Chapter 12: The Abandoned Child

Page 1 of 3

“Waaah, waaah, my father doesn’t want me anymore…”

“It’s so cold. Why won’t Father and Mother open the door? It’s freezing out here at night…”

“Big brother, can you help me? Big brother, big brother…”

The faceless little boy leaned closer to Hong Qi. Though he had no mouth, the voice burrowed straight into Hong Qi’s mind.

Hong Qi’s throat felt as though it had been blocked, and he could not make a sound.

That strange feeling from earlier surfaced once more. At last, he understood where it had come from.

That’s right. That’s right. Aunt Wang had said that none of the children in the village could live past the age of four.

And the little boy before him looked to be only three or four years old.

“Hee hee hee.”

A rapid, eerie laugh rang out. When Hong Qi came back to himself, the child before him had vanished without a trace.

“Hong Qi? What are you doing sitting on the ground?”

Xia Wulei had returned to the village. Seeing Hong Qi sitting there in a daze, she could not help asking curiously.

“My legs went weak. Could you give me a hand?”

Xia Wulei: ?

After hearing Hong Qi’s account, Xia Wulei fell into thought.

“That child appearing outside this family’s door probably wasn’t a coincidence. We might be able to find some clues by questioning them.”

Hong Qi froze.

In the games he had experienced, whenever something this strange happened, everyone’s first reaction was to flee.

Xia Wulei was different. Calm and self-possessed, she could always keenly detect the clues hidden beneath bizarre events—the clues that might reveal how to break through them.

Xia Wulei was still a novice, yet he had been frightened so badly that his legs gave out. Thinking of that, Hong Qi felt his face grow warm.

“All right! I’ll go ask for clues right away!”

Xia Wulei looked at Hong Qi, who seemed suddenly filled with fighting spirit, with some bewilderment. She was still wondering whether, if she encountered that ghost child, she might be able to knock it unconscious and drag it back to use as fertilizer.

Energy. She needed energy to grow crops!

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

Hong Qi knocked on the door of the farmhouse. A middle-aged man opened it, his face filled with wariness.

“What do you want?”

“Er… Uncle, do you have a child in your family?”

Hong Qi had barely finished speaking when the man’s eyes widened. In a harsh voice, he said, “What child? I don’t have any child! Go on, get out of here!”

The man was about to shut the door when a fair hand pressed directly against it, stopping him.

“Uncle, you wouldn’t want everyone to find out about your child, would you?”

Xia Wulei smiled sweetly, but her words were anything but polite.

The man’s hand stiffened. His eyes flickered with uncertainty, but in the end, he took a step back.

“…Come in.”

The only thing left in Hong Qi’s gaze as he looked at Xia Wulei was admiration.

An old woman with vacant eyes sat in the small courtyard. When she saw Xia Wulei and the others enter, she showed no reaction, sitting there as lifeless as a statue.

The man seemed accustomed to this. He had no intention of inviting them to sit. Once they were inside, he turned around and closed the door.

“What exactly do you want to say?”

Xia Wulei smiled. “There’s no need to be so anxious, Uncle. Big Brother Hong Qi, repeat what happened to you—and what the child said.”

Hong Qi nodded. “A little boy of about three or four was squatting outside your door and crying. He had a shaved head, and he said that his father and mother wouldn’t open the door, so he couldn’t get inside…”

The man’s expression changed violently. The old woman suddenly raised her head, lunging forward and grabbing Hong Qi tightly with hands thin as chicken claws.

“Was it Qiangzi?! Did you see my Qiangzi?!”

Large tears streamed from the old woman’s eyes. Before Hong Qi could react, the strength drained from her body, and she collapsed to the ground, wailing.

“My poor, ill-fated son… Mother never abandoned you… Mother—Mother will go and join you right now!”

The old woman lowered her head and tried to smash it against the floor, but the man beside her caught her in time. After thrashing about for a short while, she too lost her strength and fainted.

Hong Qi hurriedly helped the man lift the old woman and carry her into the house.

Before long, the two of them came back out. The heaviness on the man’s face was plain to see.

“It seems you really did see something. I don’t want to hide the truth from you, but knowing about it won’t do you any good.”

After a moment of silence, the man began to speak.

Hong Qi’s spirits lifted, and he quickly said, “That child came to us. Perhaps he was asking for help? We aren’t afraid of trouble, Uncle. Just tell us everything.”

Perhaps Hong Qi’s words moved him. The man’s lips trembled, and finally he invited them to sit down.

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

The cause of everything had begun fifteen years ago.

The man’s surname was Wu, and his family had lived in Yun Village for generations. Fifteen years earlier, every child in Yun Village had suddenly fallen into a deep sleep and failed to awaken overnight.

There had been nine children in all—five boys and four girls. The eldest had been nine at the time, while the youngest had been Uncle Wu’s son, Qiangzi.

The nine children slept for an entire week before finally awakening. None of them could clearly explain why it had happened, and the villagers, overjoyed to have their children back, never looked into the matter any further.

Yet over the following month, the children disappeared one after another, never to return.

Qiangzi was the first to disappear. After that, every child born in Yun Village vanished in the same way. Xia Wulei and the others already knew what happened afterward: the children of Yun Village disappeared until only Huwang remained—and his mother vanished in his place.

“So the one responsible for communicating with the Mountain God is the village chief?” Xia Wulei asked.

Uncle Wu nodded. “As long as an offering is provided, the people of the village receive the Mountain God’s protection. Most wishes made to the Mountain God come true.”

Xia Wulei and Hong Qi exchanged a glance. What exactly was this Mountain God?

“And the offerings you’ve made all these years…”

“The women of the village couldn’t bear the pain of losing their children over and over, so most refused to have children. To ensure they could continue providing offerings, the village chief and his people turned their attention to outsiders.”

Hong Qi’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? You trick women into coming to the village to serve as offerings?”

Uncle Wu’s voice was heavy. “The village chief sends young villagers out to lure women here. Those who obey are made to bear children. Those who refuse are used directly as offerings.”

Hong Qi was overcome with fury. “How could you! What era are we living in? How can something like this still happen? This is murder!”

Xia Wulei suddenly understood. “No wonder everyone in the village was so willing to lend me things. I thought you were simply a kindhearted people!”

“If you can leave, go as soon as possible.”

In the end, Uncle Wu said exactly what Aunt Wang had said.

[Congratulations, players Xia Wulei and Hong Qi, on obtaining the clue fragment: The Secret of Yun Village.]

[The Secret of Yun Village: Within this remote village lies an astonishing secret. Countless vengeful spirits were born here. When the day of revenge arrives, where will the villagers who committed these atrocities go?]

The system prompt echoed in the players’ minds. A sharp glint flashed through Xia Wulei’s eyes as she fell into thought.

Page 3 of 3