Qi Family Gang (24)

"It's not a very stable situation. After all, they couldn't hunt enough to feed the entire village every day."

Gu Xiang Kai took over the conversation from Jiang Siyan, having also figured out the meaning behind the village's name.

"So they named it Fish Fry Village to pray for an abundance of fish fry in the deep pool, enough to sustain the village's survival."

Gu Xiang Kai paused. "If they really did eat the fish from the deep pool... could it be that everything started from there?"

The monster in the deep pool was originally unable to leave this place or communicate with the outside world.

But one year, due to a lack of prey, the people of Fish Fry Village pulled an unknown fish from the deep pool and ate it.

The fish in the deep pool were also a part of that monster; it began to transform, transforming inside the villagers' bodies.

That monster saw the outside world and harnessed more energy.

Its true growth began when it was eaten by humans.

Rather than being eaten, it would be more accurate to say that its body underwent a transformation within the human body.

So the people of Fish Fry Village carved these patterns as a warning...

...

However, all of this had been buried in the dust along with the destruction of Fish Fry Village as time passed.

As people arriving a hundred years later, they might never fully understand why it all began.

"If that's the case, those who are more afraid will transform faster."

Chi Yu murmured to herself, turning to look at the horsemen gathered together.

Some of their conditions were better than others, but indeed, those who were usually bolder and more composed had fewer blisters covering them.

Zhao Laoqi himself wasn't very brave, and he and another were the first to die.

"What do we do next?"

Chi Yu also understood; they had no way to directly confront the thing in the deep pool unless they found the King’s Coin.

"We'll split into two groups. One will look for the King’s Coin on Headman Qi, and the other will go out to look for clues in Fish Fry Village."

Since Fish Fry Village was where it all began, Nan Yue always felt there was something they hadn't discovered yet.

For example, the white figures appearing in the rainforest and the villagers of Fish Fry Village who had briefly appeared before.

These things had no apparent connection to the clues they had deduced so far.

"I'm going out."

Chi Yu volunteered. Her situation was still under control, and being left behind to look for the King’s Coin, which she didn't even know the appearance of, would have left her feeling helpless.

Although going out and being rained on by that unknown substance would worsen their condition, she wasn't afraid.

Nan Yue nodded and looked at Zhu Xi Ning.

"Xi Ning, you stay."

Zhu Xi Ning's ability was the most useful for finding the King’s Coin.

Zhu Xi Ning nodded in agreement. She looked at the listless Yin Qian and was about to tell them to rest when Jiang Haoyu, nearby, had already forced himself to crawl up despite his discomfort.

As a technical personnel, Jiang Haoyu's condition was arguably the worst among them.

But he still struggled to get up, wanting to help Zhu Xi Ning.

"I feel a bit better. I'll go with you."

Zhu Xi Ning looked at Jiang Haoyu; his collarbone was covered with dense blisters, and staring at them for too long could make one dizzy.

She pursed her lips. "Alright. Then, Yin Qian, you..."

Yin Qian grumbled as he climbed up. "I'll go talk to the other horsemen and see what's going on."

Everyone was being so proactive; he couldn't keep dragging them down.

Sigh, in the end, it was all He Jiu Chen's fault. He wanted to show his support for Fu Xi Ming, so he sent him in.

He was naturally someone who enjoyed food and leisure...

Nan Yue didn't delay any longer. The other four wrapped themselves tightly in two-person straw raincoats, pushed open the door, and went out.

Nan Yue and the others' departure drew the attention of some, but most had no energy left to care about anyone else due to their own discomfort.

"I'm so miserable, I'm going back to lie down for a bit."

Dapeng patted the person next to him and muttered, "Remember to call me when we leave."

His companion turned to look at Dapeng. His face was covered in blisters. There were two or three others in this condition, and no one dared to look them in the eye.

"Go back and sleep. Sleep on the bedrolls."

Dapeng nodded dazedly, pushed the door open, and entered, cutting off the voices outside.

He didn't even have the strength to tidy his bedrolls; he just lay down and closed his eyes.

"I see A-Nan and the others have gone out again. Sigh, they must be looking for a way to leave."

"To be honest, I don't think we can leave at all unless the rain stops."

"You know, brothers, I've had a feeling... I don't think we're going to make it out of this damn village."

"What kind of nonsense is that? Didn't you see A-Nan head out into the rain again? Shaman Zhu and the others are looking for the headman too. They're all working so hard, yet here you are talking trash. Watch it, or my fists won't be so friendly!"

"Yeah, yeah... I shouldn't have said that. It's just that several of our brothers aren't doing so well. Look at Dapeng just now. Setting aside how scary he looks, he used to be such a sturdy man. When we first arrived, the floorboards of these stilt houses would creak whenever he walked, but in just a few days, he's become so weak a gust of wind could blow him away."

"Don't even mention it. All of them in bad shape are like that. It's like they're just an empty skin, their flesh and blood are gone. Sigh, we've been brothers for so many years; it's hard to watch."

"Stop talking about it. The headman will have a way. You coward, stop scratching. Pus is flowing everywhere, it's disgusting."

"I'm itchy, I'm so itchy..."

The people outside were discussing fervently. Headman Qi and Manager Wu were also not in a good state.

Headman Qi's blisters hadn't spread much, but Manager Wu's body was naturally weaker. Having worked in funeral services before, his yin energy was heavy, making his situation much more troublesome.

"Headman."

Zhu Xi Ning and Jiang Haoyu pushed open the door and entered. Headman Qi's eyes lit up. "Any news?"

Zhu Xi Ning shook her head. "A-Nan and the others went out again to look for clues in the village."

Headman Qi was somewhat disappointed. "It's hard on her."

"Headman, the situation is urgent now. Some things might be a bit disrespectful."

Zhu Xi Ning walked two steps toward Headman Qi, knelt down, and put on the Ant God mask.

"Only by finding the King’s Coin can we possibly leave this place."

Zhu Xi Ning's eyes looked somewhat eerie behind the Ant God mask. "The King’s Coin must be on you."

Headman Qi was surprised and wanted to explain something, but hearing the painful groans of his brothers outside, he gritted his teeth.

"Fine, how do we check?"

Zhu Xi Ning reached for the wine gourd at Headman Qi's waist. "Take off all your accessories and clothes. I'll take a look."

Dapeng was woken up by the noise outside. He was itchy all over and very weak. Perhaps because he had been in the rain for several days, he had no strength at all.

It wasn't that he felt cold; he just felt hollow, as if he would float away while walking.

In his half-awake state, he subconsciously raised his arm to scratch. Only when he held it before his eyes did he realize that the blisters on his body had grown significantly.

Blisters the size of eggs were packed together, one after another, occupying every inch of his skin.