Li Daoxuan originally did not want to involve Xue Rengui, but seeing how determined he was, he knew that he could not persuade him, so he could only agree to go to Yaowang Village with him.
The three of them entered Yaowang Village in the afternoon.
Yaowang Village looks very normal, not much different from an ordinary village, except that every household has some herbs drying outside.
"Sir, it is said that Medicine King Sun Simiao once lived in this village for a period of time, so this is called Yaowang Village. Many people can collect medicines, and medicine dealers will come to buy them from time to time."
Xue Rengui stood with his halberd in hand, his tiger eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly, and explained to Li Daoxuan.
Ever since I first stepped here, that depressing feeling has returned.
The people in Yaowang Village sat on both sides and looked at them with almost numb eyes. They were almost as thin as skin and bones from hunger.
What's more, he was lying directly on the ground. If his chest was not still heaving, he might be no different from a corpse.
Li Daoxuan frowned slightly.
He noticed that the herbs hanging outside some people's doors were moldy, which meant that the pharmacists who purchased them had not been here for a long time.
In addition, these villagers looked sluggish, looked sallow and thin, and were listless. They looked like they were often under high pressure and mentally exhausted.
The three of them continued walking forward.
Xue Rengui has a strong back, Li Daoxuan is handsome, and Chen Ziyu is stunningly beautiful. The combination of these three people attracted a lot of attention.
Li Daoxuan suddenly noticed that in a corner, there was a little girl lying there looking at them.
The little girl has a pretty and cute appearance. She wears braids, her face is a bit rosy, and she is not that thin.
Li Daoxuan smiled at her, and just as he was about to come forward to talk, the little girl showed a hint of timidity in her eyes and ran away.
A short figure blocked Li Daoxuan's eyes.
He was less than four feet tall, about one meter tall, but he looked to be in his forties or fifties, with sparse eyebrows, red eyes, a slightly dark complexion, and a hunchback on his head.
He is a very ugly dwarf.
But the strange thing is that this dwarf is not that thin. Instead, he is slightly fatter, which is in sharp contrast to the people around him.
The dwarf stared at the three of them and said in a deep voice: "You three, Yaowang Village has been closed to outsiders, so you should please come back."
Li Daoxuan asked: "Who are you?"
The dwarf's eyes finally rested on Chen Ziyu. Like the men in the village, he had never seen such a beautiful woman.
Those cloudy eyes suddenly glowed with sparkle, looking up and down at Chen Ziyu with a slightly excited expression.
Li Daoxuan stood up in front of Chen Ziyu and said in a solemn voice: "You are so rude. Instead of answering my questions, why are you staring at my wife?"
Xue Rengui shook the halberd in his hand and nailed it into the soil. His eyes were like torches, staring at the dwarf.
The dwarf looked away and said: "Shanno village man, I have never seen it on the market, please forgive me."
After a pause, he said: "My name is Yang Er, and I am the temple blessing in Yaowang Village Mountain Temple. This place has not been peaceful recently, so it is best for the three of you to come back as soon as possible."
Li Daoxuan shook his head and said: "I and my wife are here to visit a relative. Her name is Zhao Chenjie, and she is married to Zhao Shisan in the village of You. May I ask where she lives?"
When he heard the words Zhao Chenjie, the dwarf's eyes flashed and he remembered something.
After a long time, he sighed: "Zhao is dead, I'm afraid your trip was in vain."
Li Daoxuan looked surprised.
After a pause, he sighed: "Zhao is my wife's sister. If she encounters misfortune, we will have to pay our condolences."
As he said this, he gave Chen Ziyu a hint of color.
When I heard that my sister was dead, I had to show some sadness.
Chen Ziyu blinked, tilted her head slightly, and looked at him strangely.
Okay, wink in vain.
The dwarf finally told them where Zhao lived and left a meaningful message.
"Since you insist on entering the village, it's only a matter of days."
He sighed, took one last deep look at Chen Ziyu, and staggered away.
Li Daoxuan and Xue Rengui looked at each other and noticed the strangeness of the dwarf.
But the people in this village seem to be very strange...
Following the direction given by the dwarf, the three of them soon found a house covered with white cloth and knocked on the wooden door.
The person who opened the door was a young man, but he was also hungry and sallow, listless, and his eyes were swollen, as if he had just cried.
Li Daoxuan explained his purpose.
The young man was a little surprised and said: "My wife does have a sister, but she has not been in contact with her for a long time. I heard that she married into a wealthy family."
He glanced at Chen Ziyu, barely daring to look directly at her beautiful face.
I thought that my wife was already one of the most beautiful women in the village, but I didn't expect that her sister was even more beautiful.
When Li Daoxuan proposed to stay for a few days to pay homage to the Zhao family, the young man's eyes flashed and he hesitated to speak, but finally let them in.
Just one warning.
"You three can live here, but remember one thing. No matter what noise you hear, don't go out at night!"
Before Li Daoxuan could ask, he turned and left.
Night falls.
Li Daoxuan and the other three sat down in the room they had just cleaned up. It was a little damp and had a faint musty smell.
Fortunately, the bed is relatively clean and has new bedding.
Xue Rengui frowned and said, "Sir, it's really strange here. Since the relative you want to visit is no longer here, why not leave at night? I will escort you down the mountain safely!"
Li Daoxuan shook his head and suddenly asked him a question.
"Brother Xue, he said that his wife just died, but he refused to tell the cause of death. Also, did you see the coffin here?"
Xue Rengui was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Yes, according to custom, after death, the coffin must be placed at home and buried after the first seven days, but there is no coffin here..."
Li Daoxuan nodded and was about to speak, but suddenly his eyes moved and he found someone eavesdropping outside the door.
Xue Rengui was a step slower than him, but he also noticed it.
"who?"
Xue Rengui shouted angrily, and then rushed out of the house like a tiger down the mountain. But as soon as he opened the door, a trace of astonishment appeared in his eyes, and his murderous aura immediately disappeared.
The person eavesdropping outside the door was a little girl with braids, pretty and cute, looking at him timidly.
"Brother Xue, let her come in."
Xue Rengui nodded, tried his best to show a kind smile, and said: "Little sister, you -"
Before he finished speaking, the little girl cried out in fright.
Xue Rengui was extraordinary in martial arts, but his murderous look just now really frightened the little girl.
Xue Rengui was only sixteen or seventeen years old at the moment. He had never seen this scene before, and he stood there awkwardly.
Li Daoxuan laughed, stepped forward and took out a few pieces of candied fruit.
The little girl stopped crying as soon as her nose moved. Looking at Li Daoxuan's handsome appearance, she was no longer afraid. She picked up a piece of candied fruit and stuffed it into her mouth.
Li Daoxuan discovered that she was the little girl who peeked at them in the village this afternoon.
"Is Mrs. Zhao your mother?"
The little girl nodded while eating.
"Then where is your mother?"
"It's soaked in water."
The little girl was childish and answered without thinking.
Li Daoxuan and Xue Rengui looked at each other, and then looked at the large water tank in the corner of the yard with the lid covered by stones...
This is the first of three updates today. If you have the votes, please support the author. Thank you!
(End of chapter)
