When the girl heard my question, she pointed to the cave behind the waterfall and replied, "There is a natural hot spring inside. You should all go and take a bath in the hot spring."
After hearing the girl's words, the monkey rolled its eyes speechlessly: "Big sister, we came here to find Ping'an Village, not to take a bath! So you've led us to a bathhouse after all this time? You're not a shill for the bathhouse, are you?"
The girl looked at us coldly: "If you want to live, do as I say. You won't be able to enter Ping'an Village unless you bathe here."
I saw the girl's expression, gripped my pistol, and stepped forward: "You stay outside, I'll go in and take a look."
Manjing followed, saying, "Big brother, I'll go with you!"
When we chased the paper figures the night before, we brought flashlights to provide illumination.
Upon entering the cave, a refreshing breeze immediately greeted us.
Further in, there was a faint smell of sulfur in the air, but it wasn't pungent.
The cave is only a dozen meters deep. At the very back, there is a space of about ten square meters. There is a natural spring on the ground, bubbling water out. The surrounding ground has also been dug into a small circular space, like a bathtub.
I carefully examined the cave with my flashlight and found that there were no mechanisms or secret passages. Then I left the cave and said to Jiang Man, "It's just an ordinary cave. There is indeed a hot spring. You can go in and take a bath first."
"Come with me."
Jiang Man spoke frankly, "Ever since I met those paper figures, I've had a restless feeling. I don't feel comfortable going into this cave alone."
My face flushed instantly: "We are men and women, after all. It's not appropriate for us to shower together. What if word gets out...?"
"What are you thinking? I just wanted you to be there to protect me while I'm taking a shower, so that even if I encounter any danger, I'll have someone to look after me."
Jiang Man saw my expression and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly: "Of course, if you really want to shower with me, I wouldn't mind."
When Jiang Man said that, my face turned even redder, and I quickly changed the subject: "In that case, let's split into two groups. I'll go in with Jiang Man first, and you guys stay outside."
As I spoke, I glanced at the monkey.
We had a great understanding. Monkey saw the look in my eyes and knew that I wanted him to stay outside and keep an eye on the little girl. He nodded gently.
Jiang Man and I entered the cave, led her to the pool, and then I turned around and said, "You can go in and take a bath now. I won't turn around during this process, but we need to keep chatting. If you encounter any danger, just call me."
"good!"
Jiang Man agreed, and soon the sound of splashing water came from behind: "Why do you think we had to bathe here before entering Ping'an Village? Was it some kind of mysterious ritual, or something else?"
"I don't know."
I also felt a bit strange: "The little girl just said that if we don't want to die, we have to take a bath here. But there's a strong smell of sulfur in this cave. We saw so many poisonous snakes in the mountains before. I guess there might be a lot of poisonous snakes around Ping'an Village. She made us take a bath here so that there would be a sulfur smell around us, which could be used to repel poisonous snakes and insects."
After listening to my analysis, Jiang Man's tone relaxed a bit: "In other words, that little girl was very likely genuinely trying to lead us into Ping'an Village."
I smelled the sulfur in the air and said softly, "I've been in this line of work for so long, and I've seen all sorts of strange things. I've even encountered moving corpses like corpse puppets, but these paper figures that just attacked us are something I've never heard of before. There must be something strange about Ping'an Village that we've never seen before. This place is too eerie. Once we find clues about the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace, we'd better leave as soon as possible."
After chatting for a while, Jiang Man finished her shower, and I also took off my clothes and soaked in the tub for a few minutes.
After we had all finished showering, the girl, along with the large mastiff, led us further into the woods.
Jiang Man walked beside me and, seeing that the girl remained silent, took the initiative to step forward and start a conversation: "Miss, thank you so much for leading the way for us into Ping'an Village today. But even though we've known each other for so long, I don't think I know your name."
The girl coldly replied, "Don't try to get close to me. I don't want to take you into the mountain stronghold; you're just blackmailing me."
Jiang Man smiled, took out a piece of chewing gum, and handed it to the girl: "Our methods may offend you, but I must tell you that we really have no ill intentions."
The girl glanced at what Jiang Man was holding: "We don't eat filthy things from outside the mountain stronghold, and you don't need to try to get close to me in this way."
Ten minutes later.
The girl held out her hand to Jiang Man: "Give me another one of those candies!"
“You can’t eat this anymore. You’re right. This stuff has too many additives. Eating too much of it isn’t a good thing.”
Jiang Man smiled and handed the girl the whole box of chewing gum: "I can give it to you, but remember not to eat too much at once."
"Thanks."
The girl gave a smile befitting her age and put the box into her pocket.
Jiang Man then asked, "Can you tell me your name?"
The girl thought for a moment, then looked at us and said, "My name is Miao Xiaoxian!"
When the monkey heard Miao Xiaoxian mention her name, he whispered to me, "That's why they say girls should be raised in comfort! See? That little girl who was so cold and aloof before was completely won over by a box of chewing gum!"
I looked at the straw sandals on the girl's feet and said in a low voice, "If I'm not mistaken, this girl has never left this village since she was a child. They live deep in the mountains and forests, and their living environment must not be very good. The taste of those wild fruits is naturally incomparable to the rich flavor of food additives."
The monkey looked at the towering trees around them and said with a sneer, "Really? This girl looks about seventeen or eighteen years old. If she was born and raised in a place like this, wouldn't that be too pitiful?"
"Everyone's life is different. Even if we live in a modern city full of skyscrapers, we are just passersby. If we really feel sorry for this little girl, it's probably just because her living environment here prevents her from choosing the life she wants."
I paused for a moment: "If my guess is correct, then the people living in Ping'an Village must be guarding some secret. They are willing to sacrifice the youth and lives of generation after generation. They probably have a very deep belief. Such people are often quite terrifying."
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