Shu tried around for a long time but couldn't find a way to go back.
The dusk was dark, and darkness came from all directions, blackening the sky, while lights began to light up one after another in the deserted village.
Rather than suffering the temperature drop at night in this open air without any shelter, it is better to try your luck in the village.
Yu Shu walked forward cautiously, scanning his surroundings warily. The night was eerily quiet, echoing with his footsteps.
He bravely walked towards the village, but it was too dark and he didn't pay attention to his feet. He was tripped by a frame of branches tied with vines that came from nowhere.
He had walked back and forth on this road no less than ten times. He hadn't seen the handmade rack half an hour ago, and he had been facing the direction of the village for so long. If someone or an animal brought the rack here, he would definitely see it.
Normally, a lush natural environment would have plenty of small animals and various insects, but after spending most of the day here, there were only motionless plants and houses. Even when I shouted during the day, I didn't see any birds flying away in fear.
The absence of birds may be because this place is not suitable for bird activities, but the lush vegetation near the mountains and water is very likely to breed mosquitoes, and you can hardly see a single one at night.
The more Yu Shu thought about it, the more panicked he became, and his heart began to beat wildly.
If people stay in an abnormally quiet environment for a long time, they are likely to experience extremely heavy mental stress. Yu Shu began to talk to himself while walking.
"I'm a little hungry."
"Yeah, I haven't eaten all day. I should have eaten more breakfast."
"The sky here is much more beautiful than in the city. There are so many stars."
"More than that, it's even more beautiful than the night sky of Yujia Village. Otherwise, how could it be called a scenic spot?"
"Speaking of which, Taoist priests can observe the stars, so does Jiang Yu know how?"
Yu Shu muttered all the way, from his hunger to the twinkling stars in the sky, and then inexplicably talked about Jiang Yu. As they were talking, they soon arrived at the village.
When I got closer, I realized that it was the light from a kerosene lamp or candle from many years ago, not an electric light.
Yu Shu walked to the room he had been to during the day, hesitated at the door for a while, and finally decided to go in.
The hot steam from the food swayed and rose into the air.
But the dishes have changed.
At noon it was beans, eggplant and eggs, but now it has become meat and winter melon.
In the house where it is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop, changes that can only be achieved are taking place.
Yu Shu became even more panicked. He could hear the increasingly heavy breathing hidden beneath the sound of breathing.
"Hello, excuse me, is anyone there?"
"It's getting dark, I want to borrow a place to rest my feet."
The only sound that responded to the technique was his own breathing.
He looked at the table of dishes that didn't look very good and swallowed.
He was exhausted physically and mentally, and had been hungry all day, feeling a little exhausted. He wanted to eat something and then have a good sleep.
I also want to see Jiang Yu when I wake up.
"Don't eat it." The sudden voice scared Yu Shu.
He Yuhua was standing at the door of the old house, her eye-catching crimson wedding dress swaying in the night breeze.
"Where should I go now?" Yu Shu felt a little relieved. With the talisman he got from Jiang Yu and He Yuya, he had double insurance and at least he didn't have to worry about encountering any difficult guys.
But if she ran out, the problem would escalate. Jiang Yu had said that He Yuhua would not come out on her own unless she had no other choice.
This village, which is uninhabited but still shows signs of life, looks peaceful, and the dangerous undercurrents hidden beneath it have never been revealed.
He Yuhua raised her finger and made a soft hushing sound, signaling Yu Shu not to speak.
Yu Shu didn't understand what was going on. He opened his lips slightly and wanted to ask what was going on, but he heard a burst of laughter coming from someone other than the two of them.
He Yuhua helped close the window and then used her body to block the door to cover up Yu Shu's breath.
Yu Shu held his breath and concentrated, trying to peek at the situation outside through the hem of his clothes that was occasionally blown up by the cold wind.
Figures holding red lanterns walked slowly in a line, accompanied by the cheerful sound of gongs and drums and laughter.
Next came something resembling a sedan chair, carried by eight people in total, but I couldn't see it clearly.
The team continued to pass by, and walking behind the "big sedan chair" was what seemed to be a group of maids and servants, each holding a wooden pole in their hands.
Yu Shu didn't dare to get too close, for fear of being discovered.
He was almost suffocating. At the end of the grand procession, there were two children.
It was not known whether Yu Shu lost control and let out some air, or whether the children were just too perceptive, but they all turned their heads and stared at Yu Shu through the gap.
A breath of air was stuck in Yu Shu's chest and he almost fell to the ground.
The two children were the little girl and the little boy.
The only difference was that their clothes were brighter and more colorful. The little girl's skirt was the same red as He Yuhua's wedding dress, and the little boy's old-fashioned button-down shirt was a bright indigo blue.
The two children tilted their heads and smiled at Yu Shu. As they smiled, they blinked twice, and the black pupils of their eyes disappeared, leaving only the whites of their eyes.
This frightened Yu Shu so much that he couldn't make any sound and expose himself, so he had to cover his mouth tightly with his hands.
"Sister, are you getting married too?" The two children's clear voices were very pleasant to the ears, but their grinning mouths were filled with teeth covered with moss.
He Yuhua was slightly startled, but she didn't respond. She might be fine, but Yu Shu might be in trouble, and she couldn't let Yu Shu get into any trouble.
Seeing that He Yuhua ignored them, the child turned to look at Yu Shu in the room, bent his head ninety degrees, with his temples touching his shoulders, and grinned again, revealing his blue and white teeth, in a creepy smile.
The team finally disappeared, and Yu Shu took deep breaths.
Before he could catch his breath, he said with difficulty: "Do you have any way to leave?"
He Yuhua shook her head: "Wait for Jiang Yu."
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