Lü Peng took a few steps forward, "You brought people here to question them? What right do you have to question them?"

"Has this one not said that anyone who comes to solve the riddle must be brought to me?"

"I... I..." After the messenger said "I" several times, Lü Peng drew an axe from his body and brought it down on the other man's head.

The man fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the time it took for the wound on his head to heal, Lü Peng said coldly, "Take him down, cut out his tongue, and pickle it in a jar."

Someone came forward and dragged the man away. Lü Peng waved his hand at us and said, "Gentlemen, this way please."

I was about to move forward when I heard someone shout, "Hold on!"

When I followed the sound, I saw a woman in a green dress walking over.

Lü Peng, who had been expressionless, immediately put on a gentle look when he saw her: "Yi Lü, why are you here?"

Yi Lü gently took Lü Peng's arm: "I heard that someone was solving the riddle, so I came to see."

Yi Lü looked at me and said, "You're the one who wants to solve the riddle? Tell me your plan!"

I spread my hands and said, "I don't even know what the riddle is. How can I tell you?"

Yi Lü's face changed immediately: "You don't know what the riddle is? And you dare to come here?"

I laughed and said, "Why should a riddle solver know the riddle beforehand?"

Yi Lü said, "Brother Peng, I think these people are just here to cause trouble. Let's not waste our time."

Lü Peng nodded in agreement: "Someone..."

"Wait a minute!" I looked at Lü Peng and said, "May I ask, are you an idiot?"

Before Lü Peng could speak, Yi Lü shouted sternly, "You dare to insult Brother Peng? Seize him!"

I sneered, "Am I insulting him, or is he insulting himself?"

"Does not knowing the riddle mean that I can't solve the mysteries here?"

"What kind of logic is that?"

I looked Lü Peng up and down a few times. "Looking at your attire, you must have read a few books, right? Have you ever taken an exam? Before the exam, does the examiner tell you the questions in advance?"

I stared at Lü Peng and said, "If you ask me, you don't want anyone to solve the riddle of the Second Village!"

As Lü Peng remained silent, I threw out the Soul-Chasing Rope: "In that case, let's just fight! There's no need to go to any martial arts arena. Let's do it right here. I'll lend you this ghost artifact so you can't say I'm bullying you."

As I spoke, I threw the Soul Binding Rope I had gotten from the Lower Village Chief at Lü Peng's feet.

Lü Peng looked at the Soul Binding Rope on the ground, then at me, before slowly shaking his head and saying, "You're right! I was reckless just now. Please, come with me."

Yi Lü wanted to say something more, but Lü Peng stopped her.

As I followed Lü Peng forward, Nie Xiao Chun transmitted his voice to me: "Isn't there something wrong with this Lü Peng? How did you communicate with him?"

I quietly pointed at Lü Peng and said, "Look at his weapon."

"A short-handled broad axe?" Nie Xiao Chun glanced at it. "So what?"

I explained, "A weapon can represent a person's character. A broad axe and a short axe seem the same, but they are two different things."

"A short axe can be hidden in the sleeve for a sneak attack."

"A broad axe is different. The blade of a broad axe is wide and flat, impossible to hide. Especially a short-handled broad axe, its power in close combat is terrifying."

"Therefore, most people who use broad axes are reckless and straightforward."

"In other words, they're a little slow."

"To deal with such people, you can't reason with them. They won't understand. You can only talk to them in their own way."

"And that solves the problem?"

Nie Xiao Chun said, "Why do I feel like this is too simple?"

"Actually, it's not simple at all!" I intentionally glanced at Yi Lü.

Lü Peng led me into a room: "Please, have a seat."

I carefully looked around the room. Wasn't this a common tile-roofed house with a heated kang (platform bed) in the Northeast?

When guests arrive, they sit directly on the kang to talk.

Given Lü Peng's status, why didn't he even build a reception room?

Lü Peng didn't seem to care: "Yi Lü, go get some tea for the guests, the good stuff. Remember, don't use the village water, use the mineral water from outside."

Yi Lü reluctantly stood up to make tea. I also looked at Lü Peng and said, "Brother Lü, I like to be straightforward. You can just tell me the riddle directly."

Lü Peng said, "The riddle of the Second Village is: How did I die?"

As he spoke, Lü Peng pointed at himself.

Seeing that I didn't understand, Lü Peng explained, "Actually, I'm a treasure hunter. Back then, a team of six of us came here, and we all died here."

"But none of us can figure out how we died."

"If we can't figure out how we died, we'll be trapped here. So, if you can solve the mystery of our deaths, you'll have solved the riddle here."

Nie Xiao Chun transmitted his voice to me again: "You were right, Lü Peng is indeed an idiot!"

I looked at Lü Peng and said, "I have a question that I hope you can answer."