The group squatted behind the grass and didn’t speak again until the incense on the offering table burned out, at which point the others stood up.

A young man, standing behind the middle-aged man, stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. “Uncle, do we really have to offer worship for generations?”

The middle-aged man immediately slapped the young man. “You brat! Asking such a question in front of the great deity, are you trying to get us killed?”

The young man covered his face and took a step back. “Uncle, I… I was just asking.”

“Just asking what?” The middle-aged man put his hands on his hips and glared at the young man. “If you want to die, don’t drag the rest of Xiuquan Village down with you. Come over here and kowtow to the great deity to apologize.”

“I…”

Before the young man could speak, the others behind him began to scold and persuade him.

“Yeah, Daliang, you can’t say such things casually.”

“That’s right, if the deity gets angry, Xiuquan Village will be in trouble again.”

“Daliang, listen to the village chief. Kowtow a few more times. The deity is magnanimous and won’t hold it against you for being young.”

The young man still wanted to argue but didn’t have a chance.

“Why are you still dawdling? Hurry up!” The middle-aged man urged again.

In the end, the young man, Daliang, had no choice but to kneel in front of the offering table and kowtow under the pressure of the others.

The middle-aged man, who was called the village chief, stood beside him, constantly muttering, “Great deity, please forgive him. The young man doesn’t know any better. Please don’t hold it against him…”

They didn’t know how many kowtows were made, but eventually, the village chief decided it was enough and allowed Daliang to stop.

“Alright, let’s go back. Don’t you dare speak out of turn again, understand?” The village chief warned Daliang.

Daliang, looking aggrieved, murmured an “Mm.”

The village chief gave him a glance and said to the others, “Let’s go. No one is to talk about this when we get back.”

“Understood.” The group nodded in unison.

Watching them disappear down the rugged mountain path, the three of them finally emerged from behind the grass.

“It seems like this great deity has given them a lot of trouble in the past,” Chang You said.

Chi Yu nodded. “You’re right. It looks like a lot has happened here.”

As they reached the old locust tree, Li Xin glanced at the items on the offering table and sneered. “Those villagers are really devout. Given their living conditions, these must be the best things they have. They’re offering them to this great deity. How afraid of it must they be?”

Chi Yu, following behind him, asked, “What can you deduce from this?”

Li Xin turned and said softly, “Senior Brother, you’ve just integrated your soul. Your magical powers should have recovered somewhat. Why don’t you try using them?”

“Alright.” Chi Yu nodded and raised his hand, preparing to cast a spell.

Using his memory, Chi Yu successfully performed the Soul Exploration Technique. A beam of golden light passed through the old locust tree’s trunk, and Chi Yu closed his eyes, feeling its spiritual energy.

A few minutes later, Chi Yu withdrew his powers and opened his eyes. He turned to Li Xin and said, “This tree hasn’t become a spirit, nor does it have any other spiritual entities inhabiting it.”

“How can this be?” Chang Wu was the first to speak. “Master, could it be that your powers haven’t fully recovered, so you weren’t able to detect it?”

Li Xin immediately shot him a cold look and stared at him. “You think my master is incapable? Why don’t you try?”

“I…” Chang Wu immediately realized something was wrong with the tone and scratched his head awkwardly, looking aggrieved. “I didn’t mean to say the master wasn’t capable, it’s just…”

Chang You quickly intervened, trying to smooth things over. “Lord Li, what he meant…”

“It’s fine.” Chi Yu interrupted before Chang You could finish. “I haven’t used these spells in years. It’s normal that my skills are a little rusty.”

He then grabbed Li Xin’s sleeve. “What did you promise me earlier?”

Li Xin coughed lightly, “Senior brother, I… remember to make the change.”

“Alright,” Chi Yu chuckled lightly, “Then try again.”

Li Xin nodded and cast the spell on the old locust tree, arriving at the same conclusion as Chi Yu.

This was just an ordinary tree.

“Then why are these villagers offering sacrifices to it? Could there be some sort of scam involved?” Chi Yu questioned skeptically.

Li Xin immediately grabbed Chi Yu’s hand, “Let’s go, we’ll find that villager named Da Liang.”

The four of them walked together, making their way down the mountain path. Chang Wu and Chang You, using their sense of smell, tracked down Da Liang’s house.

It was located at the farthest point of the village, a very old tile-roofed house. The yard was cluttered with various farming tools, and there was an old yellow ox tied up in a straw shed.

Everything has a spirit. When the old yellow ox saw them standing outside the fenced gate, it seemed to sense something, letting out a few uneasy low moos.

Chang You laughed lightly, “This cow has quite the spirit. It must have realized we’re not human.”

Li Xin shot him a glance, “Who are you talking about?”

Chang You suddenly understood, awkwardly saying, “Li Ye, my bad, I’ve also caught the habit of Chang Wu.”

Li Xin ignored him and called out to the yard, “Is anyone home?”

“Who is it?” Da Liang’s voice came from inside the house.

“We’re just passing by, looking for some water to drink,” Li Xin answered.

Da Liang walked out, noticing that his old yellow ox was still mooing. He became suspicious and sized up the group, “Where are you from? You don’t look like you’re from here.”

Chang Wu noticed Da Liang’s gaze shifting between them and the old yellow ox, quickly realizing what Da Liang was suspicious of.

He took a step back, hiding behind Chang You, his eyes wide as he stared at the ox, locking eyes with it. The moment their gazes met, a flash of red light appeared in Chang Wu’s eyes, and the old yellow ox instantly quieted down.

Li Xin caught a glimpse of Chang Wu’s action from the corner of his eye and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

This kid, still reliable when it matters most.

“We’re here for a visit, got lost on the way down the mountain, just wanted to have some water and ask for directions,” Li Xin smiled and said.

Da Liang looked at Chi Yu, “Why is he wearing a cloak, covering himself so tightly? Did he catch some illness?”

Li Xin chuckled lightly, “This is my brother. He was caught in the cold on the mountain yesterday, caught a little cold, nothing serious.”

Da Liang saw that the old yellow ox had calmed down and felt that Li Xin and the others didn’t seem dangerous, so he opened the door for them.

“Then sit down for a bit. I’ll get you some water,” Da Liang said, pointing to a few small stools in the yard.

“Thanks, brother,” Li Xin responded.

He immediately picked up a small stool from the ground, dusted it off, and handed it to Chi Yu behind him, “Senior brother, sit here.”

Chi Yu nodded and sat down.

Li Xin took one for himself, and the two brothers each took a small stool and sat down.

After a while, Da Liang came out from the house, holding an old copper kettle and several coarse porcelain bowls.

He handed the items to Li Xin, “Take your time. When you’re done drinking, just follow this road down, turn left at a fork, and you’ll be out of the village. Then just follow the highway, and you’ll be on your way out.”

Chang Wu and Chang You each took a bowl of water from Li Xin.

Li Xin took a sip, smiling as he asked, “Brother, this water is really sweet. Is it spring water from the mountain?”

“Well water,” Da Liang pointed to a well not far in front of his house, “We get it from that well. You can take some with you when you leave, too.”

Li Xin glanced in the direction he pointed, awkwardly laughing, “It really is well water.”

Seeing that Da Liang wasn’t particularly interested in chatting, Li Xin decided to get straight to the point.

He gave Chang You a look, and Chang You immediately understood, smiling as he asked Da Liang, “Brother, when we were coming down the mountain, we saw many people offering sacrifices to an old locust tree. What’s the story behind that tree? Could you tell us about it?”

“Why are you asking about that?” Da Liang became wary.

“Nothing, just curious,” Chang You continued to smile, “We’re in the scenic tourism business, so we’re always traveling around. Whenever we see good scenery, we take note of it. Then we research tourism routes and bring groups here, which could help the locals earn some extra income. It’s a win-win.”

Da Liang didn’t really understand but could tell it sounded like something that could make money, so he squatted down in front of Chang You.

“This thing you’re talking about sounds pretty interesting. How much money can it make?” Da Liang asked curiously.

Chang You saw that Da Liang was hooked, so he looked toward Li Xin, who immediately took over the conversation, “Well, that depends on whether you have other attractions here besides the natural scenery.”

Da Liang thought for a moment, “I don’t really know. Maybe I should go get the village chief. You can ask him.”

“No need for that,” Li Xin patted Da Liang’s shoulder, “That tree you just offered sacrifices to, I think it’s quite interesting. Just tell me about that. If it meets our scenic standards, we could include it in the tourism route. Once tourists start coming, even your well water could fetch a good price.”

“Is that really true?” Da Liang was moved.

“Of course, there’s no need to lie about something like this,” Li Xin said with a smile.

Seeing how easily they had managed to coax Da Liang, Chi Yu couldn’t help but shake his head, not expecting his little junior to be so slippery.

Not only was he slippery himself, but now he had even corrupted his two little pets. Truly deserving of a scolding.

Chi Yu found it quite amusing and quietly watched as the others continued to deceive the honest man.

Da Liang thought for a moment, then seemed to make up his mind and slapped his thigh, “Alright, I trust you. I’ll tell you, it’s not something I can’t share.”

Seeing that he was willing to speak, Li Xin immediately pulled over a small stool from behind and handed it to him, “Brother, sit down and tell us.”

Da Liang nodded and sat down, then began speaking in a mysterious tone, “This story starts ten years ago.”

With that opening, the story began to take on a more eerie twist.