MS Chapter 88

Just as the sharp blade was about to pierce Lu Qingjia’s brow, the surrounding players could only manage expressions of shock.

It seemed as though everyone could already picture the scene of his blood splattering, but upon snapping back to reality, they realized the blade had stopped just a hair’s breadth away from Lu Qingjia’s skin, unable to advance any further.

A strand of hair from the back of his head had somehow grown longer, wrapping around the blade. The hair was both flexible and strong, and the seemingly indestructible blade could neither cut through it nor break free.

Having failed in the sneak attack, the corpse on the ground suddenly opened its eyes, blades extending from its knuckles as it slashed toward Lu Qingjia.

But since Lu Qingjia had already reacted to the unexpected ambush, dealing with the follow-up was naturally even easier.

The player’s corpse quickly froze into a large block of ice, maintaining its attacking posture, like a statue frozen in place.

It was clear that the opponent tried to break free, but apart from slight movements of the fingertips, it had completely lost control over its body.

The surrounding players finally regained their breath: “What? He’s not dead?”

“Why did he ambush you?”

Lu Qingjia replied, “He’s dead.”

With that, he pushed the “ice sculpture” over. Due to the impact after the rapid freezing, one of its arms shattered upon hitting the ground, splattering to the side.

Lu Qingjia dispelled his frost Ability, and a scalpel appeared in his hand. With a few swift cuts, he severed the opponent’s joints and meridians, rendering it immobile.

Even after turning into a pile of soft flesh, the opponent still relentlessly tried to attack Lu Qingjia.

Lu Qingjia’s bubble-wrapped hand pressed down on the opponent’s head, and the scalpel precisely located a spot, extracting a small black worm from within.

Once the worm was removed, the corpse ceased all movement, becoming truly lifeless.

“Was he infested with a parasite?” asked a Horror Game player.

“When did he get infested? And why was he targeting Brother Lu?”

Although everyone in this instance’s village shared the surname Lu, and most cursed player characters also bore the surname Lu, the coincidence with Lu Qingjia was different—other players’ real surnames weren’t Lu.

But the players weren’t fools. The recently deceased unlucky soul likely didn’t plant the parasite in himself to turn into a mindless puppet.

Even if he did, why specifically target Lu Qingjia? Before Lu Qingjia returned, other players had interacted with the corpse during inspections, and nothing happened. It was only Lu Qingjia who encountered the issue.

This made things obvious: “Who planted the parasite in him?”

“The three of us returned to the village yesterday. Aside from the initial wedding, we didn’t cross paths with everyone afterward,” said an Extreme Game player. “After the groom died during the wedding, everyone scattered. It wasn’t until last night that Mr. Lu gathered everyone into a group chat, and that was our first online interaction.”

“After a night, the three of us teamed up and returned. The rest of you stayed in the city, and before that, you all met up and traveled here together. That’s when you had the opportunity for contact, right?”

The implication was clear: unless there was another hidden threat, the most likely suspects for planting the parasite were the players who came with them.

Moreover, with the game’s difficulty already so high, the possibility of a hidden threat was extremely low, which almost confirmed his suspicion.

One of the players who had come with them wasn’t pleased with this: “You sure are quick to judge.”

“It’s true that you’re excellent to have become an exchange student, but don’t treat other intermediate players like fools. With so many of us, if someone had made a move, wouldn’t we have noticed?”

“Planting a parasite is a skill that requires minimal investment but yields significant power. This means it either has high procedural requirements or requires overwhelming strength to execute undetected.”

“Honestly, so far, although our cooperation has been smooth, no one truly trusts anyone else, right? So why throw suspicion so recklessly on us? You only came a day earlier, but it’s not like you never left the village after entering the game.”

The Extreme Game player sneered: “Fine, even if there are other possibilities, when it comes to sinister and malevolent abilities, isn’t that more of a Horror Game threat? Our two games do have similar instances, but compared to your Horror Games, they’re practically negligible.”

“Putting these two points together, I’m not saying it’s conclusive, but you have to admit that statistically, your suspicion is far greater than ours, right?”

As the atmosphere between the two sides grew tense, an Infinite Game player quickly stepped in to mediate: “Hey, let’s not go there. We’re not here to play detective, and mutual suspicion won’t do anyone any good.”

He then changed the subject: “Brother Lu, those two moves you used earlier, weren’t those abilities that had rebelled?”

Lu Qingjia nodded: “Fortunately, at least for now, aside from the time of rebellion, the abilities remain flexible and can still be used without hindrance.”

The Infinite Game player’s eyes flickered.

He had been traveling with Lu Qingjia and witnessed the rebellion of the frost Ability last night and the near-suffocation caused by the bubble Ability at noon.

Especially the bubble Ability—that crisis had occurred just a few hours ago.

Yet, in such a short time, Lu Qingjia had dared to trust and use his abilities without hesitation, deploying them in critical moments without a second thought. His body also showed no instinctive hesitation, despite the rebellion of his abilities.

This indicated that he truly harbored no reservations about them.

If nothing else, this level of mental fortitude alone was terrifying.

It was clear that the other players were still shaken by witnessing the rebellion of someone else’s abilities and were already discussing using their own abilities sparingly.

The Infinite Game player then asked, “But how did you know there was a parasite in his brain?”

Lu Qingjia replied, “I have a透视 ability. Seeing through a human body isn’t an issue.”

Seeing the surrounding players stiffen, Lu Qingjia smiled: “Don’t worry. As players of this level, your brains and vital organs are protected by spiritual power, which blocks external scrutiny. My透视 ability isn’t strong enough to penetrate living beings like you.”

“At most, it can penetrate limbs, but since this person is dead and his spiritual power has dissipated, it’s no longer an issue.”

It was unclear how much of this they believed, but at least the tension in the air eased somewhat.

Lu Qingjia then produced a flamethrower and aimed it at the deceased’s corpse, turning it on.

The flamethrower was purchased from the Infinite Game, capable of quickly cremating bodies, particularly useful in instances like zombie worlds where corpses posed a threat.

Lu Qingjia explained, “If we don’t dispose of it, the player’s body will be turned into lamp oil, perpetuating the next cycle of the curse. There’s no point in leaving it.”

No one objected to this. After all, the deceased wasn’t a true comrade, and a character’s corpse in the game held no significance.

After the cleanup, Lu Qingjia said, “Alright, we’re heading up the mountain to look for clues. Are you coming with us?”

Some chose to join Lu Qingjia, but most opted to explore on their own.

Given that Lu Qingjia and his team had arrived a day earlier, they already had an advantage. Although things seemed peaceful now, no one could be sure if the information he shared would be truthful. With players’ inherent caution and suspicion, most preferred to rely on their own findings.

Lu Qingjia didn’t insist. Following the villagers’ directions, he arrived at a particular spot on the back mountain.

It was currently the flowering season, and as the villagers had described, the flowers in this area were noticeably different from those in the surrounding areas.

While the rest of the mountain was covered in ordinary flowers in white, blue, and purple, within this patch of land less than a hundred meters in diameter, the flowers were a deep, blood-like red.

Lu Qingjia surveyed the terrain. This area seemed ideal for habitation. Traces of human activity suggested that people had once built houses here long ago. Lu Qingjia even spotted a dried-up well, and upon further inspection, he found stone foundations, indicating that this place had indeed been inhabited.

But now it had turned into wasteland, desolate and abandoned. No one had built houses here or cultivated the land.

Given the flat terrain and its proximity to the village, it was unlikely that an agricultural community would leave such fertile land unused.

Lu Qingjia returned to the girl’s house and called out her grandmother, asking about the land and why it remained uncultivated and uninhabited.

The grandmother shook her head: “It’s no good. Where the mountain god’s flowers bloom, it’s taboo to disturb it. You’d be struck by lightning.”

Lu Qingjia then asked, “Actually, I’d like to know, since when did the sacrifices begin?”

The grandmother shook her head again: “I can’t remember.”

“Surely there’s a record of the sacrificial list, right?” Lu Qingjia pressed. “Such things, like a family genealogy, should have been passed down through generations.”

This time, the grandmother nodded: “Yes, yes. The village head has it. It’s been around for thousands of years.”

“Shan Wa Zi” (Mountain Kid) was the village head. The old lady, being of advanced age and high status, had the privilege of addressing him as such.

Satisfied, Lu Qingjia left and immediately sought out the village head, who had already heard about the death among their group.

The village head sighed, shaking his head: “What a tragedy, these children.”

Lu Qingjia, however, smiled: “How can you say that? Life and death are predestined. Rather than ending meaninglessly, serving the mountain god holds great significance. You should be pleased, Village Head.”

The village head: “…”

If the village head had studied psychology, he might have recognized Lu Qingjia’s current behavior as “convert zealotry.”

Lu Qingjia continued, “By the way, Village Head, to better serve the mountain god and understand our past—as well as trace our bloodline—I’d like to take a look at the records of past sacrifices and the family genealogy. Is that alright?”

The village head was surprisingly accommodating and agreed without hesitation.

However, the records could only be viewed on-site and couldn’t be taken away.

Lu Qingjia smiled: “That’s perfect. I’ll have dinner at your place tonight. I like twice-cooked pork and fish-flavored shredded pork. The eggplants you’ve grown outside look great—let’s have a cold eggplant salad as well. Thank you, Uncle.”

According to the family hierarchy, the village head was also Lu Qingjia’s uncle.

Seeing Lu Qingjia’s shamelessness, the village head was fuming but couldn’t bring himself to be stingy over a meal. He shooed away the curious children who had gathered: “Go, go, do your homework. What are you playing around for?”

As Lu Qingjia perused the genealogy and sacrificial records, he stumbled upon something baffling.

A village existing for over a thousand years, consistently prosperous, with an unbroken lineage—what were the odds?

Yet, according to the timeline, that was indeed the case. After the first human sacrifice, the village had never faced a major disaster.

Whether it was natural calamities, man-made catastrophes, or dynastic changes, the mountain village seemed forgotten by all misfortunes. Judging from the surface records, the human sacrifices had indeed brought the village peace and prosperity.

Skipping over the initial records, Lu Qingjia focused on the time of the first human sacrifice. The records stated that a severe drought had struck, and the village had offered a sacrifice to pray for rain.

Sure enough, rain fell the next day, and the practice of sacrifice became a tradition.

Lu Qingjia glanced at the names of the first batch of sacrificial offerings. Given that this occurred over a thousand years ago, the records had naturally been recopied.

Cross-referencing with the genealogy from that time, Lu Qingjia quickly noticed something amiss.

The first pair of child sacrifices—a boy and a girl—were actually siblings.

Generally, in such sacrificial practices, regardless of the justification, the families of the victims would grieve, especially if two children from the same family were offered.

Either the family was isolated and bullied in the village, or there was a specific selection process that made them tragically unlucky.

Lu Qingjia had already asked the grandmother: the rules for selecting sacrificial offerings had remained unchanged for thousands of years. No specific background or conditions were required.

The only criteria were: first, the child had to be under fifteen, and second, they had to be pure (unmarried). As long as these two conditions were met, the child could be chosen.

As for the selection process, if a family had a sick or unwanted child, they could volunteer them. If not, a lottery would be held among eligible families.

Families who volunteered a child would be exempt from participating in the next three sacrificial lotteries. Therefore, some families, to protect a favored child, might willingly offer an unwanted child to their death.

Girls weren’t recorded in the genealogy, but sacrificial girls were an exception. No matter how insignificant they were in life, once they were chosen to serve the mountain god, they became important.

Thus, Lu Qingjia could easily trace the origins of each sacrificial offering.

The first pair of children came from the same family. The second pair also came from the same family, and soon after, that family’s lineage died out. What was once a large, flourishing clan quickly perished.

What’s more, the person who had proposed and presided over the first human sacrifice was actually the son-in-law of that family.

This son-in-law was the only long-lived member of the family, living to the age of eighty-nine and presiding over more than twenty sacrifices.

After his death, he was buried on the back mountain—

“Uncle, Uncle, come here for a moment,” Lu Qingjia called out, stroking a cat.

The village head approached impatiently: “What now? What do you want?”

“Where is this sacrificial officiant buried?”

The village head’s expression turned strange, as if this wasn’t the first time he’d been asked this question.

He replied, “In the area where the mountain god’s flowers bloom. The first officiant was the closest to the mountain god, so naturally, he was buried in a blessed spot.”

Lu Qingjia suddenly smiled: “A blessed spot? I’m not so sure.”

He flipped to the relevant page in the genealogy: “According to the records, his wife’s family originally lived in that area. After the entire family died out, the land became barren. And you’re calling it a blessed spot?”

The village head’s teeth clenched: “Even a blessed spot has its limits. If the family’s fortune was too weak to bear it, this is what happens.”

Lu Qingjia pressed further: “Was the decision to bury the first officiant there made by the villagers later, or was it his own request?”

“How should I know?” the village head said with a forced smile. “It’s been a thousand years. I can’t dig up the bones to ask him.”

Lu Qingjia met his gaze and smiled: “Why be like this? If you know something, just tell me. If I end up reporting you to the mountain god, it’s not worth it for a living person to hold a grudge against someone about to die, is it?”

“Don’t use that as an excuse,” the village head retorted. “Do you really think I’m afraid of a little brat like you?”

Lu Qingjia spread his hands: “I’m here now, and this isn’t the first time you’ve said such things. Whether you tell me or not, you’ll have to.”

The village head sneered: “Why should I?”

“Because I know who the inside collaborator is outside,” Lu Qingjia said nonchalantly.

“What?”

Lu Qingjia continued casually: “You’ve long prepared the fate oil lamps. I took the opportunity to check this year’s oil lamps, and the names matched exactly with those who returned. You can’t claim you predicted this, can you?”

“The only possibility is that someone outside had already coordinated with you on this year’s list, conspiring together.”

Of course, Lu Qingjia couldn’t say that he had deduced this from analyzing the components of the oil lamps, but the facts spoke for themselves, and that was enough.

Seeing the village head’s expression of disdain, as if Lu Qingjia was spouting nonsense, Lu Qingjia said, “Uncle, this is easy to verify.”

“First, collaborating with the village to harm fellow clansmen who’ve already left—such actions wouldn’t be undertaken and sustained for so many years without significant benefits or dire circumstances.”

“While the village is self-sufficient, the idea that it could offer substantial bribes to those in the city is laughable.”

“Therefore, the only leverage must be the curse itself.”

“What benefit is there in harming other young people? Without a driving motive, the only reason would be self-preservation. If the cursed list for each cycle can be manipulated, then there’s a way to avoid it.”

“So the logic connects: someone, for the sake of their family’s long-term safety, is willing to send other families’ children to their deaths.”

The village head’s expression darkened.

But Lu Qingjia wasn’t finished: “Once the motive is established, the behavioral logic becomes easy to deduce.”

“The curse can’t simply be generated by writing down names—there must be some procedure involved, right? The person collaborating with you must meet two conditions.”

“First, they must have access to the entire extended family outside and move among them seamlessly, without raising suspicion. This means the family is socially adept and maintains good relationships with almost everyone.”

“Second, their own family must have experienced deaths. After all, only so many people escaped back then, and even after years of expansion, the numbers are limited. It’s unlikely that their family would escape the curse entirely—the odds are too low. And being conspicuously fortunate among a group of unfortunate people would breed resentment, undermining the first condition.”

“But in modern society, faking a death is hard to sustain under scrutiny.”

Lu Qingjia took out his phone, opened an interface, and showed it to the village head: “Among the suspects I’ve identified, a quick check revealed that one family has been interacting with an unfamiliar account on social media for a long time.”

“Thanks to the recommendation algorithms of major platforms, with a bit of time and patience, I uncovered that the account belongs to a son of theirs who supposedly died ten years ago.”

“However, this person has since changed their name and moved abroad. Barring unforeseen circumstances, they’ll likely never meet their family again, making it easy to conceal.”

Beads of sweat formed on the village head’s forehead, and his lips turned pale.

Lu Qingjia leaned in closer with a smile: “Uncle, if I were to expose this, do you think you’d find a replacement to do his work before the next three-year cycle?”

“No, this isn’t just about finding a replacement. Once this is exposed, the external clan members will turn on each other, sever all ties, and most will secretly relocate to places where no one knows them. At that point, not only will you struggle to meet the curse’s requirements, but even finding people will be difficult.”

“Of course, I believe the mountain god’s power is vast enough to curse them regardless, but your task will remain unfulfilled, and that’s a big problem.”

“Oh, and there’s also the risk of enraged clan members seeking revenge against the village.”

“After all, while none of them may have achieved great success over the years, the pain of losing a child can drive people to do desperate things.”

Having said this, Lu Qingjia’s smile vanished, and his expression turned imperious: “Now, Uncle, are you willing to answer my questions properly?”

“You—go ahead!”

After a hearty dinner at the village head’s house—the village head’s wife was quite skilled, and the local pork was delicious, especially the twice-cooked pork with garlic chives and chili, the fish-flavored shredded pork, and the refreshing cold eggplant salad—Lu Qingjia even brought the cat to the table to eat with him. The village head could only seethe in silence.

Finally, he saw Lu Qingjia off like he was a village tyrant.

Returning to his room, Lu Qingjia messaged the woman who had caused a scene at the wedding, informing her that the groom’s family was looking for her everywhere.

The woman trusted Lu Qingjia and shared her guess: “They’re probably after the jade button.”

“What jade button?”