2917 Unexpected
"It's been over a hundred years. Regardless of how prosperous the village once was, its fortunes can dwindle over time," Qiao Mu remarked, showing little surprise.
While the village appeared dilapidated from the outside, their exploration revealed that it was filled with crumbling buildings.
They scoured the entire village from the entrance to its farthest end, but found little of interest. No suspicious bloodstains were evident, so they reluctantly returned to the village's entrance.
"This village seems to have been abandoned naturally," Chen Qi mused. "Since there's no one here, let's proceed to Red Clouds Peak."
Qiao Mu squinted her eyes and gazed up at the mist-shrouded mountain peak in the distance. She nodded instinctively.
"Who goes there?" At that moment, Lu Zheng suddenly raised his hand and released a concealed weapon.
However, a swish followed by a loud thud startled the person, causing them to tumble to the ground. Their walking stick fell with a clang.
Qiao Mu and the others focused their attention on the scene and spotted an elderly man. His yellowed eyes reflected traces of fear as he observed them intently.
"Who are you? Why have you intruded into our Blissful Village?" the old man inquired.
Upon realizing that the man had no cultivation, Lu Zheng berated himself for overreacting. He reached up to touch his nose and offered a sheepish smile. "My apologies, Elder. We didn't expect you to suddenly appear at the village entrance. We circled around earlier and didn't spot anyone, so your appearance was rather unexpected. Sorry, sorry. Please, let me help you up."
"No need to trouble yourselves, Your Excellencies." The old man leaned on his walking stick and rose unsteadily to his feet. He eyed them with suspicion and asked, "Who are you folks? What brings you to Blissful Village?"
Just as Lu Zheng was about to respond, Qiao Mu quickly interjected, "We, uh, came here to search for relatives."
"Looking for relatives?" The old man's expression turned incredulous as he scrutinized Qiao Mu from head to toe. "What's your relative's name? I know everyone in this blissful village. I won't keep secrets from you."
Qiao Mu concocted a story and replied, "He's a distant relative. I believe his surname is Hu. I've come on a family clan mission, and there's a black-level cultivation technique that I want to personally deliver to him."
Although the old man wasn't a cultivator, he was clearly aware of the rarity of black-level cultivation techniques. Upon hearing this, he quickly chimed in, "Surname Hu? He might be from the Hua family, Hu Er."
Qiao Mu paid little attention to whether it was Hu Erhua or Qian Erhua. She simply nodded and said, "Could I trouble you, Elder, to lead the way?"
This village was clearly abandoned, and she was curious about where this old man intended to take them and how he would fabricate a clueless Hu.
The old man happily nodded at her request, though a hint of doubt lingered in his eyes. "May I inquire why Fairy has suddenly come to visit and even mentioned giving Hu Erhua a cultivation technique?"
"I'm not at liberty to discuss the details of the family clan mission." Her fabricated story was already riddled with inconsistencies, making it impossible for the old man to further probe.
Qiao Mu merely gave the old man an inscrutable look, effectively leaving him bewildered.
In that moment, the old man's thoughts raced: Perhaps they hail from a prominent sect or aristocratic family. Hu Erhua might genuinely have had some incredible stroke of luck.
Trembling slightly, the old man turned around and led them toward the village's outskirts.
Chen Qi discreetly winked at Lu Zheng and bit his lip. In truth, a majority of the village's residents shared the surname Hu. He had informed Qiaoqiao of this before.
