As his consciousness woke up once again, Chi Ling found himself lying on the cold floor, every bone in his body aching from the hard surface, while a chilly electronic voice chimed in his mind.
Liu Jiaba 25 years ago seems quite different from 25 years later. What caused all these changes to happen?
Congratulations to player Chi Ling for triggering the side mission: Find the source of the instance’s alienation 25 years ago and successfully sever it. Reward for completing the mission: 5,000 points.
Congratulations to player Chi Ling for exploring over 50% of the instance’s completion rate. Reward: 1,000 points.
A side mission? So this was Liu Jiaba 25 years ago?
The ring on his finger was gone.
Chi Ling furrowed his brows slightly and immediately scrambled up, moving his sore body while surveying his surroundings.
This was a temple, not particularly small. The altar table in the middle enshrined the statue of the Earth God, the incense in the burner was still burning, and the offerings on the table were all fresh.
Just as Chi Ling intended to take a closer look, several footsteps echoed from outside the temple. Maintaining a calm demeanor, he crouched down and slipped beneath the altar table. The thick tablecloth draped all the way to the ground, completely shielding his figure.
The newcomers were two women traveling together: one praying for her daughter’s safety, and the other praying for her daughter’s happiness while hoping the child in her belly would be healthy.
They didn’t stay long. After offering incense and leaving their offerings behind, they departed.
With a thought, Chi Ling stealthily parted a slit in the curtain and happened to catch the fading backs of the two as they left.
Crawling out, Chi Ling deliberately waited a moment before stepping out of the Earth Temple. Although things looked quite different, judging by the surrounding environment, this should be the very same Earth Temple he had spotted at the village entrance when he first entered the instance.
Yet when he had first arrived at the village, the Earth Temple was thoroughly dilapidated.
After pausing for a short while, Chi Ling opened his panel and purchased an upgraded version of the aura-concealing item from the system store, along with a small wooden figurine capable of blocking an attack at a critical moment.
With the items secured, his heart steadied somewhat as he began to review his current situation.
This was Liu Jiaba 25 years ago.
It seemed that lake was indeed extraordinary, acting almost like a spacetime tunnel.
Find the source of the alienation and sever it…
Chi Ling’s gaze was indifferent, his thin lips pressed into a tight line. As he stood there quietly, his entire presence resembled an unsheathed, razor-sharp sword that was exceptionally difficult to approach.
What had happened 25 years ago?
The death of Liu Xizhao, the construction of the ancestral hall, the shift in the villagers’ beliefs…
The former seemed the least likely possibility, but Chi Ling didn’t dare jump to conclusions prematurely.
It was safer to find more clues in the village. At this point in time, the new ancestral hall hadn’t been built yet, Granny Wang hadn’t fallen out with Grandpa Liu, and she probably wasn’t living in the hut by the pond either.
What remained unchanged?
Almost immediately, Chi Ling thought of that lake on Prayer Mountain and couldn’t help a dry chuckle. He hadn’t expected that lake to still hold such a strong attraction for him.
He carefully navigated the mountain path. Although walking was arduous, the mountain was vast and its paths crisscrossed in all directions, making it much harder to be spotted this way.
Chi Ling followed the route etched in his memory toward the lake.
Still some distance away from the lake, Chi Ling peered from afar and spotted someone drawing water from it.
During this era, tap water wasn’t fully popularized yet, let alone in such an isolated mountain village.
It was uncertain whether anyone in the outside world even knew this village existed.
In a village like this, during an era like this, if a few people went missing, no one would likely ever notice.
Whether the people inside the village knew or not was another story, however.
Chi Ling drew closer. Though he had initially worried about being spotted by the villagers, his concern proved entirely unfounded, as the few people drawing water by the lakeshore showed no signs of detecting him whatsoever.
Recalling his presence level in the eyes of others in the instance…
“System, can the people here see me?”
Villagers in side-mission instances cannot see players.
Chi Ling: “…”
You couldn’t have mentioned such an important detail earlier?
Reflecting on all the cautious steps he took along the way and the sneaky way he peeked out from behind trees, Chi Ling felt an irrepressible urge to pull the system out and give it a sound beating.
Knowing that the villagers couldn’t see him at all, Chi Ling let go of his restraints. He walked right up to the lakeshore, openly observing the lake while listening to the chatter of the three people drawing water.
“This is truly a blessing from our ancestors!”
“Indeed! Our village actually produced university students, and three of them at that.”
“It would be best for all three kids to hold their celebration banquets together so our village can lively things up properly.”
“Yeah! The other day when the village said the ancestors visited in a dream, I thought it was fake!”
The three villagers grinned from ear to ear, looking as proud as if the ones who got accepted were their own children.
They really lived up to their ancestral teachings!
Chi Ling felt a wave of emotional stirring. Whether things would be lively or not, he only knew that two of those three university students were going to suffer a grim fate.
“Huirand is truly something else! Getting accepted into H University, that’s the best university in the country. Fangfang and Xizhao fell a bit short.”
“True, the village chief really knows how to raise his son.”
Once they finished drawing water, the villagers left. Chi Ling remained in place, staring at the lakeshore for a long time without discovering any anomalies.
Hardening his heart, Chi Ling took a deep breath and plunged straight into the lake.
He had to admit, he was truly daring, as he couldn’t even swim yet dared to jump right in.
The players watching the stream in the game lobby blew up in a frenzy the moment they saw Chi Ling initiate a side mission. Countless players crowded around to discuss it, and the live chat stream became extraordinarily lively.
There should be clues in the lake!
This newbie is quite impressive. I’ve never seen anyone unlock this route before.
Performing like this in a newbie instance, he’s definitely going to be a top-tier pro in the future.
Not necessarily. Plenty of people perform well in newbie instances, only to die in the game later.
[Broadcasting Room S0112103, current viewer count: 2,196, likes: 1,420, favorites: 1,933, tips: 899, please continue to work hard, player.]
However, contrary to the audience’s expectations, there were no clues in the lake.
The water was crystal clear, harboring aquatic plants, soft mud, and even fish and shrimp. Everything was completely normal, and there were simply no clues.
The leaves of the bamboo grove swayed slightly, and a gentle breeze blew through the gaps, presenting a tranquil and serene scene.
It seemed this was just an ordinary lake right now. When would the mutation occur, and how was he supposed to leave this reenactment of the past?
Did he guess wrong, and this side mission had nothing to do with this lake?
As his item time limit was about to expire, Chi Ling surfaced and wiped his face heavily. His lips were abnormally pale from the cold, yet a flush of red bloomed at the corners of his eyes, inexplicably making it impossible to look away.
He purchased a new set of clothes from the store, unbuttoned one button, and prepared to change.
The viewers outside paused for a split second, and even the chat stream fell silent as everyone stared straight at the live feed.
Sensing something, Chi Ling maintained an expressionless face and clicked the privacy shield button without missing a beat.
Audiences: “…”
Ahhhh! He only unbuttoned two buttons!
Is there anything we aren’t allowed to see? Young people are still way too easily embarrassed.
Just a little bit more, literally just a little bit more! I hate the privacy shield button.
I declare he is my new husband!
The emotions of the female viewers outside surged even higher.
Chi Ling changed into his new clothes with maximum speed and tossed the old set into his backpack space.
The broadcast feed had already returned to normal, and the audience uniformly flooded the chat with missing out on a hundred million.
Finding it amusing, Chi Ling raised an eyebrow and replied, “I can’t just let anyone look at me.”
Nor was just anyone qualified to watch. He silently added that last part in his mind.
Yet Chi Ling’s remark was predictably misinterpreted.
How does one get to see, then?
How can a dignified top-tier whale like me not even get to see this?
Looks like the tip amount wasn’t enough.
The viewers once again flooded the chat with tips in unison.
A wave of speechlessness washed over Chi Ling. Checking his backend, he discovered his account balance had reached nearly thirty thousand points, even after all the points he had spent purchasing various items.
Well, whale players certainly carried significant utility.
Chi Ling didn’t mind being gentle with them. Blinking his peach-blossom eyes, his gaze brimmed with endless affection, making the faint red tint at the corners of his eyes even more vivid.
Looking quite helpless, he still smiled gently: “Thank you for the points, but I still can’t let you see.”
With that, Chi Ling cleanly and decisively closed the live broadcasting panel.
So cold, I like it.
Not gonna lie, I’m a sucker for this kind of playing hard to get.
Definitely playing hard to get, he was totally seducing me just now. (Audience No. 538 tipped 200 points)
To the person above, the key is that you actually were seduced.
Returning to the village along his original path, he planned to check out the old ancestral hall.
The old ancestral hall wasn’t large, and it could even be called small. Its earth-brick walls and mottled surfaces were all steeped in the traces of time.
The familiar altar table and incense burner remained, with the items behind them still blocked by hanging curtains.
This time, Chi Ling didn’t need to worry about being spotted. He directly lifted the curtain and stepped inside.
Behind the curtain lay a larger altar table holding rows of spirit tablets. At a rough glance, there were easily a few hundred of them. On the far left of the altar stood a small incense burner, while on the far right rested a genealogy book.
Chi Ling picked up the genealogy book to flip through it. The names listed right at the front of the first page corresponded directly to the spirit tablets placed at the very front.
“Desheng! Xizhao also got accepted into university. This time we must host a proper celebration, preferably making sure Xizhao, Fangfang, and Huirand all celebrate together so it’s even livelier.”
“That’s even better! Our village has never seen such a massive happy event before.”
While Chi Ling was diligently flipping through the genealogy book, he suddenly overheard a conversation. Knowing the villagers couldn’t see him, he nevertheless returned the genealogy book to its original spot and flattened himself against the corner of the altar table.
“Celebrating together is lively, but… going to university requires a lot of money, and even if the kids pass the exams, their families might not necessarily afford to send them.” Liu Desheng looked deeply troubled, letting out a long sigh.
“Right, taking this opportunity, our ancestral hall should also get a thorough renovation. Let’s launch a fundraising campaign later!” The village chief said as he stepped forward to offer a stick of incense.
So far, the conversation seemed normal, but the next moment, Chi Ling instantly focused his full attention.
“A few days ago, I had a dream where our ancestors visited me, saying the ancestral hall was too old and needed renovating.”
“Indeed, I dreamed of it too! The ancestors even said that the three kids getting into university was thanks to their secret blessings, and that they would also bless Huashu to give birth to a boy this time.” Hearing that the village chief had also experienced a visitation in a dream, Liu Desheng appeared visibly excited.
“It seems the ancestors really have manifested their spirits. Huashu’s baby might really turn out to be a boy. Marrying from afar isn’t easy for her either, so you need to treat her well.”
“I treat her well enough normally…”
It seemed the two people praying for blessings in the Earth Temple back then must have been Granny Wang and Grandma in their youth.
Huashu…
A name like that suggested she was cherished by her parents. Chi Ling had once asked Granny Wang, and she had stated she wasn’t trafficked. Was this the outcome of marrying far away and abandoning everything?
Chi Ling felt a sense of sorrow for her.
Youthful devotion truly met a poor judge of character!
Appearances can be deceiving; these two men chatting away looked so honest and simple-minded, yet they didn’t look like people capable of murdering their own biological children, especially such exceptional children.
Who could bear to harm their own flesh and blood?
Even though Chi Ling’s parents had passed away early and he was quite young back then, he could still feel the deep love his parents had for him.
That love had been the seed that sustained him through his youth.
As for later on…
Pulling back his thoughts, Chi Ling considered himself relatively fortunate.
He knew that in this era and within such a tiny mountain village, having a family produce a university student was an immense feat, and it was a genuine opportunity to change the family’s destiny.
Thus, there had to be something far more critical that drove them to turn their butcher knives toward their own children.
It wasn’t hard to deduce from Liu Desheng’s words that he desired a boy. If the child in his wife’s womb turned out to be a boy, might he sell off his daughter for the sake of his unborn son?
As far as Chi Ling knew, Granny Wang had no other children. This time, not only would she fail to protect the unborn child, but she would also lose her only daughter.
As for the village chief, the family precept at the new ancestral hall’s entrance said it all:
“Same root and source, clan flesh and blood. Like-minded, family in harmony.”
The village chief cared more about the future of the clan, and would he sacrifice his son for the sake of the village’s future?
Huirand, burning away all filth. With a name like that, the parents clearly pinned high hopes on the child; how could he willingly let him be sacrificed?
What had changed the minds of these two men, or rather, the minds of the entire village?
Chi Ling’s gaze grew increasingly frosty, his peach-blossom eyes soaked in biting frost.
Regardless of the reason, this village was already thoroughly guilty of heinous crimes.
Trafficking women, making countless families endure the pain of eternal separation, and carrying several human lives on their hands.
The vast majority of people in this village were far from innocent.