Chapter 34 Ancient Town God Parade - Offering Ceremony

"What? The corpse disappeared?"

Several people who had just come downstairs with their bags heard the commotion and were shocked by the news.

"Could the Guide have handled it? I haven't seen him all day."

"Why do you all care about a dead person? This guy named Wang stole my bag!" Wei Yun shouted anxiously, seeing that everyone was concerned about the corpse's whereabouts instead of her bag.

"What makes you say it's your bag? I picked it up in the hallway!" Wang Yongqiang argued.

Wei Yun grew even more furious at his sophistry. "How could it not be mine? That person is gone, so their bag must have been taken long ago. Besides, I remember clearly—my bag was dropped on the bus. If the bag you're holding isn't mine, whose could it be?!"

Listening to their back-and-forth, both sides seemed to have a point, and the others didn't know who to side with for a moment.

As they spoke, Wei Yun saw that Wang Yongqiang still refused to return it. She grabbed a nearby stool and hurled it at him.

Wang Yongqiang jumped in fright. "Crazy, you're a crazy woman!"

He nimbly dodged the lunging Wei Yun. The front hall was too small, making his evasion difficult. He hissed hatefully, "I can't afford to mess with you, but can't I at least hide?"

With that, he flipped onto a table, used the surface to leap forward, and ran out the door.

The remaining few watched the two of them chase each other out. For their own safety, they chose not to get involved.

Bai Xiao felt some internal struggle. She knew this was a place where one could die if they weren't careful, but having grown up in an era of peace, she truly couldn't bring herself to stand by and watch someone die just yet.

She considered taking out one of the loaves of bread she had bought from the mall. However, there were too many people in the room. Between the mall and the supplies issued by the game, she only had five bags in total. After offering one and giving another away, she would only have three left, which would barely be enough for her to eat over the next two days.

But once she took out a bag, others would suspect she had more, leading to endless trouble. Furthermore, she couldn't explain where the extra bag came from; it was something she simply couldn't justify.

She could only wait to see if there was a chance later to help secretly. If nothing else, she didn't want to watch someone die if it was within her power to help.

"Guests, the Offering Ceremony will be held at the town square at 6:30. It's about time. Bring your offerings and let's go."

The elusive Manager Zhang suddenly appeared behind everyone. Feng Huilin, who was closest, was startled by his voice and instinctively wanted to move away from him.

The remaining few didn't speak, only nodding slightly. They gathered their things and followed him out the door.

Qingshi Town at night had returned to the tranquility it possessed when they first arrived that morning. The streets that were bustling during the day now had every shop closed at some unknown hour.

It got dark early here, and there were no modern streetlights. The wind blew through the gloomy streets, ringing the bronze bells on the small buildings on both sides. The continuous 'ding-dong' sound, combined with the 'clack-clack' of their footsteps on the bluestone road, felt as eerie as ghosts walking in the night.

It felt as if someone was staring at them from behind the tightly closed doors and windows of the buildings on both sides. The sensation was bone-chilling.

Huang Xinxin had originally been walking at the back of the group. In this atmosphere, she constantly felt like someone was behind her. Terrified, she hurried forward a few steps to walk side-by-side with Bai Xiao.

Seeing her cowering, Bai Xiao gestured forward. "If you're scared, you can walk in front of me."

Huang Xinxin nodded gratefully at her.

Halfway there, they could vaguely see the square in the center of town. The square was brilliantly lit, with a group of people running back and forth with torches, though it was unclear what they were doing.

As they drew closer, Bai Xiao and the others heard screams coming from the distance. It was the voices of Wei Yun and Wang Yongqiang. Everyone hurried over.

The two were being held down on their knees by torch-bearing Townsfolk. A man leading the capture walked over to another white-haired old man to report: "Patriarch, the two people who disrupted the Offering Ceremony have been caught."

The old man nodded and said in a heavy voice, "Take them before the divine statue to atone to the Mountain God first, then drag them away."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing the Patriarch's command, the clansmen stepped forward to drag the two to the Sacrificial Altar to kowtow and atone.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me! I respect the Mountain God the most. I have an offering, let me present it to the Mountain God, spare my life!" Wang Yongqiang cried shrilly, kneeling and begging for mercy.

"The offering is mine! I am also willing to present it to the Mountain God!" Wei Yun also shouted in a panic.

The Townsfolk held their torches and looked at them with wicked smiles, as if looking at wild boars caught in a trap. They didn't listen to their cries at all, dragging them into an alley after forcing them to finish kowtowing.

Seeing the Guide bring the Parade God Team, the Patriarch signaled for them to stop and wait outside the square.

He then walked to the steps of the divine statue and picked up a ruyi-shaped bronze rod.

Another clan elder stood before the Sacrificial Altar and announced to the crowd: "In Qingshi Town, the annual Mountain God Offering Ceremony officially begins. Unveil the divine statue."

The Patriarch raised the bronze rod and gently lifted the red cloth covering the statue.

A divine statue that looked somewhat like a monkey sitting cross-legged was revealed. The statue's eyes were closed, its expression compassionate.

The Townsfolk grew excited the moment they saw the statue.

Woo—

Two groups of people lined up on either side of the altar held instruments like ox horns and blew a deep, distant horn blast.

The Townsfolk surrounding the altar slowly shifted into concentric circles expanding outward. Holding torches, they sang a folk tune that the players couldn't understand, rotating around the altar as they sang.

After finishing a sacrificial folk tune, the crowd slowly quieted down, and the Townsfolk stood in rows once again.

"Kowtow!"

The Townsfolk bowed once, twice, and a third time with great piety.

"Rise!"

The Townsfolk rose in a rustle.

"Present the offerings!"

As the elder finished shouting, the door of a small building closest to the square suddenly swung open.

Bai Xiao and the others looked back at the sound and saw two Townsfolk carrying out a bamboo platform the length of a dining table. Two large pieces of bloody fresh meat were laid out on the platform.

As they passed by, Bai Xiao looked at the two pieces of meat. The meat was bright red with a fine texture and streaks of yellow fat. The smell of blood was extremely heavy. The meat didn't look like pork, beef, or mutton; she couldn't tell what animal it came from.

"Parade God Team, present your offerings."

It was their turn. The group couldn't help but feel nervous as they took the food out of their bags and followed the guidance toward the Sacrificial Altar.

The Townsfolk standing on both sides of the altar were packed in a dense row. Their faces glowed strangely under the torchlight. They no longer had the occasional friendliness of the daytime; each one stared at them like wolves as they watched them walk toward the altar.

The five of them stood still before the altar. Right in front of them were those two large lumps of bloody meat, the stench of which made everyone want to gag.

Enduring the discomfort, they all took out their prepared offerings and placed them on the altar.

The elder leading the ceremony didn't issue any further commands after his last shout. The vast square was left with only the sound of torches snapping in the wind.

The five players stood there in hesitation, not daring to move or leave. They stared at the fresh meat on the altar; the bread they had offered seemed completely out of place. Would this really work?

Bai Xiao's heart was also pounding. These strange Townsfolk behind them were all watching like predators waiting to strike. No matter how calm she usually was, her palms were now dripping with cold sweat from the tension.

Had she really misjudged?