Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 537 - 298 Peach Blossom Spring_2

Even with Lu Xun's educational background, he couldn't understand what the old man was really talking about. He only knew these must be classical texts, and at that moment, he suddenly felt that his knowledge, which he was so proud of, seemed inferior in front of this elder.

"Don't bother with Grandpa. He often talks like this, probably because he's read too many books in the ancestral hall and gone crazy. You guests should hurry into the village; our village has not seen outsiders for hundreds of years," a burly middle-aged man came out and said.

Lu Xun and the others, suspicious, followed the middle-aged man into the village, leaving only the mumbling old man still muttering impossibilities.

Once inside the village, they discovered that it was very warmly arranged, with each household appearing to have an endless supply of food, and pork hanging from the beams, a scene only found in a time of prosperity.

Seeing the curious expressions on everyone's faces, the middle-aged man smiled and said, "My name is Wang Ling, and I am the current village chief of Peach Blossom Spring. Our village has been isolated from the world for many years. Without harsh taxes, we live a very affluent life. Please, sit down and rest for a while; I'll immediately have a grand feast prepared to treat you all well."

After saying this, Wang Ling left with a smile, leaving the four of them puzzled, looking at each other in the courtyard.

"Sister Qing, do you notice anything wrong?" Lu Xun asked, looking at the retreating figure of Wang Ling, his expression somewhat stern.

Lady Qing also frowned and said, "I haven't noticed anything odd, but I do feel very uneasy. There's something not quite right about this place."

"Are you guys overthinking it? I think it looks quite normal here. Look how enthusiastic the villagers are. As for that old man, didn't Wang Ling say he often rambles? You'll get used to it," Chen Xiong said.

"Look at that pork hanging from the beams," Lady Qing gently pointed to the pork hanging nearby, which must be the cured bacon of the village.

"What about it? It looks normal,"

"But on our way here, did we see any pig pens in this village? If there are no pig pens, where are these pigs being raised?"

Everyone fell silent at Lady Qing's words. They tried to recall the scenery as they entered and indeed found it as she had described. As they looked at the pork hanging from the beams, a chill swept through them, causing them to shiver involuntarily.

"But what should we do now?"

"Let's observe and see what happens. The path we took here has completely disappeared, it seems we're trapped here. If we act rashly, we might encounter danger. Let's stay here and observe what these villagers are really up to and look for an opportunity to escape," Lu Xun said calmly. As he had faced many situations before, he was no longer the naive young man just starting out. When confronting issues, he could calmly analyze them and figure out ways to his advantage.

Hearing this, everyone nodded slightly, agreeing with Lu Xun's suggestion.

So, the four of them began to walk around in the small courtyard. Lu Xun paced to a corner where several wild grasses grew lushly. He bent down, plucked a wild grass, and put it into his mouth, carefully chewing it. This had become his habit over time, always liking to chew on a wild grass while thinking, letting the slightly bitter juice flow into his mouth.

However, as he chewed on the wild grass, he sharply realized something was wrong. The familiar bitterness was missing, replaced by a musty taste that exploded in his mouth.

He quickly spit out the wild grass and discovered that the originally fresh and juicy wild grass had turned into black moldy grass.

At that moment, Lu Xun's eyes widened. He hurriedly continued searching along the wall and realized something was off. Although everything looked very natural and harmonious, there was a crucial element missing in the courtyard: life.

In a courtyard like this, not to mention other animals, there should at least be ants, but the courtyard was unusually clean, without a single ant in sight, as if it were a world utterly void of life.

Just then, Wang Ling's enthusiastic voice came from outside: "Are you getting impatient? The food is coming right up."

Wang Ling came in with a slight smile, followed by several women, each carrying some food. They placed the food on the table in the courtyard with mischievous smiles on their faces.

"These are just simple farm dishes. I hope the guests won't mind too much. Our village has been here for many years and has never ventured out, so some flavors might not suit your palate. Please forgive us."

Lu Xun looked at the food laid out on the table. Frankly, for the villagers, this food was definitely considered lavish—there was chicken, fish, and a pork knuckle steaming in the center.

However, having just heard what Lady Qing said, and considering his own discovery in the corner, Lu Xun felt nauseous. The lavish food before him seemed to change in appearance, leaving him with no appetite at all.

Yet Lady Qing didn't mind; she picked up her chopsticks and started eating. Chen Xiong and his sister Chen Li followed suit and began to eat. Only Lu Xun held his chopsticks but did not make a move.

"What's the matter, guest? Don't these dishes suit your taste?" Wang Ling asked with concern.

"No, no, it's just that I ate too much before coming here and now I don't have an appetite at all," Lu Xun hurriedly explained, waving his hands.

"Then you must eat a little, after all, it was not easy to prepare, and it would be a shame to waste it."

Lu Xun nodded slightly and said, "You're right, it wasn't easy for the villagers to prepare this, especially this braised pork knuckle, which likely required slaughtering a pig on the spot. It really is a bit extravagant."

Lu Xun gently picked up a piece of pork and said, but he did not bring it to his mouth; instead, he took advantage of speaking to toss it aside.

"You're in luck; a pig died in the village a few days ago, giving you the chance to taste this dish. Otherwise, we would have had to serve you cured meat instead."

While talking, Chen Xiong had almost devastingly devoured the food on the table. He gently patted his belly and said, "It's delicious."

Wang Ling seemed surprised at his fast eating and gave him a puzzled look before saying, "It seems I underestimated our honored guest's appetite. Let me arrange for another meal so you won't go hungry."

Lu Xun quickly intervened, "How could we impose? We also just ate, so we are not hungry at all. My brother here has always had a massive appetite; that's why he ate so much. Let's not trouble the villagers any further."

Wang Ling looked around with a weird smile and said, "That works too. You guests have traveled a long way. Please rest well. Tomorrow I will take you all on a good tour of our Peach Blossom Spring." After saying this, he bid farewell and left, not forgetting to lock the main gate behind him.

"But what did you discover? I see that you didn't eat at all," Lady Qing asked softly.

Lu Xun looked around warily, then spoke lowly about his discovery earlier. Everyone was instantly alarmed, especially Chen Xiong, who jumped to his feet with a gasp.

"What do we do?" he pointed to his mouth, as he had eaten the most at the table.

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"What else can we do but to play it by ear? Right, did you feel anything after eating that food?"

Chen Xiong thought for a moment before replying, "The taste was good, but after eating, it always felt like it wasn't enough. What usually fills me up wasn't enough today."

Lu Xun bowed his head in thought for a long time, still unable to find any useful information. He decided to rest for now and wait to see how things would unfold.