What Are You Worth?

Earthhead Village's ancestral hall stood within the Land God Temple. The main hall housed the Land God's statue, while the side hall was the ancestral shrine worshipped by generations of Earthhead Village's people.

Blue tiles, white walls, two courtyards deep. Though it did not cover much ground, it was where the village elders usually decided the course of Earthhead Village.

At the end of every month, everyone in the village came here, both to attend the sacrificial gathering and worship the Land God, and to offer sacrifices to their ancestral forebears.

Chu He quietly made his way to the outskirts of the ancestral hall. The Blood Jade in his arms reacted, making him wary of going too deep. He could only observe the situation from outside.

At that moment, quite a few villagers had come after hearing the news. At a glance, the great courtyard was packed shoulder to shoulder. Most of them looked unwell, as though they had caught a chill and were sickly and listless.

A small number showed no abnormalities. They hurried about on their own, maintaining order and tending to those around them whose mental state was poor.

And then there were a select few...

Eight iron cages had been placed on the steps before the Land God Temple's main hall. Every cage was forged from fine iron, with several yellow talismans pasted onto it. Inside each cage was a villager in a different state.

Some laughed, some cried, some shrieked hysterically. Another human face would inexplicably shift across their own faces, making them look strange and grotesque.

"Alas, what immortal have we offended in our village? A whole group of people fell ill for no reason, and even Iron Pillar and the others have run into evil spirits."

"We must not have worshipped the Land God properly. This time, we have to sincerely offer sacrifices to the Land God and pray for our family's safety."

"If you ask me, this Land God might as well not be worshipped. Not only is it useless, but perhaps all these strange incidents were caused by it..."

"Pah! What nonsense are you spouting? How did Earthhead Village produce someone as disloyal and unfilial as you? Do you know how many years Lord Land God has protected our village? You're just wagging your tongue and talking rubbish!"

The villagers whispered among themselves. Whenever an observant young person noticed something unusual about the Land God, they would be rebuked by the elders and harshly scolded for disrespect.

As a result, no one dared suspect that the statue was the problem.

Chu He swept his eyes over the scene, silently withdrew his gaze, and tucked himself into a corner, avoiding contact with everyone as much as possible without making a sound.

He was certain that every person in those cages harbored at least one bizarre entity. Some even had several, all sealed within the villagers' bodies.

What exactly were the village chief and Han Zhong trying to do?

Could it really be to extend their own lives?

Without knowing the reason behind their plan, Chu He could rack his brains forever and still never realize that the village chief and the others were using the Stitching Bizarre's power to perform a grafting trick, attempting to forcibly seize the bodies fused with bizarre entities and achieve a different kind of immortality.

The human race was bound by lifespan. Bizarre entities were not.

"Elder Li! Is Elder Li here?"

A gaunt man squeezed out of the crowd and shouted toward the ancestral hall.

"What are you so anxious about? What matter can't be discussed inside?" An aged yet vigorous voice slowly drifted from the ancestral shrine in the side hall.

The doors opened, and a faint sandalwood fragrance wafted out from the ancestral shrine. Several white-haired but sharp-eyed elders, leaning on canes, walked out through its doors. Their gazes swept over the crowd before settling on the young man.

These were the village's most senior and respected elders. Their words carried great weight, and many people listened to them.

"Elder Li..."

The man scratched his head, hesitating over whether to continue.

"Always so rash. Speak. What happened?" Elder Li voiced his dissatisfaction before asking suspiciously.

Having received permission, the man immediately said anxiously, "I went to the village chief's house, but no one answered no matter how I called. I pushed open the door and went inside, but there wasn't a single person there... The village chief... the village chief may be missing!"

The village chief was missing?

The other villagers looked at one another, their faces full of confusion.

At that moment, a villager suddenly shouted from the crowd, "Then why not go look for Director Hong? What if the village chief went to see Director Hong?"

"This..."

The young man glanced at Elder Li, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

Only a few people knew that Hong Shou had left the village. After all, leaving at such a critical moment would cause considerable unease among the villagers. Yet Hong Shou was the only one qualified to go to town and report Plow Village's destruction.

Thus, the village elders had concealed the news of Hong Shou's departure.

That was also why Han Zhong had gathered his fellow disciples for a secret talk in the middle of the night earlier. He did not want anyone to know that Hong Shou had left.

Because of his formidable martial skills, fair conduct, and command over the village's only armed force, Hong Shou had often served as the pillar holding everyone steady during major events.

At this moment, whether he stayed or left could affect many people's emotions.

Elder Li's beard trembled, but his expression did not change. "Hong Shou has left the village. He went to town to handle some business and will return tomorrow."

"Director Hong left the village... This..."

Quite a few villagers' expressions changed slightly, but upon hearing that he would return tomorrow, they let out a breath of relief. Still, they could not help feeling uneasy...

Chu He silently watched it all. Looking at the villagers' expressions, the image of that old man's hearty laughter surfaced in his mind.

That old man truly possessed such personal charisma.

"Director Hong isn't here. Then where is Han Zhong?"

Not wishing to speak further about Hong Shou, Elder Li changed the subject.

"Uh... well... Senior Brother Han Zhong is missing too."

"What are they doing?" Another village elder fiercely tapped the floor with his cane and complained, "They gathered everyone here, yet they themselves are nowhere to be seen. Do they think we have nothing better to do?"

"After this, I will personally question the village chief and make him give us an explanation." After waiting so long, Elder Li had grown dissatisfied as well.

"If you want an explanation, I can give you one right now!"

Suddenly, a hoarse voice rang out behind them. The elders froze, then spun around sharply to see the village chief and Han Zhong striding out from the main hall behind them, the room housing the Land God's statue.

"How did you come out from in there?" The village elder who had already been somewhat dissatisfied with the village chief asked suspiciously, "We went in there earlier. There was no one inside at all. How did you appear in the Land God Temple?"

The village chief appeared unharmed at that moment, but the fingers hidden within his sleeves trembled faintly, and his eyes revealed deep exhaustion.

Han Zhong could no longer maintain his gentle smile either. A trace of frost still lingered between his brows, not yet wiped away, and varying degrees of frostbite covered his body, as though he had rolled through snow in winter.

"What we did is none of your concern."

The village chief narrowed his eyes and stared maliciously at that village elder, shedding his usual genial image before outsiders. "Wang Lao'er, what the hell are you in this place? This isn't a place for you to speak!"

"You..."

Wang Lao'er was beside himself with rage, his finger trembling as he pointed at the village chief.

"Enough! You've been old companions for over a decade. What's wrong with speaking properly? Must you quarrel in front of these juniors?"

Elder Li's tone turned stern as he swept a warning look over the two men.

"Hmph... I won't stoop to your level."

Wang Lao'er knew his status was lower than the village chief's. With Elder Li stepping in as well, he could only angrily flick his sleeve and let the matter drop.

"Heh heh..."

The village chief sneered and offered no comment.

Seeing the village chief's temperament change so drastically, Elder Li's heart sank.

"Li Fang, what is wrong with you today?"