Chapter 105: The Human Skin Drum (9)

Xingwen stopped crying the moment he heard this.

However, because he had braked so abruptly, he couldn't hold back a hiccup.

"Can you finally speak properly now?"

"So, tell me. What exactly happened in this village that makes you all so terrified of the 'Birth Mother'?"

"Why should I tell you?" Xingwen frowned, rolling his eyes with a defiant air. "If she gets angry, you’ll all die! And it will be an incredibly painful death! One that you will never be able to forget for as long as you live!"

"It seems you don't like telling the truth." Even when it came to Yan Xingwen, Tang Mu didn't indulge his penchant for running his mouth. "It looks like it’s time to send you back to the villagers. When I do, I’ll tell them you didn't satisfy me, and that I want my Ghost Coins back."

Xingwen couldn't withstand Tang Mu’s tactics and surrendered unconditionally.

"It’s like this," he said. "A few years ago, a woman named Liu Xiaowen was abducted and brought to our village. I heard she was a college student who had been kind enough to help an old lady get home, only to be knocked unconscious and sold here."

"She tried to run away many times but failed. Later, she was seized by several thugs and kept pregnant over and over again. And that wasn't the end of it; she was forced to endure not just one man, but several at once... Eventually, the woman went insane. She started killing indiscriminately."

"In the end, everyone was pushed to their limits. They used iron chains to tie her up."

"But even after she lost her mind, men still went to the small courtyard where she was kept. She stayed there until she caught a disease and completely withered away."

"Later, the village chief suggested burying her alive. After all, rather than spending money to treat her, it was better to just give her a straw mat. At least a straw mat is cheaper than medical care."

"And then?" Tang Mu frowned. "After she died, did she turn into a vengeful spirit and begin cursing the village? First, by making all the women infertile, then by transferring the burden of childbirth onto the men? And if the men were physically ruined after giving birth and had no more use, were they forced to be sacrificed to the heavens by the shaman to pray for blessings? Truly a one-stop service for birth and burial. How thoughtful."

"Hmph."

Xingwen suddenly let out a cold snort. "Even if you know the clues, so what? You’re still going to die. It’s not like there haven't been tourists before who tried to uncover the secrets of this village, thinking they could make it out alive. But how did that end up? They all perished. You won't be an exception!"

Faced with Xingwen’s sharp sarcasm, Tang Mu remained calm and unruffled. "You’re right. I’m going to die anyway, so I might as well have some fun before the end, don't you think?"

Seeing Tang Mu’s "wild dog" demeanor, Xingwen became a little flustered. "What are you trying to do?"

"Let's go take a look at the Black Bamboo Forest." Tang Mu winked at Xingwen, her face full of cunning. "You lead the way. If you don't, I’ll hand you back to the villagers and let them continue to 'entertain' you properly."

Xingwen, now backed into a corner and forced to comply, remained silent.

Tang Mu spent a few Ghost Coins to buy Xingwen some steamed buns, telling him he could eat them on the road if he got hungry. These buns served as his guide fee.

The Black Bamboo Forest lay to the west of the village.

The western side of the village was naturally gloomy, damp, and densely wooded. Sunlight struggled to pierce through the thick canopy to reach the forest floor. The forest was also heavily shrouded in mist, making it easy for anyone to get lost if they weren't careful.

Outsiders would easily lose their way in such a forest without a local guide.

But since Xingwen had been able to follow the main group out of the forest and back to the village, the locals clearly had their own method of navigation.

"We rely on these markings on the trees to get in and out of the Black Bamboo Forest," Xingwen said, pointing to some carvings of flowers and plants on the tree trunks. "You follow the direction the leaves on the flower are pointing. But when you’re heading back, you look in the opposite direction."

Following Xingwen through many twists and turns, Tang Mu finally reached a secluded settlement deep within the forest, cut off from the outside world.

The settlement clearly looked newly built; compared to the ancient architecture outside, the materials used here were remarkably fresh. The timber, doors, and windows were all brand new.

However, the people living here were far less hospitable than the villagers outside.

As soon as they saw a stranger enter, they were on high alert, looking as if they couldn't wait to drive Tang Mu away immediately.

The leader even began scolding Xingwen, demanding to know why he had brought someone from outside the forest in.

"Don't you know that people from outside are monsters? They transform at night and kill. Only by hiding in the forest are we safe. If you bring in an 'underworld-touched' person who has already been compromised, we’re all finished!"

"She forced me to bring her," Xingwen said. "She said if I didn't bring her in, she would hand me over to those hopeless villagers outside. I had no choice."

"That doesn't mean you can just bring anyone in!" The chief scolded Xingwen, warning him that if he were reckless again, he would be barred from the sanctuary. "Let this be the last time! Tie her up!"

When several burly men came over with ropes to bind Tang Mu, she didn't struggle.

On the contrary, while they were tying her up, she kept chatting away with these visibly tense villagers.

She seemed completely out of place amidst their high-strung nerves.

"How long have you lived in Luomen Village?"

"Have you always made a living by raising snails? You can't make much money in a year just by raising snails, right?"

"You live in this forest where the swamp gas and mist are so thick."

"It seems like ordinary crops wouldn't grow well here."

"On my way here, I saw a lot of mushrooms and poisonous fungi growing on the ground. Do you use these mushrooms to trade for the daily necessities you need?"

"You really talk too much!"

Tang Mu even drew the disdain of the group led by Xingwen.

"Chief, why don't we seal her mouth? That way she won't be able to make any noise!"

"Tying her up is enough," the chief said, finalizing the decision. "If any 'underworld-touched' beings break through the dense forest tonight to reach us, we can use her throat to eavesdrop on their movements."

The chief was not a man of advanced age; he looked to be in his fifties. Despite not being a relic of the past, his way of doing things was exceptionally pedantic.

"To keep her from falling asleep out of fatigue, hang a stone from her ankle. That will keep her alert!"

"You got it." Compared to the silence of the others, Xingwen was the most eager.

Watching as Xingwen personally tied a stone to her ankle with hemp rope, leaving her dangling in the air, Tang Mu couldn't help but give him a wry, helpless smile.

"I hope that when you regain your memories, you remember exactly what you did to me today."