Yan Qing leaned casually against the back of the seat and said nonchalantly, "Just like you guys, I accidentally fell in here."
Seeing that Yan Qing seemed to have no real killing intent, Cui Wan tried to smooth things over. "Well, then we can team up. The top priority is to get out of this secret realm as soon as possible, so we don't miss the subsequent competition."
The car bumped along. After an unknown amount of time, it finally stopped outside a desolate little mountain village. From afar, they could see three big red - painted characters on a black reef at the village entrance - Heihe Village.
The paper - made driver stood up and said mechanically, "You've reached your destination. Please get off the car quickly."
Xue Yier wanted to extract more information from the paper - made driver, but the driver just stood there stupidly in the driver's seat, like a soul - less puppet, and didn't utter a single word no matter who asked.
As soon as the contestants got off the car, an old man with a dark complexion walked up to them. He gave a friendly smile, but there wasn't much warmth in his eyes.
"I'm the village head of Heihe Village. You're here to do something with Granny Chou, right? I'll show you the way."
Yu Nian immediately understood that, just like the paper - made driver, the village head was an NPC in the secret realm, responsible for assigning tasks to everyone.
The village head led the way in front. The group stepped on the thick ice and walked through a snow - covered forest before they could see the whole picture of Heihe Village.
A series of simple white rough - cast houses were arranged in a criss - cross pattern. The walls on the shaded side were covered with large patches of damp and moldy marks, looking as if they hadn't been inhabited for many years.
Every house door was plastered with countless yellow talisman papers. Even though it was daytime, every house was locked.
Cui Wan casually glanced at a house on the side and saw four or five pale faces lying behind the foggy windows, staring at them with strange looks.
Cui Wan immediately let out a scream in fright. The village head quickly smiled and explained, "Don't be scared. They're just the villagers of the village. They're just curious when they see you. They were originally very warm and hospitable, but they were a bit shocked later..." The village head paused for a moment and suddenly lowered his voice. "Come to think of it, it's all related to Granny Chou."
Yu Nian looked up at the village head. "What do you mean?"
The village head looked around warily, as if he was afraid of something. After a long while, he hesitated and said, "Granny Chou isn't from Heihe Village. She's a Miao woman who knows some witchcraft. She married into this place following her husband. When Granny Chou was young, she was a tailor. She was extremely skillful with her hands, and everyone said the clothes she made were wonderful. Granny Chou's family wasn't rich, but they were happy. She and her husband had a daughter. When the daughter turned eighteen, she was as beautiful as a flower. Matchmakers from all over the place came to propose marriage. But who would have thought that on the day before her daughter's wedding, the young girl suddenly died for no reason. That same night, Granny Chou's husband also died suddenly. Everyone said that it was because the Chou family offended the gods that they brought this disaster... After these things happened, Granny Chou became a bit crazy. She not only liked to talk to herself but also always liked to pick up things and bring them home..."
Yu Nian looked up and asked, "What kind of things did she pick up?"
"She picked up some evil things. For example, a few years ago, Granny Chou picked up a 'body' of a boy from the mountain. After she carried him back in a bamboo basket, she sewed him up and made his body whole."
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines when they heard this. This village head was really a master of strange word - usage.
Who would use "a body" to describe a boy? And what did he mean by "carrying him back and making his body whole"?
Xue Yier frowned and frowned again, and couldn't help but retch.
Just as his words fell, the village head led them to a dusty house. The village head carefully glanced at the door and whispered, "This is Granny Chou's house. But she has a very strange personality. Whether she'll let you in or not is hard to say... Oh, one more thing. No matter what happens at night, just go to sleep. Never go out to check!"
Before anyone could react, the village head shut his mouth nervously and turned around without hesitation to leave.
While the contestants were still pondering over the village head's words, Yu Nian stepped forward and knocked on the door.
After a long silence, the door was pushed open a tiny crack from the inside. The moment the stench of decay hit their faces, a pair of deep blue eyes suddenly appeared, staring at them lifelessly!
Xue Yier was startled and instinctively drew out her sword to strike, but was mocked by Yan Qing beside her. "Idiot, look closely. He has a shadow."
Xue Yier was stunned, and the person behind the door walked out.
He was a boy no more than eighteen or nineteen years old. His features were so exquisitely beautiful that it was almost excessive, and his skin was so pale that it was sickly.
He was wearing the unique Miao clothing. The tinkling of the silver ornaments didn't sound noisy but rather pleasant.
Xue Yier stared at the boy's light - blue eyes for a moment and asked hesitantly, "Are you a mixed - race?"
The boy let out a chuckle. "You're so funny. Maybe, do you know there's something called colored contact lenses in the world?"
Xue Yier:......
Yu Nian looked at the boy and found that although he was good - looking, there was a lack of vitality in his words and actions, making him seem a bit odd.
She asked softly, "Excuse me, is Granny Chou at home? We're here to visit her."
When the boy heard the words "Granny Chou", a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes. He actually recited like he was reciting a text. "My name is A Heng. Granny Chou is my aunt. My mother knew she was lonely and sent me here to take care of her daily life. Auntie has gone up the mountain to gather firewood. Come in with me and warm yourselves by the fire first."
The contestants followed A Heng into the house but found that there were no lights on. There were thick spider webs in the four corners of the room, looking as if it hadn't been cleaned for a long time.
In the dim room, dozens of square black wooden cabinets were neatly arranged. There was a handmade doll on each cabinet.
When they got closer, they were surprised to find that the materials used to make each doll were different. Some were woven with cloth, and some were made of ceramic.
Each doll was extremely delicate. There seemed to be a glint of light in their big eyes, as if they would come to life and start talking the next second.
Tian Qi stared at one of the dolls for a long time and suddenly realized that its skin and hair were no different from a real person's, but he just couldn't tell what material the doll was made of.
The moment he looked into the doll's eyes, Tian Qi couldn't help but reach out his hand. When his fingertips touched the doll's cheek, a smooth feeling flashed across, and a terrifying thought popped into his mind. Tian Qi felt a chill run down his spine...
Just then, a pair of cold hands pressed down on Tian Qi's wrist.