“Did you hear what that woman said to me?” Yao Shunyu looked at Li Bai with a complicated expression. “She said that you dare to talk to me like that because you stole a man’s heart and liver? How… how could she think of such a thing?”

Li Bai nodded with a grim expression. “It seems these villagers are even more cruel than we thought. Those men who couldn’t escape were not only killed by them using various means, but these beasts didn’t even spare their corpses.”

Frankly, after they were stranded in this Blackwater Village, although the customs here were strange, the food the villagers provided them was not bad. But now that he thought about it, those foods marinated from unknown meat were also very suspicious.

He couldn't think about it anymore. Yao Shunyu and Li Bai forced themselves to calm down. Living through tonight was the biggest problem at hand.

“Also, we have never met the mysterious village chief of Blackwater Village. According to the villagers, the village chief has a very high prestige in the village, because the village chief’s words represent the meaning of the Zhusheng Niangniang (Childbirth Goddess).” Yao Shunyu clearly remembered Wu Damei's trembling appearance, which was a fear from the bottom of her heart that couldn’t be faked.

But this time, Li Bai shook her head slightly. “You’re wrong. This should all be the meaning of the Zhusheng Niangniang, and the village chief is just the spokesperson of the Zhusheng Niangniang, or rather, plays the role of a megaphone.”

Li Bai didn’t say this casually. She was drawing on the specialized priests in ancient sacrificial ceremonies. In her opinion, the village chief of this Blackwater Village was very similar to a priest. Everyone revered, and even feared, the village chief, more because the village chief possessed the ability to communicate with the gods, that is, the so-called Zhusheng Niangniang.

Wu Damei’s words in a panic also confirmed this. Wu Damei hoped that the village chief would say a few good words for her in front of the Zhusheng Niangniang.

If they wanted to find out who exactly the Zhusheng Niangniang was, this mysterious village chief was an unavoidable link.

…

Night fell, and three old white lanterns appeared on the small road in Blackwater Village. The candlelight in the lanterns flickered, as if it would go out in the next second.

“Shunyu-ge (brother), Li Bai-jie (sister), you… you go slower, I… I’m scared.”

A man who was relatively tall but very thin followed closely behind Yao Shunyu and Li Bai. If the two people in front didn't dislike paying attention to him, it looked like he would stick to them.

“Be strong. We’re scared too, but being scared is useless. We all have to face reality.”

Li Bai tried her best to appease Li Maochun, while also secretly observing him to see if she could find any flaws.

This college student named Li Maochun was pale, looking malnourished. His body was shaking slightly as he walked. He held the white lantern, nervously looking around.

It was late at night, but the village wasn’t completely dark, but rather a gray, as if a thick fog covered the entire village.

This classic horror movie opening scene was already familiar to Yao Shunyu and Li Bai, but for Li Maochun, it was deadly. His upper and lower teeth were chattering, and Yao Shunyu even worried that he would faint before he reached the mission location.

But it didn’t matter, because even if Li Maochun fainted, he and Li Bai would definitely carry him over. Even if he died, he had to die at the location required by the mission, and he couldn’t let him drag others down.

But before that, Yao Shunyu had a very important thing to confirm. “Li Maochun, which task did you choose?”

Li Maochun almost cried when he heard the word “task.” The scene of the painting teacher’s bizarre disappearance last night was still lingering in his mind like a nightmare. “Shunyu-ge, can… can I not choose?”

Yao Shunyu suddenly stopped, then turned around and stared at him with a half-smiling expression. “Sure, then you can just wait to be left behind to be a husband for these villagers. With your tender skin, they’ll love you.”

Thinking of the ferocious looks of those villagers, Li Maochun wanted to die. At least that’s what he showed. “I was wrong. How about this, I don’t understand anything, Shunyu-ge, please… please, you and Li Bai-jie, give me an idea.”

Whether Li Bai felt a little pity, or it was another test, in short, Li Bai spoke, “If I were you, I would choose to repair the road. After all, building a bridge requires going to the water, and that Blackwater River is probably not peaceful at night.”

“Not peaceful?” Li Maochun was stunned, and then, not knowing what he thought of, he looked even more frightened.

“That’s what I think, but the final decision is up to you.” Li Bai was too lazy to pester him anymore. Whether this person was Deep Red or not, it would be difficult for him to survive tonight.

Li Maochun hardened his heart and nodded vigorously. “Okay, I’ll listen to Li Bai-jie. I’ll choose to repair the road. Repairing the road sounds much safer.”

Once the decision was made, the three people’s mission locations were also clear. Yao Shunyu’s mission was to kill someone, located in the barren mountains west of the village, not far from the wild temple last night. As for who to kill, he didn’t know either.

Li Bai’s mission was to set a fire. The location was in the village. It was said that the house to be burned was quite evil, but the villagers wouldn’t reveal a single word more.

The road that Li Maochun had to repair was located in the mass burial ground on the west side of the village.

According to the villagers, these were all folk customs projects of the Zhusheng Conference over the years, and it was difficult for outsiders to have the opportunity to participate. This was all an gift from the Zhusheng Niangniang.

Among them, the three people’s tasks were not carried out simultaneously. Yao Shunyu’s killing project was first, Li Bai’s arson was second, and Li Maochun’s road repair was last.

In order to prevent accidents, Yao Shunyu and Li Bai decided to keep Li Maochun by their side. After all, no one trusted him. If they were carrying out their tasks and Li Maochun secretly tripped them up, it would be terrible.

Soon, the group followed the road from last night and arrived at the foot of the barren mountain west of the village. Saying it was a barren mountain, it was actually just a large dirt slope. After warning Li Bai a few words, Yao Shunyu turned around and set foot on the mountain climbing road alone.

The grayness in front of him was very much like fog. In the depths of the barren mountain, it was even more like countless strange shadows were shaking. Yao Shunyu climbed up along a small path that had been trampled out. After about 10 minutes, suddenly, a dilapidated wooden house appeared before his eyes.

The wooden house was hidden behind layers of withered trees, making it difficult to find without getting close. But what really made Yao Shunyu feel a chill down his back was the layout of this wooden house.

Festive couplets were pasted outside the wooden house, and red cloth strips were hung under the eaves, decorated in a festive manner, as if it were a new house arranged for a new daughter-in-law who was about to marry.

Two red lanterns hung outside the door, but it was unknown whether there were no candles inside, or whether there had been before but they were now extinguished. In short, the lanterns were extinguished at this moment, but the dark red lantern skin swayed gently in the night wind, like a pair of giant beasts unwilling to close their eyes before death.