Shangguan Xi was taken aback, not expecting Xu Yuehuai's idea to be so sudden. Just yesterday they were saying they wouldn't enter this village, but this morning she suddenly changed her mind. Shangguan Xi couldn't convince herself that she hadn't discovered something unusual. "But have you found anything unusual here? Should I wake them up now and discuss a plan?"
Xu Yuehuai shook her head. Her gaze fell upon this village. It had fallen into decline. With the passage of time, people from surrounding villages had chosen to live in the town, especially after the recent natural disaster that made it impossible to continue living there. But the village at the foot of Taiping Mountain was different; it hadn't been destroyed, and its inhabitants hadn't shown any intention of leaving. Only later, when everyone else moved away, did the people of this village remain, clinging to this backward place. It made one wonder if this place held some unspeakable secret. But from the outside, it seemed unremarkable; now, only a few elderly people with white hair remained. What secrets could it possibly hold?
Last night, Xu Yuehuai noticed that there were only a few lights in the village, but she could vaguely see people moving around inside. They were mostly elderly people who liked to get up in the middle of the night to talk or walk around. Because of this, she thought that perhaps not all the people in the village were bad. She didn't know how to explain what she was thinking after seeing what happened yesterday.
However, she felt that if she went up the mountain rashly without first exploring it, she would definitely regret it later. After thinking about it all night, she made this decision.
Nangong Yu and the others learned of this news as soon as they got up, but they didn't show much surprise. "I think we should go in and take a look. That way we can at least find out what this place is for. Besides, I still want to ask that boy we met yesterday a few questions."
So, after making this decision, everyone quickly tidied up, extinguished the fire on the ground, and entered the village. The village was very quiet in the early morning, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind. Even the usual sounds of chickens crowing and ducks quacking were absent. It was too quiet. Shi Mu rubbed his arms nervously and moved closer to Nangong Yu.
"This place is too eerie. How could this be? It's so early in the morning, and no one is awake yet." Shi Mu shrank his head, leaving only his eyes visible.
Xu Yuehuai walked at the front, with Xuan Chi beside her. Fu Ziyi walked lazily at the back, with a few people huddled together in fear in between. Baili Xiuwen followed behind Fu Ziyi, but was a little ahead of her.
"What are you doing here?" A sudden voice rang out, startling Shi Mu so much that he almost jumped up from the spot.
Xu Yuehuai was not surprised to see Xixi suddenly appear. Looking at Xixi in the side courtyard, she stepped forward and said, "I have been observing outside for a long time and wanted to come in to see if there is anything in this village that we can help with, and also to ask some questions."
"There's nothing in the village that needs your help, and no one will answer your questions. Leave now and don't disturb everyone's lives, or don't blame me for being impolite." They had met Xixi three times before, and this was the fourth time, but also the first time they had seen Xixi show an angry and annoyed expression.
Xu Yuehuai smiled and said, "These things are not up to you. You can't represent the whole village. It would be better if we just wandered around the village. If we happen to meet someone who is willing to answer our questions, that would be great."
As Xu Yuehuai raised her foot to leave, Xixi grabbed her shoulder, a hint of fierceness in her eyes, "Don't disturb their world. Just tell me what you have to say, why beat around the bush here!"
"It seems that the young master is willing to talk to us?" Xu Yuehuai said, pretending to be in no hurry, while raising his hand to remove Xixi's hand from his shoulder.
Xi Xi's expression was unfriendly. "Ask whatever you want to ask. I can still answer you now, but I might not be in the mood later."
"What exactly caused the spirit beasts on this mountain to riot?" Xu Yuehuai asked, his thin lips parting slightly, but the question he posed surprised everyone.
Didn't they already know about this problem?
Xi Xi turned her head away, her face showing some anger. "Naturally, it's because the female spirit beasts in the mountains are giving birth. If you don't even know these basic common sense facts, I advise you to go back as soon as possible and not come here to die."
Xu Yuehuai approached step by step, "You're lying, or rather, you didn't tell the whole story. Part of the reason for the rioting of the spirit beasts in the mountains is the problem of the female spirit beasts giving birth, but what is the other reason?"
"Exactly! What are you villagers up to? You haven't said a word about the truth of these things. What are you trying to hide? Do you really think we're stupid?" Shangguan Xi swayed her hips as she walked to Xu Yuehuai's side, a sly look in her eyes as she looked at Xixi.
Xixi didn't even glance at her, rendering her efforts futile.
"Stop spouting nonsense and making baseless accusations! I've said what I needed to say. Believe it or not, it's up to you. This mountain is fraught with danger. If you want to go up, be careful with your lives. If I were you, I'd turn back now!" With that, Xixi turned and left, returning to the house and closing the door with a creaking sound.
Looking at him like this, Shangguan Xi was even more certain that this person was up to no good. "Look at him like this, this matter is definitely not simple! But the truth is still unknown. Should we continue to look for other people in the village?"
The last question was directed at Xu Yuehuai. Although she was the team leader, Xu Yuehuai made most of the decisions. Xu Yuehuai shook her head and said, "No need. Being too hasty will only backfire. Let's go and think of a solution when we get out. If all else fails, we'll have to go back to town and ask around about this village and Taiping Mountain."
Although they didn't understand why Xu Yuehuai did this, they believed that Xu Yuehuai must have his reasons, so they followed Xu Yuehuai unconditionally.
Nangong Yu followed behind and complained to Shi Mu, "Looking at how arrogant that person was just now, I thought he had said something useful. He just talked a bunch of nonsense. He had the nerve to say that he had said everything he needed to say, and he even gave her a cold shoulder. I really don't know where he got the nerve."
Shi Mu isn't good at criticizing people, but he's a great listener.
They returned to the village entrance. Shortly after they left, Xixi came out of the house, her eyes fixed on the direction they had gone, before turning and hurrying away in another direction.
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