When I heard the monkey say that there was something wrong with Ping'an Village, I asked him in return, "Do you think there's anything normal about this strange village?"
The monkey shook his head: "No, you misunderstood me. What I said was wrong is that we went around in a big circle and I found that there wasn't even a single grave around this village! Logically speaking, these people have lived in Ping'an Village for countless generations, and birth, aging, sickness, and death are the most basic things. But there isn't even a single grave here. These people can't really be immortal, can they?"
I thought the monkey was talking about something serious, but when I heard his words, I said dismissively, "The feng shui of Ping'an Village is extremely yin. If someone were buried in such a place, they would probably have no descendants long ago! So, people in places like this probably use a special burial method like sky burial! Didn't Miao Xiaoxian say that they live here because of the gifts of nature? So, it's not impossible that they would return their bodies to nature after death!"
The monkey nodded: "That's true. I've never heard of the Laoshizi tribe in Ping'an Village before. They must be one of the most minority groups. I certainly can't presume to know about their lives based on my limited knowledge."
After lunch, we rested briefly and then set off again that afternoon to wander around the area.
After observation, I found that the location of Ping'an Village is in a feng shui situation where there is no wind on the water surface.
As the name suggests, the terrain here is like a body of water that has not been touched by wind.
Nothing happened, neither good nor bad. There was no dragon vein, not even a proper situation.
A calm, still body of water is the most neutral and also the most challenging for a feng shui master, as it can lean to the left or the right.
Whether a place becomes a blessed land or an inauspicious one is entirely up to the feng shui master.
In Ping'an Village, apart from using the locust and willow forest to change the windless water surface into an extremely yin attribute, no other formations were used to change the feng shui of the place.
It's habitable, but not suitable for raising people.
The intention behind it is elusive.
We came out in the afternoon specifically to keep Miao Xiaoxian occupied, so we didn't leave until dinner time. I even made up an excuse about spraining my ankle to deliberately delay for a while.
Miao Xiaoxian seemed to often miss the village's mealtimes. Seeing my situation, she didn't say anything and quickly brought back two wild rabbits.
When I saw Miao Xiaoxian roasting a wild rabbit, I noticed she took out a mineral water bottle with several holes poked in it from her bag, sprinkled salt on it, and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Didn't you say that your Ping'an Village is isolated from the world? How come you have something like this? Could it be that Ping'an Village can even produce plastic bottles now?"
Miao Xiaoxian replied calmly, "I found this. Although we are isolated from the world, you know how serious the environmental pollution is nowadays. Every time there is a rainstorm, the river always washes something down."
The monkey asked, "So, you've been in contact with the outside world, haven't you? Since you're already using things from the outside world, why do you insist on staying in your own little corner?"
Miao Xiaoxian cut up the wild rabbit and placed it on the leaves she had laid out: "We have never resisted the outside world. It's just that living in Ping'an Village is our own choice. It's you who subconsciously regard us as aliens."
I picked up a piece of rabbit meat and gently tore off a bite: "You can find supplies in the river, but where did you get the seasoning?"
“There is rock salt in this forest, as well as some other sources of replenishment.”
Miao Xiaoxian picked up a rabbit leg and looked at me like I was an idiot: "Our ancestors have lived here for countless generations. The fact that I am still here today naturally shows that Ping'an Village has its own way of life. If we were really lacking in food and clothing, we would have become extinct long ago, and you wouldn't be able to see me today, would you?"
"Since you say that Ping'an Village is isolated from the world, then what about Uncle Qi whom we met at noon?"
As I ate the rabbit meat, I casually asked, "I remember Uncle Qi saying he was short of money. Since you don't communicate with the outside world and there's no internal trading, why would you be interested in money?"
Don't ask.
Miao Xiaoxian's expression suddenly turned serious: "I'm warning you, after you return to the village, you are not allowed to mention Uncle Qi to anyone. If this news leaks out, you will be committing murder, understand?"
I looked at Miao Xiaoxian just as seriously: "I can keep your secret, but you have to answer my question first. Your Ping'an Village actually has connections with the outside world, at least the higher-ups do, right?"
"Don't try to get information out of me. I've said it before, you must keep what you saw today to yourselves. Otherwise, not only will Ping'an Village not let you off the hook, but I won't let you off either."
Miao Xiaoxian's eyes were full of threat: "Let me remind you one more thing, Uncle Qi is very popular in Ping'an Village. If you really killed him, I will definitely not be the only one who wants revenge."
Lin Que was angered by Miao Xiaoxian's attitude and said unhappily, "You're not telling us anything, but you expect us to keep your secrets. Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"
Miao Xiaoxian responded coldly, "This is not a secret between us, but my secret. You just happened to stumble upon it. I'm only asking you not to reveal my privacy."
Hearing Miao Xiaoxian say that, I became even more curious about Uncle Qi's matter. Feeling that it was almost time, I interrupted their conversation: "I've rested enough. Let's go back to the village. Don't worry, we will keep today's events a secret. No one will talk about it."
Miao Xiaoxian knew my status among this group, and seeing that I had spoken, she stopped discussing the topic.
It was already dark when we returned to the village.
As soon as I entered the village, I smelled a strong aroma of alcohol. I asked Miao Xiaoxian, "Is today some special festival here? Why does it smell so strongly of alcohol?"
Miao Xiaoxian was also curious: "Today is not a special day, so I don't know where the smell of alcohol comes from."
I thought about how the people of Fengmen Village were all searching for Ping'an Village, and I casually asked, "Could it be that someone else has come, and the village is welcoming them the same way they welcomed us?"
"Others?"
Miao Xiaoxian frowned and looked at me: "When you came, did you leave waypoints for the others?"
"I followed you into the village. Don't you know whether there's anything unusual about us?"
I shook my head: "But the matter of the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace isn't just something we're paying attention to. It's normal for others to come looking for us, isn't it?"
When Miao Xiaoxian heard me say that, she didn't ask any further questions: "The curfew has started, you should get some rest."
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