A few days later, Jiang Wen met with his employer from Southeast Asia. The employer was a very refined person, with an air of cultivation in his speech.
When discussing the strange happenings in his home, he simply said there was nothing he could do. He had hired so-called experts in Southeast Asia, but the problem remained unsolved.
When discussing travel arrangements with Jiang Wen, his offer to provide a private plane was declined. The employer did not insist, simply leaving his address before departing.
Wang Sheng, who was standing nearby, asked him why he had refused. Jiang Wen simply explained that he wanted to make the trip himself.
In fact, Jiang Wen also wanted to take Mo Xiang to Southeast Asia this time for some experience. She was considered Jiang Wen's disciple at the Jingxu Temple. Although she had experienced a lot in Dagan, she was always under his and Li Yunshang's protection.
This time, going to Southeast Asia, he planned to take Mo Xiang on foot, and also see the results of her cultivation during these days.
Returning to the temple and talking to Mo Xiang about this matter, Mo Xiang immediately agreed. Jiang Wen could see that she also wanted to go out and see the world, instead of just staying in the Taoist temple.
The two packed their things, put on Taoist robes, and set off towards the border. On the way, they entrusted Grandpa Shen to help her get an identity card, and then took a car all the way to the southern border.
One day, the two were walking in the sparsely populated Dahuang Mountains.
Jiang Wen stepped on the muddy path after the rain, looking at the dilapidated mountain village not far away.
He turned his head, pointed to a few collapsed mud walls in the distance, and asked the old man behind him: "Old man? Is this your Phoenix Village? You call this a village?"
It was indeed a village, but at first glance, it looked like a disaster-stricken village after a catastrophe. Decayed wooden beams and pillars, which had not been repaired, were exposed everywhere, and the mud walls had collapsed.
Only a few tile-roofed houses that could be considered intact were overgrown with weeds, with no signs of human activity.
Jiang Wen could imagine that there were probably not many people left in this village. Under such harsh conditions, the young people in the village either went out to work or moved to the county town a hundred miles away early on.
Those who remained in the village were mostly a few elderly people who were reluctant to leave their homeland, and left-behind children.
"Over here, the Han people have all gone out, so who's left?" The old cadre puffed on his cigarette, speaking with a heavy accent, a hint of sigh on his dark and old face.
His bald head swayed like a gourd ladle, and his mud-covered heels stepped into a half-inch-deep mud pit, slowly walking ahead.
"You little Taoist, why don't you stay in the temple and bring people running into the mountains?"
Jiang Wen listened to the old cadre's words and replied with a smile, "I'm taking my disciple around for some experience. Old man, have you heard of any strange things happening here?"
"What strange things? Don't talk nonsense, there's nothing strange here." The old cadre said unhappily, heading towards the village without looking back.
Neither heaven nor earth could be seen.
Jiang Wen led Mo Xiang into the village, following the old cadre.
There was no idyllic scenery as imagined, only filthy mud and yellow soil that sank into the heels.
The originally clean leather boots were covered with mud, weighing heavily on the feet, making every step difficult.
He heard the sound of chickens and watched several hens walk past him with their heads held high. After leaving a string of black and white droppings beside his feet, they left mercilessly.
"This village is really remote." Jiang Wen thought, as Mo Xiang beside him shook off the mud from her shoes.
"Are you still used to it along the way?" Jiang Wen asked.
"It's okay, with Brother Jiang, nothing happened." Mo Xiang replied softly.
"Old Chen, whose child is this? Is she a relative of your family?"
An old lady sitting at the door of a dilapidated mud house showed her few remaining teeth and asked with a smile.
"She's not my relative, she's a Taoist tourist." The old man shook the tobacco ash and pointed to Jiang Wen.
"I don't know where he got the energy, insisting on coming to our place." The old cadre said, pointing at the old lady and laughing.
"This is Grandma Xu from the village. She has a daughter who hasn't come back for many years. The old lady is not taken care of and is considered a low-income household in the village."
Having children and still receiving social security, the old woman's life must not be going well. Jiang Wen thought, looking at the old lady.
Hearing the old cadre's words, the old lady kept chanting 'good', saying how could a young Taoist like him come to the mountain gully to suffer, and insisted on giving Jiang Wen some eggs.
Jiang Wen naturally declined in every possible way, but in the end, he couldn't resist the old lady's persistence and had to accept them helplessly.
After being led by the old cadre to meet a few families in the village, Jiang Wen had a basic understanding of the village's situation.
This village, located deep in the mountains, was nothing but poor.
Most of the villagers were elderly people, and there were not many left-behind children.
According to the old man, the children who had reached school age had already been taken to the county town by their parents to study.
How many could stay?
When Jiang Wen and the old cadre arrived at their temporary residence, he had a deeper understanding of the mountain village he had come to.
The earthen walls had protruding gravel, and a spider web was knotted on the door frame. The wooden door frame looked rotten and black, with a pair of couplets pasted on that had been weathered for who knows how long.
"This was the residence of the village cadres back then, but they all quit and went to the big city." The old cadre said with a sigh.
Jiang Wen didn't say anything. Given the current situation of the village, he would have quit too if he were them.
However, seeing those old people in the village, Jiang Wen felt that he should do something.
Pushing open the door and entering, the environment of the residence was not as bad as Jiang Wen had imagined.
Although the ground was still uneven yellow earth, the room was cleaned quite cleanly.
"Just now, a few old people in the village heard that a Taoist priest had come, and they clamored to come and see the novelty." The old cadre said with a smile.
"Things like bedding are all from the villagers, so don't dislike them."
"Thank you for the concern of the villagers." Jiang Wen said, feeling a warm current in his heart, nodding.
"If you have anything, just come and find me. I live up there." The old cadre pointed to the back of the residence, put down Jiang Wen's things, and then went out the door.
Jiang Wen looked around the somewhat dim room and touched the switch wire.
With a "pop!" sound, the orange-yellow light illuminated the room.
He hadn't seen this kind of old-fashioned pull-string switch for many years, and he didn't expect to see it here.
When night fell, Jiang Wen was answering Mo Xiang's questions on the chair.
There was no night market here like in big cities, nor was there the colorful life of big cities. Every day, when the sky darkened slightly, it was time to rest.
The only fun in the village was probably watching TV at home. After the night was deep, they would go to sleep.
Outside the window, there was the howling of the mountain wind, as if something swept past the front of the house.
