Rose Thorns (4)

Hu Yu and Zheng Wuyou contradicted each other in every sentence, leaving the others who weren't present completely bewildered.

"Am I hallucinating? Why are these two saying different things?" Guo Mu rubbed his temples, clearly in pain.

What is going on here?

Wen Dian nodded in agreement.

Didn't they go together? Why are they talking like strangers?

"If you don't believe me, ask them! You know they're a group, they'll just say it's my fault in the end," Hu Yu snapped, sharp-tongued like a lit firecracker, spewing out a torrent of words.

Zheng Wuyou clasped her hands, understanding Hu Yu's doubt.

She hadn't grasped the crucial point at all.

Therefore, she couldn't understand why Zheng Wuyou had reached her conclusion.

Uncle Cai gently pressed down Hu Yu's hand pointing at the three people, "Alright, alright, can't we just let Big Sister explain!"

If I don't stop her now, I'm afraid she'll do something foolish.

Hu Yu retracted her hand, her nostrils flaring as if she could blow over a bull.

"Then I will explain, of course... not for you, but for my own smooth progression," Zheng Wuyou finally released her clasped hands. "I've said before that the people of Zhu Family Village cannot be trusted. Imagine all the villagers as programs with only their settings inputted; their minds only contain these few things, including the inability to tell the truth."

"So, can it be understood that we need to listen to the Zhu Family villagers in reverse? When I asked her if she was a Zhu Family member, she shook her head. But before marrying into the family, she nodded. Doesn't this create a contradiction and solidify the conclusion? How is marrying into the Zhu family not making her a Zhu Family member?"

"From this, we can deduce that every answer... becomes obvious." Zheng Wuyou offered her teacup to Hu Yu, unilaterally clinking it with hers. "Next time you refute something, remember to think it through first."

Uncle Cai nodded in agreement.

Although he hadn't fully understood what Big Sister was saying, seeing the admiring expressions of Wen Dian and Guo Mu, He knew these words were correct.

"Hu Yu, I don't mean to offend, but I feel it's necessary to remind you, you seem to fit the characteristics of those being trafficked," Zheng Wuyou said after a moment of hesitation. "Every time the middle-aged man sees you, his face lights up with joy. You need to be careful."

Setting down the teacup, a rare look of seriousness appeared on Zheng Wuyou's face.

Even though Hu Yu's personality didn't mesh with hers, They were now in the same boat. In a story like this, she couldn't stand by and watch a female companion.

Especially with such a heinous trafficking plot.

Hu Yu fell into deep thought at her words. Every time she went to Old Zhu's house, she felt something was off.

Being reminded, she realized that the middle-aged man always found opportunities to get close to her.

"Screw him! Does he think he's a toad trying to eat swan meat!" Hu Yu slammed her teacup heavily onto the table.

She cursed loudly in the direction of Old Zhu's house.

"...No wonder. Hu Yu and Uncle Cai, you two should stick with the four of us from now on." Wen Dian hadn't expected such a distant, outdated practice to actually happen to them.

Besides, there would be safety in numbers.

"You two just protect Hu Yu. Among those three, there's still a girl, so I can team up with this handsome guy." Guo Mu playfully squeezed in front of Miao Laisheng.

From what he could see, the strongest combat power here was this cold-faced handsome guy.

"...You team up with them, we don't need dead weight." Before Zheng Wuyou could speak, Miao Laisheng himself rejected Guo Mu's request.

Guo Mu, who still wanted to try his luck, saw Miao Laisheng's unapproachable demeanor again and could only return to Wen Dian's side, dejected.

Still no humanity, this guy must be a robot.

Wait...

Dead weight? Zheng Wuyou looked at him in disbelief. Who is he calling dead weight!

"We still don't know how to save Big Sister. What are we going to do when it gets dark?" Wen Dian's foot accidentally brushed against Sun Wu, who was lying on the ground with a pale face, causing him to jump up and away.

"She's like the story of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf.' She's been tested many times, and each time she was caught and brought back." Hu Yu thought of Sun Wu's last words before he left, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

"..." Zheng Wuyou also had no clue. What exactly constituted saving Big Sister?

They were trapped in Zhu Family Village. Even if Big Sister were separated from Old Zhu's family, they couldn't escape this place...

"Cough, cough... Not helping out, what are you lazy bums gathered here for!" The old man entered the main hall from the backyard, leaning on his cane. He seemed to not see Sun Wu lying on the ground and stepped on him.

Wen Dian wanted to stop the old man, but seeing him step on Sun Wu as if nothing had happened, he knew that death meant Sun Wu no longer existed in this world.

"There's a wedding tomorrow! This afternoon, we have to go to the back mountain to pay respects to the ancestors. According to custom, you are not allowed to go!" The old man coughed a few more times. "However... we're short-handed. After you get the offerings from Old Zhu's house, gather on the small path in the back mountain."

As he spoke, Wen Dian, who was closest to him, took a stone the size of an egg handed over by the old man.

Strange patterns were carved on it.

Found an opportunity!

Zheng Wuyou's eyes lit up, and she looked at Miao Laisheng, as if he had the same idea.

"Hurry up! A bunch of people dawdling... I'm ashamed for your master!"

The old man's grumbling voice continued to echo behind them as everyone rushed to Old Zhu's house.

Remembering what Zheng Wuyou had said earlier, Hu Yu chose to stand in the middle of the group this time.

He was a little afraid of encountering the middle-aged man.

As soon as they reached Old Zhu's family, they saw the middle-aged man open the door.

Behind him stood a two-wheeled handcart.

Seeing the few of them appear at the doorway, the middle-aged man's eyes showed surprise for a moment, then he gestured for them to move aside.

"It seems the village chief told you. I'll go get the offerings. You can just wait for me in the back mountain."

The middle-aged man immediately turned around and pushed the handcart, rumbling hastily past everyone towards the wooden house.

"Didn't they say we should bring the offerings? Their words don't match. What should we do?" Hu Yu subconsciously looked at Zheng Wuyou, wanting to know how she would handle it.

"Since the offerings can't be seen by people... then let's go to the back mountain." Zheng Wuyou couldn't be bothered with these twists and turns.

This was just going to the back mountain, it seemed a new storyline was about to begin.

The back mountain was behind the wooden house, on the peak halfway up the mountain.

Following a hidden, overgrown path next to the wooden house, they could reach the entrance to the back mountain by advancing about four hundred meters.

Ever since Zheng Wuyou first arrived on the first day, she had noticed the numerous densely packed graves on the back mountain.

These grave mounds were scattered one after another on the desolate mountainside, standing out abruptly in this silent land when viewed from afar.

Some grave mounds had already endured the erosion of wind and rain, appearing dilapidated;

Others were relatively newer, still retaining the lingering sorrow of the living for the departed.

These grave mounds varied in size and shape.

When night fell and moonlight shone upon the back mountain, the entire scene became even more eerie, sending shivers down one's spine.