New Return of the Pearl: The Group's Pet Swallow Flies

"Hey, there's a village ahead. Maybe we can stay there for a night."

Luo Junchen had very good eyesight. Under the night sky, because of the bright full moon, he could see at a glance a number of faintly visible houses not far away.

The houses seem to form a small village, giving it a cozy feel.

He cried out in surprise, his heart full of anticipation.

Yongqi and Erkang looked at each other, and there was a hint of doubt in their eyes. They couldn't help but feel uneasy, because this village seemed different from what they expected. Normally, after nightfall, the village should be full of vitality and vigor, but at this moment, there was a strange silence.

They inexplicably felt that the village was a little too quiet, as if it was shrouded in a mysterious veil. It was just after nightfall, and there should be candlelight in the village. Even if the villagers were used to going to bed early and getting up early, there should be the sound of dogs barking or other cicadas chirping in the village. However, their carriage was approaching the village, and there was still a dead silence around them, without even the sound of the wind blowing or the grass moving. This silence was creepy, as if the whole village had been sleeping for many years, immersed in endless peace.

"It's too quiet, a little unusual." Erkang frowned and said vigilantly. He immediately ordered the horse to stop and signaled everyone to stop. His intuition told him that there might be some danger or unknown situation hidden here.

Yongqi nodded silently, agreeing with Erkang's opinion. He muttered to himself that this village was indeed unusually quiet, and it was totally unlike what a normal village should be like. Although he was not very familiar with the lives of farmers, they had stayed overnight in other villages during their travels, and had never encountered such a strange situation.

Faced with the strangeness in front of them, Yongqi and Erkang decided to remain vigilant and move forward cautiously. They got out of the car carefully, holding their weapons tightly in their hands, ready to deal with possible dangers. In this weird atmosphere, they must always stay alert to protect the safety of themselves and their companions.

Ertai looked at everyone and couldn't help but say, "It's indeed abnormal, but it's already late. We rarely come across a village. If we continue to move forward, we may encounter more dangers. And it looks relatively peaceful here, and there is no abnormal atmosphere. In comparison, we now need a place that can shelter from the wind and rain to take a short rest. This should be considered safe, right?"

His words made the others fall into deep thought. Indeed, if they traveled overnight, they would not only be exhausted, but also face unknown dangers. Camping on the spot lacked sufficient protection and was easily disturbed by external factors. At this moment, the village in front of them became the only option.

Benjamin and Luo Junchen looked at each other and exchanged glances. They also noticed something strange in their hearts, but did not speak. After all, the decision-making power was not in their hands, and it would ultimately depend on the opinions of Yongqi, Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei and others.

After weighing the pros and cons, Yongqi and Erkang decided to go to the village to stay overnight. They knew the risks, but they also knew that this was the best option at the moment. After all, it was not easy to find a place to shelter from the wind and rain at such a late night.

Although Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei also felt a little uneasy, they still agreed with Yongqi and Erkang's decision. They knew that the most important thing now was to find a place to rest and recover their strength so that they could travel better.

So, the group walked towards the village cautiously. They observed the surrounding environment carefully and did not dare to be careless at all.

However, Erkang was worried that the girls would be in danger. He frowned and felt very uncomfortable. After thinking for a while, he suggested: "Benjamin and I will go in first to check the situation and see if we can find a family to stay with. If there is, we will take everyone in; if not, we will come back as soon as possible and find another way."

After hearing this, Yongqi, Ertai and Luo Junchen all thought this was a good idea, but they were a little worried about their safety. So Erkang continued, "Yongqi, Ertai, Luo Junchen, you stay here and protect the girls. You wait for us outside the village. Remember, if we don't come back within an incense stick of time, you will leave here with the girls without hesitation and bring the soldiers to find us tomorrow. Remember, the safety of the girls is the most important thing."

When everyone heard Erkang's words, they all looked uneasy, but at the moment, this seemed to be the only way.

Ziwei looked at Erkang's back as he turned to leave without hesitation, and couldn't help but speak with a worried look on her face, her voice trembling a little, "If it doesn't work, let's find a place to set up camp here, right? Don't take any risks."

Erkang turned his head to look at Ziwei, and meeting her worried gaze, Erkang gave her a reassuring smile, looked at her gently, and said softly, "Don't worry, it's okay, we'll be back soon." After that, he and Benjamin walked towards the village together.

Before leaving, Yongqi and Ertai said to him and Benjamin with stern expressions, "Be sure to come back safely, don't panic if anything happens, and send a signal in time."

After saying that, Yongqi took out two flares from his bag and handed them to Erkang and Benjamin. This was an agreement that the six of them had made long ago. Everyone should try not to separate. If they were sure to separate, they must bring the flares with them so that they could be seen from thousands of miles away.

This flare was specially prepared for them by the emperor and can be used to summon nearby troops.

After all, these people were all royal relatives, two of the emperor's most beloved princesses, one of his most beloved princes, two of his most trusted imperial guards, one of his most beloved court painters and a foreign aristocrat. No matter which of them got into trouble, it would be a blow to the Qing Dynasty.

After Erkang and Benjamin took the flares and put them away, they nodded at them, and each of them took a torch and walked towards the unusually quiet village.

Yongqi, Ertai and others pulled the carriage to the open space outside the village and waited.

As the night deepened, the full moon in the sky was obscured by clouds, causing visibility to become increasingly low.

Fortunately, Yongqi and his men lit torches, making the area brighter.

In order to ensure that everyone could take care of each other, Xiaoyanzi, Ziwei, Qianyue and Anyaxin had already gotten off the carriage and formed a circle with Yongqi and others to take care of each other. As everyone was worried about Erkang and Benjamin who had entered the village, everyone was silent for a while.

Unexpectedly, a gust of evil wind blew in the already too quiet scene, and suddenly all the torches were blown out.

The village was too quiet, it was a pitch-black night, and a sudden evil wind blew out all the torches. Yongqi and the others were immediately startled, and everyone was broken into cold sweats by this sudden situation.

After a moment, Yongqi hurriedly took out a fire starter from his body and prepared to light the torch. The moment it was lit, Luo Junchen was frightened and screamed.

"Ahhhhhh, ghost!"