Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation
Chapter 782 - 467: The Last Leg

Chapter 782: Chapter 467: The Last Leg

Night, in the countryside among the mountains.

Xue Yuantong’s small face was almost pressed against the window when suddenly a woman with disheveled hair burst from the darkness, rapidly enlarging in her field of vision, like a scene from a horror movie becoming reality.

Xue Yuantong stepped back in panic and turned to Jiang Ning for help.

Through the window, separated by iron bars, a face with distorted features appeared; she beat furiously against the bars, making a series of loud noises, filled with a desire to survive.

Jiang Ning flicked his fingers, silencing the commotion in the area.

He patted Xue Yuantong on the head to calm her frightened emotions, while the woman at the window continued to beat against it frantically.

Xue Yuantong’s heart was a mix of emotions: fear, confusion, and doubt.

After she managed to calm down, she asked, "Jiang Ning, is she a madwoman?"

Jiang Ning cast his Divine Sense into the room, discovering two iron chains covered with grime. He said,

"Yes, she has gone mad."

His words drifted easily through the window and into the woman’s ears, like thunderclap, and in an instant, the banging on the window ceased.

The madwoman slowly lowered her hands as if she had lost all her strength.

Xue Yuantong averted her gaze towards the distant night sky. The village was set within a large mountain, far from urban hustle, standing alone in the world, and the scenery was beautiful, but at this moment, she felt a chill prickling her skin.

Several shouts came from outside the courtyard. Jiang Ning turned and left while Xue Yuantong gave the madwoman one last look, imprinting her features in her memory.

Just at this moment, as if realizing something, the madwoman started to bang violently on the window again.

The shouts outside were growing louder, and Xue Yuantong caught up with Jiang Ning.

Outside the courtyard, two men, each holding a flashlight, drew near. The shorter one was about sixteen or seventeen years old, and the taller one was in his early thirties, about 1.8 meters tall, and stocky.

The young man shouted, "It’s too dark, don’t run around!"

Xue Yuantong gathered her emotions and crisply said, "A little friend dropped his money earlier, I ran out to give it to him."

The young man glanced toward the courtyard and said nonchalantly, "Your sister noticed you were gone and asked me to look for you. Hurry back, the meal isn’t finished yet!"

Xue Yuantong agreed and prepared to return for the meal.

The tall, stocky man walked past her and headed into the yard. Soon, several shouts echoed from inside, and the noise of someone banging against the window stopped.

To the young man, such events were common enough in their village.

Xue Yuantong asked, "Who was that banging on the window just now? It was quite frightening."

The young man replied woodenly, "The fool of my uncle’s family."

...

In the evening, accommodations were arranged. Uncle Chen, the visiting relative, was considered a distinguished guest in the village and was placed in a brick house, with Uncle Chen attending to him, while Sister Zheng and her family of three stayed together in one room.

Jiang Ning was allotted a side room. Since he and Xue Yuantong were traveling together and, to avoid trouble, were presenting themselves as brother and sister, it was appropriate for them to stay in the same room.

The floor inside was also made of gray bricks, without even the usual cement floor to speak of, let alone various high-end floorings. Compared with hotel accommodations, it was worlds apart, but at least it was clean.

Xue Yuantong hugged her knees, curling up on the bed. Her hair, usually bundled up, now unfolded and lay upon her frail shoulders.

Her eyes revealed a touch of melancholy as her thoughts drifted like clouds, seemingly lost in a daze or pondering something.

Knowing her well, Jiang Ning could intuit her mood—probably due to the encounter with the madwoman that evening.

Sometimes, Xue Yuantong was very intelligent, capable of sensing the unusual, which was within his expectations.

The night passed in a rush.

Not until the next day did the bright red sun peek over the mountain peak. The clouds parted like curtains, and the entire village was bathed in golden sunlight.

It had been too dark the night before for Xue Yuantong to see the village clearly, but now in the daylight, it looked even more dilapidated and backward than she had imagined.

Washing machines, LCD TVs—such appliances were nowhere to be seen in the village.

The courtyard was busier than the previous night, with many people gathering around Uncle Chen to reminisce.

Sister Zheng’s little boy took out his Pokémon cards, teaching the local kids how to play.

Sister Zheng chatted with Xue Yuantong.

"They’re really hospitable, preparing so much stuff," Xue Yuantong said. To welcome the relatives, the village had even slaughtered a pig, and some people had brought fresh fish from outside the village early in the morning. For the mountain villagers, these were rare treasures.

Sister Zheng chuckled, "They are hospitable indeed, but they don’t prepare all this for nothing."

She looked around and spoke in a low voice, "My grandpa told me yesterday, we should leave a good amount of money when we leave."

Xue Yuantong was surprised, "Should I contribute too?"

She had also partaken of their food.

Sister Zheng was indifferent, "It’s just one extra pair of chopsticks. What would you need to give? At lunch, eat more. It’s all countryside specialties that you don’t get to eat in the city."

Sister Zheng, having grown up in the urban area, looked curiously at the traditional stove set up in the distance, as many women bustled about, cooking and doing miscellaneous tasks, finding it quite novel.

Before 11 a.m., lunch was ready. Due to custom, Xue Yuantong still could not sit at the main table and had to join Sister Zheng at the table for women and children.

Jiang Ning sat at the main table, with a cup of white liquor in front of him. After being introduced by Uncle Chen, the people around understood that he was a traveler they had met on the road.

Then, Jiang Ning clearly sensed that the villagers’ enthusiasm waned somewhat, with much more attention directed toward honoring Uncle Chen’s family.

Dish after dish was served, chicken, duck, fish, rabbit, mutton, pork, and various mountain goods—the array was just one notch below a true feast.

Xue Yuantong didn’t just dig into her meal as usual; she noticed that all those serving the food were women from the village.

Suddenly, Xue Yuantong’s chopsticks paused. She lifted her head and saw that among those serving the food, there was a woman in her early twenties.