Mu Jiujiu frowned.

Why is there no one in the huge village?

Wen Yuan said: "Go further." ”

The group continued on their way, and finally saw a room with a faint glimmer of light from the window.

Outside the house hung a lantern, somewhat shabby, crumbling, and covered with dust.

There were a lot of strange runes pasted on the door, and the corners and corners were broken a lot, and Mu Jiujiu accidentally touched it, and several of them fell down like this.

Mu Jiujiu: "......"

Duan Qianxiao took a step forward and knocked lightly on the door.

He knocked for a long time, and the room was empty and no one answered.

But there was light in the house.

Mu Jiujiu thought about it, and said to the inside: "I really don't want to bother, but because it's already dark, and I really can't find anyone else here, so I want to borrow it for one night, I don't know if it's convenient?" ”

Footsteps began to sound in the room.

"Crunch—"

The door opened.

Inside the door appeared an old man with gray hair and a wrinkled face.

The old man looked at the strangers in front of him suspiciously, and asked, "Why are you here at such a late hour?" ”

Mu Jiujiu hurriedly said: "This old gentleman is like this. We will go to explore the poisonous fog swamp tomorrow, but it is late at night, so we have no choice but to go up and disturb. ”

The old man seemed to pause slightly after hearing this, and then smiled kindly: "Then you come in, it's so late, and it's dangerous outside." ”

"Thank you, old man." Mu Jiujiu's eyes bent.

The room was a little dimly lit.

The old man seemed to realize it and lit the kerosene lamp.

It feels a little strange because there are so few kerosene lamps nowadays. When she came into this world, most of them used some artifacts with aura.

For example, she was in the Drunken Immortal Residence before, and the most ordinary room used Lingyue lanterns in it. I remember that Dawn also explained to her at that time that the lamp was the product of a clam spirit animal.

Maybe it's because the Poison Mist Swamp is so remote that the infrastructure hasn't kept up?

"Wait a minute, I'll get you some water to drink." The old man said and walked slowly up the stairs.

Duan Qianxiao looked at Mu Jiujiu and pondered for a long time, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?" ”

Mu Jiujiu: "I just thought of ......"

"Huh?"

"I think it's very important to close the gap between the rich and the poor. It can not only effectively alleviate social contradictions, but also achieve social equity and build a better world of river crabs......"

Mu Jiujiu said with a serious face.

Duan Qianxiao: "......" I'm sorry to interrupt me.

The room seemed to have several floors, and on the first floor there were two rooms, surrounded by a dark green cabinet with a table next to it.

It was dark above the stairs and it was impossible to see what was inside.

And there are cobwebs in the corners of the walls, which look a little shabby.

When Mu Jiujiu was looking at this, the old man also came over, bringing water and a plate of fried beans.

The old man said, "There are no good things at home, so I'll eat some." ”

Duan Qianxiao: "Where, the old man is too polite." ”

Mu Jiujiu: "Yes, yes, we are very grateful to the old man for taking him in." ”

The old man said, "My things here are a little worn. There is only one room upstairs covered with quilts, and two downstairs. I live downstairs, depending on how you live. ”

Mu Jiujiu said: "Then I will live in one room alone, and the two of them will live in one room, thank you, old ......."

"The three of us just live upstairs." Suddenly, Wen Yuan spoke.

Mu Jiujiu was a little surprised, she found that Wen Yuan hadn't spoken since she entered the room, and she hadn't spoken until now.

But how do three people live? Mu Jiujiu looked confused.

Wen Yuan: "I'm tired of the old man giving us two blankets, and when the time comes, we will sleep on the ground." ”

The old man seemed to look at him, and then said slowly, "Okay, I'll go and lay it for you first." ”

Mu Jiujiu: "Hard old man." ”

The old man turned and went upstairs.

When the old man's figure disappeared, Mu Jiujiu asked a little strangely, "What's wrong?" ”

Wen Yuan shook his head and was silent.

Duan Qianxiao opened his mouth and said: "Brother Wen Yuan's concern is reasonable, after all, life is not familiar, and it is best for everyone to stay together at this time." ”

Although Mu Jiujiu felt that what they said made sense, he felt that there was a bit of a snake shadow.

An old man in his last years, no matter how you look at it, he is not as powerful as them. Wen Yuan and Duan Qianxiao don't mention it, she also has "Fengyue Dream" by her side, and she is not a weak woman who is powerless.

She glanced at the fried beans on the table, feeling hungry after a busy day, as soon as her hand touched the table, Wen Yuan grabbed her wrist and stopped her movements.

Mu Jiujiu: "......"

Wen Yuan didn't look at her, carefully checked the food and water, and then said lightly: "Eat." ”

Duan Qianxiao: "No problem? ”

Wen Yuan: "Hmm. ”

Mu Jiujiu said: "I think you are too vigilant, this old man is not like a bad person." ”

Wen Yuan said: "The heart of guarding against people is indispensable, and it is often not the people you guard against that can harm you, but the people you think are impossible to hurt you." ”

He lowered his eyes, as if he thought of some not-so-good memories, and his gaze faded a little.

"Okay." Mu Jiujiu ate a few fried beans, probably hungry, and thought it tasted good.

After a while the old man came down from the upper floor and said to them, "The carpet is laid, so you can go up and rest when you are tired." ”

Mu Jiujiu: "Okay." ”

Wen Yuan: "I don't know why there is only one household in this huge village?" ”

The old man sighed faintly, "You outsiders may not know. In the past, the Poison Mist Swamp was just an ordinary swamp, not poisonous. There are many villages in the vicinity, all of which are self-sufficient and happy.

There are some good things in the swamp, and some villagers will go in and pick something to subsidize their families.

Later, I don't know when it started, but the people who went to the swamp didn't come back, and some people went to look for it, but there was no news. That day, I finally crawled back one, covered in blood, and my fingers were only white bones, which was terrifying.

The man said that there was a poisonous mist in the swamp, and the swamp would eat people! ”

The old man shook his head as he spoke, sighing.

Later, the poisonous gas slowly spread somehow, and those villagers who did not approach the swamp gradually showed signs of chronic poisoning.

Some of the children born to pregnant women are stillborn, some are deformed, and everyone is behaving more and more frenziedly.

Then, this place will slowly become deserted. ”

"Hey." After listening to this, Mu Jiujiu sighed.

Duan Qianxiao: "Then why didn't the old man think of leaving?" ”

Old man: "I'm old, and I was going to leave, but when people get older, they fall in love with the old." It's a place I've lived in for decades, and I'm really reluctant to give it up. ”

Wen Yuan said as if unintentionally: "The old man's health is still quite good. ”

When Mu Jiujiu heard this, he thought to himself that this poisonous fog was not going to spread, why was this old man fine?

I saw the old man say: "I'm just lucky, I used to be very weak, my spirit was not normal, and I often had phantoms."

Then the village was gone, and no one cared about me, an old man. I was ready to die, but somehow, I got better......"

Mu Jiujiu: "Huh? Here's why. ”

The old man said: "I also discovered by accident that there is water from a well behind this house, which has the effect of detoxification.

It's a pity that I was the only one left in the village at that time. ”

After the old man finished speaking, he coughed heavily, looking a little out of breath.

Mu Jiujiu said worriedly: "Grandpa, are you okay?" ”

The old man sighed: "Hey, this person is old, and he feels tired after saying a few words." I'll go rest first, and then you can go upstairs when you're tired. ”

"Okay."

The old man slowly walked into his room, and was about to close the door, when he suddenly seemed to think of something, and said to them: "I have piled up some miscellaneous items on the top floor of this room, and there is a lot of dust, so I don't need to go in, so as not to choke you." ”