But as soon as the black coffin lid was closed, the onlookers who had been standing still immediately sprang into action, rushing forward and pulling out nails and hammers from who-knows-where. With a series of clanging sounds, they nailed the coffin lid tightly shut, confirming that it was very secure and could not be opened. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Zuo Meng, standing outside the crowd, stared in disbelief. After a long pause, she looked tremblingly at Zhong Mu and whispered, "Did they... nail the groom to the coffin? Isn't that murder?"
Zhong Mu quickly made a shushing gesture, shook her head, and signaled him to shut up.
Zuo Meng immediately fell silent, but when she looked up, she met the eyes of the visitors.
Perhaps it was because his voice was still exceptionally clear in the quiet room that those people heard it. Even though he was stating the facts, their eyes were filled with malice.
In the silence, under the dim red light, Ye Tianxuan slowly spoke, drawing everyone's attention: "Is this the end of today's match? Can we go back now?"
The guests were taken aback, then turned to look at Ye Tianxuan. The fleeting coldness on their faces vanished completely, replaced by a warm and friendly demeanor. "We'll need your help for the next few days. It's not good to come all this way and go back without even having a meal. Let's go eat first."
"Yes, yes, we can go back to the place we arranged to rest later. Let's go have some food first."
"After you finish eating, you can also take a stroll around our village and get to know the environment."
The villagers were now incredibly warm and friendly, radiating kindness towards them. The eerie silence that had filled the village earlier was gone; everyone was peaceful and smiling, which was quite unsettling.
"A meal? Sure, we should go for a feast." Ye Tianxuan accepted without batting an eye. "After we finish eating, we can take a stroll around the village."
His reason for accepting the offer was simply to maintain a good relationship with the villagers so he could visit the village later in the evening and gather more information.
Zhong Mu immediately agreed and prepared to go for a stroll in the village. He already had his own places to go and couldn't stay here with the villagers forever.
Yin Xiu wasn't interested in the villagers. He simply picked up Ya Ya, grabbed Li Mo, and headed out the door. On the way, Li Mo couldn't help but mutter to Yin Xiu, "Boyfriend, is this how human marriage is? I've memorized it!"
"...Don't remember, that's not how it is."
"Isn't this how human weddings are? But they all went into the coffin together! It's a joint burial!"
"..." Yin Xiu fell silent. He wanted to explain something, but for a moment he didn't know where to begin. He felt that he would have to take Li Mo to study normal human weddings properly, otherwise the little monster might go further and further astray.
Yin Xiu went out with a thoughtful expression. There were two sinister people beside him, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay. The other villagers did not dare to approach him at all and could only stare at Zuo Meng.
Sweating profusely, Zuo Meng hurriedly caught up with the person in front of her.
Before leaving, he looked back several times at the large coffin placed in the inner hall. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that there were faint, rustling sounds coming from the tightly closed coffin. However, these sounds were drowned out by the lively conversation of the villagers.
Zuo Meng, trembling, hugged his arms and hurriedly left the courtyard. All the way, the villagers' eyes were fixed on him, lingering on him and making him feel a chill down his spine.
After leaving the courtyard, Ye Tianxuan and Yin Xiu strolled leisurely towards the table in the center of the village to have their meal, but Zhong Mu didn't go; instead, he turned a corner and headed elsewhere.
After pausing for a moment, Zuo Meng glanced at the backs of the big shots, then turned around and quickly caught up with Zhong Mu. "Where are you going? Aren't you planning to go with Boss Ye and the others?"
Zhong Mu turned around with her notebook in her pocket. "No, I plan to go and explore the village by myself. Boss Ye has already cleared the level. He's here to have fun, so he won't actively collect information. I still have to gather information myself."
As he spoke, he looked at Zuo Meng with great satisfaction, "I thought you would be too scared to go with Boss Ye, but I didn't expect you to be willing to come and help me gather information. As expected of a player who has entered the Bliss City instance, you are much braver than I imagined!"
Zuo Meng gave a resentful twitch of her lips, not daring to admit that she had only come to ask.
"I was worried something might happen to you alone, so I came to check on you... I should at least... I should at least take care of the newcomer." Zuo Meng tried her best to be stubborn, but her eyes couldn't help but dart around. "I always feel like those villagers are watching me. I don't know if it's just my imagination."
"Exactly," Zhong Mu answered decisively. "They're watching you because you just touched on their secret."
Zhong Mu smiled and turned his head slightly to look at Zuo Meng, his tone even a little proud, "This is the benefit of reading the guide. Before I came in, I knew I had to be careful what I said in this village. No matter how strange the scene or how strange their behavior is, you must never say it out loud. You have to pretend it didn't happen."
"As long as you don't talk about the evil deeds they've done, you can maintain a semblance of harmony in this village. But once you do, it's like touching on their secrets, and they'll see you as an enemy and want to silence you."
Zuo Meng's face turned pale, and the villagers' gazes felt like thorns.
"Then...what should I do...will I be ambushed if I act alone?"
His chaotic mind was already thinking about how to kill the monsters; going to Paradise City again was better than being assassinated in this village.
A calm voice drifted from the side.
"It's alright. The place I'm going to next is a safe zone. Taking you there will be safer than staying in the village, so don't worry."
He muttered as he opened his small notebook and looked around at the terrain. "I remember the general layout of the village; it should be around here."
Zuo Meng looked up at Zhong Mu's reliable back, her face full of emotion, "So you've already thought of a way out for me? I didn't expect you, a newcomer, to be so dependable!"
He was still at a loss, having just realized he was in deep danger, when Zhong Mu said he could take him to a safe place. A sense of relief immediately welled up inside him. It was hard to imagine that the person next to him was the newbie that the players in town often talked about!
Zuo Meng wiped her face, touched, and forced a smile. "Where are you taking me? I'm troubling you by bringing me along. It might get you into danger too. Isn't that too much trouble?"
"Not at all." Zhong Mu smiled leisurely, stopping at the entrance of a secluded dirt road in the village, gazing intently at the wooden house deep inside, "I came here voluntarily."
Zuo Meng was just wondering why Zhong Mu was taking such good care of him when she peeked out and noticed a wooden sign by the roadside that read: "Go straight ahead for 50 meters, clinic."
As soon as the last two words came out, Zuo Meng instantly understood.
Zhong Mu was very honest; he really came voluntarily, and he was just someone who came along by chance.