The villagers were quite enthusiastic.
They almost answered every question.
Some people would even walk up to them with a smile and greet them.
So far, this seemed to be a peaceful and serene village.
Apart from the appearance of people with memories of their past lives, it was no different from any other quiet village.
The group wandered aimlessly until they reached the village entrance.
The women who had been playing mahjong and chatting there earlier, as well as the children, were still there.
At dusk, the scene was especially beautiful.
It was like a perfect painting, which made one feel peaceful just by looking at it.
Yu Nian casually sat down on a stone pier without minding the dust on it.
She propped her chin on her hands and stared blankly at the playing children, seemingly lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about?"
Yun Xiangnan walked up to Yu Nian at some point.
"Have you noticed a problem?"
Yu Nian involuntarily leaned closer and whispered in a very soft voice.
"What problem?"
Yun Xiangnan tried his best to ignore the faint fragrance that kept wafting into his nose and replied calmly.
"Don't you feel that these kids aren't really playing? It's as if they're putting on a show just for us."
Yu Nian had been sitting there staring at the kids for quite a while.
The more she watched, the stronger this feeling became.
Yun Xiangnan grew suspicious and followed her gaze to the group of kids sitting together.
Three kids were playing "Drop the Handkerchief".
Four were playing "Throw the Sandbag".
And three others were skipping rope.
At first glance, there seemed to be nothing wrong. But if you stared at them without moving, the problem emerged.
These kids were a bit older than the ones they had seen in the village.
They were around five or six years old.
Kids at this age were the most mischievous, regardless of gender.
Especially those in the village.
If their parents spoiled them a bit, it was easy for them to turn into little brats.
They'd go fishing in the river, play with mud, climb trees to steal bird eggs...
They had all sorts of ways to have fun.
Because of this, village kids usually wouldn't play games that were more common among city kids.
Especially "Drop the Handkerchief".
What's the fun in playing it with only three people?
Yet, these three kids were smiling and enjoying themselves, chasing each other merrily.
They were like "Drop the Handkerchief fanatics".
"Their smiles seem a bit fake."
Yun Xiangnan really didn't want to use the word "fake" to describe kids.
But that's exactly how these kids made him feel.
"Exactly! I have the same feeling. Do you believe that as soon as we leave, these kids will stop playing?"
A conjecture slowly formed in Yu Nian's mind.
To verify this conjecture, they found a deserted place to hide.
Then, they saw.
The old men, old women, and the women who had been chatting with kind smiles on their faces just now all fell silent.
The kids who had been laughing and playing threw their toys aside.
And their expressions were all the same.
If you had to describe it, they all looked glum.
"What's going on?"
"The situation is that they're lying to us. The whole village is putting on a show for us. These kids probably also have memories of their past lives. Their current expressions are their true personalities. There's no trace of childish innocence at all. They look just like adults."
Yu Nian had already had her doubts when she noticed that the younger kids were dressed neatly.
The suggestion to go to the village entrance after dinner was also to verify this conjecture.
Now, everything was confirmed.
Kids don't care whether their pants have an open crotch or not.
They don't pay much attention to hygiene or their appearance.
They don't deliberately look for games to play. They just play whatever comes to mind.
Kids usually have a short attention span, especially when it comes to games. They'll usually get bored after playing for a while.
They don't smile all the time either.
When playing "Drop the Handkerchief", the kids sitting on the ground would be nervous about being chosen by the one dropping the handkerchief.
And the one dropping the handkerchief would be afraid of being caught when running.
When skipping rope, it's not always the same person skipping. The two holding the rope would be eager to take their turn.
For kids, "Throw the Sandbag" is a serious game.
Although kids might burst out laughing because of various situations during the game, they don't smile throughout the whole process.
It's just too fake.
These are all things that only adults would pay attention to.
She deliberately stayed at the village entrance for a long time and then suddenly left just to see their glum faces when they got tired of fake - smiling.
This completely proved that everything just now was a show.
"Why is the old village head lying to us? Do they know we're here to investigate the Holy Cult?"
Yun Xiangnan covered his mouth. Just thinking about this possibility made cold sweat break out on his back.
They were all amateurs and not really powerful. If this was really an important stronghold of the Holy Cult and they were discovered, they'd never make it out alive.
"Don't panic yet. Let's wait and see what happens tonight."
Night fell.
Every household closed their doors and turned off the lights.
None of them really slept that night. Instead, they forced themselves to stay awake, fighting off the drowsiness and constantly paying attention to the sounds around them.
The only sound in their ears was the tick - tock of the clock.
Suddenly, a soft sound of a door opening made Yu Nian suddenly open her eyes.
Someone had come out of the next room.
The old village head and his daughter - in - law were sleeping in that room.
The footsteps clearly indicated that there were two people walking out.
It couldn't be the old people going to the toilet.
Who goes to the toilet in pairs?
Yu Nian waited until the footsteps faded away. After carefully distinguishing the direction, she tiptoed out of the room.
Among the four of them, she was the best at physical skills. As long as she wanted to, she could move without making a sound.
She quickly walked a few steps in the direction the footsteps had gone.
When she saw two figures, she quickly found a hiding place nearby and crouched down.
The two figures were clearly the village head and his wife.
After waiting for a while, Yu Nian came out and continued to follow them.
Finally, when the two stopped in a field full of sunflowers, she also stopped.
The sunflowers around were as tall as a person.
Yu Nian quietly approached and tried to find a place where she could hear their conversation clearly while hiding herself.
Even though these two old people had come to such a secluded place, they were still very cautious.
Yu Nian had to concentrate to hear what they were saying.
"What's up with those four people? Why don't we just drive them away?"
"Drive them away? Have you forgotten what that person said after we drove him away last time? We almost got exposed! I think these four are in good shape. They'll come in handy for us. We'll find a chance to act tomorrow."
"Okay then. But this time, you have to let me reincarnate first. I don't care what you're thinking. My death is just three days away."
"I know. Do you think I'd neglect you? Alright, let's go back."
Their conversation ended there.
Immediately afterwards, there was a rustling sound in the field.
Yu Nian quickly turned around, found a hidden path, and rushed back to the village head's house as fast as she could.
She was incredibly fast.
She managed to get back to the village head's house without attracting any attention.
Lying back in her place, Yu Nian fell into deep thought.
The conversation between the village head and his wife had revealed a lot. They definitely wanted to do something to them, and this place was definitely not a good one.
But what puzzled Yu Nian the most was how the village head's wife knew her own death date.