Chapter 43: Baiyan Village’s Specialty Product
After resting at the house and waiting for her grandparents to take their afternoon nap, An Yu slung her backpack over her shoulder and left with Luo Ling and Elsa.
Since she had already interviewed most of the nearby villagers on their way in, An Yu felt there was no need to ask further, and since most of the elderly villagers were napping, it was best not to disturb them.
After some thought, An Yu decided to check the fields near the mountain at the edge of the village.
“Still no reaction…”
An Yu held the compass-like Grotesquery fluctuation meter. The needle remained motionless, indicating no Grotesqueries nearby.
The entire village seemed normal, everything as it always had been, seemingly unchanged.
In fact, An Yu doubted they would find anything even if they investigated, because Liu Songyi and his team had already searched the fields and mountains—otherwise, how could Narcissus have eaten wild boar from the mountain?
Of course, normalcy was a good thing. The appearance of a Grotesquery usually meant disaster, so An Yu felt slightly relieved.
While An Yu focused on detecting Grotesqueries, Luo Ling’s attention was drawn to the seemingly fertile fields.
“Does your village… not farm anymore?”
Luo Ling looked at the fields overgrown with weeds, a thoughtful expression on her face.
“Of course we do! Baiyan Village has always been self-sufficient. I even help out during the harvest every year.”
An Yu looked up and, seeing the neglected fields, exclaimed in surprise, “Hiss… wait, something’s not right, is it?”
The uncles and aunties she knew were all hardworking and would never let the fields become so overgrown. They would be heartbroken.
“This should be Old Man Huang’s field, the one who runs the small store at the village entrance… His house is nearby, should we go ask him?”
“Mm.”
Luo Ling agreed, but she still felt like she was missing something, her brow furrowed in thought.
…
“Xiao Yu? What’s the matter at this hour…?”
Old Man Huang, woken from his nap, yawned and leaned against the counter, his eyes still half-closed.
“Uncle Huang, is there something wrong with the fields at the village entrance? Why are they all overgrown?” An Yu asked, opening the small store’s freezer and grabbing a popsicle.
Investigation was investigation, but waking someone up in the middle of their nap required a small purchase.
“Just for that? There’s nothing wrong with the fields, we’re just not planting crops anymore,” Old Man Huang waved his hand dismissively. “Nobody grows vegetables anymore. We’re all growing the specialty product now!”
“Specialty product?”
An Yu was taken aback.
“White reishi?” Luo Ling asked.
“That’s right, white reishi!” Old Man Huang’s face lit up at the mention of it.
“It’s a valuable commodity! Thanks to the blessed environment of our Baiyan Village, we can grow it here. Other villages can’t!”
“When did you start growing it?” Luo Ling asked.
“Why are you asking so many questions, little girl…?”
Old Man Huang grumbled. He was already annoyed at being woken up from his nap, and now this little girl was pestering him with questions.
“Uncle Huang, it’s for our school assignment. You’re the best, please help us~”
An Yu put on a sweet, pleading expression, which seemed to work on Old Man Huang. He waved his hand and replied,
“Two months ago.”
Two months ago…
Luo Ling’s eyes narrowed.
The Seer had disappeared two months ago, and Liu Songyi had led a team to investigate shortly after.
A specialty product they started growing two months ago… the connection…
“Can you show us where you grow this specialty product?” Luo Ling asked after a moment of thought.
“It’s for a school assignment, an assignment,” An Yu grabbed a few more popsicles, handing them to Luo Ling and Elsa. “I’ll buy more things, Uncle Huang. Can you show us?”
Although she didn’t understand why Bai was so fixated on this specialty product, as a teammate, An Yu cooperated.
“Alright, it’s not like it’s a secret.”
Old Man Huang looked at the fifty yuan An Yu handed him, his eyes darting around before pocketing the money without comment.
No change.
“Let’s go, I’ll show you little ones. The future prosperity of Baiyan Village depends on this specialty product!”
The small store was some distance from where they grew the specialty product. Old Man Huang and An Yu walked ahead, with Luo Ling pushing Elsa slightly behind.
An Yu and Old Man Huang chatted along the way, while Luo Ling noticed Elsa’s face growing paler.
“…Are you still feeling unwell?”
Luo Ling asked softly.
Elsa hesitated, then whispered in her ear,
“It’s the same as at your grandparents’ house. I don’t know if it’s nervousness or something… it feels like I can’t breathe.”
“We’re here!”
Old Man Huang’s booming voice echoed, his good mood evident. An Yu’s flattery had worked, and his earlier annoyance at being woken up had vanished.
Luo Ling looked up and found they were just in an ordinary, shady corner of the mountain, no sign of any specialty product.
Seeing Luo Ling’s confused expression, Old Man Huang scoffed.
“Of course, we grow white reishi in the cellar. Such a valuable product can’t be left out in the open for everyone to see.”
He bent down, felt around on the ground, found a latch, and pulled it open, revealing a cellar entrance.
A strange, chilly wind blew out, carrying a putrid stench.
Elsa and An Yu covered their noses, while Luo Ling walked towards the cellar entrance, her expression calm.
Suddenly, a rapid beeping came from An Yu’s backpack. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly put down her backpack, taking out the beeping Grotesquery fluctuation meter.
Old Man Huang was still bragging about the value and rarity of the specialty product, while Luo Ling had already reached the cellar entrance.
“Wait, Bai, wait! Don’t go in!”
An Yu suddenly shouted in a panicked voice.
She held up the Grotesquery fluctuation meter. The needle was pointing directly at the cellar, the beeping more frantic than ever before.
This meant that the Grotesquery they had encountered… was unprecedentedly powerful.
“Don’t go in, just take a look. If you damage my precious product, I’ll be very angry,” Old Man Huang continued chattering.
Luo Ling looked into the cellar silently, then turned to Old Man Huang, her gaze deep.
Just as An Yu rushed over, she heard Luo Ling ask Old Man Huang a strange question.
“Who are you?”
Who was who… wasn’t he Old Man Huang?
This thought flashed through An Yu’s mind, but as she inadvertently glanced into the cellar, she suddenly understood why Luo Ling had asked this question.
The midday sun shone brightly, its rays piercing through the half-open cellar door and illuminating the damp, cold interior.
—Illuminating the lifeless face of Old Man Huang, his eyes wide open in terror, lying at the bottom of the cellar.
Several delicate white reishi mushrooms bloomed cruelly amidst his horrified expression.
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