Chapter 1802: Chapter 1829: The Eerie Village
The three chatted briefly and quickly became familiar with the villagers.
This village is called Jade Lotus Village, and the villagers are all Buddhists, a belief they recently adopted, so seeing the three bald-headed strangers felt quite welcoming to them.
As the village head would say, “Those with shaved heads aren’t bad people.”
The bookshop just now was called Sanwei Book House, and the young girl’s name was Fang Hua, the village head’s little granddaughter.
The villagers were very hospitable, surrounding the three and taking them to a dilapidated yard to set up a shelter for them.
“To be so revered upon our arrival at this precious place, this junior is truly overwhelmed!”
“Why did everyone recently start believing in Buddhism? Did something happen?”
Li Xiaobai asked curiously. It seemed unusual for an entire village to suddenly embrace Buddhism.
“Three months ago, a master came from outside the village to bless Jade Lotus Village. At that time, the village was experiencing drought. As soon as this master arrived, it suddenly rained as if the spring breeze turned into rain, miraculously nurturing everything in silence. The master warned us to be sincere, as sincerity can move the Buddha Lord.”
Fang Hua explained.
“A master?”
“Buddha Lord?”
“Spring breeze turns into rain?”
Li Xiaobai glanced around, somewhat speechless. The ground kicked up dust at every step, hardly hinting at the presence of water.
In fact, the Buddha Lord was already defeated by Second Senior Sister, and now the Buddhists’ beliefs seem unknown.
“The master is formidable. He can achieve immortality and is said to have cultivated into a Dao Fruit. It is rumored that if someone eats his flesh, they can also attain immortality.”
Fang Hua’s big eyes were full of admiration.
“Such a divine person exists, I must visit him someday.”
The three exchanged glances, each showing a look of doubt. How could there be an immortal?
However, this is the starry sky, where there are far too many inexplicable things; for instance, the regulator they just defeated. They dared not rashly dismiss the emergence of an immortal master.
Perhaps immortality is truly achievable in the deep space!
“The three masters must be from other stars. The house is simple; I hope you won’t mind.”
A few villagers emerged from the house, the leading one said with a smile.
“We dare not, Uncle Wang. How do you know we are from other stars?”
Li Xiaobai tensed up, a hint of danger flickering in his eyes.
“Don’t be nervous. It’s common for great cultivators to stop by the Yue Xing. This place is just a tiny star, lacking in resources and hasn’t birthed cultivators, but occasionally there are great powers who rest here before continuing their journey.”
The man, named Wang Dachui, held a high status in the village, with many strong young men listening to him.
“I see, thank you for your trouble.”
The three thanked him before entering the house, closing the door, and thoroughly inspecting the room to ensure there were no suspicious items. Then they sat back at the table, holding their breath, motionless.
Outside, someone was watching them. Through the window paper, they could see a figure standing still – from the position, it was Wang Dachui.
Li Xiaobai opened the door, smiling, “Uncle Wang, is there anything else?”
Wang Dachui beamed brightly, “No problem, I just wanted to see if you need anything else.”
“We’re fine, no need for more trouble. We plan to stay just for one night and leave tomorrow.”
“Stay a few more days. I’ll inform the village head and the master; no need to be restrained.”
Wang Dachui didn’t give Li Xiaobai a chance to politely refuse, and after speaking, turned and left on his own.
Li Xiaobai closed the door, his smile instantly turning cold.
“I think this village isn’t simple.”
Ma Niubi said softly.
“I have the same thoughts. The villagers say there’s a master guiding everyone to believe in Buddhism, yet the village is full of corpses, totally unlike a peaceful scene.”
Liaowang nodded slightly.
“That Wang Dachui is obviously suspicious, standing outside the house without moving, it’s really creepy.”
“But you said this village is full of corpses, why didn’t I see it?”
Li Xiaobai said in a deep voice.
Liaowang remained unmoved but softly said, “The back window is open.”
The back window?
Li Xiaobai and Ma Niubi leaned over, and in an instant, a chill ran down their spines from tailbone to skull.
This house was next to a hill, and the window at the back faced a mountain path. At this moment, the mountain path was lined with a row of dead trees, and each tree had a shriveled corpse hanging from it.
Ropes hung around the necks of the corpses, suspending them high in the air. There were men, women, and children, all with bulging eyes and long tongues – appearances characteristic of those who died a wrongful death.
The number of corpses stretched as far as the eye could see, as eerie as possible.
“We can’t stay here; once Yu Huan Shui returns, we’re leaving immediately.”
Li Xiaobai gasped, looking at the mountain of hanged corpses, then recalling the simple smiles of the villagers earlier, his mind was buzzing.
Is surviving under the starry sky really this tough? Just escaping from regulators and now entering this extremely bizarre village.
Ma Niubi brewed some tea, drinking it leisurely, “This village is full of mortals, not threatening. It’s just a few corpses, nothing to be afraid of.”
Li Xiaobai took his bowl and poured out the tea.
“Are you stupid? Would normal mortals be this calm seeing a cultivator?”
“They aren’t afraid of cultivators at all, and even without knowing whether we’re good or evil, they have prepared a house for us. This indicates they do not believe we can threaten the village, and they might rely on the master mentioned by the villagers.”
“Don’t touch the food here. Given we’re on a different star, it’s prudent to be cautious.”
Li Xiaobai tossed the water and food into a corner. Their current limited knowledge about this star termed as Yue Xing; anything else was still unknown.
Not consuming food or water from an unfamiliar environment is common sense.
The three were a bit anxious inside, wanting to go out to gather more information and understand the village’s situation. But thinking about leaving soon, they decided not to get too entangled with Jade Lotus Village and sat back down.
“Knock knock knock!”
The door suddenly knocked, startling the three.
“Three masters, it’s me.”
A young girl’s voice came from outside, it was Fang Hua from Sanwei Book House.
Ma Niubi opened the door to let her in.
Li Xiaobai asked, “Is there something you need?”
“I saw the master was fond of this book, so I specially brought it to give to you, hoping to create a good relationship.”
Fang Hua took out the “Livestock Optimization and Breeding Issues” from her pocket, her cheeks blushing as she handed it to Li Xiaobai.
She was a very shy little girl.
“Thank you, I have been studying breeding issues lately; this book’s perspective is novel and intriguing.”
Li Xiaobai silently tucked the book into his pocket.
Looking at Fang Hua’s innocent face, a thought arose in his mind, causing him to shiver suddenly, folding his arms around himself, “Brr… Do you guys feel like this place is a bit cold? I am most afraid of the cold.”
Ma Niubi and Liaowang understood immediately, pretending to look around.
Ma Niubi: “It is a bit chilly, and there seems to be wind coming in; is the window not shut properly?”
Liaowang: “The back window isn’t closed; I suppose that’s where the cold wind is coming from.”
Li Xiaobai: “The three of us have never experienced such frigid weather; our bodies are stiff from the cold, can’t even get little buddy up, let alone walk over and shut the window. If only there were a kind soul willing to help us close it, that would truly be an act of virtue.”
Fang Hua, seeing the three staring at her expectantly, felt a bit flustered. Finally, she bowed her head, softly saying:
“Three masters, please be patient, I’ll go close it.”