The Old Woman's Tactics

Xiao Ran didn't retrace his steps. Instead, he circled around the village and headed back from the opposite direction, his brows knitted tightly as he walked.

"These villagers stopped being human a long time ago. So why does the quest want me to help them? What am I supposed to do for them—exorcise them into the afterlife?"

"Or maybe the villagers mentioned in the quest aren't them at all."

"Also, that woman looked crazy, addled, and foolish, but she could've been putting on an act. I've run into her twice now, and both times I felt like she was deliberately trying to lead me somewhere."

"Like Niu Wazi said, they're trapped in their own bodies, neither human nor ghost. They can't die, but they keep wasting away. Anyone who had to watch themselves rot bit by bit would probably end up with a few screws loose."

"Even at the end, Niu Wazi was still making excuses for the Old Woman. That old lady really does have a lot of tricks up her sleeve."

Xiao Ran was worried, too. Something was wrong with this village. Ordinarily, he would've run for it by now, but he couldn't—not until he completed the Main Quest. There was no other way to leave.

And the Main Quest was to help these villagers.

It left Xiao Ran feeling torn.

"Is there something else going on here?"

"There!"

Someone shouted in the distance. Xiao Ran looked up and saw several villagers running toward him.

"Where have you been?"

The moment they spotted Xiao Ran, the villagers rushed over. They were nothing like the ones he'd chatted with that morning.

Every one of them looked vicious and shifty, and even the way they walked made them seem like a gang of bandits. The bald man at their head grabbed Xiao Ran by the shirt, as if afraid he'd run away.

"Why do you care where I've been?"

To their surprise, Xiao Ran flew into a rage at the sight of the menacing villagers. He shoved the bald man's hand away and snapped, "I don't want to spend another day in this dump. I can't even find a damn outhouse. Do none of you ever take a shit?"

At Xiao Ran's furious question, the men, who had looked annoyed just moments earlier, exchanged glances, their expressions turning strange.

The bald man in front quickly smoothed things over, forcing a smile as he said, "Don't get us wrong. We were just worried about you, afraid you'd get lost. Besides, you didn't even tell Zhang Mazi you were leaving. She was beside herself with worry."

"She's mute. What was I supposed to say to her? And I had an upset stomach. Was I supposed to ask her to show me the outhouse? By the time she got me there, I'd have shit my pants."

Xiao Ran curled his lip and looked at them with disdain. His words left the men speechless, and they hurriedly ushered him back.

On the way, the bald man introduced himself. "My name's Niu Tao. Everyone calls me Brother Tao. If there's anything you need, just tell me."

"Brother Tao!"

The name sounded familiar. Then Xiao Ran remembered—Niu Wazi had mentioned him as one of the men who often bullied Yang Xuan.

Xiao Ran was even more wary of Brother Tao, though he nodded with a smile. "All right, all right. I won't stand on ceremony with you, Brother Tao."

"No need to. We're all brothers here."

When the group brought Xiao Ran back to Zhang Mazi's house, they found her kneeling on the ground, wailing incoherently. A clear fist mark had appeared on her face.

As soon as Zhang Mazi saw Xiao Ran return, she came crawling over and clung to his leg. She looked utterly miserable and pitiful.

Seeing her like that, Xiao Ran felt a little guilty about what had happened to Zhang Mazi. He'd been the one to sneak out, and she'd been beaten because of it.

"What are you doing? Quickly, get her up!"

Brother Tao seemed to notice the change in Xiao Ran's expression. Afraid he might figure something out, he hurriedly ordered the others to pull Zhang Mazi to her feet.

"See? Zhang Mazi's kindhearted. She was genuinely afraid you'd get lost, and she was so worried she fainted," Brother Tao explained with a smile. He waved a hand, signaling for the others to take Zhang Mazi to her room to rest.

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

"Your bag?"

At the mention of Xiao Ran's backpack, Brother Tao and the others immediately grew wary.

But Xiao Ran acted as though it were only natural. "Of course. There's bread in there. I'll make do with that. Otherwise, I'll get diarrhea from your food again. If I wreck my stomach, who's going to help you tonight?"

Hearing that, the villagers relaxed. Brother Tao gave someone beside him a look, and they went to fetch the bag. He also arranged for Xiao Ran to rest in the room next door.

Before long, they brought the backpack over. Xiao Ran checked it and found that everything inside was still there; no one had touched it.

At the doorway, he peered through the crack and saw Brother Tao and several others sitting in the courtyard. They were clearly keeping an eye on him to stop him from running off again.

Seeing that, Xiao Ran put on a pained expression and thought, These villagers can't be trusted. This so-called ghost-exorcism tonight is probably no good deed either. For all I know, they might even sacrifice me. But I can't beat them, and I can't escape...

"Right!"

Just as Xiao Ran was at a loss, he suddenly remembered something. After thinking it over for a moment, he took a small folding fruit knife out of his backpack.

He remembered that when he entered this place, the prompt had mentioned that he could make an offering to the Evil God. He had no idea whether it would work.

With that thought, Xiao Ran took the knife and slashed his arm hard. Blood immediately welled from the cut.

"Ugh!"

The intense sting made the veins in Xiao Ran's forehead throb. At the same time, he heard a cold prompt.

Evil God Xing Xie sensed your action. Your behavior earned his approval, and you received the blessing of [Power of the Evil God]. Strength +1. This effect will last until the Lost City Trial ends.

Evil God Xing Xie greatly approves of your action. To gain more power, however, you must offer a deeper pain.

As the prompt sounded, Xiao Ran keenly sensed a subtle change in himself. It was slight, but he did feel stronger all over.

"So all it takes is pain..."

Xiao Ran looked at the fruit knife in his hand and narrowed his eyes. "This could be a way to protect myself. If it comes down to it, it might be worth a try."

By day, Niujia Slope was shrouded in gray. Come night, though, visibility improved.

A white lantern hung outside every house.

Usually, the villagers never dared leave their homes after dark. But tonight, they had formed a long line, gathering at an open patch of ground behind the village.

In the crowd, Xiao Ran followed behind the villagers, surrounded by people who treated him like a guest of honor.

"Let me carry that for you." Brother Tao walked beside Xiao Ran, saw that he was still carrying his backpack, and eagerly offered to help.

Xiao Ran quickly dodged away. "No need. It's not heavy."

Brother Tao withdrew his hand, taking the hint, and smiled. "Little brother, don't be scared later. Just do what the Old Woman says. You're an outsider, so that evil ghost can't hurt you!"

"Oh."

Unlike Brother Tao, Xiao Ran merely nodded. He looked in the direction the crowd was headed and saw that the Old Woman had changed into a black robe. A few chicken feathers were stuck in her hair, and she held her hands crossed over her chest. Several villagers carried her along, as she sat with her eyes closed like some old charlatan from a TV drama. He could see her lips moving, but couldn't hear what she was saying.

The farther they went, the more desolate the road became. Before long, graves began appearing around them.

Xiao Ran glanced at the inscriptions on the tombstones. By his estimate, this must be the cemetery of Niujia Village.

In an open space among the graves in the distance stood a coffin, still covered in dirt. It had clearly just been dug up.

A flicker of confusion crossed Xiao Ran's mind, but before he could think it through, Brother Tao suddenly tugged at him.

"Quick, the Old Woman's calling you."

Xiao Ran looked up and saw the Old Woman waving to him. Without further ado, Brother Tao pulled him forward. After bringing him to the Old Woman, he silently stepped aside.

"Child, I'm sorry to put you through this tonight. Once it's done, we'll make sure you're well rewarded."

The Old Woman looked up. A cold, eerie glint shone in her cloudy eyes, raising goose bumps all over Xiao Ran. This old hag really isn't someone to take lightly.

He slipped one hand into his pocket and gripped the fruit knife. Fixing his gaze on the Old Woman's neck, he smiled and walked toward her.

"Closer. Come closer..."

Just then, the Old Woman pulled a large golden toad from inside her wide robe. It crouched on her hand, its eyes darting from side to side, then opened its mouth toward Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran's brows lifted slightly. One golden bar after another spilled from the toad's mouth. Even by the light of the fire at night, the bars were dazzling enough to make his eyes swim.

The Old Woman smiled. "The villagers have been trapped here for many years. These are all old things from back then. I don't know what they're worth outside now, but consider them your reward."

"Th-this is too much..."

Xiao Ran grinned. As he spoke, he came up beside the Old Woman, quietly drawing the fruit knife from his pocket and pressing it against her back.

Capture the leader, and the rest can be settled later.

Xiao Ran was already hatching a plan when the Old Woman saw him approach and smiled even more brightly. She casually dropped a gold bar into his pocket.

The instant the bar fell into his pocket, Xiao Ran suddenly felt his body sink, as if a massive stone had been strapped to him. Every muscle in his body stiffened.

"Young man, there's no need to be embarrassed."

The Old Woman looked up at Xiao Ran's rigid expression, then picked up more gold bars and began stuffing them into his pocket. Each one doubled the crushing weight, leaving Xiao Ran barely able to breathe.

"Take more. Take more."

With a beaming smile, the Old Woman tossed one gold bar after another into Xiao Ran's pocket, as though giving him New Year's money. As she stuffed them in, she reminded him, "Hold on to them. Don't lose a single one. This is the money that'll buy your life..."