Upon hearing my question, the man immediately became interested: "A cemetery? What kind of cemetery?"
“All the dead people in Ping’an Village will be buried in the village in the willow forest, which is a dead city.”
After I finished speaking, I stopped providing the man with any information: "The information you gave me didn't yield any valuable clues. In fact, you've come out ahead in this exchange!"
Upon hearing this news, the man looked anxious: "Brother, how about this? I don't have any information to exchange for yours right now, but I can pay for it! Just tell me the specific situation in the willow grove, name your price!"
"I think you're a decent person, so I'll just tell you the truth. Actually, I've never been to the willow grove. I got this information from one of my villagers."
I pursed my lips: "As for what that cemetery looks like, I don't really know either. After all, there are so many poisonous insects and ferocious beasts outside this village, and it's full of traps. Who knows what dangers we might encounter if we go out rashly!"
"If that's the case, then it's really strange. What kind of custom is there in Ping'an Village? Why would they build a separate village for the dead?"
Hearing what I said, the man didn't press the matter further: "Young man, thank you for your honesty. I'm here in the cafeteria every day at noon. If you need to exchange any information, feel free to contact me anytime. Let's exchange ideas and share what we have!"
"Sure, if there's any information, I'll continue to consider exchanging it with you."
I originally thought I could get some valuable information from the man, but after listening for a while, all I heard from him was their speculation.
I knew in my heart that the man was hiding some information from me, just as I hadn't told him the truth about the willow grove.
After listening to the man's words, the monkey looked at me thoughtfully: "Young Master Duan, what this guy just said made me realize something! You said we went through so much trouble to go to the willow forest to find the secret of the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace, is it possible that it is actually just a tomb?"
Think about it, the village over by the willow grove is unguarded year-round. If Ping'an Village really had any secrets, it's unlikely they would leave it in a deserted place, allowing outsiders to rummage through it at will, right? So, I think we've been going in the wrong direction all along? Perhaps the secrets of Ping'an Village are hidden in those enclosed spaces beneath the council chamber?
“You heard what that person just said. The ground beneath the council chamber of Ping’an Village is exceptionally solid, and there are stone slabs blocking the way. It’s impossible to open it up in a short time! We can also see from the incident at the willow grove that the people of Ping’an Village are skilled in using witchcraft. Acting rashly will only lead to danger. In contrast, we have already figured out the situation at the willow grove. As long as we can capture the clan leader, we can take a shortcut and learn the secrets of Ping’an Village. Why go through all the trouble and take even greater risks?”
As I spoke, I walked towards where Uncle Seven lived: "In order to explore the secrets of the willow forest, the Wei family has already sacrificed a life. If we choose to change our strategy now, they will definitely have something to say, so let's stick to the original plan."
The monkey frowned: "It's just a collaboration between the two sides. Do we need the Wei family to tell us how to do things?"
"Since we've decided to cooperate, let's adopt a cooperative attitude. Our initial intention in cooperating is to work together to get things done, not to compete with each other and end up benefiting no one."
I don’t think we should change our plans based on hearsay, but the man’s information is not entirely useless.
The more we know about Ping'an Village, the more initiative we can have when confronting the clan chief, and the better we can discern whether he is telling us the truth.
I thought that even if Ping'an Village was a place with little human warmth, since Uncle Qi had lived here for most of his life, someone should come to pay their respects after his death.
To our surprise, when we reached the alley entrance, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
At the entrance of the alley, several elderly people were playing a game with wooden chess pieces, chatting and laughing with each other. The alley was empty, desolate, and lonely.
I thought for a moment, then walked over to the group of people playing chess and asked an elderly man who looked kind, "Sir, do you speak Chinese?"
The old man glanced at me sideways and said, "I'm Chinese, what else can I say if I don't speak Chinese?"
I chuckled and said, "I've heard that Ping'an Village is a secluded place, and I thought you'd never been to the outside world and only spoke the village's language."
I picked up my pipe and took a couple of puffs: "The outside world? When I was young, I participated in the Hundred Days' Reform, fought against Zhang Xun's army, killed Japanese devils, and went to the Korean War. My experiences are probably more extensive than yours, a little kid!"
The monkey rolled its eyes: "Old man, you can fool us with your boasting, but don't fool yourself! This is the new China now, and the Hundred Days' Reform you're talking about happened in the late Qing Dynasty, more than a hundred years ago!"
"hehe."
The old man smiled and said, "The outside world is indeed prosperous, but this prosperity can blind you. Having a lot of education doesn't mean you can jump out of the well and see the world!"
I also felt that the old man was bragging, but since I needed his help, I didn't want to expose him, so I asked, "Uncle, may I ask if Uncle Qi from the village lives in this alley?"
The old man exhaled a puff of smoke: "What do you want with him?"
I explained in a calm tone, "We entered Ping'an Village as tourists. The village chief arranged for Miao Xiaoxian to be our guide. Today I wanted to go for a walk outside the village, but I couldn't find Miao Xiaoxian anywhere. I heard that she has a good relationship with Uncle Qi, so I wanted to see if she was at Uncle Qi's house."
"You've come at the wrong time; Xiao Qi is dead."
When the old man said these words, his tone was completely calm, as if the boundary between life and death meant nothing to him.
I feigned surprise: "Dead? Is Miao Xiaoxian inside having a funeral? Can I take a look?"
The old man lowered his head and played chess: "No need. According to the village's customs, the body of the deceased cannot be left in a house, it's considered unlucky."
I scratched my head: "Do you know where the body is? I want to go find Miao Xiaoxian!"
When the old man heard my question, he simply raised his head, stared at me, and didn't say anything.
I felt uncomfortable under the hawk-like gaze on that old face, but I still spoke up: "Uncle, have I perhaps violated a taboo of Ping'an Village?"
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