The black-awning boat was light and fast. In a short while, it docked at the shore.
In front of them was a rough and potholed path. Everyone staggered along it, and the surrounding scenery became increasingly desolate.
"Croak—croak—"
A flock of crows flew low in formation, making cries like a baby's wailing.
Although Old Guo was a local, he felt a bit creeped out. He mumbled, "Strange birds accompany strange people. It's really like attracts like!"
He quickened his pace towards a courtyard with a row of peach trees in front and shouted, "Old Jiang! There are guests!"
Yu Nian stared thoughtfully at the peach trees for a while. When she stepped into the courtyard, she saw Jiang Li hidden in the shadow, his face indistinct. He was holding a sewing basket and making soles.
Slightly different from what Yu Nian had imagined, Jiang Li was in his early fifties, not very tall, and so thin that when he stood against the wind, one could clearly see his protruding wrist bones through the cloth.
Hearing Old Guo's voice, Jiang Li paused for a moment and slowly raised his head.
Everyone was a bit surprised the moment they saw Jiang Li's appearance—Jiang Li was blind.
His eye sockets were covered with hideous, criss - cross scars, as if his eyeballs had been gouged out alive.
His terrifying appearance, combined with his gloomy aura, made him seem more like a ghost than a living person.
Pei Ying was startled and let out a soft "ah".
This scream made everyone a bit embarrassed, but Jiang Li seemed not to care at all and lowered his head to continue his needlework.
Old Guo walked unceremoniously to the water tank, scooped up a ladle of water, drank it, wiped his mouth, and snatched the sewing basket from Jiang Li's hand.
"Hey, look at you. Your son's friends have come to visit you. You should at least let them into the house!"
Jiang Li was silent for a moment, then stood up and walked shakily into the house, leaving a light - hearted sentence for everyone.
"Come in."
Old Guo seemed to have expected Jiang Li's reaction. He grinned at Yu Nian and said, "He's just like this. You'll get used to it... You guys talk first. I'm leaving!"
After everyone followed Jiang Li into the house, they found that none of the rooms were lit. The weak candle flames flickered tenaciously, stretching their shadows on the wall very long.
The furnishings in the house were very simple. Apart from the necessary items like beds, there were no other furniture.
Ming Mingzhong whispered, "This house is so cold. It's not as cozy as a hotel. It's as if the owner is going to pack up and leave at any time..."
Jiang Li led everyone to the kitchen. There was a square table in the kitchen. On the table, there were not only several hot dishes but also nine sets of porcelain bowls and wooden chopsticks neatly arranged.
Ming Mingzhong and He Zhiping glanced at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes.
Including Huang Shisiniang and Liu Mo, the number of bowls and chopsticks was exactly the same as the number of people in the house at this moment!
This Jiang Li... had actually expected their arrival!
Everyone stared at each other, and for a moment, no one dared to pick up the chopsticks.
Jiang Li ate his meal on his own and didn't say a word to them the whole time.
Only once, when Jiang Sheng suddenly let out a child - like laugh, Jiang Li's hand paused slightly, and then he continued to bury his head in his meal.
After the meal, only Jiang Li and Yu Nian were about 70 - 80% full.
At the same time as Jiang Li put down his bowl, he said calmly, "I've known your purpose for coming here for a long time. I can't get back that part of Jiang Sheng's soul, and neither can you. You'll stay here for one night and go back as soon as it gets light tomorrow."
Hearing this, Pei Ying got a bit anxious and angrily said, "How can this be possible?! I think you're really old and muddled! Jiang Sheng is your own son, and you're just going to give up on him like this? Moreover, the thing that took Jiang Sheng's soul left a mark on me. If we don't catch that thing as soon as possible, I'll also be implicated!" She slapped the table hard and showed the momentum she had at the company's annual summary meeting. "Anyway, you can't get out of this!"
He Zhiping sighed and helplessly covered his face.
Pei Ying was too impulsive in what she said and did. No one could stop her, and they were now on Old Man Jiang Li's territory. As the saying goes, a strong dragon can't suppress a local snake.
They weren't afraid if Jiang Li came at them openly, but they were afraid that he would play dirty tricks behind their backs.
Hearing this, Jiang Li's expressionless face suddenly twitched in a fake smile.
He turned his head and "looked" at Pei Ying, asking in a low voice, "Are you done?"
Pei Ying suddenly felt angry. She had been ignored by Yu Nian all the way, but there was nothing she could do since she couldn't beat her!
But she didn't expect that in this small town, she would be ignored by this old man!
She was Jiang Sheng's agent after all, but Jiang Li didn't give her any face!
"I'm not done yet! You..." Pei Ying's words were suddenly cut off as her face suddenly turned terrified.
Her throat was extremely itchy, as if there were thousands of tiny insects wriggling and scrambling to crawl out of her mouth.
Pei Ying's scalp went numb, and she leaned on the door frame and vomited.
But she hadn't eaten anything for dinner, so she could only keep retching, and her tears fell like broken beads.
Fortunately, Yu Nian was by her side. She slapped Pei Ying hard on the back, and all of Pei Ying's discomfort disappeared.
Jiang Li then turned his head and, as if nothing had happened, instructed everyone, "Putuo Town is not as peaceful as it seems. It's completely dark now. Don't go out of the house. Just go to sleep honestly."
...
In the empty house, an unknown fragrant smell wafted, lulling everyone who was originally awake in different rooms into a deep sleep.
With a soft "creak", the half - open door was pushed open.
A thin figure silently hovered beside each person's bed. Two invisible gazes fell on each person's face like a scrutiny. After an unknown amount of time, he finally disappeared into the darkness.
The moment Jiang Li walked out of the door, the "sleeping" Yu Nian suddenly opened her eyes, with a clear look in them.
Jiang Li was extremely suspicious. He would throw a fierce evil - suppressing talisman behind him every few steps to test if anyone was following.
Yu Nian simply used an invisibility talisman and leisurely followed behind Jiang Li with her arms folded, watching his performance.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Jiang Li came to a large, dilapidated factory that was out of place in Putuo Town.
Jiang Li listened warily to the sounds around him, then reached out and made a spell gesture. With a flash of his figure, he disappeared from the scene.
Yu Nian squinted her eyes and finally became a bit interested.
She strolled to the front of the factory gate and saw that not only were there several thorny vines tied to the gate, but there was also a powerful energy that was invisible to the naked eye constantly fluctuating, indicating that a barrier had been set up.
Yu Nian threw a stone in. With a few soft "clicks", the stone disappeared, replaced by a puff of powder floating in the wind.
Yu Nian was silent for a moment and became even more curious about what was hidden inside the factory.
But she was too lazy to break the barrier, so she casually threw out a lightning - summoning talisman.
The wind howled, and in an instant, the night became as dark as ink. Dark clouds gathered in strands directly above the factory and soon covered half of the sky.
With a loud rumble!
A dazzling white light pierced through the clouds and accurately struck the gate. The barrier shattered immediately!
But the power of Yu Nian's lightning - summoning talisman seemed a bit too strong. Along with the barrier, the stone wall and the iron gate were also shattered...
A few sharp fragments flew towards Yu Nian.
Yu Nian remained calm. Just as she was about to wave her hand to deflect the fragments, someone grabbed her waist forcefully and pulled her to a safe place.
Yu Nian was a bit dazed and bumped into a somewhat cool embrace.
Leaning against the person's solid chest and listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, Yu Nian was momentarily stunned.
This minty fragrance...!!
Yu Nian suddenly raised her head and unexpectedly met a pair of smiling eyes.
Her figure, together with the bright moonlight, was reflected in Feng Chengyuan's eyes. His gaze was gentler than the moonlight.