I Went Crazy Killing in the World of Gods and Demons - Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Xie Qingling bit into the small cabbage she had just picked from the fieldcrisp and piping hotand said, “Li Jiao wasn’t willing. Someone who has struggled on the brink of death, clawed their way back to life, and reignited hope wouldn’t treat their own life so lightly.”

“This is where they disappeared,” Xie Qingling avoided using the word “perished,” “We must find the remaining three people. Alive, we see them; dead, we recover their bodies.”

“Over the past day and night, the villagers have likely been too busy to pay much attention to us. Once the wedding banquet begins and everyone is drinking at the ancestral hall, we’ll turn this village upside down. I refuse to believe we won’t find any clues.”

Dai Xingyu said, “Someone’s been watching you outside, but we knocked them out on our way in.”

This was within Xie Qingling’s expectations. Knock one out, and another would come.

“Then let’s try to communicate via earpieces from now on,” Xie Qingling said. “I’ve already bought us time. Now we just need to act.”

Dai Xingyu muttered, “Even if you’re just stalling, you didn’t have to take such a risk. Playing the bride yourselfwhat if you actually get trapped? It’s too dangerous.”

“Of course, it’s not just about stalling.”

“The River God has to show up at his own wedding, right? Instead of searching for the deity, I’ll make him come to me.” Having finished eating, Xie Qingling casually wiped her mouth with her Wedding Garment. “A day and a nighteven if the chief had to crawl here with broken legs, he should’ve arrived by now. Once he and the others get here, we’ll join forces to surround and eliminate the River God. Killing him solves everything. It’s efficient and multi-purpose. I really can’t think of a better plan.”

Dai Xingyu was left speechless.

The plan was perfect, indeed straightforward, and highly efficient.

It just felt like dancing on the edge of a bladeone misstep, and you’d be bleeding profusely.

When the chief led missions, the department was always cautious and methodical. Suddenly switching to Xie Qingling’s reckless style was hard to adjust to.

Shen Huaizhou said, “Fine. This plan is perfect.”

Dai Xingyu: “???”

That’s it?

Oh, right. Shen Huaizhou was also unruly. Though he’d quieted down after being disciplined by the chief, it seemed something was stirring within him again.

Dai Xingyu felt like a husky trapped in a pack of wolvesutterly out of place, small, helpless, and pitiable.

He said, “The chief and the others will arrive tomorrow. You two… don’t go too wild.”

“How could we?” Xie Qingling replied. “I’m just asking you to search the Village Chief’s house. That’s gathering intelligence, not being reckless.”

Dai Xingyu: “…”

Alright.

Clearly, everyone had different definitions of “reckless.”

“In this village, I suspect the decision-makers the most. Besides the Village Chief as the ringleader, Wang Laodian is also highly suspicious,” Xie Qingling stated.

“You search the Village Chief’s house. I’ll search Wang Laodian’s. Try not to alert anyone and avoid complicating things.”

【Arrogant Psychic, though you often resort to risky moves and manage to achieve unexpected victories, the River God is no weak, newly awakened deity. Having received three decades of offerings from the village, He has been Enjoying Incense Offerings for thirty years and has firmly established His footing in the river.】

Hmph.

Xie Qingling remained unmoved.

Enjoying Incense Offerings for thirty years?

Had no one ever heard the saying, “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west”?

Thirty years meant nothing.

Besides, she wasn’t fighting alone.

If it were a one-on-one battle, Xie Qingling wouldn’t be this reckless.

After finishing a meal, all three of them were full.

Then, they split up to act separately.

As Xie Qingling had instructed, Shen Huaizhou and Dai Xingyu went to the Village Chief’s house, while she headed to Wang Laodian’s home.

Xie Qingling first went to the woodshed, dug out her silver case from the pile of firewood, and then hurried toward Wang Laodian’s house carrying the case.

As the bride, Xie Qingling, dressed in red, was particularly conspicuous. At first, she considered hiding her figure, but then she realized it would be as pointless as taking off her pants to fart.

The villagers didn’t believe she was truly willing, so they would surely keep a close watch on her to prevent her from escaping.

No matter what she did, they would assume she was trying to flee.

Rather than wasting time exploring on her own, why not…

Xie Qingling swaggered out, stopped a passerby, and asked, “Where is Wang Laodian’s house? I need to discuss something with him.”

“Dis…discuss?”

“Yes, discuss the wedding tomorrow. He must have plenty of experience, right? It’s my first time getting marriedI’m inexperienced and worried about messing things up. If the wedding doesn’t go smoothly, how unlucky would that be?”

How terrifyingwas she out of her mind?

What others avoided, she eagerly pursued.

In this village, even dogs avoided Wang Laodian’s house and the area around it. Yet here she was, seeking him out on her own.

But then again, considering she was willingly becoming the Bride of the River God, even the most absurd things seemed normal.

“Walk straight ahead, climb that small slope, go around the bend, and you’ll see a lonely, dilapidated old house. That’s Wang Laodian’s home.” The villager pointed the way, unconcerned about her escaping.

If she was going to Wang Laodian’s house, where could she possibly run?

With her slender arms and legs, even the hunched Wang Laodian could easily restrain her. There was no need to worry.

After obtaining the correct directions, Xie Qingling didn’t rush forward immediately.

To avoid the annoying tails and prying eyes, she pushed open the door of an empty house, slipped inside, closed the door, and used “Hidden Breath” to completely conceal her presence. Then, she climbed over the wall, swiftly dashed along the path, and soon arrived at Wang Laodian’s doorstep.

Wang Laodian’s door was slightly ajar. Even before entering, an unpleasant odor wafted outan overpowering smell of pickled vegetables mixed with a strange stench, permeating the entire courtyard.

Without initiating an attack, “Hidden Breath” could maintain Invisibility for a maximum of five minutes.

Xie Qingling had already spent three minutes on the journey, meaning she had at most two minutes left to investigate.

The area around Wang Laodian’s home was indeed so quiet that only the chirping of insects could be heard. With no one around, this conveniently suited Xie Qingling’s purpose.

Entering the house, the first thing that caught her eye was the extremely messy courtyard. Farming tools leaned against the walls – carrying poles, hoes, sickles and the like. Several large earthen jars stood beneath the walls, containing pickled vegetables. Dried cured meats hung in strings under the eaves, while a few pieces of clothing were piled haphazardly on the clothesline in the yard. Everything appeared exactly as one would expect from an ordinary farming household.

When Xie Qingling stepped inside, she discovered that Wang Laodian had actually set up an Incense Hall indoors, burning incense to worship something unknown. In the incense shrine, the nearly burnt-out incense curled its last ashes. Through the swirling smoke, Xie Qingling saw a bizarre and terrifying clay statue on the altar – several Little ghosts stacked together to form a hunched, stooped figure of grotesque shape.

She hadn’t deployed her Killing Field, so she couldn’t tell if these were the three ghosts Wang Laodian carried on his back.

“Who’s there?!”

Suddenly, Wang Laodian’s voice came from behind without warning.

Xie Qingling frowned and turned to find Wang Laodian already hunched over as he entered the main hall, his eyes sharply scanning the surroundings. However, his gaze didn’t focus on her – good, he couldn’t see her.

Xie Qingling circled behind Wang Laodian and, in the final moments of her Hidden breath, grabbed clothes from the drying pole, threw them over Wang Laodian’s head, then scaled the wall to escape.

This Wang Laodian was remarkably perceptive to actually sense someone’s presence. Xie Qingling felt this person would be difficult to deal with.

Could it really be as Ma Qiaoqiao’s father said – that he had “opened his eyes” and could see things others couldn’t?

Just as Xie Qingling was pondering this, her spine involuntarily curved forward. She felt incredibly heavy, as if a great mountain were pressing down on her. Xie Qingling’s expression turned cold.

[Stepping on your spine as stairs, sucking your yang energy as Incense Offerings; clinging to your back, don’t look back, whispering in your ear, don’t respond. The Piggyback Ghost that tracked you here clings to your back, calling your soul by your ear, wanting to hook away your spirit to become its offering.]

[But the Piggyback Ghost never expected your spine to be so heavy, that you would turn a deaf ear to its calls. It can only cling to your body, bending your spine like a mountain.]

Piggyback Ghost?

Was this one of the ghosts on Wang Laodian’s back?

Had her infiltration of Wang Laodian’s home been discovered?

But…

Even if discovered, it didn’t matter. She just needed to prevent it from reporting back.

Xie Qingling drew her Blood oath blade, gripping it in a reverse hold, and slashed downward from above her head. Though she heard no scream from the Piggyback Ghost, the Blood oath blade pierced into something with substantial form, as if striking a fluid substance.

The “Zun” character on the Blood Oath blade flashed red, “drank blood,” and the red lines continued spreading until they filled the entire blade.

“Respect” was full.

The container was full.

She had finally absorbed enough energy from the Ghoul.

Xie Qingling felt quite pleased, even smiling slightly, the discomfort of being secretly watched considerably diminished.

How wonderful – it delivered itself right to her doorstep.

Then, Xie Qingling felt the weight on her body lighten, and her pressed-down spine gradually straightened.

Just a mere Little ghost after all.

Xie Qingling sheathed her blade and continued forward.

This matter hadn’t delayed her for too long.

Although this exploration hadn’t uncovered any clues about the three missing individuals, she had at least understood one thingWang Laodian was a troublesome figure.

It was highly likely he was worshipping some malevolent entity that he could command.

Having clarified this point, she could employ unconventional methods to restrain him when necessary.

After descending the small steep slope ahead and rounding a bend, she should have returned to the village.

Yet, even after walking for over ten minutes, Xie Qingling still hadn’t made it out of the narrow path.

She was lost…

More precisely, she was trapped in a “Ghost Wall.”

Xie Qingling kept circling back to the same spot, unable to find her way out of this road.

No matter how many times she repeated the cycle or attempted to take alternate routes, she always ended up back on this same path.

Was this Wang Laodian’s doing again?

Xie Qingling glanced at the familiar yet eerie surroundings and furrowed her brow.

Just as she was about to activate her earpiece to seek help from the Illusionist Shen Huaizhou, a voice echoed in her mind.

[The long-forgotten Eight Wax Gods have been mentioned again, receiving faint traces of Incense Offerings and faith. The fourth of the Eight Wax Gods, the Road and Field God, has opened eyes that have slumbered for years in the mortal realm.]

[As the deity of field huts and pathways, He has cleared a road before you, seemingly inviting you to a certain destination.]