After hearing Yang Jian out, Wang Laoshuan rubbed the back of his head and frowned, thinking for a long while.
"Other than giving out money, there really wasn't anything else."
He suddenly paused, then slapped his forehead twice.
"Oh, right. Does getting weaker count?
"Anyway, I saw quite a few young men in the village getting more and more listless after they used that money to buy things.
"They used to carry a sack of fertilizer for a whole kilometer without any trouble. Now they take a few steps and start wheezing like bellows. Their faces have no color, and their eyes have sunk into their sockets."
Wang Laoshuan sighed and stubbed out his cigarette butt against the sole of his shoe.
Wen Ning and Yang Jian exchanged a glance. Both had already pieced most of it together.
"Their vital energy is being drained. The more they take, the more gets drained."
Wang Laoshuan did not understand, but he knew it was nothing good.
Wen Ning wasted no more time and said to Wang Laoshuan,
"Get some rest, sir."
Then he led the way outside.
The three left Wang Laoshuan's house and headed toward the western end of the village, following his directions.
Before long, they found Erping's house at the western end of the village.
The well stood right outside Erping's door.
Lu Ming stepped closer and peered down.
"So this is the well? It doesn't look like anything special."
Wen Ning went over for a look too. He had expected churning black vapor and boiling water, but the well before him was unnervingly quiet. It really was just an ordinary well.
He turned to Yang Jian.
"True Lord, what do you think?"
Yang Jian said nothing. He walked to the well, opened the third eye on his forehead