The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

Old Li came over with a plate of pickled radishes and placed it on the table, greeting everyone with a smile.

"Don't be shy, don't be shy. There's nothing fancy in the countryside, just fresh things we grow ourselves. Please try some."

Wang Long didn't stand on ceremony and picked up a piece of pickled radish and took a bite.

Crisp and refreshing, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour, it truly reflects the craftsmanship of ordinary farmers.

He put down his chopsticks and asked a question as if it were casual.

"Old man, is it always this quiet here? Doesn't anyone come to bother you?"

The village chief grinned, revealing a missing front tooth.

"Our Peach Blossom Spring is a remote place with difficult mountain roads, so outsiders can't easily get in. The people who live here are all peaceful and don't fight or compete. That's how they live their lives."

Wang Long nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He picked up his teacup and took another sip, his gaze sweeping over the wheat field and peach grove shrouded in twilight outside the courtyard wall.

Everything was too perfect, almost too perfect to be true.

It's like a meticulously maintained painting, with even the angle at which each petal lands perfectly.

And that's precisely the part that's most wrong.

He put down his teacup and gave the village chief a grateful smile.

"Thank you for your hospitality, sir. I'm afraid I'll be bothering you tonight."

Old Li waved his hands repeatedly.

"Don't bother me! Please settle in comfortably. Tomorrow I'll have one of the village lads take you out on an easy route."

Ye Niannu listened quietly to the sound, her fingertips lightly tapping the rim of the bowl.

Without speaking, she exchanged a glance with Wang Long that only they could understand.

Night quickly enveloped the entire Peach Blossom Spring.

The east wing of the village chief's house was clean and tidy, with a newly dried straw mattress on it, exuding the aroma of dry grass and wood.

The chirping of insects outside the window was intermittent, and the occasional bark of a dog could be heard in the distance; it sounded no different from any other ordinary mountain village.

Wang Long stood by the window, watching the moon, which had just experienced a total solar eclipse, rise again, its silvery light spilling onto the fields and rooftops, quiet and bright.

Neither of them felt sleepy.

Not knowing the details of Peach Blossom Spring, nor how to leave, they could only take it one step at a time.

The chirping of insects outside the window had stopped at some point, and even the occasional barking of dogs had vanished completely.

The entire Peach Blossom Spring seemed to have been muted in an instant, filled with a sense of oppression.

Wang Long and Ye Niannu sat side by side on the edge of the bed, neither of them speaking.

The air still carried the lingering aroma of the meal from earlier that day, but now it smelled strangely sweet and fishy.

Just then.

Bang!

A dull thud came from deep within the courtyard, like the sound of a cleaver falling heavily onto a chopping board.

Then came the second and third sounds, even and powerful, with a mechanical rhythm, like some kind of tireless repetitive action.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Wang Long's brows furrowed slightly. His voice was completely different from the warm and lively atmosphere of the daytime; it was cold and oppressive, as if it were seeping up from the depths of the earth, sending chills down one's spine.

He turned his head and glanced at Ye Niannu.

Ye Niannu was also looking at him, the laziness in her peach blossom eyes had long since faded, replaced by a calm vigilance.

She nodded silently, indicating that she had also noticed something was wrong.

This place is definitely strange!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The eerie sound of chopping meat continued, now clearer than before.

Wang Long stood up, moving very quietly without making a sound.

Ye Niannu also got up, and the two walked silently to the door.

Wang Long gently opened the door a crack.

The moonlight was still bright in the courtyard.

But the bright white moon turned into a murky dark red, as if it were covered by a layer of translucent blood film.

The golden wheat field outside the courtyard wall, which was bright and shiny during the day, was now pitch black, as if all the light had been swallowed up by something.

The sky, once filled with countless stars, has vanished without a trace, leaving only a layer of low-hanging black mist that slowly churns above the eaves, like some living thing breathing silently.

The sound was coming from the direction of the kitchen.

The kitchen door was half-open, and warm yellow light leaked out from the crack, spilling onto the bluestone floor.

Wang Long and Ye Niannu exchanged a glance, but without speaking, they simultaneously stepped across the courtyard and silently walked to the kitchen door.

The gap in the door is slightly wider than before.

Wang Long turned slightly to the side, his gaze passing through the gap to get a clear view of the kitchen.

Their pupils suddenly contracted.

Old Li stood in front of the stove, holding a heavy cleaver in his hand. The blade was rusty but exceptionally sharp.

On the cutting board was... a severed arm, its skin already bluish and its nails black.

The cut is clean, indicating it was cut off with a sharp blade in one stroke.

Several other broken pieces of meat were scattered nearby, and the cut pieces of meat were piled up to the side.

Old Li's face no longer held the warm smile he had during the day; instead, it wore a numb and focused expression.

The knife in his hand rose and fell, precise and powerful.

His wife was squatting on the other side of the stove, using an enamel basin to catch the chopped meat pieces, her movements practiced and silent.

A very faint black mist surrounded the two of them, emanating from their bodies and flowing slowly around their feet.

On a low table next to the cutting board, several human heads were neatly arranged.

There were men and women, young and old, with calm faces and closed eyes, as if they were sleeping peacefully.

One of the heads was that of the child who had been peeking out during the day.

Old Li stopped what he was doing, glanced at the severed head, and his expression remained unchanged.

He wiped the blood from his hands and whispered to his wife.

"This is enough for tomorrow. We'll put the rest in the cellar and use it when we have more guests in a few days."

"Then let's marinate it first."

My wife nodded, her voice calm.

"The guests are asleep tonight, so there shouldn't be any noise."

Wang Long and Ye Niannu felt nauseous when they remembered the pickled radish they had eaten during the day.

Are we going to eat what they're cutting right now?

The cleaver fell again.

Just then.

Old Li stopped what he was doing without warning.

He didn't turn around, but slowly turned his head at an extremely unnatural angle.

That wrinkled face still wore the same kind and gentle smile it had during the day.

A pair of cloudy eyes pierced through the crack in the door and landed precisely on the location where Wang Long and Ye Niannu were.

"Why aren't you two asleep yet?"

His voice remained gentle, like that of an elder who cares about his juniors.

"Are you hungry? If so, I'll cook you a bowl of meat soup to warm you up. We have to travel early tomorrow morning, so you can't afford not to get a good night's sleep."

The pile of bluish-green meat on the cutting board was still dripping dark red blood, and Old Li's smile, illuminated by the blood moon, was chilling.

His wife also looked up, wearing the same kind smile, her gaze falling on the two of them through the crack in the door, and softly echoed her.

"Yes, young people shouldn't stay up late."