Zhou Dafu instinctively wanted to deny it, but when he met Zhao Xun's gaze, the wound in his shoulder suddenly seemed to hurt even more.
He chose to tell the truth. "Th-that's a rule our village inherited from our ancestors. We put a water jar by the door and fill it every day. If the jar gets smashed, disaster will strike."
"What kind of disaster?" Zhao Xun pressed.
"I... I don't know either," Zhou Dafu hurriedly looked at his father, pleading for help with his eyes. "I only know that's the rule. No one has ever dared break it."
For his son's safety, Grandpa Zhou immediately spoke up. "This rule was passed down by our ancestors. No one has ever broken it. We really don't know what happens if you do!"
Zhao Xun looked straight into Grandpa Zhou's eyes and activated Hypnosis. "Really?"
After a brief second of blankness, Grandpa Zhou changed his answer. "No. This habit only started twenty-odd years ago. It wasn't a rule passed down by our ancestors."
Zhou Dafu's and Zhou Dagui's expressions changed in unison.
They looked at Grandpa Zhou. Neither spoke, but their eyes conveyed the same thought-Why did Dad tell him the truth?
Though puzzled, they dared not stop him, afraid that any move they made might upset Zhao Xun and earn them another stabbing.
After all, Zhao Xun really would do it.
Zhao Xun wasn't angered by the three men's earlier concealment. He continued asking, "What happened twenty-odd years ago that made you develop this habit?"
Grandpa Zhou seemed to sink into some memory. He fell silent for several seconds before slowly speaking. "One day, twenty-odd years ago, all the young women in the village suddenly ran away together."
At those words, both Zhou Dafu and Zhou Dagui looked unsettled.
They were