Xu Xianqing closed her eyes and rested for a while, though she didn’t actually fall asleep. At some point, she had gotten used to keeping two parts of her mind alert even while resting.
It might be difficult for others, but for her, it was simple.
After all, her heart was aching constantly. Falling asleep at all was already an achievement; remaining conscious was the easy part.
Xu Xianqing pressed her hand against her chest. The pain of the Heart-Bond Contract tearing away was something no painkiller she tried could ever dull.
Late at night.
Xu Xianqing opened her eyes. Looking at the moonlight outside the window, she estimated the time, then quietly crept out of her room.
She made her way to the kitchen. Truthfully, she could have been perfectly open about it…after all, Wan’er had told her earlier that evening that she’d left some food for her in case she got hungry during the night.
But Xu Xianqing lacked experience in acting guilty. Because she was secretly trying to investigate the mystery of the Old Locust Tree Village, her mind was fraught with unease, making her actions naturally sneaky.
She entered the kitchen and glanced around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first.
That was, until she lifted the lid of the large cooking pot. Inside lay a dead, unfeathered rooster. Surrounding it in the pot were three plates containing a mound of fruit, steamed buns, and cold white meat.
Xu Xianqing froze. Having been a minor Taoist priest in her past life, she knew all too well what these items were for.
These are offerings for the dead. And the rooster is used for ritual exorcisms.
No wonder the old Taoist priest had warned her not to eat anything here. To be honest, even without his warning, looking at these items alone would have been enough to lose her appetite.
Well… maybe.
Even if they were offerings meant for the dead, as long as the food wasn’t poisoned or tainted, she wasn’t overly superstitious. If it could fill her stomach, she would usually eat it.
As Xu Xianqing was lost in these thoughts…
“What’s wrong? Are you hungry?”
A voice suddenly broke the silence from behind her.
Startled, Xu Xianqing whipped around, still holding the wooden pot lid in her hand. When she saw Si Nian standing behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness it’s not Wan’er.
She had seen Wan’er’s corpse earlier that morning. Even though she wasn’t sure if it was the same person, the scene from earlier had undeniably spooked her.
Looking at Xu Xianqing’s startled expression, Si Nian let out a light laugh. “Did I scare you?”
“A little,” Xu Xianqing admitted truthfully.
Si Nian said calmly, “These things are offerings for the dead. It’s only natural they gave you a fright.”
Xu Xianqing stood rooted in shock at her bluntness. But in the next second, Si Nian added, “The food I saved for you is in the cupboard.”
She opened the cupboard door and brought out two white steamed buns on a plate, offering it to Xu Xianqing.
Xu Xianqing didn’t reach out to take it.
Si Nian coaxed gently, “What is it? There’s no need to be polite with us. Eat if you’re hungry.”
Xu Xianqing shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“Do you have some misgivings? Don’t worry, we don’t charge for staying here, nor do we charge for food and drink.”
“No, it’s not that. I really am just not hungry. Besides, eating late at night messes with my digestion, and I have a weak stomach…I’m afraid it’ll cause me pain. I actually just came down to get some water.”
“Did you get some?” Si Niang asked.
Xu Xianqing paused, then gave a slow nod.
Si Niang smiled. “Then head back to bed soon. I’ll clean these up so we can have an extra dish tomorrow.”
She pointed to the contents in the pot. “Wan’er loves chicken, though it’s a pity these are all roosters. Still, the meat isn’t bad.”
Xu Xianqing remained silent. Standing in that oppressive, eerie atmosphere, a chill crept up her spine.
Yet Si Niang seemed entirely unfazed, already planning tomorrow’s breakfast and deciding how to prep the food.
“Where… did these dishes come from?” Xu Xianqing couldn’t bring herself to leave just yet. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to ask.
Si Niang turned her head back to look at her. Her tone was eerie and bone-chilling, sounding like a ghastly mix of laughter and weeping, as if the words were being squeezed right out of her throat:
“Since they’re meant for the dead… where do you think they came from?”
With that, she let out an unsettling, hollow laugh.
The sound made Xu Xianqing’s skin crawl.
Right on cue, a sound came from the kitchen doorway.
“Wife, stop scaring her.”
Xu Xianqing turned around. It was Wan’er, holding a lantern as she walked in. Held up in front of her, the faint flickering flame cast deep shadows across her face, making her silhouette look grim and terrifying.
Not only did it startle Xu Xianqing, but even Si Niang, who was busy prepping food, seemed taken aback for a second.
Realizing this, Wan’er lowered the lantern slightly. She exchanged a glance with Si Nian, and seeing the sheer terror on Xu Xianqing’s face, the two of them broke into laughter in unison.
Wan’er explained softly, “We didn’t mean to scare you. Please don’t hold it against us.”
“I don’t, I don’t,” Xu Xianqing quickly waved her hands. “I think I’ll head back to sleep now.”
Si Niang called out to stop her just as she turned: “Try to avoid wandering out at night if you can. The ground in the courtyard is uneven; it’s easy to trip and fall when you can’t see clearly.”
Xu Xianqing didn’t overthink the warning. She nodded hastily and left.
Upon returning to her room, Xu Xianqing suddenly noticed the system quest progress bar jump upward.
It had moved from its initial zero to 1%.
Did this mean she had managed to touch upon a tiny fraction of Old Locust Tree Village’s secret? A 1% secret… it seemed to be connected to the kitchen, or perhaps to those strange foods.
Pondering these clues, Xu Xianqing gradually drifted off to sleep.
That night, for the first time in a long while, she dreamed of Miss Ye.
In the dream, Miss Ye called out to her again and again, calling her “My Wife.” Yet Xu Xianqing felt trapped in place. No matter how desperately she tried, she couldn’t move closer to Miss Ye, until she finally broke free from the nightmare and woke up.
By the time she awoke, the sky outside was a dim gray. Her heart was throbbing painfully, and her stomach was growling with hunger. She decided to get up, eat some dry flatbread, and drink a bit of water.
Sitting on her bed for a moment, she heard Si Niang and Wan’er stirring outside. Deciding it was time, she pushed open her door.
Just as she stepped outside, she saw Si Niang picking up a hoe, preparing to leave.
Noticing Xu Xianqing was up, Si Nian asked, “Are you leaving today?”
“I was hoping to rest here for a few more days, if that’s alright?” Xu Xianqing asked, pulling out five low-grade spirit stones.
When she offered them to Si Niang, Si Niang stepped back with a light smile. “If you want to stay, just stay. What would I need these for? Anyone who comes to our Old Locust Tree Village is a guest, and we could never take things from our guests.”
“A guest shouldn’t stay for free. If you don’t take it, my mind won’t be at ease,” Xu Xianqing insisted, holding them out.
After thinking it over, Si Niang finally accepted them. “Alright then. I’ll take this as your meal fee. I’ll cook two extra dishes for you at lunch.”
Watching Si Niang take the spirit stones away, Xu Xianqing instantly regretted her decision.
“No need. When I travel, I prefer eating dry rations. It keeps my energy up. You don’t need to cook extra dishes for me, nor do you need to prepare any meals.”
Si Niang gave her a meaningful, lingering look, then chuckled. “Have you… been to Rootless Village?”
Hearing those words, Xu Xianqing felt a sudden numbness wash over her scalp. Forcing herself to stay calm, she asked, “Why do you say that, Si Nian?”
“There’s an old Taoist priest in Rootless Village who came here begging for food once. Because he tried to act inappropriately toward the women in our village, we chased him out. Ever since then, that old priest has held a grudge against us. Whenever travelers pass through, he can’t help but slander us, scaring outsiders who don’t know any better into thinking our Old Locust Tree Village is inhabited by ghosts and monsters.”
Si Niang let out a soft sigh, then continued, “Don’t listen to that old priest’s nonsense. On the other hand, it’s their Rootless Village that’s truly strange. Young, beautiful women go missing there every few days… yet the men are completely fine, every single one of them living to a ripe old age.
Now tell me…isn’t that strange?”