“That’s right, he never goes to the Wu family mansion, doesn't even get close.” The village chief swallowed carefully. “The village rumor is that even though this person is crazy, his eyes can see things that ordinary people can’t.”

The village chief spoke these words softly. Even though only they were nearby, it felt as if he was worried about being overheard by something, creating a tense atmosphere.

Seemingly verifying the village chief’s words, since they chose this road, they didn't see the crazy beggar again. The journey was peaceful.

They circled around the village and finally arrived at the south end. The houses here were much worse than those near the village's meeting hall. There were basically no decent courtyards, and the walls were made of earth, a large part of which had already collapsed.

Many houses here were empty, presenting a desolate scene. The dark wooden doors were ajar. Walking nearby gave a feeling of being watched, as if pairs of eyes were hidden behind the doors and windows.

“Does anyone still live here?” Du Moyu warily scanned the surroundings, feeling very uneasy.

After walking for a while, the village chief stopped and pointed to a dilapidated house. “That’s the place. That old maid from the Wu family lives here.”

Strictly speaking, this dilapidated house still had a small yard, but the yard had no walls, not even earth walls. It was simply enclosed by dry tree branches stuck in the ground, forming a fence to separate a small piece of land.

An opening was left in the fence for a door.

The village chief walked up and shouted at the dilapidated house, “Wu Ma, Wu Ma, are you home?”

“Wu Ma…” Chen Hao said softly, “What, does she also have the surname Wu?”

“No, no, Master, don’t misunderstand. Wu Ma doesn’t have the surname Wu, but her mind isn’t working well now. She’s long forgotten her own surname. Besides, she’s been working at the Wu family mansion for a long time, so everyone is used to calling her that, and it’s hard to change.” The village chief explained.

As soon as he finished speaking, they heard a creaking sound from the dilapidated house, as if an old wooden door was being pushed open. Hearing this, the village chief led the group inside.

“Wu Ma, we’re coming in.” As soon as the village chief pushed open the door, something was thrown over, smashing on the ground in front of him. It was a broken bowl.

This intimidating scene embarrassed the village chief. The house was very dark. Jiang Cheng had closed one eye before entering, and now he opened it, so he could see more clearly than the village chief.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe this dilapidated house as utterly destitute. There were only a few simple pieces of old furniture, such as a table and wooden chairs. Beside the bed sat an old woman wrapped in tattered clothes.

The old woman was wearing black cloth shoes, and from the looks of it, her feet were bound into unsightly small feet.

“Wu Ma, you’re home.” The village chief smiled awkwardly at the old woman. After his eyes adjusted to the light, he groped for a candle on the table, only a small half of which remained.

Once the candle was lit, the environment inside the room gradually became clearer.

The old woman didn’t say a word. Her expression was dull and strange, and her head was slightly lowered, as if she had no interest in their arrival.

“Hello, old woman. We’re here today to disturb you because we have something to ask you.” Du Moyu was the first to speak. He felt that beating around the bush was pointless in this situation, so he cut straight to the point. “Regarding the Wu family, do you still remember anything?”

Hearing the words “Wu family,” the old woman seemed to be jolted by electricity and suddenly raised her head.

This sudden movement didn’t frighten them. What truly caught everyone’s attention was the old woman’s eyes. Her eyes were hollow and unfocused.

“Her eyes…” Du Moyu said softly, looking at the village chief.

The village chief sighed. “Wu Ma is blind.”

“Wu family…” Wu Ma slowly opened her mouth, her expression stiff. If Jiang Cheng wasn’t here, Fatty, seeing this scene, would have run away long ago. Something was clearly wrong with this woman.

Yu Chengmu took a deep breath and stared at Wu Ma. “That’s right, the Wu family. You lived in the Wu family for so long, you must know what happened to the Wu family. We hope you can tell us.”

“The eldest miss… she sacrificed herself to the River God, became the Great River Goddess.” Wu Ma spoke slowly, each word like sand in her throat. “After she left, the Wu family declined, declined…”

“Why would she sacrifice herself to the River God?” Zhang Junyu immediately asked. “Did the villagers force her?”

The question was blunt, and the village chief, who was standing to one side, immediately changed color. But no one paid attention to him at this time. If she had really been forced, he, as the current village chief, couldn’t escape responsibility.

After a long while, Wu Ma, with a dull expression, slowly shook her head. At the same time, large tears rolled down her cheeks. “No, no one… no one forced miss. Miss volunteered.”

Wu Ma’s voice became more and more pained. “Miss… why would miss… be willing to go? She was so young, and so kind. It shouldn’t be her, it shouldn’t be her!”

Seeing Wu Ma grab her messy hair and repeat those words, showing signs of falling into madness, Jiang Cheng immediately interrupted her. “Wu Ma, was miss betrothed?”

“No!” Wu Ma’s face suddenly became ferocious. “You foul-mouthed fellow, if you dare to ruin my miss’s reputation again, I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

Seeing this, the village chief hurriedly tried to calm her down. “Wu Ma, what are you saying? These people are all benefactors of our village, you…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Jiang Cheng waved his hand and said to Wu Ma, “I have no malice. I just can’t understand how your miss ended up on this path. She was such a good person. It’s such a pity.”

Whether it was those words that touched Wu Ma, she actually started to sob.

“In my opinion, there must be a hidden reason behind miss’s voluntary sacrifice. We want to investigate this matter thoroughly. You don’t want miss to die without knowing why, do you?” Ignoring the village chief’s obstruction, Jiang Cheng walked over alone, squatted down in front of Wu Ma, gently took Wu Ma’s hand, placed it on her lap, and sighed softly, “Autumn has arrived. The water in the DuShui River must be cold. Miss… she must be feeling the chill.”

Wu Ma’s body trembled violently.

After quietly staying with Wu Ma for a while, she gradually became less resistant to Jiang Cheng. Everyone could see that Wu Ma was not only blind, but also had a mental state that fluctuated between lucidity and insanity. No one dared to provoke her further.

“Yes, you’re right, miss… she must have been murdered, otherwise… otherwise, how could she…” Wu Ma gripped Jiang Cheng’s hand tightly, as if grasping at the last straw.

Sensing that it was about time, Jiang Cheng asked softly, “Wu Ma, the name Lu Jianli… have you heard of it?”