I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 27: Village Ritual for the Mountain God

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Village Ritual for the Mountain God

"Have you guys noticed something? We haven’t seen a single woman on our way here," said Huang En with a solemn expression.

Gu Shanhai recalled for a moment, "Seems like it... You’re not suggesting that all of them have been offered to the Mountain God as wives, are you?"

"According to them, it’s once a year, so it’s one per year. Does Fengtai Village really have enough women to spare?" Huang En continued with the same solemn tone.

This whole village probably has only about fifty or sixty households. They can’t even handle their internal needs, let alone send them to the Mountain God.

"Wait, are you saying that Fengtai Village purchases them from the outside?!" Heavenly Immortal Drunk couldn’t help but gasp. This wasn’t even a hint anymore; it was outright stated.

"There’s a high probability, and they might even be used to bear children before being disposed of as the Mountain God’s brides," Huang En went on.

Gu Shanhai fell silent for a moment: "So you mean the villagers treat the Mountain God as a big scapegoat to take over their problems? That would be infuriating."

The two were at a loss for words. Such a thought process was truly bizarre.

"If it’s true, then this so-called wedding of the Mountain God is probably just a ruse, and the actual situation is far darker than we’ve imagined." Even Heavenly Immortal Drunk’s face turned serious; as a normal person, one would definitely stop such a thing from happening, even in a game.

"I’ll continue to investigate tomorrow. See if you can get into the temple. If it’s true, there’s a good chance the person is held there."

"As for you, can you set up a remote-controlled explosion? If all else fails, let’s blow the whole Fengtai Village sky-high."

Huang En was ruthless. As the saying goes, the law does not concern itself with trifles. Even if this matter were exposed, it wouldn’t change much; they had to take action themselves.

Gu Shanhai’s mind spun. "That won’t work, after all, my skills are spells, not real bombs. However, I can’t blow it up, but I can set it on fire. The houses in Fengtai Village are flammable structures."

He couldn’t store explosive fire attributes, but storing a small flame or spark wasn’t too big of an issue.

"Good, leave this to you," said Huang En, relieved. He knew it wasn’t realistic to expect to blow up the entire village, especially since it was still early in the game. Anyone who could assemble a complete set of skills in the preliminary instance was considered a high-end player, and these skills were generally not very powerful.

The division of labor among the three was clear; at least everyone used their strengths to the fullest.

It’s just that Gu Shanhai felt tonight wouldn’t pass so easily.

They had arrived in the evening, and after sorting out their lodging, night had fallen.

It has to be said, seeing one’s fellow villagers and stabbing them in the back is truly the way it is.

Heavenly Immortal Drunk professed to return to the village to visit family, yet the house was still an old, dilapidated, filthy mess, lacking beds or anything, completely uninhabitable.

There was no way to switch now, they had already paid the money and the owner didn’t care.

He also reminded them that the night might not be peaceful. Heavenly Immortal Drunk and Huang En frowned upon hearing this.

"Do you mean the ’brides’ offered for the sacrifice might try to escape tonight?" asked Huang En.

"That’s a possibility. Just listen for any commotion later; isn’t that always how it goes?" said Gu Shanhai.

That earned the agreement of the others. They might have questioned the rationale, but when it came to gameplay, they were on board.

As night deepened, an abrupt shadow seemed to be peering into the house from outside the window.

The old house had windows pasted with paper, and combined with the moonlight, it looked eerie.

For players, eerie was irrelevant; as long as you showed your health bar, they were prepared to attack.

The three exchanged glances. Gu Shanhai carefully crouched and moved to the blind spot below the window.

Then, after signaling readiness, he sprang up without hesitation and thrust his hand through the paper-window, grabbing the shadow’s neck and yanking it into the room.

Before the figure could react, he landed two heavy punches, smashing several teeth and visibly swelling the cheeks.

"Shut up, make a sound and I’ll slit your throat," Huang En said, pulling out a scalpel and holding it against the person.

"Find some rope and hang him from the beam, and gag him," Gu Shanhai instructed with practiced ease.

Heavenly Immortal Drunk moved quickly, and the three of them dealt with the intruder together.

The intruder was a muscular man, his face filled with horror; he hadn’t expected to be captured so easily.

Meanwhile, Huang En began to interrogate the man while Gu Shanhai took some tools from his portable laboratory to fix the paper-window to keep out the chilling wind.

"Now I’ll ask something, and you answer. If you so much as scream for help, tomorrow will be your death anniversary," Huang En said harshly.

If it weren’t for the fact that players didn’t need sleep, the intruder might have actually gotten in.

The man nodded hurriedly, clearly tamed for the moment.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Huang En demanded as he tore off the gag from the man’s mouth.

"My father is Qian Lao, he told me Zhou Heiwa was wealthy and sent me here tonight to take some money," the man explained hastily, then addressed Heavenly Immortal Drunk, "Heiwa, we’re all from the village. We see each other often. I was wrong, I’ll apologize with a feast tomorrow."

"Heh, what exactly is the situation with the Mountain God’s offerings?" Huang En cut to the chase.

Heavenly Immortal Drunk naturally paid no more attention to the man, who truly exemplified the rough ways of the villagers.

"I...ah~mmph~"

Huang En casually jabbed the scalpel into the man’s thigh, and before he could yell, covered his mouth swiftly, silencing any scream.

"It seems you still don’t get what I’m saying. Here’s another chance; I only want to hear the answers I need, not pleas for leniency. Understand? Blink if you do," said Huang En, deceptively pleasant but ruthlessly decisive.

The man blinked hurriedly to indicate compliance.

The pain twisted his face, but it made him even more compliant.

"What’s the deal with the Mountain God’s offerings?"

"We offer a bride to the Mountain God every year, and in return, he ensures the firstborn in every family is a son," the man said quickly.

"Where do all these brides come from?" Huang En asked the core question.

The man glanced at Heavenly Immortal Drunk but noticed Huang En poised with the scalpel, apparently ready to act.

"From outside, we buy them," the man’s voice was sharp as he replied.