Chapter 28: The Village of No Return

Hearing those words, Li Xiao looked over as well. He actually had the same feeling.

“What feels strange?” Yan Qiao asked him calmly.

Yan Hao frowned and thought for a moment. “Hmm, I can’t really put it into words. But when we came in just now, it felt really quiet. Like… there’s no sign of life.”

He wasn’t even sure if what he was saying was accurate.

If the whole town had this kind of eerie vibe, it was hard to imagine what the village would be like.

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

“I feel the same. There’s no vitality here,” Li Xiao agreed.

“You’re not wrong. This town is shrouded in a layer of yin energy, though it’s not too dense,” Yan Qiao explained to them.

They were all ordinary people, unable to see things like dark energy, yin energy, or killing aura with the naked eye.

After hearing Yan Qiao say this, everyone’s expressions changed slightly.

“Big brother, was it like this the last time you came here?” Yan Hao turned to Yan Jue and asked curiously.

Yan Jue shook his head. “The last time we came, the schedule was packed. There wasn’t really any time to notice things like that.”

Now he couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful, blaming himself for not paying more attention back then.

Shen Zhiyin was still sleeping in his arms. She had slept the entire journey, and now that they’d stopped for a meal, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone in the car.

“It’s alright. Since we’ve come this far, we will definitely resolve the issue,” Yan Qiao said with great certainty.

Upon hearing this, the others felt somewhat reassured.

Forty minutes later, the restaurant owner had prepared two tables’ worth of dishes and started bringing them out.

“Young Master Yan, honored guests, all the dishes are ready. Enjoy your meal! Just give me a shout when you’re done,” the owner said with a smile.

Mu Yunzhe smiled and replied, “Boss, why don’t you sit and eat with us? You’ve worked hard.”

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed one to the owner.

Yan Jue also chimed in, “Yeah, come have a seat.”

The owner looked at the cigarette Mu Yunzhe handed him. He recognized the brand. Although he sold cigarettes at his place, he didn’t dare stock this kind—too expensive. In this small town, no one could afford it.

He had never even smoked one himself.

After hesitating for a moment, he sat down.

These were not people he could afford to offend.

And with that table full of bodyguards—talk about pressure.

The others had already started eating. It was already late, and their last meal had been lunch.

After a few bites to fill their stomachs, Yan Qiao looked toward the owner and asked, “Boss, do you know about Mengjiang Village?”

Everyone at the table fixed their gaze on him.

Especially Li Xiao—his eyes were sharp, as if he could see through any lie.

And as soon as the boss heard the words “Mengjiang Village,” his face turned deathly pale. The fear and dread in his eyes and expression were clear for anyone to see.

Sure enough, just as Mu Yunzhe had said before.

But seeing it firsthand gave a different feeling.

The owner quickly waved his hands. “I don’t know. I don’t know. Don’t ask me about it. That’s my advice to you.”

As he spoke, he tried to stand up and walk away.

But Mu Yunzhe quickly pulled him back down. “Boss, don’t be afraid. We have very important business in Mengjiang Village. That’s why we’re asking around! Whatever you know, tell us—we’ll pay you.”

“You still want to go there? Are you tired of living?!”

“I don’t want your money. I’m afraid I won’t live long enough to spend it.”

The boss really wanted to run, but unfortunately, Mu Yunzhe and Yan Jue were holding him down on either side.

“Twenty thousand,” Li Xiao stated coldly.

The boss clearly wavered.

Then Yan Jue tried an emotional appeal: “Boss Jiang, just tell us. My sister is a very skilled person—she specializes in handling these kinds of situations. We truly have an important matter to deal with there. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have driven all day just to get here.”

“If you know anything, please share it. Even the smallest clue could be vital to us!”

The hesitation on the boss’s face grew even more obvious.

Then Yan Qiao’s cool, clear voice rang out: “Did you have a relative who died because of that village?”

Though it was phrased as a question, her tone left no room for doubt. Everyone could hear the certainty in her words.

The boss looked at Yan Qiao in astonishment, as if he couldn’t believe she knew that.

“She’s my sister,” Yan Jue took the opportunity to introduce her.

Yan Qiao continued, “Hasn’t this town been foggy for the past few days? You’ve had barely any customers, people look listless, and it feels cold and eerie all the time, right?”

Boss Jiang was shocked again. “How do you know…”

Everything she said was true.

“Fifty thousand,” Li Xiao raised the offer.

That was the final straw for Boss Jiang—his last line of defense was completely shattered.

Who says no to money?

Fifty thousand yuan—that’s more than three months of his earnings from running the shop.

This town was notoriously poor.

Most of his customers were from out of town or fellow small business owners.

“I’ll tell you!” Boss Jiang looked like he had made a huge decision.

Yan Qiao glanced at Li Xiao, her eyes clearly saying: Rich and dumb.

Li Xiao shrugged. He didn’t care.

He knew that if they kept pushing, slowly and patiently, the boss would’ve eventually talked.

But he didn’t want to wait that long. Paying was the fastest way.

A businessman like him would never turn down money. If a small sum could save time, why not?

“You really shouldn’t go to Mengjiang Village. It’s a place of no return.”

“Mengjiang Village is a very old place—been around for two or three hundred years. The elders say that village produced a lot of beauties. The girls were so beautiful, they could topple kingdoms. A lot of people went there just for that. But strangely, no one who enters the village ever comes out alive.”

“My wife’s cousin went in three years ago with a few reckless people and was never found.”

“Half a year later, their corpses were thrown out at the village entrance. The way they died… it was like those scenes in TV dramas, like their essence had been sucked out by demons. It was horrifying!”

“Later, some people didn’t believe it and hired a Taoist priest to go in. The result was the same—he vanished without a trace.”

“Just six months ago, a nearby wasteland near the village entrance was dug up, and tons of human bones were found…”

“And I’ve heard that Mengjiang Village is now completely deserted. People go in, but no one ever comes out.”

As Boss Jiang continued, he grew more and more afraid. His face turned increasingly pale.

Everyone at the table looked at each other, and their expressions became more serious.

Yan Qiao nodded. It really did seem strange and ominous.

“That’s all I know. Don’t ask me anything else,” the boss said, then let out a long breath.

Li Xiao glanced at Assistant Ling and gave him a look. The assistant understood.

He stood up, walked over to the bodyguards, retrieved five stacks of hundred-yuan bills from a safe, and placed them in front of Boss Jiang.

The boss’s expression eased a little.

Mu Yunzhe then asked, “Have you seen a few Taoist priests recently? And a couple? They look like this.”

He took out a photo of his parents and showed it to him.

Boss Jiang took one look and immediately said, “Yes, I’ve seen them!”