Along the way, Fang Ming tried to pry information out of the old man through indirect questions, including the matter of monsters appearing at night, but the answers he received only deepened his confusion.
According to the old man, their village was a peaceful place, akin to an idyllic utopia. They lived by the rhythms of the sun, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, with nothing out of the ordinary ever occurring.
Fang Ming didn't know how much of the old man's account was factual, but he could discern something from his demeanor—the man genuinely seemed unaware of the villagers transforming into monsters.
"We're here," the old man stopped in front of a common 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 female he had seen since arriving in Baimu Village.
"Oh, this must be Er Zhu's wife, right? She's so pretty!" the old woman praised, smiling warmly as she approached Fang Ming and took her hand.
Fang Ming instinctively wanted to pull away but realized that doing so would shatter the "obedient" image he had carefully cultivated. He resigned himself to letting the old woman lead him.
"Hello, Auntie," Fang Ming greeted sweetly.
"Mmm, good, good. Er Zhu is fortunate this time," the old woman said, looking at Fang Ming with increasing satisfaction. She was about to pull her inside.
"You can go back; I'll handle the rest," the old woman dismissed the old man. He hesitated.
Seeing this, the old woman scoffed, "What's wrong? Are you afraid this delicate young girl will run away?"
The old man thought about it and agreed. Once people entered Baimu Village, they never left. Even if this girl were allowed to wander freely, she wouldn't be able to escape the confines of Baimu Village.
"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 fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, lit it expertly, and turned to leave.
As the old man departed, the old woman quickly closed the door and turned to Fang Ming, her tone serious. "Young girl, I don't know how you ended up in this cursed place, but from now on, you'd best abandon any thoughts of escape."
"I haven't thought of escaping," Fang Ming replied calmly, wondering if the woman was trying to trick him into revealing his true intentions.
"It's best you haven'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 bathtub, half as tall as a person, stood filled with hot water.
"You wash first; I'll go prepare clothes for you," the old woman said, leaving Fang Ming alone in the room.
Soaking in the tub, Fang Ming reflected on his journey. The old man had said the villagers lived by the sun, yet he hadn't seen anyone on the road. And this old woman was even stranger, acting as if she were protecting him?
Truth be told, if he set aside the matters of being illegally detained and forced into marriage, the people in this village didn't seem so bad.
Half an hour later.
"Knock, knock." The door was knocked. The old woman's voice called out, "I've brought clothes for you. Wash up and I'll bring them in."
"I'm done," Fang Ming's voice came from inside.
The old woman carefully pushed the door open and entered. "I've put the clothes on the stool. Put them on and come out, and I'll get you ready."
"Understood."
A few minutes later, the old woman brought Fang Ming to another room and began to groom him in front of an ornate dressing table.
It was Fang Ming's first time seeing the appearance of this body. Her skin was fair, her features delicate, and her overall look was that of a soft, gentle girl.
"When you go to meet your husband tonight, you must behave well. Don't show any dissatisfaction that might displease him," the old woman instructed while styling Fang Ming's hair.
"Why?" Fang Ming asked instinctively, then his heart tightened. He quickly shut his mouth, unsure of the woman's true intentions and deciding it was best to speak 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 merely taboos."
Fang Ming remained silent, but the old woman didn't stop talking. "I was also abducted and brought here, just like you. I've been here for decades, so there are things I must tell you to prevent you from suffering the fate of being drowned in the well."
"Drowned in the well?" Fang Ming took note of the phrase but maintained a stoic expression.
"Beyond Baimu Village lies an endless expanse of white mist. Anyone who enters the mist either wakes up the next day in Baimu Village with their memory wiped clean, or is devoured by some beast, leaving only their bones. That's why the people of Baimu Village never worry about us abducted women escaping."
So that's why... Fang Ming suddenly understood. No one in the village worried about him escaping; the confinement was merely a pretense. But... what was in the mist? Monsters?
"Can I ask one question?" Fang Ming asked timidly.
"Ask away."
"Why do I have to try and please my unknown husband?"
"..." The old woman fell silent for an unusual moment before speaking. "Young girl, you must pay close attention." She emphasized "must" twice, making Fang Ming realize that what she was about to say might be a matter of life and death.
"This village might seem normal on the surface, but in reality, everyone here harbors an extremely strong preference for males, to the point of madness."
"The real rule of this village is: if an abducted woman is not chosen by any single household in the village, she will be drowned in the old well!"
"And even if chosen, if she gives birth to two children who are not boys, the village will deem her an ill omen and will fanatically drown both mother and daughters in the old well!"
"You... you're not joking, are you?" Fang Ming exclaimed in shock, even forgetting to use polite language.
"I have no reason to lie to you," the old woman said with a wry smile. "Before you, many young girls were abducted and brought here. Some, fortunate enough, were chosen and became part of the village. Others who resisted or were not chosen were all drowned in the old well."
Fang Ming fell silent for a while. The people of this village seemed abnormal, whether day or night. However, their daytime actions were somewhat understandable; they were merely ignorant villagers poisoned by feudalism. But what about the nighttime?
With this thought, Fang Ming glanced at the old woman, hesitating to speak further. He was unsure if her intentions were genuine or not.
The old woman sensed Fang Ming's hesitation and asked, "What do you want to ask?"
"Um..." Fang Ming hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Do you know what happens here at night?"
"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, ceasing to converse with the old woman. After Fang Ming's question about the night, the old woman seemed to lose her voice, saying no more. She simply continued to pack Fang Ming's belongings in silence.
After finishing, the old woman left the room without a word, her expression calm, though her hand trembled uncontrollably within her sleeve.
Looking at himself in the mirror, clad in a red dress, Fang Ming began to sort through the information he had gathered. The mysteries of this village were too numerous. It seemed he couldn't rush to find clues about his parents.
"You can't escape..." a voice suddenly rang out!
"Holy cow?!" Fang Ming jolted out of his thoughts. Looking up, he saw that the "self" in the mirror was now facing away from him. He jumped in fright.
His entire body stiffened in shock, and he stared blankly at the mirror.
"Hehehehe..." the figure in the mirror chuckled eerily. Its head suddenly rotated 180 degrees, its eyes fixed on Fang Ming. Then, blood began to stream from its eyes, flowing out of the real mirror!
"I'll be waiting for you inside..." the voice echoed from the mirror.
More and more blood flowed from the figure's eyes, and its body began to melt. The mirror surface slowly returned to normal, once again reflecting Fang Ming's true appearance.
"Thump, thump, thump..." Fang Ming's heart pounded. Only after several minutes did his body, frozen by fear, slowly regain its function. Cold sweat drenched his entire back.
"Wh-what... what was that thing!" Fang Ming's throat was dry. He had thought the monsters that appeared at midnight were terrifying enough, but he hadn't expected something even more dreadful to exist! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
This figure in the mirror wasn't just frightening in appearance; it exuded a terrifying aura from its very entrance, like encountering a natural predator, causing his body to instinctively lose control!
He would die! He would absolutely die if he encountered her in reality!
This thought suddenly surfaced in Fang Ming's mind. It seemed absurd, but he knew it was the truth.
He calmed himself, pushing away the disturbing thoughts for the moment. He looked at the blood flowing from the mirror, which had turned into a murky water stain after the figure in the mirror had disappeared.
He found a piece of cotton cloth used for makeup, dabbed a small amount, and sniffed it. A putrid stench almost made him pass out on the spot.
Unlike the fishy odor of the monsters' bodily fluids at night, this water stain smelled like sewage that had been fermenting for years.
"Young girl, it's time. You need to go!"
The old woman's voice called from outside the door. Fang Ming quickly dropped the cotton cloth, straightened his clothes, and stood up to walk out.
"My, my, this girl is indeed something!" As soon as the door opened, several burly men waiting outside caught sight of Fang Ming's attire and their eyes lit up. They began to praise him.
The old woman smiled and replied, "Of course. This girl's appearance is a treasure among thousands, and with my touch, she's a treasure among ten thousand."
"Hahaha, Bai Po is right," the burly men chuckled.
"Girl, come with us," the leader of the burly men said.
Fang Ming nodded timidly. The group exited the courtyard, and he saw a small red sedan chair waiting on the road. The men motioned for him to get in. It then swayed, carrying 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 prepared Fang Ming's makeup and suddenly frowned, her gaze fixed on the mirror.
"You thing are still not behaving," Bai Po sneered. "You're asking for trouble."