CH 607

607: The Strange Village

“You mean the villagers did this? Why would they? Can being locked inside a dimensional space really make them happy?” Han Xia didn’t understand how people could voluntarily draw a cell around themselves.

“It may also have been done by a single person and wasn’t a choice made by the villagers.” Han Jiang said.

“Then let’s find the person responsible for sealing off the village. We should be able to leave here if we find them.” Jier said.

“But there are so many people in the village; it will be hard.” Han Jiang said.

“We can take our time and look carefully. We can’t just sit and wait for rescue.” Jier rolled his eyes.

He was never one to wait for rescue. As a majestic envoy of Star Marshall hall, it would be too embarrassing to wait for other people to rescue him.

“By the way, I don’t know your name yet. Could it be you are Xiao Wu’s boyfriend?” Han Xia asked with interest.

“My name is Jier and I am the Summer envoy for Star Marshall hall. As for my relationship with Xiao Wu, we’re best buds or brothers, however you want to think of it is fine.”

“It turned out you’re the envoy. I am Han Jiang, a clerk in the arbitration tribunal. I am responsible for recording documents and files in the arbitration department. This is my sister Han Xia. She’s a record clerk at Star Marshall hall and isn’t responsible for much work. She still needs to study hard to learn and grow.” Han Jiang introduced himself and his sister.

He met the envoys for Spring, Autumn, and Winter already, but it was his first meeting with the newly appointed Summer envoy. Apparently, Summer envoy’s appointment was delayed due to personal reasons. Han Jiang never expected to meet under such circumstances.

The arbitration tribunal usually dealt with the season envoys, so the people in his department was quite familiar with them. So although, it was their first meeting, as long as Jier remained the envoy for Summer, it was likely they would get to know each other sooner or later.

In any case, Han Jiang was much more confident about their chances of getting out now that Jier with them. Star Marshall hall would go all out to rescue an envoy.

Moreover, the envoys had their legacies. Even if no one came to rescue them, he was sure they would be able to think of a way out.

Han Jiang’s hope rose up. Their odds of leaving had increased by more than half.

To find the person who sealed the village, the group went around the village and began talking to the villagers. They did that for two days, and in the process also met people who, like them, had been yanked into the village from outside.

These people, in order to survive, also started farming like the villagers. It didn’t matter how powerful they were, they still needed food to fill their tummies.

“Don’t you find it strange? Those outsiders, their attitude is too submissive.” Jier noticed.

“I feel the same way. The two brothers we met today, for example, were obviously not good practitioners, but now they’re obediently farming the land. Why don’t they steal the already grown vegetables from other people? I don’t get it.” Han Jiang also felt it was strange.

The two brothers they saw, from the look in their eyes to the auras they gave off, were obviously bad people. That they wouldn’t try to intimidate and threaten the villagers was too strange.

No matter how Han Jiang looked at it, the men were not principled people with morals against hurting ordinary people.

“Is there something about the villagers that is scaring them?” Han Xia wondered.

“What kind of people could make those brothers so scared that they don’t dare touch even a single roof tile? Or did they try before, but were taught a lesson, so now they don’t dare try again?”

“Also, those villagers are always smiling, no matter who they see coming. Aren’t they afraid of encountering bad people and be forced into slavery?!”

The odd behavior from the villagers, the sealed off village – what kind of secret were hidden inside?

While Feng Wu and the group were investigating inside the village, Zhao Yang had gathered a large group of people to help.

This time Star Marshall hall sent over a high-ranking dimensional space magician who specialized in spatial fluctuations.

“There seems to be a strange space on the other side of this lake.” The magician concluded after studying the lake.

“Is it a dimensional space created using a spell?” Creating dimensional space was something only holy level magicians could do.

“No, it should be space created with an item. It’s not a low-level item either; it must be at least a holy level item, if I’m not mistaken. It wouldn’t have hidden so well from me otherwise. It’s a good thing I’m the one that came. Holy level magicians from the other departments would not have been able to detect the spatial fluctuations on the other side of the lake.”

“What should we do now? Shall we destroy the space and then rescue Xiao Wu and the envoy?” Zhao Yang gestured excitedly.

“Now is not the time; let me think it through some more.”

Suddenly the space distorted and the magician disappeared in and out several times.

“Xiao Wu, Xiao Xia, Master Jier you must hold on. Master Fasheng will definitely save you. . . ” Zhao Yang spoke in the direction of the lake.

Feng Wu and the others had no idea Star Marshall hall was sending people to rescue them. They were busy searching for the owner of the artifact who sealed the village away.

After two days investigating, the most suspicious person they found was the village chief’s daughter, Laiya.

Twenty years ago, a sword master took a fancy to Laiya and wanted to force her to be one of his concubine wives, but Laiya was already engaged to her childhood sweetheart, so naturally she couldn’t accept the offer.

Laiya was an ordinary person with no aspirations of marrying to raise her station; she only wanted to marry her sweetheart and live happily in her village.

Everything changed when the sword master appeared and demanded the village chief hand his daughter over. He had his people surround the village, day after day for seven days, not attacking, but laying siege.

When the eighth day came, all the people that surrounded the village disappeared and the villagers couldn’t leave.

Not being able to leave wasn’t a big deal for them, as long as bullies weren’t harassing them, isolation was acceptable.

The villagers continued to live their lives like normal. It wasn’t until the first outsiders arrived that they realized it wasn’t the wicked people who disappeared, it was them that disappeared.

They would get a few outsiders every now and again after that. And like them, the outsiders were also trapped. Some had thought about leaving the isolated world of the village, but the passage at the bottom of the lake was a one-way gate. Everyone who entered was trapped inside.

Ten outsiders had accidentally entered the village in the past twenty years. The outsiders grew accustomed to life in the village and didn’t make trouble for anyone. Everyone lived happily and worked in peace.

Han Jiang was sure there were things about the outsiders that weren’t being shared. The villagers wouldn’t say anything and the outsiders refused to talk about it. They tried asking around, but couldn’t get any information.