When Miao Xiaoxian heard my question, she gave me a pained look: "Come with me!"
I walked around the wooden building in front of the city wall and saw the direction from which the smoke was rising. My expression immediately changed: "Was that smoke caused by an explosion?"
"The council chamber has been bombed!"
Miao Xiaoxian walked ahead, a flash of anger in her eyes: "Those guys went to the council hall to steal things. After being discovered by the guards, they were surrounded and attacked by the villagers. Instead of running away, they launched a counterattack, killing and injuring several people. They were even so arrogant that they blew up the council hall while being besieged!"
"These people must have come for news of the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace! But how did they know that there were relevant clues hidden in the basement of the council chamber?"
Completely baffled, I pressed Miao Xiaoxian for an answer: "Were the things in the basement looted?"
Miao Xiaoxian shook her head and led us toward the council chamber: "I haven't seen it yet. When I came back, the village was already in chaos. I was afraid you would be mistaken for enemies and besieged, so I came to help!"
Before I even reached the council chamber, I heard cries and screams.
As you enter the courtyard, the air still smells of gunpowder. The villagers are busy treating the wounded. Near the courtyard wall, there are more than a dozen bodies covered with straw mats, and many shell casings are scattered on the ground.
The council building had mostly collapsed, and thick smoke billowed inside, with flames occasionally shooting out. People outside were carrying buckets and wooden basins, trying to put out the fire.
"These people are so utterly shameless! They came here to search for historical sites, why did they have to kill people?"
Qu Ruilin's face darkened as he looked at the yard full of corpses: "Do these bastards really think this is a lawless place?"
Seeing Miao Xiaoxian's grief-stricken expression as she looked at the corpse in the courtyard, I gently reminded her, "Xiaoxian, I know this has been a huge blow to you. With such a commotion here, the clan leader will likely be alerted soon. So, if you want to go to the basement, now is the best opportunity!"
When Miao Xiaoxian heard what I said, she turned around and looked at me with resentment, as if blaming me for being selfish and thinking about stealing when Ping'an Village was suffering such a great calamity.
I didn't dodge, but looked Miao Xiaoxian in the eye and said, "Ping'an Village is peaceful and undisturbed by the world. The root cause of today's disaster is the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace that you are protecting! Whether from the outside world's perspective or from your own perspective, the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace has become a burden to Ping'an Village!"
"I know it's impolite to say this about what you've protected for thousands of years, but throughout history, far too many have coveted the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace. Before, Ping'an Village remained hidden from the world, so perhaps no one discovered this, but now your location has been exposed. If this matter isn't resolved completely, you will not only continue to be oppressed by the village rules, but more and more people will come here. Today's tragedy is absolutely not the end, but merely the beginning!"
After listening to my words, Miao Xiaoxian glanced at the corpse in the yard again and sighed: "You all stay here and wait for me!"
I knew the council chamber was a forbidden area, so while Miao Xiaoxian went in to check the situation, I also started helping to treat the wounded and move the bodies outside.
The traces at the scene showed that the fight between the two sides was extremely fierce. The bodies we moved included those who had been shot, those whose necks had been slashed and whose limbs had been cut off. The ground in the yard was also covered with a shocking layer of blood.
I dragged the corpse of a villager to the corner of the wall, and like the others, I spread a straw mat on his body.
It was at this moment that I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye and noticed that the corpse covered with a straw mat next to me was not wearing the hemp clothes of the villagers, but a military green training uniform.
I lifted a corner of the mat and saw a familiar face underneath, its brows furrowed.
Iron Fist!
This guy, who had the upper hand in both of my encounters, is now lying here quietly.
He had several bloody holes in his chest, but his clothes were not charred, indicating that the wounds were caused by arrows.
In addition, his abdomen had been cut open, his internal organs had spilled out, covered in dust, and surrounded by a large swarm of ants.
Qu Ruilin then dragged over a corpse. Seeing me staring blankly at the straw mat, he walked over and asked, "Do you know this person?"
"I don't know him, I just find him strange."
At this time, we were in the middle of a cooperation phase, and I didn't want Qu Ruilin to know that this was the mess Duan Jinyan had made, so that he might have a negative impression of me. I shook my head and said, "This person's attire is very professional, and he's a new face. I've never seen this person in the village before."
"Perhaps one of their accomplices was among those who came in earlier!"
Qu Ruilin guessed, "These guys are ruthless and have a clear objective. I just talked to some other villagers, and they said that after entering the village, they went straight for the council hall. If no one had come to scout beforehand, the operation wouldn't have gone so smoothly!"
I took one last look at Iron Fist's corpse, then loosened my grip on the mat, feeling increasingly agitated.
The presence of Iron Fist's body here indicates that the attack on the Ping An Village council chamber was carried out by the Black Robe Organization.
Given Duan Jinyan's consistent style, he rarely makes mistakes. But when I saw the council chamber that was half destroyed, I had an extremely uneasy feeling.
As I was pondering this, Qu Ruilin gently nudged me: "Miao Xiaoxian is out."
I turned my head and saw Miao Xiaoxian's gloomy face. I had already guessed what was going on, so I stood up and asked, "How is it? Did you find anything?"
"There was a hidden space inside the basement, which I discovered for the first time today. The walls of that space had been blown open, and everything inside was gone."
Miao Xiaoxian's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water: "I really can't understand why outsiders could find a place that even I didn't know about so easily?"
I sighed: "Those who can find the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace are all expert tomb raiders. They can spot a hidden space at a glance."
“What we’re looking for is gone now, and with such a commotion in the village, the clan chief will probably be back soon. This place is too dangerous; it’s not suitable for you to stay any longer. You must leave as soon as possible before the elders return and make a decision.”
As Miao Xiaoxian spoke, she handed me another wallet: "I got this from my great-grandfather's study. It should be his diary. I don't know if it will be of any help to you! After you leave Ping'an Village, wait for me by the river where we first met. Don't look at the trees in the woods outside, look at the grass. If you see skull grass growing under a tree, turn right... If I have any information, I will come and meet you."
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