Chapter 17 A Peaceful and Tranquil Life?

"Who is it? You are..."

Hearing the commotion, the old blind man tilted his ear, asking in a raspy voice.

Chen Mu composed himself and loudly stated their purpose, "We are officials dispatched by the yamen, specifically from the Demon Suppression Division, here to investigate a case. We would like to ask you some questions about the situation in Sangye Village!"

A look of sudden realization appeared on the old man's face. He immediately beamed, pushed the wooden door open further with his withered hands, and hurriedly ushered the two inside, "So you are officials from the city! Come in, it is cold outside! It is warm indoors! Please, come in!"

The fiery hospitality formed an eerie contrast with the deathly silence of the village.

Liu Ziming gently tugged at Chen Mu, his eyes filled with wariness, but Chen Mu only nodded slightly and stepped into the house first.

A stench of decay rushed to meet them, mixed with a faint, sickly sweet smell of blood.

The light was dim; the windows were blocked by tattered rags, with only specks of light seeping through the gaps.

The place was small, and the furniture was excessively crude.

A crooked wooden table and two dilapidated benches were piled in the corner, exuding a musty odor.

"Old sir, may I ask about this..." Chen Mu scanned the room, frowning slightly, and began to ask for information, but he almost bumped into the old man who had suddenly leaned in close.

"Two officials, don't be in such a rush. Drink some water to moisten your throats first."

The old man was trembling, holding two bowls in his hands that barely contained any water.

The rims of the bowls were chipped, and the water was unbelievably murky.

Liu Ziming took a closer look and did not dare to touch it, but Chen Mu took it, did not drink, and just placed it on the table.

"Old sir, no need to trouble yourself. Please sit; we are just asking a few random questions."

"Oh, alright, alright. Ask whatever you want, officials. This old man will tell you everything he knows."

The old man nodded with a chuckle, fumbled his way toward the bed, held onto the edge, and sat down slowly.

Chen Mu watched coldly without helping, seemingly looking for some flaw, and only asked after the other party was seated.

"Old sir, what is your surname?"

"This old man's surname is Li. Everyone in the village calls me Blind Li."

The smile on the old man's face remained undiminished. Although his eyes could not see, he spoke accurately toward the location of the two.

"Why have the two officials come here? What official business do you have?"

Before Chen Mu could ask again, the old man spoke once more.

Liu Ziming subconsciously wanted to say they were here to catch demons and investigate, but Chen Mu stopped him with a glance.

"It is just a routine inquiry, old sir. No need to be nervous."

Chen Mu probed, "I wonder if the village has been peaceful lately? Is there anything unusual?"

Blind Li laughed, his tone matter-of-fact.

"What could be unusual? Thanks to the county magistrate's blessing, our Sangye Village is peaceful every single year."

"How does that saying go? Right! No one pockets anything found on the road, and doors are left unlocked at night. Everything is fine."

Chen Mu and Liu Ziming exchanged glances, both feeling somewhat surprised.

Doors left unlocked at night?

Along the way here, every household's door locks were rusted shut!

No one pockets anything found on the road?

That was true, but only because there was not a single living person on the road!

The old man did not care whether the two responded and started rambling on his own.

"Our village has good land, good feng shui, and is full of talented people. Every household raises silkworms and reels silk. While we might not be wealthy, we do not worry about food or clothing."

"The county magistrate governs well. For so many years, there has not been a single bit of trouble in this place."

"Not to mention anything else, just look at me, two officials. My eyes are blind, yet I live quite comfortably. Life is just... cozy!"

The expression on the old man's face was genuine and natural, his voice rising at the end, even carrying a hint of intoxication.

Hearing this, Liu Ziming shrank his neck and pointed to his own eyes, indicating that it was normal for a blind man who could not go out or see things to know nothing.

Chen Mu shook his head and continued to ask, "Old sir, do you live here alone?"

Blind Li waved his hand and shook his head, hurriedly correcting him, fearing the other party would misunderstand.

"Of course not! This old man has a son and a daughter, and both are successful."

"Don't look at how they settled in the city; they are all incredibly filial! Every few days, they buy me rice and meat. The rice is high-quality fragrant rice, and the meat is freshly slaughtered pork."

The corners of Blind Li's mouth were raised, and his tone was filled with undeniable satisfaction.

"And my old woman, her skills are unbelievably good! The food she cooks is just so fragrant. Who in the village does not praise me, Blind Li, for being a blessed man!"

Liu Ziming glanced over the empty room, opened his mouth, but made no sound, and subconsciously moved closer to Chen Mu.

Chen Mu ignored him, his fingers gently brushing over the thick dust on the table.

Blind Li did not notice the two's silence at all and continued to chatter, excitedly describing the peaceful years of life in the village.

He said the village scenery was beautiful, and rich gentlemen liked to come here to set up businesses and retire.

He said the neighbors in the village were harmonious; the Zhang family's child brought him vegetables, and the Li family's daughter-in-law helped him mend clothes.

With every word he said, the two's hearts sank further.

What Blind Li said was diametrically opposed to what they had seen along the way.

Even if he could not see, what about his family? Were they also oblivious?

Leaving an old blind man alone in the village, giving him some food, and letting him fend for himself?

And where was this blind man's wife? Where was she?

Strange, too strange.

This village, this house, this person—everything from the inside out reeked of something eerie. They had to be on guard.

"Then your children... have they returned recently?"

Liu Ziming asked tentatively.

Although he was cowardly, he had always been filial to his own parents. If someone really dared to abandon their old father here to enjoy life in the city, he would have to do something about it, no matter what.

"Returned? Why wouldn't they return?"

Blind Li grinned, revealing a few sparse yellow teeth.

"They just left the day before yesterday! They said work in the city is busy and there is a lot to do, so they would not have time to see me recently. Look, they even left me enough rice and meat to last half a month."

After finishing, he got off the bed, leaned on his blind man's cane, and fumbled his way toward the rice jar in the corner, lifting the lid.

"Two officials, look! This rice is so fragrant. It was not cheap; it is all my children's devotion!"

Chen Mu looked over. There was indeed rice in the jar, but the color of the rice was an unnaturally pale white.

Every grain was shriveled, exuding a musty, stale odor, and there were even a few fat insects wriggling inside.

"There is meat, too."

The old man reached out to touch a bamboo basket hanging under the beam, lifted the blue cloth covering it, and there were indeed a few pieces of meat inside.

The meat was dark red, limp, and shapeless like a pile of rotten mud, emitting an indescribably sickly sweet, strange odor.

Liu Ziming's throat moved, and he endured his discomfort.

The old man, however, put the meat back on his own, carefully covered it with the cloth, and continued to chatter enthusiastically. But he just repeated the same few sentences over and over, without any useful information.

As the old man's raspy voice continued, the sky gradually darkened until the last glimmer of light on the horizon was swallowed by darkness, and the entire village fell into an even deeper deathly silence.

The old man's blind eyes shone with a sinister cold light in this darkness. He stood up slowly, tried to straighten his back, which clicked and popped, and enthusiastically invited the two.

"Two officials, since you have come all this way, why not finish dinner at my place before you go."

"My old woman made her specialty braised pork today! Come, try a taste of our home's cooking!"