The Old Woman's Methods

Xiao Ran didn't retrace his steps. Instead, he circled around the village and headed back from a different direction, his brow furrowed.

"These villagers aren't human anymore. Why does the quest want me to help them? Help them do what? Send them off with a physical exorcism?"

"Or perhaps, the villagers in the quest aren't actually them."

"Also, that woman seemed crazy and out of her mind, but who knows if she was faking it. I've met her twice now, and I always feel like she's deliberately guiding me.

"Just like Niu Wazi said, trapped in their bodies, neither human nor ghost, not dead but decaying. Anyone watching themselves rot little by little would probably have some mental issues."

"Niu Wazi was still defending the Old Woman at the end. That Old Woman is truly powerful."

Xiao Ran was also worried. This village was strange. Normally, he would have run away long ago, but he couldn't now. If he didn't complete the main quest, he couldn't leave.

Yet, the main quest was to help these villagers.

This put Xiao Ran in a difficult position.

"Is there something else going on here?"

"There!!"

As he was thinking, he heard someone shouting in the distance. Looking up, he saw several villagers running towards him.

"Where did you go??"

Seeing Xiao Ran, these villagers immediately rushed over, completely different from the ones he chatted with that morning.

They all looked fierce and shifty-eyed, and they even walked like bandits. The bald man at the front grabbed Xiao Ran's clothes as if afraid he would run.

"Where I went is none of your business?"

Unexpectedly, facing these fierce villagers, Xiao Ran lost his temper. He pushed away the bald man's hand and cursed, "I don't want to stay in this damn place for another second. I can't even find a toilet. Don't you guys poop?"

Facing Xiao Ran's furious questioning, the few men who had looked annoyed moments before exchanged glances, their expressions becoming strange.

At this moment, the bald man at the front quickly smoothed things over. He forced a smile and said to Xiao Ran, "Don't misunderstand, we were just worried about you, afraid you'd get lost. Besides, you didn't even say goodbye to Zhang Mazi. She was worried sick."

"She's mute, what would I say to her? And if I had a stomach ache, should I ask her to take me to the toilet? By the time she took me, I would have already soiled myself."

Xiao Ran pouted, looking at them with disdain. His words left them speechless, and they could only hurry to escort Xiao Ran back.

Along the way, the bald man introduced himself, "My name is Niu Tao, everyone calls me Brother Tao. If you have any trouble, just tell me."

"Brother Tao!"

The name sounded familiar. When he thought about it, wasn't he one of the group Niu Wazi mentioned often bullied Yang Xuan?

Xiao Ran became even more wary of this Brother Tao, but he smiled and nodded, "Okay, okay, then I won't be polite with you, Brother Tao."

"No need to be polite, we're all brothers here."

When Xiao Ran was escorted back to Zhang Mazi's house by everyone, he saw Zhang Mazi kneeling on the ground, wailing and crying, with a clear fist print on her face.

Upon seeing Xiao Ran return, Zhang Mazi scrambled over, grabbed Xiao Ran's thigh, looking exceptionally miserable and pitiful.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran felt a pang of guilt for Zhang Mazi's misfortune. After all, he had run off, causing her to be beaten.

"What are you doing, what are you doing? Hurry up and pull her up!!"

Brother Tao seemed to notice the change in Xiao Ran's expression and, afraid he would see something, quickly ordered someone to pull Zhang Mazi up.

"See, Zhang Mazi is kind-hearted. She was genuinely afraid you'd get lost and was so worried she lost her head," Brother Tao explained to Xiao Ran with a smile, casually waving his hand to signal for Zhang Mazi to be taken inside to rest.

Xiao Ran nodded with a fake smile, ignoring Zhang Mazi's pleading gaze towards him, and asked, "Where's my bag?"

"Bag?"

Hearing Xiao Ran mention his backpack, Brother Tao and the others immediately became alert.

However, Xiao Ran acted as if it were natural. "Of course. There's still bread inside. I'll make do with that. Otherwise, if I eat your food, I'll get diarrhea again, and if my stomach is upset, who will help you tonight?"

Hearing Xiao Ran's words, the villagers relaxed. Brother Tao winked at the person beside him, signaling him to get the bag, while also arranging for Xiao Ran to rest in the nearby room.

Soon, the backpack was delivered. Xiao Ran checked it; everything inside was there and untouched.

Walking to the door, he saw Brother Tao and the others sitting in the courtyard through the crack in the door, clearly guarding against him running off again.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran grimaced, thinking to himself, "These villagers are untrustworthy. I bet the so-called ghost-helping tonight won't be a good job either. They might even sacrifice me. But I can't beat them, and I can't run..."

"Right!"

Just as Xiao Ran was struggling, he suddenly remembered something. After thinking for a moment, he took a small folding fruit knife from his backpack.

He remembered that when he entered here, there was a prompt about being able to make sacrifices to the Evil God. He wondered if it worked.

With that thought, Xiao Ran held the knife and slashed his own arm fiercely. Blood immediately flowed from the cut.

"Hiss!!"

The intense stinging pain made Xiao Ran's forehead veins bulge. At the same time, he heard a cold notification.

"Evil God Xing Xie has sensed your actions. Your behavior earns its approval. You have gained the [Power of the Evil God] buff. Strength +1, lasts until the end of this Lost City Trial."

"Evil God Xing Xie greatly appreciates your actions, but if you wish to gain more power, please inflict deeper pain to complete the sacrifice."

Along with the notification, Xiao Ran keenly felt a subtle change in himself. Although it was slight, he felt a sense of strength throughout his body.

"It just needs pain..."

Xiao Ran looked at the fruit knife in his hand and narrowed his eyes, "This is also a means of self-protection. If it really comes down to it, it might be a solution."

Niujia Slope was a hazy gray during the day, but at night, the visibility actually improved.

White lanterns hung at the entrance of every household.

Normally, villagers would never dare to leave their homes easily at night, but tonight, a long dragon of people lined up, heading towards the open space behind the village.

Amidst the crowd, Xiao Ran was surrounded by everyone like a star, following behind a group of villagers.

"Let me carry it for you," Brother Tao said, walking beside Xiao Ran. Seeing that he was still carrying his backpack, he enthusiastically offered to help.

Xiao Ran quickly dodged, "No need, it's not heavy."

Hearing this, Brother Tao sensibly withdrew his hand and chuckled, "Little brother, don't be scared later, just listen to the Old Woman. You're an outsider, so the evil spirit won't harm you!"

"Oh."

Compared to Brother Tao's enthusiasm, Xiao Ran merely nodded faintly, his gaze following the direction of the crowd. He saw that the Old Woman had changed into a pitch-black robe, with a few chicken feathers stuck in her hair. Her hands were crossed over her chest, and she was being carried by a few villagers. With her eyes closed, like a fraudulent mystic from a TV show, her lips moved, but no sound could be heard.

The road became more and more desolate, and gradually, some graves began to appear around them.

Xiao Ran glanced at the inscriptions on the tombstones and estimated that this should be the cemetery of Niujia Village.

In the distance, in the open space among the graves, a coffin was placed. Soil still clung to it, clearly having been dug up recently.

A flicker of confusion crossed Xiao Ran's mind. Before he could think further, Brother Tao suddenly tugged at him.

"Quick, the Old Woman is calling you."

Looking up, he saw the Old Woman waving towards them. Brother Tao, without a word, pulled Xiao Ran forward. After delivering Xiao Ran to the Old Woman, he silently retreated to the side.

"Child, I'm sorry to trouble you tonight. Once this is done, I will certainly not mistreat you."

The Old Woman looked up, her cloudy eyes revealing a chilling, eerie glint that made Xiao Ran's skin crawl. He thought, This old woman is indeed no kind soul.

At the same time, he put a hand in his pocket, gripping the fruit knife, his eyes fixed on the Old Woman's neck as he walked smilingly towards her.

"Closer, closer..."

At this moment, the Old Woman took out a large, golden toad from her voluminous robe. The toad lay on her hand, its eyes darting around, then opened its mouth towards Xiao Ran.

Suddenly, Xiao Ran's brows twitched. He saw strands of golden little yellow fish being spat out from the toad's mouth. Even in the firelight of the night, they were dazzling enough to make one's eyes ache.

The Old Woman said with a smile, "The village has been trapped here for many years. These are old items from the past. I don't know how much they're worth outside now, but consider them your reward."

"This... I couldn't possibly accept."

Xiao Ran grinned, and as he spoke, he had already moved beside the Old Woman. With one hand, he subtly took out the fruit knife from his pocket and quietly pressed it against the Old Woman's back.

The best way to catch a thief is to catch the kingpin first. Control this Old Woman, and we can discuss the rest slowly.

Xiao Ran was hatching a plan in his mind, but unexpectedly, as he approached, the Old Woman's smile widened. She casually tossed a gold bar into Xiao Ran's pocket.

The moment the gold bar landed in his pocket, Xiao Ran suddenly felt his body sink, as if he were bound by a heavy stone. His muscles froze.

"Young man, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

The Old Woman looked up, seeing the stiff expression on Xiao Ran's face. She picked up more little yellow fish and stuffed them into his pocket. With each one she added, the heavy weight doubled, making it difficult for Xiao Ran to breathe.

"Take more, take more."

The Old Woman smilingly threw the little yellow fish into Xiao Ran's pocket one after another, like New Year's money for a grandson. As she stuffed them in, she reminded him, "Hold onto them tight, don't lose them. This is all your life-saving money..."