Chapter 142: Déjà Vu

Because everything before my eyes was identical to what I had seen in my dreams.

It was still a vast expanse of land, with verdant mountains, green grass, and ranges of rolling hills.

The mountain air grew lovely in the evening light, and returning birds flew together in flocks. Not far away, wisps of cooking smoke curled upward. Every mountain, every blade of grass, and every tree matched my dream with absolute precision, except for the absence of a young girl named Yinyin running toward me.

Right at that moment, a startled cry rang out not far away.

Instantly, the three of us turned toward the sound. A young girl, around thirteen or fourteen years old, came into view. She was already strikingly pretty, with the makings of a great beauty, but the moment she saw the three of us, she turned and bolted.

"Hey, what are you running for?"

Chen Chuyi closed the distance in a few strides and blocked the fleeing girl. The girl looked instantly terrified, pressing herself against the wall of the ancestral hall as her body kept shrinking back in alarm.

"Little girl, we aren't bad people. Could you tell me what place this is?"

Although I knew this was the Village Without Shadows, I did not rush to reveal it. A intense wave of curiosity had been sparked within me—not for any other reason, but simply because I wondered if she might be the very Yinyin I was searching for.

Yet, judging purely by her appearance, she differed greatly from the young girl named Yinyin I had seen before. After all, the previous Yinyin looked nothing like her, and I could clearly sense the distinct aura that surrounded the former Yinyin—an aura entirely absent from this girl.

"N—not bad people? Then... then how did you crawl out of that ancient tomb?"

An ancient tomb?

I feigned astonishment, while Chen Chuyi wore a solemn expression.

"Yes, the ancient tomb! It's the most evil ancient tomb in our village. The village chief said that only wicked and deeply sinful people would ever enter it. Look at those ancestral tablets behind you—those are the people who went into that tomb!"

I swept my gaze across them, noticing the names of several men. Yet earlier, down below, I had not sensed the presence of any men at all; the auras had belonged entirely to women.

"We got lost, and somehow we ended up here. Little girl, what place is this?"

***

A flicker of doubt crossed the young girl's face before she suddenly chuckled and said, "I never expected three grown-ups like you to get lost!"

The girl slowly nodded, then muttered to herself, "Seeing as you look so pitiful, you can come with me into the village. But our village has never liked outsiders entering. Don't blame me later if the village chief isn't pleased with you!"

The three of us nodded in unison.

In truth, I had sensed something unusual about this young girl from the very beginning. When she first laid eyes on us, her gaze had locked directly onto me, and it had been filled with disbelief and sheer shock. From that single detail, I could deduce that this girl recognized me—and not just in a casual, passing manner.

During the brief exchange that followed, it had felt as though everything was prearranged, culminating in her directly offering to lead us into the village.

Right now, however, I did not care. After all, having someone guide us into the village was precisely what we needed.

Following behind the girl, I watched her. She walked with a stiff, cautious posture, and cast no shadow upon the ground. Xiyue and Chen Chuyi, walking right behind me, had naturally noticed this long before, but by unspoken mutual consent, neither of them asked. The three of us already knew that in the Village Without Shadows, none of the inhabitants possessed shadows; conversely, having a shadow would have been far more bizarre. I secretly wondered if I might ever encounter someone with a shadow within this village.

"Come on, once we cross this ridge, we'll be there!"

Standing atop the hill, the young girl pointed toward the curling wisps of cooking smoke in the distance. It was twilight now, just about time for the evening meal. Yet for some reason, ever since arriving at the Village of Eyebrow-Drawn Hills, the hunger in my stomach had gradually faded; but as I walked along this mountain path, that craving began to return piece by piece.

The sensation was exceedingly strange, but I had no spare mind to ponder it, for Chen Chuyi suddenly spoke up.

"Little girl, what is your name?"

Her reply sent a jolt running through my entire body.

"My name is Yinyin!"

"Yinyin..."

I immediately halted in my tracks, repeating the two words in a low murmur.

"Xiaodong, what's wrong? The scenery here is so lovely! If only we could settle down and live here."

***

Xiyue grabbed a fold of my sleeve with one hand. I could feel that she was terribly frightened, and that fear wrung my heart—it was the sensation of harboring a natural, instinctive defense against everything in the world despite being endlessly curious.

Much like a rose: beautiful, yet thorny.

Once someone is injured, the sight of a rose the second time around evokes terror and an instinctive wariness. That was the exact feeling Xiyue possessed right now, and I had no idea how to help her recover her memories.

"What is it? Everyone in the Village Without Shadows calls me Yinyin. You can call me that too!"

I nodded.

"Yinyin, let's hurry up. Look, it's getting dark!"

Yinyin nodded, then turned back to lead the way, quickening her pace.

Thirty minutes later, we reached the village entrance. This time, it differed somewhat from my dreams and memories; in my mind, the structure of the village resembled the traditional Chinese character for "gate" (*Men*), but before my eyes, no such layout existed.

The village before me was entirely tranquil and serene. It seemed as though we had simply stepped into a peaceful hamlet without any other discordant impressions. The overwhelming feeling it gave me was one of deep stability and quiet tranquility, flowing like a hidden river away from the chaos of the world—truly like stumbling upon a paradise untouched by mortals.

Standing there and gazing at the village, a strange illusion washed over me for a fleeting moment.

The village before me felt like the sanctuary within my heart. I even harbored a bizarre sense that I had been to this place more than once before.

This feeling threw my mind into utter chaos, because the moment I tried to recall further, my head felt as though it was about to split apart.

"Xiaodong, let's go!"

Chen Chuyi's voice broke my train of thought. At that instant, the look Yinyin cast toward me carried a trace of something peculiar—though precisely what was peculiar about it, I could not quite put into words...