After returning to the house, Zhang Nu went to find Lin Xiao and Ling Xi. This matter was extremely important—if overheard by any of the villagers, they might never be allowed to leave this place.
“So? Did you find out anything useful?” Lin Xiao asked.
Zhang Nu nodded. “Yes. In fact, it might be very useful. You both need to listen carefully.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiao and Ling Xi nodded solemnly.
“I spoke with that boy earlier, he said his name is Zhao Yang. He told me not everyone in this village was always like this. When they were younger, they all had dreams. They wanted to travel the world, to explore and seek out new horizons.”
“But now? Somehow, all of his friends have turned into the same kind of people as the rest of the villagers. He's the only one left who still clings to those dreams.”
Lin Xiao and Ling Xi both fell into thought. It was certainly a sobering realization. If what Zhang Nu said was true, then there had to be more going on with Zhao Yang than met the eye.
“There must be something special about Zhao Yang,” Lin Xiao murmured. “How can he be the only one in the whole village who’s still conscious of it all?”
Zhang Nu nodded in agreement. Whatever the reason, they had to focus on rescuing Liu Hai first.
“For now, our priority is to wake Liu Hai up. Everything else can wait. The key thing is that Zhao Yang said that if we agreed to take him with us when we leave, he’d help us bring Liu Hai back.”
Upon hearing that, Ling Xi and Lin Xiao exchanged glances. They had no better option. Zhao Yang understood the village better than anyone. Without his help, they might never reach Liu Hai.
“Fine,” Lin Xiao said. “We’ll take Zhao Yang with us, but only if he succeeds in getting Liu Hai to snap back. If he fails, we leave him behind.”
Zhang Nu nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ve already told him that. Zhao Yang agreed—if we promise to take him, he’ll help us without hesitation.”
That finally put Lin Xiao at ease. As long as Zhang Nu was certain of Zhao Yang’s sincerity, they could proceed.
“Then, when do we start? It’s about time Liu Hai saw this place for what it really is,” Zhang Nu shook his head. “I need to go speak with Zhao Yang again first. But before that, where is Liu Hai? He’s not here.”
“He’s outside training,” Ling Xi said, pointing to the open yard.
Zhang Nu stared at her in disbelief. “Liu Hai? Training? Are you serious?”
That didn’t make sense. By now, Liu Hai should’ve fallen completely under the village’s spell. Sluggish, lazy—certainly not training.
“What happened? Is he really getting better already?”
Ling Xi shook her head. “It’s because Lin Xiao beat him in a sparring match. He couldn’t take the loss. Once he realized Lin Xiao had only been training for a month and still beat him, it hit him hard.”
“Lin Xiao is honestly kind of a rare genius,” she added. “After losing to him, Liu Hai couldn’t bring himself to slack off anymore.”
Zhang Nu turned to look at Lin Xiao, clearly stunned. “You really beat him? You’ve become that strong?”
Lin Xiao nodded slowly. Zhang Nu didn’t want to believe it, but the truth was right in front of him, and denial wouldn’t change that.
“If you don’t believe me—” Lin Xiao started.
“No, no, I believe you!” Zhang Nu interrupted, letting out a laugh. “You’re amazing, Lin Xiao. When am I going to get as strong as you? To think you improved this much in such a short time…”
Lin Xiao scratched his head in embarrassment. He clearly hadn’t expected such praise from Zhang Nu.
“It’s nothing,” he muttered. “You guys helped me out. You gave me all the leftover monsters to train with, after all.”