Chapter 470: Revenge

"Let me see." Lin Sanlang took the stone and frowned.

"This kind of green stone... has appeared near the village before, but most people didn't take it seriously and just thought it was an ordinary stone."

As he spoke, he uttered another "eh" and said, "No, the stone we have seen seems to be darker in color."

Zhu Lan smiled slightly and said:

"I once read a travelogue, which said:

There is a mountain in the South Sea, named Bixuan. The mountain is surrounded by steep cliffs and there is a Biluan hidden in the ground.

The jade egg is crystal clear and changeable. Taking it will bring about a magical experience. It is rare and hard to find. Only those who are destined to have it can obtain it. "

"Bi...egg...?" Lin Sanlang repeated and shook his head in unfamiliarity.

Zhu Lan held up the gravel, looked at it carefully towards the sun, and said:

"This should be a kind of ore, and it is hidden in the mountains beside the lake. Many years ago, someone came here and saw this kind of stone, and called it 'Bi Luan'.

This mineral is slightly soluble in water, and its color changes slightly with temperature or light.

Once people drink water containing this mineral, they will experience varying degrees of poisoning, that is, hallucinations. "

"Hallucination?" Lin Sanlang was stunned.

“You mean… those people who came to our village and saw ghosts were all hallucinating!?

That’s not right. Those who have encountered evil spirits said that they could not only see ghosts, but also hear many horrible noises. Can hallucinations be so real?

We have lived here for generations. If the water is poisonous, how can our villagers be safe?"

"The sounds we heard are easy to explain." Zhu Lan pointed to the surrounding mountains.

"Biquan Village is surrounded by mountains and cliffs on all sides, and this kind of terrain easily produces echoes.

Ordinary sounds of wind and thunder will echo through the valleys, producing different auditory effects.

Normally, people may not pay attention to such sounds, but when people have hallucinations, the information received by the senses will be amplified and distorted. Combined with people's deep-seated fears, all kinds of terrifying effects will occur.

As for why the local villagers are not affected by the hallucinations..."

Zhu Lan said thoughtfully:

“I think it’s because you’ve been drinking this kind of water for years, and your bodies have developed resistance.

Village chief, do the villagers usually feel unwell?"

Lin Sanlang shook his head. "Uncomfortable? Not really."

Zhu Lan hesitated for a moment before saying seriously:

"I am not well versed in medicine, so I dare not speak rashly. But for everyone's safety, I am afraid that the water source in the village is no longer suitable for drinking."

Upon hearing this, Lin Sanlang immediately shook his head.

"Girl, you are joking. We in Biquan Village only have this one source of water. We all rely on it for cooking and farming. If we don't drink the water here, we will die of thirst!

Besides, our ancestors have been drinking it for many years without any problems, so what you said is too mysterious."

Zhu Lan frowned, thinking about how to solve the problem mentioned by Lin Sanlang, when he suddenly heard a chaotic sound of footsteps coming from the direction of the village.

"The county magistrate has arrived—"

County Magistrate Kang Gaoyi, accompanied by the County Assistant and a group of yamen runners armed with weapons, rushed forward aggressively and surrounded everyone.

The villagers were terrified by the scene and fell to their knees, looking at Lin Sanlang for help.

Only Zhu Lan and Lin Sanlang stood in the crowd.

When Lin Sanlang saw Kang Gaoyi, he immediately came up to him holding the green ore with a look of joy on his face.

“Master Kang, it seems that we have found the source of the strange things that have happened in our village over the years, thanks to this girl.

You see, it’s all the fault of the green rocks in this mountain—”

"shut up!"

Kang Gaoyi frowned and shouted harshly, and Lin Sanlang stood there at a loss as to what to do.

Kang Gaoyi snatched the ore fragment, glanced at it, threw it to the ground, pointed at Lin Sanlang's nose and cursed:

"How did you become the village chief with your pig brain? How dare you believe anything anyone says!?"

"I...I..." Lin Sanlang was speechless in his panic.

The boy's somewhat reckless voice sounded:

"But what if it's true?"

A Chong came out from somewhere. He had already sent Grandma Sun back home. When he was about to turn back, he met the team from the county government on the road and followed them.

Ah Chong rushed to Kang Gaoyi and shouted:

"My Lord County Magistrate, our village is not rich to begin with, and every year we have to pay a tax to offer sacrifices to the mountain god, which is too much to eat.

But if the curse and the mountain god are fake, we won’t have to—"

"Are you questioning me?" Kang Gaoyi's face was terribly gloomy.

"Not really..." Ah Chong's voice became a little softer and he turned around to look at Zhu Lan.

"The county magistrate is an official, so he naturally knows more than us.

But she was also an official in the past, and she came from the capital, her position was higher than yours, and what she said made a lot of sense..."

Before Ah Chong could finish his words, Kang Gaoyi slapped the boy hard in the face, shocking everyone present.

Zhu Lan suddenly clenched his fists.

Ah Chong was stunned. When he came to his senses, he smelled a bloody smell in his mouth.

Kang Gaoyi shook his aching hand. Seeing this, the county magistrate next to him shouted at the top of his voice:

"Whose little bastard is this? Take him back home now and stop causing trouble here!

Otherwise, I will go to the county jail to pick him up!"

Seeing no one answering, the county magistrate said angrily:

"Are they all rebelling?

"Master Kang, in my opinion, we should first arrest all these unruly people and give them a beating so that they know the consequences of offending the mountain god!"

Kang Gaoyi's face was clouded with dark clouds, and his gaze fell on Zhu Lan's face like a poisonous snake.

The assessment of officials in Nanzhou is about to begin. If nothing unexpected happens, I will be the next Sima of Nanzhou.

At this critical juncture, the sacrificial tax in Biquan Village must not be cancelled.

These unruly people are so bold that they dare to question my authority. They should indeed be made to suffer as a warning to others.

"Come here, take them all away!"

"stop!"

Zhu Lan took a step forward, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

She stared at Kang Gaoyi with a cold gaze, carrying an intimidating aura. Even the county magistrate felt a moment of trance as if he was facing a superior.

"Kang Gaoyi, who gave you the power to detain innocent people at will?"

Kang Gaoyi was stunned for a moment, then he started laughing.

"Oh, you still think you are the Lord Zhongcheng?"

He walked up to Zhu Lan, stared at her closely for a moment, revealed an extremely mocking and contemptuous smile, narrowed his eyes and said:

"You, who are you?

Things change over time. Now in my eyes, you are worse than a dog, hahahaha!"