Chapter 561 [(*^▽^*)]
At this moment, Lin Leyou and Xue Rui felt more and more comfortable with the surrounding environment. The yin energy was dense and the ghostly mist was pervasive, as if they had entered the underworld.
Yesterday, there was still some light during the day, but today there's absolutely none. It's practically nighttime now, and there's no distinction between day and night anymore.
Rong Yuwen checked the time. "It's daytime now."
Guo Xia: "It seems... this situation is advantageous to the BOSS, but very disadvantageous to us."
Rong Yuwen: "This is bad. We might fail to clear the level."
Guo Xia said, "It's okay. If we fail this time, we can win next time."
Rong Yuwen said, "Three hundred thousand points is no small amount. Even I would feel the pinch."
Guo Xia stroked his chin. "It's just a little painful, it's nothing, after all, there are still players who can't afford it."
Rong Yuwen: "This is not good news either."
Guo Xia: "Perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope."
He glanced at the ancestral hall behind him, and Rong Yuwen also perked up a bit more, "Yes, we don't even know what's in the ancestral hall yet, but it probably won't be long before it's ready."
Guo Xia said, "This village has completely turned into a ghost town, which should benefit the BOSS rather than the things inside the ancestral hall."
Guo Chengzheng: "Something's happening!"
Not only them, but the other players also stood up and retreated in unison, moving slightly away from the ancestral hall. Their actions immediately attracted the attention of the villagers.
There was indeed some activity at the ancestral hall. The main gate was opened again, but there was no movement inside. Those who had run into the ancestral hall before looked through the gate but couldn't see a single one.
Seeing how much the players avoided the ancestral hall, the villagers hesitated. The ancestral hall had always been a sacred place to them, completely different from the evil god's temple.
However... after what happened a few days ago, the villagers have completely lost their initial trust in the ancestral hall, especially since it is empty.
"It seems like everyone who went in has disappeared; we can't see a single one. Should we...should we still go in?"
"It's so scary, I don't dare to go in, but it seems very warm inside, there's not a breath of wind at all. Do you see the candles inside? The candlelight isn't even flickering."
"Candlelight? What candlelight? Who lit the candle?"
"Was it ordered by someone who went in before?"
"Why are those candles red and black? Do we keep candles like that in our ancestral hall?"
"Something's not right, I'm afraid to go in."
Many people were afraid to go in, but some villagers were willing to go in, since it did look warm inside. Some elderly people, children and those who were physically weak got up and went inside.
For them, what difference does it make if entering the ancestral hall means death? Staying outside is also death, there's no difference. Perhaps in the ancestral hall they can at least keep warm before they die.
Thus, a small number of villagers, some quickly and some slowly, entered the open gate of the ancestral hall, making a total of thirty-six villagers.
Now there are only forty-five villagers standing outside, scattered about, looking at the ancestral hall gate with some fear.
Some people looked at the gate with great longing, but after glancing around, they restrained themselves and did not take a step forward.
They originally thought the open gate would be closed soon after villagers went in, but to their surprise, the gate remained open and was not closed even after people went in.
Qin Xingyu stood at the back of the villagers and looked at the gate of the ancestral hall. After about ten minutes, several older men walked to the gate. They did not come out, but stood inside the gate and waved to them with smiles.
"Come on in, everyone! It's warm and cozy inside! There's no draft at all, and we have rooms to rest in. It's much better than outside!"
They smiled kindly, looking just like when they used to sit at the village entrance, basking in the sun and watching the young people of the village pass by with a smile, which was very endearing.
A few people couldn't resist and slowly approached, but didn't go in. They stood outside the door, peeking inside. They saw that the people who had gone in earlier had found places to rest inside, with relaxed expressions on their faces, some even smiling. It was clear that the ancestral hall was their best haven.
One of the villagers standing outside couldn't resist and stepped inside. When he realized what he had done, he was startled and immediately pulled back, taking a few steps back.
Startled, he quickly touched himself, but found nothing wrong. "Huh? I'm fine... I'm fine!"
He was fine, really fine. He even stepped in and came out with one foot in, and he was still perfectly fine. Everyone saw this and gathered around to check on him.
"It's really no problem..."
Although everyone felt a little relieved, it wasn't enough to dispel their vigilance. One of the people standing at the door was someone they all recognized, and someone immediately called out to him.
"Second Uncle, come out here for a moment."
The man who was called "Second Uncle" was stunned for a moment. "What? Go out? No, no, no, I'm not going out. It's too cold outside. It's warm inside. I want to stay inside."
"Second Uncle, I won't let you stay outside, but I'll let you walk around for a bit before you go back."
Uncle hesitated for a moment, and when everyone thought he would refuse, he actually nodded. He stepped over the threshold in front of everyone and even walked up to a junior and patted him on the shoulder.
"Come on, come inside with me. It's very comfortable inside. Don't stay outside and suffer anymore. That Fu Qingqiu will definitely not let us go. Only the ancestral hall can protect us."
The person he patted on the shoulder wasn't stupid. "Second Uncle, have you seen Xiao Zhuo and the others inside? They went in and we haven't heard from them since. The village chief and his family are also nowhere to be seen."
His second uncle was somewhat surprised by his question and could only shake his head, "I didn't see anything, I don't know... There was no one else inside when we went in."
"Isn't this a good thing? If there are so many people inside, we won't be able to squeeze in. Let's hurry up and come in, or we'll have to close again soon."
"Second Uncle..." he hesitated, "Will you disappear again when the door opens next time?"
Uncle looked in the player's direction, seemingly unsure whether he should speak now, but after a moment's hesitation, he leaned close to his ear and whispered something.
The other person, who had been hesitant and doubtful, completely changed his expression and eyes in that instant.
"Really? Second Uncle!"
"I'm your second uncle, would I lie to you? Come in quickly, we're about to close! You know, the number of people allowed in each time is limited. The ancestral hall is our guardian, there will absolutely be no problems!"
The words his second uncle whispered in his ear were heard by no one else but the two of them.
Whether it was Lin Leyou and his group, the players, or the other villagers, they all looked bewildered. It didn't seem like brainwashing or hypnosis, so how could things have changed so much?
Lin Leyou said, "I don't know what he said, but it was definitely a heavy blow to the villagers."
Xue Rui said, "Let's wait a little longer. We need to convince the other villagers. They will definitely repeat themselves again and again. We'll eventually hear what they're saying."
They didn't continue talking. The second uncle pulled the young villager inside, leaving the other villagers staring at each other outside.
"Are we just going in like this? Hey! They haven't even explained what's going on yet! Should we...should we go in or not?"
"I...I don't know either, Uncle! Uncle! Please tell us!"
My second uncle had already gone inside. "Come in, everyone, come in! What are you doing outside? It's very comfortable inside!"
“But… Uncle, we’re scared. All the people from before are gone, and… and inside…”
Second Uncle: "Don't worry, there are no ghosts inside, it's very safe and warm. Would I harm you? Why don't a few of you come in first? If you don't want to stay, you can leave. I won't stop you."
The villagers outside looked at each other in bewilderment, and finally decided to select a few who were interested to go in and take a look.
As a result, these people went in, took a look around, and came out again. After confirming that they could come out unharmed, all the villagers were thrilled.
Except for a very few who were still worried, scared and unwilling, the rest of the villagers actually went in.
Just as they went inside, the door slammed shut, separating them from the outside.
Rong Yuwen looked at the five remaining villagers, hesitated for a moment, but still walked over. "How many are there?"
These five villagers were naturally young people, three men and two women. They were in good health and had some food with them, so they could withstand the cold wind outside and decided to stay outside.
One of them is Qin Xingyu.
They all ignored Rong Yuwen, and even walked away with obvious disdain. Only Qin Xingyu remained. He looked at Rong Yuwen and asked, "Is something wrong?"
Seeing that some villagers were willing to talk to him, Rong Yuwen didn't waste any time and asked, "Can you tell me about the ancestral hall?"
Qin Xingyu: "What could be wrong? The ancestral hall inside houses the memorial tablets of the village's deceased elders. Of course, only elders with a certain reputation can have their tablets placed in the village's ancestral hall. Others are not qualified."
Rong Yuwen nodded. "Anything else?"
Qin Xingyu shook his head, "That's it. Before all this happened, the ancestral hall had never had any problems."
Rong Yuwen: "Really? Do you know what might be inside the ancestral hall? You can guess."
Qin Xingyu actually only knew one thing, and it was something that Qin Xingyu, the villager NPC, witnessed alone. Very few people in the village knew about it, because he had inherited the memories of this NPC.
So... this NPC villager is actually a hidden NPC. If the player is lucky enough, they might be able to get this information out of this NPC.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Xingyu said, "It should be an evil god."
Rong Yuwen paused slightly, and the players behind him also came closer. "Could you explain in detail? Why is it an evil god? Shouldn't evil gods stay in evil god temples?"
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