Before the words were fully spoken, Feng Chengyuan suddenly slumped over. Yu Nian was startled and quickly stepped forward. She saw that Feng Chengyuan was breathing evenly and his sleeping face was peaceful.
Early the next morning, Feng Chengyuan finally woke up. He felt a splitting headache and was muddled, unable to remember what had happened. He took out his phone and saw dozens of missed calls from Chen Xian. His eyebrow twitched, and he casually called back.
The phone was answered after two rings. Feng Chengyuan's voice carried a hint of hoarseness from last night's drunkenness. "Chen Xian, book the plane tickets for tonight to meet the partner."
Chen Xian was stunned for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Boss, the partner... he died in the development village last night!"
"..... What?"
"I rushed to Ningyuan Village last night. According to the villagers, he accidentally fell into the river while night fishing. By the time he was fished out, his body was all bloated! It's really strange. From the scene, the river was only up to one's thighs. He could have climbed out after struggling a bit. How could he have drowned like this!"
Feng Chengyuan frowned tightly. Ningyuan Village was a folk - culture development base invested in by Feng Group. The contract with the partner had already been signed, but now something had gone wrong. It was truly a thorny issue.
"Then book the tickets for this afternoon." After hanging up the phone, Feng Chengyuan got up and went out. He bumped into Yu Nian right at the dining hall.
When Yu Nian saw Feng Chengyuan coming, she didn't greet him cheerfully as usual. Instead, she gave him a meaningful look.
Feng Chengyuan's eyebrow twitched, and he started to try hard to recall his actions after getting drunk. But the liquor was so strong that his mind was completely blank no matter how hard he tried.
"Did I make a fool of myself after getting drunk that day?"
Yu Nian shook her head with a smile, pushed the warm porridge in front of Feng Chengyuan, and motioned for him to eat first.
Feng Chengyuan's eyes accidentally fell on Yu Nian's wrist. On her fair wrist was the pearl bracelet he had prepared for her.
He was slightly stunned. He felt that the gloom in his heart over the past few days had disappeared all at once. There was a hint of a smile in his eyes as he said softly, "I'm going on a business trip in the next few days. You... take good care of yourselves in Qingxin Temple."
Yu Nian nodded. "Where are you going on business?"
"Ningyuan Village."
With a soft "clank", the porcelain bowl fell to the ground. Lu Yao's empty eyes showed a bit of confusion. His pale lips parted slightly as he murmured repeatedly, "Ningyuan Village..."
Yu Nian walked to Lu Yao's side and saw that a cut had opened on his paper - made finger, from which black air was constantly oozing.
Yu Nian reached out to smooth the wound and asked calmly, "Do you remember something?"
Lu Yao's gaze was fixed vacantly on the distance. He first nodded, then said uncertainly, "My home seems to be in Ningyuan Village."
Yu Nian was a bit surprised. She asked Feng Chengyuan, "Has anything strange happened in Ningyuan Village recently?"
Feng Chengyuan nodded and told Yu Nian about the tragic death of the partner.
Yu Nian asked, "Do you have a photo of that partner?"
Feng Chengyuan found a group photo on his phone. The middle - aged man standing next to Feng Chengyuan was the partner.
Yu Nian tilted her head and sensed for a moment. A faint black mist emerged from the photo. Her expression became serious. "This matter is not that simple. I'll go to Ningyuan Village with you."
The group set off immediately. To avoid scaring people with the big snake, Liu Mo transformed into a snake - shaped hairpin and coiled on Yu Nian's hair.
……
When the group arrived at Ningyuan Village, it was already 5 p.m. Fortunately, it was summer and the days were long, so it wasn't completely dark yet.
With the dim twilight, the group finally got a clear view of the whole picture of Ningyuan Village.
It was a village hidden in the overlapping mountains, surrounded by a forest. If it got any darker, not only outsiders but even locals would have a hard time finding the way out of the village.
He Zhiping looked around this desolate place and for the first time, he doubted Feng Chengyuan's taste. "Mr. Feng, does this village have any unknown value?"
Feng Chengyuan said calmly, "Legend has it that the last goddess is enshrined in this village."
"Goddess? What is that?"
Yu Nian replied, "In the ancient sacrificial activities, in order to worship the gods they revered, people selected women from thousands of tribes who could speak and act on behalf of the gods. Goddesses were the bridges of communication between humans and gods. They had the ability to control the weather and protect the local people. However, with the development and progress of the times, there are very few goddesses now."
Qian Lin was completely confused. "If goddesses are so powerful, can they get married?"
Before Yu Nian could answer, a gloomy and hoarse voice slowly came from behind Qian Lin. The group was startled and turned their heads, only to see an old face hidden under a large straw hat.
"Ghost!!"
Qian Lin suddenly let out a scream and scurried behind Feng Chengyuan.
Feng Chengyuan coughed softly. "He has a shadow."
Qian Lin timidly poked his head out. Seeing the hoe in the old man's left hand and the mud on his trouser legs, he embarrassedly stood out and muttered in a low voice, "Uncle, why do you hide behind others to scare people?"
But the old man seemed to be completely oblivious to everything in front of him. He just answered Qian Lin's question on his own.
"No. Goddesses are not selected by inheritance but by selection. Each generation of goddesses is regarded as the purest symbol by the believers. If a goddess falls in love with someone else, it is a desecration of the gods."
His gaze swept vacantly over everyone, looking extremely gloomy. But when he saw Lu Yao, there was a moment of blankness in his eyes. Then he quickly shook his head and walked into the village muttering to himself.
A cool breeze blew, making the surrounding woods rustle. Coincidentally, it started to drizzle. There was a hint of strangeness in the extremely quiet atmosphere.
Yu Nian watched the old man's back gradually disappear in the distance. She squinted her eyes slightly. "Let's go. We must get into the village before it gets dark."
Rushing all the way, the group finally reached the village before the sunset. But there were still few people in the village. It was empty and desolate. Occasionally, they met a few women coming back from washing clothes by the river, but they kept their distance and looked at the outsiders with unfriendly expressions.
After a phone call from Feng Chengyuan, Chen Xian rushed over in a hurry and led the group to a rural bungalow at the entrance of the village. He whispered to Feng Chengyuan, "Boss, you need to inform the village head before entering the village. This village is very strange. People are chatting and laughing during the day, but as soon as the sun sets, they all stay indoors. We can only make do with staying here for the night."
As soon as he finished speaking, a middle - aged couple walked out of the bungalow. The man was about fifty years old, and the woman was a bit younger than him. They were not as strange as the outsiders. Instead, they welcomed the group into the house with kind faces.
The light in the house was dim. Feng Chengyuan was always on Yu Nian's side, worried that she might fall. When the hostess turned around and saw this scene, her black eyes flickered for a moment, then she slowly shifted her gaze.
The house was not big. It was distributed horizontally and was divided into three rooms: the east room, the west room, and the main room. The main room was naturally for the host and hostess. There were no beds in the house, only traditional heated kang beds.
The hostess looked at the group and said with a smile, "There are so many of you. The east room is a bit bigger. It's just right for the men to stay in." She paused for a moment and said to Yu Nian and Feng Chengyuan, "The west room is a bit smaller. It's for you young couple."
He, Ming, and Qian: ???