Without more information to support them, the mysteries of the crematorium could only remain at an impasse. Fortunately, they still had Five Hundred Nong Township, where Lord Yama had stayed, to investigate. Otherwise, Shen Gun would have been frustrated to death.

Meng Qianzi said, “I’ve already asked Lu Sanming to make arrangements. We can go there as early as tomorrow. If you’re too lazy to travel, we can also have the local Mountain Household people take videos and send them over.”

Shen Gun was excited, “We absolutely must go there ourselves! Our focus is different from others. What seems insignificant to them might be crucial to us. We must see with our own eyes. Hurry up, go pack your luggage.”

He was truly impatient, ready to leave immediately and move quickly.

However, even with luggage packed, wouldn’t they still have to wait until tomorrow?

Meng Qianzi felt no urgency whatsoever. She watched Shen Gun walk away, then unhurriedly stood up.

Jiang Lian asked her, “Will you be going too?”

Meng Qianzi had initially wanted to respond with “Of course,” but changed her mind, “I won’t be going.”

Given that this involved Grandmother Duan, Jiang Lian didn’t believe she would remain uninvolved. He curled his fingers, “According to my calculations, I think you should…”

Meng Qianzi nearly burst out laughing, “Calculate? Still calculating! Keep it up, and I’ll break your fingers.”

Jiang Lian quickly hid his hand against his chest, saying, “You are…”

Meng Qianzi snorted through her nose, pulled out her chair, and walked toward the exit. Itchy skin was easy to treat—a few beatings, and it wouldn’t itch anymore.

Just as she reached the doorway, Jiang Lian called out to her again, “Qianzi.”

When she looked back, he was still sitting in his original spot, holding a chocolate, “You’ve been eating one and grabbing another. As you leave, don’t you want to take one?”

Meng Qianzi was both irritated and amused. “Keep it for yourself.”

Jiang Lian said, “Then I’ll save it for you.”

He lowered his head, opened his pocket, and released the chocolate, which fell inside. After straightening the pocket opening, he patted it as if to make sure it was secure, “If you remember later, you can ask me for it.”

Early the next morning, since they were preparing to depart, Jiang Lian decided to take his luggage directly to the dining hall for breakfast. This way, after eating, he wouldn’t need to return to his room.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped out, he saw a crowd at Meng Qianzi’s door. Besides those on duty, Lu Sanming was there, Xin Ci was there, and surprisingly, there was even someone in a white coat who was clearly a doctor.

Jiang Lian’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively went over.

The previous night, Lu Sanming had hosted a dinner for Meng Qianzi, reportedly attended by the elite among the Mountain Households in Guangxi. Jiang Lian was an outsider and didn’t feel it appropriate to join. Shen Gun, though a Three-Petaled Lotus, wasn’t suited for such an occasion and wasn’t invited either.

Had something happened?

As he approached, he heard Lu Sanming and Xin Ci both blaming themselves, one saying, “It’s my fault, my fault, I didn’t think things through,” and the other saying, “It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have let Qianzi eat whatever she wanted.”

It turned out that after the banquet ended early the previous night, Meng Qianzi, still in high spirits, had dragged Xin Ci along to explore the night market, where there was no shortage of food stalls.

At Shangui Studio, Meng Qianzi’s three daily meals were all carefully managed by specific people. Not only were the ingredients the freshest and finest, but the flavors were also controlled—for instance, hot and cold foods weren’t eaten together, and spicy and sweet foods weren’t mixed. Even when traveling, with Meng Jinsong watching over her, she would practice restraint. As a result, her stomach had been pampered and was quite delicate.

But Xin Ci had no such awareness and only wanted to please her, buying whatever caught her eye. After the banquet, Meng Qianzi already had a stomach full of delicacies, and then down the street, she had sampled snail rice noodles, osmanthus soup, rice cakes, oil tea, stuffed river snails, plus barbecue and iced tea. Although she had only taken a bite or two of each, night market food was already questionable in terms of hygiene, and such a mishmash piled into her stomach was bound to rebel.

Sure enough, by the latter half of the night, her digestive system had revolted. She got up several times, vomiting and having diarrhea. So she first called Xin Ci, who then contacted Lu Sanming. When Lu Sanming heard that, just as Assistant Meng had left, he had managed to make the boss ill, he panicked and quickly summoned a doctor.

Everyone present was staring at the doctor.

…

The doctor said, “It’s probably related to eating something bad last night, most likely intestinal spasms. It’s nothing serious, but she needs to rest well, drink plenty of hot water, and avoid catching a cold. Placing a heating pad on the abdomen might make her feel more comfortable.”

Lu Sanming nodded vigorously.

Xin Ci suddenly remembered something, “Qianzi said she wanted to go out today. She can’t go now, right?”

Lu Sanming was firm, “She can’t go, definitely can’t go. The mountain roads are bumpy and winding. What if something happens…”

Even if the boss just had a cold, he should treat it as a serious condition!

Lu Sanming glanced sideways and saw Jiang Lian standing nearby, so he asked for his opinion, “Right?”

Jiang Lian instinctively agreed, “Yes,” then, after a pause, added, “Health comes first.”

Jiang Lian ate that breakfast without tasting a thing.

He felt quite conflicted, both wanting Meng Qianzi to go and wanting her to rest properly. He couldn’t tell which feeling prevailed. In contrast to his ambivalence, Shen Gun was eating with gusto, frequently leaving his seat and returning with bowls and plates, continuously recommending items to him.

“Little Lian Lian, they can fry eggs over there, even double-yolk ones!”

“Little Lian Lian, they have vegetable salad over there, and milk with cereal!”

“Little Lian Lian, there’s fruit, already cut up! They’ve even removed the seeds for you, and there’s yogurt too!”

Jiang Lian was annoyed by his chatter, “Aren’t all four or five-star hotels like this? Breakfast is always a mix of Chinese and Western options.”

Shen Gun’s face showed an embarrassed smile. After a while, he lowered his voice and mysteriously whispered to Jiang Lian, “I’ve never… stayed at a starred hotel before.”

Jiang Lian burst out laughing, finding Shen Gun’s innocence quite endearing. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw Meng Qianzi, accompanied by Lu Sanming and others, also entering the dining hall. She sat at a table in the corner. Lu Sanming hurriedly went to get food, while Xin Ci sat with Meng Qianzi, helping her arrange the knives and forks and fold the napkin.

Jiang Lian thought for a moment, then stood up to get food himself. While holding an empty plate, he happened to encounter Lu Sanming. He glanced at Lu Sanming’s tray, which held white porridge, steamed cake, and taro—all bland dishes without any color.

Jiang Lian greeted him, “Eating so little?”

Lu Sanming replied, “No, this is for Miss Meng.”

“Why is Miss Meng coming down to eat? Shouldn’t meals be sent up to her room?”

Lu Sanming found these words reasonable and agreeable, so he treated Jiang Lian as a confidant, “Exactly! I couldn’t persuade her. She insists on going to Five Hundred Nong. What can I do? It was better when Assistant Meng was here. At my level, how can I persuade her? Oh my, let me tell you, it’s hard to get things done. It’s hard for those beneath to do things, and it’s exhausting…”

Afraid that they were waiting impatiently, he didn’t dare complain further and hurriedly carried the tray away.

Jiang Lian stood holding his plate, his mood suddenly much improved.

Someone behind him grew impatient, “Hey, are you done?”

He was blocking others from getting food. Jiang Lian stepped back and smiled politely, “Go ahead.”

He held the edge of the empty plate between his palms, walked a few steps away, and skillfully spun it. Looking around and finding nothing he wanted to eat, he returned the plate to its original place.

After breakfast, they departed as planned.

There were a total of four vehicles. To allow Meng Qianzi to lie down during the journey, they had specially arranged a motorhome for her, with Xin Ci accompanying her.

Lu Sanming’s rationale was, “Better to be comfortable for as long as possible. When the motorhome can’t go any further, Miss Meng can switch vehicles.”

Jiang Lian and Shen Gun rode in the lead car with Lu Sanming.

Five Hundred Nong Township was located in northwestern Guangxi. More precisely, of the four arcs of Guangxi, it was situated between the second and third. From Guilin, it would take nearly a full day to reach.

According to the mountain chronicles, going diagonally upward from Five Hundred Nong Township led to Phoenix Mountain, while going diagonally downward led to Dragon Subduing Mountain. Yet such a place, embraced by dragon and phoenix, was surprisingly poor in both mountains and land—truly “a place cursed by the devil,” which was lamentable.

Lu Sanming introduced them to the area, “Besides Five Hundred Nong, there’s also Seven Hundred Nong Township. Seven Hundred Nong has developed and even applied for national geopark status. Five Hundred Nong couldn’t do the same; it’s too remote, which is why it’s abandoned now. There were still residents in the 1970s, but the last family moved away in the 1990s. Calculate it—it’s been deserted for nearly thirty years.”

He lowered his voice, “Once night falls, it’s pitch black; you can’t see your fingers in front of your face. The ground is covered with stone hills shaped like rice dumplings. When the wind is strong, it howls through the stone mountains, sounding like ghost cries.”

Shen Gun thought this was too exaggerated, “It’s not the Yardang Ghost City. How could there be so many strange sounds? Even in Yardang Ghost City, the strange sounds are due to special geographical conditions. Not every place with mountains and wind can produce such sounds.”

Lu Sanming said, “Would I lie to you? You’ll see when we get there.”

Then he had a sudden inspiration, “If we were to develop tourism, we could ride on the popularity of Yardang Ghost City. We could call it Guangxi Stone Mountain Ghost City. It would attract many tourists.”

…

After leaving Guilin, they initially traveled on highways and through cities. Later, the convoy was basically winding through high peaks and deep valleys, with few people visible along the way.

Lu Sanming frequently looked back at the cars behind, worried that the winding mountain roads would make Meng Qianzi uncomfortable. Even before noon, he repeatedly instructed the driver, “Find a place, find a place to rest.”

The driver was familiar with the roads, “Laoping Township is just ahead. Today is the market day, so it will be lively when we arrive.”

Jiang Lian didn’t understand what “market day” meant. Upon asking, he learned that in some southern regions, the days when markets gather are called market days. Laoping Township was a gathering place for Zhuang, Yao, and Mountain Han ethnicities, making market days especially bustling.

Sure enough, not long after, they arrived at a busy marketplace. The convoy stopped, and many people got out to see the excitement. The market was lively, and so were the market-goers: those in all-black clothing were Zhuang people, known as Black Clothing Zhuang, who considered black beautiful; those with elaborate silver ornaments in their hair were Yao people, but they went barefoot, bearing no resemblance to the Flower Yao of Western Hunan; then there were those wearing blue tops, black cloth pants, and colorful waistbands—they were Mountain Han. Reportedly, these people were originally Han Chinese who had fled to high mountain areas in minority regions to escape disasters. Over time, they earned the name Mountain Han and became a minority group themselves.

Jiang Lian walked and observed. Suddenly, he spotted Xin Ci, surrounded by a group of colorfully dressed girls, apparently trying to buy something, addressing each one as “Little Sister,” which provoked waves of laughter among the girls.

Jiang Lian looked back at the motorhome not far away, hesitated for a moment, and then walked over.

The door was slightly ajar. Jiang Lian pushed it open and entered.

Inside the vehicle, it was much quieter than outside. Although the noise still filtered in, it was faint like background music. Meng Qianzi, wrapped in a blanket, was curled up on the bed, her eyes open, her brow occasionally furrowing, likely feeling genuinely unwell.

Jiang Lian walked over and sat down on the chair beside the bed.

Hearing the sound, Meng Qianzi slightly raised her eyes and said, “Oh, it’s you.”

Jiang Lian asked her, “How are you feeling?”

Meng Qianzi said, “My body feels a bit weak. Despite the hot weather, I keep feeling cold.”

She then asked, “Xin Ci said there’s a market outside. Is it fun?”

Jiang Lian said, “Nothing special, just people, things, things, people.”

Meng Qianzi said, “How can you summarize it like that? By your description, the whole world is just people and things.”

As she spoke, she sniffed, “It smells good.”

Indeed, the rich aroma of corn permeated the marketplace.

Jiang Lian said, “The Mountain Han are skilled at growing highland corn. When boiled, it has a particularly rich aroma and is reportedly very sweet, different from inland corn—Shen Gun has already eaten two ears.”

Listening to him, Meng Qianzi unconsciously licked her lips, murmuring, “I want to eat some too.”

Jiang Lian glanced at her, “Why don’t you learn from your mistakes? Why are you lying here? Have you forgotten? And still wanting to eat corn.”

He knew how to bring up sore subjects. Meng Qianzi was annoyed and pulled the blanket over her face, not wanting to look at him.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Lian continued to provoke her, “Let me see whether you can eat it or not, I’ll calculate for you…”

Still calculating—he needed to be taught a lesson. Meng Qianzi abruptly threw off the blanket and reached out to grab his hand, “I told you before, if you keep calculating, I’ll break your fingers…”

She had expected him to quickly protect his precious hand, not allowing her to touch it, as he had done before.

Surprisingly, she caught it.

Having caught his hand, she wasn’t sure what to do next. She couldn’t break his fingers. As she hesitated, Jiang Lian’s hand gently slipped from her grasp, then reversed to envelop hers.

His hand was so large that it completely enclosed hers. The warmth from his palm penetrated through the back of her hand, instantly seeping into her skin. Meng Qianzi heard him say, “If you feel cold, why do you keep throwing off the blanket?”

As he spoke, still holding her hand, he returned it under the blanket, then tucked the blanket around her before withdrawing his hand.

Meng Qianzi forgot what she should say in response. After a while, she tugged at the blanket and said, “It’s not… very cold.”

Her mind was blank. The hand curled under the blanket trembled slightly, as if it no longer belonged to her.

She suddenly felt confused about what had just happened, losing her sense of time: one moment, she felt that Jiang Lian had held her hand for several seconds; the next moment, she thought he had simply helped return her hand normally, without any other meaning.

As her thoughts were in turmoil, she heard a horn honking outside. This was usually the signal for the convoy to depart, but she didn’t fully register it. The horn sound seemed distant, with only a faint echo penetrating through and touching her nerves. Then she heard Xin Ci come in, apparently greeting Jiang Lian, after which Jiang Lian left, as evidenced by the dull sound of the closing door.

Then the vehicle began to sway and was on the road again.

Xin Ci came over excitedly. He was carrying a bag of boiled corn, which rustled as he moved, “Qianzi, let me tell you, the corn grown by these Mountain Han people is different. It’s delicious! I especially bought some for you to try…”

The rich aroma of corn wafted to her nostrils, but Meng Qianzi, preoccupied with her thoughts, had no appetite: “I don’t want any.”

Xin Ci thought she was feeling unwell. “Qianzi, the less you eat, the less energy you’ll have. The more you lie down, the less spirited you’ll feel. Come on, have a bite, just one bite. I guarantee it’s delicious!”

He was persistent. Meng Qianzi grew angry, suddenly sitting up from the bed and shouting at him, “No! I said I don’t want any!”

Xin Ci was startled and, after a long moment, said, “Qianzi, you’re so… energetic. You don’t look sick at all.”

Meng Qianzi was full of irritation, thinking to herself: What do you know!

She shifted her hand, and her left hand inadvertently touched the back of her right hand. She withdrew it as if she had touched electricity, then looked down at the back of her right hand.

It seemed as if Jiang Lian’s palm’s warmth still lingered on the back of her hand.

Also, her skin was so delicate, thanks to daily meticulous care, but Jiang Lian’s palm was rough, understandably so. A few days ago, when he had climbed down the cliff, the skin on his palm had been scraped off and probably hadn’t fully healed yet…

He had held her hand—what had he felt? Had he noticed that the back of her hand was so… delicate? Or was it possible that he had simply been concerned and had politely returned her hand, treating it no differently than he would Xin Ci’s hand, Shen Gun’s hand, a pig’s trotter, or a duck’s foot?

Her chest heaved heavily. Looking up, she saw Xin Ci’s bewildered face, which only angered her more. Through gritted teeth, she spat out, “All you think about is food!”

Xin Ci was utterly dejected.

Everyone in the convoy had gone down to buy corn. Shen Gun had eaten three ears, Lu Sanming had bought twenty jin of unhusked corn, saying he would take it back for his children. He had only bought this small bag, which he had offered to her first like a precious gift, and now, in the end, he was being accused of only thinking about food?

In this world, being an honest person was truly disheartening!