Evil Golden Toad

"Screw you!!"

Xiao Ran's eyes were bloodshot. He felt an inexhaustible surge of strength flood his body in an instant. Facing the charging figures, he lifted his leg and kicked one squarely in the chest.

He had already possessed a six-point strength buff, and now with an increase of over ten points, the difference was a qualitative leap.

The villager only heard a crunch of bone in his chest, his entire chest caved in by more than half, and his body flew out like a cannonball, smashing into the people behind him and taking down a large group.

Seeing four or five people lying on the ground unable to get up, Xiao Ran wanted to charge into the flock like a tiger and crush these bastards, but a sudden thought made him abruptly calm himself down.

"No, now is not the time to fight these people to the death."

He might be able to rely on his brute strength to grind these guys into the dirt, but he wouldn't come out unscathed. Even if he avoided vital points, no one would feel good with a hole in their stomach.

More importantly, if he fought these weaklings to a mutual destruction, who would deal with that old hag?

With that thought, after kicking down two or three more people, Xiao Ran relied on his brute strength, grabbed someone nearby, and used them as a shield to push forward into the crowd.

The narrow alleyway of this dead-end street was already cramped, and this charge sent people tumbling and howling.

"Ow, don't step on me!"

"Get your foot off me!"

"Stop pulling, that's not a belt!"

The entire alley instantly descended into chaos. Xiao Ran, relying on his brute strength, just kept charging forward. Someone tried to take a swing at him, but was blocked by the human shield he was holding.

When Xiao Ran finally burst out of the alley and looked back, he saw a crowd of people sprawled about, groaning in misery.

Seeing this, he tossed the human shield, now riddled with axes and spears, to the ground. He grinned at Brother Tao and the others, made a throat-slitting gesture with his hand, and then turned and ran back into the village without looking back.

"This is bad!"

Seeing Xiao Ran's retreating back, the rotten muscles on Brother Tao's face trembled uncontrollably.

He knew Li Shang's personality too well. This time, they had made a move against Li Shang, and even if the Old Woman showed mercy, Li Shang would make them wish they were dead.

What's more, the Old Woman had killed half the village to revive him. Now that he was finally resurrected, how could she let them off?

The more Brother Tao thought about it, the more terrified he became, his body starting to tremble uncontrollably.

But it was too late to chase now. With that thought, Brother Tao calmed himself down and turned to the crowd, saying, "Everyone get up, get up! Go notify everyone in the village, tell them it's all fake. The Old Woman only wants to revive her son, she doesn't care if we live or die. If you want to live, if you want to live like a human, come with me and settle the score with the old woman!"

By the end, Brother Tao had simply torn off the paper-thin mask on his face, revealing a face that was already comparable to a walking corpse. His two bulging eyeballs stared intently at the crowd: "This is our only chance!"

"Mother, Mother!"

In the courtyard, the Old Woman was lying in a reclining chair with her eyes half-closed, two village women massaging her legs on either side. Suddenly, she heard a familiar cry, and her slightly lowered eyelids snapped open.

Not long after, the courtyard gate was roughly pushed open. Xiao Ran, covered in blood, stood at the entrance, his eyes fixed on the Old Woman sitting in the chair. In an instant, Li Shang's memories flashed through his mind, and his eyes gradually became hazy.

At this moment, he felt as if he were Li Shang. A sourness welled up in his nose, and he stumbled forward a couple of steps: "Mother!"

"Clang!"

Hearing his long-lost cry, the Old Woman slowly sat up straight in her chair, muttering to herself, "Did it work? Did it really work?"

Yet, looking at the unfamiliar face before her, the Old Woman couldn't hide her joy.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran quickly walked forward a few steps, took the Old Woman's hands, and said, "Don't you recognize me? I'm your son, Gou'er. I didn't listen to you back then. You said Yang Xuan was educated and ambitious, that I couldn't control her, and I never expected she'd actually dare to try and kill me!"

"Gou'er, Mother missed you."

As she spoke, she slowly reached out and gently stroked Xiao Ran's cheek. Her cloudy eyes seemed to glimpse Li Shang's face, full of a thick beard.

Xiao Ran lowered his head, his shoulders shaking violently. It wasn't because of his superb acting skills, but the searing pain in his back and lower abdomen was simply unbearable.

What's more, this pain couldn't be considered a voluntary sacrifice, so he couldn't gain the buff of the [Power of the Evil God].

"Child,"

The Old Woman was about to say more, but the noise from outside prevented her from continuing.

The commotion was loud, and Brother Tao's curses could be heard from afar.

Hearing Brother Tao's voice, Xiao Ran suddenly felt an immense sense of familiarity: "They're finally here. If they didn't come soon, I wouldn't be able to keep up the act."

He immediately raised his head, his eyes flashing fiercely as he stared at the door: "Mother, it's them! Brother Tao and the others want to harm me! They've rebelled, they've rebelled!!"

Looking at Xiao Ran's furious appearance, the Old Woman smiled faintly and slowly stood up from her chair: "Don't worry, it won't get out of hand."

Saying that, the Old Woman pulled Xiao Ran's arm and walked towards the door. When they reached the outside, they saw Brother Tao had gathered everyone. They were armed with knives, spears, swords, clubs, and even farming tools like hoes and sickles mixed in.

Seeing Xiao Ran supporting the Old Woman as she walked out, the crowd exchanged glances. They had been in disarray when they arrived, shouting slogans about attacking together and hacking the person into meat paste, but now they all fell silent.

Xiao Ran, hiding behind the Old Woman, watched this scene and couldn't help but frown inwardly. These people were too cowardly.

"No, if this old hag manages to smooth things over with just a few words, what will I do?"

With that thought, Xiao Ran strode out from behind the Old Woman, grinning at Brother Tao and the others, the corners of his mouth turning upwards, his smile gradually becoming ferocious.

"What are you doing? With just you lot, you're no match for my mother even if you attack together. You'll all die, no one will survive!"

After speaking, Xiao Ran couldn't help but glance sideways at the Old Woman beside him.

He saw the Old Woman's eyes slightly lowered, her posture as steady as a mountain, and Xiao Ran felt uncertain.

As soon as he spoke, as expected, the expressions of everyone present turned grim.

What made them even more terrified was that the Old Woman actually tacitly agreed with Xiao Ran's words.

At this, Brother Tao and the others felt their scalps go numb.

"We fight, or we'll wish we were dead. Brother Tao, stop thinking."

The men behind Brother Tao had already braced themselves for a fight. The rest of the crowd, who had followed along, also turned their gaze to Brother Tao.

Brother Tao was momentarily dazed. Seeing the arrogant smile on Xiao Ran's face, he couldn't help but shiver all over. He raised the axe in his hand and let out a heart-wrenching roar: "We fight! Let's kill them!!"

Brother Tao lunged forward, leaping towards the Old Woman. He believed that as long as they had enough people, as long as they charged together, even if the Old Woman had incredible powers, she wouldn't be able to stop all of them.

One moved, and everyone moved. In an instant, those who were still hesitating, whether swept along by the momentum or fueled by adrenaline, charged forward with the weapons in their hands. As long as they charged forward, with one decisive push, even if each person only managed to land one cut, they could dismember this mother and son.

However, reality was cruel.

Facing the crowd that had already charged right up to her, the Old Woman's smile gradually contorted. She stood motionless, and a croak suddenly came from her embrace.

"Croak!!"

The croak was just an ordinary frog sound to Xiao Ran, but to Brother Tao and the others, it was no less than a thunderclap on a clear day. Their ears buzzed, and their vision spun.

"Clang, clang..."

They could no longer hold onto the weapons in their hands, and they all fell heavily to the ground along with their bodies, unable to move.

This scene stunned not only Brother Tao but also Xiao Ran, who was standing nearby.

His eyes were fixed on the Golden Toad in the Old Woman's arms. He thought, No wonder! No wonder Li Ji wanted to kill this thing. Its power is too terrifying!

"No!"

Xiao Ran examined the Golden Toad in front of him closely. Although it looked like a living creature, upon closer inspection, he found that it was more like a jade carving.

This made him think of the [Calamity Suppressing Token] in his hand.

Could this thing also be a Cursed Object?

The Old Woman let out a cackling laugh as she looked at the crowd lying on the ground, unable to move.

"Before I massacred the village, I gave each of you a string of coins. I made it very clear: once you accepted the money, you were mine. Since you accepted my money, your lives were in my hands. I would decide when the debt was repaid, and only then would it be considered repaid. It was not up to you to go back on your word."

"Old Woman, you are truly ruthless! A string of copper coins cost me my entire family of three, and we've been trapped here for over a hundred years. This deal is too good!"

An old man looked up and glared at the Old Woman.

Hearing this, the Old Woman merely glanced at him dismissively. "Even a pig's life is worth more than a string of coins. But when I gave you the money, I made it very clear: those who didn't accept the money would die. You've lived in this village for so many years. You watched as you pocketed the money, closed your doors, and turned a deaf ear to the cries for help from outside. At that time, you weren't people; you were beasts. The lives of beasts are worthless. A single copper coin was enough. I gave you a string, I was generous."

Hearing the Old Woman's words, the old man, who had been indignant moments before, opened his mouth wide. He wanted to argue further, but his throat felt as if it were stuffed with a stone, and he couldn't utter a single word.

The others lowered their heads. Only Brother Tao and a few others didn't care about this. They were originally members of the Kidnapper Gang, the executioners of the village massacre. They wouldn't care about their conscience. They just stared intently at the Old Woman in front of them, a mix of fear and hope in their eyes.

However, at this moment, the Old Woman turned her head, beckoned to Xiao Ran, took the toad from her embrace, and handed it to Xiao Ran.

"Good son, you can kill these useless fools however you want. After we've killed everyone, we'll leave this cursed place. Mother will find you obedient girls and help you live a comfortable life."

The Old Woman's voice, full of doting affection, made Brother Tao and the others tremble.

"You have obtained the E-class Cursed Object [Evil Golden Toad], but the Cursed Object has been activated. Do you wish to forcibly seize control?"

"If you fail to seize control, you will suffer a massive backlash!"

The moment his hand touched the Evil Golden Toad, Xiao Ran also received a notification: Indeed, this thing is a Cursed Object.

Seeing Xiao Ran holding the toad without a word, the Old Woman smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Have you forgotten how to use it?"

Xiao Ran looked up, his gaze flickered to the millstone by the door, and he showed the Old Woman a brilliant smile. "Of course! No, isn't this how it's used!"

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes. He suddenly raised the toad in his hand and smashed it fiercely at the millstone by the door.