Chapter Two: The Village's Ominous Sacrifice

Where am I?

The world around me was unfamiliar and mysterious. I was sure I had never been here before, yet it felt oddly familiar and close. I thought to myself, perhaps this was where I was meant to be.

The distant sound of insects chirping reached my ears, and the creek flowed quietly. This made me roll over on the soft, damp grass. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my waist as if something was poking me.

I reached behind and found something round, flat, and icy cold. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a piece of jade emitting a faint glow. I held it up for a better look. The smooth, flawless jade had the characters "Wu Xin" (Heartless) engraved on it. The more I looked at it, the more familiar it seemed, but I couldn't recall why.

Feeling confused, I turned it over to find a moon-white circular pattern embedded in the green jade.

Is this... the moon?

I looked at the jade pendant, its white glow causing a headache. I decided to put it away for now.

Determined, I stood up, brushed the dirt off my clothes, and looked around. The forest was dense, with a thin layer of mist deep within it.

As I approached, the previously foggy environment became clear in an instant. Pale green lights began to appear among the trees, floating leisurely. These lights were gentler and warmer than the moonlight, giving a comforting feeling.

Curious, I followed the lights. Suddenly, I stepped on something soft and sank into the ground.

"Ouch!"

I yelped in pain, my back stinging and numb from the shock. My hands were covered in something that was either blood or mud, impossible to clean off.

At that moment, laughter floated down from above. I looked up to see a middle-aged man in coarse clothes curiously staring at me.

As soon as he saw me in the trap, his loud laughter burst forth, rough and piercing, filled with bizarre joy.

"Sir, why are you laughing?" I asked, looking up at the strange man whose wolf-like greedy gaze made me uneasy.

Instinctively, I shrank back.

"Child, are you alright? Let me get you out of there," he said, rubbing his hands together and awkwardly jumping down, only to slip and kick more dirt into the hole.

He grinned at me and quickly disappeared from sight.

Before long, a vine rope was lowered down. After tugging it to ensure it was sturdy enough, I climbed up with all my strength.

"Thank you, sir."

Freed from the narrow pit, I took deep breaths of the fresh air around me. Before I could spot the man again, I felt a sudden dizziness.

The surroundings became blurry, my thoughts floated away, and I vaguely felt my body being lifted by something warm like a giant stone.

I didn't know how much time passed before I slowly regained consciousness, unable to muster any strength, with several parts of my body still aching.

I quickly realized that I was now tied up and in danger of losing my life.

No matter how much I shouted or struggled, there was no response.

Gradually, I lost the strength to call out, and the wounds on my body began to burn, becoming unbearably painful. I couldn't even keep my eyes open.

For a moment, I felt a cool autumn breeze, like refreshing spring water, gently brushing over my body in the vast darkness. Gradually, the burning sensation of the wounds disappeared, and my breathing became steady.

A woman, sweating profusely, woke me up. She said the villagers knew of my presence and urged me to escape immediately.

Oddly enough, she seemed more anxious to flee than I did. It was then that I noticed my wounds had been treated, and the ropes binding my hands and feet had been undone.

"Hurry and run, don't come back," she said, her fearful eyes scanning the surroundings. Before I could say anything, she pushed me aside and slipped into the darkness.

Under the moonlight, I noticed a dark red stain on the sleeve she had clumsily hidden behind her back.

Footsteps began to approach.

The scent of blood filled the air, drawing the bloodthirsty fiends toward us.

I knew that every second now was a matter of life and death, and I couldn't afford to be careless.

Just as I slipped into the bushes, the surroundings were suddenly illuminated by a blinding light. For the first time, I felt an unprecedented sense of danger and fear. The premonition of death rang alarms in my heart.

It was late at night. Unfortunately, I was still injured and unfamiliar with the terrain. I hadn't run far before I was caught.

Carefully turning my neck, I looked at the expressionless faces around me. I felt like a rabbit caught by its feet, my fragile life ready to be ended at any moment.

"What... do you want?" I asked, peering through the dense crowd. I saw that old man hiding among them, a sinister smile on his face.

"Take her to the altar," an elderly man pointed at me and said, turning his back with satisfaction, "We finally found a new offering. The mountain god will surely bless our harvest this year. What a close call..."

"Offering? I refuse! Let me go! I'm not from your village, I'm innocent!" I protested loudly. The people, however, seemed bewitched, marching straight ahead. Only the elder, who seemed to be the village chief, turned back and spat at me, saying, "Innocent? Who's born innocent? Humans eat livestock, but monsters can't eat humans? The world is survival of the fittest, a truth written in stone."

His cold and ruthless view had a grain of truth, but I thought to myself: all beings have feelings, everything can change. So I asked, "Then tell me, is a turtle's egg stronger or the turtle itself?"

Hearing my question, he laughed heartily, his expression changing from dark to bright. "Of course, the turtle is stronger. If the egg doesn't hatch, it's just waiting to be slaughtered."

I sighed softly and shook my head, "Wrong. The turtle egg has no conscience, it bullies the weak and fears the strong, selfish and self-serving. The turtle could never compare."

His face changed color immediately. The wrinkles on his face twisted like dried bark into a mess. His bloodshot eyes glared at me angrily. After coughing several times, he pointed a trembling finger at me, gritting his teeth, "You sharp-tongued girl, let's see how long you can keep this up."

I smiled nonchalantly, "I didn't say who it was. Why are you so worked up, old man? Take care of your health."

Ignoring my protest, he grabbed a cloth and gagged me.

Unable to speak, I listened quietly to their fragmented conversation, understanding the situation. In recent years, a "mountain god" had come to live on the mountain, demanding a young girl be offered each year in exchange for a good harvest. Otherwise, the village would face famine.

This year's offering was supposed to be the old village chief's granddaughter. Now, I was her replacement.

We entered the dense, pitch-black forest, and before long, they threw me before a stone statue with a ferocious face.

From the darkness beside me came the sound of sobbing. A girl, her eyes glistening, head bowed, trembled as she clutched her chest in panic.

"Are you my replacement?" She suddenly lifted her head, her smile radiating in the dark, revealing a set of sharp, chilling teeth.

Heavens, could she not be human? But why would monsters offer sacrifices to other monsters? Why was I so unlucky to be their scapegoat?

Shivering in the eerie cold wind, I pondered helplessly.

The ground suddenly shook violently, and a beastly growl emerged from the statue's mouth.

Looking around, I saw that the girl had already been taken away by the elder, and the villagers had all vanished.

The statue began to shed its hard, earthen layer, revealing a rough, black-furred arm. I cautiously raised my head to see the colossal creature, its glowing red eyes staring intently at me from within its furry mass.

The so-called "mountain god" worshipped by the villagers was actually a stone monster that had cultivated into a spirit. It bore conspicuous dark wounds, evidence of some injury.

It turned its dark eyes towards me, tears seemingly ready to fall from its eyes, but a tear from it would certainly crush countless innocent lives.

Why was it crying at me? If it was using some sort of charm to confuse me, it was far inferior to a fox demon.

I cleared my throat, trying to calm down and communicate, "Brother Monster, you may look pitiful now, but I can't sacrifice myself to you. How about you transform into a human and see if anyone volunteers to offer themselves? Your current appearance is really hard to look at."

Just as I was earnestly persuading the monster, the surroundings suddenly turned as cold as an ice cellar, making me sneeze several times.

Why did it suddenly get so cold?

"Step back!" A man's voice called from above. A fierce wind nearly tore the ground apart, and I was flung into a distant bush.

In the darkness, I saw a mouth full of sharp teeth gleaming under the moonlight. Struggling to stand in the grass, I realized I had narrowly avoided the stone monster's deadly attack, but my old wounds had reopened, blood seeping out.

On the verge of tears, I thought: Is this hero here to save or kill me? At this rate, I'll bleed to death before the monster gets me.

Furiously raising my head, I saw a man in blue confronting the beast.