harleyscars Chapter 655
Chapter 655
As Butler Xu was chatting enthusiastically with Yang Ming and Peng Ye, the topic suddenly changed. He pointed directly at the place of death that Wu Xie had mentioned and asked curiously, "What is that place? I see a lot of wild animals gathered there. I wonder if Mr. Peng could take us there to have a look?"
Upon hearing Steward Xu's words, Peng Ye's face instantly turned extremely gloomy. He refused without hesitation, saying, "No! We absolutely cannot go to that place!" Before he finished speaking, he led Cheng Jia away alone, without looking back, and rode his horse to a place some distance away from Steward Xu and Yang Ming.
Seeing this, Butler Xu was somewhat bewildered. He looked at Peng Ye's receding figure with a puzzled expression, then turned to Yang Ming, who seemed a little embarrassed, and asked in confusion, "Mr. Peng, what's wrong? Why did you leave so suddenly?"
Yang Ming appeared flustered. He frantically explained while glancing frequently in the direction Peng Ye had left, anxiously saying, "Mr. Xu, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. I should have told you sooner..."
Butler Xu was unusually angry and said, "What exactly happened? You didn't even tell us beforehand. If we had gone any further and violated someone's taboo or something, would we have been able to come back alive?"
Yang Ming, looking flustered, apologized repeatedly, "This is indeed my fault! I really didn't expect this place to suddenly be moved here, it's so strange!"
Butler Xu seemed very interested in Yang Ming's words and pressed him for details: "Move this place over? What exactly do you mean by that?"
Yang Ming composed himself and continued to explain, "You may not know this, but that's the infamous Death Valley in the Northwest! It's filled with countless wild animal carcasses; it's a truly terrifying place of death. Moreover, no matter who you are, once you enter that valley, there's absolutely no chance of them coming out alive."
He paused for a moment, then continued, “At first, this Death Valley only devoured some wild animals, but later, for some reason, even poultry and livestock were attracted in. As you know, the most valuable thing in our Northwest is the livestock that we have raised for a lifetime, so those farmers were naturally unwilling to lose them, so they went in to look for their lost livestock.”
At this point, Yang Ming couldn't help but sigh, his fear becoming even more pronounced. He continued in a trembling voice, "But who could have imagined? Those who went in to look for livestock, those waiting outside, watched helplessly as the sky suddenly darkened and was accompanied by bursts of thunder, as if something terrible was about to descend."
"And then what? Did any of those who went in come out safely?" Wu Xie was clearly completely captivated by Yang Ming's story. He couldn't wait to know what happened next, and even interrupted to ask questions halfway through the story.
Yang Ming was engrossed in his story when Wu Xie's sudden voice startled him. His heart felt as if it had been gripped by an invisible hand, and then began to pound wildly. He quickly patted his chest to calm his heart, which felt like it was about to leap out of his throat.
After a long while, Yang Ming finally came to his senses. He composed himself and continued, "What else could happen? All the livestock disappeared without a trace, let alone the people! No matter who came, it was all in vain! Even the researchers sent by the higher-ups before all perished inside. I have never seen anyone come out of there alive."
However, before Yang Ming could finish speaking, Fatty Wang suddenly let out a sneer. He said dismissively, "Don't talk nonsense! Wu Xie and I went in there last time! There were indeed the animal carcasses you mentioned, but I didn't see a single human bone! And it wasn't as mysterious as you make it out to be!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Ming's expression instantly turned grim. He quickly interrupted Fatty Wang, saying solemnly, "There are gods watching over us! You can't just say things like that! If any deity hears you, they might punish you!"
Seeing this, Steward Xu also started scolding Fatty Wang. Although Fatty Wang was somewhat dissatisfied, he didn't dare to talk back. He just muttered a few words under his breath and then quickly shrank behind Wu Xie like a frightened rabbit.
After listening to Yang Ming's explanation, Butler Xu thought for a moment and then said, "Then I'll have to trouble you to convey to Mr. Peng that we have no intention of entering the valley. We just want to look around outside the valley to see if we can find any traces of wild animals."
Yang Ming hesitated as he looked at the thick wad of banknotes that Butler Xu pulled from his pocket. This money was undoubtedly a considerable fortune for him, but he also knew that great danger lurked in the valley, and a slight misstep could cost him his life.
Just as Yang Ming was hesitating, Butler Xu seemed to see through his thoughts. He took out a stack of banknotes of the same thickness from another pocket, gently placed it in Yang Ming's hand, and said with a smile, "We will naturally abide by some rules. And you see, we are just observing from outside the valley and will not go in."
Yang Ming stroked the heavy banknotes in his hand, feeling their thickness and texture, and the scales in his heart began to slowly tip. He glanced again at the mysterious and dangerous Valley of Death behind him. Although a trace of fear still lingered in his heart, he finally gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and decided to agree to Butler Xu's request.
Yang Ming rode his horse to Peng Ye's side and told him that their employer was going to look around the valley but would not be entering it. He then took out a wad of banknotes from his pocket and handed them over.
"No matter how stubborn you are, you have to consider Cheng Jia! Look at yourself, how long has it been since your job paid you? How are you going to support Cheng Jia? You can't expect him to go begging too!"
Yang Ming stuffed the wad of banknotes into Peng Ye's hand, then said meaningfully, "These are people who know the rules, not the tourists who didn't before. You should really change this bad habit of yours! Don't be so stubborn all the time. Will you still be this stubborn after you get married?"
After Yang Ming finished speaking, he walked towards Steward Xu and the others with a smile on his face.