Chapter 1210: The Legend of the Mountain God

Chen Yu pointed at these children: "On every child's forehead, a wisp of flame is drawn; this appears somewhat unusual."

"But can you conclude they are sacrifices just based on this?" Zhou Meng still found it hard to believe.

She had only just interacted with the people in the village this afternoon, and she felt the villagers were very kind and hospitable, so why would they treat the children as sacrifices?

"The flame on the forehead is like a symbol. Although I don't know what this represents, it is almost certain that they are sacrifices." Chen Yu sighed slightly.

"In places like deep mountains that are isolated from the world, there are often some customs that are hard to understand, so no matter what you encounter here, do not be surprised."

"What is the fate of these children?" Zhou Meng felt a bit alarmed.

"Those who are sacrificed generally do not have a good end," Chen Yu said with furrowed brows. "They usually cannot escape death, and their state of death will be extremely miserable; they must endure great pain before they die."

"Chen Yu, let's find a way to save them; they are truly too pitiful," Zhou Meng said.

"Since we've encountered it, of course we must save them, but we need to clarify with the villagers what is going on," Chen Yu said. "Perhaps they have just been deceived."

"Alright, let's save the people first, and then explain it to them properly," Zhou Meng said.

Just as the two were about to act, a burst of intense gongs and drums suddenly came from outside the house, and countless torches lit up; immediately after, dozens of villagers surrounded them.

The person leading them was the old village chief. Seeing Chen Yu and Zhou Meng, his expression changed: "What are you doing here?"

"What is the situation here? Can you explain it to us?" Chen Yu pointed at the children who were still fast asleep.

"These children are to be sent to the Blazing Fire Temple; they are children chosen by the Temple Master," the old village chief said.

"To put it bluntly, they are sacrifices. I don't know what kind of place the Blazing Fire Temple is, but I also know that you, old village chief, and the people in the village are very kind; you would not send your own children to die for no reason."

Chen Yu said: "You must have some hidden difficulty in sending them over; tell me, and I will help you."

The villagers were in a stir. Some of them looked at the sleeping children, a trace of unbearable emotion appearing on their faces.

Among these children, some were their own.

Sending their own children to their deaths with their own hands was something they were very unwilling to do.

But if they did not send them, the entire village of nearly a thousand people might suffer a catastrophe, so they had to endure the pain and send their children away.

"Mr. Chen, I know you are a good person, but these children must be sent over," the old village chief's face also revealed a trace of sorrow.

"So you don't need to worry about it; using these children to exchange for the peace of the village is all we can do."

"Old village chief, if you have any difficulties, just tell me. I know you are all good people, so I will definitely help you," Chen Yu said patiently.

"That's right, old village chief, Chen Yu is very capable. If your village has any unspeakable secrets, just tell him, and he will definitely solve them for you," Zhou Meng also said.

"But..." The old village chief's expression was hesitant, not knowing whether he should speak.

"Old village chief, just tell this Mr. Chen; perhaps he has a way."

"That's right, every year we have to send a batch of children over there, and once they are sent, there is no news of them. These are all our own children."

A group of people looked at the old village chief with expectant eyes, hoping he would tell the truth.

Although Chen Yu was just passing through, they did not know if Chen Yu had the ability to solve this matter.

But at least Chen Yu's appearance brought them a glimmer of hope.

In other words, even if Chen Yu really could not solve their problem, they would not blame Chen Yu.

At least they had tried, which was much better than watching their children be sent to their deaths.

"Sigh, alright, Mr. Chen and Miss Zhou, come with me," the village chief sighed slightly.

Chen Yu and Zhou Meng followed the old village chief to a cave not far ahead.

This place should be the location of the village's ancestral shrine and ancestral grounds.

The cave was wide and deep, and the stone walls around the cave were painted with many murals, large and small.

These murals were the origin of the village's ancestors.

"As early as hundreds of years ago, our ancestors came here, cleared fields in the Dashan, and built farmhouses. Over time, a village was formed, and this is where our tribe is located."

The village chief led the two forward, telling the story of the village as they walked.

It turned out that after nearly a hundred years of development, the village had developed quite well, with thousands of people at its peak. If it continued to develop, the surrounding mountains would all be enclosed, and over time, it would become a tribe.

However, just at this time, a Mountain God suddenly appeared in the village. This so-called Mountain God was three zhang tall and hideous in appearance.

It fed on human hearts and brains, and the number of people in the village decreased by one-third within a few years; nearly half of the houses in the village were empty.

The village chief at the time organized the able-bodied men in the village, swearing to eliminate this monster.

But the village chief, along with more than sixty young and strong men, never returned after going into the Mountain.

Just when the village was in jeopardy, a Daoist came here and told the villagers that this monster was actually the Mountain God.

As long as the Mountain God was given enough sacrifices, it would not come out to cause trouble.

And the sacrifices could only be young children between three and eight years old. He went to communicate with the Mountain God, saying that as long as we gave enough sacrifices, not only would it not come out to cause trouble, but it would also protect our village's peace in the future.

The old village chief sighed and said: "At the beginning, we were half-believing and half-doubting, but after the first time the tribute was fully paid, the Mountain God indeed did not appear again."

"And our village had much less trouble. From then on, this tradition was established, and it has been like this for hundreds of years."

"Have you never questioned the identity of the Mountain God? Perhaps it is not a Mountain God at all, but a simple monster that likes to eat meat," Chen Yu said.

"This... we have questioned it, but it was of no use, because this Mountain God is too powerful," the old village chief said.

"Has anyone seen it?" Zhou Meng also asked.

"No one has seen it, and no one dares to question the rules passed down by the ancestors," the village chief said. "However, one village chief wanted to break this rule, but on the very night he announced it, he died accidentally."

"How did he die?" Chen Yu's heart stirred slightly.

"His chest was pierced and his stomach was ripped open, as if he had been torn apart by something," the old village chief recalled. "I was only about 8 years old at the time and witnessed it all. Since then, successive village chiefs have never dared to mention these things again, and they make offerings on time every year."