The Martial Artist Turned Movie Mogul
Chapter 994 - 993. Something is Wrong (Second Update)

Chapter 994: 993. Something is Wrong (Second Update)

"Yes, I heard that the wild ginseng around here is quite famous. We decided to take advantage of the holidays to come and gather some ourselves. That way, we’ll secure this year’s practical project."

"So that’s it. Our wild ginseng here is indeed well-known. If you’re lucky, you can collect quite a bit. The villagers often gather it to sell and use the money to buy necessities."

Miss Ah Cui obviously showed keen interest in their identity as medical students. "Did you find any wild ginseng?"

"We’ve been wandering around for half a day and only found two small ones. And we even got lost. Honestly, we’re not sure if this trip was worth it..."

Shang Xiaoyan, troubled, took a bag out of her backpack, revealing two thumb-thick small ginseng roots inside. Their fine roots were clearly distinguishable, indicating how careful they were when digging them out.

"Wow~~~ You really did find some! That means you’re lucky!"

Ah Cui examined the ginseng enthusiastically for a while, then took out a few pre-processed ones from her home, prompting a chorus of exclamations from the group.

"Miss Ah Cui, your processing is absolutely perfect. Did you study medicine?"

The three who followed Wen Nuan were her subordinates, chosen specifically for their medical background due to the risky nature of their task. Shang Xiaoyan’s astonishment was genuine.

It was no wonder. The processing techniques of these wild ginseng roots were impressively meticulous, even Tang Shu couldn’t help but remark on their excellence.

Ah Cui blushed, several shades redder than she had been earlier, and smiled bashfully.

"Please don’t look at me like that. I haven’t studied medicine. It’s just that our village is isolated from the outside world, so every household is familiar with common herbs. If we fall ill, we have to treat ourselves."

She looked proud. "But my Ah Da’s medical skills are excellent. Everyone in the village loves consulting her. I learned quite a lot from her when I was young."

"Ah Da is...?"

"Oh, it means grandmother."

"I see. No wonder Miss Ah Cui is more skilled than us medical students!"

They chatted for a while, a pleasant exchange between host and guests. As the sun started to set, they rapidly realized that time had flown by.

"Oh no, it’s this late already? I think we should go now, or we’ll end up spending the night in the mountains."

The group put down their cups and got up one after another. Wen Nuan checked the time on her phone. "It’s four in the afternoon. Winter days are short; it’ll be dark soon. We need to rush back to the hotel."

Ah Cui glanced out the window hesitantly. "But... getting from here to the hotel in the nearest town will take at least three hours. The mountain roads aren’t easy to navigate after dark, and there are insects and other dangers in the forest. It’ll be very risky."

"Don’t worry, don’t worry. We brought pest repellents. We stocked up before coming here."

"Even so,"

Ah Cui’s cheerful demeanor gave way to a grave expression. "It’s still dangerous. Even we villagers from Collar Village rarely go out at night. Plus, the miasma in the forest gets much thicker after dark."

This was precisely what Wen Nuan had been waiting to hear.

Wen Nuan was immediately deterred, her face showing evident discomfort. "What? The miasma gets thicker at night? Won’t that be fatal for us?"

The group hesitated, and finally Shang Xiaoyan couldn’t bear the indecision and tentatively suggested:

"Well... Miss Ah Cui, does your village have family inns or anything like that? Maybe we could stay in a guesthouse for the night?"

"We rarely get visitors here, so there’s no such thing as a guesthouse. But the village chief’s house is the largest, and he does have some spare rooms."

Ah Cui offered, "You can stay at my place for now. I’ll go talk to the village chief about it."

"Thank you for your trouble."

"Don’t mention it. Meeting all of you is a stroke of fate. This small favor is no trouble at all."

Ah Cui hopped out of the wooden house, her silver accessories bouncing lightly, adding a playful touch to her demeanor.

As her figure disappeared from sight, the group collectively turned to Wen Nuan, who quietly shook her head. "Let’s stay here tonight."

***

By the time all five were settled, two hours had already passed.

The village chief of Collar Village was not so accommodating. In fact, he was rather xenophobic, and his expression made it clear they weren’t particularly welcome. Consequently, Shang Xiaoyan reassured him repeatedly during dinner that they’d leave first thing in the morning.

When the village chief heard they planned to leave, his sullen, world-weary face finally softened slightly.

"Does the village chief have something against us?"

"No. I think there’s something odd about him."

Later that evening, after the group returned to their rooms and carefully checked all their equipment to ensure nothing was amiss, they finally sat down.

Tang Shu was stunned by Wen Nuan’s remark. "What do you mean?"

"The last time we came here, the village chief wasn’t him. It was another elderly man about the same age as him. That old man was much more agreeable—or at least appeared so, with his constant smile masking his emotions."

"This village is so strange. Two village chiefs in just a few months?"

If the previous chief was around the same age as the current one, then there shouldn’t have been a change in leadership. After all, the current chief appeared relatively youthful. Could it have been a coincidental change in administration?

Tang Shu instinctively felt this line of reasoning was unreliable and cast it aside.

Wen Nuan shook her head. "I think it’s more complicated. It’s not just the village chief; something feels off about the entire village. The village is still the same, but the villagers seem... different."

She couldn’t articulate the feeling. Her two visits had given her entirely different impressions, and the presence of two starkly contrasting village chiefs was undeniably peculiar.

Tang Shu shared her perspective. "At least to me, as someone visiting for the first time, the village seems serene. On our walk from Miss Ah Cui’s house to here, everything and everyone seemed perfectly normal."

Something suddenly dawned on her, and she paused. "Wait... there is something unusual. There are no children in the village."

"Children?"

That was it—children. The village was small, and they had passed almost every household on their way from Ah Cui’s house. Yet, they hadn’t seen a single child—not a toddler just learning to speak nor a teenager. Not one.

It was too abnormal. Even the smallest villages ought to have children, and the women and men of working age here all seemed perfectly healthy.

"Perhaps children are harder to control?"

Tang Shu speculated. "Children’s emotions tend to fluctuate quickly. Given their young age and often unpredictable temperaments, if your previous theory is correct, they likely wouldn’t want anything uncontrollable in our line of sight."