The shop owner paused, as if recalling the scene, his expression involuntarily turning fearful. He gulped down several mouthfuls from the water bowl Zhou Rong handed him before calming down.

Chen Xiaomeng sat on the wooden chair, leaning slightly forward, and said in a low voice, "So… Xiaoshijian Village is cursed by the dead women?"

"Yes," the shop owner nodded. "Not long after the police left, people in Xiaoshijian Village began to disappear. At first, no one thought about it, but as more and more people went missing, some realized this was revenge from the dead women."

"Especially…" his voice suddenly turned strange, his lips trembling slightly, "after the bodies of those men were found."

"What happened to the bodies?" Benfu asked, shrinking into himself, his pupils slightly dilated, showing a curious yet frightened look.

"The bodies… the bodies were in terrible condition," the shop owner said, as if suddenly feeling cold, pulling his coat tighter. "It is said that some had their eyes and noses gouged out, and some had their limbs broken and hung on trees, their skin completely peeled off and neatly folded under the tree… In short, it was as gruesome as it could get."

"Tell me, could humans do such a thing?"

There was no doubt that ghosts existed within the so-called curse, at least for Jiang Cheng and his group. The missions they had experienced were all related to supernatural events.

"Creak—"

"Creak—"

A sound came from behind. Looking back, a woman holding a kerosene lamp slowly walked down the stairs in the darkness.

The woman's face was sallow, and she was dressed plainly.

Zhou Rong recognized her at a glance. She was the shop owner's wife.

The wooden stairs, old and in disrepair, moaned like someone dying with the woman's footsteps.

The shop owner seemed afraid of his wife. Seeing her, he quickly stood up and turned to the group to say, "Take my advice, no matter what the reason, don't get involved with those people or that village!"

He stared at Zhou Rong's clothes, pursed his lips, and said in a very fast voice as he looked up, "I can tell you're not ordinary people, but you can't solve the problems in that village. Over the years, Xiaoshijian Village has spent a lot of money to resolve the curse, hiring capable people from all over, but those who entered the village never came out again."

Biting his lip, the shop owner seemed to have made a decision for everyone. "You should rest well tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll send you away from the back door. I won't charge you for the meal or the accommodation. Leave early and never come back."

It was clear that the shop owner was a very simple and honest person. He didn't want everyone to get involved in the curse of Xiaoshijian Village and die in vain.

But he didn't understand that it was Jiang Cheng and his group's mission to resolve the curse.

If they couldn't lift the curse within the specified time, everyone in front of him would die.

Of course, these words couldn't be told to the shop owner.

After saying these words, the shop owner helped the woman leave. Jiang Cheng glanced at the woman's abdomen.

Under her plain clothes, the woman's abdomen was slightly bulging, indicating she was pregnant.

This explained why the shop owner was so nervous when he saw the woman walking down the stairs alone, fearing an accident.

After the shop owner and the woman left, everyone sat around the table to discuss the next plan.

Naturally, they wouldn't listen to the shop owner and leave, but they gradually split into two factions regarding what to do next.

Led by the elder Pei Qian, some people advocated being more conservative. They suggested not going to Xiaoshijian Village with the village chief tomorrow but staying in Anping Town to continue gathering information and going to the village when the time was right.

But Zhou Rong objected, arguing that they should go to Xiaoshijian Village tomorrow. Although the mission didn't specify a time limit, it was better to start early.

Moreover, Anping Town was not the mission location, so the possibility of finding clues was low.

The two sides argued, unable to convince each other.

Finally, someone suggested taking a vote.

The suggestion was approved.

Jiang Zhongyi slowly raised his hand and said, "I support Mr. Pei Qian's view. We… we should investigate thoroughly before going, otherwise, it would be reckless and… and people will die."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Man crossed her arms and sneered, "I agree, if you want to go tomorrow, go ahead. I'm staying."

As she said this, she glanced at Zhou Rong, clearly intending to provoke him.

After all, the two had never gotten along.

There were also three people on Zhou Rong's side: Zhou Rong, Chen Xiaomeng, and Li Lu.

Li Lu looked gentle and weak, and her voice was very soft, but she was very firm in her decision to go to Xiaoshijian Village.

This changed some people's perception of her.

Next, there were only Jiang Cheng and Benfu who hadn't expressed their opinions. Their attitudes would determine the final fate of the team.

After all, they weren't rookies and knew the horror movie rule of never separating until the last moment.

Under the pressure of both sides, Benfu felt overwhelmed.

He had a clear understanding of himself. He was just tagging along. He had survived the last mission by clinging to someone powerful.

He couldn't afford to offend anyone in the team.

"I… I abstain," he glanced left and right and said softly.

Pei Qian glanced at him but said nothing, but Zhou Rong looked at him with cold eyes.

Seeing this, Benfu didn't dare to meet Zhou Rong's gaze and lowered his head to stare at his toes.

Now, only Jiang Cheng was left.

His vote was crucial.

Pei Qian, who had always been relatively indifferent, spoke first. "Little brother," his voice was soft, but it gave people a sense of credibility. "The choice you are about to make may determine the life and death of our team. I hope you will be cautious."

Seeing Pei Qian speak, Zhou Rong wasn't willing to be outdone. "Mr. Yin," he looked at Jiang Cheng and said eagerly, "I believe you know how precious time is in a mission. Although what I'm doing is riskier, but…"

Jiang Cheng sat casually in the middle of the wooden chair, feeling the attention on him. He slowly picked up his water cup, but found it was empty. He frowned and clicked his tongue.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhongyi, quick-witted, immediately took the water bottle and filled Jiang Cheng's cup.

After drinking the water in the cup with satisfaction, Jiang Cheng squinted his eyes and looked at Jiang Zhongyi, who was holding the water bottle, with a satisfied expression. Then he slowly said, "I support…"

Jiang Zhongyi's face turned red with excitement.

"I support Zhou Rong," Jiang Cheng turned his head and said. "After all, Little Dragon Girl is my good friend, Yin Mou, and I…" He looked at Chen Xiaomeng very seriously.

"We had a fling."