"What are you going to do?! Who are you going to kill?!"
At that moment, an authoritative voice rang out from the crowd. The speaker was a stern-faced man in his sixties, leaning on a wooden stick. Though his back was stooped, his voice was firm.
"Everyone, calm down. Since we're dealing with a deity, ordinary people like us can't possibly win. Even if we all attack together, we'll only die together."
The old man's words only made the man who had spoken earlier even angrier.
"Village Chief, then tell us what we should do! That creature wants us to hand over two children in exchange for Qing'er!" the burly man snarled, clenching his fists.
Thwack!
The Village Chief lifted his walking stick and struck the burly man on the head.
The man winced in pain, clutching his head as he staggered back a few steps, his face full of bewilderment.
"Don't panic. Since she let you come back, she clearly wants you to bring something to her. Qing'er won't die so soon. Calm down."
The composure and levelheadedness expected of a Village Chief reassured the others, and he brought the chaotic scene under control in an instant.
"Village Chief, let's go negotiate with that deity. If she can communicate, surely we can talk things through. Besides, all we did was disturb her sleep. It wasn't anything that serious. If we apologize properly, it should be fine."
At that moment, Xiao Rou, who studied under the same master as Qing'er, offered a suggestion.
"I think Xiao Rou has a point. A deity shouldn't be so petty that she'd insist on killing someone just because they disturbed her sleep. She probably just wants us to show some sincerity. Let's each bring her some good food and drink and apologize. That should