One day later.
Chuzheng saw the village.
You could only say it was the outline of the village; most of the buildings were entwined with vines, faintly visible.
As she approached, Chuzheng discovered that the entire village was built with stone, so despite many years passing, it had not completely fallen into ruin.
"There really is a village." Li Tian exclaid, covering her mouth in surprise, "Lan Chen, I thought you were just making it up."
"When would I ever make things up?" Lan Chen glanced over at Chuzheng and said mysteriously, "I’m telling you, this place is quite extraordinary..."
"What’s extraordinary about it?"
Lan Chen gestured for them to co closer.
They spoke softly afterward, so Chuzheng didn’t hear them; she didn’t listen either and just walked straight into the village.
This village gave off a large feeling, and the architecture was strange...
Normally, the orientation of a village should be consistent, but here... it was a bit chaotic, with the gates facing different directions.
Brother Gao and the others were using equipnt to take pictures of the village’s buildings, while Brother Gao stood with arms crossed to the side, lost in thought.
Chuzheng walked from another side, planning to take a look around this area first.
At the ti, the original owner died too soon, so she wasn’t clear about what happened later or what was in this place.
Walking to a more secluded spot, Chuzheng saw sothing that differed from these stone structures.
Chuzheng went over and pulled the vines aside for a closer look, finding boxes inside, which she pried open directly, revealing supplies inside.
Chuzheng grabbed a can, its production date marked 1988...
These things were probably left by the group Uncle Min ntioned.
Chuzheng walked further inside and saw more modern items; this area was likely the base for that group of people back then.
Chuzheng tossed the can back and scanned the surroundings with hands on hips.
Uncle Min ntioned that only a few people returned, but there were several dozen who entered. Where did the others go?
No bodies were seen here either.
Crack—
Chuzheng swiftly lowered her hand from her waist, her sharp gaze locking onto the source of the sound.
"Squeak, squeak—"
A white mouse nearly the size of a rabbit erged from the wild grass, raising its forelegs and looking towards her.
Oh my, goodness!
That big, has it mutated? Scare soone to death.
The mouse’s fur was smooth, its eyes like green beans, giving off an eerie glow this mont, cold and chilling.
Chuzheng imdiately felt a strange sensation; was the mouse watching her?
This fur... didn’t look very soft.
Tsk, trying to scare !
Chuzheng raised her hand, and Yin Xian instantly shot out, winding around the mouse’s leg, flipping it onto the ground.
"Squeak—"
The mouse struggled to run, but it couldn’t break free from Yin Xian, quickly getting securely tied up.
Chuzheng picked up a dry twig and poked at the mouse.
The mouse bared its teeth fiercely at her.
Chuzheng raised an eyebrow: "Can you understand what I’m saying?"
"Squeak, squeak—"
The mouse couldn’t speak human language, and Chuzheng didn’t understand mouse language, leading to failed communication between human and mouse.
Chuzheng used the twig to flip the mouse over and saw sothing embedded in the flesh of its hind limb.
Half of it was still exposed outside, and Chuzheng carefully pressed it with the twig.
The mouse kept ’squeaking,’ and Chuzheng impatiently threatened it: "Stop making noise, keep squeaking and I’ll eat you."
Mouse: "..."
Chuzheng noted that the mouse genuinely stopped making noise.
Chuzheng decided to inspect the item on the mouse’s foot.
The item was heavily worn, and after a long look, Chuzheng thought it resembled a foot ring, the kind wrapped around an animal’s legs for identification purposes.
It had writing on it, but it was overly blurred; Chuzheng could vaguely make out so letters, but couldn’t tell which letters.
Judging by the look, the mouse had grown, but couldn’t remove the ring, hence it grew together with the flesh.
Chuzheng rubbed her chin, looking cryptically at the mouse.
Mouse: "..." Is she pondering how to eat !
Chuzheng certainly wasn’t that depraved. If the ring inherently belonged to the mouse, its origins only pointed to one possibility.
Left behind by the group Uncle Min ntioned.
After those people left, the mouse wasn’t taken away, and it grew to this size over the years... Did it eat Jadescent Nectar?
Not right.
The lifespan of a mouse is only 1~3 years, how could it live for decades?
Did it beco a spirit?
Promises were made that after the founding of the country, there would be no spirits!!
How can you beco spirits without permission!!
The unauthorized spirit mouse suddenly stopped moving, even when Chuzheng poked it with a twig.
Dead?
Chuzheng sensed the feedback from Yin Xian, and her eyes narrowed slightly.
Chuzheng calmly spoke: "Dead is fine, bring it back for them to eat. First skin it..."
Mouse: "..."
The pretending-to-be-dead mouse dared not lay there anymore, struggling weakly, lacking its previous fierceness.
"You sure are clever." The mouse’s intelligence couldn’t possibly reach this level; there’s definitely sothing wrong.
Mouse: "..." So being smart is my fault round too.
"Go look over there..."
A sound ca from behind, and Chuzheng dragged the mouse, hiding it in the wild grass beside them, the mouse dragged into dizziness by the rough ground.
Life was tough for a mouse.
The ones approaching were Brother Gao and Xiao Mo, the two heading this way, glancing around.
"Brother Gao, look." Xiao Mo pointed at the box Chuzheng had opened, walking over in a few steps, "Cans and supplies."
Brother Gao glanced at it: "Should be left by those who ca last ti, who opened it?"
Xiao Mo and Brother Gao surveyed around but found nothing unusual.
Xiao Mo said: "When we ca over, everyone was present except for the one nad Liu Chuzheng..."
Brother Gao frowned, it was her again.
"However, it seems like she only opened it, didn’t take anything."
The items in the box were still full, with no signs of being taken, Xiao Mo guessed she had only stumbled upon it.
Brother Gao nodded: "Check out the surroundings for anything else."
The two quickly surveyed the surroundings and confird that this was the gathering point for the previous group.
"Brother Gao, can you really find what you ntioned here?" Xiao Mo suddenly questioned.
"What’s wrong, scared?"
"Ha, scared... I just feel like this matter is a bit fantastical, could be made up by soone."
Brother Gao looked into the distance: "Now that we have found the village, the truth will soon be revealed."
Chuzheng waited for them to leave to call people for moving the items, and dragged the mouse out.
"You should know this place well, right?" Chuzheng kicked at the pretending-to-be-dead mouse.
"Squeak—"
Chuzheng didn’t understand the aning, assuming the mouse knew the area well.
"Take around."
"..."
Chuzheng released the mouse, which felt as if its limbs were saved, its eyes spinning sharply before dashing into the wild grass.
But as soon as it darted inside, it couldn’t advance a single bit further.
Sothing around its neck tightened, making it hard to breathe; if it exerted more strength, it felt as though its head might separate from its body.
Mouse: "..."
The mouse returned dejectedly, while Chuzheng nonchalantly observed it: "Lead the way."
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!!"
Chuzheng thought it was calling out wrongly and sternly warned it: "Don’t curse at , watch out, I might just kill you."
"..."
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