Through his initial assessment, he felt that these villagers seemed to have amnesia.
But it was strange.
These villagers only had amnesia regarding Nangong Feiyan and Miss Ruan, but were unaffected by other matters.
This should be a case of selective amnesia among the villagers.
Ning Beichen could not determine whether this was caused by a curse or was man-made.
If it was man-made, then that person would be terrifying.
Actually, it wasn't impossible to achieve this, but it would require extremely high-level hypnosis.
If it were just one or two villagers, and those villagers had simple minds, the kind that were easily fooled, Ning Beichen felt he might be able to do it.
But to make everyone in an entire village suffer from selective amnesia was beyond Ning Beichen's capabilities.
"Yes, Brother Chen, I'll arrange it immediately."
His subordinate replied respectfully.
The car drove smoothly on the road. It would take a full day to get to that small village even by car, so there was no rushing this.
Ning Beichen sat in the car, chatting idly with his subordinate.
"Xiao Jiu, how many years have you been with me?"
Ning Beichen asked the subordinate who was driving.
"Brother Chen, I've been with you for almost eight years."
Xiao Jiu, who was driving and wearing glasses, replied.
"Eight years in the blink of an eye, time flies so fast!"
Ning Beichen sighed. Eight years ago was when the King of Darkness rose to power, and at that time, Xiao Jiu had followed him through bloody battles, killing their way through.
Eight years passed in a flash. The Ning Beichen of then was not the Ning Beichen of today, but Xiao Jiu was still the same Xiao Jiu, his loyalty unchanged.
"Xiao Jiu, I remember you cultivate the Overlord Fist, right?"
Ning Beichen asked him.
"Yes, it's the Overlord Fist. Brother Chen personally taught it to me back then."
Xiao Jiu said gratefully while driving.
If it weren't for Ning Beichen back then, he, Xiao Jiu, would have long since become a pile of rotten bones in the soil.
"The level of the Overlord Fist is still a bit low. When I have time, I'll help you improve it."
Ning Beichen told Xiao Jiu.
He was now a Grandmaster, but his subordinates had clearly fallen behind him.
The people he would face in the future would no longer be ordinary people, rich second-generation heirs, or pampered young masters. They would be the powerhouses of the Holy Hall, those from ancient hidden families, and even Grandmasters.
If Ning Beichen wanted to have subordinates to rely on in the future, he would have to find a way to improve their strength, otherwise, they wouldn't even be able to see his taillights.
Hearing Ning Beichen's words, Xiao Jiu was immediately so excited that he almost drove the car onto the curb.
"Thank you, Brother Chen."
Xiao Jiu said excitedly.
"Why are you being so polite with me? Xiao Yi to Xiao Jiu were the first to follow me. I originally promised you riches, but you refused and insisted on enduring hardships with me. If anyone should say thank you, it should be me thanking you."
Ning Beichen said.
"Brother Chen, following you is our lifelong dream. Without Brother Chen, we would have died long ago. What is wealth compared to that?"
Xiao Jiu said with red eyes.
In recent years, Ning Beichen had been using them less and less, which made them very uneasy, fearing that Ning Beichen might one day no longer need them.
Now that he heard that Ning Beichen had not given up on them, how could Xiao Jiu not be moved?
"Alright, alright, why are you getting so emotional? After we finish this matter, let Xiao Yi to Xiao Ba all come over, and I'll help you all improve your strength."
Ning Beichen said to Xiao Jiu.
"Yes, Brother Chen. Xiao Yi and Xiao Ba will go crazy with joy if they hear this good news."
Xiao Jiu wiped away a tear and said.
"It's all my fault. I've been too busy these past few years and haven't been able to pay attention to you."
Ning Beichen said.
"Brother Chen, don't say that. We can never repay what you've given us in this lifetime. We only regret that our strength is insufficient and we can't help Brother Chen share his burdens."
Xiao Jiu said with guilt.
For example, in this matter, Brother Chen had to personally go out, and he couldn't help at all, which made Xiao Jiu feel very ashamed.
"Who says that? Aren't you helping me right now?"
"But Xiao Jiu, there are some things I need to tell you. The enemies I will face in the future will only become stronger. If you still want to follow me, you need to be mentally prepared."
Ning Beichen patted his shoulder from behind.
"Brother Chen, I'm not afraid. As long as Brother Chen doesn't dislike Xiao Jiu for being useless, Xiao Jiu will always be Brother Chen's shadow."
Xiao Jiu said hurriedly.
"How could I dislike you for being useless? Without you all, I would have died of exhaustion long ago."
Ning Beichen said to him emotionally.
Although Ning Beichen was a Grandmaster, he was still just one person. He couldn't do everything himself. If he really had to do that, he probably wouldn't even have time to sleep.
With Ning Beichen's assurance, Xiao Jiu was like he had been injected with adrenaline. What should have taken a day, he managed to reach the small village in just over half a day.
The village was not large, with only a dozen households in total. And as Xiao Jiu had investigated, they had no memory of Nangong Feiyan.
However, just because Xiao Jiu couldn't find out didn't mean Ning Beichen was helpless. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come here in the first place.
"Xiao Jiu, the photo of Senior Sister Nangong Feiyan was found on his phone?"
Ning Beichen asked Xiao Jiu, looking at a villager who was about twenty years old.
"Yes, Brother Chen. However, I've already questioned him before. He doesn't seem to have any memory of the photos on his phone."
Xiao Jiu said.
"Don't worry, let me."
Ning Beichen said to Xiao Jiu.
"What's your name?"
Ning Beichen asked the villager.
"My name is Pan Yang."
The villager replied honestly.
The surnames in Annan were actually similar to those in the ancient East, with Ruan, Li, Chen, Li, Huang, Wu, Pan, Fan, Zheng, Wu, Pei, You... and so on being the most common, only the language differed.
However, Ning Beichen, who claimed to know many languages, was not lying. When he spoke Annanese, there was no difference from the locals.
"Have you always lived in this village?"
Ning Beichen continued to ask him.
"Yes, I grew up in this village and I'm clear about everything in the village."
Pan Yang replied honestly.
"Then have you seen this woman?"
Ning Beichen took out the photo from his phone and asked him.
Pan Yang looked at his phone for a long time, then shook his head. He saw a look of confusion on his face.