Chapter 29: Strange Tales from the Mountains

"You two young ladies, how did you end up in such a remote place? Aren't your parents worried?"

Elderly people tend to be talkative. As Jiang Yao and Duan Yiren made their beds, they chatted with the old woman.

"I suppose you could say we're here for work. Grandma, are you living here all by yourself? Do you have any children?"

The old woman smiled and said, "I have a son, but he's away working."

"Yaoyao!"

Ji Yuanyuan's voice called out from outside. Jiang Yao stepped out and saw the group standing by the roadside, waving at her excitedly. "The village chief invited us to his place for a meal! You two should come too!"

"Wait a moment." Jiang Yao nodded, went back inside to tell Duan Yiren, and after exchanging a few words with the old woman, the two of them headed out.

The others had all gathered by now, and under Zhuzi's lead, they made their way to the village chief's house.

"I have to say, the village chief is quite hospitable. It feels a bit rude for so many of us to just show up for a free meal. Should we offer him some money for the food?" Wei Kai scratched his head, feeling awkward, and made the suggestion.

The village didn't look very wealthy, and with so many of them, it didn't feel right to eat and drink for free.

Ji Yuanyuan nodded in agreement. "That's a good suggestion. With so many mouths to feed, we really shouldn't take advantage of his kindness."

Having received approval from his goddess, Wei Kai grinned like a fool.

Zhuzi laughed. "You all are too polite. We rarely see outsiders here all year round. We're just happy to have the company!"

As they spoke, they arrived at the village chief's home. It was easy to see why he was the chief; his house was built with solid blue bricks and sturdy tiles.

"Oh, the young friends have arrived? Come in, please, come in!" The village chief, leaning on a cane, welcomed them into the courtyard and told his son to bring out chairs. "Sit, sit! It's brighter out here!"

Jiang Yao took her seat along with the others, habitually observing her surroundings. Apart from the chief and his wife, there was also a son. The wife and daughter-in-law were busy in the kitchen, their figures occasionally flitting past.

The chief's son poured tea for everyone into vintage-style enamel mugs. "Where are you young friends from?"

Jiang Yao cradled her mug and mentioned her hometown: "Sichuan Province."

Everyone else mentioned places that were far and wide.

"Oh, from the capital? That's a long way away!" The village chief looked at Chi Xing with a cheerful smile.

Facing the elder, Chi Xing remained polite and didn't resort to his usual sharp tongue. "Village Chief, I was wondering if there are any exciting or interesting places around here?"

At his reminder, everyone remembered the system's previous hint: to immerse themselves in their roles.

Right, what were they here for again?

The village chief pondered for a moment. "If you're looking for 'interesting,' I can't really think of anything off the top of my head. But if you want 'exciting,' that would have to be the back mountain!"

Chi Xing grew interested. "How exactly is it exciting?"

The others couldn't help but prick up their ears.

The village chief turned serious. "Our back mountain has quite a reputation. The trails are steep and the woods are dense. Sometimes, as you're walking, a fog will suddenly roll in. If you're not from the village, it's very easy to get lost. Isn't that a bit eerie?"

Duan Yiren widened her eyes and couldn't help but explain, "The fog might be due to miasma—essentially toxic gas caused by the decomposition of animals that have died in the mountains."

The guy with the yellow hair gave a thumbs up. "Professional! As expected of a... great writer!"

He had meant to say "as expected of a Chinese literature major," but under Chi Xing's cool gaze, he forced himself to change his words.

Zhao Xiaoting blinked. "So, in that case, there's nothing really strange about it, right?"

"We country folk don't know anything about gases!" The village chief shook his head and lowered his voice. "But there are plenty of wild beasts in those mountains—wolves and black bears! If you run into those, it’s a matter of life and death!"

"There are bears here?" Ji Yuanyuan was startled. "Like the big black bears in the zoo?"

"That's not strange," Xiang Yu said, looking at the layers of green mountains surrounding them. "Look at how many mountains there are here. The vegetation is lush, and it's rarely visited by people. There must be plenty of wild animals."

"Besides that, a villager once went up the mountain and stumbled into a cave. He found all sorts of strange patterns on the stone walls—they didn't look like anything a human would draw! And deeper into the cave, there were even human bones!"

Ji Yuanyuan couldn't help but hug Xiang Yu and Zhao Xiaoting, her face turning pale. "Why does it keep getting creepier?"

Duan Yiren was also visibly frightened.

The yellow-haired guy was skeptical. "Is that for real? Or just some urban legend?"

The village chief stroked his beard, looking mysterious. "True or false, you can go see for yourselves. Would an old man like me lie to you?"

As the group exchanged uncertain looks, Jiang Yao cleared her throat. "The cave the village chief mentioned—I suspect it might contain traces of an ancient tribe. The patterns on the walls could be records of their lives or even tribal script. I want to go check it out. What do you all think?"

The system had specifically reminded them to stay in character, and she didn't believe that hint was useless. As an archaeologist, she wouldn't pass up an opportunity to investigate something related to her field of study.

Ji Yuanyuan and the others immediately chimed in, "We'll go too! We came all this way; it would be a shame not to take some photos and check it off our list, right?"

Zhao Xiaoting nodded. "Exactly! We're just sitting around anyway!"

In her years of reading novels, she knew that while courting danger carried risks, it was also highly likely to trigger key information!

Duan Yiren hesitated for a moment. "Then I'll go too!"

With the girls having expressed their interest, the men couldn't back down.

"Fine, let's go! But don't come crying to us about being tired and dragging us down later!" The yellow-haired guy, still hostile toward Jiang Yao's group, said with a sneer.

Ji Yuanyuan retorted, "Tch, we'll see who gets tired first!"

The village chief looked surprised. "You're really planning to go up the mountain? Ignorance truly is fearless!"

Chi Xing said slowly, "Village Chief, we're here for an adventure, so we have to see it for ourselves. Would it be possible for you to find someone to guide us? We can pay for the trouble."

The village chief thought it over and finally agreed. "Fine, fine! If I let you go up there alone, I don't know if you'd even find your way back before dark!"

He looked at the sky. "I think it's better this way: rest for the night, and tomorrow morning I'll have someone take you up. It's a bit too late to head up now."

Since the village chief had the most experience, no one had any objections.

Chi Xing said decisively, "Alright, then we'll leave it to you!"