I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 170 The Fall of the Dragon Walker, the Cannibal Village!

Nangong Ye's pupils contracted as he stared intently at Chen Mo, a sense of shock washing over him. For the past five or six days, Chen Mo had been completely still, as if dead. He showed no reaction whatsoever. Since entering the Dayin Mountain, his physical symptoms had eased, but he hadn't woken up.

Now you wake up after hearing these words?
Or perhaps... because the sedan chair has arrived.

Since Chen Mo had just sat up straight, Nangong Ye didn't speak to him immediately, wanting to give him some time to adjust. He didn't want to startle him and cause him to lose his composure.

As soon as Chen Mo sat up straight, he immediately turned his head to look at the sedan chair in front of him.

The four girls carrying the sedan chair skipped and hopped along, not even glancing at Chen Mo and Nangong Ye in the tea pavilion, only repeating four sentences to themselves.

"Back then, that man cleaved the Qinghe River with a single sword strike, and from then on, the rules were established. As the saying goes... the Qinghe River is divided into two realms, Yin and Yang..."

"Oh my, this sedan chair is carrying a dragon walker! Strangers should not look at it, lest they be cursed and die a terrible death."

"We're carrying sedan chairs up the mountain, but what is Your Highness waiting for?"

"What are you waiting for? We're just missing a priest..."

wow~
Four young girls, braving the icy night wind in the mountains, skipped and hopped as they carried the sedan chair up the main mountain range. Even after they were far away, their voices still echoed through the mountains.

As the clear, ethereal sound faded into the distance, tranquility returned to the area around the tea pavilion.

Chen Mo stared intently at the mountain path leading from the mountains, remaining motionless.

Nangong Ye stared at Chen Mo for a long time, but did not see anything particularly different about Chen Mo, before speaking, "Young Master Mo."

Chen Mo didn't answer, only staring intently ahead.

Nangong Ye called out again, "Young Master Mo?"

Chen Mo remained unmoved, staring intently at the direction from which the mountain path had come.

Nangong Ye could clearly see that Chen Mo was different after waking up. He couldn't help but worry about Chen Mo, so he walked up to him and waved his hand, "Young Master Mo, don't you recognize me?"

Chen Mo raised his right index finger and placed it in front of his lips, making a shushing gesture.

Ok?
Nangong Ye looked around but didn't see anyone nearby.

Should we keep quiet?
Chen Mo bit his finger and wrote a line on the table: Something is eavesdropping on me. I can't talk to you now, or it will hear me.

Nangong Ye felt a chill and immediately went to the stove to fetch a bowl of water. He dipped his slender finger in the water and wrote on the table: Who is it? Jiang Hongyue?
Just as Chen Mo was about to continue writing with his blood-stained fingers, Nangong Ye brought him a bowl of water.

Chen Mo understood, dipped his finger in the water, and wrote: I don't know.

Nangong Ye nodded and wrote: What are you looking at?
Chen Mo wrote: That thing appeared to me in a dream, saying that someone would come to take me up the mountain. Without a guide, we would be considered evil spirits if we went to the Great Yin Mountain. You will accompany me as my maid from now on.

Nangong Ye was clearly reluctant to accept the words "maid," but he still nodded.

The mountain wind howled, cold and icy, and occasionally the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling could be heard.

The two sat quietly in the tea pavilion, waiting for something.

Not long after——

Jingle Bell.

A series of clear bell sounds rang out again. A red sedan chair appeared once more at the entrance to the mountain path ahead, and four young girls, their feet barely touching the ground, hopped and skipped as they carried the sedan chair up the mountain.

"Oh my, this sedan chair is carrying a dragon walker! Strangers should not look at it, lest they be cursed and die a terrible death."

"We're carrying sedan chairs up the mountain, but what is Your Highness waiting for?"

"What are you waiting for? We're just missing a priest..."

Jingle bell bell~
The red sedan chair has left.

Before long, another red sedan chair appeared at the entrance to the mountain road ahead...

Next, one red sedan chair after another passed by the tea pavilion and entered the mountain. Groups of young girls carried the sedan chairs, but no one noticed Chen Mo and Nangong Ye inside the tea pavilion.

Nangong Ye was alarmed and wrote a question: Are all the people sitting in the sedan chairs dragon walkers?
Chen Mo replied in writing: Yes.

Nangong Ye wrote a question: Are you the high priest?

Chen Mo replied in writing: I am different from them, I don't even know if I am the chief priest.

Nangong Ye didn't ask any more questions.

Although she still had many questions about Chen Mo, she knew it wasn't convenient to write at this moment. Besides, Chen Mo had said... something was eavesdropping on him. Unless it was something urgent, she should avoid asking.

Before long, a girl appeared at the entrance to the mountain path.

The girl was wearing a white dress, about ten years old, fair-skinned, and had her hair in a bun. She was holding a string of candied hawthorns in her hand, and she skipped around for a few steps before licking the candied hawthorns.

Finally, it wasn't a red sedan chair that appeared...

Chen Mo and Nangong Ye both stared intently at the girl.

Nangong Ye thought that the girl would act as if she hadn't seen the tea pavilion, just like the girl in the red sedan chair before, and go straight up the mountain along the path... but the girl in white actually went straight to the tea pavilion.

Then, to Nangong Ye's astonishment, she walked up to Chen Mo and took his arm very familiarly. "Brother Mo, Qian'er has finally found you. My parents are waiting for you at home. Let's go home quickly."

Chen Mo carefully examined the girl named Qian'er in front of him, and then, remembering what that thing had told him in his dream, he nodded: "Okay."

"Hehe, I've come to pick up Brother Mo and take him home. My parents will be so happy when they find out. Oh, and who is this pretty lady?"

Chen Mo answered fluently: "She is my personal maid, Xiao Ye."

The girl politely cupped her hands in greeting to Nangong Ye, "Hello, Sister Xiaoye. Let's hurry up and go, don't keep our parents waiting."

"Ah."

Chen Mo nodded, gave Nangong Ye a look, and then followed Qian'er out of the tea pavilion and up the main mountain of Dayin Mountain.

The main mountain was a full 1,800 or 1,900 feet high, towering majestically with towering trees blocking out the sky. The blood moon hung high overhead, casting its crimson light, adding to the already chilling atmosphere of the Great Yin Mountain.

"Eeya-ooh, my brother Mo is here!" Qian'er skipped along ahead, licking a candied hawthorn and making a clear, crisp sound.

Nangong Ye, who was following behind, was completely bewildered and had no idea what had happened. She assumed Chen Mo should know a lot, and even gave him an inquiring look.

Chen Mo shook his head and pointed to his head, indicating that the thing was still eavesdropping.

Nangong Ye understood and didn't ask any further questions.

Qian'er walked very slowly; the mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse.

It took more than three hours to reach the area near the mountaintop.

According to Nangong Yue's estimation, it should be broad daylight by now. However, the night in the Dayin Mountain seemed very long, and dawn was still nowhere in sight. The blood moon overhead still hung in the clouds, showing no sign of setting.

“Brother Mo, once we cross the last section of the mountain path, we’ll reach the summit.” Qian’er led the way over the last section of the mountain path and climbed to the top. Pointing ahead, she excitedly exclaimed, “Brother Mo, look! Our Red Village is just ahead!”

Chen Mo looked in the direction Qian'er was pointing and saw that the mountaintop was generally flat, but the area was very large and could not be seen at a glance. Although there were some hills, they were not high and were all low hills.

Scattered throughout the valleys of the hills are a few houses. Some have oil lamps lit, and wisps of smoke rise from their chimneys. It has the feel of a secluded village, almost like a paradise.

However, it was clearly visible that... a red lantern hung above the door of every household. In this village, which was high up on a mountaintop at an altitude of five or six thousand meters, and with a blood moon overhead, Chen Mo couldn't help but wonder if people lived here.
However, Chen Mo knew... this was a fate he couldn't escape.

I just had to bite the bullet.

"Brother Mo, let's go quickly. Parents have already prepared a meal at home and are waiting for us." Qian'er felt as if she had returned to her hometown as soon as she arrived, and she led Chen Mo and Nangong Ye forward.

Chen Mo followed along, traversing mountain paths, towards the distant Red Village.

At first, Chen Mo just felt that this place was strange, but as he walked on... he found that it was not just strange.

On the seemingly endless mountaintop, fields and fishponds have been cultivated, and crops such as corn are grown. Scarecrows have even been erected in the fields to scare away birds and animals.

It was unclear what time it was, but farmers were already out working in the fields, carrying lanterns. They were plowing, weeding, turning the soil…

Yes, they even raise cattle and sheep here. It's just like any other ordinary mountain village.

Could it be that a group of indigenous villagers truly live here?
That's ridiculous! This place is at an altitude of five or six thousand meters. And the mountain paths are rugged, making it extremely difficult to go up and down. Plus, there are many ghosts in the mountains. Ordinary people simply couldn't survive here.

In terms of convenience, such a place is hardly habitable.

As they passed a cornfield, an old man hoeing weeds looked up and greeted Qian'er, "It's Qian'er. Why did you bring two strangers? Don't forget the rules of our Hong Village."

Qian'er skipped around excitedly, saying, "Uncle Niu, this isn't an outsider. It's my cousin Chen Mo. He used to live in the village, but he went out on business and has only just returned."

Uncle Niu, with his honest and simple look, scratched his head and said, "Oh, I see. Hehe, of course he's not an outsider. Go back now. Your dad killed a chicken early this morning."

"Okay, goodbye Uncle Niu."

Qian'er licked the candied hawthorn, then skipped and hopped to lead the way.

Chen Mo glanced at Uncle Niu again, only to see Uncle Niu continue weeding with his head down.

After crossing several paddy field ridges, Chen Mo approached Hong Village. At this moment, the blood moon overhead began to set, and the sky gradually brightened. He saw a bald-headed boy fishing in the river at the village entrance.

The bald boy shoved a winnowing basket into the water plants, then lifted it up close to the riverbank, revealing a large crucian carp leaping and tumbling inside.

The bald boy immediately shouted excitedly:

"Hehe, even I, Liang, have caught a big crucian carp one day. Hey, Qian'er's here. Look, a big crucian carp! Come on down, let Brother Liang help you catch fish."

Qian'er leaned closer to look at the big crucian carp, her eyes wide with surprise. "Wow, what a huge crucian carp! But I'm busy today, my cousin is back. My dad killed a chicken, and I'm taking my cousin home to eat roast chicken."

Liang glanced at Chen Mo and Xiao Ye, then reluctantly bent down to continue catching fish, muttering, "Eating chicken is nothing compared to catching fish..."

"Fishing every day is so boring," Qian'er muttered unhappily, then led Chen Mo into the village.

Hongcun is very large.

There were several hundred households in total. Each household had a red lantern hanging above its door, which looked particularly eerie even during the day.

The observant Chen Mo also noticed that this red lantern was quite different from the ones he had seen in Honghe County. What seemed to be burning inside was not an oil lamp, but something else entirely. Because of the red lampshade, he couldn't make out what it was.

In the village lanes, there are some farmers coming and going, mostly carrying water and firewood, and some farm women carrying manure to fertilize their vegetable gardens early in the morning.

Chen Mo paid special attention: the water buckets were indeed filled with water, the woodcutter's back was real, and the buckets of manure carried by the peasant woman were real, emitting a pungent stench.

"Brother Mo, we're home."

Qian'er led the way to the door of a mud-brick and black-tiled house, suddenly pushed open the courtyard gate, and then skipped and jumped into the house.

Chen Mo and Nangong Ye followed them into the courtyard.

The yard was quite large, about a hundred meters square. It contained various fruit trees, pigsties, cattle pens, and a vegetable garden. The ground was compacted mud, with only a three-foot-wide bluestone path leading to the living room.

As Chen Mo walked along the bluestone path, he observed his surroundings.

Adjoining the courtyard was a mud house painted red. The main entrance led to the living room, with a room in each of the four corners. On either side of the living room were two side rooms: one was the kitchen, and the other was a storage room.

An oil lamp was lit in the kitchen, wisps of smoke rose from the chimney, and faint voices could be heard.

"Brother Mo, let me take you to your room first. After you put your things down, you can go to the kitchen to see your parents." Qian'er led Chen Mo to a room in the southeast corner of the living room with practiced ease.

The room was small and cramped. It contained only a bed, two chairs, a desk, and a row of wardrobes.

Qian'er seemed to think the house would be too crowded for two people, so she asked, "Brother Mo, would you and Miss Xiao Ye be staying separately or...?"

"I'm used to Xiaoye serving me from the side, so it would be fine if we lived together."

"Okay, I'll go to the kitchen and see if Mom and Dad have made breakfast yet. You can come and eat as soon as you put your things down," Qian'er instructed, then skipped out the door.

Click.

Chen Mo immediately closed the door and also closed most of the window, leaving only a crack. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Qian'er had indeed gone to the kitchen.

Nangong Ye had been feeling uneasy for some time, and looked at Chen Mo with a questioning gaze, "Can you speak?"

Chen Mo nodded: "That eavesdropper has left for now."

Nangong Ye's expression relaxed considerably: "Tell me quickly, what exactly happened after you started your shamanistic ritual?"

Chen Mo said, "After I finished my shamanic ritual, something took my soul away. Even my clone couldn't move. I thought I was going to die. But... something appeared in my dream and told me some information."

Nangong Ye nodded slightly, signaling Chen Mo to continue.

Chen Mo continued, "That thing appeared in my dream and told me that I must come to the Great Yin Mountain to regain consciousness. Fortunately, Xiao Ye is a thoughtful person and knew to bring me to the Great Yin Mountain. Otherwise, something else would have come to bring me here."

Nangong Ye said, "So, those red sedan chairs we saw at the tea pavilion earlier... the ones inside were the Dragon Walkers. They were forcibly brought to the Great Yin Mountain by the girl?"

Chen Mo said, "Yes. All the chosen dragon walkers have their souls taken away and will be forced to come to the Great Yin Mountain. And once the dragon walking begins, it cannot be stopped. I can't stop either... It's an irreversible process."

Nangong Ye: "And what exactly is this Red Village?"

Chen Mo: "I don't know. But that thing told me in my dream that Red Village is a very ancient village. The people here are very xenophobic. You have to be led into the village by someone, otherwise you will be regarded as an invading evil spirit."

What if they are seen as invading evil forces?

"I'm afraid I'll die."

"And who is this Qian'er? How did you become her cousin? Have you been here before?"

"No." Chen Mo was also puzzled. "That thing only appeared in my dream and told me that someone would take me up the mountain. After that, it didn't give me any more information."

Nangong Ye murmured, "That's strange. But you've never been here before..."

Suddenly having a cousin, aunt, and maternal aunt all out of nowhere... made Chen Mo increasingly uneasy. "I'll find out more once I get to know them. By the way, what did you discover along the way?"

Nangong Ye shook his head: "After reaching the top of the mountain, everything we saw and heard along the way seemed normal. We'll learn more about you after we meet your uncle and aunt."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement.

Just then——

dong dong dong.

There was a knock on the door.

"Brother Mo, dinner is ready, come and eat."

"They're here." Chen Mo and Nangong Ye exchanged a glance, then went out the door and into the kitchen.

The kitchen was long and narrow, with the stove and cooking area located near the north end. A dining table was placed near the south end, on which sat only a large basin filled with dark, mushy chunks of meat.

It resembled pork but wasn't pork, resembled beef but wasn't beef, and also emitted an unpleasant smell.

Chen Mo knew... this was... Ghost Year Meat!

Before, when I was following Su Yuqing in the mirror, I ate this stuff all day long.

It's delicious and has a long history.

A middle-aged man dressed in a gray short-sleeved shirt sat on a bench, holding a pipe in his hand. He was stuffing tobacco into a copper pot and lighting it with a tinderbox. A middle-aged woman wearing an apron was tidying up the bowls and chopsticks.

The middle-aged man took a puff of his pipe, glanced at Chen Mo as if he recognized him, and casually said, "Little Mo, you're finally back. Come and eat. Your aunt knew you were coming, so she specially killed a chicken to treat you. We're poor here, not like outside, so please make do with what we have."

The middle-aged woman brought over a bowl and chopsticks, smiling broadly, and said, "Xiao Mo, sit down and eat. How is your mother?"

Chen Mo pulled Nangong Ye to sit down and casually said, "My mother is doing very well."

Then, the family gathered around the old dining table and began to eat.

The flesh of the Ghost Year was extremely delicious, and Chen Mo, a half-human, half-ghost, loved it the most. Nangong Ye, however, wasn't used to it, but to cooperate, he still forced himself to eat a few bites.

"Brother Mo, Sister Xiaoye, don't be shy, Mother made a lot of meat, enough for us to eat." Qian'er was very enthusiastic and took the initiative to put meat on Chen Mo's plate.

Chen Mo naturally liked it.

Nangong Ye was not very happy.

This stuff is disgusting and tastes awful.

I had no choice but to eat it patiently.

During a break from the meal, the middle-aged woman spoke up, "Since you're here, why don't you stay a little longer? It's harvest season, and your uncle has trouble walking, so you can help him with the farm work."

Chen Mo asked, "What kind of farm work do we have here?"

The middle-aged woman said, "It's nothing more than making some food. In a little while, I'll have your uncle take you down to the fields to cut some meat."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement.

……

After meal.

It's bright.

The middle-aged man took two special knives and handed them to Chen Mo and Nangong Ye respectively, then said, "Come with me to harvest meat."

Chen Mo and Nangong Ye took the special knife and went out the door.

Qian'er followed behind, holding a candied hawthorn.

Stepping out of his house, Chen Mo cautiously observed his surroundings and noticed that the village was bustling with activity. Many houses had opened their doors, and some farmers were out with knives, also heading out to harvest meat. Some familiar farmers came up to greet him.

After listening to their conversation, Chen Mo learned that his "uncle" was named Zhao Hansheng, and his aunt was named Li Yulan. Qian'er... was Zhao Qian'er.

Zhao Hansheng has a younger sister named Zhao Si. She married someone else early in her life and had a son named Chen Mo.

Upon hearing these words, Chen Mo and Nangong Ye were both incredulous.

Chen Mo, in particular, felt uneasy.

How could there be such a coincidence in the world?
Not right.

Due to insufficient information, Chen Mo rarely spoke, focusing only on following Zhao Hansheng out of the village and into the fields to harvest meat.

The so-called meat is not rice.

Instead, it's a blood-red plant, similar to corn, that produces "corn"-like fruits. However, these "corn"-like fruits are not real corn; they are actually ghost meat.

This was the first time Chen Mo had learned that this was how Ghost Year Meat was made.

If you break it open with your hands, hot blood will flow out of the "corn".

Chen Mo couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, what's this meat called?"

Zhao Hansheng had a bad leg and walked with a limp, but his hands moved with practiced ease: "Tai Sui meat. We all rely on this to make a living. Our family is not well-off, we only cultivate two acres of land. But the work is not easy, let's work harder and try to get back before dark."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement, then continued to ask, "Can this Tai Sui meat be eaten raw?"

Zhao Hansheng shook his head: "No, it's not possible. Eating it raw can easily upset your stomach, but it's fine if you cook it."

"Where did the seeds of this Tai Sui meat come from?"

“It’s all given by the village chief. We are all considered the village chief’s tenants. Every year, we have to hand over 30% of the harvested Tai Sui meat to the village chief. If we can’t pay the rent, we can’t make a living.”

village head?

Around noon, Zhao Hansheng asked Qian'er to bring him food to his house.

Qian'er, who had been lying on the edge of the field, heard her father's words and ran off. A short while later, Li Yulan returned with a food box and Qian'er.

There was only one bowl of "ghost year meat" in the food box.

After eating the "ghostly" meat, Chen Mo and Nangong Ye began their afternoon farm work. They worked until dusk before the family carried the harvested "ghostly" meat back home. Li Yulan carefully hung the "ghostly" corn on bamboo skewers to dry on the rack in the yard.

She muttered to herself, "Xiao Mo and Xiao Ye are really good at farm work. They've done the work of three days in one day. Go and rest, take a bath. I'll make dinner for Xiao Mo in a bit."

After dinner, Li Yulan prepared water for Chen Mo and Xiao Ye to soak their feet, and then went back to her room with Zhao Hansheng to sleep.

Qian'er returned to her room alone and lit an oil lamp. She began to read and learn to read.

Chen Mo and Nangong Ye had no intention of sleeping. Instead, they secretly went out late at night to check around Hongcun.

This is all so bizarre.

If they don't figure it out, it will keep the two of them awake.

The two walked quietly through the village lanes, watching the lights of every household.

Chen Mo said softly, "Xiao Ye, did you notice anything unusual about Zhao Hansheng and Li Yulan during the day?"

Nangong Ye said, "I haven't found anything. Unless I take the pulses of Zhao Hansheng and his wife, I won't know whether they are human or ghost. The blood moon is shining in this place, and everything is strange. I dare not make a conclusion without being absolutely certain."

Chen Mo deeply agreed.

With his six incense sticks and six patterns, plus his second-tier Transcendent Realm strength, he didn't find anything wrong during the day...

"That 'Tai Sui meat'... it's 'ghost Sui meat.' Do you know that?"

“I know. The fact that Ghost Year Meat can grow here shows that something is wrong with this place. The soil, water, and even the sun and moon here are all a bit off. It's eerie and ghostly everywhere, which is why Ghost Year Meat can grow here.”

Chen Mo said, "We saw so many red sedan chairs at the foot of the mountain, but we don't know where they went..."

Suddenly, Nangong Ye stopped. "Hey, look."

Chen Mo suddenly stopped and looked in the direction Nangong Ye was pointing. He was shocked to see a red sedan chair hidden in a room of a house. The sedan chair was covered with straw, but part of it had been blown away by the wind, revealing its true form.

Chen Mo was taken aback: "Is there a dragon-walking person hiding in this house?"

Nangong Ye said, "Let's go take a look."

The two immediately transformed into two black shadows, reached the wall of the house, and peered inside.

There were four paper figures of women standing in the courtyard, and a middle-aged man was tied up with them.

Chen Mo and Nangong Ye both remembered the four female paper figures.

These were the four girls who had carried the sedan chair earlier. Although they had now turned into paper figures, their appearances were remarkably lifelike.

Nangong Ye leaned close to Chen Mo's ear and whispered, "These four young girls are carrying the fifth sedan chair. It seems... they've been captured? And this middle-aged man is the dragon-walker sitting in the sedan chair?"

Chen Mo said softly, "It should be. But we didn't see many sedan chairs here during the day. This middle-aged man is probably an exception?"

Just then——

Click!

The living room door opened.

A couple came out.

The woman was holding a cleaver, and the man was holding a long, sharp butcher's knife.

The couple arrived at the ancient well, took out a whetstone, and began sharpening their knives, making a clanging sound.

The man said, "Madam, we're lucky today. We've caught another evil spirit. It's a dragon-walking creature. Eating its flesh will make us feel better."

The woman said, “Those people who dig up the mountain are really restless. It’s been so many years, and they keep bringing in dragon walkers. They always think they can get past our Hong Village. Do they really think our Hong Village is just for show? Dragon walkers are great, their meat is plump and delicious. We can eat them one by one, hehe. I’m hungry, hurry up and sharpen your knife.”

"Don't worry, madam, my butcher knife will be sharpened soon," the man chuckled.

Clang! Clang!

The man sharpened the knife vigorously, and in no time, the rusty pig-slaughtering knife was polished to a shine.

Then, the man walked up to the middle-aged man who was tied up, grabbed the man's ear with one hand, and pointed the knife at the man's neck: "What's so great about the dragon walkers? Do you think you're so powerful? This kind of thing doesn't work in our Red Village. How many dragon walkers have we eaten in the past hundred years? Hehe, don't worry, it won't hurt much."

puff!

With one swift stroke, the knife plunged into the man's neck, the tip protruding from his abdomen.

Blood gushed forth like a pillar.

The middle-aged man died.

……

On the courtyard wall.

Chen Mo and Nangong Ye exchanged a glance, their eyes showing surprise.

A word flashed through Chen Mo's mind: cannibal.

This Red Village is a cannibal village.

They feed on external evils... The so-called external evils are the people who walk on dragons.

As he thought about it, Chen Mo felt a chill that he couldn't quite describe.

Because... Uncle, Aunt and Qian'er... are also cannibals.

Chen Mo took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "Should we arrest them and question them?"

Nangong Ye said, "No rush. The situation here is unclear. Let's leave first and see if there are any other sedan chairs."

"it is good."

The two quietly left the area and continued walking through the village along the alley.

Nangong Ye murmured, "This really is a cannibal village. Once you're discovered to be an evil spirit, you'll be eaten. No wonder you need someone to guide you up the mountain. But what is that place called 'Digging the Mountain'? It seems the Dragon Walkers were brought here by the people digging the mountain. Could it be that Jiang Hongyue is digging the mountain?"

Chen Mo deeply agreed: "We need to cross this Red Village to reach the mountainous area. If that's the case... Over the past hundred years, Jiang Hongyue has sent countless dragon walkers here. And most of them died in Red Village. They never managed to reach the place of the sacrificial ceremony."

Nangong Ye said, "In other words, even if Jiang Hongyue selects countless dragon walkers, it will still be a matter of life and death for these dragon walkers to reach the place of the sacrificial ceremony. If we are not careful, we may also be targeted by the cannibals of Hong Village."

Chen Mo shrugged. "Xiao Ye, can you tell whether that couple just now were human or ghosts?"

Chen Mo just used his cheat code to deconstruct that couple.

I can't figure it out.

It seems to be a person?

It was possible to deduce the scenario, but it would take a very long time, during which time the person would be unable to move. Therefore, Chen Mo did not attempt to deduce the scenario.

Nangong Ye shook his head: "I can't tell. It should be a kind of human, but a freak."

As they walked, they saw a red sedan chair hidden in a small room near the entrance of a house. Climbing over the wall, they saw a couple who had killed a dragon-walking man and were enjoying their meal.

After watching for a while, the two quietly left and continued walking along the village.

Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine. "Logically speaking, even if a dragon-walker didn't complete the dragon-walking process, their cultivation should be considerable, at least at the level of a four-stick-level shadow ghost. Yet, in front of the villagers of Red Village... they were completely powerless against them?"

This is truly terrifying.

On the way back, Chen Mo saw two more families eating the Jiao people.

Finally, the two arrived at the entrance of a very grand courtyard house made of blue bricks.

Five red sedan chairs came into view.

The two climbed over the wall to look and were shocked to see five dragon-walking men tied up in the grand courtyard. An old man in a red brocade robe, leaning on a cane, ordered his family to kill the five dragon-walking men, and then instructed them to eat the whole thing.

From their conversation, Chen Mo vaguely knew... that the old man in red was called Zhao Gu, and was the village chief of Hong Village.

No wonder the house is so grand.

After the two left quietly, they headed home.

Chen Mo felt uneasy: "I remember there were thirty-six sedan chairs going up the mountain. Tonight, I saw the people who walked the dragon in seven of those sedan chairs being eaten by the villagers of Red Village. This Red Village is too strange. We need to find out about the situation in Red Village as soon as possible. If you and I are exposed, I'm afraid the consequences will be unimaginable."

Nangong Ye Shen agreed, saying, "Let's go back and see what Zhao Hansheng really is."

"it is good."

The two had just returned to their front door when they saw Zhao Hansheng sitting on the threshold, puffing on his pipe, and saying in a sinister tone, "Xiao Mo, what are you doing out in the middle of the night? Going out in the middle of the night makes it easy for the villagers to mistake you for evil spirits. Evil spirits don't have a good ending here."

Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine, but said aloud, "I just arrived here and was curious. So I thought I'd go out at night."

Zhao Hansheng said sternly, "Don't go out at night anymore. If something happens, I can't protect you."

Chen Mo nodded: "Understood."

Just then——

brush!
Nangong Ye stepped forward and suddenly grabbed Zhao Hansheng's shoulder. With a "crack," Zhao Hansheng collapsed limply to the ground.

Chen Mo said, "Take him to my room."

Nangong Ye nodded, led Zhao Hansheng back to the room, and closed the door behind him.

Back in his room, Chen Mo knew he had enough time to deduce the solution, so he turned on the control panel.

[Something that can be deduced has been detected]

[Note: Deducing this item requires 80000 Original Solution Essence.]

[Currently available original solution essence: 300000]

[Should we perform a simulation?]

Chen Mo took a deep breath. Each deduction required 80,000 units of original solution essence... It really hurt.

These 300,000 original insights were accumulated by Chen Mo through constant shamanistic practices.

However, this place was too eerie, so Chen Mo had no choice but to reluctantly give it up.

deduction.

hum!
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, an extraordinary pain swept through his body, making Chen Mo grit his teeth and look around for something to bite down on. He almost bit Xiao Ye.

Fortunately, Chen Mo held back.

After a long while, Chen Mo's brain was under increasing strain, and finally, lines of subtitles appeared:

Name: Zhao Hansheng

Type: Cannibal

[Characteristics: Primarily cannibalistic, mentally disturbed, but falls within the human realm. However, possesses extremely abnormal vitality.]

[Introduction: They were originally local indigenous people, but an accident occurred during land excavation, altering the soil and water quality. Additionally, the moon in the sky became a blood moon. Living under these conditions for a long time, the people became monstrous. By eating both humans and the flesh of ghosts, they slowly transformed into cannibalistic monsters.]

[Ingredients: Internal mental memories, modified by the power of a ghost. The memories include a non-existent younger sister and a nephew named Chen Mo.]

[Logic: The indigenous inhabitants were there to protect this mountain. Later, people came and dug into the mountain, causing a drastic change in the local environment, transforming it into cannibalistic monsters.]

[Origin: After the mountain was excavated, causing a drastic change in the local climate, the people here also mutated. They lost the ability to reproduce. However, the people here deeply resent those who excavated the mountain and destroyed the feng shui of their ancestral graves. Their resentment is overwhelming, hence their extreme xenophobia. They will devour any outsider. Thanks to the blessings of their ancestral graves and the influence of a village chief, this Zhao clan is extremely powerful and abnormal; they cannot die here. Many people who excavated the mountain, including the later dragon-walkers, were eaten by them.]

[Weakness: They survive by renting land from village chief Zhao Gu. They depend on Zhao Gu and are driven by him. As long as Zhao Gu lives, the Zhao family of Hong Village will live on forever.]

[Hint 1: Zhao Gu may have brought about some kind of change in this village.]

[Hint 2: You must leave this place. The only road out of Hongcun is through Zhao Gu's house.]

After reading all the information, Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

It really is a weird village.

No wonder I became Zhao Hansheng's nephew; it turns out that Zhao Hansheng's memories were altered by a ghost.

Who made the changes?
It's most likely the thing that appeared in your dream.

Other dragon walkers, however, did not receive the same treatment as him?

It's clear that the thing that sent him the dream valued him highly and was afraid he would die here.

Slowly opening his eyes, Chen Mo looked at Nangong Ye and asked, "Did you notice anything?"

Nangong Ye shook his head: "I have examined his pulse and also looked into his body. He is just a person, only abnormal. His physique is exceptionally strong. Moreover, his life is intertwined with this land. It's like a tree that grows here; as long as the roots are not dug up, the tree will grow back no matter how it is cut down."

Chen Mo felt a surge of emotion.

That cheat code is really powerful.

Even someone as strong as Xiaoye and her group couldn't come up with as many cheat codes as there are.

Nangong Ye said, "What were you thinking about just now? You didn't open your eyes for so long."

Chen Mo said, "The people of Hongcun are natives of Dayin Mountain. Later, some people came to Dayin Mountain to dig up the mountain, which destroyed the feng shui here. This caused changes in the water and soil quality, and even the moon turned into a blood moon. As a result, the natives here mutated and became cannibalistic monsters. They are very hostile to outsiders and will eat anyone they see."

Perhaps knowing that Chen Mo had received a message in a dream, Nangong Ye didn't ask where this information came from. "The one who came to dig up the mountain... must have been the late emperor. Is this place related to Jiang Hongyue?"

Chen Mo shook his head: "This place is only inhabited by the natives of Hongcun. We need to cross this area to reach a place called Washandi."

"Where is the mountainous area?" Hongcun covers a large area, and without enough information, it's impossible to know where the mountainous area is.

Chen Mo said, "I don't know where the mountain is, but I know how to leave Hong Village."

How do I leave?

"The only road is at the village chief Zhao Gu's house. We need to pass through Zhao Gu's house to find the digging site. Do you know how powerful Zhao Gu is? Can we handle him?"

Zhao Gu?

Nangong Ye thought of the house with five red sedan chairs parked in front of it and said, "One Zhao Gu is not a big deal, but Zhao Gu's family has more than a dozen people. If they all rush up... and we can't kill them instantly, it will immediately attract the siege of the entire village. In that case, I'm afraid it will be dangerous."

Chen Mo nodded: "I do have a way."

"?"

"The reason why Zhao Hansheng and his family treat me like their nephew is because their memories have been altered. They now have information about an extra sister and nephew. I suppose this is the thing that appeared to me in my dream guiding me, afraid that I will die here. In that case, let's have Zhao Hansheng take us to the village chief's house tomorrow and ask him to let us pass through."

Nangong Ye said, "The method is feasible. I just don't know if Zhao Hansheng's subconscious wariness of external evils will be triggered after he hears that you are leaving Hongcun. What if it leads to unpredictable consequences?"

(End of this chapter)