6: People from Nanshu Village

On the vast continent, the Naked Ghost was but a drop in the ocean; with her current Yao Race Soldier-Rank strength, she was just an inconspicuous little demon in the world of the Yao Race, where powerhouses were as numerous as clouds.

The Puppet phantoms she commanded were even at the very bottom of the Yao Race food chain, completely devoid of consciousness, mechanically obeying orders.

On the first and fifteenth of every month, these Puppets would descend the mountain, following the Naked Ghost's instructions, to capture fresh blood sacrifices and bring them back for her consumption.

As for the seemingly lush vines, her disciples and grand-disciples, covering the mountains and fields, their strength was actually weak, not even reaching the Spirit Rank. In the eyes of the strong, they were no different from ordinary weeds, so the Naked Ghost rarely paid attention to them, considering them mere dispensable embellishments.

At this moment, what troubled the Naked Ghost most was her arch-nemesis, Blood Fiend.

Blood Fiend was a ferocious black wolf demon, whose strength was on par with the Naked Ghost's. Their territories were adjacent, leading to constant conflicts.

Both harbored ulterior motives, coveting each other's territory and resources, constantly plotting to completely devour the other and transform them into nourishment for their own advancement.

Now, it was a critical juncture for both demons to advance—a race against time for survival. Whoever seized the initiative and completed their advancement first would emerge victorious in the competition, while the losing party would become the victor's meal.

Therefore, both sides were on edge, absolutely unwilling to let the other succeed in advancing first!

This time, when the Naked Ghost perceived that her controlled Puppets had been brutally killed, the number one suspect that instantly flashed through her mind was Blood Fiend.

Thinking of this, the Naked Ghost gritted her teeth, her heart filled with towering hatred.

"If it weren't for my apprehension of the Human Race forces in Qingyun City, why would this old lady need to be so cautious and hesitant! I should have slaughtered all the blood sacrifices long ago!"

"Blood Fiend, oh Blood Fiend! You killed my Puppets, snatched my blood sacrifices; unless thishatred is avenged, I swear I will not rest!"

At the same time, Chang Sheng Village was enveloped in an atmosphere of solemn reverence. The villagers had just finished their devout worship of Lord Chuping, and a group of people emerged from San Wazi's house.

That's right, Lord Chuping was the supreme honorific title given to Lin Chuping by the villagers of Chang Sheng Village.

In these times, with temples dilapidated and faith crumbling, Village Chief Li Fu and Crippled Wang almost turned their family's collection of books upside down before finally managing to find the character "Gong." As for the characters "Chuping," it was a coincidence; when Sister-in-law Qian was cleaning the clay sculpture, she accidentally discovered these two characters at the bottom. Since then, the title "Lord Chuping" spread throughout the village.

"Village Chief!"

"This is bad, this is bad!"

An anxious shout broke the tranquility of the village. The villager who came to report was Li Deshou, Village Chief Li Fu's nephew.

Li Fu's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward, asking urgently,

"What's wrong? Why is it bad?"

Li Deshou ran, panting, his cheeks flushed, and he said disjointedly, "The people from Nan Shu Village are here!"

"What are the people from Nan Shu Village doing here?"

"They... they also want to worship Lord Chuping, and our people have stopped them at the village entrance. Uncle, please go and see!"

Li Deshou stomped his foot in agitation,

"They are numerous and powerful; we probably can't stop them for long."

"Can't stop them? Have they started fighting?"

Upon hearing this, Li Fu's expression grew even more serious. He quickly gathered everyone who could fight and hurried to the village entrance.

As soon as he reached the village entrance, a shocking scene met his eyes:

A dense crowd of people from Nan Shu Village, numbering over thirty, were all kneeling in unison at the entrance of Chang Sheng Village.

Fang Youjin, the Village Chief of Nan Shu Village, led them, kneeling in the center, his posture humble and sincere, which was touching.

Crippled Wang, Qian Dazhuang, and Liu Chunsheng stood guard nearby, holding hoes and sticks, their expressions tense and their eyes vigilant.

"Brother Youjin, what's going on?"

Li Fu walked forward, his tone carrying a hint of concern.

Both of them were village chiefs and had some acquaintance with each other.

Judging by their posture, they didn't seem to be here to cause trouble; rather, they looked like they were begging.

Fang Youjin slowly raised his head, his voice low and hoarse.

"Brother Li Fu, I'm sure you're aware of the situation in our Nan Shu Village. The harvests are bad year after year, natural and man-made disasters are constant, almost all the young and able-bodied have been sacrificed, and life is unbearable."

Upon hearing this, the people of Nan Shu Village kneeling nearby nodded in agreement, their faces filled with sorrow and despair.

"We heard that your village has received the protection of a deity. That's why we've come to implore you to allow us to also worship the deity, and pray that the deity can protect us as well."

Fang Youjin's words were earnest, and his attitude was extremely humble, making it hard to refuse.

However... after hearing these words, Village Chief Li Fu showed a troubled expression.

"Fellow villagers, it's not that I'm unwilling to help. It's just that this matter of the deity is no small thing. How exactly to worship, whether there are any taboos, I haven't even figured it out myself. And even if we really were to worship, I'm afraid we'd have to first ask the deity for permission."

Li Fu was somewhat hesitant.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Wang Huaizhi, who had been kneeling silently behind Fang Youjin, suddenly became agitated.

He abruptly stood up, pointed at Li Fu, and loudly exclaimed, "Village Chief Li, what you're saying isn't right! Deities have always been compassionate and benevolent, saving the world and its people. Why would they mind protecting a few more villages?"

"By privately hiding the deity and not allowing outsiders to worship, aren't you afraid of angering the deity and incurring retribution? Furthermore,Woo...WooWoo..."

The more Wang Huaizhi spoke, the more agitated he became, and he was suddenly silenced as two people on either side simultaneously clapped their hands over his mouth.

Fang Youjin even turned around and slapped Wang Huaizhi directly.

"Village Chief Li, please don't take offense. This bastard is impatient and speaks without thinking; please don't take it to heart."

Li Fu waved his hand and said, "No matter, no matter. I know everyone is anxious."

Seeing Li Fu's attitude soften, Fang Youjin pressed on.

"We know this is abrupt, but we are truly at our wit's end. We are willing to exchange grain for this opportunity."

Upon hearing this, a commotion arose among the crowd.

In these times of frequent famine, how precious was grain? Nan Shu Village itself did not have an abundance of grain, so their willingness to offer grain in exchange for the opportunity to worship showed their determination.

"This isn't a matter of grain or no grain. If Chang Sheng Village angers the deity because of this..."

Li Fu was torn. He really didn't want to become a sinner of Chang Sheng Village!

Looking at the old and young of Chang Sheng Village behind him, Li Fu gritted his teeth. Just as he was about to refuse, he saw a teenager, a dozen years old, whisper a few words to him.

"Is this true?"

Li Fu's eyes widened, filled with pleasant surprise.

The teenager nodded solemnly, "Absolutely true. Qian Shi and Xu Tian were also there at the time, so it's definitely correct."

"Such an important matter, why didn't you say so sooner!"

Li Fu feigned anger and slapped Liu Chunsheng on the back of his head. Liu Chunsheng scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

The three of them had been so engrossed in their happiness at the time that they were giddy with joy and forgot to tell the Village Chief and the others about it.

"Hehe ~ Village Chief, spare me!"

"These rascals!"

Li Fu scolded them verbally, but inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.

After knowing Lord Chuping's intention, Li Fu felt greatly assured. He turned to the expectant crowd from Nan Shu Village and said loudly,

"Since that's the case, then we shall grant Nan Shu Village's request. There's no need to mention the matter of grain again."

Fang Youjin was overjoyed, thanking him profusely, almost shedding tears of old age.

Many people from Nan Shu Village, upon hearing Li Fu agree, even burst into tears, including Wang Huaizhi, who had been emotionally agitated just moments before.

Just now, when the two sides, Nan Shu Village and Chang Sheng Village, were in a tug-of-war, Lin Chuping was watching from the sidelines, his mood like a roller coaster, fluctuating up and down.

Incense Value, ah, these were all his Incense Value!

Just as Lin Chuping was about to forcibly Enter Dream with Village Chief Li Fu to convey his intentions, Liu Chunsheng, that boy, had a sudden moment of clarity at the crucial moment, finally being clever for once.

"Ding! Fang Youjin contributed Incense Value +20!"

"Ding! Li Zhu contributed Incense Value +10!"

"Ding! Wang Huaizhi contributed Incense Value +20!"

"Ding! Zhou Zhou contributed Incense Value +20!"

...