It was still barely dawn, but everyone in the room was wide awake. They had many questions they wanted to know, but they couldn't find anyone to confide in.
Xu Qian ignored the situation inside and went outside to wash his face. The cold water made him more awake, and his thoughts raced through his mind. He recalled everything that had happened in the monkey cave and the stories that had taken place there.
For some reason, Xu Qian suddenly remembered what his master had once said to him: "If it were possible to save the lives of the vast majority of people by sacrificing the lives of a small number of people, would you be willing to do it?"
Xu Qian remembers that this was his answer at the time: "Personally, if I am in that small group, I am willing; if I am in the vast majority, then I am not willing."
The reason he still remembers it so clearly is because his master's expression at that time left a deep impression on Xu Qian. His master was smiling then, which was rare for her, like spring flowers blooming and green waters warming up.
Therefore, he was deeply impressed.
He is now thinking about the question again, and after some thought, the answer seems to be the same.
Between the perpetrator and the victim, only the victim can decide whether or not to forgive, and the same applies when the relationship between the two is reversed.
After figuring things out, Xu Qian casually found a rock outside and sat down. The cold wind blowing in his face blew the hair on his forehead, revealing his smooth and full forehead. His eyes were even clearer in the misty morning light.
"Why isn't he inside?" Meng Ziqiu saw Xu Qian standing outside in the cold wind as soon as he came out.
Xu Qian looked at Meng Ziqiu and seemed to remember something. He patted him on the shoulder and said, "I'm going out for a bit. Don't go anywhere until I get back."
"...Huh? Where are you going again...ah!" Before Meng Ziqiu could finish speaking, the other person had already disappeared.
"I'll be right back!" Xu Qian said, turning around. Before dawn, he used his light-footed skill to fly towards several cliffs nearby. The technique he had honed while gathering herbs in the Qutang Gorge was now proving useful.
After a while, Xu Qian flew to the nearest cliff and peered down. Sure enough, he caught sight of something blue. He used his lightness skill to jump down again, picked it up, and saw that the blue thing was actually a piece of clothing. However, judging from the faded color, it must have been at least several years old.
Xu Qian searched the vicinity again and found some bones not far from the clothes, specifically human bones.
The bones showed obvious signs of gnawing, suggesting they had likely fallen (or been pushed) and been dragged away by nearby wild animals as food. Xu Qian looked at the bones and sighed, then said, "Rest in peace!" He picked up the remaining bones, wrapped them in his old clothes, and stuffed them into his backpack.
Xu Qian searched around the area and found five more skeletons. As before, he collected the remaining remains and planned to hand them over to the police later, as a way of offering some comfort to the families who were searching for them.
After finishing up here, Xu Qian flew to the second cliff, where he found three more skeletons at the bottom.
None of these skeletons left behind anything related to their identities. It's unclear whether they were already there before they fell or if the skeletons simply couldn't find them. Fortunately, current technology is advanced enough that perhaps their families can still be found.
Xu Qian returned to the cliff and placed a magic net halfway up the cliff. This thing wasn't as powerful as its name suggested, but it could easily catch a few people. Although Xu Qian hoped he wouldn't need it, well... what if he did?
After arranging all the necessary preparations, Xu Qian packed up and returned to the village.
On the way to the village, Xu Qian, trying to save time, continued his low-altitude light-footed movement and inadvertently smelled a fishy, foul odor. The smell hit his brain and almost made him vomit.
Xu Qian stopped midway, frowning as he searched for the source of the stench. Seeing that the smell was getting stronger, he found the source at a mound of earth with obvious signs of human intervention.
It was an extremely rotten hand, which had originally been buried in the ground, but perhaps because it had rained a couple of days ago, it had been washed out by the rain.
Xu Qian, holding his sword in one hand and covering his nose, used several skills on the mound of earth. A few seconds later, he turned the corpse out of the mound. Judging from the clothes on the corpse, it should be a woman, and a young woman at that.
Upon closer inspection, Xu Qian discovered that apart from the exposed hand, the body was not too badly decomposed. However, one thing was very strange: the woman's face had been deliberately slashed, and judging from the color of the blood, it must have been slashed after she died.
To smear someone's face after they've died is either an attempt to conceal something, or it indicates intense hatred towards that person...
And this place... Xu Qian looked around. It was all bushes and trees, with hardly any human presence or roads, almost eliminating any possibility of being discovered by others.
Perhaps only he would have taken the unconventional path and discovered this place.
Xu Qian circled the body and found a discarded hairpin in a bush. It was speckled with small black and white spots. This reminded him of a scene: he remembered that the old man's daughter seemed to be wearing the same hairpin...
Xu Qian buried the soil back up again, pressing it down firmly before turning to leave.
...
Upon returning to the village, Xu Qian did not immediately use his light-footed skill to go back to the guesthouse, but instead took the main gate, which was the same path they had initially entered through.
The old man's gate at the village entrance was half-closed, and as you got closer, you could faintly hear the little girl's voice, sweet with a touch of playfulness.
Xu Qian was certain that these two people had not killed anyone, and there was no murderous intent value on their status bars.
So, who killed that woman? Was her face also scarred by the same person?
For a moment, Xu Qian felt that countless questions were troubling him. His curiosity was not particularly strong, but this did indeed confuse him greatly. Everything here seemed to be shrouded in a veil, making it impossible to see or understand.
Upon arriving at the guesthouse, Xu Qian was pulled aside by Meng Ziqiu to eat some bread and was also given a bottle of milk. Strangely enough, when Xu Qian put on the sheep vest, Meng Ziqiu immediately transformed from a brother into a guardian.
As the sky brightened a bit more, the old man finally arrived. Everyone in the house knew what might happen next, and it was impossible not to be nervous. But more than nervousness, they wanted to rescue Sangzi.
Uncle Zhang pretended to think for a while before nodding to the old man, "Alright, since everyone's alright, let's treat this as a trip and enjoy the rural scenery."
The old man smiled to his face, but secretly he was thinking, "It's a pity you'll only get to see this scenery once."
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