I swallowed and looked at Old Man Zhang before me, asking after a moment, "Are you saying this rubbing was something you personally gave to my father back then?"
"Indeed! Although I don't know his name, I did give him the rubbing. We had an agreement, and he said one day he would return to help us break the curse..."
He paused at this. "Now it seems he broke his word."
I took a deep breath and suddenly remembered some scattered fragments recorded in my father's notebook. Thinking back now, was he referring to this place?
But why didn't he tell me about this?
Did he not want me to get involved?
Alas, it seems destiny has already decided...
"With these three rubbings returned to their rightful owners, it proves that our clan is destined to never break the curse," Old Man Zhang said with a bitter expression.
"What I said earlier, that I know where the Yang Bead is, was not a lie," I stated.
He looked at me. "So what? Even if the Yang Bead is found, what about Yang Yuhuan? Can you find her?"
I thought for a moment and said, "Yes!"
Hearing me utter the word, Old Man Zhang was startled, then he threw his head back and laughed, "Hahaha..."
"I'm telling the truth! I really can find her!" I insisted.
He withdrew his smile and stared at me intently. "Have you seen her?"
"I have, and I know her."
The old man was taken aback, and his hands suddenly gripped my shoulders. "You... you... you're not lying to me, are you?"
He was very agitated, his voice even trembling.
It seemed this matter was far too important to him.
A thousand-year curse, the suffering of over ten generations, was simply unimaginable.
"Could you let go of me first?"
Old Man Zhang looked old, but his grip was by no means weak; I felt my bones were about to be crushed.
He released me, still looking at me in disbelief. I said, "Since I said it, I can do it. However, I still have some questions."
"What?"
"If you say the sacrifice is just a formality, then why were the maidens' hearts dug out?"
He smiled slightly. "You mean the hearts on the altar?"
I nodded.
"Those were animal hearts."
"Then why were their bodies drained of blood so cruelly?"
"There was no draining of blood, it was merely a formality. As for them..."
At this point, he sighed and walked to the strange tree. He gently brushed the trunk with his hand, and the trunk quickly parted to reveal a hollow. Inside the hollow was a woman!
The woman appeared to be asleep, lying there quietly, covered entirely in vines that formed a layer of armor around her body.
"Every clansman who is nearing their end is sent here to hibernate, and they slowly die within the tree..."
Looking at this incredible sight, I asked, "Is the woman inside still alive?"
A touch of sorrow appeared on his face. "She won't live much longer. In a few days, it will be the end of her life. After that, I will send in those clansmen who are more deeply affected by the curse. They can have another year of life within the tree hollow..."
"Don't they eat or drink?"
"The Hell Tree allows them to hibernate. Only here can they not feel the pain of the curse and depart peacefully."
I pursed my slightly dry lips. I never would have imagined that what seemed so cruel on the surface held another side.
This seemingly unkind old man was actually carrying so much.
After leaving the altar and returning to the village, Fatty and Jiang Yue were relieved to see me safe and sound.
Fatty quietly asked me what had happened, but I didn't say much to him.
It was because I had promised Old Man Zhang that I wouldn't leak this matter.
That day, we were arranged accommodation, and villagers brought us food.
"Brother Xiang, I've checked. No one is watching us!" Fatty poked his head back from the doorway and sat at the table, asking, "When are we escaping?"
"Escaping?"
"Yes! Do you plan to stay here? This place is incredibly weird. We need to find a way out quickly!"
"Is there a need to escape? We can leave anytime we want."
Fatty was taken aback. "That old man would let us go?"
"Why wouldn't he?"
Fatty looked somewhat bewildered. "Brother Xiang, are you hiding something from me?"
Jiang Yue also looked at me expectantly at this moment.
I thought for a moment and said, "It's better that you don't know some things. Anyway, this place isn't what you think it is. We can leave anytime we want, but after we get out, you must keep everything about this place a secret."
"Secret? Why? Is it an agreement you made with that old man?" Fatty asked.
"As I said before, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but this matter is very complicated, and I don't know how to explain it."
Fatty and Jiang Yue were both bewildered. Then, Fatty signaled me with his eyes, "Fine if you won't tell me. Brother Xiang, can you come with me to the restroom?"
Saying that, he pulled me up and led me out of the room. At the corner, Fatty rubbed his hands together. "Brother Xiang, hurry up and tell me. I know it's inconvenient to say it in front of that woman."
I gave him a displeased look. "Even if she wasn't here, I still couldn't say it."
"Why?"
"I promised someone I can't talk about this."
"No way? You won't even tell me?"
I patted Fatty's shoulder. "Alright, don't overthink it. I really can't talk about this. If there's a chance in the future, I'll tell you."
He looked dejected, pouting his lips. "Alright, if you don't want to say it. But you just said we can leave anytime. Is that true?"
"Of course it's true. But before we leave, we need to go and say hello to Old Man Zhang."
"Ah? You're that familiar with him now?" Fatty looked incredulous.
"Alright, stop your wild thoughts. Consider this trip a vacation."
After speaking, we walked back inside, but to our surprise, Jiang Yue had gone somewhere.
A moment later, a villager rushed over, saying the village chief wanted to see me.
I told Fatty to stay in the room and followed the villager.
When I met Old Man Zhang, Jiang Yue was already lying in a nearby chair, unconscious.
"What is this..."
As I began to speak, Old Man Zhang gestured for me to sit down and talk.
After I sat down, he took out a small bottle and placed it in front of me. "She tried to escape just now, was caught, and brought to me. I gave her this."
I stared at the small bottle. "What is this?"