Chapter 25: Raising a Glass

"My child... I can't..."

The woman married to Dashan cried out, the tears streaming down her face washing away the mud-paint in two clear tracks.

A burly man shoved his way out from the crowd, kicked the pregnant woman, and continued to rain blows and curses upon her.

"Dammit, you’re nothing but trouble! What’s so hard about saying a few words? You can’t even handle this little task—you might as well just die! You cheap-boned wretch, you won’t listen unless I beat you, will you?"

The woman wailed, clutching her belly tightly, terrified that her child would be harmed.

The other villagers stood nearby, cold and indifferent to the scene, as if they were long accustomed to such brutality.

"That's enough!" Zhu Chen couldn't help but shout. "You'll kill her if you keep hitting her like that!"

The man called Dashan curled his lip, completely unconcerned. "If the wench dies, I’ll just get another. To show disrespect to the Mountain God—a dozen lives wouldn't be enough to pay for that!"

The other villagers nodded in agreement. Even beyond Zhu Chen, Chu Wei and Yu Huaiyu were so enraged they were speechless.

Xia Wulei sneered, "Fine, keep hitting her. I’d like to see what you’ll offer the Mountain God once you’ve beaten your wife and child to death. Will you offer yourself?"

Dashan froze, seemingly having never considered that possibility, and immediately stopped his assault.

The village chief stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, don't spoil the Mountain God’s mood. Bring out the wine."

The unconscious woman was dragged away, and the village chief gestured for the players to return to their seats, placing wine glasses before them.

"Where is the wine?" Hong Qi asked, noticing the chief held nothing in his hands.

The village chief wore a mysterious expression. "You’ll see in a moment."

Hong Qi: ...He’s exactly the same as Xia Wulei.

As darkness fell, the villagers lit oil lamps. The flickering light illuminated the grotesque statue of the Nine-Headed Infant, making it appear even more terrifying.

The village chief stood, pressed his palms together in front of his chest, and prayed with devout fervor. "Great Mountain God, please bless us with a bountiful harvest and good health for all villagers in the coming year. We present these offerings to you; please, let your divine miracle manifest!"

The villagers closed their eyes and joined in the prayer, a sight that sent a chill down the spine.

Suddenly, Yu Huaiyu grabbed Xia Wulei’s hand.

"What is it?"

"L-look at the cups."

The village chief had given them transparent glass cups, each holding no more than two sips. Yet, at the bottom of the previously empty glasses, liquid began to seep out. Slowly, it grew in volume until, in a short time, the cups were half-full.

Except for the one in front of Yu Huaiyu, Chu Wei’s glass also began to ooze liquid.

Seeing this, the village chief beamed. "It is a miracle from the Mountain God! The appearance of wine in the cup signifies that you have been chosen."

"It seems the Mountain God has selected the two of you. How wonderful! Go and offer this wine to the Mountain God, and you shall be blessed with good fortune!"

Xia Wulei rolled her eyes. *You want this good fortune? You can have it.*

The chief urged them toward the temple, but Yu Huaiyu and Chu Wei stood frozen, muscles taut. Even though they had known since arriving that they were being targeted, facing it head-on was still nerve-wracking.

Chu Wei exhaled softly, picked up the wine glass, and stood up. What must come will come; it was better to face it with dignity than to be forced.

"Why only the two of them? No, I’m going too."

Xia Wulei spoke suddenly, grabbing the overflowing glass from Yu Huaiyu and pouring half into her own cup.

Yu Huaiyu was stunned. "Sister, you..."

Xia Wulei acted with great loyalty. "I can't let him pick on two soft targets. Your systems are useless in this scenario anyway."

Yu Huaiyu: ...No, sister, you’re a soft target too! What can a farming system even do here?!

The village chief was still gloating, thinking Xia Wulei was a fool, but then something shocking happened. The wine in Xia Wulei's cup began to recede at a visible rate.

Xia Wulei: ??? *Is that even possible?*

Even the village chief, who had lived for decades, had never seen such a thing.

Xia Wulei was not one to give up easily. Seeing Yu Huaiyu’s cup still seeping wine, she grabbed it, poured more into her own, and sprinted toward the temple, shouting, "Follow me! We’re going to offer our wine to the Mountain God!"

She moved so fast that Auntie Wang, sitting beside her, couldn't even reach out to stop her.

Chu Wei and Yu Huaiyu had no choice but to scramble after her, while the village chief scratched his head in confusion. "...First time I’ve ever seen a girl rush to offer wine."

The chief’s wife nudged him and gave him a look. Seeing that Xia Wulei and the others had entered the temple, the chief hurried forward, grabbed the doors, and prepared to lock them.

Hong Qi and Zhu Chen gasped in alarm. "What are you doing?!"

They tried to stand up to stop him, but found that several burly villagers had silently appeared behind them, pinning them firmly to their chairs.

The village chief locked the doors with a sharp click, smiling broadly. "They are receiving the Mountain God’s miracle; we must not disturb them."

Hong Qi suddenly realized, "Oh no, it’s almost midnight!"

Everyone had been so distracted by the bizarre ritual that they failed to notice how fast time was passing; the seventh day had arrived in the blink of an eye. They were trapped here, unable to hide, while the three girls were left to face the Nine-Headed Infant alone.

Zhu Chen drew his sword with a metallic *clang*. Aiming at the closest villager, he turned to Hong Qi. "I’ll carve a path; go find them!"

Hong Qi nodded, preparing to recite verses to provide support, when a villager pointed into the distance, his voice trembling. "W-what is that?"

Hong Qi looked. Under the bright moonlight, a figure stood stiffly on the path, shrouded in shadow. A foul, rotting stench drifted toward them, causing everyone to recoil.

"Hrr... hrr..."

The figure made strange noises, limping toward them with surprising speed before stepping fully into view. The person’s clothes were rags, the flesh beneath entirely decayed, with white maggots writhing on its rotting face. Its hands were stained with blood, dripping onto the ground with every step.

"It’s... it’s that zombie!"

Zhu Chen gripped his sword hilt, his voice tight. The villagers, seeing this, panicked and began to retreat.

"Throw those two boys out there! Let them hold off the zombie!" Dashan shouted.

Caught off guard, Zhu Chen and Hong Qi were shoved hard, tumbling to the ground. The zombie arrived right in front of them.

"ROAR!"

The zombie’s rotting face loomed over Zhu Chen, spraying a foul breath that nearly knocked him unconscious.

"Damn it, that’s disgusting."

Zhu Chen’s retching gesture enraged the zombie, and it lashed out with its hand. Its fingernails were sharp and pitch-black; if they touched him, he would surely be gutted alive.