One of the kind-looking protectors suddenly had an idea. He beckoned to the handsome young man who was blocking the door, "Come, come, young man, how can we let you go hungry? You've been busy all day! Quickly add a chair, you can sit here and eat. I'm impressed by your young master's knowledge, I need to concentrate on listening to the poetry."
Du Lanshan immediately understood his intention: he suspected that they wouldn't be allowed to leave until they finished the food on the table.
The other maintainers stared at the food with increasing caution, as if what lay before them was not food but poison that would kill them.
The handsome young man smiled shyly, his expression revealing a sense of simplicity and contentment. Under the astonished gazes of the defenders, he happily moved a chair to the side and sat down. He didn't touch his chopsticks easily, but his eyes were fixed on the plate with a burning intensity.
The six men looked at each other, a subtle sense of guilt rising in their hearts. They then began to invite the villagers nearby to sit down.
During the conversation, Du Lanshan learned that the village was called "Beauty Village" and the village across the river was called "Rich Village". Originally, many villagers from Beauty Village had fled to Rich Village in twos and threes because they could not bear the poverty.
Du Lanshan was curious and asked, "Why don't you run away?"
The butler sitting beside him looked at his young master, who was already engrossed in his ink painting, with a wry smile and said absentmindedly, "Everything has a price! When the price is something that I cannot bear, my desire to satisfy my desires will be greatly diminished."
Du Lanshan wanted to ask more questions, but the butler stopped talking. He tilted his head back, drank a glass of water, put the glass on the table, and said, "It's getting late. Please get some rest, esteemed guests."
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, all the villagers put down their chopsticks, stopped laughing, stood up, bowed to the protectors, and gestured for them to enter.
There was hardly anything left on the plates. Even though there was nothing wrong with the food, the six of them felt too embarrassed to take it from the villagers. Instead, the villagers finished it all themselves. Although the dinner didn't make everyone happy, it was still a pleasant and enjoyable experience.
Seeing the beautiful women who had been chatting happily with them still stiffly bowing without getting up, the maintainers were somewhat puzzled. They were forced to walk out the door, and looking at the sky, they suddenly realized that the moon had already climbed into the sky.
Du Lanshan turned around and saw that the villagers inside the house had gotten up at some point, tidying up the table and bustling around the house.
“Even though there are no candles, the room is quite bright.” Tai Er ran his hand through his half-long hair and whispered in Du Lanshan’s ear, “The mud houses in this village are interesting! Brother Du, look, those big windows, when opened, are aligned with the path of the moon, so no matter what month or time it is, you can borrow moonlight.”
Just then, the butler came out. He glanced at Platform Two and said with a smile to the few people who were still standing at the door, "Gentlemen, please close the windows tonight to avoid the mountain wind disturbing your health."
After saying that, he sent two villagers to lead the two female guests and four male guests to the mud-brick house at the back.
The three adjacent guest rooms were not large. Du Lanshan and Tai Er shared a room. The room was simply furnished with a kang (heated brick bed), a low table, and a stool. Only a straw mat was laid on the kang. The window next to it was wide open, and a gentle breeze drifted in from outside.
You don't notice anything during the day, but the temperature drops sharply at night.
The layout of the house made Tai Er mutter a few more words. When Du Lanshan followed the housekeeper's advice and closed the windows, the room immediately became dark.
It was pitch black, as if swallowed by darkness.
A soft cough escaped the air. "Brother, how about we open the window?" Tai Er asked awkwardly.
Du Lanshan didn't say anything, but simply took out a flashlight and placed it on the low table.
The dim light illuminated the small room, and soon the two heard a knock on the door.
Four maintenance workers stood outside the door. The older woman extended an invitation, "Shall we take a look around together?"
Du Lanshan put away the flashlight and readily agreed.
The village was really small, blocked by a river in front and loess hills behind. Tai Er had grown up in the village and was quite experienced in crossing rivers and climbing wild mountains. But just as he was about to try to wade into the river, he was so frightened by the sudden rush of the river that he pulled his leg back. Even so, the huge impact made him lose his balance and almost fall in. It was Du Lanshan who caught him in time.
"My God!" Tai Er patted his chest, still shaken. "Don't take any risks. It looks shallow, but I have a feeling this river is deeper than I thought." He shook his wet shoes and couldn't help but sigh, "Our village is considered poor, but we can still catch fish in the river. I bet this river doesn't even have a single weed growing on it."
The group walked in the opposite direction with solemn expressions. Facing the loess slope, Luo Cheng, the honest-looking protector, rolled up his sleeves and said, "I'll do it this time."
The young man Xiao Wang, who shared a room with him, said solemnly, "I'll stay with you. If there are any problems, I can at least help you out." He subconsciously glanced at Tai Er and Du Lanshan, obviously thinking of the thrilling scene by the river just now.
Luo Cheng did not refuse, and the two quickly climbed up the hillside. But the moment they reached the top, they disappeared in a flash. Before anyone could be surprised, they reappeared beside them in the blink of an eye, still climbing.
Luo Cheng stared stiffly at the hillside, gritted his teeth, and said defiantly, "Let's try again."
Xiao Wang quickly pulled him back, advising, "Don't waste your energy, there's still a small bridge."
At his words, all six of them looked toward the antique white stone arch bridge.
They weren't deliberately trying to cross the river or climb the mountain; it was just that the name of the bridge was rather ominous. Being in a realm of death, everyone was extremely cautious in their words and actions, knowing that life is only once. So, upon discovering that the bridge was named "Nai Shi," they wisely didn't hesitate and simply crossed it.
Logically, it should have been the two ladies' turn to take the risk this time, but Xiao Wang volunteered again. He was young and impetuous, and still harbored some romantic feelings for the only young woman in the team.
Tai Er clicked his tongue twice in secret and muttered to Du Lanshan, "We're not even at the same rest stop, so trying to be friendly is pointless!"
The young woman was initially reluctant to accept, but she couldn't resist Xiao Wang's enthusiasm and stepped onto the bridge first.
Because there had been no irreparable danger in the previous two times, Xiao Wang became overconfident and underestimated his opponent. Just as he stepped onto the stone bridge that was only ten steps away from the other side, a sudden fog swept by and swallowed him up in the white mist.
"Oh no!" The young woman, who called herself Lianlian, was actually quite decisive despite her delicate name. As soon as she exclaimed, a scream was heard from the bridge. Then, Lianlian frowned and deftly threw a card onto the bridge. The others held their breath and looked over nervously, only to see a figure fall out of the mist.
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