"So sensitive?"
Jiang Qiao watched the Little Boss's panicked retreating figure thoughtfully.
He had traumatized him.
That was true.
After all, from the Little Boss's perspective, whether Jiang Qiao had appeared earlier or vanished now, it was all damn ghostly.
The key point was—
He had not noticed anything unusual when Jiang Qiao appeared!
Anyone else—
Would have realized something was wrong.
Still—
That was merely the trigger.
The deeper reason for the Little Boss's intense reaction was that Jiang Qiao had seen through his secret.
And that secret was related to the Stone Statue.
"The first half of what that Little Boss said was probably true. His family worshipped the River God and received good fortune. It was also true that he had hurriedly left the South Seas because he wanted to immigrate to England."
"He may even have acquired quite a decent estate in England already."
"Otherwise, he would not have looked so proud."
"But the reason he could not take the Stone Statue with him was not because England prohibited native beliefs."
"The real reason—"
"Was that the Stone Statue had become cursed."
Jiang Qiao's gaze deepened.
Without a doubt—
This so-called River God was actually an Evil Spirit.
Yet over the course of several centuries—
It had accepted incense and worship, forming some sort of symbiotic relationship with the villages along the Bali River.
Right.
The Bali River—
Was the river outside Blue Village.
In short—
You worshipped it.
It protected you.
And occasionally gave you some additional rewards.
For example, the Little Boss's ancestors had lived in the city. To that Evil Spirit, that may have meant its sphere of influence had expanded, so it paid them greater attention.
That allowed them to borrow more of its power.
And accumulate wealth.
"But riverside villages like