You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

Chapter 576 The Secret Shared by the Female Reporter
The mountain road wound its way forward, and the scenery outside the car window gradually became desolate. Tang Yin looked at the vague outline of the village in the distance, his eyes revealing a certain indifference.

"I think the living conditions in the Hidden Mist Village are not very good. It's also a bit far from the central village here." His tone was calm, as if he was discussing something that had nothing to do with him.

Xia Hui turned around, the fragmented sunlight reflecting off her glasses: "Why do you think so?"

"Because everyone seems hesitant when it comes to my arrangements." Tang Yin's gaze deepened slightly as he continued, "And Qin Zhi, rather than being simply kind-hearted, is more like the kind of person who can act with impunity and do shameful things without even realizing it, right?"

Hearing this, Xia Hui's expression froze: "...Really?"

Tang Yin noticed the uneasiness that flashed across Xia Hui's face and smiled faintly: "Don't worry about me. As long as I have a place to stay, I'm satisfied."

Xia Hui bit her lower lip, as if thinking about how to speak: "Don't blame me for being nosy, but this place is really remote. If it's just a longing for the countryside, I'm sure I won't be able to stick with it."

"It's okay. Compared to death, anywhere is heaven..." Tang Yin said halfway when he suddenly realized something, "Ah, that seems a bit strange."

"Ahaha." Xia Hui laughed dryly, and a hint of awkwardness hung in the air. The atmosphere in the car suddenly grew heavy. It was obvious that they all knew about Tang Yin's previous suicide attempt.

Tang Yin coughed lightly, trying to lighten the atmosphere: "Come to think of it, I'm suddenly a little curious, what kind of place is this?"

Xia Hui's expression grew serious: "...a very special place."

"Little Q." Zhou Zhengxiong suddenly reminded, his expression unable to be seen from the side of his face as he wore sunglasses.

Although Xia Hui's words were euphemistic, they still sent a chill down one's spine. Compared to the rumored isolated villages, such a vague description was even more disturbing.

Despite Zhou Zhengxiong's warning tone, Xia Hui seemed determined to continue. Her fingers twisted the corner of her clothes unconsciously. "...I don't know much, actually. Many people who suffered unfair treatment were forced to live there."

She paused and lowered her voice, "Baifeng Manor... People here rarely mention it, whether it's the place or the people there."

Zhou Zhengxiong's voice suddenly became stern: "Information cannot be leaked so casually."

"That depends on the individual," Xia Hui retorted, a rare rebuttal. "For someone who knows nothing about the place and is about to live there, we should provide fair information."

"Then you should have told him before getting in the car, right?" Zhou Zhengxiong said with a hint of sarcasm.

A trace of regret flashed across Xia Hui's face. "...Yes, I'm sorry, Tang Yin, could you keep that a secret for me?"

"Well, I won't tell them." Tang Yin agreed calmly.

Xia Hui hesitated for a moment, then suddenly made up her mind: "Do you really not care? If you change your mind, you can go back with us today... Ah, Zhou Zhengxiong, that should be okay, right?"

"As long as he is willing." Zhou Zhengxiong responded indifferently.

A hint of anticipation flashed in Xia Hui's eyes: "...Tang Yin, do you want to go back with us?"

The atmosphere in the car fell into a brief silence. Tang Yin used the reflection in the rearview mirror to quietly look at the two people in the front row.

Xia Hui, dressed in a light-colored shirt, looked smart and youthful. She spoke with a passion, her eyes revealing genuine concern. Zhou Zhengxiong, sitting in the driver's seat, gave off a completely different vibe. He wore a dark jacket and was a heavyset figure. Even without a word, he exuded an air of oppression.

Interestingly, although Xia Hui was the one who was in charge of the conversations, Tang Yin was keenly aware that the person who really made the decisions was the silent Zhou Zhengxiong. Whenever Xia Hui said something crucial, Zhou Zhengxiong would always speak up to remind or stop her at the right time.

Although Zhou Zhengxiong is a man of few words, every word he says comes across as incredibly rational, as if carefully considered. In contrast, Xia Hui can occasionally display impatience and impulsiveness, a subtle contrast between their personalities. Zhou Zhengxiong exudes an unexpected sense of steadiness, a stability reflected not only in his robust physique but also in his composed demeanor.

Tang Yin shook his head, temporarily suppressing his thoughts on the partnership. Now was clearly not the time to analyze them in depth.

"It's okay. I don't want to go back to the city anymore. I appreciate your kindness." Tang Yin said with a smile, a hint of fatigue in his voice.

"But..." Xia Hui wanted to say something, her brows slightly furrowed.

Tang Yin sighed softly, "...Ms. Xia Hui, you may be worried about me from the perspective of both the city and the countryside, but in fact, you should also think that I am a suspicious person, right?"

"For the help you've provided me, I can't thank you enough."

Xia Hui's expression was a little complicated: "...Really? Then I won't say much."

"Tang Yin, right?" Zhou Zhengxiong suddenly spoke, his eyes still fixed on the road ahead.

"what happened?"

"You don't look like someone who is desperate." There was a hint of inquiry in Zhou Zhengxiong's words.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Tang Yin twitched his lips: "I'm always told that. Maybe it's because I'm always so unruly?"

"Really? Sorry." Zhou Zhengxiong responded briefly.

Xia Hui seemed to want to lighten the mood: "When I was in middle school, a classmate committed suicide. He was usually so heartless, no one would have thought he would actually commit suicide."

"Maybe that's the case." Zhou Zhengxiong responded.

Tang Yin realized he might have said too much, and that it was a bit out of character. He closed his eyes, recalled the scene at the police station, and tried to adjust himself, trying to disguise himself as a truly desperate suicide attempter.

The van continued its slow climb up the mountain road, gradually entering a vast expanse of pastoral land. This must have been the village's heart. Small shops dotted the roadside, their signs looking rather dated. The area, however, felt desolate, with few people on the streets. Soon, scattered trees began to appear between the buildings, their branches swaying gently in the breeze, adding a touch of eerie stillness to the otherwise quiet atmosphere.

Tang Yin roughly estimated that if the commercial area was used as the boundary, the entire Baifeng Manor would be approximately three kilometers in size. Although not too large, this isolation from the outside world gave people an indescribable sense of oppression.

Tang Yin leaned against the car window, silently observing the scenery outside. Baifeng Manor wasn't very large, only about ten square kilometers at most. According to the information Xia Hui had provided, the population density here was only about a hundred people. While it wasn't sparsely populated, it certainly wasn't bustling either.

He searched the surroundings, trying to find a unique standing rock similar to the one in Kirigakure, but ultimately found nothing. It seemed that it was indeed a landmark building unique to Kirigakure, and it couldn't be found in Baifeng Manor.

The car turned a corner and a gray-white three-story building appeared in the distance. Although it looked a bit old, it looked very solid. The exterior walls of the building were covered with ivy, which glowed a healthy dark green in the sunlight.

"That's a branch of the school in the neighboring town," Xia Hui explained, pointing to the building, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. "All the children in Baifeng Village complete their compulsory education here."

Tang Yin nodded thoughtfully. According to Xia Hui, after finishing junior high school, most children here would go straight home to help with farm work. Only a few brighter ones would continue on to high school, choosing to work outside the home after graduation. As for those who managed to get into university, even fewer were rare.

"Students like Wang Lina can be said to be child prodigies here," Xia Hui added, her tone full of admiration.

Tang Yin's thoughts were suddenly drawn back to the three students from the Hidden Mist Village. At this moment, they should also be attending classes diligently in this school, right? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but frown.

As the car continued forward, the surrounding houses gradually disappeared, replaced by a barren expanse of wild land. Weeds grew wildly, some even reaching knee-high. The road wound its way toward the lush, green mountains in the distance. The dense canopy of trees blocked out the sun, creating a mysterious and unpredictable atmosphere.

Suddenly, there was a huge stone standing on each side of the road, with an ancient and majestic shape.

"This is..." Tang Yin subconsciously sat up straight.

"It's a symbolic building, like a torii gate." Xia Hui explained, her eyes also cast on the two stones.

"A torii?"

"Well, it looks like the trees where the divine bird lives, or the entrance to the sacred area." Xia Hui's tone became professional. "Baifeng Manor seems to have a faith in the mountains."

"Yes, Qian Mingshen." Tang Yin added casually.

"Do you know?" Xia Hui turned her head in surprise.

Oh no, Tang Yin felt a tightness in his heart.

"Well, Qin Zhi mentioned this." He added hurriedly.

Xia Hui seemed to be lost in thought. "Well, but outside of this village, no one has ever heard of this mountain being special. I've also never heard of a deity called Qianming." She paused. "Just from the literal meaning, it might have something to do with monkeys. However, the connection between Shen and monkeys is probably limited to calendar and direction..."

"Xia Hui, aren't you a food writer?" Tang Yin interrupted her analysis.

"Oh, sorry," Xia Hui smiled sheepishly, "Actually, I used to be a paranormal writer, but I couldn't make any money, so I changed careers."

Tang Yin was stunned. This stylishly dressed, exquisitely made-up professional woman before him had actually once been a writer studying the paranormal? This unexpected discovery made him reconsider Xia Hui. No wonder she was so knowledgeable about these mysterious things. It seemed that the origins of this food writer were much more complicated than he had imagined.

"Is that so? It sounds very interesting." Tang Yin responded casually, but in fact he was secretly observing the changes in Xia Hui's expression.

Xia Hui smiled bitterly and shook her head, casually tucking a strand of slightly curly hair behind her ear: "In this day and age, everyone goes to the Internet to read strange news."

There was a hint of resignation in her voice, and she looked out the window into the distance, as if reminiscing about the past: "All the weird stories in the print media are fake. The real weird stories can only be found online. Most people think so now."

"The rest of the cake is also monopolized by the so-called authorities and experts. There is no room for newcomers to survive." When Xia Hui said this, a trace of loneliness flashed in her eyes.

Tang Yin fell into deep thought. It was true that those beautifully printed bizarre and supernatural magazines of the past were rarely seen nowadays. But he couldn't quite say whether this change was a good or bad thing.

The van slowly drove onto the mountain road between two huge standing rocks. The road was narrower than expected, and the rocks on both sides were like two silent guards, silently watching the intruder.

"The road conditions are not very good, be careful." Zhou Zhengxiong gripped the steering wheel tightly and reminded with a focused expression.

"Ah, okay." Tang Yin had just finished answering when the car suddenly jolted violently. He was caught off guard, a chill instantly running up his spine, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

If these two standing rocks were truly the entrance to the barrier, wouldn't they have already entered the Qianming God's sphere of influence? Tang Yin looked out the car window, his gaze sweeping across the rolling hills. On the other side of the thick fog lay the Hidden Mist Village and the Divine River.

He couldn't help but wonder: If this was the Holy Land, then at the other end of the Holy Land, could it be the legendary entrance to the underworld? Qianming Shen's belief system seemed far more complex than he had imagined.

Before I knew it, the smooth asphalt beneath my wheels had gradually given way to soft, sandy dirt. The roadside woods were gradually replaced by towering, eerie mountains. Looking up, the sky was thick with dark clouds, as if pressing down. The sparse sunlight made the forest seem even more eerie and gloomy.

Tang Yin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He knew very well that something truly terrifying was still waiting for them ahead.

The atmosphere in the car suddenly grew tense, and the three of them fell silent. Tang Yin stared out the window at the rapidly receding scenery, suddenly feeling a deep sense of gratitude for the power of modern civilization. Without this van, navigating this strange forest on foot would have been a disastrous experience.

They drove down the mountainside for a full twenty minutes, then crossed a narrow mountain road that almost scraped the car. At the end of this seemingly endless, deep path, the trees finally began to thin out.

Tang Yin's pupils suddenly contracted—this was the entrance and exit he had taken through the fog when he risked his life to rescue Xiaomei. As expected, the pair of mysterious standing rocks appeared on both sides of the road, solemnly announcing the existence of a certain boundary.

"We're almost there." Xia Hui said softly, with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.

Tang Yin clenched his fists, and a terrible thought emerged in his mind: Is this the entrance to another world, or have they already stepped into the realm of another world?
(End of this chapter)