I Killed Gods and Demons in Song Dynasty

Chapter 170: Fengcun Village Chief
After listening to the old woman's words, Li Qingyun became more certain of his guess.

These villagers looked like living mortals, without any aura of evil or monsters, but everyone's behavior seemed too mechanical, as if they were perfectly following some invisible rules, as if they were controlled by a mysterious force.

The reason why he was unable to find out the past and future of these villagers through divination was because the trajectory of their fate had disappeared and was completely erased from the long river of fate.

Although these people still maintain their appearance and behavior, as if they are living a normal life, in fact, they have become a kind of empty shell - their fate has long been taken away by others, and they have been completely separated from the long river of destiny.

Li Qingyun's mind quickly flashed back to the experience of using the magical power of "Bassnake Swallowing Elephant" to seize Gao Ren'an's fate, which was extremely similar to this method.

But the process of him replacing Gao Ren'an's identity was a rough and direct tampering of fate, while the method here was more delicate and sophisticated, just like a surgical operation, accurately taking away the fate but perfectly preserving the body, and even making these "people" look completely normal.

These villagers who have lost their destiny are like soulless puppets, controlled by some invisible force. They follow established rules and interact with people mechanically, just like the non-player characters (NPCs) in video games in the previous life, who only repeat actions according to established commands.

Li Qingyun secretly reasoned that the weirdness of the village stems from the existence of these rules, and the key to unlocking the secret of this village and leaving this place may lie in finding out the true meaning of these "rules".

Currently, he knows four:

First, you cannot force your way into an empty door.

Second, no noise.

Third, you can’t go out at night.

Fourth, you cannot leave the village after dusk.

These rules seem to be shackles that imprison the village and have become invisible chains that control the actions of the villagers.

Li Qingyun realized that it was these rules that could not be violated that kept the village running, and these villagers had become empty shells that relied entirely on the rules to survive.

In order to further verify his conjecture, he still asked with a smile:

"Auntie, breaking and entering and making noise do make some sense, but why can't we go out at night? And if no one is making noise, why is there noise outside?

"Also, why can't we leave the village after dusk?"

"I don't know. This is a rule passed down by the older generation in the village, passed down from generation to generation, and we just follow it. The reason is that we are uneducated and can't even recognize two big words, so how can we explain it clearly?

"But young master, rules are rules. If you don't follow them..."

She paused, a strange smile on her face, "...a disaster is about to happen."

Li Qingyun's heart shuddered. Sure enough, the weirdness of this village did not come from the villagers, but from these mysterious and strange rules themselves.

The villagers are just like puppets, controlled by these seemingly ordinary rules.

Once someone violates these rules, it may trigger the terrifying power hidden deep in this village.

After understanding this principle, he did not intend to easily test the bottom line of these rules, because according to his divination, once he stepped out of the limit, something extremely dangerous would happen.

These rules are the real shadow that hangs over Fengcun.

The most suspicious thing is the "wedding" to be held at the village chief's house tomorrow.

With this in mind, Li Qingyun decided to go to the village chief's house to inquire and see if he could find some new clues.

So he asked very politely:

"Auntie, where is the village chief's home? Since it's their wedding, should I prepare some gifts?"

The old woman took out a handful of candies from her bosom, threw them hard, and scattered them to the children on the street, which immediately caused a scramble.

She laughed, and the wrinkles on her face smoothed out:
"Young man, you are really thoughtful. The village chief's house is at the end of this road, with two rows of pine trees planted in front of the door. But the village chief is wealthy and doesn't need a gift from a stranger like you. As long as you come, you can just drink a glass of wedding wine and share in the joy..."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

After Li Qingyun thanked her, he followed her instructions and walked forward along the narrow path in the village.

As the sun sets, the light around gradually dims, the smoke from distant cooking fires also dissipates, and the joyous and bustling village gradually falls into an eerie silence. Only the occasional barking of dogs makes this depressing silence seem less suffocating.

Not long after, he saw a large house hidden in the lush greenery. Two rows of densely planted pine trees with lush branches and leaves almost blocked the entire view of the yard, as if they were silently guarding the house and preventing outsiders from prying.

The breeze blew by, and there was a slight rustling sound between the pine needles, as if something was whispering in the dark. The shadows under the pine trees were particularly thick, intertwined with the silent atmosphere of the village, like some kind of invisible barrier, completely isolating the yard from the outside world.

Li Qingyun walked forward and found that the main entrance was much wider than that of ordinary houses. The vermilion lacquered door was inlaid with faded ancient patterns, which looked heavy and ancient. The door knocker was covered with a thick layer of rust, as if it had not been opened for many years and had been abandoned by time.

Two stone lions squatted quietly on both sides of the gate. Their ferocious faces looked particularly terrifying in the dim light. The eyes of the stone lions flickered slightly in the darkness, as if silently watching the uninvited guests approaching.

This house is very different from the simple houses in Feng Village in terms of its layout style and grandeur. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, it would have been hard for him to imagine that in this lonely and remote village, there was such a solemn and mysterious mansion.

Li Qingyun stood at the door and made a simple divination. He learned that there was no powerful enemy ambushing inside, so he walked forward and gently knocked on the doorknob.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from inside the door, as if a group of mice were crawling in the dark. The sound was light and fragmented, which made people feel a little cold.

After a moment, the door made a harsh creaking sound and slowly opened.

A skinny face popped out from behind the door. It was an elderly servant.

His skin was as pale as paper, tightly wrapped around his bones. His eyes were lifeless and he glanced at Li Qingyun blankly. There was no surprise or confusion on his face, as if he had expected someone to come.

"This Taoist priest, are you here to see the village chief?"

The old servant's voice was hoarse and low, as if it came from underground.

Li Qingyun imitated the Taoist priest, bowed his head and said:
"I am a foreigner, passing by your precious place. I heard that your young master is getting married tomorrow, so I came to congratulate you."

Upon hearing this, the old servant's stiff face slowly unfolded into an extremely unnatural smile. The smile seemed to be pulling at his already dry skin, making it look particularly strange and creepy.

"You are so thoughtful, Taoist. The village chief is busy with housework. You can wait in the flower hall first. Please come in."

He turned slightly sideways and made a gesture of invitation.

Li Qingyun stepped over the high threshold and immediately felt a chill creeping up from the soles of his feet. This house seemed deeper and wider than it looked from the outside. The courtyard was filled with an old, musty smell, as if no one had taken care of it for a long time.

He followed the old servant's footsteps and passed through one courtyard after another. With every step he took, the slippery moss on the stone pavement under his feet would squeak.

Along the way, the shadows of the dead tree branches on both sides swayed, like a pair of twisted claws in the dim light, swaying in the breeze as if silently reaching out to him.

Although the surroundings were unusually quiet, Li Qingyun felt as if a thorn in his back was being stabbed, as if countless pairs of eyes were closely watching his every move in the darkness.

The inescapable feeling of being watched wrapped around him like an invisible tentacle, making his breathing even heavier.

Finally, after passing through four courtyards, he was led into a flower hall and sat down.

Servants and maids filed in and quietly served him tea. They also had the same lifeless smile on their faces, stiff and empty, as if their souls had left their bodies.

Li Qingyun looked around. The flower hall was decorated extremely gorgeously, and every item showed careful carving and ingenuity. However, an inexplicable chill rose in his heart.

The chill did not come from the coldness of the surroundings, but from an indescribable sense of familiarity, as if he had seen this scene countless times in nightmares.

There were several dim lanterns hanging at the four corners of the flower hall. The faint light flickered and the surface of the lanterns had a strange luster.

Li Qingyun took a closer look and his heart suddenly tightened - the material of these lanterns was not ordinary silk, but human skin.

The delicate skin texture was clearly visible, as if the faint candlelight in the lantern was emitting a pale red light through the blood vessels.

His eyes moved to the ground, and the crimson carpet was particularly conspicuous. It seemed to be soaked in blood and exuded a disgusting fishy smell.

The texture of the foot rug was rough, as if it was woven and dyed with layers of human blood, condensed into this shocking object before one's eyes.

When Li Qingyun walked by, he seemed to hear a slight sticky sound under his feet, as if the blood had not completely dried up yet.

The armchair not far away shocked him even more. A piece of paint had fallen off the surface of the chair, revealing the material underneath - it turned out to be white bones.

Li Qingyun frowned slightly, and the uncontrollable feeling of nausea quickly surged into his heart, but he suppressed the discomfort and pretended to be calm as he paced in the flower hall, as if he was carefully appreciating the decorations in the hall.

At the same time, he secretly used his magical powers, his energy and blood surged, and he began to divine for these objects.

In a moment, the scene before his eyes changed abruptly, and a series of tragic scenes flashed through his mind like lightning.

The armchair was actually made of Min Zhongyang's bones - he was pulled into a coffin, and his entire skeleton was carefully polished and pieced together, becoming a part of this strange mansion.

And that crimson foot rug was actually woven with Min Shuyang's blood. The blood slowly seeped into the texture, like scarlet silk threads circling on the ground.

As expected, the lanterns hanging on the four corners were made of the human skin of Min Boyang, the eldest brother of the four elders of the Min family.

Min Boyang's face faintly appeared on the lantern. Although his eyes had long lost their life, they seemed to still be staring at Li Qingyun silently, with unspeakable pain and despair in his eyes.

He activated the Nine Revolutions Yuan Gong and continued to look around with his "Fire Eyes and Golden Pupils", the chill in his eyes becoming more and more intense.

The broken finger joints of the pen holder on the desk can be vaguely seen; the landscape on the wall is made of human skin...

As far as the eye can see, the entire flower hall looks like a purgatory made of living people.

The independent cultivators who followed Feng Yaqin and Qi Shaowei to Feng Village were probably wiped out.

Their lives were silently devoured in this mansion and became part of this devil's den.

This was not just a horrific killing, but also a carefully planned slaughter and sacrifice full of evil ritual atmosphere.

But there is no trace of Feng Yaqin and Qi Shaowei here, which means they may still be alive. After all, as the chief priest of Longhu Mountain, they must have some life-saving cards in their hands.

Just as Li Qingyun was concentrating on thinking, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, breaking the eerie silence in the room.

The footsteps were steady and powerful, carrying an unquestionable majesty. Soon, a vigorous old man in his sixties strode in.

The old man has dark skin and wrinkles on his face, but his hair is shiny black. He looks energetic and vigorous, appearing to be in good health despite his age.

When he saw Li Qingyun, he immediately smiled and clasped his hands together:

"Master, I am sorry for not welcoming you in person. I hope you will forgive me!"

Li Qingyun understood that this was the village chief of Feng Village, but the other party's smile and tone seemed too enthusiastic, even with a hint of strange attentiveness.

So he stood up and saluted, looking at the other person calmly.

Under the "Fire Eyes and Golden Pupils", the village chief looked like he had no cultivation and seemed to be just an ordinary man, but his divination ability burst out with a strong warning sign, and he instinctively felt inexplicable terror.

The opponent is very scary and extremely dangerous, and we must never confront him!

After a few pleasantries, both parties sat down and the village chief asked curiously:
"Master, I am visiting your humble abode. May I ask what may I do for you?"

Li Qingyun had already made up his mind, so he asked directly:

"I am just passing by your precious place. I heard that there is a happy event in your mansion, so I came to congratulate you. By the way, I would like to ask you how to leave the village and what are the taboos in your village, so as not to break the rules by accident."

The village chief's smile did not change at all, and was still as warm as the spring breeze in March:
"The rules of our village are all for the protection of the villagers. They are not harsh and difficult to follow. For example, you cannot break into a house, you cannot make loud noises, you cannot wander the streets after midnight, and you cannot leave the village after dusk. If the Taoist priest can abide by these rules, nothing will happen to him.

"Now that night is approaching, why don't you take a rest in my humble abode and leave tomorrow?"

At this point, his tone suddenly lowered a little, "However, there is an unwritten rule in our village - any outsider who enters and wants to leave safely must do something small for the village within their ability."

Li Qingyun's heart sank, and he felt that the matter was not simple, so he asked again:
"I wonder what I need to do to leave safely?"

The village chief's smile gradually faded, and he suddenly leaned forward. His dark eyes were like a bottomless abyss, staring straight at Li Qingyun, and his tone was strangely cold:

"My son is getting married tomorrow, but he is weak and cannot move. I would like to ask the Taoist priest to take care of it and pay respect to heaven and earth for him and his bride..."

……

(End of this chapter)