The child (@This could work-expert certified (1/2))
"Lazybones! Who do you think you are?! It's been three years since Heavenly Desolation, and you haven't had a single student to teach you to read in three years. Do you still think you're the schoolteacher you used to be?! Even if I, Er Gou, don't have a formal title, I at least own half an acre of land, which is much better than you, you thief!"
Su Luo around, gave him a deep look, and looked up. "Lead the way."
Jerome led Su Luo along a dirt road, cursing under his breath. Su Luo was puzzled that such a thin, starving man still had the energy to curse.
Su Luo felt the food rapidly digesting in her stomach, her gaze shifting as she walked, searching for any food around her, even something like tree bark or grass roots would do.
But the result disappointed Su Luo. The entire village had no greenery at all, not even any animals. The open-air buildings that resembled sheep pens were empty, as if they had been abandoned for a long time.
The only nutritious thing might be the dried, grayish-white, unidentified feces on the road.
Not to mention animals, even people are rarely seen. Su Luo could only occasionally sense eyes watching her from inside the houses she passed.
That's greed.
Soon, the two arrived at a house that was a bit more upscale than the other mud and wooden houses. The house was built with bricks and tiles, the walls were made of blue bricks, the door frame was made of stone, and the door panels were painted with a layer of black paint.
Su Luo glanced at it a few times and memorized the pattern of the Text in this world; it was still Text.
"Let's go in. The village chief and the adults from the city are inside," Jerome said, glancing around before moving closer to Su Luo.
"Lazybones, I know you're ostracized because you don't have a family... But this time, if the adults reward you with anything, give it to me, and I'll give you three bites."
Jerome swallowed hard and held up his fingers. "Fresh."
Su Luo glanced at him and went straight into the village chief's courtyard.
Upon entering a rather dilapidated farmhouse, Su Luo noticed three poultry in one corner and a patch of greenery in another.
Further into the courtyard, there is a house made of mud bricks, with two people sitting facing each other in the main hall.
A man wearing patched but undeniably coarse linen clothes smiled broadly, his face etched with wrinkles that resembled a chrysanthemum blooming in the wind.
The other person was exceptionally young, even somewhat green, but possessed an imposing air, exuding an air of superiority. His clothes were neat, and his complexion was rather ruddy.
In a village filled with starving people, he didn't look like someone who lived there.
Right between the two, on a table hollowed out in the center, a pot of food was simmering, its bottom gleaming from the charcoal fire. The broth inside was boiling, and steam rose from the gaps in the lid, carrying the aroma of meat and spices.
The spices were few in number, consisting of just the roots and stems of a few plants, but in a place where even the roots of grass had been dug up, this was the ultimate luxury.
Su Luo stood at the door and observed the person's breathing. She realized that this person was not a cultivator and that his Attribute was probably not even 8. She felt a little relieved and went forward.
When the village chief saw Su Luo approaching, his smile faltered slightly, but he continued to speak warmly to the young man:
"Sir, this is our village's former schoolteacher. He should still know some basic Text. After you finish your... report, he can write the village certificate."
The village chief was so enthusiastic it was almost obsequious. He leaned forward slightly, rubbing his hands together like flies, while simultaneously giving Su Luo meaningful glances and beckoning her over, speaking in a tone as if calling a dog, "Come here, this is Master Xu from the city, quickly pay your respects."
The young man opposite looked at Su Luo:
"No need, no need. Sir, you are a scholar, I cannot accept such an honor. Please take a seat. I am from the Ban Xu."
Su Luo a slight bow, not caring whether the gesture was appropriate in this world, and sat down on another stool to the side of the two of them, further away from the steaming pot.
The two noticed that Su Luo slightly covered her eyes after sitting down, as if she was lost in thought, so they didn't pay much attention and continued their conversation.
The village chief was talking about the village's situation, this year's harvest, the difficulties in paying taxes, and the villagers' hardships. Every sentence was filled with hardship, and every word was full of bitterness.
Ban Xu listened, occasionally nodding, occasionally tapping the table, and even taking a sip of the wine on the table.
Su Luo, on the other hand, was thinking about and calculating her progress.
There is about half an hour left to fully activate the body, directly and forcefully absorb Qi to condense spiritual energy and enhance Attributes, and first stimulate the soul.
Should we perform a direct Soul Search, or a direct Soul Search?
Su Luo was somewhat conflicted.
The two chatted and laughed, drinking half of the wine on the table. Then Ban Xu's expression turned serious, and he took out a miniature glass ball, along with several sheets of high-quality paper and a calligraphy brush.
Then, his tone became serious, and he looked directly at the village chief. A unique aura rose from his body—the aura of power, the kind of aura that, although at the very bottom of the power system, held the life and death of others in one's hands. Even Su Luo, who had been calmly standing to the side, opened her eyes.
"I've heard that you people here... exchange children to eat?"
The village chief's expression changed: "Who—"
"No need to deny it, I already saw it on my way here."
Ban Xu lowered his head and began taking things out of his bag again.
This time, the items were some fine human skeletons, very small, as if they were underdeveloped.
"I've gathered all the evidence! Now, you just need to answer the question! Does your village exchange baby children for food?!"
The village chief's face showed fear and astonishment, and he stammered.
Ban Xu stared intently at him.
A moment later, the village chief clapped his hands and said:
"Oh, nonsense! We're all from the same village, we see each other all the time, how can we get along after eating together!"
Ban Xu glanced at the glass bead, found no change, breathed a sigh of relief, and swept the bones off the table, which clattered to the ground.
"I knew it, I found these bones on the road..."
Before Ban Xu could even catch his breath, the village chief said honestly again:
We exchange food with other villages.
Su Luo: "..."
Ban Xu: "..."
Ban Xu was silent for a moment, then his expression changed as he realized what was happening. "Really?"
"Don't worry, Master Xu, we didn't waste any."
Ban Xu breathed a sigh of relief again, "Alright, you pass."
Anyway, his superiors only sent him to investigate the phenomenon of cannibalism through child exchange in the village; what does it have to do with the other villages?
The more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make. If you don't know, don't say; if you're asked, just pretend you don't know.
The two then began to talk about other things in the villages, while simultaneously lifting the lid of the red-hot iron pot in the center of the table.
The moment the lid was lifted, a large plume of white steam shot out, condensing into a thick fog in the air. As the fog dissipated, the contents of the pot were revealed: a whole poultry, the kind of bird that looks like a chicken in the yard.
Its feathers had been plucked, its internal organs removed, and its body broken in half and pressed to the bottom of the pot. A layer of golden oil droplets floated on the surface of the soup, rolling around in the broth.
Thankfully, it wasn't the child I imagined; the child was hidden.
The village chief swallowed hard, but still asked Ban Xu to eat first.
Ban Xu looked around, seemingly somewhat displeased. "I remember, your village... seems to have an acre of spirit field."
The damn leader is here, and he can't even make four basins and a bucket, he has no spiritual materials at all, this is disrespecting his Ban Xu!