Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

When he saw Lu Changsheng, he paused for a moment, and then his lips slowly twitched upwards, revealing a somewhat stiff, but undeniably smiling expression.

Good morning, Mr. Lu.

Ivan's voice was still a little hoarse, but his tone was strangely calm, even a little friendly.

This greeting stunned everyone in the courtyard.

Lu Changsheng's pupils contracted slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he nodded.

"Good morning. Mr. Ivan looks much better."

"Thanks to the village."

Ivan said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, lingering especially on Mark and Yamamoto Ichiro for a moment, "The villagers are still very kind."

His words were pointed.

Without lingering, he turned and walked straight out of the courtyard. The morning mist cast a blurry shadow over his back, and his steps seemed much more steady than yesterday.

"Where are you going?" Kevin asked, raising his voice.

"Have a meal."

Ivan didn't turn his head, his voice flat, "At three-quarters past Chen hour, on an empty stomach, you won't have the strength to deal with what's coming next."

He disappeared at the alley entrance, leaving behind a courtyard full of people with various expressions.

"Something's wrong with him." Emily, a freshly picked blade of grass dangling from her lips, squinted at the direction Ivan had disappeared in, her left shoulder slightly hunched. "His wounds are healing too fast, and his attitude has changed... like he's a completely different person."

"Let's go to the cafeteria first."

Anzhiyu's words were concise and to the point, and he took the lead.

Suppressing their doubts, the group followed. The village remained deathly silent in the early morning; they encountered no villagers along the way, only a subtle sense of being watched.

Upon arriving at the canteen, it was empty except for the thin old woman who stood silently at the entrance of the ancestral hall, watching them approach with a calm gaze. The long table was already set with "breakfast," almost identical to yesterday's.

Ivan was already seated in a corner, slowly sipping his dusty porridge, completely oblivious to the arrival of the others.

The group sat down, the atmosphere heavy. After Xiaolian bringing medicine yesterday and Ivan's unusual behavior, no one dared to completely trust the food, but hunger compelled them to start eating.

Lu Changsheng picked up the bowl of porridge and examined it carefully again. He still found nothing unusual before taking a small sip.

The taste seems worse than yesterday, with a stronger musty smell.

Lu Changsheng's gaze swept across the crowd and suddenly settled on one of the villagers.

It was the same middle-aged woman who had approached Emily yesterday, excitedly asking her if she had lost her tooth.

At this moment, she lowered her head, trying to cover her face with her loose hair, but Lu Changsheng's sharp eyes still caught a fresh, dark red scratch on her left cheek!

The wound wasn't deep, but the skin and flesh were torn off, slanting down from the cheekbone to the jaw, as if something sharp had quickly grazed it, ruining what was originally a fairly decent appearance.

The hand holding the bowl also appeared to have red burns.

Lu Changsheng glanced at Emily, who obviously noticed him as well. She smiled and took a sip of porridge, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes.

The middle-aged woman seemed to notice Emily's gaze, suddenly raised her head, glared at her with resentment, then quickly lowered her head again, covering her face with her sleeve, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Emily continued drinking her porridge as if nothing had happened. The other villagers around her continued eating in silence, their eyes still fixed on the players.

After finishing the last mouthful of porridge, Ivan put down the bowl and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

He stood up, didn't greet anyone, and walked straight towards the cafeteria entrance. As he passed the old woman, he paused slightly, turned his head, and whispered something.

The old woman's withered face smoothed out slightly, her cloudy eyes darted around, and she nodded almost imperceptibly.

Ivan's figure disappeared into the morning mist outside the door.

"...He interacted with the villagers." Kevin lowered his voice, his expression grave. "What exactly happened to him last night?"

"I'm afraid he's already integrated."

Lu Changsheng put down the bowl of porridge, which was still more than half full.

"What do you mean?" Mark couldn't help but ask. Although most of the bluish-black color on his arm had faded, he was still weak.

"The villagers are accepting him."

Lu Changsheng said in a low voice.

"Could it be assimilation?" Park Bo-soo asked. "Could it be because they accepted the kindness? Does accepting kindness gradually lead to being assimilated into the villagers?"

"Not really."

Kevin shook his head, a complex expression appearing on his cold face.

"If accepting kindness equates to assimilation, then we should react accordingly. And I always feel that Ivan's state doesn't quite resemble assimilation; it's more like..."

Kevin couldn't find an adjective to describe it.

If he were to be assimilated, he should be like the villagers. Although Ivan isn't acting with them now, it seems like he's not the same kind of person as the villagers.

"Colluding with each other!"

Cheng Caijun suddenly thought of a word.

"You know what, it really does taste like that."

Mark, who was standing to the side, smacked his lips and drank the porridge in his bowl in one gulp.

Under the villagers' intense gazes, the group didn't dare linger. They quickly finished their food and left.

As Lu Changsheng walked through the silent line of villagers, he could clearly feel dozens of eyes glued to his back.

Just as they were about to leave the small open space where the cafeteria was located and step into the shadows of the alley, a figure emerged from a corner where miscellaneous items were piled up.

He was a sturdy man, about thirty years old, with skin tanned dark and shiny. He wore a coarse cloth outfit covered in mud, and had an honest, even somewhat dull, appearance.

He appeared to be in charge of carrying firewood, with half a bundle of dry firewood on his shoulder.

He lowered his head and walked hurriedly, as if he wasn't looking where he was going, and bumped straight into Lu Changsheng.

Lu Changsheng reacted quickly, trying to dodge by turning to the side, but the man, though seemingly clumsy, managed to brush against Lu Changsheng's arm at a tricky angle.

In that instant of friction, Lu Changsheng felt the other person's rough fingers quickly stuff a hard, folded-up object into his palm.

The man seemed to realize he had bumped into someone, bowing and nodding repeatedly, muttering "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" under his breath. Then, carrying the firewood, he turned into another narrow alley without looking back, his pace almost a jog.

The whole process took only two or three seconds. To onlookers, it looked like a villager had accidentally bumped into a guest, then hurriedly apologized and left.

Lu Changsheng remained expressionless, his fingers tightening to completely grip the hard object in his palm. It felt rough, like straw paper or cheap yellow paper.

He didn't check immediately, but merely shook his head almost imperceptibly at An Zhiyu and Cheng Caijun, who were casting questioning glances at him, and continued walking out with the group without stopping.

"Brother Lu, are you alright?" Cheng Caijun leaned closer and asked in a low voice.

"fine."

The group continued moving towards the small courtyard where they were temporarily staying.

However, after taking only a few steps, An Zhiyu, who had been silently following beside her, suddenly stopped.