Chapter 195

"Dad, Mom!"

Then, excitedly, she ran over.

Jiang Yan turned his head and saw two withered-faced people standing there; when they saw Aruru running toward them, the previously somewhat wooden expressions on their faces revealed stiff smiles.

Aruru arrived before her parents, smiled, and waved goodbye to Jiang Yan and the other.

After watching Aruru depart, Lei Dianying spoke softly:

"This place... is very wrong!"

After a day of observation, Lei Dianying had long sensed something amiss in this village, but since Aruru was present, she had said nothing.

"Mm, I know."

Jiang Yan said it calmly.

He gazed at the lifeless village before him, wondering what he was thinking.

"Alright, it's getting late; let's hurry and rest."

As Jiang Yan spoke, he clapped his hands together.

"Wood Release! Hashira Clan Technique!"

Two wooden houses rose abruptly from the ground.

Lei Dianying, who had just been about to ask how Jiang Yan intended to rest tonight, immediately swallowed the words she had been about to ask.

"You can even build houses?"

Lei Dianying's tone carried surprise.

"Come on! I can even build ports; isn't it reasonable that I can build houses?"

Jiang Yan laughed heartily and walked into one of the rooms.

"I'll cook in a moment; when it's ready, I'll call you."

"If you have nothing to do, you can go rest for a while."

Jiang Yan said this to Lei Dianying.

"How about I do it?"

Ying said this to Jiang Yan.

After all, Jiang Yan was a guest; for the host of Inazuma to let the guest cook was truly improper etiquette.

Upon hearing Lei Dianying would cook, Jiang Yan shivered all over.

Letting Lei Dianying cook?

Damn!

I don't want to die that quickly!

"Ahem... this... let's just forget it!"

Jiang Yan smiled very stiffly.

Cooking is something that is simply unnecessary!

Seeing Jiang Yan's expression, Lei Dianying's face was filled with confusion.

It was true she had never entered a kitchen, but she had often watched her older sister cook, and Lei Dianying confidently believed she possessed some skill in this area.

"Let's skip it for today; let's first taste my cooking!"

"We'll talk about it another day, another day."

Jiang Yan's tone carried firmness.

Letting Lei Dianying cook?

Don't even think about it!

Seeing Jiang Yan say this, Lei Dianying did not persist further.

However, Jiang Yan's cooking skills were beyond reproach.

After all, he possessed master-level culinary arts.

Some ingredients that looked utterly simple, in Jiang Yan's hands, transformed into one delicious dish after another, filling Lei Dianying's stomach.

This made Lei Dianying feel exceptionally satisfied.

The next morning.

Jiang Yan felt as though someone nearby was calling his name.

"Jiang Yan?"

"Jiang Yan!"

"......"

"Mm... it's Ying, what's wrong?"

Jiang Yan, whose brain had not fully booted up, asked somewhat dazedly after seeing who had arrived.

And for some reason, Jiang Yan could feel that Lei Dianying's face was now filled with anger.

"Come with me quickly!"

Lei Dianying did not wait for Jiang Yan to react; she grabbed Jiang Yan's hand and rushed outside.

"Uh, uh, don't rush! Wait for me to catch my breath!"

Jiang Yan shouted loudly, the sound growing fainter and fainter as he was pulled farther away.

Mochi Shrine.

There, a young boy with his limbs bound sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Grandpa Village Head, will Lord Lei Niao truly like Aruru?"

Aruru looked very nervous, because he feared he had not done well enough, causing Lord Lei Niao to become angry.

"A-Liu, you are a good child."

The village elder extended his withered, thin hand and stroked A-Liu's head.

"Lord Lei Niao likes you very much; making you the Sacrifice to win its favor is the most suitable."

"Really?"

A-Liu said happily; as a child, he did not know what kind of suffering he would soon endure.

"Of course it is true, so A-Liu must be good, okay..."

The village elder of this village stroked A-Liu's cheek with a smile, as if admiring some pleasing object.

"Yes, Grandpa Village Elder!"

A-Liu suddenly remembered something, and his eyes grew dim.

"B-but I haven't brought Lord Lei Niao a new song yet..."

"Grandpa Village Elder, can you wait until I finish singing before sacrificing A-Liu?"

The village elder slowly put away his smile.

"Little A-Liu, Grandpa Village Elder knows your good intentions, but compared to a song, Lord Lei Niao should prefer your body, wouldn't you say?"

A-Liu nodded somewhat blankly.

Young and ignorant, he seemed not to realize that what he was about to face was the agony of being cut by a thousand knives and the scene of death as his blood drained away.

"Alright, it is getting late."

"It is time to begin the sacrificial rites!"

A-Liu wanted to ask something else, but the village elder suddenly patted his head and shouted loudly to the people around.

"Yes, my lord Village Elder!"

"Offer the Sacrifice to Lord Lei Niao!"

The villagers shouted, their faces filled with fanaticism.

And A-Liu was lifted up and carried onto the sacrificial altar.

His limbs were bound by ropes around him, and his whole body stood in a star shape above the Sacrifice platform.

Beneath him were the villagers' fanatical cheers, singing and dancing.