Volume 1, Chapter 149: The Mountain God Takes a Wife

The villagers looked at Lu Jinyuan with eyes full of dread. Even the man who had been standing at the front, acting the most obsequious, recoiled half a step, stepping squarely onto the foot of the person behind him. The man behind, not daring to make a sound, simply swallowed his pain and clamped his mouth shut.

Lu Jinyuan’s expression was icy. Looking down upon the crowd with an air of natural authority, he asked, "Is there a gas station nearby?"

The villagers, thoroughly intimidated, shook their heads in unison.

Lu Jinyuan furrowed his brows, just about to speak, when a man dressed like a village official emerged from the entrance of the village. Seeing them, he hurried over.

"Mr. Lu! It really is you! I thought I was mistaken! To think that you would personally come to our Jia Village! You truly bring great honor to our humble village!"

The official spoke with a practiced, bureaucratic tone. He treated Lu Jinyuan with extreme reverence and reached out to shake his hand. Out of politeness, Lu Jinyuan’s brow tightened further.

"And you are?"

"Mr. Lu, you wouldn't know me! This is Jia Village. Many of the children here are able to attend school thanks to the sponsorship of the Lu family. You are the benefactor of our entire village."

Lu Jinyuan was not entirely aware of this. The Lu family engaged in significant charitable work every year, including supporting the education of underprivileged students. However, seeing the man’s excitement, it was likely true. He put on a shrewd smile. "May I ask how to address you?"

"I am Jia Laosan, the village head. If you don't mind, just call me Village Head Jia, as the villagers do."

Jia Laosan was very courteous, and Lu Jinyuan politely addressed him as "Village Head Jia." Jia Laosan was beaming, but seeing that Lu Jinyuan was alone, he asked with confusion, "Mr. Lu, why are you here in Jia Village by yourself?"

"I was out with friends, but we ran out of gas and lost our way, which is how we ended up here."

Jia Laosan rubbed his hands together, looking troubled. "That’s a bit difficult. The nearest gas station is a hundred kilometers away. And it’s getting late. Why don't you and your friends stay the night in our village?"

With no other options, Lu Jinyuan nodded in agreement. Jia Laosan sent two men to guide Lu Jinyuan so he could retrieve the others. However, when Lu Jinyuan returned to the car, it had been smashed to pieces, and both little Qin Yu and Xing Qiao were gone!

Lu Jinyuan took out his phone to check the dashcam footage, only to find there was absolutely no signal in this godforsaken place!

One of the young girls accompanying Lu Jinyuan let out a small, sharp gasp, drawing his gaze.

"What did you find?"

The girl covered her mouth, her face pale with terror. She shook her head, her eyes filled with fear. Another young man, while not reacting as violently, had also turned deathly pale. He pulled the girl behind him.

"Mr. Lu, is your friend a woman?"

Lu Jinyuan’s eyes were cold enough to freeze. "Go on."

"Our village has a Mountain God who protects us and ensures our health and longevity. But the condition is that we must sacrifice one or two women to the Mountain God as his wives every year. And this year, the day of the 'Mountain God’s Marriage' falls within these two days."

"She is not a villager of Jia Village."

The young man pulled the corner of his mouth in a helpless grimace. "Once the Mountain God has set his sights on someone, he doesn't care whether you are from Jia Village or not."

Lu Jinyuan’s brows knotted together. His voice was chillingly cold. "What kind of Mountain God is this? More like some kind of evil demon, isn't it?"

The young man’s face went whiter than paper. He glanced left and right in fear, and only after ensuring no one heard him did he breathe a sigh of relief. "Mr. Lu, you must not say such things. If the Mountain God hears you and gets angry, our entire village will suffer!"

"Brother, I think Mr. Lu is right! Have you ever seen a village guardian god like ours..."

Before the girl could finish, the boy slapped her hard across the face. "Su Xiuxiu, watch your mouth!"

Su Xiuxiu looked at her brother, who had always doted on her, in disbelief. She covered her face, tears welling up in her eyes. Perhaps feeling embarrassed by the presence of an outsider, she glanced at Lu Jinyuan and ran off crying. Su Haohao wanted to chase after her, but after two steps, he remembered the guest and stopped, explaining awkwardly, "Xiuxiu is spoiled."

Lu Jinyuan’s mind was not on them. He asked, "Why did your sister react so strongly?"

Mentioning this, Su Haohao clenched his fists, grinding his teeth in self-loathing. "Because the bride chosen by the village this time is Xiuxiu. In a sense, your friend has taken the disaster in Xiuxiu's place."

Su Haohao said the latter half of his sentence with deep apology, though there was a flicker of relief.

Lu Jinyuan’s fist tightened. If this "Mountain God" were truly some evil spirit, he wouldn't be worried. Although little Qin Yu’s mind was not entirely sound, her ability to catch ghosts remained. If an evil spirit encountered her, it would only have itself to blame. What he feared was that someone was playing god behind the scenes. Sometimes, humans were far more terrifying than ghosts.

"Is this friend of yours a relative?" Su Haohao asked suddenly.

Lu Jinyuan believed he had been acting quite calmly. He heard Su Haohao continue, "Mr. Lu, you are a reserved person. But since learning your friend is in danger, your entire demeanor has been tense. Your brow hasn't relaxed once."

Lu Jinyuan pursed his lips and asked, "What is your name?"

—

Elsewhere.

Five or six burly men carried two sacks, one large and one small, walking unevenly through the twilight.

"Boss, the big one is a real prize. I understand why you kidnapped her. But why the little one? She’s dark, ugly, and skinny."

"What do you know? We’ll sacrifice the big one to the Mountain God. As for the little one? Doesn't Wang Mazi in the next village always want a kid? Even if she’s a bit ugly, she’ll fetch a good price. Then we can take the boys out for a feast!"

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant! As expected of our boss, thinking of the long game! You’re an example to us all!"

Inside the small sack, Xing Qiao kept her eyes closed, listening to the men boast. A sneer of disdain curled her lips. These people thought they were about to get rich, unaware that catastrophe was looming.

Qin Yu remained unconscious. Even when she was thrown into the pitch-black cave, she did not wake up. The men, believing the job was done, happily carried off the small sack. As they walked, they calculated how much they could sell Xing Qiao for.

Not long after they left, two blood-red lights flickered in the dark cave. They drew closer to Qin Yu, sniffing the ground before a gaping maw opened and snatched the sack away.

—

"Hot..."

Little Qin Yu felt as if her body were burning up. Through bleary eyes, she vaguely saw a stumbling silhouette stirring a long wooden pole. At the other end of the pole was a cauldron ten meters in diameter, filled with various things. Some resembled humans with long hair—evidently women—while others had been boiled into a viscous sludge, unrecognizable.

"Bad thing!"

Little Qin Yu’s tone was still childlike, but her hatred for demons and ghosts caused the spiritual energy within her to gather rapidly. Sensing the movement, the monstrous old woman stirring the soup turned around, section by section.

How could one describe that face? It was no longer a face. Her features were scattered everywhere: one eye on her forehead, the other at the corner of her mouth; her mouth was where her nose should have been, while her nose was on the side of her face. Her eyebrows were even more abstract—one on her ear, the other on her neck. She looked like a clay doll that had been mangled by someone who had maliciously rearranged the features.

"Little thing, I didn't expect you to have some tricks up your sleeve."

The mouth in the center opened and closed, revealing rows of dense, terrifying teeth. She pulled the wooden pole from the cauldron and slammed it against the small vat Qin Yu was in. "Don't be in such a hurry! Once I finish this soup, I'll have my master come and deal with you properly."

She let out a cackling, ghoulish laugh. Whatever was on that wooden pole, after being struck, little Qin Yu’s consciousness began to fade. In her daze, she saw a grinning face with rotten yellow teeth.

—

"Awoooo!!!"

Lu Jinyuan had learned the location of the cave where the Mountain God’s marriage was to take place from Su Haohao. On his way, he suddenly heard a strange noise. He tensed his muscles, entering a state of combat readiness.

The sun had completely set, and the night sky was draped in darkness. The stars looked like projections on a black curtain. Ethereal bird calls echoed in the distance, responding to the strange, howling "awoooo" sounds.

Lu Jinyuan identified the source of the noise and fixed his gaze on that direction until a dark head bobbed into view. It was a man, limping as he ran. Seeing Lu Jinyuan, the man’s excited howling grew louder. His legs were clearly deformed, moving in an "X" shape.

As he drew closer, one could see his jacket was so dirty it had hardened, so stiff that even burrs couldn't stick to it; as he ran, flecks of green debris fell off. Lu Jinyuan, who suffered from mysophobia, frowned instinctively at the sight. Unconsciously, his aura of lethal intent flared.

The man seemed to be able to see this aura, for he immediately stopped, tilted his head, and looked confused.