"Women, indeed, love to gossip!
'Since you are all not outsiders, I have nothing to hide,' Xu Sanhu said with a smile.
'About ten years ago, there was an earthquake here. After the earthquake, all three villages suffered certain losses. So, the village chiefs of our three villages gathered to discuss post-disaster reconstruction. It was then that villagers who went up the mountain discovered a crack in Qianfo Mountain that had been opened by the earthquake. Looking down that crack, they saw a lot of gold and silver treasures. At that moment, all the villagers were covetous and rushed to grab the treasures. Because of this, the people of the three villages, who were originally as close as family, started fighting, resulting in more than ten deaths.'
Sighing again, Xu Sanhu slowly raised his head and looked into the distance, his eyes extremely deep.
'From then on, the three villages became irreconcilable, constantly fighting. They fought for ten full years, but during these ten years, we gained nothing but the continuous death of people.'
What he said made sense, but the events had already happened. Wasn't it too late to understand this principle now?
'But what does this have to do with the hanged corpse at the village entrance?'
He was not attracted by his story. Or rather, Ye Fan's memories from two lifetimes had long made him numb to such matters.
In his previous life, during times of war and chaos, people disregarded human lives for money, which was extremely common, happening countless times.
He had seen too much and had become numb.
Seeing Ye Fan's calmness, Xu Sanhu was slightly taken aback, but he quickly explained, 'There are some things I must tell you, otherwise, you won't understand.'
A look of sincerity appeared on his face.
'Originally, our three villages were in conflict, but we maintained a balance. As long as this balance existed, no major incidents would occur. But just a month ago, for some unknown reason, South Village and North Village formed an alliance and joined forces to attack our East Village. This sudden change caught us off guard, resulting in the deaths of dozens of villagers. The hanged corpse at the entrance was one of the people from South Village whom we captured and then executed, to console our East Village's fallen.'
These words stunned several people. Using living people to mourn the dead seemed very similar to ancient sacrificial systems.
'If you kill people like this, won't anyone stop you? This is a society governed by law, and killing people means paying with your life.'
Shen Tianyin said indignantly, deeply despising the cruel methods of these people.
After all, she had lived in a peaceful era, and the law had become deeply ingrained in her.
In contrast, Ye Fan found this much easier to accept.
'Do you know why South Village and North Village formed an alliance?'
He frowned. According to Xu Sanhu, they should have been irreconcilable. But what reason could have caused two villages that were originally enemies to suddenly get along harmoniously?
It should be known that it is better to resolve enmity than to create it. Once resentment is formed, it cannot be easily dispelled with just a few words.
Xu Sanhu shook his head. 'I sent people to investigate, but there were no results. Currently, the alliance between South Village and North Village is very strong, and there is no way to break it even if we wanted to. It is truly pitiful for our East Village; perhaps in a short while, there will only be two villages left on Qianfo Mountain.'
Xu Sanhu looked mournful, his eyes filled with worry.
Old Lei and Shen Tianyin beside him were already deeply engrossed in his story. Seeing his worry, they also felt uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, Ye Fan narrowed his eyes. There was something fishy about this. If Xu Sanhu didn't know the reason, Ye Fan wouldn't believe him even if he was beaten to death.
After all, there were only these three villages. If it weren't for benefits, why would the other two villages form an alliance?
But the fact that Xu Sanhu was unwilling to say made Ye Fan even more convinced that this benefit was a huge secret.
Ye Fan did not ask further. Since Xu Sanhu wanted to conceal it, he just needed to go along with it.
Soon, everyone followed Xu Sanhu to a wooden house.
'Everyone, the conditions in the village are very basic. If there is any lack of hospitality, please do not mind.'
This was Xu Sanhu's residence. As the village chief of East Village, his home was the best in the entire village.
As soon as they entered the courtyard gate, they saw a woman in the courtyard holding a cleaver and repeatedly chopping at a wooden block.
While chopping, she was muttering incessantly.
'Chop the vengeful spirit, don't let it enter the house, chop the vengeful spirit, don't let it enter the house...'
'Village Chief Xu, who is this?'
Shen Tianyin looked at the woman with fear and asked in confusion.
Xu Sanhu's face immediately showed distress, and he said awkwardly, 'To tell you the truth, this is my wife. Many years ago, due to a blow, her mental condition is not very good. Please bear with us.'
Saying that, he gave a signal to the people behind him, and those people quickly went forward and dragged the woman away.
'Everyone, please come inside.'
Entering the living room, it was quite a different scene. Although the decoration was average, the furnishings in the living room were antique.
Ming dynasty blue and white porcelain vases, Song dynasty tea sets, and even the tables and chairs were made of huanghuali wood.
This time, not only Ye Fan was shocked, but even Old Lei and Ji Nanshan were stunned.
'I didn't expect that this living room is filled with rare treasures. Any one of them could fetch a good price if taken out.'
Indeed, whether it was Ming dynasty blue and white porcelain, Song dynasty ceramics, or huanghuali furniture, they were all highly valuable in the antique market outside.
'Country folk don't understand what treasures are, they just think they look good. If you all like them, I'll give you some when you leave.'
Unexpectedly, Xu Sanhu was so generous.
'In that case, thank you very much, Village Chief Xu.'
Old Lei quickly got up, cupped his fists, and bowed.
Xu Sanhu waved his hand, gesturing for Old Lei to sit down.
With a smile, he said, 'After chatting with you all for so long, I still don't know how to address you?'
Old Lei then introduced everyone one by one.
After the introductions, Ye Fan got straight to the point: 'Village Chief Xu, on our way into the mountain, we encountered an old man who called himself Xu Laogun. I wonder if there is anyone else in your village besides your father who is called by this name?'
A person who had died five years ago could not possibly be standing in front of them alive, at least, Ye Fan did not believe it.
Xu Sanhu shook his head: 'As far as I know, there is no one else on Qianfo Mountain called by this name besides my father. Moreover, each of our three villages has a family tree, so there will never be people with the same name.'
Xu Sanhu's answer was very firm, without any hesitation.
'Could it be that we saw a ghost?'
Shen Tianyin suddenly said, leaning closer to Ye Fan, her face filled with fear.
'Don't scare yourself. Ghosts don't come out in broad daylight,'
Ye Fan said sternly, wondering what this woman was thinking all day long."