100: Chapter 100 Sitting and Waiting for Death

At the very front of the line was Village Chief Wang Deshun.

He held three sticks of joss incense in his hand—freshly unpacked, their tips stark white and unlit.

Crossing the threshold, he walked up to the altar table, lit the incense with the candle flame, and inserted them into the incense burner.

Taking two steps back, he knelt on the futon and kowtowed.

His mind was filled with the golden light he had seen last night, and that sword of light that flew from the golden figure's hand.

Is this Lord Qinling?!

[incense points +2]

Village Chief Sun Mancang followed closely behind.

Just like Village Chief Wang Deshun, he walked up to the altar table, pulled three sticks of incense from beside the burner, lit them, and inserted them into the burner.

Taking a step back, he knelt down and kowtowed.

He didn't close his eyes, keeping them open as he stared up at the divine statue with its lowered gaze.

[incense points +2]

All those who hadn't come to the Temple of Lord Qinling yesterday had arrived today.

One by one, they walked to the altar table, lit their incense, inserted them into the burner, knelt, and kowtowed.

[incense points +1]

[incense points +1]

[incense points +1]

Today, there was no repeat of yesterday's situation where no incense points were gained; every single refugee provided incense points for Qin Ling.

Seeing this, Qin Ling nodded gently and smiled faintly.

After everyone finished offering incense and departed, quiet fell over the temple hall.

The incense in the burner continued to burn, wisps of blue smoke curling and swirling beneath the dull red sky.

Village Chief Qin Zongliang didn't leave; he stood beside the altar table, still clutching three unlit sticks of incense.

Qin Yin and Qin Mo stood behind him, while Village Chief Wang Deshun and Village Chief Sun Mancang had also stayed behind.

The two watched Qin Zongliang, the village chief of Qin Family Village.

Village Chief Qin Zongliang placed the incense back beside the burner, turned around, and looked at Village Chief Wang Deshun and Village Chief Sun Mancang.

The expression on his face was somewhat serious.

"Gentlemen, there are a few things I must state upfront."

His voice was deep, ringing clear and audible in the quiet temple.

"Lord Qinling is a benevolent deity, and our Qin Family Village is not a place that leaves people to die."

"It is right and proper for us to take you in when you flee here for safety, but in times like these, mere kindness won't be enough for us to pull through."

Village Chief Wang Deshun raised his head, his lips moving slightly, but no words came out.

Village Chief Sun Mancang kept his head lowered, anxiously rubbing the corner of his clothes.

Village Chief Qin Zongliang continued.

"Thanks to Lord Qinling, our Qin Family Village had a good harvest recently, and we stored some food in the village. Rationing it carefully, we can still last for a while."

"But you've seen it too—that shroud in the sky, and whatever happened in the sea. Boats can't go out, and we can't catch fish."

"Relying solely on existing reserves won't last us long."

Village Chief Qin Zongliang glanced at Village Chief Wang Deshun and Village Chief Sun Mancang before continuing.

"Over at Zhou Family Village, Village Chief Zhou Ping said they could spare some of their food reserves for emergency relief."

"However, Zhou Family Village is living off their savings too. This isn't a long-term solution."

"So we must find a way. We can't just wait around, consuming our reserves and waiting for death—sooner or later, it will be the end of us."

When Village Chief Qin Zongliang finished speaking, a moment of silence fell over the temple hall.

Village Chief Wang Deshun and Village Chief Sun Mancang exchanged a glance.

Village Chief Wang Deshun spoke first, his voice raspy.

"Chief Qin, our village has food. The autumn grain was just harvested and we hadn't had time to sell it yet—it's all stored in the granary in the middle of the village."

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"But that night, when those roots burst out from underground, all we could think about was running."

"Who had time to care about grain? We were lucky just to make it out alive."

He lowered his head, his eyes filled with helplessness.

"Over the past few days, some thought about going back for the grain, but who would dare?"

"The village has already been taken over by the Evil Tree's roots. Going back is just seeking death."

Village Chief Sun Mancang spoke up next, his voice muffled.

"It's the same for our village. There's food in the granary, but no one dares to go back."

"Those roots burst out from underground and have taken over the entire Sun Family Village. Going back now—wouldn't that just be offering ourselves as nutrients for that tree?"

As he spoke, his body trembled slightly, as if recalling the horrors of that night.

Village Chief Qin Zongliang listened and fell silent for a brief moment before speaking.

"If your villages were to enshrine Lord Qinling, perhaps Lord Qinling could help you drive away the Evil Tree's roots."

"When that time comes, wouldn't your food problem be solved?"

Village Chief Wang Deshun and Village Chief Sun Mancang froze, then their knees buckled and they dropped to the floor with a thud.

They kowtowed repeatedly, their foreheads hitting the ground with loud thumps.

"We're willing! We're willing!"

Village Chief Wang Deshun raised his head, his rimmed eyes bloodshot.

"If we can really drive away the Evil Tree's roots and return to Wangjia Village, our village will worship Lord Qinling for generations to come!"

Village Chief Sun Mancang raised his head as well, his voice choking.

"Our Sun Family Village is the same! As long as the Evil Tree's roots can be expelled, our entire village is willing to worship Lord Qinling for generations to come!"

Seeing this, Qin Ling inside the divine shrine slapped his thigh.

He hadn't expected Village Chief Qin Zongliang to understand his divine will so well, knowing that as a deity, he needed as many worshippers as possible.

Village Chief Wang Deshun hesitated for a moment before asking the question he was most worried about.

"Chief Qin, how will Lord Qinling deal with those things?"

"The Evil Tree's roots have already occupied the entire village. If we go back, I fear it will be a dead end."

"We're not afraid to die, but we don't want to die in vain."

Hearing this, Village Chief Qin Zongliang froze. He had only instinctively wanted to help increase incense for Lord Qinling.

But how could he possibly know what Lord Qinling planned to do?

Just as Village Chief Qin Zongliang was at a loss for words, Qin Ling inside the divine shrine raised a hand.

Divine technique, Dream-Entering Technique.

In the temple hall, as soon as Village Chief Qin Zongliang's voice faded, his body suddenly swayed.

His eyes were still open, but the focus in his pupils was gradually scattering.

Then his eyes closed, and his body pitched forward.

Village Chief Wang Deshun and Village Chief Sun Mancang's eyes widened in shock, and they reached out to support him.

However, they were some distance away from Village Chief Qin Zongliang and couldn't reach him in time.

They could only watch as Village Chief Qin Zongliang's body fell straight forward.

Right at that moment, a figure darted over from the side, moving so fast that Village Chief Wang Deshun only saw a blur.

Qin Yin extended both hands, firmly supporting Village Chief Qin Zongliang's shoulders, holding him steady before gently leaning his body against the altar table.

Qin Mo's reaction was a step slower, but he had also rushed to Village Chief Qin Zongliang's side.

Qin Yin leaned Village Chief Qin Zongliang against the leg of the altar table, placing him in a seated position with his back against the table.

Village Chief Qin Zongliang's head tilted to one side, his breathing steady and his chest rising and falling rhythmically, looking as though he had fallen asleep.

Qin Yin reached out to check his breathing and felt his pulse before saying to the pale-faced Village Chief Wang Deshun and Village Chief Sun Mancang.

"It's alright. The village chief fell asleep."

Village Chief Wang Deshun's legs were still shaking, his voice trembling.

"F-Fell asleep? He was fine just a moment ago. How could he fall asleep standing up all of a sudden?"

Village Chief Sun Mancang also leaned in, staring at Village Chief Qin Zongliang's softly snoring face, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"W-What is going on here?"