"Young Master Jun, it's not good, not good!"
As Xie Zijun walked out of the Xie family mansion, a panicked male voice reached his ears.
It was Sang Yang, stout and waddling, his large belly shaking as he ran and shouted at Xie Zijun.
"What happened?"
A hint of disgust flashed in Xie Zijun's eyes. How could such a person become a confidant of his exceptionally intelligent father?
"Young Master Jun... Young Master Jun, the two from the inn today... uh..."
Sang Yang stopped halfway through his sentence, having spotted two figures.
"What about the inn? Spit it out if you have something to say!"
Xie Zijun was clearly annoyed.
He was feeling smug as he left the Xie family, on the verge of executing his plan to kill several birds with one stone.
And this guy was here to spoil his mood?!
"Young Master Jun, we sent people to search the inn, but there's still no news of A Chai and A Ya!"
Sang Yang's eyes darted around before he replied.
"Damn it, is this such a trivial matter that it makes you so flustered?"
Xie Zijun glared at him. "Your two nephews are probably off with some widow in some secluded corner again!"
"It's not that I'm criticizing you, but this isn't the first time!"
"Every time I assign them tasks, they screw up halfway!"
"This time, they've gone and played the disappearing act!"
"It's only because of your relationship with my father that I've kept them around!"
Xie Zijun lectured Sang Yang in a condescending tone.
"Yes~ Yes! Yes!"
"Young Master Jun is right. When I find A Chai and A Ya, I'll definitely teach them a good lesson!"
Sang Yang forced a smile onto his chubby face, fawning.
"It's best if you do!"
Xie Zijun glanced at Sang Yang indifferently and turned to leave.
"Hmph, what a joke!"
"You talk a good game, but A Chai and A Ya have done plenty of your dirty work, otherwise you would have kicked them out long ago!"
"Damn it, you've ruined so many young girls, and every single one of them was with the help of A Chai and A Ya..."
After Xie Zijun left, Sang Yang snorted with disdain.
Then, Sang Yang turned to look in another direction, towards the receding figures of Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao.
Earlier, as dusk was approaching and the sacrifice was about to begin, he had sent people to contact Ye Feng, only to find that Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao were not in their room.
Sang Yang thought they had discovered something and fled, so he rushed out to report to Xie Zijun.
But just as he was about to report, he saw Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao walking on the street.
This was why Sang Yang had suddenly changed his tune just now...
Afterward, Sang Yang pondered for a moment and then followed them.
"Explorers, what a coincidence..."
...
As the night completely fell,
In a large square in the center of Green God Town, several large bonfires were burning.
A large number of Green God Town residents, their expressions ranging from sorrowful to terrified to despairing, sat in circles around the square.
Above the central square, a large bell of peculiar design was suspended.
A goblin beneath the bell was constantly making an unpleasant, strange "Guaka~" sound. Amplified by the bell, the sound gradually spread outwards.
It was because of this bell that Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao could hear the goblin's sounds from the edge of Green God Town!
"Explorers, these goblins are mostly nocturnal and are creatures that are not afraid of the dangers of the night~"
"Evening is their morning!"
"So, they always choose to hold the sacrifices at night."
"This way, if someone tries to escape, they'll have many reservations, as the dangers in the dark are too great!"
Old Li, sitting next to Ye Feng, explained in a low voice.
"Mm!"
Ye Feng nodded. "Goblins are inherently dangerous creatures that humans encounter when venturing out at night."
"They are the danger in the night themselves, so it's normal for them not to fear the night!"
Then, Ye Feng began to analyze the situation in the square.
After a while, Ye Feng lowered his voice and said to Xiao Xiao, "Xiao Xiao, in a moment, you..."
"Guaka!~"
Suddenly, a goblin cry, much more muffled than before, rang out.
Then, silence fell over the entire square.
A young man wearing a tall hat, looking quite effeminate, walked to the center of the square. It was Xie Zijun!
"Fellow villagers, as you all know, our Green God Town was once in deep suffering... Lord Lu is great, and Lord Lu, the deity, brought us peace and stability..."
"The great deity Lord Lu loves peace, is benevolent... They are kind and amiable... They have restricted the activities of desert army ants and driven away wild beasts..."
Xie Zijun stood on the square, holding a homemade wooden megaphone, and began to spout sickening praise to the goblins.
"This person is truly disgusting, to be able to say such things!"
Xiao Xiao frowned, her expression filled with disgust.
"To thank the deity Lord Lu for their care, we are holding a sacrifice tonight~"
"The purpose is to select worthy women to repay Lord Lu's benevolence..."
As Xie Zijun finished speaking, the entire square became eerily quiet.
Then, from the darkness outside the perimeter of the square, came the sound of dense footsteps and faint "Guaka~" sounds.
"Ah, uh!"
Hearing this sound, a woman screamed in fear, but a man beside her quickly covered her mouth.
The woman clearly realized something and made no further sound.
However, her eyes were filled with terror, and her body trembled with fear!
Ye Feng looked towards the direction of the footsteps outside the square and saw a group of goblins walking arm in arm.
He counted roughly fifty of them!
"They're finally here!"
Ye Feng was very pleased.
The reason he had agreed to Sang Yang's request to attend this sacrifice was not because he was moved by Sang Yang's lies, but because he intended to kill goblins here...
Immediately, Ye Feng gave Xiao Xiao a look.
"Mm-hmm!"
Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously, indicating she was ready.
"Ahem, as the contact person between Lord Lu and everyone, I will now select women on behalf of Lord Lu to serve them in the Green God Cave!"
As a group of goblins took their seats, Xie Zijun's voice rang out again.
With Xie Zijun's words, the entire square fell into a suffocating silence. Many were trembling with fear, lowering their heads, hoping not to be noticed...
Xie Zijun smiled coldly and walked into the crowd.
"Ah, no!"
"Ah! Help!"
"Screaming? It's your fortune from past lives to be able to serve Lord Lu!"
"Ah, spare my wife!"
"Bang! Ah..."
"Ah, stop it! Woo woo~"
"Get lost, bang..."
...
As Xie Zijun moved, screams intermittently erupted from the crowd, mixed with curses and sounds of struggle.
Soon, about twenty young women were dragged to the center of the square and stood with the goblins.
The middle-aged woman who had previously warned Xiao Xiao to escape was among them.
Some goblins, seeing this, licked one of the women with their tongues, causing a wave of panicked screams.
However, Xie Zijun turned a deaf ear to all this. He walked directly to Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao.
"Everyone, quiet down. I have some unfortunate news to tell you today!"
"That is, the messenger sent by Lord Lu was killed on the road outside the town!"
When Xie Zijun finished speaking, the crowd immediately stirred, their faces filled with astonishment.
Someone in Green God Town actually dared to attack "Lord Lu," and even kill them?
They usually only dared to curse in their hearts!
Who had such audacious courage?
"Everyone, quiet down!"
At this moment, Xie Zijun spoke again, his tone icy. "The one who killed Lord Lu's messenger is Li Tou! What do you say we do?"
No one responded to Xie Zijun.
Xie Zijun smiled slightly, unconcerned, and continued, "According to the rules we previously established, anyone who kills Lord Lu will be burned at the stake!"
With that, Xie Zijun waved his hand, and several burly men rushed forward, grabbed the somewhat dazed Li Tou, and tied him up.
The next second, Xie Zijun looked at Xiao Xiao.
"Of course, there's also compensation for Lord Lu!"
"The compensation is for the young female explorer who just arrived in Green God Town today!"
"It is her supreme honor to be able to serve Lord Lu on her first day in Green God Town."
After saying this, Xie Zijun turned to Ye Feng with a half-smile. "Kid, are you surprised, happy..."
"Bang!"
Before Xie Zijun could finish his surprised exclamation, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Ye Feng had kicked him!
...