Rules of the Strange: I Can See Through All the Weird

Hearing Zhou Nan's words, Zhou Peipei blushed with embarrassment.

She met Zhao Jiayou in the second instance, and this is the third instance they've been in together.

She stood next to Zhao Jiayou, looked up and turned to look at him. Seeing that Zhao Jiayou was still standing there with an upright expression, her girlish feelings vanished instantly.

Brother Zhao is great in every way, but he's just a little too clueless about romance.

The anticipated scene of players vying for who would be left alone did not occur.

Tan Yi, who was watching the show from the side, stretched his neck and straightened his body.

"I can live in it myself, you can divide the rest among yourselves."

After saying that, he turned and went into a room.

Originally, I thought we'd have to compete, or at worst, play rock-paper-scissors. Lee Kin-yan just chuckled to himself.

"Zhou Nan, I'll hug you tonight!"

Zhou Nan glared at him with disgust, then turned and went into a room, with Li Jianren following closely behind.

Tan Yi, leaning against the door, chuckled as he listened to their words.

A bunch of idiots.

As he recalled Qi Tong's appearance, the corners of his mouth curved into a wider smile.

"Ha, Rookie of the Year? I'd like to see if you can beat me."

The comments section was now in an uproar.

[How selfish! You have clues but won't share them?]

[They owe you something? Didn't you say you wanted to exchange it? You're just shamelessly begging for clues without doing anything.]

[I just wandered around the statue, but I guess I didn't find any clues at all (laughs while covering face)]

Whether they have the information or not, it's their choice to inform them. Why are you all in such a hurry?

Like dog, like owner. I can't understand what kind of people watch Qi Tong's live stream (laughs while covering face)

[Upstairs, even if glycerin suppositories are effective, you shouldn't put them on your lips, right?]

----

Qi Tong and He Lu sat for a while before going out to the village to gather information.

Even after walking all the way to the statue, we still didn't encounter a single villager.

He Lu looked dejected and said sullenly with her head down, "Why are there still no villagers? How are we supposed to 'interview' them?"

As if to prove something to He Lu, the next second someone opened the door of a house and came out.

She was an older woman, with a headscarf wrapped around her head and a vegetable basket hanging from her arm.

She was dressed as if she were going to buy groceries.

If you ignored the basket full of meat, you'd really think she was going grocery shopping.

A hint of joy flashed in He Lu's eyes.

She had just taken a step when Qi Tong grabbed her arm.

He Lu turned around, about to ask what was wrong, when Qi Tong nodded behind her.

The villager seemed completely oblivious to Qi Tong and He Lu.

He walked up to the statue on his own.

Place the raw meat from the basket on the offering table, then open the hidden compartment on the side of the incense burner and take out three incense sticks.

The three incense sticks touched together lit automatically.

The old woman devoutly raised the incense above her head and bowed three times before the statue of the deity.

They neatly placed the incense sticks into the incense burner and knelt on the ground to kowtow.

Before each kowtow, she would put her hands together, close her eyes tightly, and murmur as if making a wish.

Then he slammed his head against the ground, repeating this three times.

I couldn't hear what she was saying or what she wished for.

It wasn't until she finished her routine, a satisfied smile on her face, and picked up her basket to go back, that Qi Tong stopped her.

"Hello, ma'am, we're reporters here to cover this story. We'd like to know more about the Mermaid Village. Do you have time to tell us more details?"

The old woman seemed to have just seen them; she was startled and her lips drooped.

Upon hearing Qi Tong's question, her attitude softened.

"Oh, it's reporters! The village chief told everyone this morning that our village is doing much better, and we're even on TV now! Thank you all for coming!"

As she spoke, the old woman hung the basket on her arm again, reached out and held Qi Tong's hands, patting them gently.

"Oh, what do you want to know? I'll tell you everything. I was born and raised here. If you want to know something else, I might not know, but when it comes to our village, I definitely know more than the young people!"

Qi Tong forced a smile and gently patted the old woman with his hand.

"Really, ma'am? Then we've come to the right person! This is my younger sister; we're both reporters."

She turned her head to look at He Lu, who immediately cooperated and sweetly greeted her, "Hello, Auntie."

Qi Tong turned around, her brows furrowed slightly, and her expression was somewhat downcast.

The smile that had been on her lips just moments before was gone.

"Auntie, to tell you the truth, we came here because our company is laying off employees. My sister and I fought tooth and nail to get this opportunity. We both come from remote mountainous areas."

"We finally got into university and found a good job, but we're about to be fired before we've even been there long. We haven't made any money yet, but money is just an external thing. What we really want is to achieve something great and go back to our hometown to benefit the people..."

As she spoke, Qi Tong sadly covered the corner of her mouth and wiped away tears that hadn't even formed yet.

Upon hearing this, the old woman was also drawn into the conversation.

She looked regretful, but spoke in a tone of comfort.

"Oh dear, good children, your idea is good. Don't cry, don't cry. So how can you stay at your job? If all else fails... why don't you go and make a wish to the Mermaid Goddess?"

Qi Tong sniffed.

"Auntie, only you can help us now. The Mermaid Village is a great subject, you must tell us everything you know about it. Only then will we have a chance to stay in the unit."

He Lu also made a pleading gesture beside her.

Two pairs of watery eyes stared at the old woman.

This was the first time the old lady had been treated like a "savior." She took He Lu's hand, placed it on Qi Tong's hand, and patted it firmly.

"Don't worry, children! Ask away, and I'll tell you whatever I know!"

Having achieved her goal, Qi Tong smiled sweetly.

"Auntie, we'd like to know when the village came into being, why it exists, and what its iconic stories are?"

The old woman pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Oh dear, this village isn't very old, less than a hundred years old. Why does it exist...? It's said that there really is a mermaid god in the sea, and it has appeared before!"

At this point, the old woman became emotional, and her tone suddenly rose.

He Lu took a soft breath beside her, as if startled by the tone of the voice.

"The Mermaid God really exists! It really does! The wishes made by the villagers always come true the next day! The Mermaid God has even saved people! She appeared in the sea and rescued the village chief's family!"

"From then on, a statue was built in the village for everyone to worship!"

"My mother said that when it was first built, some people believed and some didn't, and it wasn't as effective as it is now, probably because there weren't enough worshippers."

Upon hearing this, Qi Tong's gaze fell on the raw meat that had just been placed on the offering table, and he remained silent.

"But later, some people's wishes came true, and more and more people came to offer sacrifices and incense. Now, it has become the faith of the entire village!"

The old woman's eyes were filled with undisguised infatuation. As if she had thought of something, a happy smile appeared on her face, and glistening liquid dripped from the corner of her mouth.

He kept muttering to himself.

"The Mermaid... the Mermaid truly exists... the Mermaid is the most efficacious..."