Li still remembered Yuan’s special warning before he left.

　　"From the fourth blood word instruction onwards, the danger is often invisible. To survive, you have to observe, be cautious, and find some kind of pattern. Don’t miss any unnatural details, no matter how small they are. It’s been a long time since anyone has survived three blood word instructions, so I hope you can survive."

　　And he specifically emphasized one point—

　　"Don't trust anything anyone says, not even yourself. Because your eyes will deceive you. You might be walking on a cliff, but you’ll feel like you’re on flat ground."

　　Li kept these words in mind, not daring to relax for a moment.

　　The headman's invitation was a huge "unnatural" event.

　　"I am the headman of this village, my name is Zhang." The headman, supported by the young woman, led Li and his four companions towards his own house.

　　"Headman Zhang," Ye asked first, "Why…are you willing to let us stay?"

　　"Haha," the headman smiled mysteriously and said, "I'm not like those backward old-timers. Youshui Village can't stay stuck in these mountains forever. Don’t be nervous. Stay as long as you want."

　　The young woman supporting him quickly said, "Grandpa, is…is that really okay? Tomorrow, is…is Bing’s memorial day. At a time like this…"

　　Bing’s memorial day?

　　Li's heart skipped a beat.

　　Tomorrow…was the day he was officially supposed to start living in Youshui Village according to the apartment’s blood word instructions.

　　And that Bing, was she the “Li Bing” they were talking about?

　　And it just happened to be her memorial day…

　　If he said it was a coincidence, he wouldn’t believe it if he were beaten to death.

　　The headman’s house was quite grand.

　　It had a bit of a small villa vibe, with three floors and a reinforced concrete exterior.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

　　Unlike most of the other houses, which were mostly ordinary cement houses.

　　It wasn’t the time to be polite, so Li and his companions went into the headman’s house.

　　Of course, the headman was also cautious.

　　He took them to his room.

　　After they sat down, he told his granddaughter to leave and close the door.

　　Then, he asked, “Now, can you tell me your names?"

　　After all, they were strangers.

　　The headman wanted to know who they were.

　　Li replied, "My name is Li. This is Qin, Luo, and Ye…"

　　At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and a young man with a crew cut walked in, coldly scanning Li and the others.

　　He said to the headman, “Grandpa…it’s true, I heard people in the village say that you brought some shady people to stay here?"

　　“A’wu! Why are you so rude!” Headman Zhang immediately said angrily, "Who I invite is my business. Do you have to approve it?"

　　The young man named A’wu, however, was not willing to back down.

　　He said, “Grandpa, it’s your freedom to invite whoever you want, but I can’t stand these no-good people running around the village!"

　　Immediately, Luo, who was quick-tempered, got angry and stood up. He said, “You…who do you call no-good?”

　　Li also stood up immediately and said in a low voice, "Are you serious? Is this the time to be arguing about this?"

　　Then he said with a smile, “Sir, we’re here to experience the rural lifestyle. We don’t have any malicious intentions. We’ll leave after a month."

　　“A month?” The young man named A’wu was furious.

　　He said, “Do you think you can stay that long? Get out! I’m telling you, all the ghost stories are just made up by people with a guilty conscience. Li Bing committed suicide. The police have closed the case! Some people are making up stories about ghosts to stir up trouble!"

　　Suicide?

　　This surprised Li.

　　But it was still nerve-wracking.

　　Everyone had seen ghost stories.

　　It was common for people who committed suicide to become ghosts.

　　A’wu’s glaring gaze made Li even more certain…“ghosts” weren’t made up.

　　"Okay, A’wu!" Headman Zhang slammed his cane on the floor and said, "Go back to your room! Mr. Li and the others are my guests. How can you be so rude to them!"

　　“Humph!” A’wu ignored him.

　　He said, “Grandpa, are you really letting them stay for a month? Do you know who they are?"

　　Headman Zhang swung his cane and hit A’wu!

　　The latter, caught off guard, was hit hard on the shoulder!

　　“Go back to your room!” Headman Zhang said angrily.

　　Suddenly, he started to cough.

　　Li was baffled.

　　He was beating his grandson for them, a group of strangers?

　　What was the headman up to?

　　The level of “unnatural” events was getting stronger.

　　A’wu glared at Li and his companions and said, “Let’s see how long you can enjoy yourselves!"

　　Then he rushed out of the room.

　　He bumped into a middle-aged woman.

　　"A’wu! What are you doing!" The middle-aged woman covered her forehead and said, “You’re so reckless!”

　　“Mom, go ask Grandpa yourself!” Then, A’wu rushed out.

　　The middle-aged woman immediately chased after him.

　　"I apologize for the commotion," Headman Zhang immediately closed the door and said, "Don’t worry about anything. Just stay. Stay as long as you want."

　　Li felt as if Headman Zhang had invited them here for a reason.

　　What was it?