Carnivore (19): The Truth

Qi Si circled behind the wooden rack holding the spirit tablets. There was no shrine for offerings there; instead, a massive yellow talisman was pasted to the wall, with the character "Suppress" written on it in red ink.

Both the village history and the stories told by Granny Su claimed the Ancestral Hall was built to worship the deity that bestowed the meat, but looking at it now, that seemed far from the truth.

[The Ancestral Hall, both new and old, is packed with dense rows of spirit tablets. Who is suppressing their souls?]

The text on the system interface was cold and eerie.

Qi Si glanced sideways at the cold sunlight outside the door. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying him any mind, he reached out, grabbed a spirit tablet, and walked out of the Ancestral Hall without looking back.

Zhao Feng didn't understand the motive, but he followed silently nonetheless.

Killing Yang Yundong had been a momentary impulse born of malice. Now that he had calmed down and thought through the twists and turns of the situation, he felt a lingering sense of dread.

Anyone with eyes could see he was the one who had done it. If someone with an agenda stirred the pot, he would be the next target of public outrage.

He was injured, his combat effectiveness had dropped, and he could be backstabbed and killed at any moment.

He had to save himself, which meant binding himself to Qi Si as quickly as possible to utilize the bystander effect and dilute the attention of other players.

Qi Si saw through Zhao Feng's psychology with perfect clarity and immediately commanded, "Zhao Feng, pick up the wooden bucket. We're going back to Granny Su's place."

As if granted a reprieve, Zhao Feng hurriedly grabbed the wooden bucket Granny Su had left in the center of the Ancestral Hall and followed behind Qi Si.

He knew that by doing this in front of everyone, Qi Si was affirming their partnership; the scenario he feared most—being discarded after his utility was exhausted—would not happen.

Qi Si looked at the lingering fear in Zhao Feng's eyes but had no intention of saying anything more.

Compared to the words of others, humans prefer to believe in the logic they deduce themselves, even if it is a hundred thousand miles away from the truth.

It was already noon when they returned to Granny Su's house. The sun hung high, illuminating every corner.

Granny Su and A-Xi were sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun and chatting.

Qi Si walked over with a smirk and tossed the spirit tablet from his arms onto the ground, satisfied to see Granny Su's expression shift from confusion to terror in a heartbeat.

He pulled up a chair and sat down, his tone calm and declarative: "I've been thinking, if the Ancestral Hall isn't for worshipping a deity, then why keep those tablets? Now I understand—the villagers who mutated and were sold to travelers as God Meat were also filled with monstrous resentment and needed to be placed in the Ancestral Hall to be suppressed."

"The disaster that befell Su Village was self-inflicted. The greedy villagers deserved their fate; they deserved the curse of the Evil God and to mutate into ugly monsters."

At this point, Qi Si reined in his smile, adopting an attitude of humble inquiry: "However, I don't understand. Granny Su, you died before the god descended and had nothing to do with these sins. Why are you so stubborn about remaining trapped in this man-eating village?"

Granny Su had regained her composure. She stared coldly into Qi Si's eyes and replied, "Someone must sit in the village to keep watch. If the Ancestral Hall is left without my guard, they will all break out. Not only will they kill you, but they will bring disaster upon the entire county!"

Although Zhao Feng was confused by Qi Si's analysis, he remained standing guard nearby.

Sensing the hostility in Granny Su's tone, he grabbed A-Xi by the collar: "Old hag, watch your attitude, or I'll throw your grandson into the Ancestral Hall and see if those ghosts chew him up!"

Qi Si swept a faint glance at him, then, as if he didn't exist, looked back at Granny Su: "Tell me the whole truth, and I might be able to find a way to solve your village's problem—of course, whether you believe me or not is up to you."

After a brief pause, he offered a smile that could be described as gentle: "But if I can't know the truth, I'll feel so miserable that I'll want to drag everyone down to die with me. I suspect that talisman in the Ancestral Hall is very important. Tell me, what would happen if I tore it off?"

He said this with absolute sincerity; it didn't sound like a hollow threat at all.

Neither the human nor the ghost hearing these words doubted for a second that Qi Si would do exactly as he said.

Zhao Feng, who was holding A-Xi by the neck like a background prop, felt a sense of awe: Should I say as expected of someone from Sariel? He really is as mentally unhinged as the rumors say...

Granny Su dared not gamble on Qi Si's moral compass, but she was equally unwilling to give up the information so easily.

Just as she hesitated, she heard the young man before her add the final weight to his words: "Perhaps I can give you a clearer hint: what did He promise you?"

A vague, pointed question is, at its core, a psychological tactic used to induce the listener to follow a suggestion, making them believe the questioner knows much more than they do, and that revealing a little more wouldn't hurt.

Those with a background in psychology would know exactly how to counter such manipulation, but unfortunately, it was clear Granny Su had no idea what psychology was.

Upon hearing Qi Si's words, the old woman—old beyond measure—sighed. Like a deflated balloon, she slumped back into her chair and began to recount the tale.

After they died, the ghosts of Granny Su and A-Xi had been drifting through the village.

They witnessed Su Village survive the famine, grow rich off the God Meat, and mutate in droves as if cursed.

The litany of crimes played out before their eyes; feelings of anger, sorrow, and resentment rose and fell, all dissipating over the long, weary years.

Until one day, a Black-Robed Taoist arrived at Su Village.

He wore robes that seemed out of place, kept his hair long, and possessed a face and manner of speech that were far from ordinary, with a pair of golden eyes that were particularly striking.

He performed a few miraculous minor spells in public, easily gaining the trust of the villagers.

Under the Taoist's guidance, the villagers renovated the Ancestral Hall, turning its original function of worship into one of suppression, and placed the tablets of the villagers who had died from mutations inside, finally finding a night of peace.

But when it came to the disposal of the God's corpse, the Taoist faced a dilemma.

He told the villagers: "You have provoked the most cruel and terrifying Evil God in heaven and earth. He harbors the same malice toward all living things and loves nothing more than to induce humans to commit sins and watch them struggle in the throes of their original sin."

"As things stand, the only thing you can do is seek atonement and beg for His forgiveness."

The villagers hurriedly asked how they could atone.

The Taoist replied: "Find a quiet place to house His corpse, then collect enough human flesh to complete His physical form."

The villagers asked: "We have already become these half-human, half-ghost things, and it has been a long time since any travelers came to our village. Where are we supposed to find human flesh?"

The Taoist looked toward the entrance of the village and said in the tone of a judge: "In three days, eleven travelers will arrive."

The villagers rolled up their sleeves, eager to act, but the Taoist left behind several rules to constrain them, including the harsh provision that they "must not personally kill humans to obtain flesh."

Yet no one dared to raise an objection; tormented for years by the agony of mutation and the terror of the curse, they would grasp at any glimmer of hope with trembling reverence.

The Daoist said little, dismissing the villagers before heading alone to the residence of Granny Su, where he came to a halt beside the well.

With a flick of his sleeve, he drew out the souls of Granny Su and A-Xi; two faint, distorted shadows, thin as ink wash, slowly solidified and began to circle around him.

This outsider, whose conduct was steeped in strangeness, gazed at the two ghosts—one large and one small—and finally, a smile touched the corners of his mouth.

He said, "You need only act according to my instructions, and once the task is complete, I shall grant you both rebirth."