Chapter Fifty-Two Departure Without Return No One Survives

  The journey was tiring and several people were getting sleepy, but no one interrupted the village chief's words.

  Since the village head remembered, he knew that in a mountain gorge not far from their village, there were about twenty households. According to the old people in the village, they entered many years ago and never came out again. There have always been twenty households, neither more nor less, it's unclear how long they've existed, but it's been a very, very long time.

  The people there have little contact with the outside world, and even with the villagers in the nearby village where they are now located, they have little contact, except for some daily purchases, occasionally seeing them come out and say a few words.

  In other people's eyes, these people have always been very good.

  But it was roughly several decades ago, a message spread to this village that the twenty households in the mountain valley, with more than a hundred people, all disappeared, as if they had evaporated.

  The people in the mountain valley had always been very mysterious, and many villagers were full of curiosity about that place. As soon as this news came out, more than a dozen young people secretly entered it without listening to the opposition of the old people in the village.

  "No one came out, not a single person, I had just had my own son at that time, otherwise I would have gone with them too."

  The village chief's face was complex, not knowing whether he was sad or relieved that he hadn't gone with them. He stood up and took out his tobacco pouch, and the fatty helped him light it. The village chief took a few puffs before continuing to speak.

  Later, several parents of those young people couldn't help but go in to look for them, and the result was the same - they never came back, forever never coming back.

  From then on, the mountain ditch became a forbidden place, and every household kept their children from going there. However, things didn't end there. Later, some outsiders came to the village one after another, and their destination was the mountain ditch. At first, the elderly villagers wouldn't let them go, but those people were generous with money, giving the villagers a lot of it, and said that they would take responsibility for any life or death situation.

  Everyone says so, and naturally no one in the village will object.

  However, after several batches of people entered one after another, not a single person came out. But a message was passed on that there is a tomb in the mountain valley, a large tomb with treasures inside, which is why it attracted others to enter.

  Because so many strange things have happened, the villagers no longer dare to enter, and even some people who have been living in the village for generations have moved away, fearing being affected. However, most people still choose to stay, believing that if something were to happen, it would have happened by now after all these years.

  Tian Qi didn't know how that old devil came out, he also didn't say it in detail, just said that the village was living with only him coming out, maybe when he came out it was deep at night and the villagers didn't discover.

  "Village chief, it's so eerie in there. Haven't you thought of inviting some masters to take a look?" asked the fatty. In fact, others had this question too, after all, with these things happening, the villagers didn't have any solution at all.

  The village chief took another puff of his pipe, "We've looked everywhere, but it's no use. No one who went in has come out... not even my own son..." The village chief trailed off, his voice choked with emotion.

  It goes without saying that the village chief's son might have also gone in and never came out again.

  After a while, the village chief put down the tobacco bag in his hand and looked at Tian Qi and others with eyes that made people look at him and couldn't help but feel sad. "My son disappeared when he took someone in once. If you are really ghost catchers, I hope...I hope if you can see my son or...his body, help me bring him out. If not, help me bury him. I don't want to let him expose his corpse in the wilderness."

  It's hard for an old man to say these words, although he didn't see his son's body with his own eyes, the possibility of him being alive is almost zero. Sending off a young life, this is one of the saddest things in the world.

  Lying on the kang for an hour, Tian Qi still couldn't fall asleep. Originally, Yingying was in a room by herself, but after hearing the village chief's words, she chose to sleep with Tian Qi and the others on the same kang. Fortunately, the fire kang in the countryside is very large, not only Tian Qi, but also the others haven't fallen asleep, even the usually sleepy Fatty has been tossing and turning, looking very irritable.

  Everyone was awake, but they were all very quiet. This ghost-catching trip was obviously not what they had imagined. So many years have passed, and so many people went in, but not one came out, not even a corpse.

  If they go in, it will mean what it meant for them, that they may also face the same fate, death.

  Four young people all have relatives and friends, if they die now, what about the others? Isn't this an irresponsible behavior to oneself and others?

  Doing this job, Tian Qi naturally made preparations for being injured frequently, but death, he really hadn't thought about it that seriously, always feeling that death was still very far away from him.

  But now, moving forward means death, what choice should he make?

  At 3 am, the house was quiet and everyone had fallen asleep.

  Someone quietly got out of bed, put on his clothes and came down from the kang, it was Tian Qi.

  He walked out of the house and turned back to look at the three people lying on the kang, Yan Yan, Chou Shen, and Bao Zi. He really didn't want to leave them behind.

  But Tian Qi didn't dare stay for too long, he was afraid that he really wouldn't have the courage to walk out.

  "Hey young man, are you really going by yourself?" The village chief took over a letter that Tianqi had just finished writing.

  "Village head, trouble you, when they wake up, give them this letter."

  "Well, I can only wish you good luck then." Actually, Tianqi had already expressed his thoughts to the village chief after he finished speaking last night, and the village chief had also advised him, but Tianqi was resolute.

  This is his own fruit, he can bear it alone, and cannot implicate them. Even if they are good brothers or friends, there is no reason for them to sacrifice themselves for him, because they are not the only ones, and there are many people who care about them behind their backs.

  "I can only send you here, and then you go a few more miles forward." This is the rule passed down, the villagers cannot go any further, and the village chief must not violate it.

  "You little scoundrel! You went to Taobao behind our backs?" Just as Tianqi and the village chief were saying their goodbyes, a sudden voice rang out from behind them - it was Pangzi.

  "Yes, Qi Ge, if you do that again next time, I won't care about you anymore!" The voice was Yan Yan's.

  Chou Shen didn't say anything, but Tian Qi naturally understood his intentions.

  "Them?" Tian Qi looked at the village chief, who showed an innocent expression.

  "It's not that I don't want you to go, but this trip is too dangerous. If we all go in, who will tell our families?" Tian Qi still didn't want them to follow him in.

  "Village head, this is our letter, the mailing address is also inside, thank you!" Yingying took out three letters that they had written.

  "Besides, I had already made it clear to the bank before I came, if there's anything unexpected, we'll have a lawyer to handle it." Tian Qi didn't think that Bao Zi had long been prepared for financial matters.

  Watching several young people doing so, the village chief was also deeply moved in his heart. He felt that they might really be able to uncover the secrets inside.

  It's come to this, Tian Qi knew it was unlikely he could go in by himself.

  "Take this." The village head took out a paper bag from his pocket.

  "What is this?" Tian Qi didn't know what was inside.

  "This was given by a master in the past to our village, saying that if we encounter any evil spirits, using this might be able to withstand for a while."

  Tian Qi took over the paper bag and found that it was filled with some talismans. The symbols drawn on the talismans were very complicated.

  Tian Qi didn't know much about talismans, but he also knew that the more powerful they were, the more complex they became. This was because the talisman itself might not have any power; it was the inscription on it that gave it its power.

  "These things are indeed useful for Tianqi, but Tianqi can't have them," "Village head, you might need these in the future, so you'd better keep them."

  The village chief waved his hand, since he had taken it out, he didn't plan to take it back. "I'm not giving this to you for nothing, don't forget what you promised me, if you meet my son, help him out."

  The village head gave it to Tianqi last night. It was a two-inch black and white photo, the young man looked very spirited and robust.

  In this way, several people stepped into the mountain valley, but what they encountered inside was something that Tian Qining would not want to experience again even if given another chance.

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