CHAPTER 86: A SIMPLE VILLAGE

Zhang Hai was actually quite amiable, and he had the appearance of a well-traveled merchant. During his stay in the village, he purchased several old items.

Such as the wine jug from Ergou’s house on the east end of the village, the clay jar from Guizi’s family, and a footstone from Old Madam San’s place. To the villagers, these were all worthless odds and ends.

“This old man even took a few things to show to Mr. Zhang,” the old man said with a hint of regret, “but Mr. Zhang didn’t take any of them.”

“Did Zhang Hai ever acquire any strange objects?” Li Yanchu asked. “And has anything unusual happened in the village recently?”

The old man’s expression suddenly tightened. He quickly waved his hands. “How could that be? Our village is simple and quiet, there’s nothing strange here.”

Seeing this, Li Yanchu didn’t press the matter further.

Instead, he shifted the topic. “I heard there are red carp in the village river that grow up to three chi long?”

The old man’s face lit up with a smile as he eagerly explained, “That’s right! Just in the river by the village. Over three chi long! They’re a sign of good fortune, keeping one close brings blessings.”

Knock knock knock!

Suddenly, a knocking came from the front door. The old man’s expression flickered slightly. He gave the two a polite, apologetic smile and went outside.

At the door stood a man in his twenties, sharp-eyed and shrewd-looking, dressed like a fisherman.

The two spoke briefly outside. Then the old man turned back and said to Li Yanchu and Bai Hongtu, “Honored guests, please rest at ease. I still have some matters to attend to. My daughter-in-law will prepare your dinner and hot water shortly.”

With that, the old man left.

His home had a total of five rooms. One was the main hall; the old man and his son each had their own room, and Li Yanchu and Bai Hongtu shared one. The last room had its door tightly shut, and by the looks of it, no one was staying there.

Li Yanchu sat casually on the edge of the bed, legs sprawled, and suddenly let out a light snort of laughter.

“Hongtu, this village is pretty interesting, huh?”

Bai Hongtu gave a slight nod. “Indeed. I originally thought this place would be a den of ghosts, or at the very least plagued by some evil presence. Never expected it to be this quiet.”

Li Yanchu said, “What do you make of that old man Lin?”

Most of the villagers in Longmen Village belonged to the Lin family.

Bai Hongtu spoke slowly, “Ordinary folk usually get scared stiff when they see armed jianghu types. But that old man Lin had the nerve to raise his prices on the spot, sizing us up before setting his rate. He doesn’t act like a typical farmer. He’s more like a money-grubbing old ghost who values silver more than life.”

Li Yanchu chuckled. “I thought the same. This mountain is heavy with yin qi and fog, and there’s a big river nearby. It wouldn’t be unusual for strange things to happen here. But when Old Man Lin said the village has never had anything unusual occur, I initially thought he just wanted to make us feel safe about staying the night. But then I used my Qi Sight to scan the village. It’s spotless, with not even a trace of yin qi.”

Bai Hongtu pondered. “Then it’s one of two things: either the thing hiding here is extremely fierce, powerful enough to escape even Qi Sight... or we’re overthinking it. Maybe there was something, but it’s been cleansed by some force we don’t understand.”

“Exactly,” Li Yanchu nodded. “That’s what I was thinking too.”

He continued, “Zhang Hai stayed at Lady Zhou’s place. Tomorrow, we’ll head over and take a look, see if we can find any clues.”

Bai Hongtu was momentarily surprised. “Why not go now?”

Li Yanchu glanced at the sky outside and replied dryly, “You want the two of us, strangers in this village, to go knocking on a widow’s door in the middle of the night?”

Bai Hongtu’s mouth twitched. He was just about to say something when suddenly, he noticed the window curtain being peeled open slightly.

His expression darkened, and he barked coldly, “Who’s there!?”

Li Yanchu turned toward the window and waved his hand, and an invisible force burst from his palm, tearing the paper window to shreds. Just then, half a human face was revealed!

“It’s a kid!” the sharp-eyed Bai Hongtu shouted.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yanchu leapt through the window. There on the ground lay a little girl, dressed in a colorful outfit. She had delicate features, looked about eight or nine years old, and her hair was tied into twin ponytails.

What surprised them was that, despite the sudden commotion, the little girl wasn’t the least bit frightened. She simply stared at Li Yanchu with her big, black, sparkling eyes.

Li Yanchu frowned slightly. Whose little rascal was this?

Before he could ask anything, the girl innocently asked, “Sir, are you one of those martial arts experts Mama told me about?”

Her little face was full of eager anticipation.

Bai Hongtu had just caught up and couldn’t help chuckling when he heard the question. “Little girl, you’ve got a good eye. That’s right, we’re martial arts experts.”

The little girl shook her head and said seriously, “That big brother is the expert. You’re not.”

Then she added with a guarded look, “You climbed out from the window. I saw everything.”

Hearing her words, Bai Hongtu fell silent.

Li Yanchu smiled. “You’re a clever one. What’s your name?”

“I'm Hutou, and I live where the west winds blow,” the little girl replied in a crisp voice.

I suspect you’re dropping rhymes on purpose... Li Yanchu thought, then asked, “Hutou, why were you peeking at us?”

Hutou blinked her clear, innocent eyes. “Since strangers came to the village, I thought maybe Mr. Zhang came back.”

Li Yanchu’s eyes lit up. “This Mr. Zhang you mentioned, is he the one who came here to collect things?”

Hutou nodded enthusiastically. “Mr. Zhang brings us candy figures and paper cuttings. Mr. Zhang is a very good person.”

Just then, a young woman came running over. Her clothing was plain, and her face was free of makeup.

“Hutou! Why are you out again so late at night? Be careful, or your mother will scold you!” The young woman scolded gently.

Li Yanchu had seen her once before; she was Old Man Lin’s daughter-in-law. Her looks were ordinary, and she always appeared shy and reserved.

Sure enough, upon seeing Li Yanchu and Bai Hongtu, the young woman’s cheeks flushed red. She hurriedly said, “Hutou, hurry back! Be careful, or my father will be home soon.”

Hutou gave Li Yanchu a bright smile. “Sir, I’ll come play with you again later when I have time!”

Li Yanchu nodded with a gentle smile.

The young woman came closer and spoke softly, “Young masters, the meal is ready. Would you like me to bring it to your room, or will you eat in the main hall?”

Li Yanchu shook his head. “No need. We brought our own dry rations. Sorry to trouble you.”

The young woman froze for a moment. Seeing Bai Hongtu watching her intently, her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red.

“I understand... Do you gentlemen need hot water?”

“No need. We’ve had a long journey, so we’ll be turning in early.”

Upon hearing that, the young woman lowered her head and quietly left.

Back in their room, Bai Hongtu suddenly blurted out, “You wrecked the window. How are we supposed to sleep tonight?”

Li Yanchu chuckled. “Even the daughter-in-law didn’t say a word just now. What are you fussing about?”

Bai Hongtu was taken aback. Right, the window had been destroyed, yet she didn’t even glance at it. “...Are the people in this village maybe a bit too simple and honest?”

Li Yanchu looked out the window and said calmly, “Aren’t they?”