Are those old people innocent? No, as long as they are villagers in Baigui Village, no one is innocent. They were young once, and they were also young people who carried the old people up the mountain. And sooner or later, the young people who carried them up the mountain will also grow old and become the next old people to be carried up the mountain.

Although their hands are not stained with blood, they are all deeply mired in sin, and each of them is a link in this cycle of sin.

No one is innocent.

Even the old lady was not innocent. She had witnessed the death of her grandmother and mother, and benefited from it. She survived by eating the food saved by her elders' "self-sacrifice". Now, it was her turn to be the "self-sacrificing" person.

Does she really want to die?

I'm afraid that's not the case. Everyone is afraid of death, but she knows that if she doesn't do this, there may not be enough food at home and her son may starve. The worst thing is that she will become a "non-traditionalist" and will be punished for challenging the authority of tradition.

Everyone fell silent at the same time, and Xiao Tangqiu also fell into deep thought. The man not far away was still climbing up the mountain with his mother on his back. He was already tired and out of breath, but still did not stop. He seemed afraid to stop. Perhaps he was afraid that once he stopped, he would no longer have the courage to carry his mother to the top of the mountain.

The old lady's face was full of relief, and sometimes she used her sleeves to wipe the sweat off her son's face with heartache.

As the night deepened, the two men were getting closer and closer to the top of the mountain.

The man's steps became heavier, but the old lady suddenly started talking: "We're almost at the top of the mountain. Taro is truly my good son..."

The man gritted his teeth and said nothing.

"When mom is gone, Taro must take good care of himself, eat on time, and wear more clothes..." The old lady was like an ordinary mother who was about to go on a long journey. She never tired of reminding her son to put on more clothes and eat more.

Xiao Tangqiu also felt heavy-hearted. He couldn't help but think of his own mother and Meng Xinghe's mother... Thinking of this, he couldn't help but glance at Shen Yuan, only to see that Shen Yuan's eyes were deep and thoughtful.

His heart suddenly skipped a beat: "Shen... Shen Yuan, did you remember something?"

A strange color flashed in Shen Yuan's eyes. He blinked and asked Xiao Tangqiu, "What did I remember?"

Xiao Tangqiu: "...You don't remember anything?"

Shen Yuan looked at Xiao Tangqiu and asked, "Should I remember something?"

Xiao Tangqiu forced a smile: "Nothing, I misunderstood."

Shen Yuan looked at Xiao Tangqiu in silence, then suddenly said, "Jiujiu, you should also pay more attention to me and stop flirting with that guy."

...That guy? Xiao Tangqiu silently watched Shen Yuan point at Tang Mianmian: "That's not called flirting, it's just normal eye contact."

Shen Yuan looked at Xiao Tangqiu with dark eyes: "Then come and make eye contact with me."

Xiao Tangqiu and Shen Yuan looked at each other for a few seconds, their hearts skipped a beat for some reason, and they quickly and silently looked away.

However, he regretted it as soon as he looked away... Oh no, will Shen Yuan feel embarrassed?

Fortunately, at this moment, Duan Hongzhen suddenly called out softly, "We've reached the top of the mountain!"

Everyone looked up and saw, as expected, a huge full moon hanging not far away, with no obstructions around it.

They had reached the top of the mountain.

I don't know why, but there is a huge bright moon hanging on the top of the mountain at this time, but it seems even more terrifying than the pitch-black night. The moonlight should make people feel calm and gentle, perhaps because the moon is too huge, so huge that it is beyond normal and even a little weird.

There were only the man and the old lady on the top of the mountain covered by moonlight. After the man put the old lady down, he hesitated for a long time and was reluctant to leave.

The old lady smiled and said, "Taro, hurry up, it's time for you to go home."

The man hesitated for a long time, but finally turned around and left with red eyes under the old lady's urging gaze. He limped down the mountain with heavy steps.

The old lady watched the man until his back completely disappeared from her sight. Only then did she put away the smile on her face and her expression became calm and numb.

She began to wait calmly for death to come.

Tang Mianmian, who was hiding behind the bushes, couldn't help but ask Xiao Tangqiu, "What should we do next? Should we just watch her get mauled to death by the wolves?"

Xiao Tangqiu sighed, "Even if we tried to save her again, she'd probably do the same thing again... because this is her 'belief'. Simply saving her wouldn't be of any use."

Tang Mianmian frowned: "Do we have to prove to her first that the mountain god doesn't exist?"

Just as the two were looking at each other, a long wolf howl suddenly came from not far away!

Oh no! The wolf is coming!

Xiao Tangqiu's heart skipped a beat, and the next second he saw a giant black wolf suddenly jump down from the tree and jump straight in front of the old lady!

Even though the old lady had already prepared to sacrifice herself to the mountain god, she still screamed and fainted when she suddenly saw such a ferocious giant wolf.

Wait! No! Something seems wrong!

Xiao Tangqiu subconsciously shouted: "That's not a wolf!"

This giant black wolf was much larger than an ordinary wolf. It wasn't the wolf they'd seen that day that had mauled Junko to death! No! This monster wasn't a wolf at all! Not only did it have five huge tails that reached up into the sky, it also had a human face! And it looked more like a dog than a wolf!

This is a monster with a human face and a dog body!

Naturally, the others also noticed this. Duan Hongzhen raised his eyebrows and rushed forward first. Xiao Tangqiu paused for a moment, then followed, holding Tang Mianmian in one hand and Shen Yuan in the other.

Because of their sudden appearance, the monster with a human face and a dog body was forced to stop attacking the old lady. It roared angrily and shook its five big tails demonstratively at the few people.