Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The little girl had been hiding behind a pillar watching us. Hearing her parents’ words, a glimmer of life finally returned to her eyes.

“Mom, I don’t have to go fish for the Wild Man anymore? This big sister is going instead of me?”

Sister Wang nodded and pulled her daughter into a relieved embrace.

“That’s right. My Xiao Juan doesn’t have to go.”

“Waaaah, Mom, that’s wonderful-”

Mother and daughter wept in each other’s arms, a scene that was quite touching for a moment.

Wang Yangyang was also hopping around nearby. After listening for a while, I finally understood that this ancient village actually harbored such a barbaric custom.

Every ten years, the village would select a young woman who had just reached adulthood and send her into the mountains to ‘fish’ for a Wild Man. I didn’t know the specific details of how the fishing worked.

However, they would dress the girl in a red dress, paint her face with greasepaint, and force her to eat Wild Man Meat. After eating the Wild Man Meat, her body would emit a unique scent. Once she was taken deep into the mountains, a Wild Man would naturally come out to find her.

Selected girls were either torn to pieces on the spot or dragged into the depths of the mountains to face an even more terrifying fate. Naturally, their families were heartbroken, yet the village had followed this rule for so many years without anyone objecting.

It was very strange. Unless they were gaining immense benefits from this, they wouldn’t risk losing a daughter rather than moving away.

“Xiao Juan, go wash your face and change out of that dress so this sister can wear it.”

“Mhm! I’ll go right now!”

Xiao Juan left excitedly. The Wang couple turned to look at me simultaneously. I gave a dry cough.

“Is there any possibility that I don’t agree to this?”

“That’s not up to you.”

Sister Wang rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward, grabbing my arm.

Heh. As an Earth Master successor, grappling and combat have been basic skills for me since childhood. Two or three ordinary grown men are usually no match for me.

I blocked her casually, our arms colliding heavily.

The next second, I let out a scream of pain.

“My god! Is your arm made of steel?!”

I truly hadn’t expected a plain-looking middle-aged woman to possess such immense strength.

Soon, Jiang Haoyan and I were subdued by the couple. Brother Wang took a handful of herbs, crushed them, and stuffed them into my mouth. Within moments, my tongue went numb and my entire body grew stiff, leaving me unable to move.

Jiang Haoyan was also drugged and tossed aside.

Sister Wang brought out some ink and began carefully painting my face, sighing as she worked.

“Don’t blame me. Children are their parents’ heart and soul; I can’t bear to let Juanzi go to her death.”

“If you’re lucky and encounter a male Wild Man, you might not necessarily die.”

The makeup was complex. Sister Wang painted meticulously for an hour until the sky was completely dark. Brother Wang helped Jiang Haoyan over to the sofa in the living room to lie down, and then the couple led me to the village’s Ancestral Hall.

Two solemn-looking old men stood at the entrance of the Ancestral Hall. One of them was the Fifth Grandpa Wang Yangyang had mentioned. Seeing me arrive, Fifth Grandpa nodded to the Wang couple.

“Mm. You two head back first. Come back early tomorrow morning to see Juanzi off.”

Xiao Juan and I were similar in stature, and with my face now painted like a ghost, it was impossible to distinguish my features. The villagers didn’t suspect a thing.

Sister Wang feigned a few tears, patted my hand, and then left with Brother Wang as if they were loath to part.

Supported by the elders, I mechanically moved my feet into the Ancestral Hall.

When I saw the statue inside, I was shocked.

The statue had the head of a bull and the body of a human, clutching a handful of herbs in its hand. Was this Chiyou?

Why would a village at the foot of Shennongjia worship the demon god Chiyou?

Seeing me staring blankly at the statue, the old man beside me gave a dissatisfied cold snort.

“Juanzi, this is a statue of the Flame Emperor Shennong. What’s with that look? Show some respect! It’s your blessing to be chosen to go into the mountains.”

The Flame Emperor Shennong?

It suddenly clicked. I remembered that the Flame Emperor was also depicted with a bull’s head and a human body. Historical records state: “Chiyou bore the surname Jiang and was a descendant of the Flame Emperor.” Chiyou and the Flame Emperor both belonged to the Shennong clan, so it wasn’t strange for them both to share the bull-headed, human-bodied appearance.