Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

What secrets are hidden? Where did those missing people go? And now, what should he do?

Li Xiangqian sat there, the scene before his eyes seemed to gradually blur, his head was filled with more and more incomprehensible thoughts. Xu Damao's words were like an invisible thread, tightly wrapped around his heart, pulling him so hard that every time he tried to calm down, his heartbeat accelerated and his breathing became heavier. Even he could not fully digest what had happened on that piece of land. The missing people, the mysterious disappearance, seemed to have sown some seeds of uneasiness deep in his heart.

He stared down at the ground, his expression gradually becoming gloomy. He could not erase the words that Xu Damao had said from his mind. The silent oppression was like someone whispering in his ear, as if warning him that this place was not as simple as he could understand. There was a voice in Li Xiangqian's heart telling him that he could not go on like this. But another voice reminded him that he had no choice at all.

"That piece of land...what exactly is hidden there?" He whispered to himself, but his vision became blurry. He couldn't help but recall the feeling he had when he walked into that piece of land, the unknown fear and anxiety, as if some invisible force was quietly twisting his mind.

Xu Damao seemed to notice Li Xiangqian's silence and sighed softly. He sat up straight and looked at Li Xiangqian without blinking. "You don't have to believe what I say," he paused, his eyes deep, "but some things are hard to understand if you don't experience them yourself."

Li Xiangqian raised his head and looked at Xu Damao. There was no threat in Xu Damao's eyes, but Li Xiangqian felt an indescribable oppression. His face gradually turned pale, and the doubts in his heart became deeper and deeper. Why can others seem to live peacefully, but he seems to be firmly bound by this land? He did not want to believe Xu Damao's words, and was even more unwilling to accept this fact that made him deeply afraid, but at certain moments, those invisible omens kept forcing him and could not be ignored.

"What exactly do you want to tell me?" Li Xiangqian's voice was a little hoarse, but he knew that he had no way to escape anymore.

Xu Damao looked at him, as if he was considering whether to continue. "Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you." After he finished speaking, he picked up the pipe on the table, took a puff, and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, as if he was thinking about how to use words to convey these complex emotions.

"This is not an ordinary place," Xu Damao's voice became low and profound, "This land does not belong to us. This is an abandoned place. Many people tried to take root here, but in the end they could not bear the oppression here and eventually left."

Li Xiangqian frowned, his heart tightening. "Leave? Do you mean die?"

Xu Damao nodded, smoke swirling around his fingertips. "Not just death, there are other ways. Disappearing, or becoming someone who is no longer yourself. You will find yourself constantly changing shape, slowly losing your original appearance. Some say there is a curse here, and some say the land itself is not clean."

Li Xiangqian's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. Although Xu Damao's words were calm, they soaked him bit by bit like cold water. Some strange images emerged in his mind - that piece of land, dead silent, no one around, only the sound of the wind, only the swaying of wild grass; the eyes of the chicken reappeared, staring at him straight, as if it could see through everything.

He couldn't control his emotions, stood up, and began to pace back and forth in the room. "So, Uncle Xu, are you saying that I am playing with my life by farming on this land?" He turned around, with a flash of anger and unwillingness in his eyes. "I don't believe that this land can really take people away!"

Xu Damao did not respond immediately. After a moment of silence, his voice remained calm: "It doesn't matter if you don't believe it, Li Xiangqian. I know you are unwilling and don't even want to accept this reality, but the secret of this land has long been buried here. If you really plan to continue, I'm afraid you will really have to pay the price."

Li Xiangqian clenched his fists, his eyes filled with a crazy determination. He stood there, his body trembling slightly, his inner struggle almost uncontrollable. He knew that Xu Damao's words were not groundless. But how could he just give up? This piece of land was not just for survival for him. The stories behind it seemed to be tempting him all the time. Every night, he could feel a mysterious attraction, as if something was quietly calling him.

"Have you really decided to continue?" Xu Damao looked at Li Xiangqian with complicated eyes, as if he could see through his thoughts.

Li Xiangqian did not respond. He knew that his choice was beginning to become unclear. Xu Damao's warning was like a heavy stone weighing on his heart. Whenever he tried to ignore it, the feeling of uneasiness would come back, reminding him that this was not a simple decision. This was not just about farming. Every inch of soil, every drop of water, every seed, could carry endless unknowns and risks.

Li Xiangqian stood there, clenching his hands, as if he was fighting a desperate battle with himself in his heart. Xu Damao had already reminded him, and even gave him a seemingly calm but irreversible warning, but a certain obsession in Li Xiangqian's heart continued to burn, as if there was something buried in that piece of land that he could not give up. He was unwilling to let go, especially in the face of every temptation that this land brought him, the answer that he had never received was still waiting for him in the distance.

"Uncle Xu, do you really think this land has so many secrets?" Li Xiangqian finally couldn't help asking, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible.

Li Xiangqian stood outside the house, looking at the distant sky, his heart filled with countless questions and uneasiness. Xu Damao's words were like a sharp knife, piercing deep into his heart, making him unable to ignore it. The scene of the land and those vague warnings emerged in his mind, and suddenly he felt as if he was standing at a fork in the road, and every step ahead was full of unknowns and dangers.

He took a deep breath, and his eyes suddenly became firm, as if he had made up his mind. Li Xiangqian knew that he had to make a choice, and this choice was not only about himself, but also about his wife and this family. Xu Damao was right, he could no longer just think about farming. What was hidden behind this might be something more complicated and profound.