Chapter Twenty: Night X Lethal Threat

  As we passed by Du Jie's house at the end of the village, after walking a section of yellow mud road, a dense forest suddenly appeared in front of us. The trees in this forest were all some kind of green needle-leaved plants, and seeing such a lush green color, my mood instantly became much more relaxed.

  This forest stretches for miles, with no end in sight. The autumn wind blows by, carrying a faint scent of pine cones that is refreshing and exhilarating. Next to the forest, there is a mountain road, where a group of young people are walking with backpacks, playing trendy music.

  They saw us and waved at us.

  There were five people in the group, three boys and two girls, all fair-skinned and fashionably dressed, post-00s. Among them was a boy with blonde hair who put down his luggage and ran over. With a sharp and delicate face, he said: "Hey, big brother, is this the Xianren Mountain Range?"

  I shook my head and said "Don't know, we just arrived at Liu Long Village too."

  "Yulung Village? You said Yulung Village is nearby?"

  "Yes."

  "Haha, well, I can only wish you all the best then, haha, goodbye."

  "Hey little handsome boy, what do you mean?" Chui Ruo Lan couldn't stand this impolite post-00s kid.

  The little golden dog ran out for several meters, turned around and came back, with a strange smile on its face, saying: "You country bumpkins haven't heard that Liu Long Village is also called Death Village? This village had a plague many years ago, killing many people. Since then, every few years there would be death incidents, each time killing several people at once - Congratulations to you all, haha!"

  The little golden dog ran back to his team with a hum, still pointing in our direction and chatting for a few words, laughing and falling all over the place.

  "If he hadn't run so fast, I would have caught him and let him taste the flavor of my bare-handed black belt." Qiu Ruo Lan said fiercely.

  "Never mind, they're just some mischievous kids after all. Judging from their luggage, they should be out on a picnic." I gazed at their gradually disappearing figures and said, "They did remind us that Liu Long Village is also called Death Village, which is quite an apt name."

  "Do you believe what he said? Something about death appearing every few years—"

  He said it's a fact, in any village, there will definitely be people dying every year. As people get old, they naturally return to dust. Birth, aging, illness and death are the normal rules of nature. It's just that in Liu Long Village, because it's all old people, sometimes several people may die in one day, and this situation will appear, then be exaggerated and distorted by word of mouth, gradually giving rise to many strange rumors.

  It's already afternoon, we decided to go back to Du Huangniu's home first. Du Huangniu has returned and is loosening the dry hard soil in the courtyard with a hoe. Du Huangniu is a very hunchbacked old man, his whole body is curved, his figure can't stand upright, his face facing the ground.

  He saw us, without showing any welcome or indifference, and simply said: "Back? I'm going to start a fire and cook some rice. By the way, I'll help you guys too, but let me make it clear first, there's nothing good food here, just plain rice."

  Chen Qiuyang ran over, squatted down and said to Du Huangniu: "Old man, I used to be a cook. Let's cook together. We not only brought you food expenses, but also some dry goods."

  Chen Qiuyang was familiar with the comings and goings, supporting Du Huangniu into the kitchen inside the house. After a while, thick smoke emerged from the window, followed by the fragrance of delicious food wafting through the air.

  "Shangcai luo, da jia ganjin xi shou chi fan!" Chen Qiuyang was busy with a smile, and in no time, the dinner table was filled with delicious dishes.

  "Grandpa, have some more."

  Facing our enthusiasm, especially Chen Qiuyang's hospitality, Du Huangniu didn't react at all. He just ate his own food, facing a table full of delicious dishes, he didn't show any strong appetite. He only picked up a few green vegetables to eat and occasionally picked up a piece of chicken. After eating one bowl of rice, Du Huangniu took his own rice bowl to the kitchen to wash it clean. When he came out, he said to us: "I've finished eating, I'm going for a walk. You guys do whatever you want."

  After Du Huang Niu left, Chen Qiuyang was so angry that he inserted his chopsticks into the rice and said: "This old man is really something. I worked hard in the kitchen to cook a five-star hotel meal, but he only ate a few green vegetables and a piece of chicken. It's too humiliating for me."

  I asked Chen Qiuyang to take out the chopsticks inserted in the rice and said, "It's a southern custom to insert chopsticks in rice is unlucky, take it down. In fact, you can't be angry, an old man's diet should be plain tea and light meals, naturally won't eat so much meat. Moreover, don't think I didn't notice, the biggest reason you cooked so many delicious dishes is that you want to eat."

  "Haha, the boss has been seen through by you, but only after eating his fill does he have the energy to investigate."

  "Alright, let's proceed with our original plan to collect information about Du Jie's father from the villagers. Tonight at 9 PM, gather in my room to compile the data."

  After dinner, we started our division of labor. I was in charge of several households at the end of the village. Most Chinese villages have a similar habit, after dinner they like to gather together to enjoy the cool breeze and chat. Unexpectedly, when I went to visit each family, I found that this village had no one coming out to gather after nightfall, every household's door was closed, the whole village was gloomy and lifeless, not a bit of vitality, it was indeed a village of death.

  I was not reconciled, and went straight to find Village Chief Du Yizhi. At the door of Village Chief Du's house, I also called for a long time before he finally came slowly, saw me, and his face showed surprise, saying: "Little Zhu, what can I do for you?"

  I said: "After dinner, I'll go out for a stroll and want to give each household a small gift, but it seems that the sky hasn't completely darkened yet, and everyone has closed their doors and gone to sleep."

  "This is our village's living habit for many years, everyone is used to going to bed early. You should also go back to Lao Niu's house earlier. By the way, I didn't want to say this, but since you've entered our village, I have to tell you that after dark, don't wander around in the village."

  "Why?"

  "Because... because... because", Du Yizhi looked up at the village under the increasingly thick night color, his expression emitting a fishy smell like a stranded fish on the rocks, "because, after dark, this Liu Long Village is not safe."

  He finished speaking and hastily retreated, closing the door behind him, no longer paying attention to me.

  As the village chief, Du Yizhi's expression was filled with eeriness, and the fear that couldn't be suppressed on his face wasn't fake. He was indeed afraid of what would happen in Liulong Village after nightfall.

  What's so scary about Yulung Village after dark?

  This village has no streetlights, so after nightfall it will be plunged into darkness, and people walking around will get hurt.

  After nightfall in this village, wild beasts from the forest will come and harm people.

  Or is there another reason?

  I knew that standing in front of Village Chief Du's house and thinking wildly wouldn't lead to any results, so I had no choice but to head back to Du Huang Niu's place. On the way back, I suddenly thought of a question: if Village Chief Du said that Liu Long village wasn't safe after nightfall, and everyone in the village stayed indoors, then why did Du Huang Niu go out after dinner?

  After returning to Du Huangniu's home, Kui Rulan and Chen Qiuyang also returned early, it seems that their experience was not much different from mine, and they must have also ended up with nothing.

  As soon as I entered my room, Chen Qiuyang said: "This village is really strange beyond imagination. When I came back, I just found that there was not a single street lamp, and it was just getting dark, otherwise I would have really lost my way back."

  "Besides, after nightfall, everyone here closes their doors and no one goes out."

  "I said, 'Regarding this point, Du Yizhi village chief revealed a bit of information to me. He said that after entering the black night, Liu Long Village is not safe, and we should not wander around in the village at night.'"

  Aoi Wakana's eyes sparkled as she said, "I'm getting more and more interested in this village."

  Chen Qiuyang said: "But isn't that strange old man Huang Niu still wandering around outside?"

  I said: "By the way, when you were just outside, did you bump into Old Man Niu?"

  "No, this is strange. Liu Long Village is a small village with only one road that leads to the end. Where did he go? He's so hunched over and there are no streetlights outside, won't it be dangerous?"

  "You're worrying for nothing, this is his turf, he can probably navigate these roads with his eyes closed."