After arriving in the village, Zhang Nu and the others decided to find a random household to stay for the night. It was already late, and they were deep in the wilderness with no inns or outposts nearby. Their only option was to rely on the kindness of the locals.
"Let's just find a house to rest in for tonight," Zhang Nu suggested. "If we keep moving forward, we might run into danger after dark."
Liu Hai and the others nodded in agreement, and they quickly approached the gate of a nearby courtyard, knocking politely.
Not long after, a woman opened the door, her expression slightly startled at the sight of the four strangers.
"You are...?" she asked cautiously.
Zhang Nu stepped forward with a bright smile. "Good evening, Big Sis. We're travelers, just passing through. It's gotten quite late, and we were wondering if we might trouble you for a place to stay the night?"
The woman studied them for a moment, then nodded, her demeanor warm and kind. "Come in. I don't have much space, but there are two spare rooms. They’re a bit dusty since no one's used them in a while, but I hope you won't mind."
Zhang Nu and the others were grateful just to have a roof over their heads. "Not at all! Thank you so much. We'll clean it up ourselves, you don't need to trouble yourself."
Hearing this, the woman smiled and left them to it.
That night was perhaps the first time in a long while that Zhang Nu and his companions truly slept in peace. When they woke the next morning, they felt remarkably refreshed, like endless energy surged through their bodies.
"Do you feel it too?" Zhang Nu asked as they gathered for breakfast. "After sleeping, my body feels full of strength, no exhaustion at all."
The others nodded. They had the same sensation but couldn't explain why. Maybe it was just the quality of sleep they had enjoyed?
"Probably because we finally got a proper night's sleep," Liu Hai shrugged.
They didn’t think too much of it. After a simple but delicious breakfast, Zhang Nu found himself marveling again. Even the food here tasted exceptional.
"Big Sis," Zhang Nu asked curiously. "Your food is amazing. How do you make it taste so good?"
The woman laughed. "Everything we eat is grown by our own hands," she said. "And we play music for the plants while they grow."
She chuckled at their stunned expressions. "We may be a small village, but many here know music. Plants flourish when they grow up listening to it."
Zhang Nu was amazed. He hadn’t expected such an explanation—using music to nurture crops? It was certainly something he had never heard before.
"No wonder," he said, laughing. "It’s incredible. Everything here feels... different. Peaceful."
"What's this village called?" Zhang Nu asked. "It feels so serene."
The woman smiled warmly. "Everyone says that. Our village is called Friendly Village. We take our name to heart."
Hearing that, everyone nodded with genuine smiles. The name truly suited the place.
"You all really live up to the name," Zhang Nu said warmly. "Big Sis, would it be alright if we stayed a little longer? We really like it here."
They hadn’t felt this safe and relaxed in a long time. It would be good to rest properly before continuing their journey, and a peaceful place might even aid their cultivation. Zhang Nu especially needed time to stabilize his cultivation after his breakthrough to the sixth stage of Qi Gathering.
The woman beamed. "Of course! It’s an honor to have guests who appreciate our village. Rest as long as you like. I’ll go and tidy up the rooms properly for you."
The group gratefully accepted her kindness.
Everyone quickly relaxed, soaking in the rare peace— except for Lin Xiao. He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. Truly peaceful places were rare in this world, and yet here, everything seemed too perfect.
"Don’t you all think... something about this village feels a little off?" Lin Xiao said suddenly.
The others turned to him, puzzled by his strange comment.