Although most cultivators traveled by sword flight, the cultivation world also kept up with the times. For such a long journey, the group boarded a flying carriage, which sped steadily toward their destination.
As the flying carriage glided smoothly through the air, Jinshu rested her chin on her hands and leaned against the window to look down. Yanjian Village was nestled among the mountains. From above, a vast emerald curtain unfolded, stretching for thousands of miles. Scattered villages could faintly be seen dotting the landscape, with wisps of cooking smoke rising and blending with the mist at the horizon, like a mother dressed in white embracing the entire mountain range.
Jinshu, a self-proclaimed “homebody,” had never witnessed such a grand and magnificent scene. Her gaze was captivated by the towering, majestic peaks, and she couldn’t look away for a long time. It truly was a sight where “nature’s craftsmanship gathers divine beauty, dividing light and shadow between dawn and dusk.”
“Eh? Senior Sister, since Yanjian Village is so deep in the mountains, wouldn’t the villagers find everything inconvenient?” Bored, Jinshu struck up a conversation with Yan Lin.
“It is quite inconvenient, but the Sects and noble families responsible for each region usually leave tools like message talismans for the villages, so they can seek help promptly when they need protection.”
“But so many children have died in this village. Why didn’t they ask for help right away?”
This question drew everyone’s attention, leaving Yan Lin momentarily speechless.
Jinshu asked in surprise, “Did none of you think about this? Logically, these villagers rarely go down the mountain in their daily lives. When people in the village die mysteriously, shouldn’t they immediately be frightened enough to seek cultivators for help? How could so many die before they finally reached out?”
Bu Quegan scratched his head and explained, “Maybe they ran out of message talismans?”
But this explanation was clearly too far-fetched and unconvincing. Everyone pondered it with no answer, growing somewhat worried. Bu Quegan could only smile and reassure them, “Everyone, don’t worry too much. Even if we can’t solve it, we can still use the Shadow-Summoning Jade Token to call the elders for backup!”
Jinshu turned away dejectedly, unconsciously furrowing her brows. The senior brother was also somewhat unreliable. This Yanjian Village might truly be strange. It seemed they needed to proceed with caution at every step.
The flying carriage landed at the entrance of Yanjian Village. The village was not large, with only a few dozen households, most of whom were related by blood. The layout of the entire village was also quite peculiar. Right in the center stood an ancient-style ancestral hall, tightly surrounded by several simple houses.
When Jinshu and the others disembarked, they found the villagers had already been waiting at the entrance for a long time. Leading them was a man in his fifties. He seemed to have lived quite comfortably, with a sturdy build, but he was visibly unwell, with heavy eye bags and dark circles under his eyes, his face somewhat haggard.
From afar, they saw him standing alone in front of the crowd, guessing he was the village chief. The man looked uneasy, pacing back and forth. When he spotted the flying carriage in the distance, he nervously stopped, looked up, and rubbed his hands together. Bu Quegan was the first to step off the carriage. Before he could steady himself, his hand was grabbed and shaken.
“Thank goodness! Daoist masters, you’ve finally arrived. We are saved.”
Bu Quegan was still somewhat bewildered. The man, speaking with excited stammers, quickly introduced himself, “I am Yang Dafu, the village chief of Yanjian Village. We have been waiting for you Taoist masters for so long. In just a few days, it will be Sacrifice Day again…” Yang Dafu seemed to recall something extremely terrifying, shuddering involuntarily.
Jinshu and the others had already stepped down from the carriage and stood behind Bu Quegan. Jinshu noticed that at the mention of “Sacrifice Day,” almost all the villagers wore expressions of fear. A mother holding her child even tightened her embrace around her little one.
Yang Dafu wiped his forehead and released Bu Quegan’s hand, saying, “How foolish of me to talk in such a place. You Taoist masters must be exhausted from your journey. Please follow me; let’s rest inside and discuss the details.”
Everyone nodded and followed Yang Dafu into the village.
Yanjian Village was truly impoverished, Jinshu thought as she walked along the path. Many houses by the roadside were dilapidated and clearly aged, their bricks and tiles exuding a sense of antiquity. Yet, Yang Dafu led them to a small courtyard that stood out starkly from the rest of the village.
This courtyard was built with sturdy blue bricks and green tiles, appearing both solid and respectable.
Standing before the gate, Yang Dafu beamed with a smile and said, “Please, Taoist masters, stay at my home for now. It’s humble, but I hope you’ll bear with it.”
Upon hearing this, Jinshu remarked rather bluntly, “Other homes are indeed humble, but this place is quite distinctive. It seems you, Village Chief, have quite a passion for life.”
Yang Dafu chuckled awkwardly, as if missing the underlying meaning, and replied, “Please don’t joke, miss. Let’s go inside and sit down first.”
After the group entered the main room and took their seats, Yang Dafu called out, “Yang Lan, hurry up and bring the tea!”
A clear voice responded with a “Yes” from afar. Soon after, a young-looking girl entered the main room carrying a large square tray laden with teacups. The tray seemed heavy, and the girl’s arms trembled slightly. Biting her lower lip, she carefully shuffled forward to serve the tea.
Jinshu quickly took the tea and said with some displeasure, “Village Chief, how could you let such a young child carry something so heavy?”
“Please don’t misunderstand, Taoist master. This is my daughter. She’s been lively and active since she was little, never able to sit still. If you don’t let her do things, she even gets upset.”
Hearing this, Jinshu looked at Yang Lan. The girl was extremely thin, almost skeletal. Her face had a bluish tint, and her thin skin clung tightly to her protruding ribs, giving her a somewhat harsh appearance due to her emaciation. Upon hearing her father’s words, she showed no expression, merely serving the tea mechanically. She hardly seemed like the “lively and active” child Yang Dafu described.
Frowning, Jinshu was about to speak again when Yang Dafu cut in, “Taoist masters, for the past three months, our Yanjian Village has been plagued by a demon. On the fifteenth night of every month, strong winds blow, and the demon snatches away an infant, skinning and dismembering the child with cruel methods! As the fifteenth night approaches, the villagers cannot sleep peacefully. Many families with children grow suspicious and fearful every day, worried that their little ones might be taken by the demon if they let their guard down!”
“You must save us, Taoist masters. Otherwise, if this continues, Yanjian Village will have no descendants left. How could I ever face our ancestors in the afterlife?”
Bu Quegan asked in confusion, “Village Chief, didn’t you send people to guard those infants?”
Yang Dafu sighed with a pained expression, “Oh, you masters don’t understand—it’s not that we didn’t try to guard them, it’s that we simply couldn’t! After the second infant died, the whole village was thrown into panic, terrified that the next victim would be from their own family. We could only gather the strongest young men in the village to stand guard beside the infants on the night of the full moon.”
“But during the full moon, those men inexplicably fell unconscious. When they woke up, everything was gone.”
“Masters, there are less than three days until the fifteenth again. The village now only has two infants left, and one of them is my own son, not even two months old yet!” Yang Dafu clutched his chest, his expression agonized. “After waiting over a decade to finally have a son, if he’s killed by a demon, I won’t want to live either!”
Jinshu finally understood. No wonder Yang Dafu had been so frantic from the start—the threat had now struck close to home.
Chen Fuzhou idly toyed with a porcelain cup in his hand. The cup was delicate and small, with intricate patterns. Though not as priceless as those used by noble families, it was still of exceptional quality.
Yang Dafu continued to pour out his grievances, but Chen Fuzhou abruptly cut him off: “Village Chief, you must be tired after speaking so much. Let us first discuss the situation among ourselves.”
Yang Dafu was taken aback but quickly adjusted his smile, politely saying, “You masters are right. I was too anxious and forgot you must be weary from your journey. Please go and rest first. If you have more questions, you can come find me later. But remember, there are only three days until the fifteenth. Masters, you must save us!”
He then raised his voice and called out, “Yang Lan! Yang Lan! Hurry up and show the masters to their rooms!”
Yang Lan walked ahead of the group with her head lowered, leading them along the covered corridor.
Yan Lin, having sisters of her own, had always been kind to younger girls. She spoke warmly to Yang Lan: “Little sister, why are you so thin? Do you not like to eat?”
Yang Lan clearly hadn’t expected this fairy-like woman to speak to her. She was startled, her face filled with fear as she shook her hands in denial. Without saying a word, she lowered her head again and continued leading the way.
A burst of noise suddenly reached them—first the sound of gongs and drums, followed by firecrackers. Bu Quegan chuckled and said, “Is there a wedding somewhere? So lively.” Yang Lan froze for a moment, timidly glanced at Bu Quegan, then quickly lowered her head again.
Jinshu and Yan Lin exchanged puzzled looks—this Yang Lan was clearly acting strangely.
Jinshu wanted to ask Yang Lan something more, but she stopped walking. They had arrived at an empty house. She pointed at the building, pressed her lips together, and ran off without a hint of reluctance.
Yan Lin closed the door tightly and got straight to the point: “That village chief is a bit strange.”
Bu Quegan opened his mouth wide in surprise, “Huh?” only to see everyone else nodding with grave expressions.
Jinshu said, “This village is deep in the mountains. As we walked here just now, I noticed almost all the houses were dilapidated. Only the village chief’s residence was clearly well-maintained. Whether it’s the main house, the covered corridor, or even this place we’re staying in—they all seem to have been built at great expense.”
“So where does the village chief get his money from in such a poor place?”
Chen Fuzhou continued, “Yang Lan is Yang Dafu’s daughter. Although Yang Dafu appears mentally unwell, he is stout and has a ruddy complexion. In contrast, Yang Lan looks as if she hasn’t had enough to eat. Moreover, Yang Dafu’s attitude toward her is strange—it doesn’t seem like he treats her as a daughter, but more like a servant he can order around at will.”
Even the usually reticent Li Xingdao spoke up, “And considering that many infants have died over the past three months, logically, normal villagers should be too terrified to leave their homes. How could they possibly be making such a grand spectacle with gongs and drums for a celebration?”
Chen Fuzhou added, “It’s not a celebration—it’s a ritual.”
“When Senior Sister looked down from the flying carriage, she remarked, ‘Why is this village such a perfect circle?’ Following her gaze, I noticed that the village extends outward around a central structure, with the residents’ houses seemingly built to protect this building at the core.”
“From the village entrance, we could see this building adorned with colorful flags from afar—a common decoration for ancestral halls in the central-southern region. Listening carefully, the clamor could be traced to the center of the village, likely from villagers conducting a ritual ceremony in the ancestral hall.”
“Now the question is, with so many infants having just died, what exactly are the villagers worshipping?”