The team moved forward slowly and unsteadily. At first, the three of them were apprehensive, after all, the scene was truly frightening, but after walking for a long time, nothing unexpected happened.

"Do we… do we just need to follow the team to the bridge, and don't need to do anything along the way?"

Li Bai wasn't here, so Huang Jun could only ask Yao Shunyu if he had any questions. Among the three of them, he thought Yao Shunyu was the most reliable. Moreover, Yao Shunyu had participated in the previous night's mission, and several people had died, but only he and Li Bai had survived.

Yao Shunyu was a little irritable. He wasn't in the mood to deal with such meaningless questions, and then the change occurred.

Suddenly, the procession stopped without warning, and then the crowd following the large sedan chair began to retreat. After a moment, a small clearing appeared in front of the Zhusheng Niangniang (the Child-Giving Goddess) and the village chief.

This sudden change instantly alerted the three of Yao Shunyu, and Huang Jun's illusions were shattered. He saw several fierce-looking guys escorting a person towards them.

The person being escorted was wearing a Chinese jacket and was disheveled, with his hands symbolically tied behind his back. Although he had a big beard painted on his face, it was still possible to see that it was a woman, and she seemed to be deliberately dressed this way.

After arriving in front of the Zhusheng Niangniang, someone kicked her behind the knees, and the cross-dressing person immediately knelt down in front of the sedan chair, trembling all over.

"Who is below?" The village chief stopped twisting his prayer beads, and his frightening hollow eye sockets looked down.

The person below kowtowed repeatedly, "Little one, Huang Qi, please have mercy, Village Chief!"

"Bold thief!" A burly woman beside him shouted sternly and raised her hand to slap the cross-dressing person.

The slap was extremely heavy, causing the person's mouth to bleed. After getting up and kneeling properly again, she became even more frightened, her body shaking like a sieve, "I… I am the thief Huang Qi, please… please spare my life, Village Chief!"

"The thief Huang Qi's identity is lowly, but the Zhusheng Niangniang is compassionate. If you have anything to say, say it quickly."

"Reporting… reporting to the Village Chief, my brother and I have been married into the Wang family of Blackwater Village for some time, but unfortunately, our stomachs are not cooperative, and we have not had any children. My husband plans to expel my brother and me from the Wang family, put us in pig cages, and sink us into the Blackwater River. I hope… I hope the Village Chief will have mercy!" The person calling himself Huang Qi kept kowtowing in the direction of the Village Chief and Zhusheng Niangniang. "I also hope the Zhusheng Niangniang will have mercy!"

The village chief continued to twist the prayer beads in his hand. After about ten seconds, he suddenly opened his mouth again, "Having no children is a serious crime. Your husband's disposal is justifiable, but the Zhusheng Niangniang thinks you know shame and is willing to give you and your brother a chance to live. Are you both willing?"

"Thank you, Niangniang, for your kindness, thank you, Niangniang, for your kindness!"

Hearing this, the village chief showed a satisfied expression, and then waved his hand. He actually took out a floral cloth package from the sedan chair and threw it down.

Seeing this package, Huang Qi immediately crawled over on her knees, hugging the package tightly in her arms, revealing a look of ecstasy. Then, she raised the package and shouted towards the direction of the Village Chief and Zhusheng Niangniang, "Thank you, Niangniang, for the reward, thank you, Niangniang, for the reward of offspring!"

Hearing this, the three of Yao Shunyu were stunned. From the position where Luan Lihui was standing, he could clearly see the package. The next second, Luan Lihui's face changed instantly, and his stomach churned, almost making him vomit.

The package was actually a dead infant that had been dead for who knows how long. The dead infant was wrapped in swaddling clothes, only revealing a face, and that face was already rotten, covered with dense maggots.

White maggots crawled in and out of the rotten eye sockets, and this scene constantly challenged Luan Lihui's limits of tolerance.

But then Huang Qi directly opened her clothes and carefully stuffed the dead infant inside, then wrapped it with her clothes, so that her stomach also bulged, as if she was ten months pregnant.

Stroking her stomach, Huang Qi showed a strange, doting smile, which made the three of Yao Shunyu shudder.

Just when Huang Jun thought that this farce should end here, a shout with a strange tune suddenly sounded, "Da… sheng… le!" (Hitting… birth… now!)

As soon as this shout came out, the whole scene instantly became strange. All the surrounding villagers had strange smiles on their faces, and then the crowd cleared a path, and five figures walked out.

Yao Shunyu frowned. He had seen all five of these people. The leader was Elder Sun, and the remaining four old women had given them things in the evening.

These five were still wearing the makeup they had on in the evening, but their complexions seemed even more withered. Looking at them from a distance was frightening.

More importantly, at this time, they were all holding weapons in their hands, including whips, blunt knives covered in rust, wooden sticks, and an axe.

The leader, Elder Sun, was holding a pair of huge scissors, staring expressionlessly at Huang Qi kneeling on the ground.

Elder Sun and the other four surrounded Huang Qi, and at this time, the surrounding villagers seemed to know that there was a good show to watch and rushed forward.

Seeing this, Yao Shunyu seemed to have thought of something. He had heard of the saying "da sheng". In some places, around the Lantern Festival, women who had been married for many years without children would go to the City God Temple with their companions to pray for children. When the prayer knelt before the statue, her companions would break off a few lucky bamboo branches and gently beat the prayer's back, but the scene in front of him was very different from what he knew.

"Da… sheng… le! First hit, the thief has no children!"

…

"Da… sheng… le! Second hit, the thief enters the family!"

…

"Da… sheng… le! Third hit, the thief ruins the family's prosperity!"

…

"Da… sheng… le! Fourth hit, the thief has no blessing!"

…

"Da… sheng… le! Fifth hit, the thief loses shame!"

…

"Da… sheng… le! Sixth hit, the thief…"

…

Along with the overwhelming shouts of the onlookers, the four old women used the whips, axes, and sticks in their hands to hit Huang Qi non-stop, and some villagers picked up the surrounding stones and smashed them at Huang Qi, who was rolling on the ground in pain.

However, although the scene was frightening, Yao Shunyu could see that none of these people were trying to kill her. It definitely hurt, but it wasn't fatal. After resting, it might not even leave a disability. This was more like a mysterious ritual to obtain offspring.

Although it was a bit evil, it was understandable considering that these people were worshiping the Zhusheng Niangniang.

Yao Shunyu also noticed a very important point. No matter how painful she was, the woman dressed as Huang Qi did not cry out, and she did not protect her head or ribs. She was always protecting her stomach.

To be precise, it should be the dead infant hidden in her stomach.

"Give birth or not?" Elder Sun asked loudly.

"Give birth!"

"Does it hurt?"

"No… it doesn't hurt!"

Elder Sun and the others were overjoyed and at the same time retracted their weapons, shouting in unison to the Zhusheng Niangniang, "We… have… happiness!"