“Don’t ask! What’s the point of asking so many questions? Did we force him to go?”
“Everyone dies anyway, would you have gone to look just because we forced you?”
Zhao Dekai’s words made sense, and the others finally let He Jiang off the hook.
Nan Yue, however, felt something was off. Zhao Dekai’s face didn’t look like he was in pain… but rather like he was terrified.
He Jiang didn’t seem surprised at all that Zhao Dekai had come out to speak for him. Nan Yue even felt that He Jiang himself had changed.
“No need to worry about this. The bodies will disappear anyway.”
He Jiang had indeed changed. His desire for leadership became more pronounced, and he seemed more confident.
He looked at Li Maocai, “Where’s Tan Hao? Hasn’t he returned?”
Li Maocai hadn’t yet grasped the situation and spread his hands, “No, I haven’t seen him all night.”
He Hongyun added from the side, “He’s probably dead.”
It was impossible for someone to survive a night in such an eerie place.
“Everyone go look for him. Ask the villagers where Tan Hao went. If he’s not here, we’ll go to the Mayor to demand an explanation.”
As soon as He Jiang’s words fell, those who had been eager to talk immediately fell silent.
Tan Hao had gone missing precisely when he went to find the Mayor. At a time like this, who would dare to go?
“Everyone go. It’s not possible for all of you to die.”
He Jiang’s gaze swept over the people standing beside him, revealing an oppressive smile.
“You’re unwilling?”
...
As Nan Yue and her two companions went into town to find food, Zhu Xi Ning was still complaining about He Jiang acting like a different person.
“He was originally so cowardly and disgusting, always lecturing people. How is he suddenly threatening us today?”
Nan Yue, meanwhile, instructed, “Keep an eye on Zhao Dekai. We might be able to get something out of him when he’s alone.”
They found a resident’s house in town, but to their surprise, even the vegetables had that strange taste today. Only the rice was free of it.
Nan Yue gave Gu Xiang Kai and Zhu Xi Ning a few instructions, and the three split up.
Nan Yue went straight to the Mayor’s house. When she arrived, the Mayor was hanging clothes to dry, and Nan Yue offered to help.
“By the way, Mayor, one of our companions has gone missing. Have you seen him?”
Xu Defu was very surprised, “Missing? What does he look like?”
“Tall and big, somewhat dark-skinned, and very honest.”
“Oh, the tall fellow, I remember him. No, I haven’t seen him. When did he go missing?”
Nan Yue observed the Mayor’s expression, “Last night. He didn’t return.”
Xu Defu frowned, his face growing a bit more serious, “I told you before not to wander around at night. It’s close to the forest, and there might be wild beasts at night.”
“How about this, I’ll tell the townspeople to keep an eye out, and I’ll let you know if he’s found.”
Nan Yue’s face showed gratitude, but inwardly she sneered.
Xu Defu still wore his mask of generosity and kindness, but wearing such a mask while being so dismissive of a human life felt very incongruous.
Tan Hao’s disappearance must be related to the townspeople.
“By the way, the Blood Moon Night is approaching in town.”
Xu Defu suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked at Nan Yue, “We won’t be going out much in the next few days. If you need anything, you can come to my house.”
“Blood Moon Night?”
Xu Defu’s eyes showed a hint of fanaticism, “On the day of the sacrifice, it will be dark all day, with a blood moon in the sky.”
Nan Yue carefully probed, “Today, the sunrise was three hours late…”
Xu Defu’s eyes showed some appreciation, “Precisely. In the coming days, the daytime will gradually shorten until it’s completely dark.”
“But you don’t need to worry. Although there’s no sunlight, it’s still essentially daytime, and you can move freely.”
Xu Defu gave a gentle smile, “Later, the villagers might not go out, but Evermercy Restaurant will remain open, so you won’t have nowhere to eat.”
This last sentence was practically an unveiled threat. Nan Yue even suspected Xu Defu already knew she hadn’t eaten any of the food tainted with that strange, fishy smell. The malice was almost palpable.
“Mayor, what will happen on the day of the sacrifice?”
Xu Defu’s smile remained unwavering, “You will find out.”
Meanwhile, Gu Xiang Kai was wandering around the edge of the town. Multi-fortune Town was almost entirely surrounded by mountains and forests, with dense woods just beyond its borders. Gu Xiang Kai didn’t dare to venture too deep.
As he walked aimlessly, he suddenly heard a woman singing in the distance.
Her voice was very faint; if Gu Xiang Kai hadn’t had good hearing, he wouldn’t have noticed it at all.
The sound came from within the dense forest. Gu Xiang Kai looked at the sky, gritted his teeth, and plunged into the woods.
After walking for more than ten minutes, Gu Xiang Kai saw a woman in red sitting in the distance.
The woman was disheveled, her hair loose, sitting on the ground. Her red dress was so dirty it had turned dark red and emitted an unpleasant stench.
Gu Xiang Kai didn’t get too close. Only after arriving did he realize he wasn’t the only one there.
Chang’an was also watching the madwoman from not far away.
But his posture was much more composed than Gu Xiang Kai’s; he even had time to nod at Gu Xiang Kai.
He hadn’t just discovered this madwoman today.
This was Gu Xiang Kai’s intuition.
Previously, Chang’an had been nowhere to be found in town or the residences during the day. It turned out he was in the dense forest.
When did he discover the madwoman? What did he find out?
Gu Xiang Kai thought Nan Yue’s progress was already fast enough, but he didn’t expect this mission to have so many hidden talents.
The madwoman seemed oblivious to the two men not far away. She sat in a pit, playing with mud, her hands and face filthy.
After watching for a while, Gu Xiang Kai realized the madwoman wasn’t just playing with mud; she was smearing it onto a toy.
How to describe it? Her movements were eerie yet somewhat familiar…
Like feeding someone.
“Nannan, eat, eat your food, grow tall.”
Saliva drooled from the madwoman’s mouth as she spoke indistinctly, laughing as she did so.
“Mommy loves you, Mommy will always love you.”
At this moment, Gu Xiang Kai marveled at Nan Yue’s intuition. On her first night, she had noticed the problem of there being no children in town.
Now, he realized Nan Yue’s direction was correct; this woman might be the breakthrough.
Gu Xiang Kai wanted to ask for clues, but Chang’an was also there, so he hesitated for a few breaths before walking over.
“Sister, your child is very beautiful.”
Gu Xiang Kai squatted at a safe distance, softening his gaze, even his voice became gentle, “How old is she?”
The woman, who had previously ignored Gu Xiang Kai, suddenly looked up, revealing a somewhat foolish smile.
“Just over a month… beautiful…”
Gu Xiang Kai looked at the filthy toy, so caked with mud that its original appearance was unrecognizable, as if he were truly looking at a newborn infant.
“Very beautiful.”
The woman smiled contentedly, then cradled the toy, rocking it back and forth.
“Sister, where is your family?”
Gu Xiang Kai had only intended to chat and build rapport to glean some information, but no sooner had he finished speaking than the previously gentle woman suddenly erupted, throwing the toy aside and lunging at Gu Xiang Kai.
“Murderer! You killed my child… Murderer!”
Gu Xiang Kai hadn’t expected the woman, though frail-looking, to have such strength. She bit down hard on his forearm.
Rate on N.U.
