Yae Village

"Surprisingly quiet, not a sound at all."

"No, there is a sound."

Li Mo carried Kallen and walked through the dim cave. The walls of the cave were dark and gloomy, exuding a bone-chilling cold.

For a moment, Li Mo couldn't tell if this was the unique coldness of a Bizarre Thing, because in some caves, it did give the human body a feeling of yin energy seeping through the skin.

Thump-thump—thump-thump—

The sound of Li Mo's footsteps echoed in the cave, like an unceasing airflow, constantly beating against the surrounding walls.

It was a very normal phenomenon, yet it gave Li Mo a strange feeling.

In a large, enclosed environment, sounds created by humans would indeed echo continuously.

But such a tight echo reminded Li Mo of a possibility—

He was lying in a coffin, his fingers tapping on it, and the surrounding echoes were all the same.

Just like this...

Li Mo pondered for a moment, then took off his coat and wrapped it around Kallen.

His coat was the kind that was quite warm. Although it looked thin, the material was genuinely insulating.

It was also to prevent some extreme situations from happening, such as suddenly losing the dulling ability of temperature difference.

The temperature here didn't affect him much, but Kallen was already shivering from the cold, and her nose was about to run.

Even a Kaslana was not completely immune to the physiological feedback brought by temperature differences. The simplest example was that Kiana would catch a cold like a normal girl, only she recovered faster and had to endure more cold to catch it.

Li Mo continued to walk forward. Suddenly, the light in front of him brightened considerably. Originally, only light came out from the cracks, but now it suddenly became clear, and the sky was bright.

"The vision has improved. The end of the cave should be ahead."

Li Mo lingered in place for a while, thinking about the rules inside.

So far, the few pieces of information he had obtained seemed to be of no use.

An uninhabited, strange grave, a familiar but never-before-seen golden stream, and a beautiful and splendid cherry blossom forest in full bloom.

And Li Mo had not triggered any rules. If it were a ghost or a bizarre object, then Li Mo would have to pay a great price and effort to explore without triggering the rules, but he hadn't.

In a sense, these three were likely all bizarre phenomena.

Oh, he had also left his shadow in the golden stream, stepped on the fallen cherry blossoms, and dug up that nameless grave...

He had encountered three safe bizarre phenomena at once, and even triggered some of them in an extreme way without anything happening.

"..."

"It's terrifyingly safe outside, but nothing is without a price. Great fullness is like emptiness, great wisdom is like foolishness, and when yin flourishes, yang must decline. The danger of walking inside is probably far beyond my imagination."

Li Mo analyzed.

Although it looked safe outside, if he stayed for too long, he probably wouldn't have any chance to struggle when danger approached.

That was how bizarre phenomena worked.

The more reassuring it was, the more terrifying the backlash...

His own life, in the end, had to be firmly grasped in his own hands.

Li Mo walked out of the cave and subconsciously covered his eyes with his hand. The overly bright sunlight might make him a little uncomfortable.

But this conditioned reflex did not happen.

Li Mo looked up at the sky. The noon sun was clearly dazzling...

"..."

Before Li Mo could recover, the villagers on patrol near the village entrance discovered him.

Li Mo was not surprised by this. He would be scared if there was nothing outside the cave.

While the villagers were reporting, Li Mo began to think about his future plans and arrangements.

Looking around, the village was quite prosperous.

From the architectural style, people's clothing, and daily necessities, it was as if this was not Europe, but East Asia.

The village had fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo forests. The paths between the fields crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard everywhere. People were coming and going, farming in the fields...

"Wait, doesn't this mean?"

"But the teacher didn't teach me how to deal with this kind of phenomenon. The textbook only said that it expressed the author's pursuit of a better life and his dissatisfaction with real life, outlining this 'non-existent' world of the living with a beautiful fantasy."

Li Mo fell into deep thought, quickly recalling the contents of "The Peach Blossom Spring" in his mind.

The protagonist of the story, the fisherman, was warmly received by the whole village and left after staying for a few days.

When he left, the villagers told the fisherman that this place was not worth telling people outside about.

Although the fisherman still broke his promise and told the magistrate about the existence of the Peach Blossom Spring.

Later, the fisherman led the government soldiers to look for the Peach Blossom Spring according to the marks he had left, but they could never find it, as if it were just a dream.

"Warm hospitality... According to my understanding of human nature, a village that enjoys peace by isolating itself from the world, how could the villagers inside possibly like outsiders?"

"Then there's only one possibility for their deliberate flattery—they need the outsiders to do something, and it must be something they can't do themselves for some reason but must do, or something that requires a heavy price that they are unwilling to bear."

Li Mo analyzed calmly. In a supernatural incident, all actions have a purpose. This purpose can be deep or shallow, hidden or obvious, but it is always there.

"As for the flattery, I'll have to see the villagers' actual reactions. I'll pay more attention later."

"In addition, why did the villagers tell the fisherman that this place was not worth telling people outside about?"

"No, no, no, the point is not what they said to the fisherman, because words are pale, and betrayal is a common thing in human society..."

"So..."

Li Mo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He thought of another incredible possibility—

The villagers deliberately told the fisherman that.

The reason?

"There's too little information. I can't jump to conclusions so quickly. I'll observe the villagers' reactions first. They're almost here."

Li Mo adjusted his facial expression.

Because Li Mo in his complete state was emotionally rich, even after losing half of his emotions in his state of one death, he could still maintain the emotional thinking of a normal person.

A standard professional fake smile.

He didn't have to wait long. Li Mo saw a large group of villagers walking towards him. He estimated there were about twenty or thirty people.

At the very front was an innocent and lovely little girl.

She was dressed very simply and ran up to Li Mo excitedly. The adults behind her followed closely, their faces kind.

No hostility?

Li Mo observed repeatedly, pondering over and over again. There was indeed no hostility in these people's eyes.

An isolated village, shouldn't they be very exclusive of outsiders?

Fortunately, the villagers didn't have a welcoming ceremony, otherwise Li Mo would have turned and run.

"Big brother! Big brother! Are you also from the outside world?"

The little girl who had been running at the front of the group chirped, her voice light and clear like a wind chime.

Li Mo was slightly stunned. Also?

He looked up at the sunny weather. Li Mo felt it was necessary to find as many clues as possible during the day.

He had to ask a little. Interacting with a child was a very normal thing, right, in the eyes of humans and non-humans...

"Hello, my name is Mingyue. You just said 'also', does that mean you also came here from the outside world? But..."

Li Mo glanced at the woman beside the little girl, who was clearly her mother.

So the people in the village came from the outside world to settle here?

"Yes, little Chiyo, Mom, and Grandma all came to Yae Village from the outside world. It's very beautiful and peaceful here. Grandma said that there are always wars outside, and many people die."

Element captured.

Yae Village...

Li Mo remembered that the Yae Village in the original work was in the Far East. Although the people here were dressed and spoke in the Far East style, this was near Vienna, Europe. Was there a problem with space?

That cave... did it have a similar shuttle ability to the eerie cave? It seemed so.

Yae Village, it seemed to have a custom of sacrifice, but that wasn't important.

The Yae Village in the original work was extremely exclusive. They treated outsiders as if they owed them millions, blaming them for droughts and poor harvests, and then putting pressure on Yae Sakura of the Yae Shrine.

A combination of the Peach Blossom Spring and Yae Village...

Li Mo's lips parted slightly as he looked at the little girl in front of him, the woman beside her, and the old woman with a stooped back.

If the other party was not lying, then three generations were from the outside, and the phenomenon of time had not changed much.

Very normal aging, and their temperament seemed to be very sound. They looked like normal people no matter how you looked at them.

Their expression management and body language were far different from those of the Impostors. Of course, he couldn't rule out a well-disguised Impostor.

But from the fact that the Impostors couldn't sense this place at all, what I'm seeing now should not be Impostors.

Was it really that safe here?

A strong suspicion rose in Li Mo's heart, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he smiled politely and chatted with the girl named Chiyo.

At this time, a middle-aged man in a black yukata walked out from the crowd. The surrounding crowd, including the old people, all made way for him.

Li Mo quickly concluded that the other party was a person of high status in the village.

"Hello, I am the Yae Guji, the current Guji of the Yae Shrine. A guest from afar... it's cold outside, let's talk as we enter the village."

The other party was also very polite. Li Mo's eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded.

Yae Guji, Yae Sakura's father.

In the original work, he was a standard villain character. In reality... he seemed very polite and respectful.

This person couldn't be trusted.

Li Mo did not refuse. He carried Kallen and walked beside Yae Guji into Yae Village.

Along the way, Yae Guji only introduced the Yae Shrine and Yae Village, and did not question the origin of Li Mo, this stranger, or the identity of the sleeping white-haired girl in his arms.

The more he didn't ask, the deeper Li Mo's suspicion grew.

Politeness was necessary, but when a stranger came to the village, wasn't the first thing to do to find out their background?

Being too respectful made Li Mo feel very strange.

It was as if... he was reluctant for me to leave.

If it was really as I imagined, then Yae Village at night would be very dangerous, extremely dangerous...

"That's how it is. Yae Village is a secluded paradise. Although calling it a paradise is too exaggerated, in my opinion, everyone in the village can live a life of abundance, the young have education, and the old have support. Isn't that a paradise?"

Yae Guji smiled as he explained.

Soon, they arrived outside the Yae Shrine. The villagers dispersed one after another. After all, entertaining outsiders was the duty of the Yae Shrine.

However, little Chiyo did not leave. She looked at Li Mo and the small Kallen in his arms with curiosity.

A look of fondness appeared in her eyes.

Li Mo: "..."

Li Mo looked down at the sleeping Kallen. He could understand. Not everyone could resist the sleeping face of a Kaslana.

The opposite sex found it hard to refuse, and it had a succubus-like buff on the same sex.

"Little Chiyo, are you not going back? I have other things to talk to the guest about," Yae Guji advised politely.

Little Chiyo pointed at Kallen in Li Mo's arms and asked curiously, "Big brother, what's her name?"

Li Mo smiled. "When she wakes up, you can ask her then."

"Oh." Little Chiyo walked away in disappointment.

Li Mo followed Yae Guji into the Yae Shrine, his hand on the anomalous pistol at his waist. If anything went wrong, he could immediately kill himself and restart.

They entered a room. Yae Guji closed the door and knelt on the ground.

Li Mo was not used to kneeling. He sat cross-legged, adjusted his posture, and still held Kallen in his arms.

"How should I address you?"

"Mingyue."

Li Mo maintained his smile, his hands on the table, not exposing his vision.

But even if he did, it probably wouldn't matter. From the clothing of the people in Yae Village, they probably hadn't seen firearms before.

"Okay, guest from afar. The irrelevant people have all left. Now I will introduce you to some of the secrets of Yae Village. you need to know these. Before that, why don't you wake up the girl in your arms and let her listen as well?"

Yae Guji spread his hands, motioning for Li Mo to wake up Kallen.

Li Mo shook his head and refused. "She's too tired. Let her rest a little longer. You can tell me, and I'll relay it to her when she wakes up."

Nonsense. Who knew what kind of trouble Kallen would cause when she woke up. At least before she was awake, Li Mo had to find out the situation in the village first.

As for the secrets Yae Guji mentioned...

He could listen, but he couldn't fully believe them. He still had to verify them himself.

"Alright then."

Yae Guji did not force him, but instead began to narrate information that sounded like a fantasy: "This village is very dangerous at night. Some dirty things will appear. If you can, please do not walk around at night..."

Li Mo asked back, "Dirty things? For example?"

Yae Guji said frankly, "Some strange animals."

Animals? Not humans?

Li Mo got new information. There was no reason to lie about something that could be determined at a glance.

On the premise that he was not lying, why was Yae Village completely opposite to the primeval forest? Why were there strange animals instead of strange humans?

"I understand. I will be careful. Are there any other reminders?" Li Mo did not agree, but only stated his attitude.

The night was very dangerous, but doing nothing was just waiting to die.

If it were in other worlds, Li Mo would think that hiding in a specific room at night was safe, provided that he found this information himself, and not that someone deliberately told him.

Li Mo was still waiting, waiting for Yae Guji to ask about his and Kallen's identities and origins.

"That's all. The people from the Yae Shrine will take you to your arranged room later. After that, you can walk around the village as you please, but it's best not to try to turn back."

"Why?"

Faced with Li Mo's questioning, Yae Guji only replied with a peaceful smile, explaining nothing.

"...I understand."

Li Mo carried Kallen and walked out of the room. No answer was an answer.

Trying to return the way he came would probably trigger some rule, and triggering that rule was exactly what Yae Guji wanted.

What a headache.

Led by a shrine assistant, Li Mo came to a small wooden house not far from the shrine. It was a very traditional Far East ancient building.

After settling Kallen down, Li Mo walked out of the shrine.

Not far away, Li Mo was suddenly stunned. He turned ninety degrees to the side and pulled out his anomalous pistol, pressing it against the other's body.

"Who?!"

Li Mo subconsciously released the safety and prepared to pull the trigger, but he immediately stopped his action after seeing the other's appearance.

"Hehe! It's me, big brother. Didn't expect that, did you? I didn't leave. I've been waiting for you outside the shrine."

This little girl with black pigtails smiled brightly, so pure that it made Li Mo feel a little at ease. It had been a long time since he had seen such a smile in this oppressive atmosphere.

What's more, she was a native.

"It is indeed a bit unexpected. Little Chiyo, what are you waiting for me for?" Li Mo wanted to put away his pistol, but was stopped by little Chiyo.

"It's my grandma who wants to see you. But big brother, what is this cold black iron block in your hand?"

"A weapon," Li Mo said bluntly.

"A weapon? Emmm... I can't tell. It's not as powerful as a brick near my house~"

"Is that so? Haha... let's go, let's go see your grandma."

"Huh? Big brother, you agreed so easily?"

"Why not?" Li Mo smiled.

As one of the oldest people in the village, she must have the most experience.

Communicating with her could be compared with Yae Guji's account, and maybe he could find some clues.

And she clearly asked little Chiyo to wait outside the shrine. What did this mean?

It meant she knew very well what Yae Guji had said to him.

Perhaps the moment Yae Guji greeted him and invited him into the shrine, this old woman had already prepared the plan for what would follow.

Little Chiyo's appearance was not a coincidence.

Li Mo suddenly asked, "Little Chiyo, you said your mother and your grandma both came from the outside world, right?"

"Yes, that's right." Little Chiyo did not understand Li Mo's words.

"It's nothing. Let's go."

"Mhm!"

Li Mo let little Chiyo hold his hand and pull him towards a certain direction in the village.

After leaving the shrine, Li Mo keenly noticed a gaze from a distance.

He turned his head to look. Due to the angle, Li Mo couldn't see the other's appearance clearly, only a blurry black silhouette.

A little boy was standing on the hillside, looking at him blankly, motionless.

What made Li Mo feel strange was that the other's eyes seemed to be glowing green.

Li Mo closed his eyes and opened them again, but the green light had disappeared completely, and he could no longer see the pair of green eyes.

Li Mo pointed at the hillside hundreds of meters away and asked, "Little Chiyo, who is that person standing on the small hill?"

"Hmm? Wait a minute, let me see. There's no one in the village I don't know~"

Little Chiyo looked in the direction Li Mo was pointing and indeed saw a figure.

"It's Hu Er. Big brother can call out his name now, and he will respond loudly, like this..."

With that, little Chiyo released her grip on Li Mo's hand and cupped her hands around her mouth, preparing to shout loudly.

"Hu..."

Seeing this, the black shadow on the small hill reacted, shifting its gaze from Li Mo to little Chiyo.

And it flashed with green light again.

It wasn't a hallucination.

Li Mo's brow furrowed. He tried hard to recall this green light, as if... it were a rat peeking at humans from a cave entrance in the dark of night?

Before little Chiyo could shout out, Li Mo quickly covered her mouth.

"Mmmph—!!"

His intuition told him that he couldn't call out the other's name.

But little Chiyo's previous statement indicated that she had already called out.

Li Mo's intuition conflicted with the objective facts. Even so, Li Mo still believed his intuition.

A distance of several hundred meters was nothing to Li Mo. His vision was not something ordinary people could compare to. Even so, he couldn't see the other's appearance clearly.

This meant that this itself was a rule, not entirely a matter of angle.

"Alright, be more considerate of others. Maybe he just wants to be alone. Don't disturb him."

Li Mo released his hand. Although little Chiyo was puzzled, after thinking for a while, she found that what Li Mo said did make some sense.

In the past, when she called Hu Er, he would just call back his name and then nothing.

Maybe he really just liked to be alone. Wouldn't she be too disturbing if she shouted loudly?

The two continued to walk towards little Chiyo's house.

On the way.

Li Mo met many enthusiastic people.

"Do you want to see the sheep pen? These sheep are very well-behaved."

A shepherd returning from herding his sheep greeted Li Mo proactively, with a bright smile.

"Come, come, just killed a pig today. Eat it with confidence. The pork our family sells is the best in the village!"

A fat-headed, big-eared butcher proactively handed Li Mo a skewer of pork.

The thermometer showed no abnormality. It looked quite delicious.

But when Li Mo looked at the pigsty, he found that these pigs were clean and tidy. The food they ate seemed to be fine for humans to eat directly.

Were the resources in the village really as abundant as in the Peach Blossom Spring?

"..."

A hunter who bumped into Li Mo without a word, silently looked him up and down before quietly leaving.

In his hand, he carried a bloody monkey with only half its body left. The monkey's expression was terrified, and its body seemed to have been torn apart with great force, its face contorted in pain.

"What are you looking at, big brother? Don't you prefer to look at cute little girls like me?"

Little Chiyo's words were surprising, and they loosened Li Mo's tense nerves.

Li Mo looked down and met little Chiyo's innocent face.

"Who said that??"