"Xu Fan, it's not possible, it just can't be..."

Xia Yanyu sobbed, shaking her head as she looked over at Xu Fan.

She simply couldn't accept the news. In the past few days, her sister's symptoms had worsened considerably, probably hanging by a thread, leaving no time to seek help from others.

"Alright, stop crying for now."

Xu Fan steadied his mind and comfortingly patted Xia Yanyu on the back before turning his gaze to Xia Zhuo.

"Are you sure they all don't know?"

The information from the old immortal shouldn't be incorrect, Xu Fan thought; something must have been mixed up.

Xia Zhuo nodded and said, "Mr. Xu, there shouldn't be a mistake, I asked several people continuously, and they all said they didn't know."

"Logically, if the person you're looking for is in this village, they shouldn't all be unaware, could it be..."

Xia Zhuo felt that these simple villagers shouldn't deceive him; perhaps the information Xu Fan received this time was incorrect, or maybe, the couple had already left the village.

Xu Fan shook his head and said, "Impossible."

The message was from the old immortal; it shouldn't be wrong in theory.

Not only that, Zhang Yang had been observing closely when Xia Zhuo was inquiring.

The expressions of those villagers, somehow, seemed a bit strange, as if they were fearing something.

"How exactly did you ask?"

Xu Fan inquired, to which Xia Zhuo replied, "Mr. Xu, I tried to blend in with them, even offered them money as a reward if they could tell me anything. Wasn't that right?"

Xu Fan shook his head; in the city, Xia Zhuo's approach wouldn't be wrong, and typically, such inquiries shouldn't yield any concealment.

Xu Fan sighed and stated, "Xu Zhun, in this village which is almost severed from the rest of the world, money is basically as useless as waste paper."

Miaojiang's small villages, much like Banan Village, were almost completely isolated from the outside world, and the villagers were self-sufficient, hardly ever needing to use money.

At the same time, Xu Fan guessed that old man Liu's identity in the village might be somewhat taboo, so these villagers avoided answering when Xia Zhuo asked them.

Xu Fan scanned his surroundings, noticing the children to whom he had previously given candy still curiously watching from afar. He smiled then walked over to them with Xia Zhuo.

Due to Xu Fan's previous gesture of giving candy, the children didn't harbor any ill will toward him. Seeing Xu Fan approach, they visibly smiled and spoke in words Xu Fan couldn't understand.

"Mr. Xu, they are calling you 'brother' and asking if you are looking for something?"

Xia Zhuo's expression looked a bit puzzled. He was somewhat surprised that Xu Fan's small action had enabled him to get along so well with these children.

Xu Fan smiled and explained, "Children are very pure. If you're good to them, they'll be good to you. It's unlike adults; if you're good to them, they might still stab you in the back."

"Well, that..."

Xia Zhuo grimaced with a bitter smile, recalling some past events, and subconsciously nodded his head in agreement; indeed, Xu Fan was right.

Xu Fan stated, "Ask them if they know where old man Liu lives."

"This..."

Xia Zhuo grimaced, wondering if this was really necessary. The adults had just said there was no such person, so why ask the children?

Can children's words be trusted?

Xu Fan, with a smile, explained, "Children have fewer reservations. What adults are afraid to say, they might just reveal. If you don't ask, how will you know whether they know or not?"

"Well..."

Since Xu Fan had requested it, Xia Zhuo, feeling a bit obligated, nodded and proceeded to ask the group of children in the local dialect.

Just as Xu Fan had predicted, the children obediently nodded their heads and chattered away.

Xia Zhuo grimaced again, somewhat surprised as he explained, "Xu, Mr. Xu, they said they know and also agreed to lead us there..."

Xu Fan shrugged his shoulders with an "I told you so" look and said, "Okay, it looks like the old man is indeed in Banan Village."

"Tell these kids to guide us and then have your men give them some snacks or dried meat as a reward. Those things work better than money here."

Xia Zhuo nodded and relayed Xu Fan's request to the children.

The children's eyes sparkled with excitement at the mention of a reward. They nodded and started to serve as little guides for Xu Fan and the others.

The residents' houses in the small village of Miaojiang were almost all clustered together, yet the old man Liu's residence was far from the group.

Now, Xu Fan, carrying Xia Xiaodie, led Xia Yanyu and followed the children towards a small cabin in the distance. He began to understand why the villagers had shown such expressions upon hearing the names of old man Liu and his wife.

It seemed that old man Liu was somewhat estranged from his neighbors.

When they reached that spot, the children stopped, chattering to Xia Zhuo.

Xia Zhuo grimaced and translated for Xu Fan, "Mr. Xu, they said they dare not go any further. Otherwise they will be punished by their parents when they get home..."

Xu Fan nodded with a wry smile. From now on, they wouldn't bother them. He said, "Alright, let them go."

After Xia Zhuo had given the children some snacks and dried meat, Xu Fan led the group towards the small wooden cabin.

"It seems the old man has quite a taste, growing so many plants and flowers around here."

Xia Zhuo, walking beside Xu Fan, commented as he looked at the flowers and plants planted around the cabin, instinctively wanting to touch them.

"Don't touch!"

Xu Fan sharply chastised him and then warned the others behind him who might have had the same idea, "Remember, if you want to get back alive, don't touch anything here!"

Xu Fan, knowledgeable in medicine and poisons, instantly recognized what type of plants the old couple had planted outside the cabin.

Poisonous! All these plants were extremely toxic; if Xia Zhuo had touched one, he might have been poisoned and died on the spot!

After Xu Fan briefly explained, Xia Zhuo and those with him immediately turned pale with fright.

They were only there to help, not wanting to end up losing their lives. Consequently, they obediently and carefully followed behind Xu Fan, daring not to make any more moves.

Soon, they reached the entrance of the cabin. The house was silent as if no one was home. Xu Fan led everyone to the threshold and then stopped.

"Senior Liu, Senior Qu, are you inside?"

...

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