Chapter 21: Fairness

Page 1/3

Shen Si nodded. "They hide in the temple at night to kill people. There must be an important plot there."

Liang Dan said, "Maybe it’s related to that abandoned building. What should we do during the day?"

"Whatever you want," Yang Liuqing said. "Look for that woman, the little boy, the man on the sacrificial altar, the ones carrying the offerings, or even the players."

Liang Dan said, "We’ve been saying that woman and the little boy are important NPCs, but we never really paid attention to that man. He’s been standing on the altar all along."

"Fine." Yang Liuqing stuffed a dandelion into her mouth, grabbed the axe on the ground, and turned to leave the temple.

Liang Dan clenched the scissors tightly, Shen Si held a fruit knife, and the three of them cautiously walked toward the village.

As they reached the village entrance, they noticed the platform was gone. Turning into the village, a strong stench of blood hit them.

In front of the ruins of several houses, two pillars had appeared, each tied with a bloodied person.

They looked around and saw no one nearby, so they cautiously approached.

On the ground in front of the pillars, fresh red blood spelled out a line of words:

"Day 21 of the sacrificial rites.

"The altar has been destroyed. We offer your favorite child and the traitor, hoping the River God will forgive us."

"Your favorite child?"

Liang Dan looked up and checked the little boy’s breath on the pillar. He had lost his breath; his body was cold.

Shen Si’s voice trembled, "I… I was here yesterday… How could they be so cruel? Killing their own people just like that?"

"It’s okay," Yang Liuqing said. "Although we lost two important NPCs, we gained the count of sacrificial days. Yesterday was the 21st day."

Liang Dan’s fingers trembled as she checked the middle-aged woman’s breath, then slowly covered her wide-open eyes.

"Quick, catch them!"

"Today’s offerings have arrived!"

Liang Dan turned back; countless villagers burst from the corner, carrying hoes and other farming tools.

It seemed they had been hiding in those cornfields, waiting for their appearance.

Anger surged within Liang Dan. She shook off Shen Si’s grabbed hand, raised the scissors, and charged forward.

Page 2/3

Yang Liuqing, about to run, glared and turned back, "What are you doing—"

The middle-aged man on the altar swung a shovel at Liang Dan. She grabbed the upper part of the shovel and gently pushed it back. The man fell, knocking down several villagers.

A sickle came down from behind her head. Liang Dan kicked backward; the one wielding the sickle tumbled to the ground.

Villagers with farming tools rushed at Liang Dan, but she disarmed each one, throwing their weapons aside and kicking them down.

Within seconds, no villager remained standing; all lay on the ground, faces pale with terror, wailing in pain.

Yang Liuqing and Shen Si stood dumbfounded, their jaws nearly dropping to the floor.

Liang Dan stood in the center. "Your people grow fewer by the day. Has this absurd sacrificial ritual not ended yet?!"

The middle-aged man shouted, "What do you know as a woman? If we don’t offer sacrifices to the River God, our bridge won’t get built!"

Liang Dan crouched before him. "Does your so-called River God really exist?"

The man glared at her. "If we hadn’t seen the River God, why would we be so obsessed? It’s the River God who demands human sacrifices, and the River God who appointed Xiao Zhang as the priest!"

Liang Dan stood, closed her eyes, and covered her ears with her hands. "Yang Liuqing, Shen Si, move quickly and quietly."

She waited silently with closed eyes. After several minutes, someone tapped her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw Yang Liuqing and Shen Si standing nearby; the villagers were now all bound with their own clothes.

Liang Dan waited a moment, but nothing happened.

Yang Liuqing asked, "Do you know martial arts?"

Liang Dan nodded.

As a child, she had seen children in danger on the news and begged her mother to let her learn martial arts.

She learned many styles, blending them into her own unique method, so formidable that even adults training alongside her couldn’t defeat her.

She wanted to protect the world, everyone she could see or not see, but in the end, she couldn’t even protect her mother.

Shen Si asked, "What do you mean by ‘seeing the River God’? How did the River God appoint him as priest?"

The middle-aged man sneered, "I thought you were different from others, but you’re just curious people chasing some so-called truth."

Shen Si asked, "Do many people ask you these questions?"

The man looked at her. "You outsiders are curious about our village’s fate. We tell you our story, then sacrifice you to the River God. Isn’t that fair?"

Page 3/3

Shen Si frowned. "What’s fair about that? We pay with our lives, and you just say a few words."

The man laughed loudly. "Fairness is always relative!"

Yang Liuqing stepped forward swiftly, swinging her axe and striking the man’s leg. Blood poured out as he screamed in agony.

"Are you alright?" Liang Dan ran over and stepped on his leg. "Your leg’s bleeding. Let me stop the bleeding for you!"

She pressed down hard with her foot. The man’s mouth opened wide as he howled, tears and snot streaming from his face.

Yang Liuqing hoisted the axe. "I thought you were different from others, but you’re just someone who screams when hurt."

"You…" the man shouted. "I’ll kill you! I’ll sacrifice you to the River God!"

"Oh dear," Liang Dan said, shoving the scissors into his mouth. "If you scream like that, you might bite your tongue. This place is harsh; there’s no tongue depressor, so make do."

"Mmmph mmph mmph."

"Don’t spit it out," Liang Dan said gently. "Be careful with your tongue."

The middle-aged man’s eyes widened; he dared not move.

Liang Dan looked at a young man tied nearby. "You answer. How did you see the River God?"

The young man hurriedly said, "Two months ago, the women in our village ran away, even our boat left. So we decided to build a bridge."

Yang Liuqing and Shen Si came forward. The three of them stared at the young man.

His face flushed. "We made some simple preparations and started building. But the bridge we built during the day would disappear by the next morning if left unattended."

Yang Liuqing raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

The young man nodded repeatedly. "Yes, exactly like that."

Yang Liuqing threw a punch, hitting the man’s eye. He immediately howled in pain.

Another punch struck the other eye. Suddenly, a familiar screen appeared before Liang Dan’s eyes:

"Peerless Virtuous Liang Dan, ignoring violence, you have died!"