Mythology Returns! Starting with Folklore and Strange Tales

The Kitchen God statue just awakening

After two simple yet lavish rituals, the dusty statue regained some of its spiritual power.

[Effect: Omitted]

Current residual offering effect: Meat stew with vegetables

The leftovers from the Kitchen God's consumption of Qi are used to stew the heart meat of an old cat and monkey with the essence of five grains. Eating this will strengthen the body, increase strength, and enlighten the mind.

Gain temporary status: Vigorous Yang Fire (current silhouette only)

Abundant Yang Fire: As the saying goes, the human body possesses three fires: the fire of mysterious evil, the fire of swift evil, and the fire of wicked evil... Stirred by the Kitchen God, your three fires will not be easily extinguished. Combined with flames and Yang Qi-related abilities, spells will automatically have enhanced effects, preventing you from being misled by low-level illusions or witchcraft.

During the process, the fiery red light reappeared and enveloped Zhang Wei's head.

Having learned from his previous experience, he observed this time and found that the gathered light was a little more complete than before, vaguely resembling an umbrella.

But before Zhang Wei could observe more closely, the blessing process had already ended, and the red light returned to the Kitchen God's image, transforming into strands of red ink on the Kitchen God's body.

Zhang Wei, on the other hand, was experiencing the positive effects of this sacrificial ceremony.

The subtitles were a bit complicated, but based on my own experience, they were easy to understand. The increase in strength meant an increase in physical strength, and I had increased quite a bit in that area, probably by about 100 kilograms. With the strength I gained from the wolf spirit and my own, it was a bit difficult for Zhang Wei to lift the rice jar that was more than half full, but it wasn't impossible. It was just that his short arms and hands made it impossible for him to hold the load for a long time.

In terms of physical fitness, Zhang Wei's somewhat chubby body, typical of a hunter's son, has shrunk considerably, and a more robust outline is beginning to emerge. His once-fitting clothes now feel slightly restrictive, and he has also grown taller, which has in turn led to an increase in strength and endurance.

While the concept of "divine enlightenment" may sound somewhat fantastical, in practice, Zhang Wei felt that his eyes could see further and more clearly, and his memory had improved significantly. He quickly reviewed the two-and-a-half-day process of the dungeon in his mind and discovered some details that he had not noticed before.

If it were me now, there would be no need to wait until nightfall to deal with the wolf spirit; I could just get injured and strangle that beast during the day!

Of course, that's wishful thinking.

This ritual also revealed a crucial point to Zhang Wei: the timing of the grand ceremony and the regular ceremony for the Kitchen God did not conflict. For example, if Zhang Wei performed his ceremony on the second day, and the grand ceremony was held on the fourth day, the Cold Clothes Festival, which was the first day of the tenth lunar month, he could still perform another ceremony the following morning.

Getting more rewards would definitely make it easier to clear the game. The only downside is that the [silhouette] period only lasts for seven days, and the fourth sacrifice has to wait until the morning of the eighth day.

Getting the desired effect from three sacrifices is already quite good; one shouldn't be too greedy...

After having breakfast, Zhang Wei felt the Qi Refining Technique transforming the essence of the five grains into his own foundation. After immersing himself in a warm and comfortable feeling all over his body for a while, he was called away by the adults.

Fifteen minutes later.

As soon as Zhang Wei entered the village hall, he spotted many familiar faces—the villagers who had come to his house the next morning to help.

Upon seeing Zhang Wei arrive, the adults sighed and turned their faces away, unwilling to look at him.

Seeing all this, Zhang Wei already had a guess in his mind, and when his second uncle, whose eyes were red, came forward to pat his head, his guess had become a reality: "That beast in the ditch really did kill your parents. Their bodies are in the cornfield by the roadside not far from your uncle's village."

"Child, it's not that your second uncle doesn't want you to see them, it's just that their appearance was too tragic, and your second uncle is afraid that seeing them will haunt you. You don't need to worry about their funerals, or your brother Niu Dan's. Although they died in an accident, your great-grandfather was understanding and reserved a small plot of land for your parents in the corner of our ancestral graveyard."

"I called you here today for two reasons. First, your grandfather said you're old enough to take responsibility, so he needs to tell you about your parents to avoid any future complaints. Second, everyone in the village is here. You're still young and need adults to take care of you. All three of your uncles are here. You can choose which one you're comfortable living with."

The other two will help out a bit. Once you get married and have kids, that will complete our brotherhood with Jianshe!

After glancing at the uncles standing in front of him, then at his third aunt who was about to speak at the back of the crowd, and at the other two aunts who were watching him neither warmly nor coldly, Zhang Wei thought for a moment and then walked towards the old man:

"I won't trouble my uncles and aunts anymore; I'll be fine living with my grandfather!"

The three uncles' expressions tightened, but they were abruptly interrupted by the old man's loud laughter: "Alright, if Gou Dan is close to me, then he can live with me. This old man is only fifty-six and can still work. If he really feels uncomfortable, then just send some rice and noodles over every month. Don't worry about anything else!"

"Brother, you be our witness in this matter. If there's nothing else, let everyone disperse as soon as possible, because it wouldn't be good for my family's matter to delay everyone's ancestral worship!"

"Alright, let's call it a day then!"

"etc!"

As soon as the village chief finished speaking, the clerk sitting next to him, wearing a Zhongshan suit and with a square face, said, "I called everyone here today for two reasons. First, it's about the couple's matter. Second, everyone in the village knows that yesterday they went up the mountain to look for Gou Dan, but ended up bringing back a group of children."

"Our village chief didn't say much about it, afraid of scaring everyone, but I felt uneasy as soon as I woke up this morning, and I had a feeling that this Cold Clothes Festival wouldn't be easy..."

"Alright!" The village chief interrupted the official, glaring at him with an unfriendly expression. He then swept his gaze over everyone in the room: "That's enough, nothing else. Everyone disperse. Those who need to perform ancestral rites, perform them; those who need to go to the fields, go to the fields. Get out of here!"

At the village chief's shout, the villagers in the house prepared to turn and leave, at least the Liu family did.

But having finally gathered the villagers, how could the official just watch this opportunity slip away? "Is everything alright?"

"Are you really alright?"

"The wolf spirit from the other day, the old cat and monkey from the night before last, the child kidnapper, and the crows cawing in the trees at the village entrance this morning... I'm putting my words here: if you think we can get through this festival safely without making any preparations, then I have nothing to say. But if you don't dare to make this pledge, then let me finish what I have to say and let the villagers judge!"

"Although I am the village chief and the person in charge of affairs, this is no longer a one-man show. We need to be fair. This concerns the safety of everyone, so it's better to let everyone judge and make a decision than for the village chief to act arbitrarily, right?"

Once that hat is on his head, the village chief knows he's done for.

Not to mention the many people with different surnames who were transferred to the village, even the villagers themselves were not completely united. To be honest, although Liu is a common surname in the village, there are not many people within five degrees of kinship. If you really want to talk about it, the Liu family in Liujia Village can be divided into five or six smaller Liu families.

When there are many people, their minds wander, and things become complicated as they focus on their own interests.