47. The Ghost Village Worships Gods (13)
The auspicious time is approaching...
Qin Fu'an looked at him, his voice slightly deep: "You recognize it?"
"No..." The village chief opened his mouth to deny it, but after meeting Qin Fu'an's eyes, he stammered, "This is...this is...the remains of the previous mountain god."
Upon hearing the word "remains," the players all stared in shock.
Amidst the faint gasps rising and falling, Qin Fu'an remained unmoved. He stared at the familiar "grass" in his hand and pressed, "You said it was the remains of the previous mountain god, so do you know why it died?"
When asked this question, even the village chief, who had been briefly controlled by his innate ability, struggled to recover amidst a violent mental tremor.
His bloodshot eyes widened, and he stumbled back several steps before swallowing hard and threatening in a hoarse voice, "You...you put it down, and I'll let you leave. Otherwise...otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"
"You're welcome?" Qin Fu'an slowly grasped the withered plant and asked him, "Do you mean by 'you're welcome' that we're being offered as sacrifices to the current mountain god?"
Before the other party could answer, he looked at the group of people hiding behind the villagers and said casually, "You led us to the haunted village, and you threatened and intimidated us the whole way. How come you turned into the temple keeper in the blink of an eye?"
"You must be very proud of yourself for bringing the seven of us back to the Ghost Village to sacrifice to the mountain god. But I wonder why the mountain god you worship is still hiding like a coward and refusing to show up?"
"Could it be... that the auspicious time hasn't arrived yet?" Qin Fu'an's slightly cool voice echoed in the small temple. The surroundings were so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The players and villagers followed his gaze and saw several tall men with gloomy and terrifying expressions.
Qin Fu'an then greeted him in a friendly manner: "Third Brother, we meet again."
"Third Brother?!" Zhong Hao looked towards the door in surprise, so astonished that he was no longer afraid. He shone his flashlight directly at the faces of those people, but after looking for a long time, he was still puzzled: "They don't really look like them..."
They do have similar builds, but most adult men, as long as they are about the same height, will not have very different builds.
So why was Qin Fu'an so certain that the temple keeper, Lao San, was the same Lao San who had brought them to the ghost village?
Li Fubiao also exclaimed in surprise, "No way? When I lit cigarettes for Third Brother back then, I clearly..."
It looks nothing like the face in front of me!
“Nothing is impossible,” Guo Shulin retorted softly. “Humans live for their faces, trees live for their bark, but what if they weren’t human to begin with? They’re worshipping mountain gods, they’re even offering human blood sacrifices, they just have two different faces…”
There's nothing to be surprised about.
While they were whispering about whether the person outside was indeed their original guide, the other party admitted it even faster than they had guessed.
As Liu Laosan and the other temple keepers walked in, the villagers of the Ghost Village automatically made way for them, except for the village chief, who hesitated and wanted to call them back.
But Liu Laosan ignored him.
He led his men to the altar, looked up to reveal a face exactly like the one of his former guides, and said in a deep voice, "Since you recognize me, hand over the remains of the mountain god in your hands, and I can decide to let you leave the haunted village."
"So eager to get it..." Qin Fu'an guessed thoughtfully, "Could it be because the real auspicious day and time are about to arrive?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Laosan's expression changed for a moment, then he quickly said coldly, "Knowing too much will not do you any good. The mountain god will not pursue your disrespect. Give me the remains, and you will leave here immediately!"
“Leaving is fine.” Qin Fu’an nodded readily, and as Liu Laosan’s expression relaxed slightly, he suddenly said, “However, I want to take Xie Yunhuai with me. As long as you agree, we’ll leave immediately, how about it?”
He held the blade of grass, finished speaking, and then looked down at Liu Laosan with a leisurely smile.
The next second, Liu Laosan's expression hardened. Without giving Qin Fu'an a chance to speak, he leaped onto the altar and was about to snatch the plant.
Cen Tian wanted to help, but was quickly stopped by more people rushing over. The small temple could not accommodate so many people, and the fight was even more cramped. The old decorations inside the temple were almost destroyed, and the ground was a mess.
Qin Fu'an kicked the heavy cover plate up, temporarily concealing the exposed bones in the soil. After dodging Liu Laosan's attack, he stepped onto the shoulders of the densely packed villagers below and leaped outwards.
He was still holding a yellowed and withered plant in his hand.
Liu Laosan stopped making pointless threats and chased after Qin Fu'an's retreating figure.
After they left one after the other, the people who had been fighting in the temple all stopped and followed them.
In the end, those who remained in the temple to fight with the other players were either old people or children; even the strong women had been chased down the mountain.
After the players worked together to deal with the remaining villagers, they used the ropes they had used to tie the statue to bind them all together. Once they were sure the villagers were incapacitated, they breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help looking at each other in bewilderment.
"Should we...follow them?" Guo Shulin stood on the edge of the mountaintop, straining to look down. The dense forest on the hillside below resembled a silently gaping maw of blood. There was no sign of people or light, only the crimson paper money on the ground silently seeping into the blood, as if a blizzard had completely covered the entire mountain forest overnight.
"Are you going to chase after him to your death?" Cen Tian rolled her eyes at him, turned around and kicked open the door of the mountain god temple that had been closed at some point. She glanced at the statue next to her, kicked it herself, and then walked inside.
Guo Shulin was terrified and embarrassed. Before he could say anything, Zhong Hao patted him on the shoulder and explained, "The boss obviously lured those people away for us. Now, the most urgent thing is to dig out the bones under the altar and search the mountain god temple for any other clues, so as to piece together as much of the storyline of the entire dungeon as possible."
Guo Shulin: "...How do you know he deliberately led people away?"
How come I'm the only one who didn't know?
Zhong Hao choked, then asked incredulously, "Didn't you see the kick he gave me before he left? The implication was so obvious!"
Guo Shulin scratched his head in confusion: "Wasn't it because you didn't want the villagers to see that you deliberately closed it?"
Zhong Hao: "..."
He withdrew his hand and walked into the temple expressionlessly.
Li Fubiao walked over to Guo Shulin and patted him on the shoulder. He seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Finally, he shook his head and followed Guo Shulin inside.
Guo Shulin: "???"
Wait, what do you mean?!
-
On the other side, Qin Fu'an walked on the thick, soft paper money, and under the pursuit of the living and the dead, he finally arrived at the familiar little dilapidated house.
He stood behind the fire that had been extinguished the night before.
Behind him, Liu Laosan and his men, who had been hot on his heels, suddenly stopped when they saw the small, dilapidated house behind him and confronted him from a distance.
The village chief of the eerie village, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling bluish-black hue, looked at Qin Fu'an, his tone still carrying a hint of elder's earnest persuasion: "Little Qin, have you forgotten what I told you? The little mute living in this house is a monster, isn't he?"
"Even if you don't respect the mountain god, you must not let the monster bewitch your mind, otherwise you might end up like those people, dying quietly somewhere without anyone knowing."
"Is that so?" Qin Fu'an's voice was clear and bright, and if you listened carefully, you could hear a slight smile in it. He looked up at the yellow and white paper money that was still falling in the sky and sighed softly, "But why is it that only this little monster's house has no paper money for the dead?"
As he looked up at the sky, in the house behind him, the boy known as the little monster was sitting on a small stool with his knees bent, his arms wrapped around his knees, listening quietly to the sounds outside.
And those originally clingy tentacles all obediently surrounded him, not one of them sneaking out to inform Qin Fu'an.
Outside, Qin Fu'an's voice continued: "Village chief, I sincerely want to solve your problem, but you are really dishonest. Lying to me is one thing, but you wanted my life from the very beginning. Your two-faced behavior really hurts me."
He seemed to be making a real accusation, his tone full of helpless grievance, but Xie Yunhuai could imagine the expression on Qin Fu'an's face when he said these words.
He was exceptionally nonchalant, with a slight upturn at the corners of his lips and a sharp look in his eyes full of mockery, as if afraid that the listener wouldn't see the playfulness and provocation in his expression.
It can easily infuriate and drive people crazy.
Indeed, that was the case. The village chief's eyes were bulging with anger, yet he still stared intently at Qin Fu'an's exceptionally handsome face, grinding his teeth as if he wanted to rush up and bite Qin Fu'an to death right now.
Qin Fu'an did not take a step forward, and the people of the Ghost Village seemed unwilling to get any closer, so they remained deadlocked.
At this time, there were still about two hours until dawn.
"Little Qin, I'm telling the truth. I have no grudge against you, so why would I want to lie to you or harm you?" The village chief rambled on anxiously, "The Mountain God Festival is about to begin. As long as you hand over the body to me, the Mountain God will definitely not punish you. I can personally escort you out of the haunted village!"
"I already agreed." Qin Fu'an spread his hands innocently. "You were the ones who threatened to attack me at the slightest disagreement. We agreed that I would just take Xie Yunhuai with me, but you all seem very unwilling. Since you all call him a monster, why won't you let me take him with me?"
"He's a monster, and he's incurred the mountain god's wrath and curse. If I take him out of the haunted village, won't you all be safe?" Qin Fu'an slowly persuaded, "Look how considerate I am! Instead of fighting and killing, let's make a deal. I won't disturb your mountain god's sacrifice, and I don't even mind leaving those two people in the village as sacrifices to your mountain god. Wouldn't that make everyone happy?"
But whenever he mentioned Xie Yunhuai, the villagers opposite him would involuntarily tense up, their bluish-black, withered claws poised to pounce and tear him to pieces.
Ugh, so hard to communicate with!
"I'm not lying to you. Give me the body. The auspicious time is approaching..." The village chief seemed to have gone mad with anger, repeating the same sentence over and over again, staring at Qin Fu'an with a sinister look, his footsteps gradually approaching.
They didn't mention Xie Yunhuai's name at all, as if they were afraid of disturbing something.
[Author's Note]
Mini-theater:
Anzai: (complaining) Wife, they won't let you come with me!
Villagers: Get out of here! This is our mountain god!
Yunzai: ...Is this why you're arguing outside my door?
Anzai: (pointing and gesturing) It's all your fault for disturbing my wife's sleep!
.
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution:
1 bottle of Leran;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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