Xuanxia

Chapter 359 Silly Woman

Huailin Village, as its name suggests, is surrounded by locust trees, and there are also several large locust trees in the village.

When Wu Yan arrived, there were not many people in the village.

In late autumn, most villagers went to work in the surrounding fields. Only some children, old people and village women stayed in the village. They stayed in the village to cook lunch and then delivered it to the villagers in the fields.

Wu Yan hid the rapier in an inconspicuous wooden stick. He supported himself with the stick, disguised himself as a passerby, and slowly walked into the village.

Considering his face which is so ordinary that it couldn't be more ordinary, no one would regard him as the assassin from Xiyu Pavilion who has killed countless people.

Disguise is a required course for a killer, but in the past, when he was on a mission, he mostly didn't need to "act"... But that doesn't mean he is not good at it.

He naturally ruffled his hair, brushed off some dust on his face and body, and rubbed the soles of his shoes against the side of the road, perfectly presenting the image of a traveler who had come a long way on foot.

Of course, he couldn't just find a villager to ask about the "dead person". It would be too obvious and too ostentatious. If the "dead person" was really still alive, it would alert the enemy.

But there is still a way... According to what your Excellency said, this person died not long ago. If he was a villager, he would probably have relatives and friends in the village. When someone dies in a family, they always hang some white paper or something. Even if they don't, there will definitely be some signs.

For example, there were scattered paper money, traces of coffins, etc.

Wu Yan has seen countless dead people over the years, so he naturally knows it very well.

So he began to stop and observe at every door. If someone noticed him and asked him questions, he would claim to be a passerby and ask for a bowl of water.

"Hey, young man, your face is covered with dust, do you want to wipe it off?"

An old lady asked kindly, "Is a bowl of water enough? I have porridge at home, would you like a bowl?"

Soon, Wu Yan met a more enthusiastic family.

But he had observed at the door and it was obvious that no one in this house had died. He did not want to stay any longer. After taking the water handed to him by the old woman and drinking it all, he bowed and turned to leave.

"Oh, don't go there."

When the old woman saw him turn around and walk in that direction, she smiled and said, "That road doesn't lead to the official road, it leads to the locust tree forest in the back mountain. There are no roads there."

Wu Yan was somewhat helpless, turned around and forced a smile and said: "Nothing, I'm just here to enjoy the scenery, take a look around, I'm not in a hurry to travel."

"Then don't go."

The old woman advised, "That's where the dead are buried in our village. It's very gloomy and unlucky."

Burying the dead?

Wu Yan glanced towards the end of the road - the path was long and narrow, with only a few scattered houses, and some large and small graves could be vaguely seen in the mountains and forests in the distance.

That's where he's going.

But now that this enthusiastic old lady is here, if I insist on going over, it will obviously attract unnecessary attention.

"I see." Wu Yan showed a look of realization: "But how many families are there?"

The old woman glanced at the small houses and her expression turned a little disgusted: "They are all unlucky families. Young man, don't go there. If you want to travel, go east. It's closer to the capital and the scenery is more beautiful there."

Wu Yan responded and thanked her. He planned to walk east as he was told, get rid of the old woman, and take a long detour to visit the cemetery behind the village.

But just as he finished his words of thanks, loud crying suddenly came from an "unlucky" family's home not far away.

"Brother, where are you... wuwuah..."

"Sister misses you, sister can't find you, wuaaaaah... sister is hungry, sister is hungry..."

Hearing the crying, the old woman's face changed slightly.

"Oh, what a sin!"

She shook her head and looked at Wu Yan helplessly: "Young man, let's go quickly. There is nothing interesting to see in our village."

After saying that, her enthusiasm disappeared without a trace, and she turned around and went back into her own cottage.

Wu Yan frowned slightly and turned his head to look in the direction where the crying sound came from.

Why did the old lady, who was so kind and enthusiastic just now, change her expression when she heard the crying?
The crying continued. It was obvious that the person crying was a woman. She cried so sadly and painfully that she even pounded on the doors and windows, making a "dong dong dong" sound.

In addition to crying and making noises, she kept...

Shouting for hunger.

"Brother, I haven't eaten anything. I'm so hungry..."

"Brother, where are you? I'm so hungry. I want to eat. I want to eat..."

Wu Yan's expression also changed.

There are some memories that he does not intend to forget deliberately, but he has never actively chewed them over again. After all, they are not good memories.

But it's all too similar.

The closed little room, the people locked inside, the plea from hunger...

Unconsciously, he turned around uncontrollably and walked towards the hut step by step. "Hey, young man!"

At this moment, the old woman's voice came from behind again.

Wu Yan turned his head stiffly.

"Don't go over there!" The old woman leaned her head out of the window of her little house and warned, "That's the silly woman someone bought not long ago. They locked her in the house for fear that she would run away! When her husband comes back soon, he will beat her up! Don't get yourself into trouble!"

Wu Yan nodded at her, but ignored her and continued walking forward.

The old woman shook her head, thinking he was just an nosy man, and closed the window with a snap.

Wu Yan naturally would not have any sympathy, but for some reason, he really wanted to go over and take a look.

This kind of "thinking" was not even a thought that came from his brain, but a natural reaction of his body.

He didn't know how pitiful a silly woman who was bought and locked in a house was, but he knew that it was very uncomfortable to have nothing to eat when hungry.

He walked slowly towards the hut. The sounds of crying and banging on doors and windows were getting closer and closer.

"Wow, wow, I'm hungry. I want to eat..."

"Dad? Dad, where are you? Mom, how are we going to get out? I'm hungry. I'm so hungry. I want to eat..."

At that moment, in Wu Yan's eyes, the person in the room was no longer a silly woman, but his younger self.

If I opened that door and fed myself at that time, would I no longer be hungry?

Before he knew it, Wu Yan was standing at the door of the hut.

He had all five senses and could "see" the situation of the woman in the room through a door without using his eyes.

She was very thin, small and weak, with blocked meridians throughout her body and extremely deficient qi and blood. She could not even stand steadily and could only half lean against the door, pounding her body non-stop.

She cried until she was hoarse, and after hammering for a while she had no more strength left, and could only scratch the door in vain with her fingernails.

The door was not strong, and the iron lock on it had long been rusted. Wu Yan knew very well that he didn't even need to draw his sword, he just needed to stretch out his hand and the lock would fall off.

But even with such a door and such a lock, the people inside could not open it no matter what.

So he slowly stretched out his hand.

"Hey! Who are you?"

At this moment, a loud shout came from behind him!
Wu Yan shuddered all over.

Being touched from behind by someone silently... this is almost impossible for him!

He turned his head suddenly and gathered some strength with his hand on the wooden stick.

But after seeing who was coming, he finally suppressed the urge to attack.

This is a man, a very ordinary man.

He was dark and thin, with mud all over his trouser legs. He was holding a sickle in his hand and looking at himself vigilantly.

In just a moment, Wu Yan made a judgment.

This is the owner of the cottage and the husband of the silly woman in the cottage. He had just returned from working in the fields.

Now that he is back, the people in the house will no longer be hungry.

In just a moment, reason and calmness returned to his mind, and he replied softly: "Just passing by."

"..."

The man looked at him with suspicion and vigilance, and tightened the sickle in his hand: "It's none of your business, get out!"

Wu Yan didn't get angry. He nodded calmly, turned around and left.

Not long after he walked out, he heard shouting, cursing, kicking, and beating behind him... as well as silly laughter.

"Stupid woman, I'm just going to leave for a while and you keep crying. I'm not dead yet!"

That was the man's curse: "Fuck it, I thought I'd buy a fool to make some money, but he turned out to be a glutton! All he does all day is eat! Damn it! Get out of here! You're embarrassing!"

Wu Yan tilted his head slightly and saw that the man opened the door and started scolding and kicking the woman who was slumped on the ground. He beat her very hard, but the woman had a silly smile on her face and even reached out to hug the man's legs.

"Brother is back, brother is back!"

"Sister is not hungry anymore. Sister has food to eat. Hehehe, I love my brother the most!"

Those punches and kicks landed on her, but she didn't feel any pain at all. Instead, she smiled happily.

Her hair was disheveled and she was skinny, but perhaps because she was locked up in the house all year round with no sunlight, her complexion was as white as a lotus flower. Her face was full of stupidity, like a child of two or three years old, but her eyes were as bright as two stars.

Wu Yan didn't look again. He turned around and hid in the shadow of a big tree next to him. Like a shadow, he floated towards the locust tree cemetery in the back mountain.

(End of this chapter)