Jiang Lian quickly retreated, but the two girls were chatting as they walked in his direction. Just as they were about to turn the corner and come face to face with him, Jiang Lian hurriedly picked up Meng Qianzi and moved to the other side of the house. This side was also connected to the courtyard wall, which he could climb over to escape.

The girls’ conversation was almost at his ear.

“Should we go check on her?”

“No need. Sister Bai said she’s difficult to handle. For ordinary people, three tall incense sticks after noon would be enough to knock them out. She’s had more than a dozen with no effect. It won’t work until nightfall. Besides, Mountain Ghosts can ‘return from seizures’—you mustn’t let her trick you.”

Jiang Lian secretly sighed in relief, thinking: Just listen to your Sister Bai.

But the two girls didn’t leave.

“Did you see the necklace she was wearing? It’s especially beautiful.”

Necklace?

Jiang Lian curiously looked down at Meng Qianzi curled in his arms. Indeed, she was wearing a necklace, and it was truly beautiful. The pendant was a delicate, flowing cloud roughly crafted in gold, with a trembling piece of clear jade hooked at the cloud’s tip. It was translucent and lustrous, clearly invaluable.

“And her bracelet, too. The bracelet is also pretty, like golden threads flashing on her wrist.”

Jiang Lian’s gaze fell to Meng Qianzi’s wrist. It wasn’t just like golden threads—they were actual gold filaments drawn into threads, probably matching the necklace. Tiny green jade tubular beads were strung at intervals along the threads, shimmering in the sunlight.

He remembered that she had been awoken in the middle of the night, gone downstairs, and then been “abducted.” Why would she wear so many accessories to sleep?

“We can’t take them, right? If she wakes up and asks for them, Sister Bai will know.”

“What about just trying them on? I’ve never worn anything so beautiful…”

Before she finished speaking, there was a click of the lock. Their hands were so fast! Jiang Lian thought, “This is bad,” but before he could react, the door was pushed open, and almost simultaneously, a girl’s voice, as piercing as an alarm, rang out: “Sister Bai!”

Jiang Lian’s assessment had been correct—the villagers seemed to be in league with each other. As soon as the shouting began, footsteps quickly converged outside the courtyard, mixed with calls:

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Is it Tian Yapo’s house?”

“Jin Zhu, what are you shouting about?”

Fortunately, the two girls were so panicked that they both ran to the door, temporarily leaving the courtyard empty. Jiang Lian picked up Meng Qianzi and quickly entered an adjacent bedroom. Most houses here were built of stone and wood with poor lighting. This bedroom seemed to belong to an old woman, with all the furnishings old and dark. Jiang Lian first pushed Meng Qianzi under the bed, then crawled in himself and lay flat. After calming himself, he reached out to straighten the hanging bedsheet and adjust the slippers at the edge of the bed.

Outside was noisy, but under the bed it was damp, cold, and quiet. Jiang Lian tried to hear what the people were saying, but the voices were too chaotic and muffled by the stone walls to make out clearly. He could only vaguely discern that Bai Shuixiao was among them.

After a while, the crowd dispersed, but several footsteps headed directly toward the bedroom. Jiang Lian’s heart lurched, fearing they had been discovered or were about to be. He moved further inward.

Through the bottom edge of the bedsheet, he saw several pairs of women’s feet moving around. The one at the front sat on the edge of the bed, exposing a stretch of fair ankle between her shoe heel and the hem of her pants.

This must be Bai Shuixiao. The three standing before her included two wearing girls’ floral shoes—probably the two girls—and one in wide blue cloth shoes, undoubtedly Tian Yapo.

Jiang Lian held his breath.

He heard Bai Shuixiao ask: “Are you sure the door was locked?”

One of the girls answered: “It was locked tight, and the incense was burning, but the person is gone.”

“When did she disappear?”

The girl seemed frightened and hesitated before answering: “I don’t know… we changed the incense at noon. Now the sun is about to set. I don’t know when she escaped.”

Bai Shuixiao was both angry and anxious: “Could someone have come to rescue her?”

This question seemed directed at Tian Yapo. The old woman answered hesitantly: “That shouldn’t be possible. Didn’t you say you covered your tracks well on the way here, shaking them off completely? They couldn’t have followed. Besides, I just asked around—no one has seen any strangers. You know how it is here: if anyone sees an unfamiliar face, they stop them from leaving, and the whole village knows about it.”

Jiang Lian secretly admired his foresight: concealing himself had been the right move. This village was indeed abnormal.

Bai Shuixiao lost her patience: “Then how did she disappear? Just vanished mysteriously?”

Tian Yapo spoke with a hint of fear: “This Miss Meng is extraordinary. Even Xiao Liang didn’t dare approach her. I’ve always known about the Mountain Ghosts, but what abilities they have and how they make a living, I’ve never found out. These Mountain Ghosts are like mountain spirits, aren’t they? That woman, so young, is already their leader. Could she… travel through Earth?”

Jiang Lian wanted to laugh. He glanced at Meng Qianzi beside him: whether she could travel through the earth was unknown, but lying on the ground was certainly true.

Bai Shuixiao was furious: “What nonsense are you talking about!”

Though she scolded, her voice was uncertain, clearly not convinced of herself. Tian Yapo suddenly became anxious: “Bai girl, if she escaped, won’t she bring people back for revenge? They have many people and many methods. Shouldn’t we… hide for a while?”

Bai Shuixiao didn’t respond. After a moment, she murmured: “That’s not right. If she could travel through the Earth, she would have done so earlier. Someone must have rescued her. Perhaps someone skilled who entered the village without being noticed.”

Jiang Lian’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly: such hastily arranged deception couldn’t fool them for long. The most worrying thing was whether they thought calmly.

“She was still here before noon. Though I wasn’t watching that room, I was in the courtyard the whole time. I couldn’t have missed anyone entering. You and I only left for a short while. If someone rescued her, it could only have been during that gap, but I left Jin Zhu and Yin Zhu…”

At this point, her voice suddenly rose: “You two, did you sneak out to play?”

Either Jin Zhu or Yin Zhu responded: “No, we only went out for a little while to weave sparrows from wheat straw, but we kept watching the main gate. No one came out…”

The bed lit up as Bai Shuixiao stood up abruptly, followed by a loud slap: “Useless! What good is watching the gate? Couldn’t they have climbed over the wall?”

The girl sniffled quietly, not daring to cry openly.

Tian Yapo anxiously stamped her foot: “Let’s leave quickly, forget all this nonsense. Jin Zhu and Yin Zhu must come too. Can we afford to provoke the Mountain Ghosts? You even killed one of their people…”

Bai Shuixiao wouldn’t listen, still muttering to herself: “That’s not right. With people coming and going outside, even if Meng Qianzi wasn’t unconscious, her legs would be weak and sore. In such a short time, they couldn’t have gone far!”

Her voice grew excited: “They might be hiding in a nearby house. Tian Yapo, go outside and spread the word. Have them check every courtyard and house—kitchens, storerooms, cabinets, under beds…”

Hearing the words “under beds,” Jiang Lian’s scalp tingled. This Bai Shuixiao was indeed quick-thinking. Right now, she was overlooking what was right under her nose, suspecting everywhere else but her bed, yet this could change in an instant.

Then one of the “Zhus” chimed in with a bright voice: “Under the bed? Our bed is nice and spacious—good for hiding people.”

As she spoke, her hand pressed against the floor.

Through the bedsheet, Jiang Lian saw the thin figure bend down. In another second, she would peek under the bed. With tension stretched to the limit, he paradoxically relaxed: since they were about to be discovered anyway, he might as well not lose face. Should he turn to his side, prop up his chin, and greet her with a smile? At least he’d look dignified…

Just then, the jingling of bells sounded from outside. The sound started thin but quickly swelled as other bells joined in, interspersed with a resounding “boom” of a gong that reverberated for a long time.

The thin figure froze and stood up straight again. Tian Yapo, as if her tail had been stepped on, almost jumped: “Disaster! The Mountain Ghosts have arrived! If we delay any longer, we won’t be able to escape!”

Jiang Lian instinctively felt that “Mountain Ghosts arriving” was impossible. No matter how capable Meng Jinsong’s people were, they couldn’t be this precise. But he was glad for this distraction, which at least dispersed the immediate danger and gave him room to maneuver. Sure enough, everyone’s focus shifted away from “under the bed.” Bai Shuixiao was skeptical: “How could they arrive so quickly? Don’t panic. Let’s assess the situation first.”

The group left, talking as they went, and soon there was silence. This opportunity couldn’t be missed. Jiang Lian quickly crawled out. The courtyard was empty, the main gate half-open. He first concealed himself behind the door to check the path outside, then peered over the wall with half his head, and what he saw delighted him.

The village was scattered along a sloping ridge, but unlike any other village, it was surrounded by a man-high stone wall that had been built up over different periods. The lower stones were older. He couldn’t tell what they were defending against. If it were wild animals, other mountain villages faced the same threat without building such high walls.

The village gate naturally opened at the lowest point. Tian Yapo’s house was on higher ground, providing a broad view from the wall. He saw groups of three to five people all heading toward the village gate, where a crowd had already gathered. While he couldn’t say the entire village had rushed there, it certainly indicated that the front was congested and the rear empty. With the sun setting and darkness just moments away…

Heaven-sent opportunity! If they were going to escape, now was the time! If the arrivals were truly Mountain Ghosts, joining forces would be good, but what if they weren’t? Better to ensure their escape first.

Without any hesitation, Jiang Lian rushed back into the room, pulled Meng Qianzi out from under the bed. She was still unconscious. He hoisted her onto his back, tying her with rope to prevent her from slipping off, inwardly regretting that no one was streaming this: if someone could record a video of his dedicated rescue, when she woke up and saw how wholeheartedly he had saved her, she would be moved, all previous grudges would dissolve, and their friendship would be assured. Then, when he asked to borrow the Mirage Pearl, it would happen naturally.

He climbed over the courtyard wall and, based on the positions he had memorized while exploring the village, headed toward the back mountain, walking cautiously. Fortunately, the journey was smooth. Halfway through, he looked back and confirmed it wasn’t the Mountain Ghosts arriving—the people gathered at the village gate were already walking back leisurely.

Time was running out. Jiang Lian grew anxious and couldn’t afford to be cautious anymore. He broke into a run. As he passed the entrance of one household, he suddenly heard someone inside shout: “Who are you?”

Caught off guard, Jiang Lian instinctively stopped and looked back.

A gaunt man quickly crawled out of the doorway. He had no legs, apparently amputated, and moved by using his arms to drag his body. His upper body was bare, ribs visible beneath a layer of dark, dry skin, looking terrifying. He had shouted without being certain, but upon seeing Jiang Lian’s face and recognizing him as a stranger, his expression instantly turned fierce and terrifying. He pulled a small hand axe from behind his waist and hurled it at the pair.

What kind of behavior was this, resorting to violence without a word? Fortunately, his aim wasn’t great. Jiang Lian dodged sideways, but didn’t expect the man to be so ferocious. He charged directly at Jiang Lian. Though half the height of a normal person, his arms were powerful, moving side to side with wheel-like speed. The scene was so bizarre that Jiang Lian froze momentarily. In that brief interval, the man had already lunged at him with a howl, seemingly aiming to grab his legs.

Jiang Lian hesitated—attacking a disabled person felt wrong. But the urgency of the situation left no room for such considerations. He kicked out, sending the man tumbling. He was about to check if the man was injured when, from a nearby house, a woman’s head appeared—the middle-aged woman with the diseased leg wearing a red spaghetti strap he had seen earlier.

Like the man, her expression turned savage in an instant. She dragged out an iron shovel and limped toward him.

Had everyone gone mad? Jiang Lian felt chilled but realized that since they were already exposed, speed was now essential.

So he turned and sprinted toward the back of the village.

The man got up, clenched his fists, and furiously pounded the ground twice before quickly crawling to the doorway. He grabbed a hanging rope and shook it vigorously.

It turned out that above the door lintel hung an old rusty brass bell with the clapper tied to a rope. His continuous pulling set off the tinkling bell sound. Soon, two or three nearby responses came from those who had stayed home instead of going to see the commotion. Further away, one or two more joined in, and this sound quickly flowed to the villagers who were walking back in small, leisurely groups.

Viewed from above, the village was like a painting. The people in this picture, upon hearing the sound, froze briefly, like a frame in a film.

Then, in just an instant, people everywhere began to move, surging like a tide, running wildly toward the source of the sound.