Zhang Zicheng hadn't lived in his hometown village for many years.
Although he had never said at what age he left his hometown, Shen Weixun guessed it must have been when he was very young.
After all these years, it was normal for changes to have taken place in the village.
Estimated that the second brother probably couldn't even recognize all the people in the village now.
But it didn't matter. They weren't here to find people but to find a tree.
As long as the tree was still there.
"Let's go and take a look at the peach tree. Everything else may change, but this tree surely won't. You lead the way."
Zhang Zicheng didn't respond. He just nodded slightly and walked forward on his own.
As soon as they entered the village, Shen Weixun and Zhang Zicheng immediately tensed up all over and became extremely vigilant.
It was noon. They had thought that everyone had gone home for lunch when they saw no one moving around at the village entrance.
But when they really got into the village, they found it wasn't the case.
It was so quiet. There seemed to be nothing but the gentle breeze whispering in their ears.
The village seemed to be devoid of living people.
The two of them took a special look at the yards with relatively low walls twice.
There were still rice and corn being sun-dried inside, so it was impossible that the whole village had moved away.
So where were the people?
Where had everyone gone?
They quickened their pace simultaneously, and the ominous premonition in their hearts grew stronger.
When Zhang Zicheng stopped, the two of them stared blankly at the empty land for a moment.
This should be where the peach tree had grown.
But where was the tree?
There was only a bottomless pit on the ground.
There was nothing else.
The tree hadn't been cut down. It had been uprooted.
Zhang Zicheng was in a daze for a moment. Then he quickly walked to the edge of the pit, looked down, and was about to jump.
Shen Weixun quickly darted over and grabbed his collar.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy to jump into such a deep pit?"
The pit on the ground was really deep.
Looking down, there was only darkness. One couldn't see the bottom.
No one knew what was inside.
Maybe it was just soil. Maybe there were many ghosts waiting for them. Or maybe there were other hidden monsters.
It was obviously man - made.
Maybe it was a trap specifically set for Zhang Zicheng.
He wasn't usually such an impulsive person. Why did he seem to have lost his mind today?
Shen Weixun managed to stay calm and dragged him away.
"I have to go down and take a look. The things buried down there are very important to me. I must confirm whether they are still there!"
"What things could make you so anxious? The pit has been dug, and the tree has been uprooted. It's obvious that the things down there must be gone."
Shen Weixun was a bit annoyed seeing him in such a distraught state.
He knew he was anxious, but there was no need to be this impulsive.
Was he so anxious that he had lost his mind?
This was not like the second brother he knew.
"I have to see it with my own eyes to be at ease. Little third brother, don't stop me..."
"Stop talking!"
Shen Weixun suddenly interrupted him, with a look of anxiety in his eyes.
Zhang Zicheng frowned, not knowing what was going on.
But he knew that the only thing that could make the little third brother anxious was Niannian.
The two of them simultaneously turned their gazes to Niannian, who was sleeping soundly.
Regaining his senses, Zhang Zicheng understood why Shen Weixun's emotions had fluctuated so suddenly.
From the moment they got off the car until they walked quickly here.
They hadn't deliberately tried not to wake Niannian up.
There had been a few bumps when they walked quickly.
And with the loud voices during their argument just now, normally, the little one should have woken up long ago.
This child didn't sleep very soundly. In fact, she was a very light sleeper.
As long as there was a sound around her, she would open her eyes groggily.
But at this moment, the little one seemed to be completely immersed in her dreamland and had no perception of the outside world at all.
"What's wrong with Niannian?"
Zhang Zicheng didn't care about his eagerness to check the pit anymore. He asked anxiously.
"I'm not sure... No! It must be that liquid that's the problem!"
"What liquid?"
When they were at the manor before, they had quickly solved the matter of the wooden plaque, so Shen Weixun had completely forgotten about the pink liquid he had put away.
Seeing Niannian like this now, he suddenly remembered that Niannian had dipped her finger in that liquid before.
At that time, the little one hadn't felt any discomfort in her body.
So he hadn't taken it seriously.
They had been sharing the same food, clothing, and daily necessities for the past few days. The only thing she had touched that was different was that pink liquid.
Shen Weixun told Zhang Zicheng about this.
But this time, Zhang Zicheng couldn't give him an answer either.
"The peach - wood plaque and the liquid must be related. I still have to go to the bottom of the pit. I must find out who dug the tree to save Niannian!"
Shen Weixun grabbed him again.
The calmer he got when the other was anxious. It was a good quality.
"Tell me first what's at the bottom of the pit? What's buried there? Don't tell me you buried it. How old were you when you were in this village? You were too young and weak to dig such a deep pit to bury things."
Shen Weixun's question hit the nail on the head.
Zhang Zicheng fell silent immediately.
He struggled for a long time, as if hesitating whether to say it or not.
"Can you stop hiding things? Don't you trust me? Do you think I'll harm you?"
Shen Weixun was speechless.
God knows what would happen to Niannian after she fell into a coma.
This guy still wanted to keep it a secret.
What kind of big secret was it that he would even ignore his junior sister!
"I don't distrust you..."
Zhang Zicheng flatly denied it. Knowing that he had to answer this question, he took a deep breath and continued, "There's a Buddha relic and a box of ashes."
"A Buddha relic? Ashes?"
Shen Weixun could hardly imagine how these two things could be put together.
Who would bury a Buddha relic with ashes for no reason!
"This is not the time for storytelling. I can only tell you that the Buddha relic and the ashes are the reasons why the peach tree has a spirit. They surely didn't just want the peach tree that had developed a spirit when they uprooted the whole tree. Because once the tree is separated from these two things, its spirit will disappear."
"If they use the wood to harm people and suck people's essence, the spirit in the peach tree must have been taken away by them. If they use these two things to do bad things, no one can stop them."
"Many people may die easily. But if the Buddha relic is still there, there's still a glimmer of hope. So I have to go down and see how much they've taken."