Bai Wei had been hungry for an unknown period of time, and his speech was incoherent, as if he had not had a proper rest for a long time. Shi Jingzhi did not rush to ask him, but let him go to sleep first.
For the sake of old times, Yan Qing cleaned the courtyard and the house, and they finally looked like a place where people lived.
Perhaps because he had not seen his kind for many days, Bai Wei slept particularly deeply when he saw them today. He did not wake up until the sun was setting. This time he had some appetite and ate something reluctantly.
After eating and sleeping well, Bai Wei still looked like a skeleton, but the light in his eyes was brighter. Yin Ci recognized that it was not the light of survival. When a person has lost all hope and only has a glimmer of obsession that cannot be let go, his eyes will be like this.
“This story started a year ago.”
Bai Wei is good at telling stories, but when he tells his own story, his tone becomes dry.
"My father was ill, so I went to the mountains to look for medicine. That's when I met Ah-Lu... She was playing in the forest. I had never seen such a beautiful girl before, and I thought I had met a mountain ghost."
Bai Wei was one of the few scholars in the village. He was arrogant and had some unrealistic romantic feelings in his heart. When he saw the fairy-like woman, he not only did not run away, but came forward to talk to her.
After chatting for a while, Bai Wei saw the girl's character. Ah Lu was thoughtful and simple, and her words had a spirit that the girls in the village lacked.
Bai Wei is good-looking, can tell stories, and understands the world. The two are a perfect match, and after a long time of secret meetings, they secretly fall in love with each other. In the end, they become a couple just like what is described in the strange novels.
But it’s not easy for this couple.
Until they were actually married, Bai Wei didn't know where A Lu came from. A Lu was very secretive about this and just advised Bai Wei to go with her. However, Bai Wei's father was still alive and he was deeply attached to Xizhuang and didn't want to die in a foreign place, so he firmly opposed it.
Just by insisting on marrying A'lu, who came from an unknown background, Bai Wei had offended her father greatly, so how could she dare to say no
"So I made a promise with her that I would let her suffer for a while. When my father passed away, I would go with her."
When Bai Wei said this, he smiled like he was crying again.
Yan Qing was a little confused: "Let's not talk about women getting married, most of them marry into their husband's family. You are willing to go with her and just wait for a few years, so how could it be possible..."
How could something so big happen that would cause the village to disappear
"You don't know yet, right? That's right, the goddess will definitely not tell you now - if you become a member of Yuanxian Village, you can indeed learn the trick of entering and leaving at will. But if you leave Yuanxian Village for more than three days, you will... lose consciousness and fall into a coma."
He insisted on not using terms like "losing one's life" or "ascending to heaven."
"My father didn't want to move out of Xizhuang, so Ah Lu had to stay at home for two days and then disappear in the mountains for a day. In this way, life was manageable. She lived well and would occasionally take some gold and jade from the mountains to supplement the family income. I didn't want to cause trouble for her, so I worked hard to avoid going to the 'fairyland' with Ah Lu in the future and being looked down upon by others."
"To the people of Xizhuang, I would say that she is a fairy who has come down to earth. Humans and gods are not supposed to be together, and she will return to heaven in two days."
This time, even Yan Qing didn't ask any further.
He and Su Si were born in Xi Village, and they knew the nature of the villagers very well. The people in Xi Village were not extremely evil, they were just ordinary poor people - some were simple and honest, but some were born in ignorance and were vicious.
According to Bai Wei's narration, the facts were almost the same as they had guessed.
The young men in the village were the first to have evil thoughts.
Bai Wei had a handsome face and could read, so he was originally an outlier in the village. Now he married a beautiful wife, and they were inseparable. The family was getting better and better, which made people jealous.
The guy named Bai is not even a lazy guy. Instead, he works harder. He really doesn't know what's good for him.
Since Bai Wei could get a fairy wife in the mountains, they could do it too. Bai Wei was just a little braver and luckier. As for women, they have long hair and little knowledge. As long as they can see her, they will definitely marry her home.
With such stupid thoughts in mind, they began to follow Alu secretly.
Ah Lu had to go back to the fairyland every two days. She was not the only fairy in the fairyland. As long as they found the way to the fairyland, why would they worry about not being able to marry a fairy wife
At first, Ah Lu was very careful. She rode the black dog demon when she entered the forest. The black dog demon ran very fast and would not leave any room for people to follow it. Later, Ah Lu became pregnant and her belly grew bigger day by day, so she had to switch to riding the stable red leopard.
Carrying the pregnant woman on its back, the red leopard did not dare to run too fast. Finally, one day, the two hunters secretly followed A Lu and followed her all the way to the end.
Later, A-Lu, unaware of the situation, returned to Xi Village, but the two hunters never came back and disappeared.
How could the two families in Xizhuang let the matter go after losing their son? They gathered all their relatives and blocked the door of Baiwei, demanding an explanation from Alu.
"What fairy? I think she is just a goblin from the mountain. She tricked my son into the mountain and ate him!"
"That's right. When she's pregnant, she must be cannibalistic."
"We're going to go into the mountains in a couple of days, so we can't hide our true identity, can we? Let's stop him here and see what kind of person his wife is—"
People squatted outside the Bai family's door, holding hoes and hatchets tightly. Ah Lu could probably guess what happened, but she was afraid that the gods would punish her parents and family, so she didn't dare to reveal the location of the "fairyland".
She could only cry.
Bai Wei was kneeling outside, his voice hoarse, as he argued with the villagers over and over again.
Ah Lu really didn't know, and she really had to go back. Her old father was dying, and he had to see a doctor...
Please.
"I gave them all the money I saved over the years, and they kowtowed to me without even realizing it. I only asked them to let A-Lu go back to the mountain, and let the doctor come in to treat my father. If they have any problems, come to me... But they took the money and still insisted on handing over A-Lu."
"Those people were blocking the way outside. A-Lu was pregnant and didn't dare to leave the house, so she couldn't get back in time. The village doctor was afraid of causing trouble and didn't want to come in."
"In the end, my father died and she fell asleep."
Bai Wei clenched his fists.
After that, things are pretty simple.
The goddess of Yuanxian Village suddenly came to the village with two children and a cart of gold. She said she was here to pick up the "sleeping" A Lu, and the villagers of Xizhuang were pleased.
They found that everyone in the fairyland was qualified to ascend to heaven. The hunter who had disappeared earlier was also in the fairyland, waiting for them.
She distributed gold to the people and said gently, "I am very busy and my time is limited. You don't need to bring anything, just follow me."
I don’t know if she used some kind of magic, but the goddess’ words had an almost terrifying persuasiveness.
They no longer thought about why the gods rewarded them for offending them first. Anyway, there were many such stories about gods and monsters. Maybe the heavens had their own rules, and they were just unlucky.
In just half a day, there was no one left in the village. In order to please the gods in front of them, the villagers really didn't take anything, for fear of not being able to ascend to heaven in time.
Only Bai Wei doesn't want the fairyland.
He buried his father silently, and then stayed beside his "sleeping" wife, at a loss. She was still breathing, still warm. Maybe everything was still in time, and she would wake up when he got home
That day, all the villagers of Xizhuang came to Yuanxian Village. The goddess had instructed in advance that every household in Yuanxian Village should stay indoors and let her lead the villagers into the forbidden area.
When the villagers of Xizhuang saw this paradise-like place, they didn't suspect his existence and entered the tree gate obediently.
They never came out again.
Bai Wei stayed with his wife all the time and was unwilling to leave. Even though they returned to their hometown, she was still sleeping soundly. A little girl ran to her side, pouted and shook Alu.
"Sister, sister! Why did you ascend to heaven so early? Didn't you say you would wait until I grow up?"
"Light the lantern and go back." Sister Mian wiped her eyes and forced a smile. "Child... your name is Bai Wei, right? Let go. A-Lu is gone."
"My daughter is gone."
…
"It's weird, isn't it?" Bai Wei stared at the four people nervously. "She clearly still has a heartbeat, how could she be dead? I wanted to go to the forbidden area to look for her on the first day, but Sister Mian... No, my mother wouldn't let me go and kept stopping me. Now the time limit given by the goddess is about to expire, and she can't stop me anymore even if she wants to."
"What would you do if she survived?"
Shi Jingzhi asked calmly and calmly.
He was not immersed in the tragedy like Yan Qing, nor was he silent like Yin Ci and Su Si. As soon as Bai Wei finished speaking, Shi Jingzhi continued smoothly.
Yin Ci was a little surprised. He thought that with Shi Jingzhi's sentimentality, he would be crying and snotting. But he didn't expect Shi Jingzhi to be very calm, almost cold.
Bai Wei didn't expect Shi Jingzhi to react like this. He was at a loss for words: "W-what?"
"You act like you can't live or die, and you keep saying you want to accumulate immortal luck. Even if the goddess sends you to a strange place, it's enough to see the forbidden area... It doesn't matter if you can see your wife or not, even if you leave her alone to sleep. You want to fulfill your wish just by going there, is that what you mean?"
Bai Wei: "I..."
"You actually believe that she is dead, right?" Shi Jingzhi said expressionlessly.
He did have a face that was so handsome that it seemed unreal. When there was no expression on his face, he did give off a terrifying feeling of being "not one of us".
Like some evil being in fine human skin.
Bai Wei stared into Shi Jingzhi's eyes and couldn't help but take a half step back.
"What else can I do?" He said hoarsely, "I have no other choice."
"I can't understand why you are so reckless that you are willing to gamble with your life, but you are so weak that you dare not let go and fight again."
"That's easy for you to say! If it were you—"
"If it were me, I would first try to figure out why the goddess appeared after Alu's 'death'. Since she loves her people so much that she is willing to destroy the entire Xi Village, why didn't she take action earlier? The goddess had captured the Xi Village people who came to spy on her, and then Alu didn't return on time. How could she not guess Alu's situation?"
Bai Wei was stunned on the spot. He had indeed never thought about this question.
The goddess has been in power in the village for fifty years. She looks like a young woman, but her aura is like the mountains themselves. Standing in front of such a person, it is difficult for people to have doubts.
"The goddess...she may have other difficulties..." Bai Wei said sleepwalkingly.
Shi Jingzhi pressed on: "Do you really want to see your wife?"
Bai Wei's distracted eyesight finally became clear. He stared at the child for a while, then bowed respectfully and said, "I'll teach you."
"That's right."
Shi Jingzhi looked quite satisfied. He patted Bai Wei on the shoulder, and there was a hint of murderous intent in his tone. "If something I love is taken away, even if the person on the other side is really a god, I will do my best to teach him a lesson."
Yin Ci frowned slightly.
Shi Jingzhi was not exaggerating. A hint of madness quietly emerged from between the lines, but was suppressed by his cheap master.
"Please help me." Bai Wei soaked the pancake in hot water and devoured it. "Help me find out what happened to A-Lu, help me find A-Lu's body... I want to live. If she's alive, I'll rescue her. If she's dead, I'll bury her properly and offer her sacrifices every day."
"In exchange, I, Bai Wei, will serve you like a slave."
Su Si also stopped looking so carefree. He frowned and said, "You have to stay in the forbidden area for a long time to find your wife, right? How long did we stay in there after we sneaked into the funeral procession? Half an hour? An hour? Is that enough time to find her?"
Shi Jingzhi smiled slightly: "Brother Bai, you still need to go and 'accumulate immortal fate', just don't really do it."
Bai Wei was a little confused, and the biscuit choked in his mouth: "What do you mean?"
"There are three possibilities below the forbidden area. One is that, as Sister Mian said, there is another small world inside. The second possibility is that all the people in Xi Village are imprisoned at the bottom of the forbidden area... To be honest, both possibilities are unlikely. Xi Village already has a bad environment, and the former is purely superfluous. If the latter is true, someone should deliver food to the forbidden area."
Shi Jingzhi touched his chin.
"The third possibility is the so-called 'accumulating immortal fate', which is actually death in the forbidden area. The goddess doesn't look like she would do it herself. She would probably let the white-clothed monster do it for her, or just let someone fall to death."
Bai Wei: “…” This person just encouraged him, now he wants him to die again
"The people of Xizhuang still have to hold a funeral, and it will be troublesome if they find any traces. Even if she takes action, she will not do it above the forbidden area. At this time, Bai Wei needs our help."
Shi Jingzhi turned to Bai Wei.
"We will give you tools to cling to the rock wall, in case she wants to throw you to death, or let the white monster take you down and kill you. You have to escape halfway and hang on the rock wall for a while. When you get our signal, you can climb up again and find your wife's stone chamber."
"If she personally brings you to the bottom of the forbidden area, you should plead with her and try to let her leave first, and you will 'fend for yourself'. After she leaves the forbidden area, you can climb up to find her... When you come back, we will meet you at the exit. Then you can keep a low profile for a few days, and we can find an opportunity to escape together."
"So, nothing will happen to me?"
"No." Shi Jingzhi raised his eyebrows. "If you don't escape in time, or the truth is beyond your expectations, you may be killed on the spot. But with our help, you have at least a 50% chance of surviving and slowly looking for your wife."
Bai Wei was silent for a while.
Then he let out a long breath and said in a steady voice: "What good will it do you to help me like this?"
"I'm curious about the situation in Yuanxian Village and want to find out. As the saying goes, if you know yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger."
Yan Qing nodded in agreement, but Su Si looked away, not knowing what he was thinking. Realizing Yin Ci's gaze, he suddenly came to his senses and smiled heartlessly again.
During the remaining time, everyone was busy preparing props.
In order to prevent the goddess from getting suspicious, Bai Wei didn't bring too many things with him. Shi Jingzhi stuffed him with a small bottle of pills to stimulate his energy, and pierced a few acupuncture points for him to ensure that Bai Wei's joints were soft and he wouldn't hurt himself to death.
Finally, Shi Jingzhi dug out a small bottle from the bottom of the medicine box and poured out two shrunken little things—
"These are acacia beans, grown from the demon grass, and are usually used to sense the patient's condition. Use your blood to soak them, and we will take one each."
Shi Jingzhi explained to Bai Wei.
"The two beans are connected. When the flames burn this bean, your bean will also heat up. When the time comes, you will know that the goddess has indeed left. If you die down there, the bean here will turn to dust. We will know that something has happened to you and will not wait for you outside."
Bai Wei took the bean solemnly: "I understand. Master Shi, I will never give up my life so easily."
After that, Bai Wei rested for two more days and practiced hooking the rock wall with his iron claws. After two days of eating Yin Ci's special meals, his cheeks finally became fuller and no longer looked like a skeleton.
The madness in his eyes lost its edges and turned into rock-hard firmness.
Yin Ci was somewhat envious of Bai Wei. If Shi Jingzhi hadn't been watching him closely, he would have wanted to go down and take a look himself.
Unfortunately, Yuanxian Village was very strange, and Shi Jingzhi was so alert that he could even count how many times Yin Ci turned over at night. Even if Yin Ci claimed to get up at night, Shi Jingzhi would sit up and wait vigilantly, fearing that his apprentice would be captured by some unknown monster.
Yin Ci didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The road to finding the flesh was long, and Shi Jingzhi's shield was still useful, and he couldn't reveal his identity yet. He could only stay by Shi Jingzhi's side and act like a normal person with a strong desire to survive.
As long as God gave him a reasonable reason to enter the forbidden area, he would definitely be the first to do so.
But Yin Ci didn't expect that the opportunity would come so soon.