Chapter 351

Chapter 351: A Reunion with Evil Spirits

The beginning of winter.

After three consecutive days of gray skies, the heavens finally released tiny flakes of frost and snow.

Snowflakes the size of rice grains fell onto the rooftops, making crackling sounds, truly marking the arrival of the bitter winter.

The weather had turned bitterly cold; the surface of the little river at the eastern edge of Datian Village had formed a thin layer of ice.

The north wind howled across the desolate fields, and the distant mountain peaks were already blanketed in pristine snow.

Yet, on this otherwise quiet day, Houtu Temple in Datian Village was unusually lively, bustling with the clamor of voices.

The temple was filled with the scent of incense, and outside, nine enormous pots were set up.

Fierce flames licked at the black bottoms of the pots, and steam rose from the boiling water, where diced pork splashed around, mingling thoroughly with various spices.

The air was saturated with an aroma that made one’s mouth water.

Every year during the beginning of winter, it was the day to honor the Earth Mother, drawing townsfolk from ten miles around.

Villagers gathered to offer incense and sacrifices to the Earth Mother, who protected the land and its people, while also praying for a bountiful harvest and stability in the coming year.

Of course, during the sacrificial rite, they could not neglect to fill their own bellies; the meat stew simmering in those nine large pots was meant to be shared among everyone as delicious food.

This was called the sacrificial stew.

Each large pot could yield two hundred bowls of the sacrificial stew.

This year, unlike previous years, the amount of meat in the stew was particularly generous.

The meat used was from first-tier magical beasts!

Originally, Xu Miao was in charge of the ceremonies, but after her capture, the position of temple keeper had remained vacant.

Thus, this year, the three elders from the village presided over the ritual.

After the ceremonial rites were completed, one elder scooped a large bowl of the sacrificial stew from the pot and held it out to Wang Chen with both hands, respectfully saying, “My Lord, please partake.”

“My Lord, please partake!”

Thousands of villagers inside and outside Houtu Temple bowed toward Wang Chen in greeting.

This was the highest form of respect on the day of the sacrifice, symbolizing the genuine admiration and reverence everyone felt for Wang Chen as their village chief!

Wang Chen took the bowl of sacrificial stew and raised it high, “To Heaven!”

Then he set it down, “Thank you, Earth!”

He drank the stew in one go, completely finishing it!

He wasn’t afraid of the heat and thought it tasted quite good.

After Wang Chen finished this bowl of sacrificial stew, a feast began.

Hundreds of villagers lined up in front of the nine large pots, eagerly sharing the steaming meat stew.

Besides a generous bowl of sacrificial stew, each household also received thirty pounds of wild boar meat.

In the past half month, Wang Chen had led the guard team from Datian Village into the mountains to hunt, capturing a large number of magical beasts.

This long-tusked wild boar, weighing seven to eight hundred pounds, could yield over three hundred pounds of premium meat and over a hundred pounds of fat, with the guard team having hunted more than a hundred of them in total.

If evenly distributed among the village, each household could receive over a hundred pounds!

After the new season’s autumn harvest was stored, the public treasury of Datian Village was more abundant than ever before.

As the founder of the guard team and the architect of various systems, Wang Chen’s prestige in the village soared.

Now, he truly lived up to his reputation!

Subsequently, the entire village entered a state akin to hibernation.

A few days later, a heavy snowfall enveloped the village, prompting the villagers to stay indoors.

Only the young men of the guard team patrolled daily through the deep snow, becoming the most distinctive presence in Datian Village.

“Village chief!”

One day, as Wang Chen was at home enjoying a beast meat hot pot, someone knocked on the door of the village chief’s residence.

It was Xiao Hong, the captain of the guard team, looking tense and grave. After paying his respects, he urgently informed Wang Chen, “My Lord, there’s been an incident!”

The incident involved a family with the surname Huang.

Wang Chen followed Xiao Hong to the Huang household, where he found two corpses lying in the yard.

The deceased were an elderly couple, lying on the snowy ground with expressions of fear etched on their faces from their final moments.

Wang Chen noticed black finger marks on their necks, suggesting they had been strangled to death.

Inside the house, there were two more bodies—a child of about five or six and a young woman.

Their deaths were strikingly similar to those of the elderly couple.

“This is Chen Laowu, a neighbor of this family,” Xiao Hong introduced a middle-aged man who had followed them in. “He was the one who discovered the tragedy.”

The middle-aged man was visibly nervous and could barely lift his head in Wang Chen’s presence.

Wang Chen inquired, “Is the entire family dead?”

Chen Laowu quickly shook his head, “Huang Ze is missing.”

The family consisted of five members—grandparents, a daughter-in-law, and a grandson—while the head of the family, Huang Ze, was nowhere to be found.

Xiao Hong said, “I’ve sent someone to look for him. I suspect…”

He hesitated to continue.

Wang Chen asked Chen Laowu to step outside, then turned to Xiao Hong, “Do you suspect that this family was harmed by Evil Spirits?”

Xiao Hong nodded, “Yes.”

“Your suspicion is correct.”

Wang Chen sighed, “This family has indeed been harmed by Evil Spirits. Huang Ze has likely been possessed by them and has killed his own parents, wife, and child.”

This was a true human tragedy!

What makes Evil Spirits so detestable is their lack of desires and emotions, and their complete absence of humanity.

Those whose soul awareness has been overtaken by Evil Spirits are capable of committing any atrocity!

Xiao Hong felt a chill, “Then I must ensure the brothers are cautious.”

Evil Spirits are not like wild boars that can be easily shot with a demon-hunting bow; they are incredibly elusive and troublesome, with myriad methods to harm people, often making it difficult to defend against them.

Wang Chen reached into his storage bag and pulled out a large stack of talismans: “These are the dispelling talismans I crafted. When you apply your vital blood to them, they can be activated. Distribute them all.”

Xiao Hong was surprised to learn of Wang Chen’s skill in Talisman Making and quickly accepted them, saying, “Thank you, My Lord.”

Wang Chen waved his hand, “It’s nothing. Just ensure everyone remains vigilant to prevent further attacks by Evil Spirits. By the way…”

He asked Xiao Hong, “What is the relationship between Huang Ze and Huang Deqi?”

The answer indicated a distant kinship, with complex ties among the prominent families.

Xiao Hong thought for a moment before replying, “There shouldn’t be a direct blood relationship, but I recall Huang Ze had worked for Huang Deqi before, then later withdrew.”

Wang Chen nodded.

This could very well be the source of the disaster.

He hadn’t expected that even after Huang Deqi had been captured for so long, there were still matters in Datian Village connected to Lord Huang.

Wang Chen instructed Xiao Hong to lay all four bodies out in the yard.

“Dust to dust, earth to earth, souls return to Thick Earth…”

He took out the Rebirth Talismans and the Exorcism Talisman, beginning to perform a ritual for these poor souls.

This was to allow their spirits to return to the Thick Earth and no longer be exploited by Evil Spirits, preventing unforgivable acts.

The die was cast; there was no going back!

In this situation, Wang Chen decided to personally handle the matter.