Antswamp Village (3)

"This is a unique feature of Antswamp Village. We wouldn't have come here to gather inspiration if it weren't for this,"

Luo Liu said with a comforting smile. "You'll get used to it."

As Nan Yue and the others walked, they noticed that except for a few isolated stone houses, the rest were built together.

Rows of stone houses were arranged in a peculiar fashion, clustered together like a honeycomb to form a spectacular sight.

"Does... does the whole village live together?"

Luo Liu nodded. "Yes. Antswamp Village only has about twenty households with a population of less than two hundred, so everyone lives together."

"Then what about the ones in the center?"

"The center?"

Luo Liu looked toward the heart of the honeycomb and laughed. "The center isn't for living. It's for sacrifices."

It turned out that the twenty-odd households of Antswamp Village formed a massive hexagon with their houses, and a temple and an ancestral hall were built in the middle of them.

"Aren't we here to see the sacrificial rite? It will be held in the temple, but that's not for another five days."

Luo Liu smiled and pointed to a house on the other side. "The village doesn't get outsiders often, so you'll have to make do with those few houses over there."

Less than a hundred meters away from the giant hexagon was a small row of houses arranged horizontally.

"That area used to be for storage, but it's been cleaned out. Everyone will just have to bear with it."

Nan Yue took the opportunity to ask, "You'll be staying at your own home, right?"

Luo Liu nodded. "Even though my parents left Antswamp Village a long time ago, my grandfather's house is still here. I'll be resting there."

Nan Yue put on a troubled expression. "If you're not around and we need something, how are we supposed to communicate with the villagers?"

Only after Nan Yue spoke did the others realize that only three people in this village understood their language. If something happened, they wouldn't even be able to talk their way out of it.

Luo Liu looked a bit embarrassed. "Everyone goes to bed early, so nothing should happen. I'll be with you during the day."

"Actually, don't worry. This is my hometown, after all. It's much better than that Yeming Village we went to last time, right?"

Luo Liu winked, and the atmosphere lightened slightly.

"Rest. Eat."

Suo Qisi spoke up from the side after they finished talking. Aside from his strange appearance, his tone was actually quite gentle.

However, because he hadn't spoken the common tongue in years, his voice was stiff and raspy, making it easy to startle someone in the dead of night.

Luo Liu let out an "Ah" and nodded. "Right. You guys go back and rest first. There's an initiation banquet today, and everyone in the village is busy preparing the food."

No wonder they hadn't seen any other villagers.

Nan Yue offered her thanks politely, and the group went to check the stone houses.

Four stone houses for eighteen scavengers.

Huo Fuyu sighed. "It looks like two of the rooms will have to fit an extra person."

He Jiang immediately scurried forward. "Mr. Huo, what do you think..."

Huo Fuyu looked at He Jiang with an undiminished smile, but Nan Yue clearly sensed a trace of hidden disgust in his eyes.

"Didn't Brother He bring his own teammates? Your priority should definitely be them."

He Jiang's face stiffened. He wanted to say something, but it wasn't convenient in front of so many people, so he could only force a smile and swallow his words.

Inside the stone houses were rows of communal platform beds facing the doors, with several copper basins stacked on the floor, presumably for washing up.

The rooms were indeed very crude, but in a village like this, such conditions were already hard to come by.

"Is it alright if I stay in the same room as you?"

Nan Yue looked back to see Shang Xi, who had been in the same car earlier.

She nodded and occupied the middle stone house with Gu Xiang Kai and the others.

The others also split into small groups and entered the rooms. Nan Yue specifically noticed that Huo Fuyu did not stay with He Jiang, instead moving into the stone house to her left.

The bedding on the beds was old but washed clean, and the bright reds and greens looked quite festive. Gu Xiang Kai flipped them over to look and saw that underneath was a platform built of stone. Even with bedding, it probably wouldn't be comfortable to sleep on.

Gu Xiang Kai walked around the room once and rubbed his nose. "Do you guys smell something?"

"A smell?"

After the group circled the room, Gu Xiang Kai pointed toward the door. "From outside."

The five of them walked to the doorway. Outside was the quiet village, with villagers occasionally emerging only to quicken their pace and leave upon seeing them.

"There's a fishy smell."

Gu Xiang Kai's gaze fell on the moat surrounding the house. "It's coming from here."

Nan Yue crouched down, and only then did she catch the fishy scent Gu Xiang Kai mentioned.

It was a smell that was hard to describe—somewhat rank and fishy, yet mixed with a hint of cloying sweetness. The scent was very faint, almost undetectable.

Wen Xiang Yuan hadn't expected Gu Xiang Kai to have this ability and looked at him with some admiration.

Gu Xiang Kai felt a bit embarrassed and lifted his chin. "It's nothing."

Wen Xiang Yuan said honestly, "It's really impressive. You're just like a dog."

Gu Xiang Kai was speechless.

"Pfft!"

Zhu Xi Ning burst out laughing. Only then did Wen Xiang Yuan realize she had misspoken and hurriedly apologized.

Gu Xiang Kai let out a soft huff, not really minding.

Nan Yue looked at the ring of water. What exactly was this stuff?

"A-Nan, don't touch it for now,"

Zhu Xi Ning whispered as she leaned against Nan Yue, pretending to joke around. "This water gives me a bad feeling."

Nan Yue gave a soft hum of agreement and stood up.

"There should be something missing here."

Nan Yue's gaze fixed on the stone wall. The others followed her gaze and noticed a small iron tab protruding from the stone, which would have been impossible to spot without looking closely.

"This is probably for hanging something."

Zhu Xi Ning measured it; the iron tab was right at the top of her head. She could reach it by stretching, let alone someone tall like Nan Yue or Gu Xiang Kai.

"Time to eat!"

Luo Liu's voice echoed through the village. The group exchanged looks and waited for everyone to gather before heading toward the sound of his voice.

It was already getting dark, but luckily they could still see the path. They turned to the other side of the hexagon, where there was a double stone door.

The stone doors were open now, and it was very lively inside with many people bustling about. Luo Liu was standing at the entrance waiting for them.

"It's time for dinner. Today is your initiation banquet. Our village rarely has outsiders, so this is a first for me too."

Nan Yue looked inside. This stone house was massive, appearing to be the size of seven or eight ordinary stone houses. Inside was a ring of stone tables surrounding a giant ant stone statue in the center.

The stone tables were laden with many fresh dishes, and many villagers were already seated. The atmosphere was quite boisterous.

Suo Qisi strode over when he saw them. He flashed a smile, but it only made him look even stranger.

"Welcome, guests. Please take the seats of honor."

Nan Yue saw that the so-called seats of honor were the few empty spots directly facing the front of the ant stone statue.

"We are just students here to gather inspiration, not exactly guests. We've already caused your village a lot of trouble, so we'll just sit anywhere."