"Greed" Xu Xi: ??? Was Something Unclean Countering Him?

Ordinary offerings could no longer provide the Lord Mountain God with effective power. They wanted to ask the Lord Mountain God to completely eliminate Awang's mother, so they needed to hold a special sacrifice involving a living animal.

Logically speaking, there are also livestock such as chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs, but how can those livestock compare to humans in terms of intelligence?

Although the villagers deeply revered the Mountain God and the Shamaness, and wanted to completely eliminate Awang's mother, none of them were willing to offer their own child to the Mountain God.

At this point, someone mentioned Awang was said to be a jinx, bringing misfortune to his parents and whose mother was constantly causing trouble in the village.

Village Chief Zhu couldn't help but feel a mix of anger and helplessness as he said this, "For the villagers, Awang is practically the best offering for this sacrifice, but... sigh, I've practically watched that child grow up."

"Human sacrifice is a bit cruel, especially for such a poor child as Awang." The Man in a Suit offered a few words of comfort, then asked, "What about those three villagers you mentioned from half a month ago? How did they die?"

Having said what he should and shouldn't have said, Village Chief Zhu decided not to hide anything any longer. "They... they heard from the Shamaness that they made a wish to Awang's mother."

One of them was surnamed Liu. His wife died early, and he never remarried. He had no children, and everyone in the village called him Old Man Liu.

Old Man Liu was a greedy and money-grubbing man. He made a wish to Awang's mother that he would get rich. That very day, he dug up a piece of gold in his own field. Before he could even celebrate for long, he was found dead in his home the next day. He had committed suicide by swallowing the gold.

The other two were a married couple whose children were all working away from home. After Old Man Liu, they were found dead in the wheat field they had planted, their blood drained from their bodies, while the wheat in that field grew exceptionally ripe and full.

"I suppose the couple wished for a bountiful wheat harvest or something like that," Village Chief Zhu shook his head. "They don't seem to realize that nothing good comes true just because you wish for it; everything comes at a price."

Now the players were certain that the old man who knocked on the door that night was the same Old Man Liu had swallowed gold and died.

The unusual situation in that wheat field also had a reason.

Only...

"I think someone has been watering that wheat field all the time?"

Village Chief Zhu nodded. "The bodies of those three people have all undergone strange changes, and they only appear at night. Old Man Liu likes to knock on the villagers' doors. As long as you don't open the door, nothing will happen. Even if you accidentally open the door, just tell him you don't have any gold."

"The couple was easily attracted by the smell of blood. To prevent them from wandering around the village, we specifically sent villagers to water the wheat field with animal blood every evening to lure them away."

With the village chief's explanation, the players were finally able to clear up some of their doubts.

"I wonder if you experts could also eliminate them as well?"

Facing the Village Chief Zhu's hopeful gaze, the Man in a Suit replied without changing his expression, "Don't worry, once the source is gone, they will naturally disappear as well."

"That's good." Village Chief Zhu was relieved.

Having obtained the information they wanted, the group did not disturb the other party any further.

Upon reaching a secluded spot, the Curly-Haired Woman spoke first, "I'm afraid those three all made wishes to the Mountain God."

The others, who had also been misled, all felt the same way.

The Man in a Suit said in a deep voice, "The anomalies in the village have all been explained. Although we still don't know how the previous sixty-odd villagers died, I'm more inclined to believe it's related to the Mountain God and the Shamaness."

It might all have been staged, a performance to offer "tribute" to the Mountain God.

Once is never enough; if "Awang's mother" is eliminated this time, what about next time, and the time after that? Even if "Awang's mother" is gone, there will be "Azhuang's mother," "Acai's mother," and so on.

"The key to preventing this ceremony from taking place lies with that Shamaness."

However, they need to be wary of the Shamaness's ability to cause people to die inexplicably.

The Shamaness herself may not possess any special power; that ability most likely comes from the so-called Mountain God.

Evening.

Village Chief Zhu's House.

The players gazed at the sumptuous dishes, subtly glancing at the Young Man in a Hoodie who was always the first to eat.

Xu Xi took a few bites and thought that the food tasted a bit strange this time.

Not long after he started eating, he suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous, and his chest tightened, causing him to cough uncontrollably.

Holy crap, the food is poisoned!

Xu Xi's unusual behavior drew the attention of the others.

Especially when they saw the Young Man in a Hoodie coughing up blood, their expressions changed drastically, and they immediately realized that something was wrong with the food.

The Curly-Haired Woman and the Young Man in a Duckbill Cap, who had also eaten a little, immediately started vomiting.

Xu Xi felt pain in her eyes and chest, and had great difficulty breathing, as if she was about to suffocate at any moment.

Hearing the commotion, the Zhu family came out of the kitchen and were horrified by what they saw.

"This... this is Awang's mother's curse!!"

Just as Xu Xi was thinking of just dying first, she heard the word "curse" from Village Chief Zhu.

It wasn't the food? Or could it be that he fell for the tricks of the Mountain God and the Shamaness?

Xu Xi suddenly remembered that she had Flower-Paper Wedding Candy that could clear away all her negative states.

However, when he took the wedding candy out of his pocket and unwrapped it, he couldn't get the candy into his mouth.

Either my hands are shaking and constantly crooked, or my body trembles from time to time.

It was as if some force was specifically preventing him from eating the wedding candy.

Xu Xi:??? Is there something evil affecting him?

Just then, the Tall, Thin Man quickly walked over to Xu Xi, squatted down, took the wedding candy from Xu Xi's hand, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Xu Xi was stunned for a moment, then gave him a grateful look, touched.

Brother, you're a good guy.

The moment the wedding candy entered her mouth, it transformed into a warm current flowing into her abdomen, but after waiting for a while, Xu Xi found that it had no effect.

... Damn, it wasn't a curse at all, the food was really poisoned!

"Pocket, the other one... cough..." Xu Xi's voice was hoarse, trying to get the Tall, Thin Man to take out the other wedding candy from his pocket.

The Tall, Thin Man quickly took out the Pure-White Wedding Candy again and fed it to Xu Xi without saying a word.

As soon as Xu Xi finished eating the Pure-White Wedding Candy, all the pain in her body disappeared instantly, and her condition returned to its peak.

Sure enough, it was the food that caused it.

The Flower-Paper Wedding Candies had no effect; instead, the Pure-White Wedding Candies proved that it wasn't the curse that Village Chief Zhu mentioned, but rather a form of physical harm.

The Curly-Haired Woman and the Young Man in a Duckbill Cap were now curled up on the ground, barely alive, just like Xu Xi had been moments before.

The Man in a Suit and the Young Woman in a Long Dress had taken control of Village Chief Zhu and his family and were interrogating them.

Seeing that Xu Xi was alright, the Tall, Thin Man went to check on the other two.

Slowly standing up, Xu Xi casually wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

... It's a bit of a loss to waste two wedding candies like that.

Xu Xi slowly shifted her gaze to the food on the table.

Xu Xi's vision gradually cleared, she realized that she had just picked up her chopsticks.