Chapter 23: Gathering Intelligence
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To be honest, Xia Wulei and the others were somewhat taken aback. They had not expected the mountain god to look like this.
With nine snake-like heads and a ferocious form, its fangs bared and claws outstretched, it looked unmistakably like a monster. How the villagers had managed to feel reverence for it was anyone’s guess.
Yu Huaiyu leaned quietly toward Xia Wulei’s ear. “It’s the Nine-Infant, exactly as I saw it described in the books.”
Xia Wulei nodded slightly. This seemed to confirm one thing: the villagers had probably seen the Nine-Infant’s true form before.
Aunt Wang was worried about them and had come along as well. The six of them were seated at the table nearest the front, together with the village chief’s family, directly facing the mountain god’s statue.
Plate after plate and basin after basin of food was carried to the table, all of it still steaming. Yet Xia Wulei frowned, her appetite completely gone.
The vegetables were barely cooked, the rice was half underdone and half sticky, and no one could tell how it had been prepared. The meat dishes gleamed with grease, while the meat itself was tough and rank, making them impossible to swallow.
The village had originally refused to provide meals for the players because they intended to starve them for several days.
Players who arrived at the village feast after going hungry for days would naturally gorge themselves.
But they had not counted on Xia Wulei. Hong Qi and the others had not gone hungry at all; if anything, their palates had become even more demanding.
Zhu Chen said, “I’m just asking because I don’t know—is this pig feed?”
Yu Huaiyu replied, “Don’t insult pigs.”
Hong Qi said, “There’s still some chicken soup Wulei made at noon. I’ll go bring it over.”
Chu Wei snorted.
They had not spoken especially quietly, and the village chief’s entire family fell silent.
That silence became deafening after Hong Qi returned with the chicken soup.
“Soup alone won’t fill you up. Why don’t you try some of the dishes?” the village chief urged awkwardly, taking two deep breaths of the soup’s fragrance before turning away and secretly swallowing.
Xia Wulei declined his kindness. “No need. Just looking at these dishes has ruined my appetite.”
The village chief: …
Why did she have to be so brutally honest?
In truth, this feast was already quite lavish by the village’s standards. It was simply that the crops produced in Xia Wulei’s space were incomparably fresh and delicious. With such delicacies as a comparison, this meal naturally seemed especially wretched.
The village chief’s wife was a slightly plump, dark-skinned woman. Seeing this, she widened her eyes and tugged at her thin, gaunt husband.
“Dear, is it really all right if they don’t eat?”
The village chief lowered his voice. “It’s fine. They came, didn’t they? There’s always tomorrow.”
Xia Wulei happened to notice the exchange from the neighboring seat. She could not hear what they were saying, but the way the couple kept glancing at the food left her thoughtful.
At that moment, Yu Huaiyu also signaled to the others and gave a slight shake of her head.
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Everyone understood now. Something had probably been added to the food.
The other villagers were enjoying themselves, eating and drinking amid lively conversation.
Xia Wulei and the others still had a task to complete. Seeing that the feast was in full swing, they carried their bowls of chicken soup from table to table.
The village chief and his wife were left utterly bewildered by the spectacle. Their village had never had a custom of visiting other tables during a feast, so why were these outsiders acting as though they were old friends?
And who carried soup from table to table, anyway?
The players had only one objective: to learn what the nine children liked and disliked.
Xia Wulei knew only Qiangzi and Erya. After taking the list to Aunt Wang, they were able to determine that the parents of six of the children still remained in the village.
Two families had left this place of sorrow after their children met with misfortune. As for the remaining child, Aunt Wang could not identify the name.
“Li Guodong… I don’t remember any child by that name,” Aunt Wang said, frowning as she racked her memory.
The children in the village had very simple names, mostly nicknames such as Tiger and Little Treasure. This name alone sounded unusually proper.
“What families named Li are there in the village?” Hong Qi asked.
Aunt Wang replied, “There are many people here surnamed Li. This used to be Li Family Village. It was only renamed after more outsiders moved in.”
Since that was the case, they could only give up their search for that child.
The group split up and circulated among the villagers. Before long, they had gathered a considerable amount of information.
On the first day, the village feast consisted only of a meal. The actual worship ceremony would begin on the second day, so after dinner the village chief dismissed everyone and sent them home.
As soon as Aunt Wang returned, she hurried to check whether Huwang had eaten. The others gathered in a room and began exchanging information.
Yu Huaiyu said, “There is definitely something wrong with the food. I sensed the village chief’s emotions and discovered that he was extremely eager for me to pick up my chopsticks.”
“Then I remembered the information about the Nine-Infant. Those who worship it must provide it with nine different kinds of food. What we ate was very likely an offering to the Nine-Infant.”
Xia Wulei gave Yu Huaiyu an approving glance. “Not bad. Your reasoning is sound, and that possibility is extremely high.”
Yu Huaiyu looked delighted with herself.
Hong Qi said, “I went to ask Qiangzi’s father, Uncle Wu. He said that while he was alive, Qiangzi loved a little sword his father had made for him, and hated eating beans.”
“As for Dani—”
“Tiger…”
Xia Wulei organized the information they had gathered and found that the children’s favorite activities were little more than playing in the mud, riding wooden horses, and playing house. Their dislikes, however, were extraordinarily varied: peas, garlic, mice, cockroaches, and all sorts of other things.
Chu Wei frowned. “Preparing all that would be far too troublesome. Besides, after becoming the Nine-Infant, they might not even be afraid of those things anymore.”
Chu Wei was not wrong. That was indeed a blind spot.
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It was like someone who had feared ghosts while alive becoming one of them after death. Would they still fear you then?
Xia Wulei’s eyes shifted. She slapped her forehead.
“I know. We’ve been going about this the long way.”
“These children will definitely be afraid of this.”
“What is it?” everyone asked curiously.
Xia Wulei gave them a mysterious smile. “You’ll know when the time comes.”
When night fell, no one was particularly eager to go to sleep.
Chu Wei no longer dared stay alone in her room and moved in with Xia Wulei and the others.
If not for the matter of their genders, Hong Qi and Zhu Chen would have wanted to join them as well.
“Sis, what if they come again tonight?” Yu Huaiyu asked miserably, rubbing her back with a dejected expression.
Five children had set their sights on her. The thought that she might lose her life simply by falling asleep was enough to explain her distress.
“Go to sleep. If we don’t, how will we have the energy to deal with whatever happens?” Xia Wulei said.
Chu Wei nodded. “If they try to enter our dreams again, there’s nothing we can do except find a way to evade them and hold out until we wake up. If you notice that something is wrong with us, Wulei, try to wake us.”
Xia Wulei nodded in agreement.
Late that night, Xia Wulei closed her eyes. Her consciousness entered her space, and she summoned A-Shui, who was idling contentedly in the pond.
“A-Shui, can you use a water pistol?”
A-Shui: …?
…
Day Six.
Xia Wulei woke Chu Wei and Yu Huaiyu. Seeing that both of them were safe and sound, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They had dreamed of nothing the entire night. Yet the moment they stepped outside, everyone still sensed something unusual.
Someone had died in the village.
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