Stone Fairy!

The moonlight was like water, and the stilted house was so quiet that you could hear the rustling of the ancient banyan tree leaves in the wind in the distance.

Xie Ning sat by the window, saying nothing more, only gazing at the gray altar and the red ribbons fluttering gently in the night breeze, his gaze calm and cold.

Xie Ning stayed in the Gu Village for a few days.

Over the past few days, she has been carefully observing everything in the village.

The atmosphere in the village remained as oppressive as ever.

Xie Ning noticed that Li Lan's behavior had been somewhat abnormal in the past few days, as if she wanted her to leave this place as soon as possible, which combined with the information that Lao Bie had learned earlier.

Xie Ning then took the opportunity to leave temporarily.

However, Xie Ning did not go far, stopping on a mountaintop overlooking the entire Gu Village.

It is located neither too close nor too far from the valley, in a strategically important location, surrounded by trees and rocks, making it difficult to spot from below.

Xie Ning found a flat rock to sit on, placed his spear beside him, and gazed through the mist at the valley surrounded by mountains.

The old turtle temporarily taught Xie Ning a set of concealment techniques, a minor technique derived from its own turtle breathing. It could effectively conceal Xie Ning's aura and blood, preventing him from being discovered by those hidden Gu worms.

"Tomorrow should be the day of the offering to the gods that they mentioned," the old turtle suddenly spoke, his voice low and slow.

"The so-called Gu God they speak of will appear." The old turtle's emerald green eyes gleamed eerily in the night.

Xie Ning's heart sank slightly, which also meant that Li Lan would be sacrificed to the Gu God on this day.

The next day,

Before dawn, the first rays of sunlight shone down from the eastern mountainside, bathing the valley in a warm golden hue.

This is a rare sunny day.

The fog that had been hanging over the past few days had mostly dissipated, leaving only a thin layer clinging to the mountain walls and treetops, like a light veil.

Sunlight streamed down through the gaps in the clouds, falling on the canopy of the ancient banyan tree, on the tiles of the stilted houses, and on the cobblestone paths, illuminating the entire village.

But the atmosphere in the village was even more oppressive.

Inside the Gu Village, a solemn and dignified atmosphere prevailed.

White lanterns were hung in front of every household, with some kind of insect-shaped runes drawn on them with cinnabar, which looked particularly dazzling in the morning light.

The villagers changed into dark blue-black clothing, with the same totems embroidered on the hems and cuffs as those on Li Lan's skirt.

A group of people slowly emerged from the depths of the village.

The group consisted of about twenty or thirty people, all dressed in long, dark robes and wearing ferocious masks.

Those masks were carved from the bones of some unknown animal, with distorted features, wide-open eyes, and mouths stretched to their ears, revealing two rows of jagged fangs.

Different runes were engraved on the forehead of the mask.

Their feet moved in a strange dance pattern, pausing every three steps and spinning every two, their steps slow and heavy, each step kicking up a little dust.

The group of people held up white lanterns with candles inside, the flames flickering in the morning breeze.

At the front of the procession, several people carried copper basins containing burning herbs, with wisps of smoke rising and lingering above the procession.

The smoke had a strong and strange smell, bitter, spicy, and an indescribable mix of flavors that permeated the air, making people feel dizzy.

The group slowly made its way through the main road of the village, heading towards the deepest part of the village.

The villagers along the way knelt down on both sides of the road, their foreheads touching the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

The group finally stopped in front of the most exquisite stilted house at the very back of the village.

The team spread out, standing on both sides, leaving a passage in the middle.

The leader handed the white lantern to the person behind him, and then slowly removed his mask.

This was a middle-aged man with a weathered face, but his features bore a resemblance to Li Lan's.

Li Yun stood there, the mask hanging at her side, her gaze fixed on the closed window upstairs, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes.

But when he turned around and glanced at the dark mass of people kneeling behind him, he slowly put the mask back on.

Li Yun's voice was hoarse and high-pitched, echoing over the village.

"We respectfully invite the Holy Maiden!"

As soon as he finished speaking, eight burly men stepped out from the back of the procession and slowly carried a dark black sedan chair forward.

The sedan chair was entirely black, carved directly from some kind of black wood.

The sedan chair was covered with densely packed totems and runes, which were consistent with the patterns in the village, but even more intricate and eerie.

A string of silver bells hung from each of the four corners of the sedan chair's roof, swaying gently in the wind and making a soft, clear sound.

The sedan curtain was deep red, embroidered with a huge insect in gold thread. The insect was shaped like a silkworm, but had many more segments. Its body was coiled up, with its head and tail connected to form a circle.

Li Lan came out, dressed in a magnificent gown, the main color of which was jet black, and the gown was covered with totems embroidered with gold and silver threads.

He wore a silver crown on his head, with a few pure white feathers inserted on it, which shimmered softly in the morning light.

He looked dignified and solemn, but there was still some fear in his eyes.

Li Yun stood at the front of the line, looking at her daughter through the mask.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing. He simply raised his hand slowly, making a gesture of invitation.

Li Lan glanced at her father, walked to the sedan chair, paused for a moment, then lifted the curtain and bent down to get inside.

The sedan curtain fell, obscuring her face.

Li Yun took a deep breath, turned around, faced the direction of the ancient banyan tree, and raised her voice a few decibels higher than before.

"Lift the sedan chair—to send off the holy maiden."

Eight strong men worked together to lift the sedan chair steadily.

The procession began to move forward.

Those wearing masks walked in front, holding white lanterns aloft, and moved with strange dance steps towards the ancient banyan tree. Behind them, the burly men carrying sedan chairs walked steadily, the chairs swaying firmly on their shoulders, not moving an inch.

The villagers kneeling on both sides began to kowtow.

As the group moved forward, other sounds began to emerge from behind, rustling and whispering.

It turned out that swarms of Gu worms emerged from the shadows of the village's corners, gathering into a black torrent that followed the procession.

Snakes, centipedes, spiders, scorpions...

All kinds of Gu worms, big and small, in all colors.

Their actions were surprisingly synchronized; they all followed the group without veering off course or attacking passersby.

They seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, moving in the same direction.

The group finally stopped in front of the ancient banyan tree.

The enormous canopy blocked out the sun, allowing only a few sparse spots of light to filter through. Aerial roots hung down from the branches, densely packed, like curtains, partially obscuring the altar.

The altar glowed with a grayish-white light in the morning light, and the totems and runes on the surrounding pillars appeared and disappeared in the light and shadow.

The sedan curtain was lifted, and Li Lan stepped out.

Her steps were a little weak, but she still walked steadily to the altar and faced everyone.

Apart from Li Yun, who was still standing, all the masked people knelt down, their foreheads touching the ground, not daring to look directly at each other.

Li Yun slowly began to speak, reciting obscure and ancient incantations.

In an instant, the winds of change arose.