"Let's go in and see."
As Chi Hao spoke, he nudged Jing Minghe, subtly pushing the two people who were about to embrace away.
From the outside, there was nothing particularly noticeable, and Jing Minghe agreed to Chi Hao's suggestion.
The three of them entered the village together. Ke Wuwen looked around, glancing here and there, and murmured, "This village really seems peaceful, but I always feel something is... off."
"Off?" Jing Minghe asked. "What do you mean by off?"
Ke Wuwen shook his head, embarrassed. "I don't know. It's just a feeling, hard to explain."
"Brother Hao, what about you? Any thoughts?"
Jing Minghe didn't know why Chi Hao was suddenly exuding a cold aura again. Wanting to appease him, he saw Chi Hao visibly pause upon hearing the new title he'd given him. Jing Minghe quickly turned his head away, lest Chi Hao catch him smiling at him.
Chi Hao had indeed paused, but the reason for his pause wasn't solely due to the new title Jing Minghe had given him. It was after Jing Minghe called him that he realized that from the first step he took into the village, the displeasure he had felt earlier seemed to be constantly escalating.
This village was indeed strange.
Not hearing Chi Hao speak, Jing Minghe asked again, "What's wrong?"
"Ouch!"
A child suddenly bumped into Jing Minghe, nearly falling. Jing Minghe quickly reached out, grabbed him, and helped him stand. He then asked with concern, "Little one, are you hurt?"
After standing up, the child patted the dust off his clothes and grinned at Jing Minghe. "I'm not hurt, thank you, big brother. You're so handsome."
"..."
Does being handsome have anything to do with it? Children's minds are truly amazing.
After complimenting Jing Minghe, the child patted his behind and prepared to leave.
Jing Minghe immediately called out to him, "Wait a moment, little one. May I ask you something?"
The child stopped and turned to look at Jing Minghe, nodding and smiling. "Of course, handsome brother. What do you want to ask?"
Handsome brother?
Jing Minghe felt deflated.
Alright, as long as you're willing to answer the question, you can call me whatever you want.
Jing Minghe maintained a friendly smile and asked the child, "Today, besides the three of us, have any other outsiders visited your village?"
"Yes," the child pointed behind him. "Several. One was taken by Aunt Guo. Aunt Guo loves eating men the most."
Hearing the last sentence, Jing Minghe couldn't help but feel amused and a little helpless. He continued, "Do you know where the others went?"
"I do. A few went to the Dragon King Temple to the west, and a few went to see the stream."
After speaking, the child stared intently at Jing Minghe. Chi Hao stepped forward two paces and stood in front of Jing Minghe.
Jing Minghe also sensed something unusual. He peeked out from behind Chi Hao and said to the child, "Thank you, little one. You can go play now."
The child said nothing more, simply responded with an "Okay" and then ran off as fast as he could.
"Idol," Ke Wuwen asked, "Where are we going? That child mentioned a stream, but I don't even know which direction it is."
"Let's go to the Dragon King Temple he mentioned first."
As he spoke, Jing Minghe patted Chi Hao's arm, reassuring him, "Don't be nervous."
Ke Wuwen's eyes widened, and he looked at Jing Minghe with a bewildered expression, really wanting to ask his idol where he saw that incredibly imposing Mr. Chi looking nervous.
Chi Hao gave Jing Minghe a cold glance and turned to walk in the direction of the west of the village.
Ke Wuwen grabbed Jing Minghe's arm and whispered, "Idol, Mr. Chi he..."
He had only spoken half of his sentence when he felt a chill sweep over him. The source of the chill was Chi Hao, who was already seven or eight paces away.
Ke Wuwen quickly let go of his hand, his mind filled with even more questions and a complete lack of understanding.
Jing Minghe shook his head helplessly and said, "It's fine, let's hurry and follow."
As the three of them were about to leave the village, they encountered Tong Zheng and Chen Mu coming from another direction.
Tong Zheng saw Jing Minghe and quickly called out, "Minghe!"
He then pulled Chen Mu and hurried over to Jing Minghe and his group, looking excited. "It's great to see you guys. Chen Mu and I have been wandering around this village for ages."
"Didn't you run into anyone else?" Jing Minghe asked.
Tong Zheng shook his head. "No. After I came in, I only met Chen Mu. But I think I might have seen Yu Mi and the others, I'm not sure. I had just entered the village when an old man insisted I go to his house for tea. I think I saw Yu Mi and Lin Ling, but after I finally managed to decline the old man's invitation and tried to follow them, they were gone."
"I see," Jing Minghe looked at Chen Mu, who was as silent and reserved as ever. "Mr. Chen? Did you see anyone else?"
Chen Mu didn't speak. Tong Zheng answered for him.
"I already asked him. He didn't run into anyone else. Did everyone else come?"
"Yes," Jing Minghe pondered for a moment, deciding not to reveal the matter of the seal for now. "I asked a child at the village entrance just now, and he said he saw some of our people go to the Dragon King Temple on the west side of the village. Are you planning to act separately from us, or do you want to search for the others with us?"
"Of course, we'll go with you," Tong Zheng said, lowering his voice. "Minghe, to be honest, although this village looks normal on the surface, I've had a bad feeling since I came in. I feel like something is not quite right."
Ke Wuwen had said earlier that he felt something was off about the village, and now Tong Zheng also felt something was not quite right. Sudannovel.com
In Jing Minghe's opinion, having these feelings was normal. It would be strange if everything felt perfectly fine.
"Alright, let's go together."
The three became five, and they continued towards the west of the village. Along the way, Chi Hao subtly pushed Jing Minghe behind him, as if to shield him from the others.
Jing Minghe noticed this but simply smiled silently, not saying anything, and let Chi Hao make these small gestures, though he didn't quite understand the purpose behind Chi Hao's actions for the moment.
Ke Wuwen felt a bit cold, but he wasn't sure if the temperature here was truly low or if it was a result of his own state of mind.
As Ke Wuwen walked quietly, some thoughts came to him. He had just turned eighteen this year. The day after his eighteenth birthday, his father told him that the world they lived in had been ruled by a system for hundreds of years. More than a hundred years ago, a system space known as the City of Death suddenly appeared. It would periodically send some people into this space, and no one knew what it was like inside the City of Death.
Of course, not everyone was selected. Some people would never be chosen in their lifetime, while others would be thrown in very early. No one knew what the system's selection mechanism was; people could only leave it to fate.