Free Web NovelChapter 382: Chapter 355: Isn’t This Contrast a Bit Too Drastic?
"If you interfere with our sacrificial ceremony and the Mountain God becomes enraged,"
"none of you will escape the blame. You will all be slain by the furious Mountain God."
"You must understand, the Mountain God can protect us, but it can also inflict severe divine punishment."
"The Mountain God? What’s that?"
Lai Yu Yao’s brow furrowed, her eyes filled with curiosity and doubt as she pressed for an answer.
"The god who protects Xia Shui Village."
Chang Bailin replied, his face a mask of piety.
Lai Yu Yao was about to speak again but was cut off by Chu He.
Chu He stepped forward,
and said with an earnest expression, "We’ve been lost in this strange place for a very long time."
"We’ve just been going in circles, and we only managed to find our way to Xia Shui Village by sheer luck."
"Would it be possible for us to join the upcoming sacrificial ceremony?"
"We truly hope to leave this place safely under the Mountain God’s protection."
"We’ve experienced so many terrifying things on our journey here,"
"and the memories haunt us like nightmares."
"Since you call this being a Mountain God,"
"surely it wouldn’t be too stingy to offer its protection to poor souls like us, would it?"
A look of surprise flickered across Chang Bailin’s face.
He never expected that someone from this group of young men and women
would voluntarily ask to participate in the sacrificial ceremony.
In his experience, most people who encountered something so mysterious and dangerous
would do everything they could to stay away, avoiding it like a deadly plague.
Seeing this, Lai Yu Yao wisely shut her mouth.
’She understood that in a delicate situation like this,’
’the young man in the black baseball cap and mask was better equipped to handle it than she was.’
After a moment of thought, the village chief, Chang Bailin,
nodded slightly in agreement. "Fine. But I expect you not to cause any trouble. Otherwise, you’ll have to bear the consequences."
"We won’t."
Chu He promised, his expression firm.
Then, he noticed something else.
’This sacrificial ceremony, scheduled for eight o’clock tomorrow evening, was clearly of immense importance to the entire village,’
’yet, when the village chief, Chang Bailin, decided to let a group of strangers like them join,’
’he hadn’t consulted with anyone.’
’This implied that Chang Bailin alone seemed to call all the shots in Xia Shui Village.’
’His decisions were absolute.’
’This gave Chu He a new level of understanding regarding Chang Bailin’s status in the village.’
’The chief’s power and influence were likely far greater than he had imagined.’
"Find a place to rest on your own for tonight."
"I’ll have my men keep an eye on you."
"If we see you make any unusual moves, don’t blame us in Xia Shui Village for what happens next."
Chang Bailin warned, his gaze sharp and chilling enough to make one shudder.
"Don’t worry. All we want right now is to leave this godforsaken place."
"We have no intention of making trouble for ourselves or getting stuck in this endless mess."
Chu He vowed.
"Excellent."
Chang Bailin nodded in satisfaction, then turned and ambled away.
The sturdy-looking young men behind him, however, remained where they were.
They stood with their arms crossed. Some clutched hoes,
the metal glinting coldly in the moonlight.
Others held pitchforks with wickedly sharp tines.
They stared coldly at the group of youths, their eyes full of suspicion,
ready to strike without hesitation at the slightest provocation.
"Let’s go. We’ll rest at the village entrance for the night."
Chu He said with a light chuckle, turning to head back the way they came.
He looked so relaxed, you’d think he was just off to a regular campout.
"Just like that?"
Lai Yu Yao quickened her pace,
catching up to Chu He. "I feel like we’re in a really passive position right now," she asked, her face etched with worry.
"From the very beginning, we’ve been forced to go along with this bizarre rhythm."
"It’s like an invisible hand is controlling us. We have no agency at all."
"Just like that. I think there’s more to this incident than just an Evil Spirit."
"There’s something very wrong with all the villagers, including that chief of theirs, Chang Bailin."
Chu He said grimly as they walked,
his gaze burning into Lai Yu Yao with a tangible intensity.
His eyes held an inscrutable light that made her hesitant to meet his stare.
Suddenly, Chu He changed the subject. "Who is your father?" he asked.
The abrupt question
was like a stone tossed into a calm lake, shattering the atmosphere in an instant.
It made Lai Yu Yao stop in her tracks.
Her expression instantly became a complex mixture of emotions.
Surprise, confusion, and hesitation flickered across her face one after another.
The topic had shifted so abruptly,
that the unprepared Lai Yu Yao was caught completely off guard, as if by a sudden squall.
"People will find out sooner or later. You might as well tell me now."
Chu He continued, his voice steady and magnetic. "Because I think you have potential."
A hint of appreciation showed in his eyes, as if he were appraising a piece of uncut jade with limitless potential.
"Then can you tell me who you are?"
Lai Yu Yao frowned slightly.
Compared to all the convoluted events happening in Xia Shui Village,
she was actually more curious about something else:
the true identity of the young man who was always wearing a black baseball cap and a black face mask.
This mysterious man was an enigma.
He had captured her full attention from the moment he appeared,
and now, that curiosity was growing stronger,
burning like a flame that threatened to consume her.
