The next day, before the sun had fully risen, the entire Xiuse Village woke up. The villagers opened their doors and windows, bustling about to prepare breakfast. The village chief’s kitchen was very close to the small storage room, and Xin Meng was awakened by the clattering of pots and pans. Drowsily, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. A glance at his watch revealed it was still not yet six o’clock. He had gone to bed late the previous night and was still struggling to open his eyes, while others had already started cooking. He felt it was inappropriate to linger in bed any longer, so he yawned, got out of bed, put on his shoes, opened the door, and stepped out of his room.
The village chief was sitting on a small stool in the living room, a bowl of millet porridge, a few steamed buns, and a plate of pickled vegetables already laid out on the low table in front of him. Wu Xuehua was coming out of the kitchen, carrying two more bowls of porridge. Seeing Xin Meng awake, she quickly called out, “I was just about to come and get you! You’re awake just in time; come sit down and eat.”
Xin Meng thanked her, and the three of them sat down to finish breakfast together.
The village chief took the search for Xiao Kui very seriously. After breakfast, he picked up a loudspeaker and called out, and soon, every household opened their doors, and the nimble villagers came out, dispersing into the mountains to search for people.
There were quite a few people in the village, but against the backdrop of the vast mountains, they were not very noticeable. Xin Meng felt awkward just waiting around, so he decided to gather his team first, discuss their plan, and then disperse to follow the villagers in their search, while also inquiring about the “forbidden area” along the way.
This time, Xin Meng took the initiative to team up with You Yi, while the remaining Li Yougen and Dong Xiu decided to act independently. Xiong Jiabao looked around and, after some hesitation, thickened his skin and followed Xin Meng and You Yi.
Xin Meng chose a somewhat familiar villager, the skinny boy named Wu Qiang, who had sat next to him during breakfast at the village chief’s house and was the first to mention the “forbidden area.”
Wu Qiang was very talkative and straightforward, making him a suitable target for gathering information. To learn more, Xin Meng deliberately walked a few steps ahead to walk alongside him, making an effort to strike up a conversation. You Yi and Xiong Jiabao followed behind them, with You Yi always keeping an eye on Xin Meng, ready to lend a hand whenever the mountain path became difficult. Xiong Jiabao, however, was not so fortunate, stumbling along the path and muttering curses under his breath.
“By the way, that ‘forbidden area’ you mentioned the other day, is it where you store your grain?” Xin Meng asked casually. “Kids really shouldn’t be allowed in, but you guys are all grown up now. Are you still afraid of messing with the grain?”
Wu Qiang showed a dismissive expression, clearly wanting to say something but perhaps holding back due to the village chief’s instructions. Seeing this, Xin Meng teased, “It seems like you guys are still considered kids in the eyes of the adults! Actually, we have something similar back home. Even when you’re in your twenties, your parents still think you haven’t grown up, that you’re unreliable, and they’re afraid you’ll mess up the good things at home. I didn’t expect it to be the same here.”
“That’s not true!” Wu Qiang, being a teenager himself, was eager to be seen as an adult and hated being treated like a little kid. He immediately dismissed the village chief’s words and blurted out, “The ‘forbidden area’ isn’t a place for storing grain at all, and it’s not because we’re young that we’re not allowed in! No one, regardless of age, is allowed in!”
“Ah?” Xin Meng feigned surprise. “Then why isn’t anyone allowed in?”
“I don’t know,” Wu Qiang mumbled, using a twig he picked up to swat at the leaves around him. “When I was little, I sneaked in there with Wu Deli and a few others to take a look, but there was nothing there—just an ordinary little forest with a few big rocks and nothing else. When the adults found out, I got a beating when I came back! It was so unfair!”
“Nothing at all? Then why is it called a ‘forbidden area’?” Xin Meng was puzzled. Just an ordinary little forest?
“Maybe it’s just called that,” Wu Qiang said nonchalantly, then suddenly added, “Oh, right! I remember there seems to be some kind of saying about it.”
“What saying?” Xin Meng quickly asked.
“It’s like a legend or something; I don’t know if it’s true,” Wu Qiang scratched the back of his head. “They say it’s an ‘ominous’ place, and if someone goes in, it will trigger ‘omen,’ and the whole village will suffer misfortune. But after we went in, nothing happened. The villagers were just as they were, and no one got sick or anything. They were all fine.”
Xin Meng silently noted this down in his mind, feeling that it was important information.
“Actually, it’s not that mysterious,” Wu Qiang shrugged. “After that, I asked the village chief with Wu Deli. It used to be an ancestral graveyard, where our ancestors were buried. Later, they said the feng shui was bad, so they moved the graves, and it was left empty. There are no tombstones, probably because they were afraid it was unlucky, so they don’t let the descendants go there anymore.”
Just as Xin Meng was about to subtly inquire about the location of the forbidden area and find a time to sneak a look, Xiong Jiabao, who was a bit slow on the uptake, blurted out, “Then can you take us there now?”
Xin Meng’s heart sank. Sure enough, he saw Wu Qiang’s previously relaxed demeanor suddenly turn vigilant. He looked at the three of them and warily asked, “What do you want to do there? Why are you asking me about it?”
Xiong Jiabao was about to explain the situation but was kicked in the butt by You Yi, nearly stumbling. He turned back, confused about what was happening. Xin Meng shot him a glare, and You Yi coldly said, “Shut up!”
Xiong Jiabao had no choice but to sulk in silence.
Xin Meng found it hard to deal with this guy, who was more of a hindrance than a help. He didn’t even think that even if Wu Qiang was dismissive of the forbidden area, he wouldn’t take a group of strangers there! After all, it was a place where their ancestors were buried, and the villagers were protective and had customs about it. Asking so directly would definitely make them think you had ulterior motives!
After some thought, he said to Wu Qiang, “What I mean is, we didn’t find our companion yesterday. Is it possible that she accidentally went to that ‘forbidden area,’ and since no one went in to look for her, she hasn’t been discovered yet?”
Wu Qiang hesitated for a moment, considering that it might be possible. His expression softened, but he still sternly told them, “I can take you to take a look. That place isn’t big; you can see everything from the outside. But I must say this first: you can’t go in! You can only stand outside and look; otherwise, I’ll be punished by village rules!”
Xin Meng quickly nodded, and the three of them followed Wu Qiang as he turned a corner and took another path. After a few turns, they finally saw the little forest he mentioned.
The little forest was indeed a true “little” forest, with a diameter of less than five hundred meters, easily visible from the edge. Inside, there were a few dozen slender poplar trees sparsely planted, with a few large stones scattered haphazardly in between.
The stones looked a bit strange; they weren’t tombstones, but they stood like tombstones, and there were exactly six of them.
Xin Meng kept staring at those six large stones, recalling the contents of the card Xiong Jiabao had, and he realized that the “it” in the phrase “ignore it or push it down, it’s your choice” referred to these stones.
He wanted to take a closer look, but Wu Qiang began to push them out. “Alright, alright, you’ve seen enough. There’s nothing here; let’s hurry and leave before someone sees us.”
Xin Meng had to abandon his thoughts for now; he had already memorized the route and could come back later when he had the chance.
The four of them searched around but did not find Xiao Kui. Wu Qiang wondered, “Are you sure you came with six people? Could it be that person has already left the valley?”
For a moment, even Xin Meng wavered, but he shook his head. Their activity range was already limited to this valley; unless they cleared the game, they absolutely couldn’t leave. So Xiao Kui must still be somewhere in the mountains; she was just hiding and didn’t want to be found. That was the only explanation.
Thinking back to the previous game when Xiao Kui was pushed into a horde of zombies by Li Yougen, Xin Meng sighed, feeling a bit like giving up on finding her.
That girl, who was already very guarded, probably wouldn’t trust them anymore. Since she believed hiding would be safer, they shouldn’t disturb her any further.
As for the card in her hand…
They could only take it one step at a time.
When Xin Meng returned, he told the village chief, “Chief, call everyone back. I just received a call from that companion of ours. She accidentally left the valley, so there’s no need to trouble everyone to look for her anymore. Thank you all for your help earlier.”
“She has already left?” For some reason, the village chief seemed a bit regretful, but he quickly smiled again. “It’s fine, as long as she’s safe. I’ll go call everyone back.”
Soon, the village chief’s voice echoed through the loudspeaker. Although Xin Meng couldn’t understand a word, the villagers who had gone into the mountains gradually returned, and Dong Xiu and Li Yougen also came down from the mountain.
Dong Xiu asked, “What’s going on?”
Xin Meng replied, “Don’t look for her anymore; she’s hiding from us and can’t be found.”
Li Yougen was dissatisfied, not sure if it was directed at Xiao Kui or Xin Meng. “Tch, just wasting everyone’s time.”
Xin Meng ignored him. “We found the location of the forbidden area, but the villagers are quite protective of that place. We’ll find a chance to sneak over.”
After finishing lunch, the villagers were about to take their afternoon nap. Xin Meng and the others used the excuse of going to see the scenery in the mountains and left the village chief’s house.
The group arrived at the edge of the little forest, and this time no one stopped them. With You Yi leading the way, he stepped into the little forest first. Seeing that there was no danger, he waved to Xin Meng. Dong Xiu and Li Yougen, however, rushed past Xin Meng and entered the little forest first, leaving Xin Meng behind. You Yi stood still, waiting for him.
Inside, everything was visible; there was nothing at all, so they didn’t look around and headed straight for the large stones.
Having been far away before, Xin Meng hadn’t seen clearly. But as they got closer, he made a chilling discovery…
The six stones, resembling tombstones, were engraved with the names of the five of them!
