39. The Ghost Village Worships Gods (5)

Xie Yunhuai, rejected and cursed by the gods

Upon hearing this, not only Zhong Hao, but even Qin Fu'an couldn't help but feel a bit curious:

Just how strong is Cen Tian, ​​who has maxed out all her strength attributes?

Perhaps sensing their curiosity, Cen Tian thought for a moment and said carefully, "That little shabby house where the little mute girl lives, I could probably turn it into a pile of ruins with just five-tenths of my strength."

Qin Fu'an: "..."

Unexpectedly, Xie Yunhuai's residence not only couldn't withstand the wind and rain, but it also couldn't withstand a single attack from a player.

It's both somewhat funny and pathetic.

He chuckled and curled the corners of his lips, but in his heart he was already making other plans.

It's still uncertain how many days I'll stay in this instance, but it shouldn't be too long. However, Xie Yunhuai's dilapidated little house clearly can't meet my higher living needs.

Instead of continuing to sleep in sleeping bags and haystacks, we should wait until we've explored the mountain temple and then take advantage of the time to tidy up the little hut.

However, these are just his current plans. Whether he can actually discover anything during his trip to the mountain god temple is still unknown.

The mountain god temple was not far from the ghost village, but the vegetation on the mountain was unusually dense. The three of them had walked about halfway before they could see the dilapidated temple on the mountaintop by looking up.

"This mountain god temple looks quite old," Zhong Hao said, observing it from afar. "Don't all the people in this strange village worship the mountain god? Why hasn't anyone bothered to repair the temple?"

Qin Fu'an and Cen Tian were also watching the mountain god temple, which didn't look very big from a distance.

Just as Zhong Hao said, the temple was covered with the simplest mud tiles, and there was nothing on the eaves and under the corners. Despite the distance, the mountain god temple was completely different from what they had imagined.

Even though the village was isolated deep in the mountains and extremely poor, at least every household in the village had lanterns that had been washed until they were a pale white. But this mountain god temple was empty and old, like a dilapidated temple.

"Get closer," Qin Fu'an suddenly whispered. "The tail is catching up. Be careful."

Cen Tian clenched her fist, which didn't seem particularly intimidating, and sneered, "Fine, I'll be waiting for them!"

The three of them cautiously moved closer to the mountain god temple, and had already reached the middle of the mountain.

Looking down from here, you can't see anything at all, because the lush and dense vegetation almost completely blocks the view. It's estimated that even from the mountaintop, you could only see plants covering the entire mountain.

The three of them had not informed the village chief of their itinerary, and since this trip could be considered a reconnaissance mission, they did not take the only path up the mountain, but instead climbed uphill along a longer route.

As a result, all three of them looked rather disheveled. Cen Tian and Zhong Hao's faces and arms were cut by branches and thorns along the way. Later, in order to clear a path for them, Qin Fu'an took the lead.

The three found a suitable ambush spot halfway up the mountain, preparing to wait for the two who were following them to appear.

But after waiting for almost five minutes, the tail that was originally far behind suddenly got further and further away.

Qin Fu'an looked around at the unusually quiet surroundings, his heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly shouted urgently, "Quick! Run down the mountain!!"

"What?!" Zhong Hao was caught off guard and was still wondering when Qin Fu'an and Cen Tian grabbed him by the side, ignoring the wild grass and thorns blocking their way, and dragged him down the mountain at high speed.

Just as Zhong Hao was wondering what Qin Fu'an had discovered, he subconsciously turned around, only to be shocked by what he saw, causing his pupils to shrink rapidly.

"Holy crap!" He screamed in horror as he sped down the slope, his heart pounding and adrenaline surging. "What the hell is all this?!"

"It's obviously something that damned mountain god did!" Cen Tian glanced back and then quickly turned back, saying, "I estimate that the whole mountain is probably full of this kind of thing. Those two players reacted faster than us; they must have had the ability to warn or observe."

Upon hearing this, Qin Fu'an suddenly remembered the talents and skills he had obtained after completing the previous dungeon.

He hadn't paid attention to it before, but now that he thinks about it, one of the white skills seems to have a similar effect.

Throughout history, people have always liked to say, "Check the almanac before going out." Qin Fu'an used to not need to, but now he feels that he can use this skill to cast a divination for himself every day after entering the dungeon.

However, now is clearly not a good time for divination.

He was very fast, and Zhong Hao and Cen Tian were also quite fast in their escape when faced with the overwhelming crisis, so they did not become a burden to anyone.

Behind them, vines stretched as far as the eye could see, like endless green snakes, rapidly climbing over the treetops and branches, chasing after them menacingly.

The overwhelming feeling that all the vines and vegetation covering the mountains and fields had suddenly come to life left them no time to think and they all buried their heads and fled down the mountain.

Qin Fu'an looked back several times during this period, but the doubts in his mind only grew.

Are these vine-like plants the mountain god that the villagers of the ghost village talk about?

Then why...?

Qin Fu'an slowly stopped.

He called out to the two who were still desperately trying to escape, "You shouldn't be pursued here."

After escaping for some distance, the pursuit of the vines seemed to have slowed down considerably. Zhong Hao and Cen Tian stopped, their legs weak, and both of them were breathing rapidly and forcefully.

Everything that just happened was unexpected. Zhong Hao couldn't even imagine what would have happened if Qin Fu'an hadn't been so decisive in pulling him away. Would he be dead by now?

He plopped down on the ground in a disheveled state, hastily wiping the sweat from his forehead. After a sharp, stinging pain on his face, he muttered under his breath, "I thought it was some kind of ghost or spirit-related dungeon, but it turns out there are plant-based monsters that are even more troublesome than humanoid ones."

Looking at the lush greenery covering the mountains now, one realizes that this is indeed a mountain that devours people.

“Perhaps it’s because we didn’t take the fixed route,” Qin Fu’an calmly analyzed. “Last night, the village chief said that his eldest son and several other villagers were guarding the temple on the mountain, preparing for the mountain god sacrifice in two days. Maybe the route they took was the safest, and the other areas would be considered hunting grounds.”

This is highly likely, but it also means that if they want to explore the mountain god temple, they can only follow a fixed route, which is equivalent to completely exposing their whereabouts to the villagers.

As the two players were frowning and worrying about the progress of the main quest, Qin Fu'an casually broke off a clump of tall wild grass and held it in his hand, raising his eyebrows and saying, "What are you sighing about? Don't forget what our identities are. Archaeology and interviews, which one can't be done openly and legitimately on the mountain?"

“But we tried this morning, and the villagers were very hostile towards us; we couldn’t communicate with them at all.” Zhong Hao frowned and said, “It wasn’t like this when you communicated with the village chief last night…”

If the village chief hadn't arranged accommodation for them last night because of Qin Fu'an's words, Zhong Hao would have suspected that the villagers' memories had been erased overnight. Otherwise, how could they be so good at turning their backs on people?

Reminded by him, Qin Fu'an belatedly realized what was going on.

Just like the skills he had forgotten, Qin Fu'an really didn't care about the titles, skills, talents, or anything like that in the game, so he never thought of using them.

However, he possesses the innate skill of "deceitful person" and two permanent titles: "examiner" and "excellent teacher".

The Deceitful One can increase the credibility of every word Qin Fu'an utters by 10%, while the title of "Invigilator" will automatically increase the intimidation power of all humanoid monsters by 10% on top of their existing favorability. The title of "Excellent Teacher" will also automatically increase the respect of all humanoid monsters by 10% on top of their existing favorability.

In addition, Qin Fu'an possessed the innate talent of the Teng Snake...

Qin Fu'an suddenly understood why Xie Yunhuai had been so obedient since they first met.

It might not be because his soul recognized him, but rather the influence of these talents and titles that made Xie Yunhuai obedient and compliant in his presence.

Thinking of this, his expression shifted slightly. No wonder he was so easily fooled earlier; perhaps he should take back the nickname "little fool."

"Let's go back first," he said to the other two. "When we get back, I'll try to communicate more with the village chief and the villagers to see if I can get more information."

Now that he understood the benefits of those titles and talents, Qin Fu'an couldn't possibly leave them unused. Since they could make the game easier and smoother, why wouldn't he take advantage of them?

The two, covered in dust and catching their breath, stood up and followed Qin Fu'an down the mountain.

Soon, they encountered Liu Yu, who had been waiting there to watch the excitement, at the foot of the mountain, along with Liang Ping, who was timidly following beside Liu Yu.

"How did you end up in such a sorry state?" Liu Yu mocked sarcastically. "Some people may look like they're made of gold and jade on the surface, but inside they're rotten and full of rubbish. Their only redeeming quality is their face. Without a skilled player to guide them, they'll lose their lives sooner or later. This isn't some game where looks matter."

Cen Tian and Zhong Hao, who were initially quite angry, grew increasingly strange expressions as they listened, and finally turned to look at Qin Fu'an, who had calmly listened to these words.

Meeting their gazes, Qin Fu'an, who was listening intently, not only wasn't angry, but instead praised them with great admiration: "I thought you were a good-for-nothing before, but I didn't expect you to have such good taste. I must apologize for my previous underestimation of you. I must say, your insults are quite pleasant to hear."

Liu Yu choked, his smug expression turning somewhat sinister. "All you can do is talk big. Just wait and see, you bunch of people who only care about appearances and not brains, you'll get your comeuppance sooner or later!"

After saying that, he stormed off with Liang Ping.

Behind him, Cen Tian and Zhong Hao exchanged a glance and agreed with Qin Fu'an: "You're right, those swear words of his are actually quite pleasant to hear!"

Before calling them brainless, they'll deliberately praise them for having a nice face.

It's strange that I can't get angry after listening to his rant.

Even Cen Tian, ​​who had previously wanted to teach Liu Yu a lesson, silently raised her hand to touch her cheek, deciding to temporarily refrain from hitting Liu Yu.

The insults are so scathing, it wouldn't hurt to keep listening to them a few more times.

The viewers in several live stream rooms were already laughing hysterically. In fact, because of Liu Yu's previous performance and the mocking praise he received for his pale face, a group of viewers even went to his live stream room to follow the streamer.

I'm just curious to see how many positive reviews the streamer can get by swearing, hehe~

-

On the east side of the village, Qin Fu'an and the two players parted ways temporarily. Qin Fu'an went back to find Xie Yunhuai, while Zhong Hao and Cen Tian went to find the other two who were wandering around the village gathering information.

On the way back to the dilapidated house, Qin Fu'an carefully inspected the surrounding vegetation, and his originally relaxed expression became increasingly solemn.

The closer you get to the dilapidated house, the more diverse the vegetation becomes, with countless vines and climbing plants.

But unlike the plants on the mountain, the plants nearby did not show any abnormality even when Qin Fu'an deliberately attacked them.

Instead, the tentacles that noticed Qin Fu'an's return curiously imitated his actions, poking at the vines and asking many questions.

Several tendrils shared their treasures with Qin Fu'an, revealing which plants were edible and which were not, and even went so far as to share anecdotes about Xie Yunhuai's childhood experiences of searching for food in the mountains.

Qin Fu'an did not wake Xie Yunhuai, who was still fast asleep, immediately.

He sat cross-legged beside Xie Yunhuai, gazing down at the boy's pale face, which was clearly malnourished, with a look of confusion and contemplation in his eyes.

Xie Yunhuai said that the mountain god temple was a place that devoured people.

Xie Yunhuai feared and rejected everything about the mountain god temple.

The tentacles also said that Xie Yunhuai had survived by relying on these mountains since he was a child, and that he did not seem to be attacked like the players when he wandered around in the mountains looking for food.

The villagers cursed Xie Yunhuai as a jinx and deliberately drove him to live in the most remote place. Whenever they saw him, they would beat or scold him and drive him away.

But Xie Yunhuai has managed to survive in the eerie village until now. Despite having no parents and no one to care for him, Xie Yunhuai has managed to grow up in this hostile place.

How many secrets are hidden in this?

Why did Xie Yunhuai not want to go to the mountain god temple?

No, Xie Yunhuai not only didn't want to go to the mountain god temple, he was also resisting any possible communication between Qin Fu'an and the villagers.

Xie Yunhuai resisted the villagers telling Qin Fu'an more information about him.

But the more this was the case, the more Qin Fu'an wanted to figure out what role Xie Yunhuai was playing in this small, eerie village.

Before that...

Qin Fu'an made a hand seal and gently touched the boy's slightly furrowed brow, which was even in his sleep.

Xie Yunhuai was not his subordinate. It was because Xie Yunhuai resisted him going to the mountain god temple that Qin Fu'an made him fall into a coma, so that nothing would happen to Xie Yunhuai when he left.

However, this does not mean that he can decide all of Xie Yunhuai's actions. Xie Yunhuai is an independent being, and Qin Fu'an will not restrict his actions under the guise of doing what is best for him. In that case, it would be better to turn Xie Yunhuai into a puppet or accessory that has no ability to think and only follows him around.

However, I can think about how to soothe the child's morning grumpiness after he wakes up.

Xie Yunhuai felt as if he had a very long dream, in which he was chased and ran by unknown fears, but was also pushed away forcefully when he was about to face death.

The crimson blood stained his vision, and even though he tried desperately to see the person's face, he could only fall into a dazed and confused state.

When he tried to focus his attention again, a cool sensation suddenly appeared between his brows.

The terrifying and bloody dream shattered, turning into countless fragmented pieces before his eyes. Occasionally, he could catch a glimpse of that familiar figure in a corner of the fragment, only to have it vanish suddenly just as he was about to see it clearly.

Xie Yunhuai opened his eyes with regret.

The hidden, silent sense of loss in my heart was suddenly soothed away little by little when I saw the person watching me with a smile.

Qin Fu'an.

The name flashed through my mind for a moment, and then the memories from before I fell asleep belatedly flooded back into my mind.

Xie Yunhuai, who was initially in a daze, gradually turned his gaze into accusation during the process.

He frowned at Qin Fu'an, who was smiling exceptionally well, and angrily abandoned sign language. He silently said in his heart while mouthing the words: You lied to me!

The moment she trusted him, she fell into a deep sleep. All the promises he made turned out to be lies in less than a blink of an eye.

But his angry, accusing gaze was clearly not very offensive.

Qin Fu'an rubbed his hair and sighed in distress, "It's all my fault. I didn't listen to your advice, and I almost didn't make it back."

As he sighed, his light green eyes seemed to be filled with worry. His sincere expression was both dazzling and made people unable to resist being stirred up by his words.

Just like Xie Yunhuai at this moment.

Even though he immediately told himself not to trust Qin Fu'an anymore, and even though he vaguely guessed that Qin Fu'an might be deliberately feigning weakness and lying again, he still couldn't help but worry. After looking Qin Fu'an up and down twice, the tension and worry that suddenly arose in his heart quietly subsided under the other party's smiling gaze.

He subconsciously clenched his fingers, then quickly loosened them in frustration.

Xie Yunhuai turned away, no longer wanting to communicate with Qin Fu'an, because he knew he seemed to have become a bit stupid in front of Qin Fu'an, who could easily fool him with just a few words.

I hate this feeling, so I refuse to communicate through my actions.

Qin Fu'an watched Xie Yunhuai's frustrated and sullen back as his Adam's apple bobbed. He stood up abruptly, brushed the dust off his trousers, and casually remarked, "I'm going to the village to talk to the villagers..."

Before he could finish speaking, the boy, who had been facing away from him, turned around in a panic.

He opened his mouth, but after a moment, he lowered his head in frustration and said nothing.

It seemed that they had tacitly accepted Qin Fu'an's departure at this moment, unlike in the morning when they made many small attempts to persuade him to stay.

Seeing this, Qin Fu'an really didn't stay any longer. He only left a message saying that he would bring Xie Yunhuai dinner before taking out a pen and paper from his backpack and heading towards the ghost village.

Behind him, the pale-faced boy quietly watched his figure gradually disappear from sight, then sat on the ground in a daze for a while before slowly standing up.

He didn't chase after Qin Fu'an as he left. Instead, as if he had tacitly accepted the outcome, he quietly kept his head down and did his own thing from beginning to end.

But what can he possibly do?

It was nothing more than turning over the soil in a small patch of soil behind the house to pull out the wildly growing weeds, or taking a leaky bamboo tube to the mountain stream to fetch fresh water to irrigate the small vegetable garden.

But these vegetables were far too few; most of them were wild vegetables he dug up in the mountains, just a small bunch, not enough to satisfy his daily hunger.

Xie Yunhuai decided to cook himself a fairly lavish dinner.

He didn't think he would be able to wait for the dinner Qin Fu'an had mentioned.

Because he knew very well that once Qin Fu'an learned more about him and the mountain god from the villagers, Qin Fu'an, who was supposed to be a god, would definitely not be willing to look down at him again.

After all, how could Xie Yunhuai, who was rejected and cursed by the gods, be loved or even protected by another god?

When Qin Fu'an returned to retrieve the items left in the house, it was perhaps the last time he would see Qin Fu'an.

Xie Yunhuai put down the bamboo tube and sat on the threshold of the small, dilapidated house, still holding the magical little wooden box that Qin Fu'an had given him last night, which could produce food.

I wonder if Qin Fu'an will take this back too. Although he said he was giving it to me, Xie Yunhuai understands better than anyone that a good deed given by someone can be taken back at any time.

Not to mention something as amazing as this.

Even though he was prepared for it to be taken away, he still couldn't help but feel disappointed and sad.

Xie Yunhuai didn't know what he had done wrong to be rejected and cursed by the mountain god, but no one would really be good to him. From Qin Fu'an's appearance last night to the preferential treatment and gentleness he had shown before, Xie Yunhuai now felt as if he had stolen it.

Because they were stolen, he knew they never truly belonged to him, and he was always filled with anxiety and trepidation until they were taken back.

Perhaps when Qin Fu'an truly leaves, I won't feel so anxious and distressed anymore.

Just like how he was always afraid of being bullied, Xie Yunhuai didn't need to be afraid when those stones and fists actually landed on him.

Because at that time, he didn't need to think too much about worries that hadn't happened yet; he only needed to endure the pain.

Enduring pain is the simplest and most reassuring thing for him.

This means that there won't be any more unbearable pain in the near future.

It's like being completely rotten in the mud, never to be fished out again, and never to have a chance to struggle and escape.

Qin Fu'an only glanced at him after pulling him out of the mud, and soon threw him back into the mud with disgust and loathing, making him sink even deeper than before, blending into the surrounding filth and becoming even harder to distinguish.

No, there are still some differences.

He used to be a nameless little mute, a bastard, and a jinx.

Qin Fu'an came here; he is Xie Yunhuai, who has a name.

It was a pile of mud that Qin Fu'an had named. Compared to the fear and resentment of gaining and then losing it, Xie Yunhuai was more grateful for its appearance.

Therefore, he sat quietly at the door, holding something that would never belong to him, his eyes clear and calm as he waited for Qin Fu'an to arrive.

Waiting for Qin Fu'an's dinner, which would never come.

-

At the village chief's house.

Qin Fu'an sat in his familiar spot, staring at the murky tea in his cup, its color stained with tea residue. His expression remained unchanged as he coldly repeated the words the other person had just uttered:

"You said Xie Yunhuai is an outsider cursed by the mountain god? Is there a reason? Why would the mountain god hate and target an innocent child?"

Meeting his clearly cold and unsmiling gaze, the village chief felt as if an invisible hand was gradually tightening his grip, and his breathing became erratic.

[Author's Note]

Yunzai: I'm a little sad, but it's okay.

Anzai: I'm adding the Mountain God to the blacklist.

Author's note: It seems I've been fattened up; I'm secretly going into seclusion...

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Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution:

10 bottles of neon;

Starfall 5 bottles;

Two bottles of cat-shaped liquor;

Le Ran, Qing Yu Gu Zhou, and Shan Ye all have one bottle of fog lights;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!