Zhao Yingcai lay on the ground, motionless. The moment he spoke the true name of the Divine Mother of the Tongue, he was killed. His tongue was cut out, and his life force drained rapidly. The most visible sign was that his corpse was turning a grayish-white at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It wasn’t the pallor of death, but a graying hue, as if the original color had been wiped away from his body.
This village was saturated with eerie strangeness, which matched her expectations.
Any place where an Evil God resides is invariably bizarre. These beings are far more terrifying than wraiths. A wraith’s killing has patterns you can trace. An Evil God, however, can kill without form—a single will, a single curse.
“Mingyue, listen to me. You absolutely cannot speak right now. This village is more troublesome than you think. Curses are everywhere. Your voice has a high chance of becoming a source of a curse.”
“The Evil God’s power primarily stems from this. Compared to ghostly monsters, they actually have more restrictions. So, caution and prudence are the best defenses.”
“See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.”
“Those are the three Evil Gods in your village that I’ve identified so far.”
“On the east side, the Evil God your Eldest Uncle worshipped, is Speak No Evil. Its true name is the Divine Mother of the Tongue.”
“From what I know, tongues and voices are her domain.”
Bai Yu patiently explained to Zhao Mingyue while leading her towards the west side of the village.
“Chen Yun, the woman I killed that day, the power of the talisman in her hand came from See No Evil. I don’t know its true name, but I’m certain one of my old acquaintances has already been to this place.”
“We need to be wary not only of the Evil Gods and villagers here, but also of that group of people.”
“We’re in the Front Village now. There’s danger, but it’s not extreme.”
“Our quest this time is simple: ensure our survival while trying to understand as many secrets here as possible. That way, when we go to the Back Village, we’ll be more prepared and our chances of survival will be higher.”
“Running won’t solve the problem. I know this place feels like a nightmare to you.”
“But I’ll say it again: don’t be afraid. I’m here for everything.”
“I will handle every problem for you.”
“What you need to do is trust me.”
Zhao Mingyue’s issue had to be resolved without a single day’s delay. Bai Yu was prepared for the risk of her identity being exposed this time. It was unavoidable, a necessary sacrifice. To resolve things here in the fastest and most secure way, buying more time, was actually quite simple.
And that was to summon Lu Liangting here, then spread the news, making those lunatics actively come and fight over it.
When one or two lunatics hide in the shadows, they are indeed dangerous, forcing you to constantly guard against them jumping out.
But when a whole group of lunatics gathers here, the situation becomes completely different.
Relatively speaking, it’s even less dangerous.
The consequence would be that some lucky and powerful person among them would seize the Evil God’s power.
The difference lies in the fact that the Evil God is actively targeting Zhao Mingyue, while this group of lunatics isn’t. They have too many targets and too many worries.
Another point is, these lunatics aren’t stupid. They won’t let the Evil God grow unchecked. They will definitely suppress the Evil God, or even destroy it, on the basis of maximizing their own strength.
Just as Bai Yu finished speaking, Zhao Mingyue reached the village’s west side, the territory of the Ear Evil God.
She pointed to her mouth, asking if she could speak here.
“It should be fine here, but you don’t necessarily have to open your mouth to talk,” Bai Yu reminded her. Only then did Zhao Mingyue remember she could communicate with Bai Yu internally.
“Bai Yu, you just said there are only three Evil Gods here, but didn’t we say before that there’s also one inside me? Is the one inside me one of these three?”
Hearing this, Bai Yu shook her head. “The ones I’ve identified so far are just these three. There are no clues yet about the one in your body. To find it, we’ll probably have to go to the Back Mountain.”
“Mm, that’s okay. Three or four, it doesn’t matter. None of them are good things. If we can kill them, let’s just kill them all.” Zhao Mingyue held Bai Yu’s arm, her expression fierce in a cute way. “If you need to, you can possess me anytime!”
Bai Yu paused, then nodded.
Possession—it might actually be useful.
“Bai Yu, what do you think we should do next?”
“Your phone.”
“Huh?”
“Send a message to Lu Liangting. Tell him to come here.”
To Lu Liangting, Bai Yu’s heart was undoubtedly pitch-black. Of course, he himself didn’t know that, because on the outside of this pitch-black heart was an irresistibly sweet facade.
“Th-this isn’t right, is it…” Zhao Mingyue said with her lips, while her hand was already pulling out her phone, opening the chat app, and tapping on Lu Liangting’s icon—a lotus flower, unique and unconventional.
The look in her eyes clearly asked: What should I write?
Bai Yu took the phone. “Lu Liangting probably won’t die. Those people won’t let him die.”
Letting those lunatics come was fine, but protective measures were needed.
And that protective measure was Lu Liangting himself.
Bai Yu didn’t believe that with Lu Liangting here, they would still have much focus left to spare for her and Zhao Mingyue. At that point, the other lunatics’ scramble, the wraiths’ interference, Lu Liangting’s safety, Lu Liangting’s affection meter, and the Evil God’s power—all would become focal points to divert their attention.
“Tonight will be very lively.”
After composing the message, Bai Yu sent it directly, also attaching their location.
It was remote here, but it bordered the urban area after all. There was still a signal, and the chaotic yin-yang magnetic field hadn’t affected the phone’s functionality.
Bai Yu thought, there’s no reason a place like this wouldn’t be a Black Phone quest.
The reason Zhao Mingyue’s phone and Lu Liangting’s phone hadn’t triggered it was simple: the level here was too high. They weren’t qualified to unlock it.
And indeed, in ordinary quest locations, ghostly monsters that could at least be mini-bosses—here, you’d see them the moment you stepped in.
Bai Yu would dare say this village alone housed no less than ten Red-Clothed Fierce Ghosts.
Not to mention the yet-unseen “Eternal Ones.”
Combined with the Evil God’s curse, one could imagine the danger level here. And crucially, this was just the Front Village. The true source was in the Back Village, which would be even more dangerous than here.
Sure enough, Lu Liangting’s reply came quickly. He even called directly.
Bai Yu hung up with a blank expression and concisely explained the situation here again.
Lu Liangting knew that Zhao Mingyue had come into contact with this world, so telling him so directly wouldn’t arouse his suspicion. Besides, Zhao Mingyue had only “accidentally” discovered the “secret” here, got “scared” being alone, and thus called him.
Lu Liangting’s final reply was:
“Find a place to hide. I’ll get there as soon as possible.”
“Check the Black Phone. See if any quest triggered.” Bai Yu handed the phone back.
“Okay.”
Zhao Mingyue took the phone and opened the other, Black Phone. There was indeed a new message.
[You have arrived at the Mission Location]
[You will trigger the Quest: Eternal Life Village (Front Area)]
[Eternal Life Village (Front Area)]
[Quest Difficulty: ???]
[Quest Reward: ???]
[Quest Requirements: Before dawn, find and destroy the god statues: Ear, Mouth]
[What shouldn’t be seen, don’t look at. What shouldn’t be heard, don’t listen to. What shouldn’t be said, don’t speak. What shouldn’t be thought, don’t think. These are the words my parents always nagged in my ear since I was young. Every time I heard it, I was very puzzled. Just what shouldn’t be seen, what shouldn’t be heard, what shouldn’t be said, what shouldn’t be thought.]
[The Blind Village Chief with the long beard came to my house. He told me, don’t cry. From today on, I am the Divine Maiden. To be chosen by the Lord Deity is to bring glory to my ancestors.]
[????????]
[I don’t believe my sister’s words, ???????]
[????????]
[What are they saying? I can’t hear clearly.]
[What do they look like? I can’t see.]
[Who are they? I can’t voice the question.]
[???????]
[My revered deity, please bestow your mercy upon me. Let my people… live forever.]
[Quest Content: ???, Eternal Ones, Voice in the Coffin, Funeral, Red Embroidered Ball, Midnight Ancestral Hall, ???, ???]
As the quest content opened, the rows of question marks stunned Zhao Mingyue. This was the first time she’d encountered such a situation. Even the quest introduction was filled with question marks. And she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt the content written in the introduction was about her.
Speaking of which, did she grow up in a place like this when she was little? It was a miracle she was still alive.
“Why are there so many question marks? Little Sister Yu, have you encountered this before?”
“I have. This only happens when your strength is extremely weak and you enter a specific mission area. Generally, for this kind of quest, even if you give up halfway, there won’t be a punishment.”
“Th-then… if I complete the quest inside, will there be a huge improvement?” Zhao Mingyue connected the dots.
“Yes. Here, danger and opportunity coexist.”
Zhao Mingyue felt a little excited. She didn’t want to be a weakling anymore. But a glance at the rows of question marks on the screen filled her heart with involuntary dread.
It’s better to work within one’s limits and not force things.
While Zhao Mingyue was lost in thought, Bai Yu fell silent. She was reading the Redemption Task the Black Phone had issued to her.
Yes, a Redemption Task.
[Task: Dragon Scale]
[When I was still human, what I hated most were reptiles with scales. Even without touching them, I could feel that cold, slimy, disgusting sensation.]
[I’ve had enough of the molting that caused me such pain, watching the scales lift, drying from the edges, like a dirty, tattered garment wrapped around me. It took all my strength to strip it completely clean.]
[But for revenge, I’m willing to endure it.]
[Doctor, tonight, your task is to help No. 521 recover her memories.]
Bai Yu’s gaze moved down. Seeing the number 521, her eyelid couldn’t help but twitch.
“Dragon Girl…”
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