Ita Era

Chapter 25 Peach Blossom Village (23)

Suddenly, Zhao the Blind Man said, "Third Sister, Third Sister is crying again."

Everyone looked over and saw two streams of liquid sliding down from the corners of the Third Sister statue's eyes, landing on her clothes. Because the clothes were carved from wood, the water droplets flowed down and fell onto the table.

Master Baiyun stepped forward and performed an ancient kowtow, the first of nine bows, demonstrating his respect for Third Sister.

Master Baiyun said, "This young man is young and ignorant, please forgive his overstepping of bounds, Third Sister."

The only response to Master Baiyun's question was two more tears. Master Baiyun was about to speak when Ding Shi said, "You can't ask it like that."

Ding Shi stepped forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Third Sister, did I upset you?"

The statue remained motionless. Ding Shi, in a moment of madness, blurted out, "Third Sister, you're so ugly."

Everyone here knows the secret of the Third Sister statue; they've witnessed miracles or ghostly occurrences. Hearing Ding Shi say this, everyone gasped, their eyes fixed on the Third Sister.

But Third Sister didn't react at all.

Ding Shi breathed a sigh of relief and spread his hands to everyone: "It wasn't me." He then turned to San Niang and said: "I was just joking. You haven't even fully grown up yet, but you're already an absolute beauty."

Master Baiyun sensed something was amiss with those words, but before he could ponder them further, the village chief asked, "Master, what should we do now?"

Master Baiyun said, "It seems that it really has nothing to do with Xiao Ding."

Zhang San interjected, "Perhaps Third Sister has cried all her tears out."

Ding Shi scoffed, "Idiot."

Zhang San stepped forward and said angrily, "Say it again."

Ding Shi punched Zhang San in the left eye, and Zhang San staggered back several steps before Haitang caught him from behind to prevent him from falling.

Ding Shi smiled and did not attack again. Although Zhang San was still angry, this punch had taught him a lesson. He stopped arguing and, with Haitang's help, sat down to the side.

The village chief sternly criticized Ding Shi for beating the villagers, causing his satisfaction rating to drop by 5 points, leaving him with 78 points.

Blind Zhao interrupted the farce: "Taoist Master, what do you think?"

Master Baiyun did not speak, but pulled out a scroll of bamboo slips from his sleeve.

Zhao the Blind Man's eyes lit up, as if he had seen something extraordinary.

Ding Shi felt a pang in his chest: "Old man, so he brought all the treasures with him. No wonder I searched the entire Baiyun Temple and only found one Third Sister."

Master Baiyun pulled open the bamboo slip, chanting incantations. Six copper coins bounced out of the bamboo slip and landed on the ground.

Master Baiyun put away the bamboo slips, knelt on one knee, and intently examined the copper coin, continuing to mutter to himself. His once full head of black hair began to turn white, and as time passed, the white hair spread from the top of his head, and age spots appeared on his face. His once fair skin rapidly changed, becoming not only sallow but also covered with wrinkles.

In just over ten seconds, Master Baiyun went from looking like a venerable immortal to appearing old and decrepit.

Master Baiyun reached out and picked up the copper coins one by one. He tried to stand up but almost fell. Ding Shi stepped forward and helped Master Baiyun to sit down to the side.

Master Baiyun looked at the village chief and the others, and said calmly, "The great calamity has occurred." Then he looked at Haitang and asked, "What happened?"

Stared at by countless eyes, Haitang lost her composure and was terrified. Zhang San blocked everyone's view: "Come at me if you have a problem."

Master Baiyun said, "Third Sister shed tears because of her."

Ding Shi asked weakly, "I have a question, Daoist Master, were you telling fortunes just now? Is it that expensive?" Daoist Master Baiyun sighed, "Peeping into the secrets of heaven naturally comes at a price."

The village chief shouted, "Haitang, what have you done?"

Haitang shook her head repeatedly: "I didn't, I didn't do anything, I didn't."

Zhang San turned around and comforted you, "Don't cry, I'll take you away from here."

It sounded like a gesture of loyalty and compassion, but Ding Shi laughed: "You're taking her away? Where to?"

Zhang San said, "The world is vast, there's always a place for us to stay."

Ding Shi had no answer to this question. The system said the way to leave the instance was either to die or to take the minibus at 8:00 AM on the eighth day. If he didn't leave the instance, could he live in the instance world? This was essentially a rebirth and time travel, going back from the 21st century to the 20th century.

Ding Shi guessed that Zhang San knew what Haitang had done. Zhang San's motive for protecting Haitang might be related to her true love, but more likely it was related to what Zhang San and Haitang had done.

Did they also know that there was a great treasure in the Temple of the Three Maidens and secretly search for it, thus actually offending the Three Maidens?

Ding Shi already knew that the so-called Baiyun Temple was a Taoist temple built to suppress San Niang's body, and also the location of the real San Niang's coffin and treasures, as Zhao the Blind Man had mentioned. However, Haitang and Zhang San were unaware of this information. If they, like him, only had partial information, Haitang might risk everything for her lover, Zhang San.

No, Haitang's expression didn't seem fake; she genuinely didn't know how she had offended Third Sister.

Could the old Taoist priest have made a mistake? That's impossible; he risked his life to divine. He paid with his life for false information, which violates the rules of metaphysics, and Heaven would prosecute him.

Another possibility is that Master Baiyun calculated it, but didn't tell the truth. This is unlikely, though, as Master Baiyun has lived in the mountains alone for many years, lacking cunning and the ability to lie without batting an eye.

"It's getting foggy," someone outside shouted.

Master Baiyun immediately went outside and looked up to see a thin layer of mist surrounding Peach Blossom Village, which was still spreading outwards.

Ding Shi said to Master Baiyun, "I heard that Third Sister's groom was attacked and killed by a snake demon when he entered the village to fetch his bride in the foggy weather."

Master Baiyun's expression was serious: "There is indeed something strange about this fog, Village Chief."

The village chief stepped forward, and Daoist Baiyun said, "You can still leave now, but I suggest that the villagers stay away from Peach Blossom Village."

The village chief asked, "Is it beyond saving?"

Master Baiyun shook his head: "The great calamity has already occurred, not that it is about to occur. It's too late, too late. If I had arrived a step earlier, perhaps it could have been averted."

Ding Shi: Is he being sarcastic or mocking towards himself?
The village chief said, "Taoist priest, it has been 99 years, and this is the last time we will hold a sacrificial ceremony. Now that the ceremony has been destroyed, we, the entire village, have no face to face our ancestors."

Master Baiyun pondered for a long time and said, "There is indeed a way, but I am not confident. Are you sure you want to take the gamble?"

The village chief turned to look at Zhang San, then at Ding Shi, and finally beckoned Sun Qi over, saying, "You are all college students, the smartest people in our village, and you've heard everything you needed to hear. Now it's up to you to decide whether the whole village should evacuate or stay to complete the ritual."

This puts the decision-making power in the players' hands. It gives Ding Shi the illusion that although this isn't a game, the village chief and the others aren't real people either; it's more like a fictional sandbox world. But isn't a sandbox world just a game?
Ding Shi knew what he had done at Baiyun Temple, and was the first to answer the village chief's question: "I suggest we evacuate."

Zhang San said, "We're just one step away from success. Since the Taoist priest has a solution, for the sake of Peach Blossom Village's future, I oppose the evacuation."

Everyone looked at Sun Qi, who clearly lacked his own opinions and sought help from Ding Shi.

Upon seeing this, Zhang San said, "Excuse me, we need to discuss this."

(End of this chapter)