Based on the drunkard's words, Xie Zhe and the others finally got some important information at the wine shop they arrived at the next day.
This information is no longer related to the disappearing villagers, but...the group of missing travelers - the group of female onmyoji. However, according to information provided by some insiders, the four of them are not all real Onmyoji. One of them is proficient in the art of fire control and is so good at using the fire that burned down the whole village, he is like...a monster.
The three of them had never seen such a person and had never heard of him. But for the other two, the only information they learned was that they "looked very similar", one was well-spoken and the other was silent. Even this little bit of information is enough for Xie Zhe to determine their identities. It sounds like the sisters of the Ye family have met someone reliable, and they are a little relieved.
No one can tell where the four female travelers ended up going. But they finally got a clue: a few persuaded villagers approached their camp before dawn. They woke up before dawn, packed their things, and left against the rising sun. Xie Zhe could vaguely see an illusion: light falling on them, quiet and desolate.
They headed west.
Without a moment's hesitation, after integrating and analyzing all the information, the three of them all had a clear direction in their hearts. Anyway, all the things they should deal with now have no direction, leaving them like a bunch of headless flies. At least now, one of them is pointing a relatively clear path. As long as you follow it and ask around, you will always learn something. Even if they enter the spiritual veins, the fox's keen sense of smell can still detect their traces.
Xie Zhe and the others originally came back from the southwest side of the continent, but now they have just arrived in the Central Plains and are about to turn back to the west. Although it may not be completely in the same direction as before, it gives people a somewhat subtle feeling. But it's nothing, it's nothing... they all told themselves. What matters is the results, and sometimes the hassle of the process can be ignored. As long as they finally find Ye Lingyu and her cousin, all the hard work on the journey will be worth it.
After walking for a while, neither Han Chang nor Wenying smelled any familiar scent. Maybe time has passed and the flavor has almost disappeared. But Xie Zhe always had a feeling in his heart that girls must be following this path. He is not a person who relies on intuition. Compared with such vague premonitions, he believes in things with solid evidence and logical logic. However, as an Onmyoji, intuition is also a very important ability, so Xie Zhe can only say... that he is not good at using intuition.
Now, he firmly felt that he was one step closer to finding them, even though there was no direct evidence to support him. Wen Ying was infected by his emotions that he did not express clearly, and she was also full of hope. Only Han Chang remained calm, vaguely feeling that all this might not be as smooth as they imagined. But confidence is always a good thing, and people with hope have motivation. What's more, at this time, he definitely didn't want to say anything depressing to Xie Zhe - it wasn't necessary, and it wasn't necessary.
Unfortunately, Han Chang's premonition was fulfilled first.
On the endless wilderness, there are scattered villages. They stand here and are still alive. But I'm afraid that such a place will disappear soon. Even if it is protected from being poisoned by evil spirits, it will eventually die out due to being too remote and isolated. This kind of death is silent, leaving no trace, so quiet that no one notices. But even so, the human population is still expanding day by day. The disappearance of these villages is like wiping away a grain of rice from the corner of the mouth, but there are still countless amounts of food in bowls, basins, and pots that are increasing day by day.
Whose food are humans? Monster? Or something else?
Or, themselves?
Isn't this how evil angels are born? If they must be given a reason to be born, perhaps this is it.
While thinking about these questions, Xie Zhe was in a daze alone in the hotel. This town is relatively lively, and at least it has a dedicated hotel to accommodate outsiders. They didn't come here for any reason. Like these three people, they were just passing by and randomly picked a place to rest. But compared to the nearest town to Scorched Earth Village when they came, it was still a bit worse.
The reason why Xie Zhe was the only one was because the brother and sister went out to find out the news. No matter what, the physical strength of monsters is much stronger than that of humans, so Han Chang still let him rest for a while, intentionally or unintentionally, while he and his sister took on the odd jobs. For example, gathering information, this is what they are doing.
Did four girls pass by here? There seems to be no such news. Rather, the question is so general that people don’t know how to answer it. Some people say that not long ago, the group of foreign girls only had three people at most, and there were no sisters who looked similar.
In the afternoon, Han Chang came back first. He was not in a very good mood and did not speak when he entered the room. He only drank the cold tea on the table in one gulp. Xie Zhe asked him where his sister had gone. He waved his hand and said helplessly:
"A mediocre person has discredited... Wenjiu. She was not convinced, so she argued with others."
"What? At this time, why is there still such news?"
"Maybe he has been too active recently and finally attracted some people's attention."
"Is it okay to ask Yingying? If she gets into a dispute with others over the topic of warming wine, I'm afraid things will not end well."
Of course, what Xie Zhe was most worried about was not Wenjiu, but his senior brother and his former fiancée. No matter what Zhongli Wenjiu had done, whether it was true or not, at least he didn't like Han Shang and Wen Ying being dragged into unnecessary trouble. Hanshang shook his head and said:
"I'm done arguing with others, but I can't deal with you. The little girl is too young and loves to make trouble."
"You, you have to speak clearly."
So Han Chang told him everything that happened. They went to inquire about Ling Huan and the others early in the morning. I didn't get the key information, but my ears were so good that I heard someone discussing the fox demon in the corner of the teahouse. It is said that several people were killed in the town not long ago, and they all died by having their hearts ripped out. Everyone says that the only people who can eat people's hearts are foxes, and that's all they can do to maintain their human form. Han Sheng and Wenying both sneered at this. This stereotype is really outdated. How come people’s understanding of fox demons is still so boring and low-end? Only fox monsters that are really too weak will need people's hearts to maintain their human appearance. Or, the great fox demon who urgently needs to survive the tribulation and become its tail will adopt this risky and extreme method to gain considerable energy in a short time.
But this method is too bad and crooked. Only bad foxes do this.
Warm wine is not a bad fox. They all thought so, but there was nothing they could do. It’s not up to people, it’s because certain groups are too powerful at lobbying. In the past ten years, when people mentioned some scary and respectable fox demon, they could only think of Wenjiu. Over the years, he has become a symbol: a symbol that will inevitably be nominated when betrayal occurs.
However, things like poaching people's hearts occasionally remind people of him, like now. After all...this is how his master died. Of course, it's much more than that.
"Is this so?" Xie Zhe was quite surprised, "You have never mentioned this."
"Ah? Didn't I mention it?" Han Chang didn't think of it himself. "Maybe we are too familiar now, so I forgot to mention it. By default, I told you. Not long after we first met, I naturally couldn't tell you I’ll clean up the old wine for you. But these things... you know, people like to scaremonger you. Which part of it is a rumor and which part is true, you have to distinguish it yourself. All I can say now is: yes, My master's heart... was ripped out. I didn't see it with my own eyes, but my most trusted master also told me so. The transmission time of the news was too short, and they didn't need to add any extra details to specifically deceive me."
"Then...so far, it's just that someone mentioned his name. How did you—"
"Isn't this the problem?" Han Zhang clapped his hands, "They said that Wen Jiu practiced the art of wind and thunder and the art of metal. So if he wanted to increase his power, he would choose to kill people who were born in the earth. Soil raises gold. Okay, just think what they said is right, Wenjiu wouldn't choose to expose himself in such a way. If I want to dig people's hearts, I won't even give you the skin and bones. It's not that I have a big appetite, but It’s to avoid leaving any evidence. Wen Jiu is so cautious and has not been discovered for more than ten years. How could he reveal his fault at this time? Then he has really been lying all these years in vain. "
"..."
Xie Zhe was speechless for a moment. Although Han Chang was right, he was becoming more and more rude to his brother.
"But why did Yingying get into a quarrel with them?"
"I'm used to such slander. In the past, I might have slapped the chopstick holder on the table and let the sticks penetrate their throats - just kidding, just bypass the vital point, after all It's just a warning. Besides, I don't want to kill anyone, I just want them to shut up when I'm around. Later, I took it lightly and just let them say it. Don't let me be in a dilemma and have nowhere to argue. Can I ask Yingying? It's different. Although Wenjiu has confirmed that she has contacts with evil spirits, she still doesn't want to hear other people say bad things about Wenjiu... Oh, I can understand it, it's just..."
Xie Zhe nodded and said: "I understand what you mean. So you are saying that Wenying had a quarrel with them?"
"Yes, I pulled her away. As soon as we left the store, she started arguing with me. I repeatedly emphasized to her that doing so would not only be detrimental to Wenjiu's reputation, but would also put us in danger. But she How can I listen to such an upright and vigorous age? She thinks I have changed. I admit, I used to fall out immediately for anyone who said bad things about him. But now, I can finally be more mature and not do those naive and inconsiderate things. It’s about the consequences. But she felt that I had become bad: she said that I had become weak, timid and afraid of getting into trouble, and I was not loyal. I used to let her do whatever she wanted, and I would wait for her to calm down before she could make some sense. But by this time, she was tired of hearing everything and didn't want to do anything. She just wanted to vent her emotions. To put it bluntly, I can only wait until you lose your temper before I talk to you. Anyway, she has been like this before, so don't worry too much .”
Xie Zhe sighed lightly. It turned out that the brother and sister were having an argument and Wenying was in a mood and didn't want to come back. He stood up and took two steps in the house, glanced out the window, and then looked back.
"About that rumor... is there a possibility that someone did it deliberately - to slander Wenjiu? There are three situations, one is purely against him, one is framed, and the other is under the influence of Wen Jiu. Use him. If it was really Wenjiu who killed him...why didn't he do it simply and beautifully, unlike every time in the past? Why did he use this method to expose the traces that he had worked so hard to hide for ten years? Is anyone forcing him? ? Or is his purpose just to attract someone’s attention?”
