"What utter nonsense!" Luo Tianhe sneered, chewing on a piece of pickled vegetable.

"I think he's most likely hallucinating because the evil energy of the vines has entered his mind, and he thinks he's some kind of star!"

It goes without saying who spread this rumor.

"I feel like we really wronged those young people. The people in this village really are performing shamanistic rituals!" Li Huai suddenly remembered what the young man had said earlier.

I also had a strange expression. If the villagers had told them about Wu Yan's story, then it would have been natural for them to think that way.

However, the villagers probably wouldn't tell them much, as they still held the preconceived notion that the village was built on feudal superstition.

As night deepened, we took turns keeping watch.

Luo Tianhe and I planned to work the first half of the night and then go to check out the forbidden area in the second half.

The village remained deathly silent, a silence that became even more pronounced at night.

Around midnight, I suddenly heard a noisy sound.

This was followed by more chaotic, distorted screams and cries, as well as the sounds of people running and falling.

"Something's happened!" I jumped up abruptly.

Luo Tianhe opened his eyes instantly and grabbed his baton.

Just then, the side room door was kicked open, and Li Huai and Sun Wang rushed in:

"Outside are those young people I saw during the day!"

We rushed out the door, and Sun Wang followed us out tremblingly, clutching a kitchen knife in his hand.

The lights in many houses in the village were on, and shadows were moving about, but not many people opened their doors and came out. Most people just hid in their own homes and looked around in fear.

Just then, a few figures staggered in from the direction of the village entrance; they were the same group of arrogant young tourists from earlier that day.

But they looked utterly miserable, a far cry from their leisurely demeanor during the day.

Leading the charge was the girl with the ponytail; her hair was disheveled, and her face was covered in mud and tear stains.

Her windbreaker was torn to shreds by something, she had lost one shoe, and her socks were covered in blood.

Her eyes were unfocused, her lips trembled, and when she saw us and the villagers who were gradually gathering, it was as if she had seen a lifeline.

"Help! Help! There's a ghost! Tang Sen is dead, he died a horrible death!"

Following behind were a blond-haired boy and a boy in a baseball cap, supporting each other, both looking disheveled and terrified.

The blond-haired man's arm was bent at an abnormal angle, clearly broken. He was sweating profusely from the pain, but he couldn't cry out; he just nervously repeated:

"There's a ghost! There's a ghost in the mountains! Tang Sen is trapped and can't be pulled out! We...we barely managed to escape!"

Their appearance clearly indicates that they have experienced something extremely terrifying.

The villagers gathered around, holding oil lamps and torches, and whispered among themselves as they looked at their miserable state.

Their faces showed shock and fear, but more than anything, a complex solemnity!

It was as if their worst fears had finally come true.

Just then, from the east end of the village, a series of heavy and rapid footsteps came, and the crowd gradually parted.

A burly man led seven or eight villagers, their faces grim.

Sun Wang pointed to the burly man leading the way and whispered, "That's the new village chief, Wu Yan!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, this guy doesn't look like a good person. How did you think of making him the village chief?"

Li Huai, standing to the side, clicked his tongue in amazement.

"You don't know anything. In a place like this, the most important thing to be a leader is to have prestige. Look at him, he can easily scare a three-year-old to tears. He's definitely got it."

Luo Tianhe joked.

Wu Yan's gaze, sharp as a hawk's, first swept over the collapsed young man on the ground, and finally looked coldly at us, his eyes as sharp as knives.

Luo Tianhe was not intimidated at all, and even raised an eyebrow at Wu Yan.

He seemed to realize that we were not to be trifled with, and then turned his gaze to the group of young people.

"What happened?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an imposing aura, as if he were questioning someone.

The girl with the ponytail, completely oblivious to the situation, grasped at it like a lifeline and cried out:

"Uncle, help! We're camping by the river, and some ghostly thing attacked us and dragged our companion into the woods! Please, please come and save him! He might still be alive!"

"What the hell?" Wu Yan's eyes were sinister as he squatted down and looked down at the girl with the ponytail.

Are you sure that's a ghost?

He emphasized the words "ghostly thing," and the girl with the ponytail nodded frantically.

"That's right, it's a ghostly thing, it looks like tentacles! And it looks like it has a human face on it!"

"Tentacles? Don't they look more like vines? Withered black, covered in wet mud, are the people entangled bleeding?"

The girl felt uneasy under his gaze and nodded tremblingly.

"That's right! Do you know anything about that thing? Please, save my companion!"

“It’s bleeding,” Wu Yan murmured, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

Suddenly he turned abruptly, and addressed all the soldiers with a loud, rising voice, filled with deep sorrow and unwavering resolve:

"Did you hear that? The dirty blood of outsiders has been spilled on the sacred mountain land. This is the consequence of angering the mountain god!"

He pointed at the girl with the ponytail on the ground, her face filled with terror, his tone resolute and brooking no argument:

“They ignored our advice, which led to the mountain god’s punishment. Now the mountain god’s anger has been stirred up by bloodshed. If we don’t find a way to quell it, our entire village will suffer next. We will all have to pay for their mistakes!”

These words were like ice water poured over their heads. The villagers, who had initially felt some sympathy for the tourists, suddenly changed their expressions, their eyes filled with fear and resentment as they looked at them.

"This is fucking ridiculous!" Luo Tianhe whispered in my ear.

I gestured for him to ignore it for now and continue reading.

I always felt that Wu Yan had some ulterior motive.

"No, no, we didn't do it on purpose. In fact, that thing attacked us first. We are the victims!"

The boy in the baseball cap struggled and shouted.

"Victim?" Wu Yan interrupted sharply, his face contorted with rage.

"The mountain god has been sleeping here for so many years, and we have all lived in peace. Why did he wake up and start killing people as soon as you arrived? It is clear that you disturbed him. Now that the mountain god has tasted blood, he will not stop! Unless we offer enough sacrifices to appease his anger!"

His cold gaze swept over us, finally settling on the group of young tourists:

"Fortunately, since the mountain god eats your companions, you can be used as sacrifices to atone for your mistakes. Men, tie up these outsiders who have angered the mountain god!"

Instantly, the young men were terrified and shrank back as fast as they could.

"You are committing a crime, you are committing murder!"