Rebirth Plan to Save Leader

Chapter 21: Cactus

The village chief didn’t seem to mind. He waved his hand, signaling Sister Yan to go pour some water.

Even though there was still water in the kettle on the table in front of him, he still had someone go out to fetch fresh water.

Sister Yan picked up two empty cups from the table and went into the courtyard. But when Li Ge saw where she was getting the water from, the calm expression on her face cracked slightly.

She had already noticed it when they came in—there was a large vat about a meter tall in the corner. Long ago, this kind of vat was used to store water or even to grow lotus flowers.

But in the village chief’s home, inside that vat was a fist-sized cactus. And instead of soil, it was filled with water.

The vat looked quite old. Dark green moss had grown both inside and out, and with the cactus at the center, the surface of the water was covered with unknown floating debris.

Seeing the two cups of murky, filthy water in Sister Yan’s hands, the fake smile on Li Ge’s face instantly collapsed. She suppressed the urge to flip the table.

Could anyone still be fine after drinking that?

“Li Ge, Xi Zhou, come try it,” Sister Yan said with a smile as she handed over the cups. “You won’t find this water anywhere outside our village. One sip is more effective than any tonic—if you’re sick, it cures you; if you’re healthy, it strengthens your body.”

Looking at this highly modern-style village yet hearing such mystical claims, Li Ge almost thought she had misheard.

“Sister Yan, why don’t you just set it down first? We just ate, we’re not thirsty.”

Sister Yan immediately grew unhappy at the refusal, her face stiffening. “How can that be? You’re important guests I invited. Besides, the village chief is here. Not even taking a sip—that wouldn’t be appropriate!”

“She’s right,” the village chief added with a genial smile. “The water in my home may not look appealing, but its effects are obvious to everyone. Every cup is a treasure of the village. To be honest, if it weren’t for Yan insisting, I wouldn’t even be willing to part with it.”

Sister Yan stared at them sternly, while the village chief gestured politely for them to drink, as if refusing would be ungrateful.

But this water…

If she had known, she wouldn’t have come out earlier. What a mistake.

Li Ge swallowed hard and turned to look at Xi Zhou beside her.

The man not only showed no disgust, but calmly picked up the cup and drank it all in one go. After finishing, he even commented as if savoring it.

“The water from the village chief’s home is clear and sweet—better than any mountain spring I’ve ever had.”

Uh… the confusion in Li Ge’s eyes deepened.

“But Li Ge hasn’t been feeling well recently and can’t drink cold water. To avoid wasting it, I’ll drink her cup too.”

Xi Zhou took the cup in front of her and finished it just as quickly—so fast that Li Ge didn’t even have time to stop him.

“Xi Zhou, you—?”

This man was really good at putting on an act. Did he think she hadn’t noticed his little tricks?

“The water is very good,” Xi Zhou said without holding back his praise, though his tone remained calm. “If you’re not feeling well, don’t think about it.”

“Is Li Ge sick? Perfect—this water from the village chief can cure illnesses. I’ll go pour another cup right away.” Sister Yan grabbed the cups and hurried back toward the courtyard.

“No need. She’s allergic to outside water.”

The man’s smile faded, and his voice turned cold, like an icy cavern in winter.

A sudden, inexplicable fear rose in Sister Yan’s heart. Her fingers, just about to touch the cup, froze midair under the pressure.

For a moment, the atmosphere turned tense and cold.

Li Ge glanced at Sister Yan, who had been intimidated by Xi Zhou, and quietly let out a breath. Her tone wasn’t exactly pleasant.

“Sister Yan, no need to trouble yourself. Xi Zhou and I have nothing else to do here, so we’ll head back first. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“B-back where?” Sister Yan hadn’t fully recovered from her fear. Receiving a hint from the village chief, she hurriedly asked.

Back where?

That was a question worth considering. Given the current distance, launching a night raid on the eastern base wasn’t impossible.

Before Li Ge could respond, she noticed that at some point, the doorway of the living room had filled with villagers. The way they looked—like they wanted to eat flesh and drink blood—definitely wasn’t just out of curiosity.

A trace of mockery appeared on her face. “Didn’t you invite us to stay the night at your place, Sister Yan? Of course we’re going back to your house. Isn’t that right?”

Sister Yan wiped the sweat from her forehead and forced an awkward smile. “Yes, yes, to my house first. I’ll lead the way.”

Just as they stepped out of the living room, Xi Zhou suddenly turned back. The village chief’s eager gaze hadn’t had time to withdraw before it met Xi Zhou’s faintly smiling eyes.

“What is it? Do you still have some questions?”

The man, exuding an air of nobility, was impossible to read. The powerful aura around him flickered and vanished in an instant. His gaze fell on the water vat in the courtyard, as if his words carried a deeper meaning.

“I just think the village chief’s courtyard is quite nice. It looks like a lot of effort was put into it.”

“There’s nothing valuable here—just put together casually.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

The village chief’s heart suddenly tightened, but the man said nothing more. He withdrew his imposing presence and looked like an ordinary, inexperienced college student.

But an ordinary college student wouldn’t have noticed something odd about the water vat. It seemed they would have to proceed more cautiously this time.

The village chief gave Sister Yan a look, then waved his hand and returned to his room to rest. The seemingly grand reception now appeared rather ordinary—perhaps the real problem wasn’t the setting, but the people themselves.

While Xi Zhou was looking at the vat, Li Ge was also watching in that direction. But what caught her interest wasn’t the water—it was the cactus growing inside it.

A fist-sized green cactus with a few pink thorns at the top—something like that would cost at most five yuan at the market, even with a pot.

But being cultivated in water of such unusual significance made it far more intriguing.

On the way back, Sister Yan kept her head lowered, looking distracted. When they arrived home, she opened a room on the second floor.

“This is the only livable room in the house. You’ll have to make do for the night. I’ll go get some blankets.”

She looked anxious, and her attitude was no longer as warm as it had been during dinner. Without waiting for their response, she went straight downstairs.

There was no electricity, and they could only barely make out the room through the faint light coming in from outside. Inside, there was just a single bed and a wooden table.

Li Ge stretched and sat down on the edge of the bed, shrugging. “Looks like your charm has stopped working. This is tricky now—they didn’t even ask about our relationship and just assumed we’d share a room.”

Xi Zhou raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

“There’s no need to think about unnecessary things. We’ll leave in a bit. The village chief’s car should still be usable.”

Not long after, Sister Yan came upstairs carrying blankets. She didn’t say a word—just placed them by the bed, closed the door, and left. Li Ge noticed that her eyes were slightly red.

“They invited you to drink water, and you’re already thinking about taking their car?”

Thinking back to Sister Yan and the village chief’s behavior, something about this whole situation didn’t feel right.

“At first, I thought that water was just a bit dirty. But they seemed especially eager for us to drink it. Poisoning us… probably not.”

“For me, it’s not poison. But for you, that might not be the case.”

Xi Zhou rested his chin on one hand, leaning against the table. Beneath his sunglasses, a strange glint flickered in his blood-red eyes.

Beside him, two cups of water suddenly appeared out of thin air—the murky liquid looked all too familiar.