Worshipping This Broken Idol Is Worse Than Worshipping Me, Fan Wu!

[Nie Village Villager A - Vitality: 55 - Strength: 1.5 - Skill: None]

[Nie Village Villager B - Vitality: 49 - Strength: 1.1 - Skill: None]

[Nie Village Old Village Chief - Vitality: ...]

[...]

None of the Nie Village villagers before him were cultivators. Even the old Village Chief, who looked to be in his seventies, was just a relatively long-lived ordinary person.

He had naturally heard the Old Village Chief's warning.

If Fan Wu were an ordinary person, he would have turned around and left immediately upon hearing the Old Village Chief's reminder.

This was, after all, the World of Gods and Anomalies.

When it involved anomalous events like demons and monsters, it was best for ordinary people to stay as far away as possible.

But Fan Wu was not an ordinary person.

The saying "A sharp weapon in hand, a murderous intent arises" wasn't a perfect metaphor for his state of mind.

Yet, it was somewhat fitting.

Fan Wu was no longer as apprehensive about anomalous entities as he was at the beginning.

In his eyes, as long as he stayed away from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau and that Great Venerable, there wouldn't be much of a problem.

As for other anomalous events...

If he encountered them, he encountered them!

He even wanted to encounter them actively, because encountering anomalous events meant he could gain Free Attribute Points from them! Who wouldn't like walking Free Attribute Points?

Fan Wu certainly did!

He led the Old Green Ox closer to the Nie Village villagers.

Fan Wu could see a look of vigilance mixed with timidity on each of their faces.

Clearly, the aura he exuded was putting a lot of pressure on them.

It made them very nervous.

"This humble Daoist is merely passing through this place and will not be staying in Nie Village for long," Fan Wu explained to them.

The Old Village Chief insisted, "Daoist Master, you may not know how dangerous the vicinity is. It's only us poor mountain folk, who don't know where else we can move to for shelter, who are still hesitating whether to leave this place our ancestors have lived for generations."

"Some of the more well-off households left with their families months ago. To be frank, Daoist Master, less than a mile from Nie Village, there's Lijia Village."

"Lijia Village has about a hundred households. Their village is quite prosperous, and each household has many children. One household has at least seven or eight people."

"The entire Lijia Village has over a thousand people; it's a large village!"

"But..."

The Old Village Chief took a deep breath, a hint of sorrow in his cloudy eyes.

After a slight pause, he continued, "A few months ago, Lijia Village suddenly met with disaster. They encountered an anomalous event. That anomalous event was extremely malevolent, and everyone in Lijia Village, in a single night... died!!"

"The Imperial Astronomy Bureau from Baihe County sent people to investigate. I, this old man, still remember that the leader was a female official named Shen Jiyue. But that Imperial Astronomy Bureau couldn't find any cause..."

"The people from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau also said that our Nie Village wouldn't encounter the same anomalous event that happened to Lijia Village. But such words are just for listening; they are only trying to appease us."

"..."

The Old Village Chief recounted the anomalous events that had occurred in the vicinity, one by one.

Listening to him, the Nie Village villagers nearby couldn't help but shiver, even in broad daylight!

Even though these villagers knew about this incident, hearing it again sent chills down their spines.

Fan Wu nodded thoughtfully.

His gaze passed over the Old Village Chief, over the villagers before him, and landed on the statue of "Lord of Fortune and Virtue" on the incense altar.

He didn't see any attribute information above the statue.

This indicated that the statue did not possess any incense power.

The ritual the Old Village Chief and the others had just performed...

Was essentially a futile effort.

Completely useless!

Their ritual today might have been the last hope and expectation entrusted by the villagers of Nie Village.

Alas...

Hope was shattered.

"Vi... Village Chief! N-no... bad news! Bad news!"

Just as Fan Wu was about to say something else.

A panicked and breathless voice, approaching from a distance.

Attracted everyone's attention.

The old Village Chief saw the newcomer and reprimanded him with a stern face, "What's with all the panic? What kind of behavior is this? Calm yourself down before you speak!"

The old Village Chief held considerable prestige in Nie Village.

This scolding made the Nie Village villager who had just run over take a few deep breaths. After calming the breath in his chest, he continued with extreme urgency, "Those few people who fell ill a few days ago seem to be worse off today! Several of them have already fainted!"

"What?!"

The old Village Chief immediately grew anxious. He slapped the back of the man's head and gritted his teeth, "Why didn't you mention something this important earlier, you brat?"

"Huh? Didn't you tell me to..."

The old Village Chief cut him off, "What are you still standing around for? Hurry up and take this old man to see them!"

"Yes, yes, yes..."

The villagers of Nie Village rushed towards a certain direction.

This was because the old Village Chief was too old to run.

A strong young man immediately picked him up and sprinted away.

Before long, only a few people remained at the entrance of Nie Village.

Fan Wu watched their receding figures.

Lost in thought.

Afterward... he turned his head to glance at the useless statue of the Lord of Fortune and Virtue.

He let out a "tsk."

Fan Wu reached out, grabbed a piece of fruit offering, and unceremoniously stuffed it into his mouth.

His practiced movements made it obvious that when he was in Prison Dragon County...

He had done this often!

"Praying to this useless broken clay statue for its protection... might as well pray to me. At least I can help eat the offerings, so they don't go to waste."

Fan Wu muttered to himself.

While gnawing on the fruit, he led the Old Green Ox and followed the Nie Village villagers.

Fan Wu walked for about the time it takes half an incense stick to burn before arriving at a place within Nie Village.

He saw the group of Nie Village villagers from the entrance.

The Nie Village villagers also saw him.

"Are you the Daoist Master from earlier?" a sallow-faced villager looked up at Fan Wu, swallowing with difficulty. After a moment of hesitation, he still mustered the courage to say, "How did you get in?"

"Just came to take a look," Fan Wu replied.

As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the thatched hut in front opened.

The old Village Chief and several villagers walked out with bitter expressions.

The other villagers immediately surrounded them, speaking in a torrent of words.

"Village Chief, are they alright? Is it serious?"

"Grandpa Village Chief, is my father okay? They all say my father is possessed, what kind of illness is possession? Grandpa Village Chief, you... you used to study medicine, so... so you can cure my father, right?"

"Are the people inside still savable?!"

"..."

The old Village Chief waved his hand to signal them to quiet down. The villagers stopped their clamor.

"This old man... although this old man studied medicine when he was young, this kind of situation..." he said helplessly, "this old man is also powerless in this situation."

These few words struck like a bolt from the blue in everyone's hearts.

Until.

A sudden voice rang out, "Can this poor Daoist go in and take a look?"

The old Village Chief was stunned. As he looked up, he saw the exceptionally tall Fan Wu.

"Daoist Master, how did you get in?" The old Village Chief was taken aback and hadn't even reacted yet.

But Fan Wu had already reached out, pushed through the crowd, and passed by the old Village Chief.

He stepped into the thatched hut and then replied, "This poor Daoist smells a strange aura."

He smelled the scent of Free Attribute Points!