Chapter 24: Paying Homage to the Gods

"An old man died in his own courtyard. It looked like he was scared to death."

Zhu Chen returned from outside, drenched in sweat. He picked up the item on the table and downed it in one gulp, looking surprised. "What is this? Mung beans? This is delicious."

The porcelain-white bowl contained green beans; the texture was dense, ice-cold, and sweet—a perfect thirst-quencher for the summer heat. Xia Wulei had soaked the mung beans last night and, before going to sleep, had asked Hong Qi to use his ability to freeze them.

Hong Qi thought to himself: I never expected my ability to be used like this...

Xia Wulei noted there was no choice, as there were no refrigerators here. Cooking the mung beans without thawing them, then adding rock sugar and chilling them, made for a very tasty treat. This harvest of mung beans was so quick thanks to A-Shui. It had to be said that having A-Shui in the space made everything much more convenient.

When mung beans ripen, they form dark brown pods. They need to be dried until the shells burst, then each bean must be collected. Previously, Xia Wulei had to do all these steps herself, but with A-Shui, it could be done directly within the space—a mere flick of a finger for him.

"It's mung bean soup, haven't you ever had it?" Yu Huaiyu asked, biting her small spoon with a confused look.

Zhu Chen shook his head, licking his lips, clearly still craving more. "I've had mung bean cakes and things like that, but never anything like this."

Xia Wulei examined Zhu Chen and asked cautiously, "Zhu Chen, where are you from? And how did you die?"

Zhu Chen scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I was the youngest son of the General of the State's mansion during the Chu-Tang era. I climbed a tree and accidentally fell off."

Everyone was stunned. The Chu-Tang era? When was that?

"Perhaps... a parallel world?" Hong Qi suggested.

Xia Wulei nodded; it was not impossible. Perhaps everyone sitting here came from different worlds. No wonder Zhu Chen was so proficient with a sword; it turned out he had a foundation to begin with.

Chu Wei coughed twice. "Get to the point."

Only then did everyone remember that Zhu Chen had only finished half his story.

"Oh, right. So, that old man—all the chickens in his coop died. Their necks had two holes bitten into them, and the blood had been sucked dry. It looked quite terrifying."

Upon hearing this, everyone simultaneously thought of the same thing: the thousand-year-old zombie.

Hong Qi couldn't help but feel strange. "Are the side-quest monsters appearing this late? It's almost the last day, and they're only just now coming out to cause trouble."

He had no idea that the old zombie had been scared witless by Xia Wulei and then scorched by the sun for several hours, only daring to creep out today after recovering. Unexpectedly, after enjoying a feast of chickens, he was discovered by the old man and fled in panic. What he hadn't anticipated was that the old man would be so terrified by his hideous, gruesome face that he would be scared to death on the spot.

Of course, this remained unknown to outsiders, and the villagers of Yun Village were deeply unsettled, believing a monster had come to their village.

Xia Wulei was speechless; the greatest monster was already sitting in their Mountain God Temple.

With the final day approaching, the players were still very tense. Zhu Chen gripped the hilt of his sword. "My swordsmanship is nearly perfected. If that zombie attacks, I should be able to hold it off for a while."

Xia Wulei thought for a moment and dumped everything out. "See if any of these are useful."

The table was instantly piled with various items: red beans, sticky rice, garlic, and a large rooster with its head held high... The others were dumbfounded. They all knew that Xia Wulei’s system was a genuine farming system; they had assumed it was only good for cooking, but they hadn't expected it to actually come in handy.

"Uh, I'll handle these. Zhu Chen, just focus on your swordsmanship." Hong Qi took charge of the items, his eyes bright with excitement. "Let me see if the zombie is really afraid of these..."

Xia Wulei nodded, not minding who used them as long as they were put to good use.

"Where are we hiding today?" Yu Huaiyu asked.

Hu Wang sat to one side, looking half-understanding. He wanted to reach out and tease the big rooster but was afraid of being pecked, his expression one of eager anticipation. Hu Wang was becoming more like a normal child, though he was quiet and introverted—something that was more than enough to satisfy Aunt Wang.

The self-amused Hu Wang suddenly lifted his head and looked toward the door. Yu Huaiyu felt Hu Wang's mood and looked over as well, letting out a sudden, startled cry.

"Ah!"

"What's wrong?"

The tense atmosphere ignited. Xia Wulei looked toward the doorway, but it was empty.

"Just... just now, a child was peeking in from outside. When I noticed him, he ran away. It seemed like... he was looking at me." Yu Huaiyu swallowed nervously, her voice trembling. She was terrified of those children now.

Xia Wulei’s system gave no warning, and she couldn't tell if it was an illusion or a real ghost. She gently patted Yu Huaiyu’s hand. "Don't be afraid, we're here." Even knowing the ghost was nearby, there was nothing they could do; they could only wait passively.

By the afternoon, the village chief came in a hurry to collect them. Xia Wulei and the others offered no resistance and obediently went to the Mountain God Temple. The village chief, bearing a grudge, had specifically used premium ingredients like wild boar meat and mountain ginseng, determined to crush the spirit of these outsiders.

But the village chief hadn't expected that Xia Wulei and the others were also prepared.

"Oil-braised prawns, fish offal stew, stir-fried flower crabs with ginger and scallions..."

Yu Huaiyu recited the dishes like a menu as she took them out of the basket and placed them on the table. The enticing aroma caused the surrounding villagers to steal glances. This was the first harvest from Xia Wulei’s fish pond. Harvesting took a whole day, slower than the fields, but the yield was bountiful. Although this batch only consisted of small fish, shrimp, and crabs, it was a significant shock for the villagers of Yun Village, who lived far from water sources and rarely even ate river food.

Xia Wulei expressed some regret. "There was too little time, so I could only make something simple. Everyone, just make do."

The village chief at the same table widened his eyes: This is what you call "making do"??

The attack wasn't high, but the insult was immense. The surrounding villagers turned their heads repeatedly toward the river food on the table, unable to stop swallowing their saliva. Xia Wulei and the others, however, ignored the villagers' gazes and polished off the food they had brought themselves.

Yet, the main event was only just beginning.

When the village banquet was nearly over, the village chief stood up and announced loudly, "Time to worship the Mountain God!"

The villagers applauded, their eyes filled with fanaticism.

Figures draped in thick, heavy clothing emerged from all sides. Their forms were bloated, their faces painted with thick mud-based pigments, and they moved their limbs slowly, as if performing a bizarre dance. Xia Wulei squinted, watching closely, and suddenly realized.

"These people... are all pregnant women."

Through the gaps in the swaying clothing, protruding bellies appeared before everyone. Yu Huaiyu felt a chill in her heart and couldn't help but lean closer to Xia Wulei. The pregnant women said nothing. After stiffly dancing a circle, they gathered in front of the Mountain God Temple, collectively knelt down, and pressed their foreheads to the ground in devotion.

"I am willing to offer my child... to Lord Mountain God!"

One pregnant woman spoke in a thin voice, and the women behind her followed suit, chanting in unison.

"I am willing to offer my child to Lord Mountain God!"

The villagers cheered; the whole scene was both bizarre and horrifying. Yet, in the crowd, only one pregnant woman trembled, clutching her bulging belly and keeping her mouth shut. The village chief, though elderly, had sharp eyes; his piercing gaze fixed intently on that woman.

"Dashan’s wife, why aren't you speaking?"