Yu Qing thought for a moment and replied, “It is also saving ourselves. Besides, we have no grievances or enmity.”
Ning Chaoyi smiled. There was a hint of self-mockery in his smile. “Well said. No grievances or enmity. We have no grievances or enmity!”
Right then, footsteps came from outside one after another. The area instantly fell silent and alert. Everyone listened intently.
Listening carefully, they could tell that the approaching footsteps were rather dragging.
Everyone looked at each other. They guessed that someone had been hit.
The facts proved this was true. The people appearing at the tunnel entrance all had foolish expressions. They walked over with silly smiles on their faces.
These people all walked toward the stone cylinder that held the ant queen. Everyone instantly understood what this meant.
Lu Xingyun, who had looked back, stopped. She said to her daughter Shen Qingcheng, “You continue.”
She quickly went back and picked up the stone cylinder holding the ant queen. She went alone into the depths of the tunnel. Sure enough, those people with dull expressions also followed toward the depths of the tunnel.
The people appearing behind were not just one or two. They came continuously in twos and threes, virtually in groups. They kept walking toward the dark depths of the tunnel.
Lu Xingyun did not come out for a long time. Everyone could guess what was happening in the depths of the tunnel. They also knew that the people who had been hit and gone in probably would never come out again. Lu Xingyun’s hatred was obvious.
Seeing people continuously appearing in a daze, Yu Qing frowned tightly. He had previously wandered around inside and sensed that the main tunnels of this mountain body had a certain ventilation capacity. At that time, he had also pondered going back to get incense and find a suitable position to use the Observation Word Technique to investigate. In other words, the mirage ant mist gas that was expelled was probably in a certain wind direction. This gas would spread along the ventilation path. The number of people affected could be imagined.
Was it really necessary to kill so many people? Restraining people was not a bad idea either.
However, he clearly knew in his heart that once the restrained people had their restrictions undone by others, these people would immediately attack them ruthlessly.
The personnel of Rift Valley Villa kept coming continuously. The newcomers kept walking toward the dark depths with silly smiles. Lu Xingyun was also unwilling to come out easily from inside.
After watching silently for a while, Ning Chaoyi suddenly looked at Yu Qing again and said, “He was right. Since someone could set up this killing move, there must be a way to resolve it. The other side will discover it sooner or later. Prepare yourselves.”
At his call, the outlaw couple followed him out together…
Inside a tunnel, several people were walking forward while chatting and laughing. They suddenly saw people slowly swaying past the intersection ahead one after another.
The people who had been chatting and laughing felt strange. They walked to the intersection and saw another person staggering past. The key point was that this person had saliva flowing from the corner of his mouth with a silly smile.
One person grabbed that person’s arm and asked strangely, “Wu Jing, what are you silly smiling about?”
Someone nearby mocked, “Did you think of something good and are having a beautiful dream?”
The person called Wu Jing did not respond at all. He struggled to continue forward. It was as if he did not recognize them, or rather, they simply did not exist in his eyes.
“What is wrong with you?” Someone patted Wu Jing’s face.
Later, the group gradually felt something was wrong. They saw more people slowly walking over from behind. Although they were not drooling, they also had silly smiling expressions.
The situation was somewhat strange. The surprise and doubt in the group’s hearts were not resolved, but strange smiles also appeared on their faces. Later they too turned into silly smiles. Then, just like the other people with silly smiles, they slowly walked forward with silly smiles all the way, as if endless beauty was waiting for them ahead.
Inside the villa, people continuously discovered the abnormality. People continuously went over to check. Before they could figure out what was happening, they too became members of the affected.
The villa built inside the mountain body originally had naturally excellent privacy protection. But now it had instead become excellent cover for the murderer to commit crimes. No one could see the abnormality from a global perspective. By the time they discovered it when they got close, the result could only be becoming a member of the affected.
The Second Villa Master Wu Xieshan, who was in charge of internal villa affairs, also discovered the abnormality while leading several attendants through the villa, just like others. He discovered the villa personnel passing by with silly smiles. After pulling and examining the foolish person who ignored him, he was filled with shock and uncertainty.
He realized something. He quickly rushed toward where the abnormal people were going. As a result, he continuously discovered abnormal villa personnel along the way.
Before he reached the forbidden land entrance, a sword suddenly pressed against his neck. It instantly forced him to stop.
A villa personnel who had been walking forward in a daze suddenly drew a sword. He suddenly attacked him. It caught him completely off guard. A blood mark directly appeared on his neck.
That person turned his head. It was none other than Zhu Kuanzhen, who had re-dressed himself. He had put on villa personnel clothing. He had been posing as villa personnel and moving back and forth here for a long time, just waiting for this moment. He was waiting for the person in the villa who could resolve the mirage ant gas to appear.
Wu Xieshan was greatly shocked. He had just wanted to resist when another sword pressed against his back from behind. It had even directly pierced his back. The sword tip pressed into his flesh and blood. Blood spread across his back in a patch, making it difficult for him to move further.
The one who acted was Nie Pinlan. She then quickly struck Wu Xieshan’s acupoints. After placing heavy restrictions on him, the husband and wife both released their swords.
At this time, Ning Chaoyi, who had been guarding the surroundings, finally emerged. He smiled at Wu Xieshan and said, “Second Villa Master, your way of treating guests is truly incomprehensible. We have no choice but to invite you to explain properly.”
Wu Xieshan was restrained. He could not speak. He only had an angry face. Suddenly his gaze moved. He saw that the personal attendants who had come with him had also turned into dull and foolish appearances. The anger on his face instantly turned into grief and indignation.
Looking at the foolish people continuously passing before his eyes, he knew that the catastrophe of Rift Valley Villa had arrived.
Just as the Grand Villa Master had said, the stormy waves had come.
It also confirmed the words of the ancestors. Once that secret was leaked, it would be a catastrophe for Rift Valley Villa.
Ning Chaoyi, carrying a three-stringed instrument, said, “Madam Zhu, take him over first. I will continue waiting here with your husband to see if anyone else bumps into us. If we can invite the other two villa masters together, then the matter will be settled.”
Nie Pinlan nodded. She also gave Zhu Kuanzhen a look reminding him to be careful. Then she escorted Wu Xieshan away.
However, the situation did not develop as they had imagined.
Inside the mountain cave, Grand Villa Master Wu Dao and Third Villa Master Wu Heyun flew out and landed under the broad daylight.
The two people who landed one after another both scanned the entrances and exits on the mountain body with gloomy faces.
The reason the two could run out like this was naturally because they had discovered the drastic changes inside the villa.
It was hard not to discover it. The people sent from their side to handle matters disappeared one by one. One after another, they went and did not return. The two naturally had to check. As a result, they discovered the abnormality.
Wu Heyun had wanted to go check what was happening first, but was stopped by the Grand Villa Master. Wu Dao’s meaning was to first let the unharmed people escape danger.
At this time, Wu Dao said in a deep voice, “Ring the bell.”
Wu Heyun immediately flew to the cave at the mountainside. Inside hung a large bell. Once rung, it could not only shake the four directions with sound, but also echo all the way into the depths of the mountain body through the caves. Wu Heyun personally raised the striking pestle and forcefully struck the large bell.
Dong…
Dong…
Dong…
The alarm bell rang long. The sound could echo very far. It was also notifying everyone to assemble.
Only this time, the bell ringing time was rather too long. It seemed to keep ringing.
The Wu clan members working in the fields raised their heads to look this way. The people staying behind in the village also emerged from their houses one after another. Many children ran out. The dirty old man squatting at the village entrance smoking his pipe also slowly stood up to look at where the bell was ringing.
Inside the mountain, the people who heard the bell also ran out to assemble one after another. The premise was that they were still people who could act normally on their own.
Gradually, only about a hundred people ran out.
For a good while no more people came out. Those nearly hundred people also looked at each other in dismay, not knowing what was happening. Everyone knew that this large bell did not ring easily. Once it rang, it was a major matter. They had to come out and assemble immediately. Moreover, the Third Villa Master was personally ringing the bell up there. How come only so few people came out?
The cultivators of Rift Valley Villa, totaling over five hundred people, had only produced nearly a hundred people.
Wu Dao’s face grew increasingly gloomy. Wu Heyun also grew increasingly anxious. The bell was struck more urgently and more loudly.
The people outside had nothing but buzzing bell sounds in their ears.
Later, Wu Dao raised his hand to signal. Only then did Wu Heyun stop striking. He flew back and said in a deep voice, “The Second Villa Master still has not come out. I will go in to look for him.”
Wu Dao waved his hand to stop him. “The Second Villa Master is not deaf. The bell has rung for so long and he has not come out. He probably cannot come out.”
Wu Heyun, “He should not be affected by the things in the forbidden land.”
Wu Dao, “Then you absolutely cannot go in. It means he has already fallen into the other side’s hands. To fall into someone’s hands so easily in his own home, without even the slightest sound of fighting. We simply cannot figure out what methods the other side used. If you rashly charge in, you will only give them another hostage. Originally we were in the dark and they were in the light. Now it is reversed.”
Wu Heyun was silent for a moment. He thought that was true. “Then what should we do now?”
The golden hoop on Wu Dao’s head shone in the sunlight, but his face was gloomy and cold. “Wait. They did not come here to kill people. The face has already been torn. Their true intentions should also be revealed. If we can talk, we talk. If we cannot talk… this is our territory. If the people behind them do not show their strength, just relying on those few of them, they are seeking death.”
Wu Heyun nodded in agreement, but he was still somewhat itching with anger. He lowered his voice. “What exactly is going on? The people have already gone in. How can they still bring out the things from the forbidden land to counter us? Why are the things in the forbidden land useless against them? Could it be that they already knew there was that thing in the forbidden land and came prepared? That is impossible. Logically speaking, the secret of the forbidden land is only known to us few. How could we ourselves leak the news?”
Wu Dao, “This is no longer important now. We will naturally know when it is time to know. First take care of the present. Spread the manpower and make arrangements all around. All of them act as hidden scouts for me. In case our judgment is wrong and we are overthinking, letting them run away from somewhere else without us knowing, then the joke would be on us.”
“Good.” Wu Heyun responded and turned around. He immediately made arrangements with the remaining nearly hundred people.
Wu Dao turned around. His face was taut. He stared in the direction of the village entrance…