Myths and legends of gods, spirits, and demons have spread widely throughout the world, with different regions offering unique titles and explanations. However, the core essence remains the same, passed down through generations with only variations in narrative.
The mud statue of the mountain god in Yan Shao's hands, referred to as a mountain spirit by Jiang Yue, has differing accounts across various regions. The most common appellations are "Du Jiao Wu Tong" and "Shan Xiao," characterized by their stout limbs, blue faces, and red noses. They are legendary mountain specters, not deities.
To receive sacrifices, Du Jiao Wu Tong spares no effort, adept at luring those who worship it, demanding offerings of livestock such as pigs, cattle, and sheep, and even human lives.
As the saying goes, inviting a deity is easy, but sending them away is difficult. Many ignorant individuals invite them into their homes for worship. Any slight offense can lead to destitution, or worse, the ruin of their families.
"Weren't you talking about a mountain god? Why is there a ghost?" Jiang Yue muttered. "Could that Wang Jiu have made a mistake? Inviting a false deity home can lead to death."
"Who knows if it was intentional or accidental," Shi Yu shrugged. "We still don't know our identities this time."
"And during the time of the Mother-Child God, as soon as we tried to investigate, we were teleported back here," Li Le frowned.
Lu Zhi's expression shifted slightly. "During the Mother-Child God event, did you discover anything when you went out to investigate at night?"
Jiang Yue raised her hand like a student. "I was tracking the old lady who bought me. I saw all the villagers kneeling before a giant statue, as if performing a ritual. However, there was a barrier preventing me from entering. If I had forced my way in, I feared I would have alerted the villagers."
Li Le and Shi Yu exclaimed in unison, "We saw the same thing."
Yan Shao mused, "Me too."
"None of you were able to get in?" Lu Zhi glanced instinctively at Shen Qi.
"I wanted to," Jiang Yue kicked a stone at her feet and spread her hands. "Generally, for such important locations, barging in without permission would trigger unknown rules. It's better to be cautious."
Yan Shao nodded. "Indeed. That sacrificial site must be closely related to the Mother-Child God, and it likely holds a lot of crucial information."
Lu Zhi's eyelids twitched, and he instinctively asked Shen Qi, "Could it be that because we saw information about the Mother-Child God beforehand, the cage automatically assumed we had already uncovered the secret and passed the trial for the Mother-Child God?"
Jiang Yue and the others widened their eyes and looked at Lu Zhi, then turned to Shen Qi with expressions of understanding, showing no surprise.
"Qing Shen Village, Qing Shen Village..." Lu Zhi pondered. "Could it be that this cage wants us to experience the birth process of different deities? As long as we find the key information, we can proceed to the next story point?"
"You can't be serious?" Shi Yu was dumbfounded. "Then how many deities' births do we have to go through?"
Li Le added, "If that's the case, it's no wonder so many people have died."
A single deity, even a false one, is enough to instill despair and fear. Now, they might have to endure the births of an unknown number of deities.
"There are no certain death scenarios," Yan Shao said, placing the Du Jiao Wu Tong in his hand onto a rock. A cool breeze blew from the mountains, dislodging the red cloth covering the Du Jiao Wu Tong's mud statue and letting it fall into the stream, revealing its back that was slowly transforming into flesh. "What we need to do now is to thoroughly investigate the relationship between this 'mountain god' and us."
The evening breeze swept across the fields, the sun half-submerged below the horizon. The radiant twilight cast itself upon Qing Shen Village, nestled not far behind, exuding peace and tranquility.
Lu Zhi felt a premonition. "If I didn't know this world was fake, it would be easy to get lost in the illusion."
The more serene and peaceful life appears, the easier it is for people to fall into delusion, losing track of what is real and what is false.