Bu Quegan felt an inexplicable sense of dread and unease, blurting out, “What does this mean? Isn’t this just a divine statue? How can it move? And why bring Zhen Zhen here?”
Yang Dafu laughed heartily and said, “Kid, you’ve been without parents since you were young, but your brother Dafu hasn’t forgotten you. I always think of you when there’s something good. Didn’t you have a daughter? Now the Child-Giving Goddess has spoken, and I guarantee you’ll be holding a chubby son next year.”
As he spoke, a burst of crying was heard. Yang Zhen was roughly carried into the ancestral hall by a man. Even though Bu Quegan wasn’t the real Yang Gui, he couldn’t bear to see such a young child suffer. He quickly stepped forward and took Yang Zhen from the man’s arms.
Yang Dafu glanced coldly at the crying child in Bu Quegan’s arms, a flicker of annoyance flashing in his eyes. He said with clear dissatisfaction, “Why bother so much over a little girl?” Then, he turned to the man who had brought Yang Zhen and asked, “Has that person been called over yet? We’re waiting for him to get things done. Why hasn’t he shown up? Don’t let him delay the auspicious time for the ritual.”
Before his words faded, the sound of steady footsteps approached. Jinshu, who had been hiding under the table and listening to the entire exchange, lay flat on the ground and curiously lifted a corner of the tablecloth to peek outside.
The newcomer shocked her. A young man carrying a heavy cloth sack was stepping into the ancestral hall, and it was none other than her long-unseen junior brother, Li Xingdao.
What was going on? Jinshu widened her eyes and nudged Yan Lin’s arm, signaling her to look outside as well.
The person who looked like Li Xingdao placed the sack on the ground and calmly scanned his surroundings, including Yang Dafu, Bu Quegan, and the others. He asked in a flat tone, “Why did you call me here?”
Yang Dafu stepped forward and pointed to the lotus on the altar. “We wouldn’t have invited you all the way here if it weren’t for something important. Look at this lotus—the Child-Giving Goddess has chosen someone again. It’s this girl from Yang Gui’s family. Let’s hurry and complete the ritual while the timing is auspicious.”
Jinshu let out a soft “huh.” Li Xingdao clearly still looked like a young man, so why was Yang Dafu addressing him as “uncle” and using the respectful “you”?
Yan Lin sensed her confusion and whispered into her ear, “Have you forgotten? When we entered this illusion realm, we replaced the original people. Right now, only outsiders in the village can recognize our true appearances. To these villagers, junior brother probably looks like an old man on his last legs. And judging by Yang Dafu’s respectful demeanor, he must be particularly important in this village. We need to find a way to contact him.”
Seeing Li Xingdao’s calm and composed expression, Jinshu couldn’t help but think to herself, As expected of the male lead—he gives off the feeling that everything is under his control.
In the ancestral hall, Bu Quegan held Yang Zhen, his face filled with vigilance. He tentatively asked, “Now that we’ve reached this point, can you finally explain all those cryptic things you’ve been saying, Village Chief?”
Yang Dafu’s expression turned strange. “Let me introduce you first. This is Uncle Li. He came to our village over a decade ago. He hasn’t been out and about much these years, so none of you know him.”
“Over a decade ago, our Yanjian Village suffered a great calamity. For two whole years, not a single boy was born in the village—only worthless girls! The villagers lived in constant fear, believing Yanjian Village was doomed to die out. Fortunately, Uncle Li arrived. Uncle Li was an immortal descended to the mortal realm. With a single glance, he identified the root of the problem and urged everyone to pool their resources to sculpt this divine statue of the Child-Giving Goddess and build this ancestral hall. After the hall was completed, the first child born in the village was indeed a boy. The Child-Giving Goddess, grateful for our worship, promised to bless us always.”
“The only requirement was that after a girl was born in the village, she be brought to the ancestral hall for the Goddess to select. Those who caught Her eye would be sent to serve as Seat Attendant Children for the Goddess. Your daughter is fortunate—she has been chosen by the Goddess to go and enjoy a life of bliss. Why don’t you kneel quickly and kowtow a few times to thank Her for this grace?”
Bu Quegan frowned deeply. The villagers’ fanaticism toward the Child-Giving Goddess exceeded his expectations. Yet, meeting Li Xingdao’s calm gaze inexplicably brought him a sense of reassurance. He pressed on, “How are they sent to serve as Seat Attendant Children?”
Yang Dafu’s eyes grew fervent as he slowly explained, “You saw the two wells in the courtyard, didn’t you? ‘The well maiden accepts blessings, and surely bestows sons.’ Those chosen are sent into the well, and the well opening is sealed with the ‘Lock Maiden Talisman.’ The Child-Giving Goddess will then come to guide them to their blissful fate.”
These words struck Bu Quegan with horror, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead. Seeing the fanatical expression on Yang Dafu’s face and the indifferent demeanor of the surrounding villagers sent a chill down his spine.
Upon hearing this, Yan Lin nearly erupted, ready to smash the offering altar. Though she appeared delicate, she was fiercely righteous by nature. Learning that Yanjian Village had been secretly committing such heinous acts—treating human lives as worthless—was more than she could bear.
Jinshu, noticing Yan Lin’s agitation, quickly reached out and gripped her tightly, whispering urgently, “Eldest Sister, have you forgotten? We’re in an illusion realm now, without any Spiritual Power. How can we stand against an entire village? These beasts can be dealt with once we escape. For now, we must not act rashly.”
Though fury blazed within her, Yan Lin understood this was not the time for action and reluctantly restrained herself.
The situation in the ancestral hall had reached a stalemate. Yang Dafu ordered Bu Quegan to hand over Yang Zhen, but he clung stubbornly to the still-crying child, refusing to yield an inch.
Seeing his obstinacy, Yang Dafu grew angry. “How can you be so ungrateful? This is a blessing bestowed upon your family by the Child-Giving Goddess’s favor. That worthless girl of ours wanted to be sent, but the Goddess wouldn’t even take her. Seeing that good-for-nothing at home every day is nothing but a nuisance.”
“If you refuse a toast, you’ll be forced to drink a forfeit. I won’t stand on ceremony with you anymore. All of you, go over there and snatch that girl from him!” With that, a crowd of villagers surged forward, hands reaching to tear the child from his arms. The ancestral hall instantly descended into chaos.
“Everyone, stop!” Li Xingdao’s steady voice rang out, neither too loud nor too soft, yet it silenced them all.
“All of you, step aside. This girl has a deep connection with the Child-Giving Goddess. Since Yang Gui is her biological father, let me speak with him alone to clarify the details. Everyone else, step outside.” He then pointed at Chen Fuzhou: “This person stays as well. I sense some fate upon him. The rest of you, obediently wait outside the door.”
This “Uncle Li” had been in Yanjian Village for many years, and most people in the ancestral hall knew him and had some understanding of his abilities. No one dared to resist, so the group obediently filed out of the ancestral hall, though Yang Dafu couldn’t resist shooting a fierce glare at Bu Quegan before leaving.
Li Xingdao closed the ancestral hall door tightly before speaking slowly: “Senior sisters, you can come out now.”
Only then did Jinshu and the other crawl out from under the table: “How did you know we were here?”
“While Yang Dafu was speaking, the table kept shaking. I was afraid if I didn’t make them leave soon, the table would be overturned.”
Seeing Li Xingdao’s helpless expression, Yan Lin laughed heartily: “Little junior brother, you’re so observant. I couldn’t help it—when I heard what these beasts had done, I just couldn’t control myself. How did you end up mixed with the enemy faction? You seem to have quite some authority. Quickly tell your senior sisters what’s really going on in Yanjian Village?”
Li Xingdao pondered for a moment before saying: “Actually, it’s not much different from what Yang Dafu said. This Li Dao was originally a follower of Hariti. Although Hariti had been completely destroyed long ago, there were still a few people in the mortal realm who knew of her legend. Li Dao was a fanatical believer of Hariti and, by chance, encountered a wisp of her remnant soul. From then on, he was brainwashed and even began spreading her teachings widely among the people. Such conspicuous activity naturally caught the attention of the local cultivation Sect. When the Sect members captured him, they found he was beyond redemption—they couldn’t let him continue harming ordinary people, nor could they simply kill him. They could only exile him to the deep mountains, sternly warning him not to cause further trouble.”
“After spending some time in the mountains, Li Dao’s worship of Hariti didn’t diminish in the slightest—instead, it grew even more fanatical in a strange way. He crossed several mountains and saw signs of human habitation on one peak, deciding to investigate. This investigation led to the current consequences. At that time, Yanjian Village had inexplicably not seen a single male birth for two years. Seeing this situation, Li Dao knew his opportunity had come. The wisp of Hariti’s remnant soul urged him to act quickly—what place could be better for their plans than a remote, superstitious, and ignorant village like Yanjian?”
“So Li Dao went to find the village chief and told him he had a solution. The village chief had been helpless about the village’s situation and could only try this desperate measure. At first, only a few elders with high status in the village knew about it. But with the birth of the first child, the village chief and these elders came to believe Li Dao’s words. Li Dao seized the opportunity to propose that newborn infant girls be used for sacrifices. Thus, this tradition of sacrificing to Hariti has continued for a hundred years.”
Jinshu frowned: “With only a wisp of remnant soul, how could Hariti ensure the children born would always be boys?”
Li Xingdao replied, “Li Dao knew a bit of medicine, and with Hariti’s remnant soul attached to him, he had secretly checked whether the pregnant woman in the village was carrying a boy or a girl before taking action. If it was a girl, he would wait until the next pregnant woman was expecting a boy before making his move. It was also his luck that the two-year curse of no boys being born ended just when he arrived. Later, through sacrifices, Hariti’s power grew, naturally giving him the ability and demonic arts to transform a female fetus into a male. Li Dao rode this wave of fortune to become the top figure in Yanjian Village.”
Li Xingdao looked up and scanned the opulent statue from top to bottom, saying, “The most ridiculous thing is that Yang Dafu is a shrewd man, much smarter than his father. He had long realized that Li Dao was just an ordinary person, but after becoming village chief, he quickly discovered this was a path to great wealth. By offering sacrifices to Hariti and conducting rituals for sons, he could skim a lot of profits from the village. So, he made the rituals increasingly mysterious, fooling everyone who knew about them into believing them wholeheartedly.”
Bu Quegan, still holding Yang Zhen, who was somewhat shaken, said, “These people have caused the deaths of many children over the years. The deaths of those boys were likely due to demons attracted by the heavy yin energy in this place, which is also the villagers’ own doing. But since they chose Yang Zhen back then, how did she manage to survive until now?”
Chen Fuzhou gazed at the bluestone slabs beneath his feet and said, “We probably have to wait until we leave the illusion realm to ask him directly. To protect his own child, he must have paid a heavy price.”
Jinshu, deep in thought, remarked, “Then the Ah Hua I’m impersonating now probably went mad because her child was taken for sacrifice, right? The people here don’t value women’s lives. Ah Hua’s mother also kept calling her a ‘money-losing burden’ every day. It’s truly tragic.”
Thinking of Ah Hua’s tragic life, Jinshu couldn’t help but feel sympathy and sorrow. After pondering for a while, she added, “I don’t think the deaths of the boys were caused by demons. It’s more likely the vengeful spirits seeking revenge. Otherwise, why would we be pulled into such an illusion realm and each be given identities closely tied to this incident?”
Before her words faded, the entire ancestral hall suddenly shook. The fruits and offerings on the altar rolled to the ground, and the lifelike statue crumbled before everyone’s horrified eyes.
After a dizzying spin, Jinshu felt something hard and damp beneath her hand, much like the moss by the well in the courtyard.