It's funny, this guy went out early in the morning, saying he was looking for wild game around.
Just as he said, although Feng Hao did not go to Da Long's house, he still received a notification for a side quest.
“Therefore, this mission is inevitable.” Xiao Jin said calmly, “Since we can’t avoid it, we’ll just have to deal with it as it comes.”
At midnight, the mountain fog was so thick it couldn't be dispersed.
Eight villagers carried a thin coffin in front, paper lanterns flickering in the wind. Behind them were the village chief and dozens of villagers, and then the players.
Xiao Jin counted the slippery bluestone steps under her feet and found that she would step on a copper coin every seven steps. The edges of these coins were blackened, as if they had been soaked in blood and then dried.
Yunye said softly, "These coins are quite old."
"Hmm." Xiao Jin nodded: "I just don't know exactly what it's for."
After walking for about an hour and a half, Xiao Jin saw an ancestral hall in the distance.
If she wasn't mistaken, this was the location of tonight's funeral.
But... why is the ancestral hall in Guying Village built in the mountains? It's too far away!
"Hurry up, put the coffin inside." The village chief directed the villagers carrying the coffin, and the others carrying paper money, white candles, and wreaths entered one by one.
Within minutes, the mourning hall was set up.
Perhaps the village chief had talked to the old woman about something during the day, because this time her emotions were noticeably more stable, and she knelt silently in front of the coffin.
As for the woman beside her, who appeared to be in her early thirties, she was likely Da Long's wife. However, the woman's face was expressionless, and her hempen robe completely concealed her grief, making it impossible to tell whether she was truly saddened.
Meanwhile, after entering the ancestral hall, the players began to observe the surroundings of the mourning hall.
Xiao Jin counted the white candles here; there were thirty-six in total, each inserted into the eye sockets of a strange skull, seemingly resembling some kind of animal.
The candle tears, mixed with the dark red liquid that was already on the candlestick, dripped down the pale white skull onto the blue brick floor, where they solidified into an eerie puddle.
"The side quest the system gave us this time is really strange."
While the villagers weren't paying attention, Sui Ying kicked the thin-skinned coffin placed in the center of the ancestral hall, her chubby face gleaming coldly in the candlelight.
"Attending the funeral is one thing, but having to keep vigil until dawn is another."
The man who had drowned during the day lay in the coffin. His belly was even larger than when he had seen it that morning, and through his translucent skin, you could even see something wriggling inside.
Xiao Jin noticed that the dead man's overlapping hands were filled with black mud under his fingernails, just like the ones she had just seen on the villagers.
What taboo did he break that led to his sudden and violent death?
Xiao Jin pondered silently for a moment.
Shao Siyuan, leaning against the wall, had his head down, his pupils reflecting the blue light of the system screen, on which were clearly written.
[Side Quest Requirements: Complete the midnight vigil ceremony; you may not leave the shrine during the ceremony. Reward: 5000 points, one random item chest.]
The current time is 01:47. The mission had already begun when the coffin was being carried up the mountain.
"Are the people in this village out of their minds?" Sui Feng squatted in front of the offering table, glanced at it a few times, and then returned to the players, whispering to Xiao Jin and the others.
"The sacrificial offerings on the ancestral tablets were all rotten meat, but the ash in the incense burner was fresh, indicating that they frequently performed some kind of sacrifice."
But who would keep those rotten offerings at a funeral, as if they were treasuring them?
Upon hearing Sui Feng's words, Sui Ying first gave the deceased's family a strange look.
Then he whispered, "That's right, they don't make a fuss. But that's precisely why we know these sacrificial offerings are very precious, and they might be related to the sacrifice in a few days."
"Huh?" Feng Hao suddenly had an idea.
His eyes darted around: "How about... we steal some?"
Xiao Jin opened her mouth, her gaze towards Feng Hao quite complex.
You could say his plan wasn't terrible, but to immediately connect the two siblings of the Sui family to the matter of stealing sacrificial offerings is something not everyone can do.
Shao Siyuan coughed lightly: "Well, that's not necessarily a bad thing."
He gestured with his chin toward the villagers bustling around the altar: "The surveillance here is no ordinary thing; it's not easy to take things!"
"Hey! That's going a bit too far!" Shao Siyuan chuckled. "I don't believe you guys don't have some kind of secret weapon you can use to deceive everyone."
No sooner had the words been spoken than the ancestral hall door was suddenly blown open by the wind, and several villagers carrying oil lamps followed the village chief into the hall in single file.
This move caused all the players to frown.
Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the people following the village chief are not the same people who were part of the procession beforehand. Players have excellent memories, so they can see this clearly.
Furthermore, upon closer inspection, players discovered that these people's feet did not touch the ground, and they did not even cast shadows under the candlelight.
It seemed that a heavy rain had started outside, and the mountain forest felt even more oppressive in the rainy night, with a chill gradually spreading throughout the player's body.
Feng Hao, that idiot, seemed to be a little afraid of ghosts, and with a pale face, he hid behind Sui Feng.
After all, at times like this, only a man as masculine as Sui Feng could give him a sense of security.
Once inside the ancestral hall, the villagers dared not utter a sound, seemingly also afraid of these people.
A moment later, the village chief, who was in charge, grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth: "Time's up, please take your seats, distinguished guests."
Um?
The players looked at each other, wondering if something was wrong with the story's direction.
Xiao Jin's long sword trembled slightly in its sheath as she watched the villagers arrange twelve prayer mats around the coffin, each corresponding to one of the twelve players.
In front of each futon was a rough porcelain bowl filled with a murky liquid.
"Drinking the talisman water will ward off the night's chill and dispel bad luck." The village chief's eyes rolled up and down eerily as he spoke: "Everyone, please!"
Xiao Jin and the others exchanged glances, and Shao Siyuan stepped forward and asked, "May I ask, Village Chief, what is bad luck?"
The village chief replied without changing his expression, "A funeral has occurred in the village, which is a major taboo before the religious rites begin. We are afraid that something might disturb you, so we are going to cleanse the village of bad luck."
Given the village chief's attitude, refusing to drink was definitely not an option, so the players had no choice but to sit on the futons.
When everyone took their seats, they observed that the several prayer cushions were no different, so they could only choose one at random.
After they sat down, the village chief led a group of villagers to surround the coffin, their eyes fixed on the player.
"Is this some kind of talisman water?" a male player with a tattoo on his arm said angrily, pushing the bowl on the ground as he spoke.
However, it was precisely because of his unwillingness that he accidentally kicked over the porcelain bowl, spilling the liquid on the ground. The spilled liquid immediately corroded the ground, creating honeycomb-like holes.
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