[Soul-Shaking Ancient Village] A personal visit

Si Yehan disappeared into the village streets and alleyways. He didn't know where the old village chief lived, so he would first have to find someone and press them for answers.

Good looks made things easier for a person in most cases, though they occasionally invited trouble.

When Si Yehan reached a corner, he saw a little girl squatting there, playing.

The little girl wore a rustic yellow outfit, and her chubby face made her look especially sweet and endearing. Her clear black-and-white eyes darted about, innocent in their expression. The moment she saw Si Yehan, she froze, then got up and tried to run.

Si Yehan's voice was calm, without a hint of urgency. "Don't run, little one. I just want to ask you something. If you answer well, I'll give you a little gift."

The little girl froze and stood where she was. She put a finger in her mouth and asked, "What kind of little gift? Hurry up and ask. Grandpa doesn't let me talk to people from outside the village, and he tells me to stay away from the people in the village too."

She looked at Si Yehan's handsome face and thought he probably wasn't one of the bad people her grandpa had told her about.

"Do you know where the village chief lives?" Si Yehan bent down slightly and stroked the little girl's head, a cold glint half-visible inside his sleeve.

The little girl grew wary. "I do. The village chief is my grandpa. What do you want with him?"

Si Yehan immediately found it strange. How could it be such a coincidence? He had just decided to go to the old man's home when he ran into a little girl all alone, and she was the old man's granddaughter.

Looking at the innocent expression on the little girl's face, Si Yehan silently considered whether to kill her now or wait until he saw the old village chief and kill them both together.

Acting now would be the safest option. If he waited, there would be some risk, since he didn't know whether the village chief's line had an ability like Zhang Kui's and Shen Jing's to wield some of a ghost's traits in the outside world, or some other strange ability.

But judging by the villagers and the old madman he had killed not long ago, the villagers had no strange powers. Even if there was some scheme behind it all, there was nothing to worry about.

The wind blew through the streets and alleyways, and sunlight fell on the little girl.

Seeing that Si Yehan still said nothing, she grew a little frightened and took several steps back. "I'm going home to find my grandpa."

The little girl turned and ran. Being young, she instinctively ran toward home in her panic, indirectly answering Si Yehan's earlier question.

Si Yehan followed her. The little girl didn't run fast enough, so he deliberately slowed his pace.

The little girl ran into her home and threw herself into the arms of the old village chief, who was talking with Wang Zhou and Wang Niu.

She said nervously, "Grandpa, you told me to play at the corner for a while and see if any strangers came near. I saw a big brother, and he asked me where you lived. I didn't answer. He was really handsome and didn't look like a bad person, so I didn't run. But then I asked him something, and he didn't say anything, so I ran back."

Wang Zhou, who was standing nearby, asked, "Nannan, what was that person wearing?"

The little girl sounded a little aggrieved. "Brother Wang Zhou, I don't know what those clothes are called. I only know he isn't from our village. But the outside of his clothes was black."

Only then did Wang Zhou relax somewhat. "Village chief, that person must be the last remaining sacrifice. He's probably looking for you to ask about something."

The old village chief stroked the little girl's head and said kindly, "Nannan, go back to your room. I need to talk with your Brother Wang Zhou and Brother Wang Niu for a while. As for the person you mentioned, he isn't a bad person either, so there's no need to be afraid."

The little girl said, "Oh," then climbed down from the old village chief's arms and ran back to her room.

The old village chief looked at his thin, hunched body, then at his swollen fingers. "He and I are both dying. I can tell him. My body has already reached its limit, and I don't have much longer to cling to life. I'm just worried about Nannan. The child's parents passed away early, and when I'm gone too, I can only entrust her to your care."

"Rest assured, village chief. I'll definitely go before Nannan, and I won't let her suffer one bit, even after you die." Wang Zhou looked at the old village chief before him and made the solemn promise in a serious tone.

The old village chief was somewhat moved. "Thank you for all your effort, child."

Wang Niu turned to stare at the doorway, and a wary expression appeared on his honest face. The other two followed his gaze and saw...

Si Yehan walked openly through the doorway. He wasn't surprised to find all three of them present. He simply closed the door behind him, looked at the old village chief, and calmly asked, "Do you know how to survive encounters with those things?"

He had already heard the entire conversation while outside the door. So the villagers called the participants, himself included, sacrifices. The instances and the Weird Game had actually formed a kind of harmony and logic that carried an inexplicable sense of strangeness.

Wang Zhou and Wang Niu's expressions changed back to how they had been when they first met him. Their gazes were tinged with viciousness as they locked firmly onto Si Yehan.

The old village chief sighed, somewhat generous. "Young man, since you've come to ask, I won't hide it. Those things are called ghosts. To survive an encounter with them, you must not scream, make heavy footsteps, sleep too soundly, or mention that the elderly and children are burdens. The reverse of these methods is the ghosts' killing rules, which are related to their final experiences before they died. But ghosts have neither reason nor emotion, and they don't follow the so-called principles of revenge, good, or evil."

Wang Niu watched Si Yehan warily. He sensed malice from this man.

A trace of pity appeared in the old village chief's eyes. "That's all I can tell you. This is the last year the ghosts will appear in Wang Family Village. The people who came with you have probably all been killed by the ghosts. There are still a few days before you leave, and you most likely won't survive either. I don't have much life left in me, this old fellow. A man's words are kind when death is near. This is my final act of generosity, after all the bad things I've done."

As he spoke, the old village chief began coughing violently, coughing up black blood.

There was laughter in Si Yehan's voice. "Good. What you've told me will be useful. But before I go, I'd like to borrow something from you?"

The old village chief wiped the blood from his lips and asked, finding it a little strange, "What?"

Wang Zhou suddenly spoke up, a chilling killing intent appearing in his eyes as he answered for Si Yehan. "He wants to borrow our lives. Ah Niu, let's attack together. We have to protect the village chief."

"Not completely stupid, then." Si Yehan took the sharp knife flashing coldly from his sleeve and sneered at Wang Zhou and Wang Niu as they closed in on him, his face remaining impassive.

Wang Niu threw a heavy punch from the left, while Wang Zhou whipped a leg out from the lower right. The old village chief stepped back, picked up two thick, long wooden clubs, and tossed them to the pair.

Surrounded by their attacks, Si Yehan raised a hand and knocked Wang Niu's punch aside. Then he pushed off the ground with the tip of his foot and did a backflip, dodging Wang Zhou's kick.

Wang Zhou and Wang Niu caught the clubs and circled Si Yehan with great caution. Their brief exchange had shown them how strong he was.