I Can Extract Divine Power-Chapter 32: Moving into the Village, Exploring at Night

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Moving into the Village, Exploring at Night

The village was dim, but under the moonlight, it seemed to be draped in a silver glow.

But the deathly still atmosphere was something even the moonlight could not completely dispel.

Even an ordinary person entering the village could sense an air of senility, like an old man in his twilight years.

Not far from the village, Shen Bai’s gaze fell upon a middle-aged man in shabby clothes squatting by the roadside, staring listlessly at the moon in the sky.

The man’s clothes weren’t tattered, merely a bit old. But because he wore them so sloppily, they gave him an air of despondence and solitude.

His eyes, in particular, were dull and lifeless, as if he had lost his spirit.

Shen Bai’s gaze shifted, landing on the man’s wrist.

On that dirt-caked wrist, a network of crisscrossing scars looked grotesque and horrifying.

From time to time, villagers would pass by the man.

A few of them even spat at him.

Some children who were playing nearby grabbed handfuls of dirt and threw it on the middle-aged man’s head as they passed.

Observing closely, Shen Bai noticed that everyone—the middle-aged man, the other villagers, even the children—had dense clusters of scars on their wrists.

"Donor Shen, the scars on their hands are from a sharp weapon. Moreover, their steps are unsteady and their Qi and blood are weak. They must have been bled recently."

Wuhua said in a low voice.

Shen Bai nodded. "That seems to be the case."

Shen Bai had been replenishing his Qi and blood recently, and since his own reserves were ample, his perception of it was heightened.

So he could also tell at a glance.

"Let’s go take a look."

The strangeness that greeted them as soon as they entered the village, combined with this destitute man’s starkly different demeanor from the other villagers, piqued Shen Bai’s interest.

The two exchanged a look and, without another word, walked toward the destitute man.

But before they could get close, something else strange happened.

"You two, you’re not from around here, are you?"

A voice sounded from behind Shen Bai and Wuhua.

Shen Bai turned his head and saw an old man with graying hair slowly approaching, leaning on a cane.

"Yes, we’re travelers. We were just passing through, but it’s gotten late, so we were hoping to find lodging for the night. May I ask your name, old sir?"

The old man tapped his cane lightly. "This old one is the village chief of Huaxi Village. My surname is Yang. You can just call me Village Chief Yang."

"Huaxi Village doesn’t usually receive outsiders," he continued, "but today is the offering to the Locust Spirit, which is a great and joyous occasion. If you two wish to stay the night, you may rest in Huaxi Village before continuing on your way."

’An offering to the Locust Spirit?’

Shen Bai stroked his chin and asked, "Village Chief Yang, what is this offering to the Locust Spirit?"

Village Chief Yang chuckled. "Huaxi Village has a massive Locust Tree. Nourished by our Liu Yun Lake, it has developed Spirituality and can ensure that Huaxi Village has favorable weather for our crops."

"Every so often, the villagers make an offering. By doing this repeatedly, we nourish the Locust Tree’s Spirituality, which allows Huaxi Village to become even more prosperous."

"Gentlemen, please, look around. In the past, these were all dilapidated houses, but thanks to the Locust Spirit, the entire village has been transformed."

Shen Bai glanced around and saw that the village was indeed prosperous.

The buildings alone were far grander than those in other villages.

Wuhua took two steps forward and asked, "Then why is this donor so destitute?"

The old village chief glanced at the destitute man and sneered, "He was once a villager of Huaxi Village, but he offended the Locust Spirit and ended up in this state. He deserves it."

"How did he offend it?" Shen Bai was even more curious.

Hearing this, Village Chief Yang seemed to have opened a floodgate of words. He explained, "The Locust Spirit protects our village and ensures good weather, but this fellow claimed that making offerings to the Locust Spirit was harming ourselves. He said the Locust Spirit was evil. This outcome is his own doing."

As he spoke, Village Chief Yang even spat in the middle-aged man’s direction.

After saying this, Village Chief Yang seemed to remember something and gestured with his hand.

"My two guests, let’s not talk about this anymore. Follow me, I’ll arrange a place for you to stay."

From his tone, Shen Bai knew Village Chief Yang didn’t want to say any more on the matter.

He didn’t press the issue and followed behind with Wuhua.

...

Village Chief Yang led Shen Bai and Wuhua to a house in the village.

"This is an empty house," Village Chief Yang said. "A family of villagers used to live here, but they moved to Fenglin State, so it became vacant."

"Normally no one cleans it, but since today is for the offering to the Locust Spirit, the entire village was tidied up."

Village Chief Yang stood at the door and said, "Gentlemen, although you may stay temporarily because of the Locust Spirit, you’ll still need to pay some silver coins."

Shen Bai nodded, then took some silver coins from the pouch at his waist and placed them in Village Chief Yang’s hand.

’There are no stories in this world where you can eat and live for free. It’s perfectly normal to charge a fee.’

After taking the money, Village Chief Yang told them to rest early and turned to leave.

Wuhua closed the door and turned around. "Donor Shen, shall we go out and take a look tonight?"

Shen Bai sat in a chair, tapping his fingers on the table. "Master Wu Hua, you noticed it too?"

Wuhua nodded. "A Locust Tree is inherently an ominous thing, yet they worship it as a Locust Spirit. That in itself is an obvious problem."

Shen Bai stopped tapping the table and drew back his hand. "There’s something else. That Village Chief Yang told us far too much."

"Oh?" Wuhua said with interest. "Is talking too much also a problem?"

Shen Bai nodded. "He was in a hurry to explain the Locust Tree, and he was in a hurry to explain the reason for that middle-aged man’s state. He did it to make us think everything that happened was the man’s own fault and had nothing to do with them."

"Sometimes, explaining too much is a sign of a guilty conscience."

"He could have refused to let us stay. But because we saw that middle-aged man, he needed to keep us for a night to explain the situation and allay our suspicions."

Wuhua’s eyes lit up when he heard this. "Donor Shen, not only are you powerful, but your mind is also exceptionally sharp. This humble monk didn’t think of that."

Shen Bai waved his hand. "Enough talk. We’ll go out tonight and see for ourselves."

The two of them were in no hurry to find the giant Locust Tree. To get to Liu Yun Lake, they had to pass through this village first.

And now, the strangeness in this village had to be dealt with.

Otherwise, if something were to happen at the giant Locust Tree because of the village, they would be the ones to suffer the consequences.

...

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the night grew deeper.

A few oil lamps had been lit in the village, but as time went on, they were gradually extinguished.

The door of the house opened from the inside, and Shen Bai and Wuhua stepped out.

Outside, the moonlight was now hidden behind the clouds, with only a few scattered rays breaking through.

Shen Bai got his bearings and walked toward the middle-aged man’s location.

As they got closer, they could faintly make out the destitute man’s silhouette.

As Shen Bai and Wuhua approached, the middle-aged man seemed to hear their footsteps. He turned his head stiffly, looked in their direction, and spoke with a dull, numb voice.

"Beasts. They’re all beasts!"