Do not force a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.

You were supposed to be dead, yet something is keeping you alive.

Hearing these words, the crowd looked in shock at Lang Jiuchuan, and seeing her gaze fixed on Elder Ke, they turned to look at him as well.

He did not look particularly special—just an ordinary man. How on earth had she been able to tell?

Shen Qinghe, however, overthought the matter. He had heard that some people, because they could see things invisible to others, suffered from exceptionally frail constitutions. Was this the reason she was so sickly?

Initially, Elder Ke had merely been wary of Lang Jiuchuan, but now, upon hearing her words, he no longer bothered to conceal his murderous intent.

She had to die!

Hiding his hand inside his sleeve, Elder Ke gripped a bamboo flute the length of a finger bone concealed within. Staring at Lang Jiuchuan, he said, "I have no idea what the young lady is talking about, but this is not a place where you belong."

"It seems I hit the mark!" Lang Jiuchuan merely smiled, casting a glance toward his sleeve.

This man’s physiognomy clearly indicated a violent and untimely death, and he ought to have perished in his youth. Yet, he had lived to attain the age of sixty, traditionally regarded as longevity. Someone was prolonging his life—no, defying the heavens itself.

His destiny had been masked, deceiving the judges and Yama of the Underworld, which was why no nether-messengers had ever come to summon his soul.

This concealment...

It was truly a masterstroke. He had used the gathered aspirations and goodwill of living mortals to avert disaster and extend his life, equivalent to trading ordinary people's lifespans for his own to cheat his predestined day of death. Little wonder there was a faint white halo above his head—that was the pure force of compassionate mortal prayer, undoubtedly offered up devoutly by spotless and undefiled souls.

Yet, no matter how pure that compassionate prayer might be, it could never outweigh the sins upon his shoulders.

Using mortal aspirations to save his own life—was he even worthy?

Elder Ke’s expression turned gloomy as he said, "It seems you all have not come to the Daughter's Village as guests, but to stir up trouble."

He looked at Shen Qinghe and said, "Sir, when you previously brought men here to search for missing persons, we cooperated to the fullest. As I said before, it was because they angered the mountain deity that they lost their way in the mountains. This includes all of you—it is your disturbance of the mountain deity's peace that has caused these accidents and casualties. Are such lessons not enough to make you keep your guard up, official?"

He turned slightly sideways, gazing toward the mountain peak deep within the valley, bowed with cupped hands, and said, "The sacred mountain possesses a spirit. To repeatedly disturb it is to invite a price. I advise you to leave immediately and not court your own misfortune by refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

"That's right, get out of here right now! We don't welcome you!" screamed the women standing behind him, their tones unkind, angry, and guarded.

Lang Jiuchuan gave a faint smile. "If the sacred mountain possesses a spirit, shouldn't it be merciful? Why would it allow mortals to go missing in the forests? Could this mountain deity practice favoritism, protecting only your Daughter's Village while treating everyone from the outside as mere prey—ah, no, as evildoers?"

The whiskers around Elder Ke's mouth twitched, and the veins on his forehead bulged as if he were enduring something.

Just as he was about to speak, Lang Jiuchuan added, "Elder, do not be angry. I am young, lacking in manners, and speak without thinking. I mean no harm."

No harm, just pure venom!

Some of the guards let out suppressed chuckles.

Shen Qinghe's mouth twitched as well.

Lang Jiuchuan immediately continued, "I've heard that the mountain deity temple in the Daughter's Village is remarkably efficacious. Elder, do you think I might go pay my respects?"

Elder Ke’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You want to worship the deity?"

Lang Jiuchuan stepped forward and said, "Look at me—delicate and frail, terribly weak. The physicians all say I won't live long. Just as Lord Shen came here to investigate a case, I shamelessly tagged along to pay my respects to the deity. Perhaps the mountain deity will grant me a long life!"

"You disturb the mountain deity—are you not afraid of being punished by it, just like those before you?" Elder Ke stared at her.

"I am a person with a rebellious streak by nature. The more you tell me not to do something, the more I want to do it. The Elder won't stop me, will he? Besides, if the mountain deity is truly so petty, can it even be called a deity?"

The crowd: "..."

Every single thing Lady Lang said was tailor-made to provoke a beating.

Elder Ke wore an ambiguous smile and said, "Since you are not afraid, then go ahead."

You cannot save a ghost determined to die with good advice. Since they were courting death, why should he bother stopping them? So many able-bodied young men would serve the mountain deity quite well.

Elder Ke turned and walked inward, while the few women glared at them and hurried to follow.

Watching them walk away, Shen Qinghe said to Lang Jiuchuan, "That temple is utterly unremarkable—just a shrine carved into a cave. Do you really intend to go? Why don't you wait here while I take some men to check it out?"

"If I don't go and see, how will I ever know the true visage of the mountain deity? And if I don't go, this entire trip will have been for nothing. Rest assured, since I dared to take this upon myself, I know what I'm doing. Whether it's man or ghost, I will take care of myself." Lang Jiuchuan looked at the large contingent of men and said, "There's no need for everyone to go. Just pick five or six men to accompany me."

She then looked at the maidservant who had been following her and said, "Goodwife, you needn't come along either."

The maidservant let out a gasp. "But my lady ordered this servant to follow and attend to the young lady. This..."

"There's no need. Just stay here outside with the others. If something happens up there, we won't be able to look after you."

Hearing this, the maidservant looked at Shen Qinghe, and seeing him nod, she had no choice but to obey.

Shen Qinghe began selecting his men, choosing those with superior martial prowess, steady composure, and quick wits, ensuring that should misfortune strike above, someone would be able to respond in time.

As for Lang Jiuchuan, she walked around the maple tree where the human bones were buried, stood beside one of its roots, and let her thoughts stir slightly. With a subtle tap of her judge's brush, she summoned three lingering yin-souls. Seeing that they were young men with bewildered expressions whose spirit-forms were on the verge of merging completely with the maple tree, she instructed, "Stay here. When I return, I shall send you through the ghost gate for reincarnation. Until then, burn a stick of incense, and first help me guard these people so that no foul miasma of this place beguiles them."

Having said this, she stood up, took her small bundle from one of the guards, rummaged through it to retrieve a wooden box, and right under everyone's noses, lit a few sticks of sandalwood and planted them beneath the tree.

wisps of smoke curled upward, burning away rapidly.

Watching this sequence of actions, the crowd felt their blood run cold and their skin crawl, as if something was clawing its way up from beneath the earth.

Why did it suddenly feel so eerie?

Who was she talking to? Were those sticks of incense meant for those buried skeletons? Why else would she be offering incense?

Swallowing hard, the crowd exchanged glances.

"Lady Lang, what is this..." Zhanggui asked, mustering his courage.

Standing up, Lang Jiuchuan said, "Just stay right here under this tree. I have already entrusted someone to look after you. Do not wander off elsewhere, lest you truly anger the 'mountain deity' and bring misfortune upon yourselves."

The crowd: "!"

Entrusted someone? She must have entrusted ghosts!

My lady, this kind of protection is entirely unnecessary—they were only growing more terrified!

"Lady Lang, actually, I can take on ten by myself!" shouted a guard named Luo Tian, who hadn't been chosen to enter the village. "It's not that I'm trying to fish for merit or that I'm scared of anything. It's just that seeing how frail the young lady is, I'll protect you from the side and guarantee you won't suffer a single scratch!"

The crowd: "?"

Luo Tian, you usually couldn't squeeze three farts out of your mouth—when did you suddenly become so shrewd?

You scoundrel, your tongue is fast indeed.

Having already walked some distance away, Elder Ke looked back at this scene, his gaze dark and malevolent.

Guess why I added extra chapters? Because it's the release period, of course—support the official release and vote for me, la-la-la-la! Thanks for the support, mua!