The retired man went into the wrong book, and his beautiful husband loved him

"It's this strange smell again!" As soon as Yun Qing stepped into the room, the strange smell hit his nose, making him frown.

Seeing this, Lin Qiqi hurriedly came to Yun Qing and sniffed hard, but smelled nothing.

You know, that mountain ghost had long since vanished without a trace, yet Yun Qing could still detect the remaining scent so clearly. His sense of smell was simply unmatched! Could it be that he had an exceptionally keen perception of certain scents?

Thinking of this, Lin Qiqi couldn't help but admire sincerely: "A Qing, you are really amazing!"

Now that she had discovered the clue, Lin Qiqi simply decided not to hide it from Yun Qing anymore, so she told him the truth: "The guy who just came here is a monster from another dimension, named Mountain Ghost. I speculate that he seems to have something we desperately need in his hand, but unfortunately I can't remember what it is at the moment. However, fortunately, Ah Qing, you are particularly sensitive to the scent emanating from him, so the next task of finding the location of his lair will probably depend on you!

"When Yun Qing heard the name "Mountain Ghost", he suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu in his heart, but no matter how hard he tried to recall, he could not remember where he had heard it.

Forget it, since I can’t remember it, I won’t bother thinking about it for now. Anyway, I will just go ahead and follow Qiqi’s arrangements.

After lunch, Lin Qiqi suddenly suggested: "Aqing, why don't we go visit grandpa together?" Yun Qing looked at her in surprise, obviously not expecting Lin Qiqi to suddenly mention this at this moment.

In fact, visiting the elderly should have been planned long ago, but due to a series of events that followed, the arrangement was repeatedly delayed until today.

Lin Qiqi calmed down and carefully reviewed the recent developments. It felt chaotic, like a tangled mess. Most of them involved other people, while the key clues about Yun Qing herself were constantly set aside, as if these complicated and confusing matters were deliberately creating obstacles.

Neither Tiandao nor Ice Cream seemed to realize that this was a very abnormal situation, which was really unbelievable.

Lin Qiqi thought to herself that someone must have done this intentionally, and Yun Qing was probably the biggest suspect.

Lin Qiqi's intuition told her that the more such situations occurred, the more important the Yunqing plotline was. As for whether her speculation was true or not, a little experimentation would reveal the answer.

At this moment, Yun Qing nodded slightly, a gentle look in his eyes, and he nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay."

Seeing this, Lin Qiqi immediately turned around and shouted to Ice Cream Cone, "Tongzi! Go find Yunqing's grandfather!"

However, there was silence all around, and no response was heard.

"Ice cream cone?" Lin Qiqi called for ice cream cone again.

Ice Cream Cone seemed to have just heard: "Master, I'm here."

"Find out where Yunqing's grandfather is and send us there." Lin Qiqi said patiently.

Ice Cream Cone was silent for a few seconds: "Master, Ice Cream Cone cannot arrive directly."

Lin Qiqi was silent for a moment, then continued, "Can we find out his location?"

Ice Cream nodded: "Sure, An Ning Villa on the back hill of Luoxia Mountain."

"What's so special about Luoxia Mountain? Why can't we get there directly?" Lin Qiqi asked.

Ice Cream Cone: "The coordinate numbers keep changing and I can't locate them."

As expected, things involving Yun Qing began to develop strangely. Luoxia Mountain, it seemed, truly held a secret.

Yun Qing heard the conversation clearly.

He also didn't expect that his grandfather's side was so special.

"Ice cream cone, can we move it to Baiyun Village near Luoxia Mountain?" Yun Qing asked.

Tiantong searched and said, "Yes, the coordinates of Baiyun Village are correct."

Yun Qing gently held Lin Qiqi's hand and said soothingly, "Baiyun Village is half an hour's journey from Grandfather's house. Let's go to the village first and see if we can use the space to get up there."

Lin Qiqi nodded: "That's the only way."

The ice cream cone quickly brought the two to the entrance of Baiyun Village.

After leaving the system space, Yun Qing stayed there.

After only being away for a few short years, who could have expected that the once bustling and vibrant Baiyun Village would become so lifeless and like a gloomy and terrifying ghost village!

Even the plaque standing at the entrance of the village has become dilapidated, as if it has been eroded by decades of vicissitudes.

Lin Qiqi slowly raised her head, her gaze solemnly fixed on the gloomy and resentful energy that enveloped the entire village. The chilling air piled up like thick, dark clouds, leaving a heavy, oppressive feeling. She couldn't help but frown slightly, wondering: What on earth had happened here? Why was such a thick cloud of gloom and resentment gathering here?

Then, Lin Qiqi focused her attention again, carefully gazing at the scene within the village. She saw shadows swaying everywhere, but upon closer inspection, she realized none of them were living people. These shadows drifted erratically, sometimes disappearing into corners and alleyways, only to suddenly appear in the middle of the road, a terrifying sight.

This is a little devil.

"I didn't expect there was such a strange place hidden here." Lin Qiqi tightly grasped Yun Qing's hand beside her and said in a low voice, "Ah Qing, what was the Baiyun Village like when you saw it before?"

Hearing Lin Qiqi's question, Yun Qing fell into a state of reminiscence. After a moment, she softly replied, "I've been to this village many times. While Baiyun Village wasn't prosperous back then, the villagers were kind-hearted and simple. Everyone got along well, helped each other, and lived a free and happy life."

"Have you ever eaten anything from the village? Or have you made any deals with them?" Lin Qiqi asked nervously, holding Yun Qing's hand tightly.

Yun Qing shook his head. "No, I always bring things down for my grandfather. He says he has a good relationship with the old village chief, so he always sends him wine and dumplings every winter solstice."

That's good. Lin Qiqi felt relieved. She became even more curious about Yun Qing's grandfather.

If she guessed correctly, Yun Qing's grandfather must have made a deal with the leader of this little ghost den, and this Baiyun Village was a barrier protecting An Ning Villa. If an outsider forced their way through, they would probably be unable to escape the maze.

But now Baiyun Village has returned to its original appearance. Either the transaction with Anning Villa has ended, or it is because the Heavenly Dao has lifted the restrictions of the underworld system, which has allowed Baiyun Village to reveal its true appearance.

The Underworld System. Lin Qiqi suddenly thought of this thing. Why did a loophole like Baiyun Village appear when it was previously banned?

"Let's go and take a look into the village." Lin Qiqi pulled Yun Qing. She was very curious.

As soon as I walked past the plaque at the entrance of Baiyun Village, the world in front of me changed completely.

The shabby, ramshackle houses I had just seen from the outside had been completely transformed into rows of neatly arranged houses. These houses were arranged in a staggered manner, and the tiles on the roofs gleamed faintly in the sunlight, as if telling the story of the passage of time and the improvement of life.

Looking back at those previously blurry shadows, they gradually became clearer, revealing their true appearances as ordinary villagers. Some were in a hurry, while others were leisurely weaving through the village roads. Some sat quietly at their doorsteps, skillfully sewing, each stitch revealing their hope for a better life. Others were driving their old oxen slowly out of the village, their steady steps as if they were already accustomed to this daily grind. Others were working hard on their millstones, turning them round and round, grinding grain into a fine powder for delicious food. Still others simply stood casually by the roadside, chatting in groups of three or five, their hearty laughter echoing from time to time.

It looked like the whole village was full of life and prosperity, but it was just an appearance. If you looked closely at their eyes, you would find that their smiles were only superficial, as if they were forced to perform.

They seemed to have completely ignored Yun Qing and Lin Qiqi, and didn't even glance at them.

"Why didn't I notice it before?" Yun Qing opened his mouth wide as he looked at the scene in front of him.

"Hmm?" Lin Qiqi blinked. "What didn't you find?"

"These people haven't changed at all over these years, and every time I come, they repeat the same thing." Yun Qing tried hard to recall the scene every time he came, and there was really no change!

Lin Qiqi's expression was solemn. "These aren't human at all. They live every day like they're going to die. This place may be small, but it's filled with a heavy sense of yin and resentment. Something terrible must have happened, destroying the village overnight. The resentment is so overwhelming that it's become a den of ghosts."

To call it a den of ghosts is an understatement. This place can be seen as a microcosm of the City of the Dead. Infinitely repeating the last day before death is a very grueling punishment.

It is not difficult to see from the eyes of these ghosts that although they are trapped in a cycle, they still retain their memories, and although they are desperate, they can do nothing about it.

"Let's go find the village chief." Since they had met, Lin Qiqi decided to take care of it. If Yun Qing had been safe and sound in Baiyun Village several times, the village chief shouldn't be considered a bad person or evil spirit. "The village chief should be the only one who has changed, right?"

Yun Qing nodded: "The village chief is different from them."