Along the way, Fang Ming subtly questioned the old man about many things, including the monsters that appeared at night, but the answers he received only deepened his confusion.
According to the old man, their village was very peaceful, almost a secluded paradise. They lived by the rhythm of the sun, with nothing out of the ordinary ever happening.
Fang Ming didn't know how much truth there was in the old man's words, but from his demeanor, he could tell one thing—the man genuinely seemed unaware of the villagers turning into monsters.
"We're here," the old man stopped at the doorstep of an ordinary villager's house and knocked.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
"Coming, coming," an old woman in a red jacket opened the door, appearing before Fang Ming. She was the first woman he had seen since arriving at Baimu Village.
"Oh, this must be Er Zhu's wife, right? She's so pretty!" the old woman praised, chuckling as she approached Fang Ming and took her hand.
Fang Ming instinctively wanted to pull away, but then remembered that doing so would shatter the "obedient" image he had cultivated. He reluctantly allowed the old woman to lead him.
"Hello, Auntie," Fang Ming greeted "sweetly."
"Mmm, good, good. Er Zhu is fortunate this time," the old woman grew more pleased with Fang Ming the more she looked at her and was about to pull her inside.
"You go back, I'll handle the rest," the old woman dismissed the old man. He hesitated.
Seeing this, the old woman scoffed, "What's the matter? Are you afraid this delicate young girl will run away?"
The old man thought about it and agreed. Once someone entered Baimu Village, there was no leaving. Even if they let this girl run around, she wouldn't be able to escape Baimu Village's territory.
"Then I'll be going. I'll come pick her up at noon to take her to see Er Zhu," the old man said. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it skillfully, and turned to leave.
As the old man departed, the old woman quickly closed the door and turned to Fang Ming, saying sternly, "Girl, I don't know how you got into this cursed place, but from now on, you'd best abandon any thoughts of escape."
"I wasn't thinking of escaping," Fang Ming replied calmly, wondering if the woman was trying to trick him into revealing his true thoughts.
"It's best if you weren't..." the old woman said with a wry smile, shaking her head. "Come with me, I'll take you to bathe first."
The old woman led Fang Ming to a separate small room where a wooden tub, half a person's height, was filled with hot water.
"You bathe first, I'll go prepare clothes for you," the old woman said, leaving Fang Ming alone in the room before turning to leave.
Soaking in the tub, Fang Ming recalled his journey. The old man had said the villagers lived by the sun, but he hadn't seen anyone on the road. And this old woman was even stranger, seemingly protective of him?
Honestly, if he set aside the matters of being illegally detained and forced into marriage, the people in this village didn't seem all that bad?
Half an hour later.
"Knock, knock." The door was knocked, and the old woman's voice called out, "I've brought your clothes. Wash up and I'll bring them in for you."
"I'm done washing," Fang Ming's voice came from inside.
The old woman cautiously pushed the door open and entered. "I've put the clothes on the stool. Get dressed and come out, and I'll doll you up."
"Got it."
A few minutes later, the old woman brought Fang Ming to another room and sat him before an exquisite vanity mirror to begin her work.
It was Fang Ming's first time seeing the appearance of this body. Its skin was fair, its features delicate, and its overall look leaned towards the image of a soft, sweet girl.
"You'll be meeting your husband at the evening banquet. You must behave well and absolutely do not show any displeasure that might upset him," the old woman said as she styled Fang Ming's hair.
"Why?" Fang Ming asked instinctively, then his heart tightened, and he quickly fell silent. He couldn't gauge the woman's attitude and decided it was best to say less.
However, the old woman didn't seem to mind and continued, "You probably don't know the real rules of this village. What the village chief told you yesterday were just some taboos."
Fang Ming remained silent, but the old woman didn't stop talking. "I'm like you; I was also kidnapped and brought here. I've been here for decades, and there are things I must tell you to avoid you ending up at the bottom of the well."
"Sunk into the well?" Fang Ming noted the phrase but kept his expression unchanged.
"Outside Baimu Village is an endless expanse of white mist. Anyone who enters the mist either wakes up the next day with their memory gone, reappearing in Baimu Village, or is devoured by some beast, leaving only bones. That's why the people of Baimu Village never worry about us kidnapped women escaping."
So that's why... Fang Ming suddenly understood. No one in this village worried about him running away; the confinement was just a pretense. But... what was in the mist? Were there monsters?
"May I ask a question?" Fang Ming asked "timidly."
"Ask away."
"Why do I have to try and please my unknown husband?"
"..." The old woman was silent for a rare moment before speaking, "Girl, you must pay close attention." She emphasized "must" twice, making Fang Ming realize that what she was about to say might be life-threatening.
"This village may seem alright on the surface, but in reality, everyone here has an extremely strong preference for sons, to the point of madness."
"The true rule of this village is—if a kidnapped woman is not chosen by any single household in the village, she will be drowned in the old well!"
"And even if she is chosen, if she gives birth to two consecutive daughters, the village will deem her an ill omen and will maniacally sink both mother and daughter into the old well!"
"You... you're not joking, are you?" Fang Ming exclaimed in shock, even dropping his respectful tone.
"I have no reason to lie to you," the old woman said with a bitter smile, continuing, "Before you, many girls were kidnapped here. Some were fortunate enough to be chosen and become part of the village, while others who resisted or were not chosen were all sunk into the old well."
Fang Ming was silent for a long time. The people in this village seemed abnormal, whether it was day or night. But their daytime behavior was somewhat understandable; they were just a group of ignorant villagers poisoned by feudalism. But what was happening at night?
With this thought, Fang Ming glanced at the old woman, wanting to speak but hesitating. He wasn't sure if the old woman's intentions were genuine or false.
Sensing Fang Ming's hesitation, the old woman asked, "What do you want to ask?"
"Um..." Fang Ming hesitated for a while before finally asking, "Do you know what happens here at night?"
"At night?" A flicker of fear crossed the old woman's eyes. "At night, everyone rests normally. Nothing special happens."
This old woman definitely knows something!
Fang Ming fell silent and didn't speak further with the old woman. After Fang Ming asked about the night, the old woman seemed to be struck dumb, saying no more, and silently prepared Fang Ming's attire.
Once everything was ready, the old woman left the house without a word, her expression calm, but her hands hidden in her sleeves were trembling uncontrollably.
Looking at himself in the mirror, dressed in red, Fang Ming began to sort through the information he had gathered. The mysteries of this village were too numerous, and finding clues about his parents seemed like a task that couldn't be rushed.
"You can't escape..." a voice suddenly rang out!
"What the hell?!" Fang Ming was startled out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw that the "self" in the mirror was now facing away from him. He jumped in fright.
His body stiffened in place due to the shock, and he stared blankly at the mirror.
"Hehehe..." The person in the mirror chuckled eerily. Her head suddenly rotated 180 degrees, her eyes fixed on Fang Ming. Then, blood flowed from her eyes, and it actually spilled out of the real mirror!
"I'll be waiting for you inside..." the voice in the mirror echoed.
More and more blood flowed from the eyes of the figure in the mirror, and her entire body began to melt. The mirror surface slowly returned to normal, once again reflecting Fang Ming's own face.
"Thump, thump, thump..." Fang Ming's heart pounded. It took several minutes for his body, frozen by fear, to slowly recover. Cold sweat drenched his back.
"Wh-what... what in the world was that!" Fang Ming's throat was dry. He thought the monsters that appeared at midnight were terrifying enough, but he hadn't expected something even more terrifying to exist!
This person in the mirror wasn't just frightening in appearance; from the moment she appeared, she exuded an aura of terror, as if encountering a natural predator. His body instinctively lost control!
He would die! He would absolutely die if he encountered her in reality!
This thought suddenly occurred to Fang Ming. It sounded absurd, but Fang Ming knew it was the truth.
Calming himself, Fang Ming temporarily pushed away the unsettling thoughts. He looked at the blood that had flowed from the mirror, which had turned into a murky water stain after the figure in the mirror disappeared.
He found a piece of cotton used for makeup, dabbed a bit of the stain, and sniffed it. A rotting stench nearly made him gag on the spot.
Unlike the fishy smell of the monster's bodily fluids at night, this water stain smelled like fermented stagnant water from years past.
"Girl, it's time. You need to go!"
The old woman's voice rang out from outside the door. Fang Ming quickly dropped the cotton, straightened his clothes, and walked out.
"Oh my, this girl is indeed something!" As soon as the door opened, several burly men waiting outside saw Fang Ming's attire and their eyes lit up. They began to praise him.
The old woman smiled and said, "Of course! This girl's looks are one in a thousand, and with my styling, she's one in ten thousand."
"Hahaha, Bai Po is right," the burly men laughed.
"Girl, come with us," the leader of the burly men said.
Fang Ming nodded "timidly." The group exited the courtyard, and he noticed a small red palanquin waiting on the road. The men had him get into the sedan chair, and it swayed as it carried him off to an unknown destination.
The old woman, Bai Po, watched Fang Ming's departing back with a sigh. She returned to the room where she had been styling Fang Ming's hair and suddenly frowned, her gaze fixed on the mirror.
"You thing are still not behaving," Bai Po sneered. "You insolent creature."