Chapter 262: 258 Uncle

The next day, under the guidance of the tour guide Mo Guangning, Fang Mu arrived at Wenya Tun, the remote mountain village mentioned in the diary.

"I haven't been back for a while; you probably can't imagine, but the changes here are truly significant. In the past, there were no asphalt roads here, and there was certainly no such thing as guardrails on this mountain path," Mo Guangning said while expertly spinning the steering wheel, introducing the place to Fang Mu. There was a hint of nostalgia in his eyes; it seemed this mountain village held many memories for him.

As Mo Guangning had said, Fang Mu did not have any particular feelings about this. After all, he was an outsider from the city, and what he considered ordinary was sometimes the longing of others.

He could understand, but he could never resonate. To say that just by thinking about it or looking at it, he could understand the pride and sense of belonging that a local like Mo Guangning felt for the development of his homeland would be quite arrogant and idiotic.

Finally, after passing through a cave, the two of them officially entered the village.

Wenya Tun could be considered a large village among the surrounding areas; dozens of self-built houses and old dwellings were scattered in an orderly fashion. Some new, some old, some tall, and some short houses were squeezed together, just as closely as the people in the village were to one another.

The old and young in the village all stared at the incoming vehicle. Besides curiosity, there was an excitement in their eyes that Fang Mu found somewhat difficult to understand.

When the children in the village saw Mo Guangning stepping out of the car parked in front of the village chief's house, they all greeted him with great joy.

Aside from the words "Guangning" and "brother," Fang Mu could not understand what the tour guide and the children were saying, but it was likely a welcome for his return home. However, he always felt that the child currently talking to Mo Guangning was a bit strange, frequently casting glances at him while speaking.

That kind of look was like sizing up a commodity, as if he were a piece of pork.

Mo Guangning likely sensed Fang Mu's displeasure; he didn't chat with the village children for long before shooing them away, then said to Fang Mu: "Sorry, when I used to be in the village, I often took these brats out to play. They are a bit excited. I told them I wasn't here to play with them this time."

As he spoke, he invited Fang Mu to walk into the house on the right side of the car, saying: "Come in, I'll take you to meet the village chief."

"Uncle! Uncle!" After Fang Mu entered the house with Mo Guangning, he heard Mo Guangning shout loudly toward the interior.

It was only then that Fang Mu learned that the current village chief of Wenya Tun was Mo Guangning's own uncle.

Before long, a thin, tall, middle-aged man with skin as soy-sauce black as Mo Guangning's came in from the backyard upon hearing the sound. When he saw Mo Guangning, the man appeared very happy.

After the two exchanged brief pleasantries, Mo Guangning's uncle finally turned his attention to Fang Mu.

"Aining, who is this?" The man spoke Mandarin with an accent, looking curiously at Fang Mu, the outsider.

Mo Guangning then introduced Fang Mu and his uncle to each other, and it was only then that Fang Mu learned the village chief's name was Mo Longwei.

"Welcome to our village to play. If you don't mind, just stay at my place during this time," Mo Longwei said with a smile upon learning that Fang Mu was his nephew's client.

Mo Guangning also followed up: "Boss, what do you think? We don't have any inns or hotels here. My uncle's house was just renovated the year before last; there probably isn't a more comfortable place in the village than my uncle's. Don't worry, the cost of room and board is all included."

Mo Longwei, however, waved his hand with a smile, "My nephew's friend coming here to play—why would there be any need for money? Whatever you want to eat or buy, just put it on my tab."

Fang Mu smiled back to express his gratitude: "Then I will impose upon you. Thank you very much for your hospitality."

During lunch, Mo Longwei asked about the plans of Fang Mu and Mo Guangning and recommended several places nearby with good scenery.

Before Mo Guangning could open his mouth, Fang Mu straightforwardly stated his intention to go to Nong Mountain.

Once these words were spoken, the sounds at the dining table suddenly fell silent, and the atmosphere became oppressive.

"That is not a place for play." After a long while, the village chief said to Fang Mu with a serious expression, "Change to another place."

Fang Mu and Mo Guangning exchanged a glance, both falling silent and saying nothing more.

That evening, Mo Guangning got a few bottles of beer and some snacks from the village shop, inviting Fang Mu to the rooftop to enjoy the night view of the mountain village and chat along the way.

Besides the two of them, Mo Guangning's uncle, the village chief, also came to the small drinking session.

With cups clinking and toasts exchanged, after three rounds of drinks, the three of them loosened up, and the conversation flowed.

"Aimu, you haven't given up on going into the mountain, have you?" Mo Longwei hiccuped from the alcohol, his eyes fixed on Fang Mu.

Fang Mu was slightly silent, then nodded: "I have a reason I must go."

Mo Guangning did not speak, only fixing his gaze on his uncle.

Mo Longwei shook his head, "Do you know what is inside the mountain?"

Having been embarrassed at noon, Fang Mu, having learned his lesson, answered more cautiously this time: "I am a writer of suspense novels. I recently heard rumors about this mountain on the internet by chance. It happens to be material I need, so I came over to gather some."

"I really don't recommend you go there," Mo Longwei said while picking at peanuts to eat. "Many people died in that mountain in the past, and many strange things happened."

"Can you tell me about it in detail?" Fang Mu waited patiently for Mo Longwei to agree.

Mo Longwei neither clearly refused nor clearly agreed. Only after nearly a minute of silence did he slowly tell Fang Mu a story from his past.

"For so many years, among the outsiders who have come to our village, the last person who said they wanted to enter Nong Mountain like you did was nearly thirty years ago. That person brought unimaginable disaster to our village." Mo Longwei's eyes revealed a lost look, his expression gradually becoming painful. "This outsider, who knows where he came from, had likely offended the Toad God and was struck by a Curse, becoming almost terminally ill. He sought help from the village chief at the time. Hearing that the Curse was affecting his family, the village chief couldn't bear it and provided help, allowing him to enter the mountain to beg for forgiveness from the Toad God residing in Nongshan Shandong.

As it turned out, he got better, but we don't know where our village offended the Toad God again. Our village suffered from a toad plague for a long time. At that time, fields, orchards, roads, and homes were everywhere filled with toads that would attack people, causing our village quite a lot of losses. If it were just financial loss, that wouldn't be much, but what was terrifying was that later, those in the village who believed in the Toad God, for the sake of the village's peace, gathered together, wanting to offer more and better gifts at the annual sacrificial ceremony to appease the Toad God's anger. As it turned out, the Toad God was likely very angry; everyone who was worshipping in Nongshan Shandong at that time encountered a landslide disaster, and there were no survivors.

Our Wenya Tun suddenly lost nearly half of its households and labor force; it took a full 10 years longer to develop to where it is today."