Zhu Yanyi was even more curious about Wangjiagou. Wang Xiuliang from Wangjiagou had attacked She Atu’s family in Hejiacun. Even if it was love turning into hate, the method was cruel. Wang Guitian likely guided this.
According to the Heavenly Dao’s hint, the heavy snow must have a reason. Was the reason in Wangjiagou? She needed to visit.
Zhu Yanyi decided to find Yan Aohan first. If she went alone without telling him, he would be angry. Since they were together now, she had to explain. Some things could not be hidden, like her plan to explore Wangjiagou.
She found Yan Aohan. They were sitting comfortably near the warm hot spring, drinking wild vegetable soup.
Zhu Yanyi coughed lightly. "You four are drinking soup without inviting me or Senior Brother Qingyun. If Senior Brother Qingyun were here, she would be sad."
"What is Qingyun busy with?" Sikong Xuran asked curiously.
"It’s the snow disaster. A house collapsed, trapping someone’s leg. She is setting the bone." Zhu Yanyi walked over, took a clean bowl, and drank some soup.
Yan Aohan asked, "You came to find me for something?"
"I want to explore Wangjiagou at night," Zhu Yanyi said directly.
"Explore Wangjiagou at night? Why?" Yan Aohan asked.
Zhu Yanyi explained, "I found a strange building in Hejiacun. One house’s roof looks like a coffin, facing east and west. I asked She Atu. She said it was originally a warehouse, sold to Wang Guitian from Wangjiagou. Wang Guitian renovated it into a coffin-like structure. Wang Guitian is Wang Xiuliang’s cousin’s uncle. If Wang Guitian makes poison, it explains why Wang Xiuliang has wine poison and soft poison."
"You are not just exploring for this, are you?" Yan Aohan asked.
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "Not just for this. Did you forget the Heavenly Dao’s warning? There is a source of evil here. Wang Guitian and Wang Xiuliang are from Wangjiagou. Can I suspect that people in Wangjiagou have this evil tendency?"
Yan Aohan understood. "So you want to check if Wangjiagou is the source of evil. If so, we finish our task faster."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "The snow blocks our path, but due to the disaster, everyone is relocated. Wangjiagou people are also moved elsewhere. If we explore at night, we can see the real Wangjiagou."
Even with no people, the emptiness might reveal the truth.
Yan Aohan did not hesitate. "I will go with you."
Zhu Yanyi would not be in danger alone, but Yan Aohan would insist on joining her.
"What about here?" Zhu Yanyi pointed to their spot.
Yan Aohan looked around calmly. "Sikong and the others are here. One mere Wang Xiuliang cannot defeat them. Besides, we will return quickly."
To Yan Aohan, this was no problem.
Zhu Yanyi thought it made sense and nodded. "I have no objection."
Sikong Xuran smiled. "Go ahead. With us three here, do not worry."
Three cultivators could easily handle one mortal.
Zhu Yanyi raised an eyebrow. "It is settled. I will bring you midnight snacks when I return."
Wangjiagou was far, but Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan did not mind.
Due to the snow disaster, everyone in Wangjiagou had moved to temporary shelters. Wangjiagou was now dark and silent. The white snow made it feel eerie.
"It is so quiet here," Zhu Yanyi whispered to Yan Aohan.
Yan Aohan nodded. "Which direction do you want to start?"
Zhu Yanyi looked around and pointed to an old camphor tree at the village entrance. It was thick enough for three people to hug. "I will start with this tree."
The tree was at least one or two hundred years old. Old trees knew many things.
One should not do bad deeds. Zhu Yanyi did not need to search hard. She just needed an old tree to learn the truth.
Zhu Yanyi placed her hand on the trunk and communicated with the old camphor tree. Her mood became heavy.
"What is wrong?" Yan Aohan noticed her change.
Zhu Yanyi looked at her slowly. "Wangjiagou is indeed problematic."
"What problem?" Yan Aohan frowned slightly.
"Originally, there was no Wangjiagou here. Sixty years ago, after the war ended, some defeated soldiers from Eastern campaigns of other countries stayed. They disguised themselves as locals, creating Wangjiagou. For sixty years, Wangjiagou people studied various poisons and used humans as test subjects. They did not dare to experiment openly here, so they chose the densely populated Guang City. If not for this snow disaster, they planned to cause a plague in Guang City next spring."
Zhu Yanyi frowned. "No wonder the Heavenly Dao wanted us to stay here. The issue is here. The people of Wangjiagou are not from our country. Due to war chaos, we did not verify identities carefully, creating a loophole. Now, Wangjiagou appears to be Chinese, but they are not. They are spies from countries like R, H, and others."
Yan Aohan pondered. "I see. Wangjiagou is a big fish that slipped through the net."