The Villa

38.A Deadly Deception

　　"Damn it! You're saying we missed a great opportunity!" The bespectacled man exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table in frustration.

　　"That shaman, Granny Ruan, came to the guesthouse this afternoon... If we had known, we should have tied her up!"

　　Ning said slowly, "You shouldn't be feeling regretful, you should be feeling lucky."

　　"If you had known about this back then and made a move against Granny Ruan... It would most likely be you who would have ended up in trouble."

　　He recounted the afternoon's events in the village, and everyone instantly understood how Luo had ended up in her current state.

　　It had to be Granny Ruan's doing!

　　"Why, why would she do that to Luo?" The bespectacled man, who had been kicking himself for not capturing the shaman earlier, now felt a chill run down his spine.

　　If they had returned to the guesthouse a little earlier, they might have already fallen victim to Granny Ruan's sinister machinations, turned into mindless puppets like Luo!

　　"I think... it might have something to do with Tang's death."

　　Bai spoke up.

　　"Tang was originally just a pawn in Granny Ruan's hands, used to force or lure us into doing certain things. Now that this pawn is gone, she definitely has to take matters into her own hands..."

　　As she spoke, Ning suddenly seemed to grasp something, a hint of excitement entering his voice. "I finally understand, this is the key!"

　　Everyone immediately turned to him, their faces etched with curiosity and confusion.

　　"What is it, kid? What do you know?"

　　Looking at their puzzled expressions, Ning slowly uttered words that sent chills down their spines.

　　"From the moment we entered the Blood Gate, we've been misled by the prompt. The temple ritual didn't begin four days later... In fact, it has already begun, from the day we arrived!"

　　Silence descended upon the room, heavy and absolute.

　　"Remember our mission from the Blood Gate?"

　　"The mission was to survive the temple ritual on the seventh day. It didn't mean that the temple ritual would only begin on the seventh day!"

　　"Let's go back to what we're experiencing now—"

　　Ning's speech grew faster, his thoughts crystallizing.

　　"The shaman first approached Tang, promising her survival and colluding with her to lead us to our deaths... Those who went up the mountain secretly under Tang's guidance, those who went to different attractions... They were all part of the shaman's plan!"

　　"In our eyes, those attractions might hold clues to our survival... But in the shaman's eyes, those are all places for offering sacrifices!"

　　"Fang Cun Pond, the Shrine of Binding Evil, the Inexhaustible Well... Even the guesthouse we're staying in (Misty Rain Temple), they're all haunted by terrifying ghosts!"

　　"The people of this village... From the moment we entered, they've been trying to sacrifice us to those dead!"

　　"That's why, after Tang's death, the shaman suspected that someone among us had figured everything out. So, she didn't bother looking for another accomplice and chose to take action herself!"

　　As Ning laid out the truth, a bone-chilling cold settled over everyone in the room...

　　"The ritual... has it already begun?" The bespectacled man mumbled, his face pale.

　　Following Ning's revelation, everyone suddenly recalled something that had been happening all along, something they had completely overlooked.

　　—People were dying every day.

　　Yes.

　　If they were indeed sacrifices, would the villagers and the shaman allow them to die so easily before the ritual even began?

　　Of course not.

　　The room was plunged into a deathly silence.

　　No one spoke.

　　The ritual they had thought wouldn't begin for another four days had actually commenced two days ago.

　　"Damn it!"

　　"We should have realized this sooner!" The bespectacled man cursed under his breath.

　　Bai, who had finished her meal, set down her chopsticks.

　　"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone, please stay inside tonight. "

　　"The village isn't safe to begin with. Also, when you return to your rooms, remember to check every corner. If you see a wooden tag with the character 'Ruan' written on it, throw it away immediately!"

　　Their hearts heavy with foreboding, they returned to their rooms.

　　Ning carefully inspected his room, ensuring nothing was amiss before bolting the door shut.

　　Darkness descended quickly upon the village, and soon, the world outside was cloaked in an impenetrable black.

　　They had uncovered a lot today, and Ning's mind was still racing.

　　He sat on the bed, trying to organize his thoughts.

　　"Although we have a general idea of what happened back then, many details remain unclear. The deaths of Guang Xiu's family, and why the Compassionate One appears as a monk... But now that the shaman is highly suspicious of us, it's unlikely we'll be able to investigate everything thoroughly one by one..."

　　Most of the villagers still alive were under 70 years old.

　　 Ning had been paying attention to this detail since they entered the village.

　　Realistically speaking, given the medical conditions in the village, those who lived past 60 were lucky to be alive.

　　Therefore, these survivors couldn't possibly know everything about what had transpired a century ago.

　　Some of the details, perhaps they were truly unaware of, having only heard snippets of the story from their elders.

　　They probably only knew that the Guang Xiu family had been wronged.

　　"It seems the key... still lies with the shaman!" Ning's eyes narrowed.

　　Although they were reluctant to confront the shaman head-on, it was becoming increasingly clear that it was an unavoidable step.

　　With no wooden tags left in their rooms, they encountered no sign of Guang that night.

　　Perhaps consumed by vengeance, the vengeful spirit seemed to have no interest in them, its sole focus on finding the wooden tags inscribed with the character "Ruan."

　　The next morning, when Ning went for breakfast, he discovered that... Bai was gone.