44. The Ghost Village Worships Gods (10)
The blood pact is at work
Thus, Qin Fu'an heard a strange and distorted story about his childhood.
Xie Yunhuai said there was a very tall tree on the hillside behind. He used to climb the tree every day when he was a child, and later he found that the bark was actually not bad to eat after a while.
Xie Yunhuai said he once saw someone drifting down a mountain stream, and only after a long time did he realize that the person was not drifting, but had died silently in it.
Xie Yunhuai said that this small house was the seventeenth one he had built. The previous houses had all collapsed in the wind and rain. Once, while he was sleeping, the roof suddenly fell apart and hit him, scaring him so much that he could no longer sleep.
The boy, hugging his knees and looking serene, recounted many "funny stories" from his childhood in his mind.
Perhaps he would rather say something to prove that he is doing well, but his barren life and terrible past make it impossible for him to even come up with any "happiness" worth boasting about, even if he were to make things up.
So he gave up making up stories, hid his deeper suffering, and told those trivial things he thought were insignificant as stories with a squinty eye.
The thick book of grudges that Qin Fu'an had laid bare in his mind closed again the moment he spoke.
When Xie Yunhuai ran out of things to say, the light of day overhead gradually dimmed, and Qin Fu'an took the snack blind box out of the props and handed it to him again.
"Let's see what snacks we can get today."
Xie Yunhuai never expected to be able to hug the wooden box again. He was stunned for a moment, and under Qin Fu'an's gentle gaze, he reached his hand into the wooden box.
"What's this?" He held a brightly colored packaging bag and turned his head to look at Qin Fu'an.
It's a bag of dried fruit.
"Try it." Qin Fu'an helped him tear it open.
As some viewers commented, they really do seem like two elementary school kids in love. Even when they sit together chatting under the night sky, their interactions involve opening blind boxes and eating snacks, rather than engaging in any adult-like romance.
Xie Yunhuai was filled with curiosity about everything unknown that Qin Fu'an brought.
They quickly put aside the melancholy that had arisen from the memories.
Observing his emotional changes, Qin Fu'an rubbed his fingertips together, somewhat regretting that he had brought it up first.
Fortunately, night fell quickly.
When a small, blazing fire appeared in front of the dilapidated house, Qin Fu'an watched Xie Yunhuai skillfully chopping vegetables and cooking, and was once again attracted by the stubborn and indomitable vitality in the other person.
Whether it's Xie Yunhuai from the previous instance or the little mute in this instance, these two teenagers, who share the same soul but have different experiences, both possess an extremely tenacious vitality.
They looked just like those helpless cubs who were sent to Qin Fu'an.
Despite not being recognized by the Heavenly Dao, and despite being so weak that she might lose her breath at any moment, she was able to survive tenaciously under his care.
Compared to the cubs who were cared for by him and other demons like Kong Yu, Xie Yunhuai was more like a wild grass or reed that desperately sprouted new shoots after being burned to ashes by a great fire.
Fate could easily reduce him to ashes, yet he would desperately try to grow again before he was completely destroyed.
Stubborn, resilient, possessing a tenacious vitality rarely seen in Qin Fu'an's life.
It was as if as long as there was a small patch of soil, he would never die completely.
The cured meat I brought back yesterday was only a small piece, which the village chief obtained through a trade with people outside the ghost village. Once it's gone, that's it, so tonight's dinner will be another vegetarian meal.
Fortunately, there was plenty to eat.
"They said the people of the ghost village can't leave, so all this rice and flour... was it all traded with outsiders?" Qin Fu'an asked curiously after the meal.
Xie Yunhuai pondered for a moment after hearing this, then silently shook his head.
He wasn't quite sure either.
But Qin Fu'an asked this question not because he expected Xie Yunhuai to answer, but more to give himself room to think.
This is a point that he and the other players overlooked.
In other instances where communication with the outside world is impossible, he wouldn't delve into the source of the food. However, this instance starts with two guides from the outside, indicating that those trapped in the eerie village are indeed only "locals."
But since they were trapped, the food in the ghost village was clearly not enough to feed the entire village, let alone the seasonings and meat that humans needed for their lives.
In this situation, where did the Ghost Village get these things from?
If it's an exchange with outsiders, then... what does the Ghost Village use in exchange?
Coins? Or something more valuable?
Qin Fu'an didn't think the Ghost Village was rich.
So the only reason they can get these things is that the Ghost Village has items that outsiders need but don't easily obtain.
What is it?
Qin Fu'an frowned and tried to recall, searching through his memories several times, but he couldn't find a clue.
[What are you thinking about?] A tentacle gently and softly rested on his wrist.
Qin Fu'an came to his senses and asked Xie Yunhuai, "Is there anything in the Ghost Village that every household has?"
The question was too general, and Xie Yunhuai seemed to have a question mark popping up in his head after hearing it, but because it was something that Qin Fu'an was wondering about, he also began to think about it seriously.
What items are found in every household of the haunted village?
For Qin Fu'an to ask such a question, it must not be something ordinary, like bowls, chopsticks, or simple furniture.
But besides these, is there anything else special yet common?
After a long while, Xie Yunhuai shook his head in frustration.
I'm sorry... I don't know.
He felt guilty for not being able to answer Qin Fu'an's questions.
But her hair was quickly ruffled, and a comforting smile sounded in her ear: "It's okay, it's not important."
Although the main quest requires players to unravel the mystery of the mountain god, Qin Fu'an has already harbored murderous intent.
Compared to the main quest of uncovering the mystery, Qin Fu'an felt that he might be better at reaping the lives of evil spirits.
After all, this is his true duty as Tengshe.
Sensing the indifference in his tone, Xie Yunhuai relaxed a bit. He stopped racking his brains, extinguished the fire, lay down on the new bed that exuded a fresh woody scent, listened to the breathing of the other person in the room, and slowly closed his eyes.
Qin Fu'an gave the more comfortable bed to Xie Yunhuai, and crawled back into his sleeping bag. Before going to sleep, he glanced at the live stream chat screen.
[How can this not be considered another form of sharing a bed? Hehe~]
[The bed was made too small (deeply).]
[Host, Xiao Xie is right here, how can you resist? Even elementary school students in love aren't this innocent (doge)]
[I'm completely confused. What exactly is this "Mystery of the Mountain God" dungeon? Has anyone watched other walkthrough videos and can explain?]
[I've seen it, but... those awful bullet comment rules!]
[I've seen it too. Friendly reminder: Don't think this dungeon is easy. Although it's a normal dungeon, you can still stumble if you're not careful~]
[Speaking of which, compared to the streamer's previous beginner dungeon, this one seems really easy. Not a single person has died since we entered. The difficulty has dropped by a whole level. I really miss the physical test of the last dungeon...]
[Cherish the beginner dungeons; without them, who would consider these streamers newbies?]
[Laughing so hard...]
Qin Fu'an glanced at it briefly, then closed his eyes and stopped paying attention.
As for the main storyline that viewers are curious about, we may get the answer tomorrow.
What he needed to do was simple: rest well and wait to see what kind of trouble the undead in the haunted village would cause tomorrow.
-
Qin Fu'an was awakened in the middle of the night by the strange behavior of the boy in bed.
The room was pitch black at the time, but Qin Fu'an's ears were filled with the painful cries for help from the tentacles.
They curled up in agony, twisting and thrashing about, revealing a pale-faced boy covered in cold sweat beneath the tentacles.
He seemed to be trapped in an extremely terrifying nightmare.
The thin, frail body curled up tightly, trembling and whimpering from excessive fear or extreme pain.
Qin Fu'an got up and walked to the bedside. Instead of waking Xie Yunhuai who was sobbing, he reached out to touch his slightly feverish brow.
The blood pact is at work.
This means that Xie Yunhuai has already endured two-thirds of the pain, but the remaining pain still makes him groan and cry out in despair.
If you look closely, you'll see an inhuman coldness and rationality in Qin Fu'an's eyes at this moment.
He gazed at the boy on the bed suffering unknown pain, his thoughts racing in an instant as he tried to capture every detail that might be connected to his memory.
Countless fragments of memory surged through his mind like a torrent. These scattered, complex, and chaotic yet remarkably clear fragments of memory flickered on and off until he keenly captured and magnified them—
Mountain God Temple!
Qin Fu'an's eyes were cold, and in a short, almost instantaneous breath, he understood the root of Xie Yunhuai's current pain.
He wasted no more time, and the spiritual power at his fingertips poured out as if it were free, but it did not enter Xie Yunhuai's body. Instead, it lingered and spread in the small dilapidated house, and then quietly and silently entered every wisp of twisted and wailing soul.
This spiritual energy soothed the pain the souls were enduring to some extent, and with the help of two blood-bonded beings, the twisted and tangled souls finally quieted down for the time being.
However, the price was that Qin Fu'an's spiritual energy, which he had accumulated over several days, was completely exhausted tonight.
He glanced at the sky outside; there were still about three hours until dawn.
Qin Fu'an lowered his head, his soft fingertips gently stroking the boy's furrowed brow, which was furrowed with pain and unease.
Having lost his spiritual power, his body temperature was actually more like that of a cold-blooded animal like a snake, chilling to the bone. Therefore, he didn't touch him much. After confirming that Xie Yunhuai's condition was relatively good, he stopped, put on his clothes, and went outside.
The sky above remained unchangingly black, without moon or stars, and the surroundings were as cold and desolate as a deathly graveyard.
Qin Fu'an did not use a flashlight. In the pitch-black night, the only light came from his pair of eerie green vertical pupils.
His destination was clear: he walked straight toward the mountain god temple.
This was not the first time Qin Fu'an had tried to explore the haunted village at night. He had appeared there at night before, but nothing unusual had happened in the village on any of those previous nights.
Tonight... it seems there isn't one either.
At least on the surface, that's how it seems.
Qin Fu'an stood near the house of a villager in the ghost village, listening indifferently to the two different wails coming from inside. Looking around, the two roars, which were enough to alarm everyone in the village, seemed to have no effect at all.
Tonight, the eerie village is quiet and empty, as if only the players remain.
[Author's Note]
It's almost the end of the month, I hope the two little ones can have plenty of nutrient solution?
This chapter is a bit short, but there will be a longer update tomorrow night. Sweethearts, my little tentacles!
.
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution:
stieY 16 bottles;
Five bottles of Morning Rain Delight;
Mukawa Megumi, Tangyuan, Summer of the Eleventh Year, and Qingyu Guzhou (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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