Chapter 16: Home
Yang Liuqing didn’t even turn her head. “Because your skills are useful to me. If I’m not mistaken, you should have abilities like time reversal.”
Before Liang Dan could speak, Yang Liuqing continued, “You don’t need to tell me exactly what your skills are; I’m not interested.”
Liang Dan sighed inwardly: Yang Liuqing truly is a veteran—she can express concern in such a harsh way without breaking character.
Yang Liuqing’s footsteps stopped in front of a house. Liang Dan recognized it as the place where the woman from before lived—the same indigenous woman who had nearly killed her once.
Yang Liuqing casually tossed the unconscious little boy she was holding into Liang Dan’s arms. Liang Dan quickly caught him.
The boy was still unconscious, his eyes tightly closed, his eyelashes trembling faintly.
Yang Liuqing pointed at Shen Si. “You go knock on the door.”
Without a word, Shen Si gently knocked.
A middle-aged woman’s voice came from inside. “Who is it?”
Shen Si strained her voice. “Hello, we are newcomers from another village. We hope to stay here for one night.”
“How many of you are there?” the woman asked.
“We are three,” Shen Si replied.
“Are there any men?” the woman asked again.
“Yes,” Shen Si said, “my brother and I came together.”
The woman said, “There’s no space left in my house. You should try next door, the house on my right.”
“All right, thank you, Auntie,” Shen Si said.
Suddenly, Yang Liuqing kicked the door open. The middle-aged woman turned sharply, and Yang Liuqing’s axe struck her. The woman collapsed to the ground.
Liang Dan and Shen Si quickly entered. Shen Si shut the door that had been kicked open, and Liang Dan placed the little boy on the floor by the wall, then grabbed a chair to wedge against the door.
Seconds later, a screen that hadn’t appeared for a long time suddenly flashed before them:
“Peerless Benevolent Liang Dan, you ignored the wounded and died!”
Liang Dan was stunned. After nearly a full day without dying, she had almost forgotten about this.
She lifted the woman and set her on a stool near the door. “Hang in there. You’ll be fine.”
Yang Liuqing smiled, axe in hand, and stepped inside to inspect the small room. In less than a minute, she was done.
Shaking her head, Yang Liuqing said, “There’s no one inside.”
Liang Dan moved the woman’s body and turned her over. She was panting heavily, eyes glaring a deep scarlet.
Yang Liuqing squatted down, staring into her eyes. “Today’s the second day. Why didn’t your ritual take place?”
The middle-aged woman said, “We didn’t have enough sacrifices.”
“What was today’s sacrifice?”
“Women turned into sheep.”
“Why no sacrifices?”
“The outsiders were too wary today and wouldn’t enter the house.”
“Outsiders are wary, but what about you?”
“Not enough.”
“What do you mean?”
“We need five sacrifices, but the village doesn’t have five women.”
“I see.”
The woman glared at her. “What do you want? We didn’t make sacrifices out of you, nor did we pursue you further. You didn’t suffer any losses; why do you keep chasing us?”
Shen Si angrily retorted, “You turning us into ducks and nearly slitting our throats—was that no loss at all?!”
The woman gave her a sidelong glance. “It was only almost.”
“You—”
Shen Si raised her fist as if to strike, but the woman remained expressionless.
Yang Liuqing asked, “If you don’t have enough sacrifices, do you cancel the ritual?”
“Yes.”
“But won’t the river god be angry?”
“Tomorrow, just wait until tomorrow’s ritual. We will make double offerings to appease the river god.”
“What will tomorrow’s sacrifice be?”
“Men turned into pigs.”
“How many men? Any age restrictions?”
“Also five, no children.”
“That’s a lot of men. Where will you find them?”
“Many outsiders have come. I have a few locked in my storeroom; my neighbor to the right has several as well.”
“How do you turn people into animals?”
The woman frowned. “It’s a skill we suddenly gained. It’s mystical and hard to explain.”
“There’s a lot of corn outside,” Yang Liuqing said, looking out the small window, which barely showed anything. “Did you plant it?”
The woman shook her head. “No.”
“Then who did?”
“The villagers who left.”
Liang Dan found it strange. The woman answered every question quickly and straightforwardly, without any flaw—everything sounded truthful.
Except for the order of sacrifices differing from what Zhang Wei said, there was no other issue.
But Zhang Wei’s order was false; Liang Dan had already learned this from the little boy yesterday.
Liang Dan asked, “Why do you answer every question? Why are you so obedient?”
The woman’s tone was calm. “If I don’t answer, will you stop asking? You still keep asking, so I might as well answer early to avoid some physical pain.”
Liang Dan sighed softly. “The women who farmed have left. Why didn’t you leave?”
The woman chuckled lightly. “I’m different from them.”
“How so?”
“This is my home. Their homes aren’t here.”
Liang Dan felt a pang in her heart. Although this woman had tried to kill her once, seeing her so numb now stirred a sadness within her.
Liang Dan said, “The place that makes you feel comfortable is your true home. You can leave and create a home of your own.”
The woman smiled and shook her head. “You’re still too young.”
Shen Si said, “Don’t waste your breath. People like her won’t understand.”
Liang Dan said, “I have one last question.”
“Ask.”
“In every storeroom, there’s a hole beside the bed. Who made those holes?”
The woman smiled at her. “You’ve already guessed, haven’t you? The villagers who left.”
Liang Dan crouched down. “Have you ever been there?”
The woman closed her eyes, avoiding Liang Dan’s gaze.
Liang Dan sighed quietly and stood up. She had to admit, Shen Si was right.
“Then let me ask something else,” Liang Dan said softly. “What about the young people carrying the sacrifices? Why don’t their footsteps make any sound?”
“Help—me—oink oink!”
A man’s cry for help instantly transformed into the squeals of a pig. Liang Dan took a deep breath and gently laid the woman down by the wall.
She gripped the kitchen knife tightly. “After I leave, make sure to close the door tightly. Don’t let anyone in.”
Shen Si said, “I’m coming with you.”
Liang Dan turned back. “I have to free those locked in the storerooms.”
Yang Liuqing crossed her arms. “I’ll go too. No choice—your skills are useful to me.”