Wang Erwa had already gnawed the poor chicken beyond recognition.
He heard Li Ye's footsteps and, driven by his hunting instincts, watched Li Ye warily.
This person before him was not to be trifled with, and he tensed, twisting his body.
Li Ye ignored the mess on the ground and stepped on Wang Erwa's back, forcing his contorted spine to straighten.
Wang Erwa could not make human sounds, only hissing from his throat.
Although he could break free with a simple stretch, his hands seemed glued to his body.
Li Ye acted swiftly, striking the back of Wang Erwa's neck with a hand chop.
Wang Erwa withstood the first blow, and Ning Wei looked at Li Ye with some confusion. Li Ye appeared embarrassed.
He still managed to explain, "You asked me to go easy. As expected, going easy doesn't work. I'll do it my way."
After muttering to himself, he brought his palm down heavily on the back of Wang Erwa's head.
The sound was crisp, like striking a watermelon.
Wang Erwa did not survive the second blow and lay down stiffly.
"That's enough," Li Ye said, silently relieved.
Ning Wei, still a bit concerned, leaned over to take a look.
Wang Erwa lay on the ground, eyes closed. Knocked unconscious, he looked a little more human.
However, Ning Wei had also observed him earlier. Not only was his body twisted like a snake's, but his eyes had also changed, and his occasionally flicking tongue was faintly forked.
Ning Wei was certain that once Wang Erwa's body completely transformed into that of a snake, even a celestial being could not save him.
This mountain god was truly stingy. Merely for not fulfilling his vow and offering sacrifices in a timely manner, it had driven the man to this state.
Its behavior was less like a deity and more like a demon.
But Ning Wei had spent so many years in the Taoist temple; demons and the like were already legendary creatures. Had this town truly bred a monster?
"Stop dawdling, let's go," Li Ye said, skillfully taking Ning Wei's hand as they walked out, while using his other hand to scoop up the cat still licking its body.
"Wang Erwa is unconscious. Hurry and take the offerings to the mountain god temple," Ning Wei told Wang Erwa's wife.
Wang Erwa's wife was extremely grateful and immediately knelt down.
Ning Wei, startled, quickly pulled Li Ye and they hurried away. She could refuse money or treasures, but this kind of behavior was something she simply couldn't handle.
Uncle Meng pulled Wang Erwa's wife up. "There's no rush to thank us. Hurry and take Erwa to the mountain god temple!"
After speaking, Uncle Meng called out to several young men and went to the backyard to lift the unconscious Wang Erwa.
A flatbed cart had already been prepared outside; it was borrowed from a neighbor.
The group rushed towards the mountain god temple, and the five sheep, their legs tied, were also placed onto the cart.
The sound of bleating could be heard all along the way, attracting many curious glances.
Upon arriving at the mountain god temple, they directly placed Wang Erwa on the ground and helped Wang Erwa's wife arrange the offerings. The rest was up to them.
When making vows at the mountain god temple, the process was similar to when making wishes. As long as the mountain god was satisfied, the incense ash would not break in the middle.
Wang Erwa's wife knelt devoutly before the statue of the mountain god, repeatedly kowtowing to the ground, the muffled thuds echoing.
The incense burned slowly. Wang Erwa's wife was not eloquent and could only express her and her husband's gratitude through practical actions.
She stopped only when her head was dizzy and blood trickled from her forehead.
The incense ash showed no signs of falling yet, and Wang Erwa's wife held onto hope.
She glanced at the unconscious Wang Erwa and said to the mountain god, "If Wang Erwa comes through this safely, I am willing to offer ten chickens in gratitude."
The red incense slowly turned to gray ash. Because of the long ordeal, the sun had already set.
Normally, people in town knew that wishes were only to be made at night.
If not for the urgency of time, they would not have come during the daytime.
The incense Uncle Meng had prepared was the most ordinary kind, and it should not have burned for so long.
Yet, the fact remained miraculous: the incense stubbornly lasted until nightfall.
As darkness fell, the incense finally finished burning, the entire stick of ash standing upright in the censer, signifying the mountain god's satisfaction.
Just then, Wang Erwa slowly regained consciousness.
He felt an intense pain in his neck and the back of his head. Gritting his teeth, he looked at his wife, "Where is this?"
Seeing him awake, the joy in Wang Erwa's wife's eyes was unconcealable. Without answering his question, she kowtowed several more times to the mountain god statue, repeatedly murmuring thanks.
"Mountain god, rest assured, I will go back immediately to prepare ten chickens."
Wang Erwa, clutching his head, slowly got up and looked around, as if trying to recall something.
Wang Erwa's wife gave him no chance to react, directly pulling him up. "Hurry back and prepare ten chickens, we'll bring them right over!"
Because Wang Erwa had been tormented in this manner for not fulfilling his vow promptly, Wang Erwa's wife dared not delay any further.
Now that Wang Erwa was awake, she wished she could fly home, grab ten chickens, and bring them over immediately.
Wang Erwa looked bewildered but did not speak rashly, following Wang Erwa's wife out of the mountain god temple.
It was already dark outside. Uncle Meng and his companions stood at a distance, holding flashlights, not daring to shine them too far, just enough to see their footing.
Seeing two figures approaching, they hurried over.
Uncle Meng, seeing Wang Erwa awake, clapped him on the shoulder. "You rascal! You scared us to death!"
Wang Erwa was still unclear about everything that had happened today and looked utterly lost.
Wang Erwa's wife told him, "The most important thing now is to go home and catch ten chickens. If that's not enough, borrow from the neighbors. Bring ten chickens back immediately."
Uncle Meng listened and asked her in a low voice, "You too..."
Although he didn't finish his sentence, Wang Erwa's wife understood his meaning and nodded.
Uncle Meng sighed, unsure whether to consider the mountain god too efficacious or too greedy.
This time, the Wang family had not only given away many things to fulfill their vow but had also nearly lost their lives.
The group walked back and then parted ways at the Wang residence.
It was more than enough to have accompanied them for so long. The rest would be up to Wang Erwa to handle.
Wang Erwa's wife, worried about the child, asked Wang Erwa to prepare the ten chickens first while she went to Uncle Meng's to comfort the child. They would meet at home later.
Wang Erwa still didn't know exactly what had happened, but he had a vague inkling.
"You go and comfort the child. Leave the rest to me. Today... you've worked hard."