Strange things happen, and I drive the evil god mad by chasing debts.

Shen Qingchan didn't even look at those idiots. She crossed her arms and stared at Shen Dafu with a leisurely air.

In her mind, a line of hidden information was popping up on the system panel.

[Hidden Information: Three days ago, Shen Dafu entered the Cave God Temple alone and took away ten taels of gold, a red gold phoenix hairpin, and a pair of fine jade bracelets. These were the betrothal gifts prepared by the Cave God for this "Falling Flower Cave Maiden."]

"Oh? No bride price?"

Shen Qingchan laughed even more happily. She took out a bronze bell from her sleeve and shook it on her fingertip.

"Ring ring—"

The crisp sound of bells echoed through the valley, carrying a strange chill.

The four burly men carrying the coffin froze, their eyes fixed on the bell.

The moment Shen Dafu saw the bell, his face turned as white as paper.

He recognizes this thing!

This was one of the burial items he stole from the cave. He thought no one knew about it, so how did it end up in this girl's hands?!

"Where...where did you steal this from!"

Shen Dafu pointed at her, his voice cracking.

"steal?"

Shen Qingchan raised an eyebrow and said, "Shen Dafu, open your dog eyes and look carefully. This is called a 'Sound Transmission Bell.' It was specially given to me by the Cave God to keep me entertained on the road. If you don't believe me, look, my birth date and time are even engraved on it."

She turned the bell over, and sure enough, it was covered with crooked, grotesque scribbles.

That was actually a strange contract text; not to mention Shen Dafu, even experts from the Demon Suppression Division might not be able to recognize it.

But Shen Dafu, feeling guilty, didn't dare to look closely.

"You're talking nonsense! Guards! Guards! Tie up this madwoman who's spreading heresy! Throw her into the cave immediately to feed the cave god!"

Shen Dafu's mind went blank. Oh no, he couldn't let her say any more.

The thugs he kept exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and surrounded Shen Qingchan.

Shen Qingchan tilted her head and smiled at him.

"Village chief, guess what? If the cave god knew that you not only embezzled his bride price but also tried to fool him with 'fake goods,' who would he eat first?"

She reached out and gently tugged at the neckline of her wedding dress.

Stab it!

The beautiful red silk tore open with a snap, revealing a lining that was... paper!

A pale, stiff paper shroud!

"Is this wedding dress I'm wearing made of paper?"

She then lifted her foot, showing everyone the red embroidered sole of her shoe, which was made of paper money burned for the dead, folded into the shape of ingots.

"They use paper shrouds meant for the dead to fool the living into marrying off the gods. They stuff real gold and silver dowries into their own pockets."

She approached him, her voice low and soft, and whispered in his ear, "Shen Dafu, you've got some nerve."

"boom!"

Shen Dafu's mind went blank, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his clothes.

The surrounding villagers also saw the paper wedding dress clearly, and the crowd immediately erupted in uproar.

"My God! It really is made of paper!"

"Didn't the village chief say he'd order it from the best embroidery shop in town? How could it be this rubbish!"

"Could it be...could it be that what Shen Qingchan said is true? Did the village chief really embezzle the god's dowry?"

Doubts and gossip overwhelmed him.

"You...you're spouting nonsense!"

Shen Dafu's eyes turned red. He drew a knife from his waist, his face contorted in pain, and stabbed Shen Qingchan in the heart, shouting, "I'll kill you, you witch!"

He's going to kill them to silence them!

Shen Qingchan didn't move, she just looked at him.

[Warning: The non-human unit has been enraged by the smell of blood and its rule-breaking behavior; Hunt mode has been activated.]

"call--!"

The mountain flavor was off; it was cold and fishy.

The sky visibly darkened.

A hand grabbed his knife; the hand was cold and hard, not like that of a living person.

The knife tip could no longer penetrate even a fraction of an inch.

The one who grabbed him was the pockmarked man who had carried the coffin earlier.

His pockmarked face had two dark holes in his eye sockets, and his mouth stretched to his ears. It wasn't a smile; it looked like his skin was about to split open.

"Dong Shen... wants... something...fresh..."

The sound scraped out of his throat, like sandpaper grinding against bone.

"ah--!"

Shen Dafu let out a scream as his wrist was deformed by the ghostly hand, and the "crack" of breaking bones could be heard clearly. The sharp knife clattered to the ground.

"A ghost! There's a ghost!"

The villagers completely broke down, crying and screaming as they ran around.

The fog started out sometime during the day; it was thick and dark, blocking the mountain road.

The villagers cried and ran around frantically, but couldn't escape.

In the chaos, Shen Qingchan picked up a knife from the ground and used the tip to lift Shen Dafu's chin.

"Shen Dafu, can you return my betrothal gifts now?"

"Give it to me! Give it to me! It's all in my arms! Please... please let it go!"

Shen Dafu was crying and sniffling, and he no longer had any of the authority he once had as the village chief.

Shen Qingchan rummaged around in his arms without any hesitation and pulled out three heavy gold bars and a shiny red gold phoenix hairpin.

"Thanks, village chief."

She casually stuffed the gold bar into her pocket and stuck the phoenix hairpin into her slightly messy hair.

"Shen Qingchan! You won't survive even if you take the money!"

Shen Dafu's henchman, Liu Er, hid behind the crowd, shouting defiantly but inwardly, "You've angered the Cave God! These coffin bearers have turned into vengeful ghosts! They'll tear you to pieces! Everyone, quickly grab her and offer her to the Cave God to appease his wrath!"

Some villagers, terrified, were actually fooled by him and, trembling, raised their hoes and machetes, intending to attack Shen Qingchan.

"What a bunch of hopeless idiots."

Shen Qingchan sighed and rang the bronze bell in her hand again.

"Ring ring—"

The three mutated "non-humans" suddenly stopped moving and turned their dark heads toward Liu Er in unison.

"How...how can you control them?!"

Liu Er was so frightened that he wet his pants on the spot.

"Control? No,"

Shen Qingchan twitched the corner of her mouth and smiled, "I'm just trying to reason with them."

She pointed at Liu Er and said to the three monsters, "That person wants me, the bride dressed as a 'fake,' to meet the Cave God. Just think, if the Cave God discovers the bride is an imposter, won't he blame you, this incompetent wedding procession?"

The three monsters tilted their heads to one side, their dark eye sockets seeming to be pondering her words.

Shen Qingchan turned the tip of her knife towards the terrified Liu Er and Shen Dafu, and said to the monsters, "To avoid being punished by the Cave God, shouldn't we send these two culprits who prepared fake sacrifices and broke the rules to the Cave God first... to calm him down?"

The monster's logic is simple: whoever breaks the rules is the enemy.

"roar--!"

With a beast-like roar, the three monsters dragged Shen Dafu and Liu Er away, just like dragging dead dogs, heading straight into the dark depths of the cave.

The pitiful screams and curses were quickly swallowed by the darkness.

The surviving villagers knelt on the ground in a panic, kowtowing frantically to Shen Qingchan.

"Please spare me, Miss Qingchan!"

"We were all deceived by Shen Dafu!"

Shen Qingchan didn't even bother to glance at them.

She gripped the sharp knife in her hand and walked step by step toward the cave entrance that reeked of blood and an ominous aura.

save people?

Ha, what's it to me?

She was going to meet the "owner" of the mountain, her "groom".

She was going to settle the score for the bride price with that high and mighty cave god.

Just then, a very light footstep came from the woods not far behind them.