Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

"You're right. We also noticed something unusual. The chicken was indeed not right, but we didn't think much about it." A neighbor, Sister Zhao, finally spoke up, her voice low and cautious. Sister Zhao was one of the older people in the village and rarely participated in these complicated matters, but this time, she was obviously moved by Li Xiangqian's words.

"But, Li Xiangqian, are you really sure that these things are related to He Yuzhu?" Xu Damao was still a little hesitant. He was not willing to point the problem to a specific person, especially someone like He Yuzhu.

Li Xiangqian stared at Xu Damao. He could sense his wariness and distrust, but his determination prevented him from taking a step back. "No, I'm not sure, but I can feel that there is something that we have overlooked. I'm worried that if we continue to remain silent, someone might disappear, or even become uncontrollable."

Xu Damao's expression finally changed. He put down the bowl in his hand, and his eyes wavered a little. "Are you a little too nervous to say that? Although these things are strange, there is no substantial evidence. Don't you think that you may be overthinking?"

Li Xiangqian was not affected by Xu Damao's words, but his heart was still churning. Although Xu Damao's words were full of doubt, Li Xiangqian knew that Xu Damao just chose to remain silent because he was unwilling to face these unanswered questions. Who in the village doesn't want to live a stable life? Who is willing to fall into this endless speculation and panic?

"I know you don't want to hear this, and everyone wants to live in peace." Li Xiangqian lowered his head, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself down. "But I can't ignore it anymore. More and more things make me feel wrong."

He paused and looked out the window at the dark night sky. The emptiness made his heart even heavier. He continued, "He Yuzhu, that man, no matter what everyone thinks, I always feel that he is not like other people in our village. His eyes are too unusual, cold and empty, as if he is deliberately hiding something. What makes me even more uneasy is that when he left that day, he didn't say a word, but I felt that his eyes at that time seemed to be a warning, as if reminding me not to ask too many questions."

The room fell silent again, and everyone bowed their heads, as if they were digesting Li Xiangqian's words. Li Xiangqian no longer had any expectations in his heart. He knew that no matter what he said, everyone would eventually return to their own lives and would not really pay attention to the dangers he perceived. The people in the village had long been accustomed to this kind of peace and tranquility, and they were unwilling to disrupt this tranquility.

"I understand what you said." Sister Zhao said softly, "But you know, if it's really as you said, the villagers will find out sooner or later, and no one will be able to stay out of it. After all, we are not fools."

Li Xiangqian nodded silently. Although he was still full of uneasiness, he knew that he was not alone in seeing all this. Sister Zhao's words calmed him down a little, but he still couldn't let go of the fear in his heart. It was as if an invisible pressure was always pressing on his heart, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"Perhaps, you are right." Li Xiangqian responded in a low voice, "However, since things have already begun, all we can do is try our best to uncover the truth. Even if we can't change anything immediately, at least we won't miss certain warnings due to ignorance."

Li Xiangqian took a deep breath, his hands trembling, his heart beating violently, as if every word he uttered would stir up some unforeseen storm. He raised his head, glanced at everyone in the room, and finally decided that there was no turning back.

"Everyone, I have been patient with He Yuzhu's matter for a long time. In fact, I have long felt that something is wrong with some strange things in the village." Although Li Xiangqian's voice was not loud, it was as loud as thunder in the quiet house. Everyone in the house heard it clearly, and even the sound of the wind outside seemed to pause for a moment because of this sentence.

"Are you saying that He Yuzhu is related to those disappearances?" Xu Damao finally spoke, his brows slightly furrowed, with suspicion in his eyes. "You are not imagining things, are you? Although He Yuzhu is a weird person, he would not do such a thing."

Li Xiangqian looked at Xu Damao's face of disapproval, and felt a slight pain in his heart, and then he felt an inexplicable anger rising up. "I'm not imagining things," he said firmly, "Didn't you see the chicken? Do you think so many unusual things are coincidences? Don't you really have any feelings about those missing people?"

The room fell silent again, with doubt and confusion on almost everyone's face. Sister Zhao pursed her lips and whispered, "I also feel that something is wrong recently. However, there is no direct evidence for these things, so how can we say that it is definitely related to He Yuzhu?"

When Li Xiangqian heard this, his heart was shocked. When he was about to respond, the look on He Yuzhu's face that day suddenly flashed through his mind. At that moment, his eyes were cold and empty, as if hiding some unspeakable secret. Li Xiangqian couldn't help but feel a chill. He spoke again, his voice even lower: "Have you noticed that every time he appears in the village, he is silent, and no matter what happens around him, he always seems so indifferent, as if he doesn't care about anything in the village. Even the chicken was brought back from somewhere else, and disappeared immediately after it was brought back... Don't you think these details are suspicious?"

"You are just overthinking what you said." Xu Damao's voice was a little hurried, and there was obvious impatience in his eyes. He looked at Li Xiangqian, as if he wanted to regard him as an unnecessary trouble. But at this time, another villager, Brother Wang, spoke up.

"What Li Xiangqian said makes sense." Brother Wang doesn't talk much, but he's a smart man and seems to have noticed something. "I've also noticed that He Yuzhu hasn't greeted us much these days and is always busy with his own things. Although I didn't dare to ask more about the disappearance of some people in the village, I felt something was wrong. The chicken you mentioned, although it doesn't seem to be anything special, may be a clue."

Li Xiangqian felt a surge of hope in his heart. He raised his head and looked at Brother Wang: "Do you think so too?"

Brother Wang nodded, his eyes complicated, "I have been thinking about these things these days. Yes, maybe we should really investigate it."