Chapter 41 The Ancient Town's Gods Walk - Gate Tower

Huang Xinxin and Ma Huilin had already fled to a safe place to wait. Seeing Bai Xiao escape the danger, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

The three of them met up, and looking at each other's wretched appearances, they burst into laughter for no reason.

Ma Huilin shouted heroically, "Awesome! That's how we deal with them. They don't want us to leave, so they shouldn't expect an easy time themselves!"

Huang Xinxin nodded excitedly. Since childhood, she had been the well-behaved and obedient child in the eyes of her parents and relatives. She had always grown up following the family's arrangements step-by-step until she started working. Other children had rebellious phases, but for her, the words 'rebellious phase' seemed to have never appeared in her life; she had always lived a mundane existence.

Until she was pulled into this bizarre and dangerous game. Upon entering, she was once mired in panic and helplessness, always feeling that she would die here sooner or later.

She was someone who feared death. Now, perhaps in another twenty minutes, she would face death directly. Looking at the middle-aged Sister Ma and Bai Xiao, who was around her age or perhaps even younger, and seeing their passion and the vividness of their lives in the face of danger, she felt an indescribable surge of energy in her body. She simply felt that this sensation of life burning was wonderful.

"Let's go, time is running out. After doing it one more time, I think I have a good idea of what's going on."

Hearing Bai Xiao say this, Ma Huilin's eyes lit up, and she asked urgently, "Did you find the Divine Path they mentioned?"

Bai Xiao nodded as she walked. She wiped the rainwater from her face and looked at the two of them, saying, "Including yesterday's rehearsal, we've chosen three paths in total. Three paths in three completely different directions. Didn't you notice that the conditions in these paths are all the same? Not only are the roads the same, but the situation inside is also identical."

The two nodded; they had noticed, of course. But what did being identical prove?

"It means that no matter which path you choose, the situation is likely to be the same."

"Then doesn't that mean there is no so-called Divine Path?!"

"No, there is one path without high platforms, without sewage, and without these man-eating Townsfolk." Bai Xiao carried the flagpole, walking between the two carrying the sedan chair. As she spoke, rainwater streamed down her face from her hair, washing away the filth she had picked up in the alley. She no longer had the neat and tidy appearance of the past two days; she was soaked through, with wet hair plastered to her forehead. Yet, in this bedraggled state, the mud spots and rain streaks on her face became her ornaments. She was like a cold sword drawn from its sheath, shimmering with a chilling light and an overbearing sharpness.

The rain grew heavier. The water streaming from their heads mixed with the rain falling from the sky, making it impossible to keep their eyes open. The entire street was shrouded in heavy rain. Even though the three were so close, they could barely see each other's faces or hear each other's words through the curtain of rain.

"Which path?" Ma and Huang were so surprised that they instinctively stopped in their tracks.

Bai Xiao was still walking rapidly. Seeing them stop, she hurriedly said, "Don't stop, get back to the town entrance quickly. This is our last chance."

The place they had emerged from was very close to the town entrance. In just a minute or two, they quickly returned to the vicinity of the shrine.

"Go to the square first. I need to make one final confirmation. I'll tell you when we get there."

The three set off again, jogging back to the square. On the square, the people of the town had reappeared in their original positions like ghosts.

After two rounds of the parade, dozens of Townsfolk had suffered counterattacks from the Parade God Team. Their eyes seemed to spit fire, and they no longer hid the malice in their gaze. Their eyes gleamed with a predatory light, retaining only the slightest shred of restraint.

While circling the square to bestow blessings, Bai Xiao met their eyes with a look of provocation. The provoked Townsfolk were instantly enraged and wanted to rush forward to do something, but fearing disrespect to the Mountain God, they could only endure it with all their might.

They soon finished one lap, and the Townsfolk retreated in a sullen mass.

Bai Xiao stood before the Sacrificial Altar. Of the sixteen small paths extending from the square, every single one of them had a pitch-black entrance. Only the main street they had come from had no dark opening and possessed the brightness of day.

Ma Huilin and Huang Xinxin stepped forward and asked her, "Which one do we take?"

Bai Xiao raised her hand and pointed in the direction they had come from. "We take this one."

"What? That's where we came from! Didn't Chen Sheng and Han Yadong say the true Divine Path is in these alleys on the square?" The two were shocked.

Bai Xiao shook her head and corrected them. "No, Chen Sheng's exact words were that the Divine Path is 'on the square.' They never said the Divine Path was 'within' these alleys. We just assumed that ourselves."

"But that still doesn't prove the incoming road is the Divine Path." The two were still full of doubt.

"Do you remember the reaction of those Townsfolk when they fell into the water? They love cleanliness. Their usual range of activity is on this main street. These past few days, we were afraid to come to the square, but they have no such fears—so why don't they come here either? Even if they do, they only stand around the Sacrificial Altar. When they enter those alleys, they only stand on the high platforms. Why? Just look at what those Townsfolk are wearing. Even on a sunny day, they wear high-top waterproof boots. What does that tell you?"

She paused slightly, then pointed at the water flowing into the alleys and continued, "It means this place rains year-round. The square and the alleys are the lowest points in this town. Whenever it rains, the water—mixed with sewage from outside the town and muddy water flowing down from the mountains—pours in through the town entrance and down the main street. This square and the Sacrificial Altar are the highest points. The water flows here, gets blocked, and then surges into the surrounding alleys. These alleys are natural drainage pipes for sewage. That's why they don't usually go there. When they're in the alleys, falling into the water is no different from falling into a sewer to them. That's why their reaction was so extreme."

Bai Xiao explained to them rapidly, rainwater constantly flowing into her mouth as she spoke. She spat out a mouthful of rain and gave them one last reassurance: "They treat the Mountain God with such devotion. If it were you, would you choose to use a sewer as your Divine Path to reach the temple? Only this main street is at the highest elevation, has no standing water, and is the cleanest."

Ma and Huang suddenly saw the light.

The main street didn't have those malicious people swinging lassos. They walked all the way to the end of the street without obstruction, but the scene before them remained the same; the temple had not appeared.

The three stopped. Bai Xiao pointed at the Gate Tower. "Look, doesn't that look like the entrance to a Great Temple?"

Ma Huilin and Huang Xinxin looked in the direction Bai Xiao pointed. Perhaps because the girl who was hanged on the first day had left such a deep impression, no one had dared to pay attention to that Gate Tower afterward. Everyone thought it was the boundary of the game, and that they would be obliterated if they left.

Looking at the tall Gate Tower now, with its upturned eaves, brackets, and interlocking mortise and tenon joints, it indeed did not look like an ordinary passage. It truly resembled the solemn and dignified entrance of a Great Temple.

"Go, get under the Gate Tower."

Bai Xiao led the way with the flagpole and soon arrived under the Gate Tower. The passage through the tower was spacious. No one had noticed it when they arrived, but now, a door had opened in the wall at some point, with a spiral staircase leading upward inside.

The three climbed the steps and soon reached the end of the stairs.

A white-haired old man was standing beside a Lotus Pedestal. It was the Clan Head who had unveiled the red cloth from the divine statue!

He seemed not to have expected that someone could actually escort the divine statue back. But seeing them arrive, his expression of surprise was quickly suppressed. He pointed to the Lotus Pedestal and said, "Please return the Mountain God to his place."

Ma and Huang were almost moved to tears of joy as they carefully lifted the divine statue onto the pedestal.

The moment the statue was in place, the game's voice rang in the ears of all three simultaneously.

["Congratulations to Player No. 526 Bai Xiao for winning the 'Ancient Town Parade' game. The game rewards have been sent to your personal panel; please check them in a timely manner. The game is disconnecting, please be prepared."]

The world before her eyes fell back into darkness. Before she fully disconnected, Bai Xiao seemed to hear an aged voice.

"What a pity, three of them actually escaped. Tomorrow, I'll have to have Little Zhang bring in another batch of goods..."