Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 619 - 405: Forbidden Area_2

Chapter 619: Chapter 405: Forbidden Area_2

Before arriving here, Cai Bing had already spoken with Feng Yi, so Feng Yi was well-prepared.

"Then please ask them to help."

The villagers used fire with great caution; they smoked the house with certain dried plants, perhaps sprinkled with some sort of liquid, which had a complex odor. It was somewhat irritating to Feng Yi’s sensitive sense of smell. There was no toxicity, but he found the smell unpleasant, so he kept his distance. Only after the villagers had finished smoking the house and open the doors to clear out the smell did Feng Yi approach.

After the villagers left, Jia and Ding began to tidy up the house.

Although the villagers had cleaned the place once, some arrangements still needed their personal touch.

"There’s no rush to get things done. We need to get this house in order first. We’re going to be staying here for a few days," said Cai Bing.

Even if Feng Yi wasn’t staying, the others would be. Cai Bing, the guide and translator, would not venture deep into the rainforest with Feng Yi. At most, he would wander around the edge, only as far as he could return to the village to rest at night.

He was acutely aware of the dangers within the tropical rainforest and had always maintained a respectful fear, never daring to challenge it.

"Hang up the mosquito net first; it’s essential. Otherwise, don’t expect to sleep well."

The environment here wasn’t friendly to outsiders. Locals had adapted, but outsiders had to make extra preparations or else suffer greatly.

"The bed boards are a bit hard; if you find them too hard, you can lay down an air mattress or just use a sleeping bag."

Cai Bing saw that they were organizing things smoothly, and with Feng Shou needing no assistance and Feng Yi having two people helping him, Cai Bing didn’t need to worry too much.

"Everyone must be tired after the journey. Take a seat and rest for a while. I’ll go prepare the food."

Of course, the food was obtained from the local villagers, and payment had been made.

Before long, a villager came over with a tray of food. The serving utensils included bowls and dishes, as well as items like coconut shells. It was all very simple and rustic. If one wasn’t accustomed to the local food, it might be hard to stomach. But if it suited one’s taste, it could also be quite delicious.

As for Feng Yi, he found it quite acceptable.

Except for the small portions, there were no other problems.

"Is this pork?" Feng Yi asked, holding up a large piece of meat.

He had smelled the scent of pigs when they had just landed.

"Cultivated?"

Cai Bing replied, "Yes, because now they’re not allowed to hunt in the forest indiscriminately. It’s strictly controlled, and there are frequent surprise inspections here. Though they receive subsidies, the villagers are quite ambitious. After the period of abnormal climate ended, someone advised them to try pig farming as a solution to the indigenous people’s issues.

"It seems they selected a particular breed that’s well-suited for cultivation here. The pigs don’t get extremely large but are still of a decent size. The meat quality of the pigs raised here is very good, even superior to pigs raised elsewhere, which is why they fetch a high price when sold. Seeing the profits, of course, they’re willing to develop pig farming."

Cai Bing pointed in the direction of the airstrip: "You can tell by that airstrip over there, planes come here from time to time to transport goods. It may look like they’re living in poor conditions, but the villagers here are not poor. It’s just that they’re not keen on leaving and are accustomed to this way of life; they don’t want too much change."

The village chief of this village seemed quite busy and only showed up after they had finished eating.

There were some matters they needed to directly discuss with the village chief.

However, it was getting late, and the village chief didn’t plan to stay long.

Feng Yi said to Feng Shou, "You ask."

Feng Shou wasn’t shy: "Okay, I’ll start."

Then Feng Yi added, "Can we observe while you ask?"

Feng Shou: "Of course, there’s nothing secretive."

Feng Yi wanted to observe the emotional responses of the locals, while Ding’s main goal was to adapt to the language system here. After all, a small village far from the city with little communication with the outside world would have its own distinctive accents and colloquialisms.

As for Cai Bing, the guide and translator, Feng Yi was not familiar with him and would not place absolute trust in him, so Ding needed to adapt quickly and understand as much as possible.

Feng Shou said, "A’bin, please inquire about the fruit trees for us."

While speaking, Feng Shou took out a small box containing seeds in a transparent bag, along with a piece of dried fruit skin, clearly prepared for easy transport and identification.

There were also several photographs.

"This is a picture of the fruit, and this one is of my friend who came here some time ago. Please ask the village chief to identify him."

When Cai Bing translated, he was deeply engaged, and his emotions were so vividly mimicked that they seemed to come alive within the babble of his animated, faithful reproduction.

Feng Yi thought: This translator guy, is your side job a voice actor?

There aren’t many outsiders here, and since Feng Shou’s friend hasn’t been gone for long, the village chief still has some recollection.

It’s just that they couldn’t reach an agreement on the matter of finding the fruit trees.

Village Chief: "We can send someone to gather some more fruits for you."

Feng Shou: "I need the seeds or branches of this type of tree. It would be even better if a few could be transplanted."

The village chief disagreed.

It was another back and forth tug of war, Cai Bing playing one side then the other.

Feng Yi watched from the side, and it roughly went like this—

Feng Shou: I want to find the fruit trees.

Village Chief: You can’t go.

Feng Shou: Then you help me dig them up. I want the whole tree!

Village Chief: I refuse!

Feng Shou: I’ll pay more!

Village Chief: This isn’t about adding money. We won’t allow you to dig up the entire fruit tree and take it away from here. This is a matter of our beliefs!

Another tug of war ensued.

Seeing it wasn’t going anywhere, Feng Shou added: More money! I won’t dig up the whole thing, but you take me there, I just take a look, snip a branch, then scram!

The village chief was silent: [Embarrassed]

Cai Bing also tried to persuade him from the side.

But the village chief still did not relent.

After a while, the village chief finally said, "We need to consider it."

Alright then, we can only talk about it tomorrow.

Once the village chief left, Cai Bing glanced around outside, then closed the door.

"There are some areas they don’t let anyone visit; even among the villagers, only a specific few are allowed access. They say going there would be sacrilege against their deities!" Cai Bing explained.

"You mean there are ’gods’ there?" Feng Shou asked.

"Gods or no gods, it’s hard to say about these things. I, for one, don’t believe in them. According to my experience, it might be that the area is too dangerous, the kind that others could lose their lives going over. In fact, it’s not just here, but many people living in the mountains do the same, passing down experiences from generation to generation about which places should not be visited. Those extremely dangerous areas are imbued with some mystical elements—stories that get passed down with a bit of embellishment and drama, becoming these forbidden zones."

Feng Yi could understand what Cai Bing was saying, as he had encountered similar situations before when he went on expeditions with a scientific survey team.

Cai Bing advised: "Since it’s such a dangerous place, we better not go. Spend some money or supplies to hire the indigenous people to go there. They are familiar with the terrain, and it’s more efficient that way."

Feng Shou agreed with Cai Bing. He valued his life more than anything and thought it indeed made sense to have the local people gather the fruit and cut the branches if the area was dangerous. It was the safest method.

Contemplating, Feng Shou said: "I wonder what that forbidden zone they mentioned is really like."

With no internet or any other form of entertainment, as the sun set, the bustle of the village also quieted down. The presence of the other animals living here would become more pronounced, their calls or other behaviors causing disturbances. In this rainforest region, it created an inexplicable psychological pressure on people.

Thinking of a news story he had seen once, Cai Bing said, "Have you ever seen that report? It’s been a few years, but someone in this tropical rainforest managed to photograph a giant snake! Rumor has it was over a hundred feet long!"

A hundred feet, which is about thirty meters?

Damn nonsense!

Feng Yi asked, "Got a photo for proof?"

Cai Bing laughed: "Yeah, but the picture is super blurry, you can see a snake swimming in the water, but with no reference object and the image isn’t clear, so you can’t really tell how big it is."

Feng Yi: "Nobody managed to take a picture afterwards?"

Cai Bing’s voice turned eerie: "Well, the camera equipment got upgraded so quickly that no one has managed to get a shot since."