1894 Already Made Plans

Zhuo Yun might feel like a country bumpkin right now, but he did not have time to study his surroundings. The moment he heard what the village chief said, he asked anxiously, “What is the Forbidden Forest? As for the archaeological team, did they come with eight men in total?”

The village chief looked at Zhuo Yun and did not talk about the Forbidden Forest. He paused briefly. “Yes, there were roughly seven to eight people.”

Hearing this, Zhuo Yun finally felt a little relieved. If the village chief was right about the number of people, this meant Prof Min and the rest of the archaeological team were safe for now.

As he pondered, he retrieved his phone from his pocket, swiped down to a photo, and showed it to the village chief. “Were any of these people inside the team?”

The village chief narrowed his eyes as he studied the photo for some time before he nodded. “I think so.”

A look of joy swept across Zhuo Yun’s face.

“Did they find the entrance?” asked Huo Yao, veering her head.

The village chief sighed. After a long silence, he finally said, “I told them where to find it.”

The village chief was already 49 years old and had a lot of white hair. As he spoke, he smiled sadly. Even though he resided in a secluded location far away from the problems in the outside world, he seemed overwhelmed by helplessness.

Huo Yao lowered her eyes and looked at the village chief. It was impossible to see any emotions in her eyes now. She simply said slowly, “Do any of them know the exact entrance?”

The village chief was stunned. The pipe in his hand froze motionless for some time. “You…”

Huo Yao knew the village chief’s temperament. She smiled, got up, and walked up in front of the window.

It seemed as though the sky turned dark particularly early in the countryside. After roughly ten minutes, it was completely dark outside. Neither the moon nor the stars could be seen. Only the mountain ridge in the distance was visible.

Huo Yao’s face looked calm as she turned around and said softly, “I know you won’t talk.”

Otherwise, he would not have quietly stood guard in the village for decades.

How many decades could a man have?

The long pipe in the village chief’s hand slipped through his fingers. As it landed on the ground, a thud could be heard. Seeing this, Huo Yao went back, bent over, and picked up the pipe.

After placing the pipe back in the village chief’s hand, Huo Yao did not continue with the subject. Instead, she asked about his health. “Do you still cough at night?”

The village chief gathered his thoughts, looked at Huo Yao, and spoke hoarsely, “It already stopped.”

“Take care.” Huo Yao patted the village chief’s shoulder and spoke.

The village chief smiled sadly, nodded, and looked up at the sky outside. Finally, he asked, “Are you entering the Forbidden Forest?”

Huo Yao said nothing, but she did not deny it either.

The village chief pushed himself off the chair and said, “I’ll go make dinner. After you’re done, it should be almost time.”

“Thanks then.” Huo Yao nodded without turning down his offer.

The village chief waved his hand and walked to the kitchen outside.

After he was gone, Huo Yao looked at Min Yu and explained, “The Forbidden Forest contains mechanisms as well. It can only be accessed at specific times in the morning and at night.”

Min Yu knew they could not rush into things. He nodded. “We’ll wait then.”

Huo Yao acknowledged softly and stopped talking. She turned to walk out of the house.

Only Zhuo Yun, Min Yu, and Myron remained inside the house.

“I’m starting to think that the archaeological team deliberately made plans to come here,” Zhuo Yun spoke to Min Yu in a suppressed tone standing beside him.

When he saw the plane outside the village, he already felt this way.