In this era, under the rule of law, even if a human sacrifice is for the purpose of saving lives, it is unlikely to be approved by the authorities, and they might even crack down on feudal superstition.

“Outsiders know very little about what happens in the village; it’s all just hearsay. But in the last two years, so many young people have died for no apparent reason, and people have started bringing it up again. The village has even hired a Taoist priest, saying that the evil spirits suppressed underground in the village have awakened…”

A custom has turned into a living sacrifice.

Of course, the village couldn't widely publicize that they were performing human sacrifices, and there was no concrete evidence to support the rumors circulating outside.

Moreover, in this entire village, including those who have left and those who are at home, as well as children including infants, there are at least a hundred young people under the age of 25. If the customary sacrificial ceremony is interrupted and they all die, who will be responsible?

Even if it's considered feudal superstition, with so many people dying for no reason, no one dared to gamble or stop it.

“Because someone came to the village before and said that we were superstitious and that we should crack down on superstition and stop doing vulgar things. But the next day, a young man died.”

An autopsy was performed, and everything was found to be normal.

His death was incredibly sudden.

Su Deng frowned. "So what exactly is the reason?"

"The outside world says that an ancient evil spirit is suppressed beneath the village, and that's what the villagers say too. Later, during the reform era, every household in the village consulted a fortune teller before building a house, but in reality..."

Xiuxiu paused, then lowered her voice, "It's a curse."

Su Deng looked up at her.

Xiuxiu pursed her lips. "I don't know anything about what happened before. The older generation is all vague about it. I only overheard my grandfather and the others saying when I was a child that it was the people in our village who created this mess."

I had thought about moving away from the village before.

But before the great migration could even begin, one person after another died.

This is said to be a warning.

Xiuxiu told Sudeng almost everything she knew.

Su Deng narrowed her eyes slightly. "Since you know I'm lying, why are you telling me so much?"

“Isn’t this what you came here to investigate?” Xiuxiu said, her head down. “I’m 16 this year. I don’t want to die young, and I don’t want to be forced to marry someone in the village as soon as I turn 18 because of this. I don’t want to marry someone from the same village who is still a relative and we’ve gone through 18 different roads. I don’t want to be forced to have children so that the village can continue to thrive.”

She said these words without showing any expression on her face.

Su Deng frowned. "Can't you marry someone from another village or not marry at all? You can resist."

“Over the years, many outsiders have married into the village because the festival has become a traditional custom. But when the curse is restarted, everyone is afraid. The village is afraid that young girls will marry outside the village and die young due to the curse. When they reach a certain age, they have to get married, and they have to marry someone from the same village. This is how Yao Village has survived to this day. Everyone is used to it.”

Xiuxiu said, "What can you resist? Where can you go? You're cursed; you can't escape no matter where you run. You might even die faster. This is the fate of the curse; there's no escaping it."

Is Xiuxiu home?

Just then, a loud shout came from the courtyard.

"Cooking?" Xiuxiu responded from the kitchen.

People in the courtyard walked over and were taken aback when they saw Su Deng in the kitchen. Their gazes lingered on Su Deng's exquisitely beautiful face for a moment, and then a look of amazement flashed in their eyes.

Xiuxiu subtly blocked his view and asked him with a smile, "What's wrong?"

Li Qin then came to his senses and pulled her arm to go outside to talk.

Su Deng stuffed two pieces of firewood into the stove and quietly followed them out to eavesdrop.

Li Qin's voice was heavy: "Wang Lin ran away with her daughter in her arms."

Xiuxiu seemed to pause for a moment, then said, "If I were her, I would run too."

"Her daughter is the one in the village whose age and birth chart are most suitable. Tomorrow is the memorial ceremony. If anything goes wrong, we might all die!"

"Then go find him yourself. Why are you coming to me?"

"I……"

Li Qin was speechless after Xiuxiu's retort, and gritted his teeth, saying, "If it weren't for that child who suddenly appeared in the village a few days ago, your cousin's son would have become a sacrifice too, you..."

“Li Qin, I have a question for you,” Xiu Xiu interrupted him.

Li Qin paused, "What?"

Xiuxiu asked, "If we get married in the future, and our child is chosen as a sacrifice, what will you do?"

There was a long silence outside.

Li Qin spoke up, "Maybe things will return to normal after this sacrifice. Besides, it's not like we have to sacrifice people every year. Don't think about things that might happen sometime in the future. Even if that day does come, we can secretly buy children to take their place..."

“That’s illegal!” Xiuxiu said through gritted teeth.

“What law is it illegal?” Li Qin said impatiently. “We’re barely surviving and could die at any moment. Who cares if it’s illegal or not? Besides, this is our village’s own business. Even the village secretary doesn’t say anything, so nobody can interfere.”

"If you don't have anything else to do, you can leave now. The village committee is busy, and I still need to cook."

"Xiuxiu!"

Xiuxiu was about to leave when Li Qin stopped her.

Li Qin glanced towards the kitchen and lowered his voice, "This female reporter, regardless of whether she's from our village or not, is quite good-looking. None of the women from our village have married into our village in the last two years, I..."

"Li Qin!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiuxiu suddenly shouted sharply, her eyes flashing a warning, "This is the era of the rule of law, you'd better not even think about it..."

"Keep your voice down!" Afraid that Su Deng would hear, Li Qin quickly covered Xiu Xiu's mouth and pulled her back into the house.

He gritted his teeth and whispered, "I only asked her to have a child for the village. Didn't she say she was from the village? As long as the village doesn't tell anyone, who would know..."

“Li Qin…” Xiuxiu took two steps back, her eyes filled with fear, “How could you have such a thought?”

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