I become a god in another world

Chapter 647 The sacrifice begins

Chapter 647

After much discussion and even venturing deep into the ghost realm, they finally managed to grasp a glimpse of the laws governing ghost cases.

Wang Zhiyi was naturally impatient and disliked gossiping.

Given her usual character, as long as she uses the laws of evil spirits to torture and extract confessions from these villagers one by one, it won't be long before those who are afraid of death or can't endure it confess.

But she didn't expect that Zhao Fusheng's few words of conversation with someone would yield more clues than torture could extract—and the more she learned, the more Wang Zhiyi vaguely realized that the villagers here probably wouldn't speak the truth out of fear of evil spirits or torture.

This is a strange place, with an invisible set of rules that make Wang Zhiyi feel oppressed and uncomfortable.

Her face looked a little ugly.

Just then, Zhao Fusheng asked:
"To please the master? The master is far away in Wuqing County, how would he know if your sacrificial decree does not please him?"

When she asked this question, she already had the answer in her heart, and her gaze turned to the long bench placed in the middle of the village entrance.

The villagers looked at it with disgust and fear, yet there was also a hint of joy and anticipation mixed in.

These contrasting gazes were quite interesting, causing Zhao Fusheng's lips to twitch slightly.

"The master is incredibly powerful; he is omnipresent in Wuqing County."

Wu Ciping Road.

"Who is the master?" Zhao Fusheng asked.
"I heard that Old Mrs. Chang gave birth back then—"

"Master Zhao!"

Wu Ciping sternly said, "You must remember this: don't let your words cause trouble."

"..." Zhao Fusheng gave him a strange look:
"You're actually a pretty nice person." He had led everyone into the village and forced them to participate in the sacrificial ceremony, but after chatting for a few minutes, he couldn't help but remind Zhao Fusheng.

He was an 'old-timer' living in Wuqing County, with a wealth of experience. This reminder contained a lot of information; perhaps not mentioning the 'master's' identity, background, or name was a way of avoiding risk.

"Thank you for reminding me," Zhao Fusheng said with a smile.

Some people are happy but others are sad.

Wu Ciping looked annoyed and couldn't help but slap himself hard across the face.

"You're so talkative, I can never control you."

He cursed:
"This rotten bastard will one day be reborn into a poor serf family, and his body will be turned into a tool by someone, then he'll behave himself, damn it."

Zhao Fusheng laughed:

"I understand. It seems that some people's names are off-limits here and cannot be mentioned."

While speaking, she observed Wu Ciping's expression.

He tried his best to suppress his emotions, but Zhao Fusheng still noticed something was amiss:
"That's not all?"

"..." Wu Ciping looked at her speechlessly. Zhao Fusheng said:

"It seems the water here is quite deep."

She thought for a while:

"Then let's ask the priest. The purpose of the priest is to please the master. Although Baili Temple is some distance from Wuqing County, the master will always find out about things here."

After she finished speaking, her gaze fell on the bench:

"Does this stool belong to the Chang family?"

"Yes, it is."

Wu Ciping nodded:
"This is the master's cargo."

He'd already said everything that needed to be said and things that shouldn't have been said, so he might as well say it again:

"Wherever there is a place to carry goods, there is the Lord. Let me put it this way: if you want to live in Wuqing County, you must have the Lord's goods so that you can perform sacrifices and accumulate merit for yourself."

“In other words, ‘Master’ is omnipresent in Wuqing County.” Zhao Fusheng said thoughtfully, while Wu Ciping kept his mouth shut and did not refute.

These two sentences reveal a great deal of information.

When everyone looked at the bench again, their expressions changed.

"How should the sacrificial ceremony be performed?" Zhao Fusheng asked again.

Wu Ciping frowned:

"Lord Zhao, I appreciate Feng Du's kindness, and I also see that you are a straightforward person. You have already said a lot."

He said unhappily:

"Don't just keep asking me questions. There's a lot of risk in me talking about these things."

Zhao Fusheng looked at him:
"If I leave Baili Temple, I promise to retrieve the gold for you. I won't take a single jar; I'll give it all to you."

Wu Ciyuan's eyes lit up upon hearing this:
"Is this true?"

"real."

Zhao Fusheng nodded:
"I came here for you and Cheng Mengyin and the others. What use would I have for these two jars of gold?"

She mentioned the name 'Cheng Mengyin' again, but Zhao Fusheng noticed that when Wu Ciping heard the name of this general, a complex expression of disgust, fear, and forbearance flashed quickly in his eyes.

"Do you know where Cheng Mengyin is?" She could tell that the two former and current prefects of Lizhou might have some personal grudges.

The two served in Lizhou at different times and may have had some private interactions, but judging from Wu Ciping's willingness to go out and search for Cheng Mengyin after discovering her disappearance, even if the two had some grudges, it shouldn't be a big problem.

However, Wu Ciyuan now feels disgusted upon hearing Cheng Mengyin's name, which suggests that the conflict between them likely occurred after they arrived in Wuqing County, a special place.

"I don't know," Wu Ciping said curtly.

"I wonder if he's safe, if he's doing well—"

Zhao Fusheng deliberately spoke slowly and deliberately.

As she spoke, she glanced at Wu Ciping's expression out of the corner of her eye.

Wu Ciping, unable to bear it any longer, barely suppressed his anger:
"He's a favorite of the master, and he set some rules. How could he not be doing well?"

He tried his best to appear calm, but as soon as he finished speaking, he saw the faint smile on Zhao Fusheng's lips and knew that his words had fallen into her trap.

"Damn it." He wanted to curse again.

"It seems that Lord Wu and Cheng Mengyin have some kind of grudge," Zhao Fusheng said with a smile.

"No!" Wu Ciping retorted angrily in a loud voice:
"How could a commoner like me possibly have the chance to make an enemy of Lord Cheng?"

The angrier he retorted, the more it revealed that there was indeed a grudge between him and Cheng Mengyin.

"Do the rules of the sacrificial ceremony have anything to do with Cheng Mengyin?" Taking advantage of Wu Ciyuan's burning anger, Zhao Fusheng made a shocking remark.

The moment she asked that question, Wu Ciyuan felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water in the dead of winter, and he instantly calmed down.

"..."

His anger vanished instantly, and he said:
"I don't know this."

Sometimes not answering is also an answer; his attitude reveals a lot.

Zhao Fusheng nodded:
"I understand."

Wu Ciping looked helpless.

"What is the sacrifice related to? People lying on it? Like slaughtering a pig, stabbing it in the throat?" Zhao Fusheng looked at the bench and asked.

After asking the question, seeing that Wu Ciping was visibly impatient, she smiled and said:

"Don't worry, I'll stop after the last two questions." Wu Ciping took a deep breath, calming his agitated mind, and replied:
"It's not that straightforward. Once the ritual begins, it automatically selects the number of participants; anyone who sits there could become its sacrifice—"

He hesitated for a long time, then finally remembered the two jars of gold Zhao Fusheng had promised. A complex mix of emotions flashed in his eyes. Finally, he gritted his teeth, hardened his heart, and said:
“Lord Zhao, once the sacrifice begins, the gods’ eyes and ears are everywhere—” he hesitated:

"It likes to know new things and new offerings. If you can provide it with more information, it will be a special 'offering' to it, which will bring merit. After accumulating merit, it may have a good life in the next life."

Wu Ciping claimed he didn't want to say more, but in reality he still said quite a bit.

These words contained too many important clues, Zhao Fusheng asked:

How do I view these merit points?

Wu Ciping shook his head:
“I can’t see.”

Seeing the surprise on Zhao Fusheng's face, he seemed to guess what she was going to say:
Are you asking how to confirm that the merit points have been added?

Zhao Fusheng nodded.

Wu Ciping gave a wry smile:
"Heaven knows, earth knows, and the gods know."

The villagers nodded in unison:
"The gods know."

“The deity who worships the gods also knows,” a villager blurted out.

Wu Ciping explained:
"When your life comes to an end, the gods will know everything about your life, how much merit you have accumulated, and where you will be in your next life will be determined at that time."

Everyone listened as if they were in a fog, only vaguely understanding.

Zhao Fusheng sighed:

"This is not good. Doesn't that mean that the concept of merit points is just an empty and unreal thing?"

She turned to look at Meng Po and the others:
"No one else knows, only the gods know. Whether merit points have been accumulated, and how many have been accumulated, is all determined by the gods. A person's life is also controlled by the gods."

Wu Ciping dared not utter a sound, but his silence was also a form of acknowledgment.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head and sighed again:

"They have too much power."

The laws of the 'gods' have transcended everything.

Everyone in Wuqing County is under its control, existing only for its own whims. They have no idea whether the merits these people, controlled by the 'god,' have accumulated throughout their lives, how much they have accumulated, or even if they exist at all.

This can no longer be called a ghost case. In Zhao Fusheng's view, it can be called a calamity—a calamity that temporarily belongs to Wuqing County, but may sweep across other prefectures and counties of the Han Dynasty in the future.

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng paused: Did this calamity, which originated in Wuqing County, really only exist in Wuqing County?

The thought sent a chill down her spine, and she couldn't help but turn to look at Wang Zhiyi.

Did Wang and Jiang, who entered Wuqing County back then, really return unscathed?

She frowned as she thought of the two dismembered clay statues enshrined in Bailici Village.

"In short, once the sacrifice is performed, the gods will treat your life experiences as offerings. The more offerings you make, the more merit you will accumulate." Wu Ciping said with a forced smile.

"Don't worry, everyone in Wuqing County lives like this. What's the big deal? Your life experiences will be recorded before the gods. No one can escape it."

His words had a hidden meaning:

"When your life ends, you will be judged, and the good and the bad will be clearly remembered by the gods."

The torches held by the surrounding villagers flickered, and the villagers looked on with awe when they heard this.

Zhao Fusheng's gaze, passing through Wu Ciping's seemingly calm eyes, revealed the resistance and fear deep within him.

She couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.

In the dark village night, a pair of eyes belonging to 'gods' lurked in the shadows beyond the firelight, watching everyone's every move.

Ding Datong had entered Wuqing County for the purpose of achieving immortality, but upon hearing Wu Ciping's words, he already felt a sense of foreboding.

He looked at Zhao Fusheng, listening to her ask Wu Ciping:
"What is good? What is bad? What are the criteria for judgment? Is it a distinction between good and evil, or a distinction between like and dislike?"

The more questions she asked, the more anxious Wu Ciping became. Finally, after much restraint, he said:
"Why do you care about these things?" He looked past Zhao Fusheng and gazed into the distance.

"We are just ordinary people. Many things don't need to be taken so seriously. It doesn't matter whether we're seen or not. Hiding among the masses is the safest thing to do, but... but—"

He considered the purpose of Zhao Fusheng and the others' visit, and ultimately, his heart softened, and he couldn't help but remind them:
"But never do anything that will displease the gods."

Wu Ciping's words revealed important information, which was actually a roundabout answer to Zhao Fusheng's question: the criteria for judging good and bad do not come from good, evil, right, or wrong, but from the likes and dislikes of the gods.

This situation is very serious.

It's as if the gods are the heavens of Wuqing County; they can grasp every move in Wuqing County and have the right to judge and punish any person in Wuqing County.

Once inside the realm of the gods, everyone is monitored and controlled by them, not only for one lifetime but also for countless reincarnations, making everyone here seem like a puppet held in their palm.

Zhao Fusheng now vaguely understood Wu Ciping's feelings.

Physical life and death are secondary; the threats and oppression to the spirit are endless.

Furthermore, the so-called 'reincarnation trial' prevents a person from dying completely, making it a long and cruel torment.

"Can't we do something that would displease the Chang family?" Zhao Fusheng deliberately pressed.

Wu Ciping remained silent.

After a long while, he clapped his hands together:
"Alright, that's enough said. I've really lost a lot of merit tonight, so I have to make up for it."

He looked at Zhao Fusheng and the others:

“You are outsiders, perhaps you can do me a lot of good deeds so that I can return to Wuqing County in the next life.”

Wang Zhiyi was very displeased upon hearing this and was about to speak when Zhao Fusheng smiled and said:
"If this can be of any help to you, that would be great."

Wu Ciping frowned and remained silent for a long while, then let out a cold laugh:
"Whether you can laugh now or not once you sit in the seat is another question."

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding villagers couldn't help but whisper a reminder:
"Village chief, don't miss the auspicious time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the others joined in shouting:
"Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice."

"Sacrifice!"

"Sacrifice!"

Those with torches held them up and shouted; those without torches raised their hands and shouted.

The voices were unified, and the villagers formed a circle, gradually moving closer to the group from the Demon Suppression Division.

Wang Zhiyi warned:

"Zhao Fusheng, let's just break through the encirclement."

"Do not."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head:
"We want to participate in the sacrificial ceremony."

Her words made Wang Zhiyi's eyes widen, and he turned to look at her in disbelief:
"Are you crazy?"

Zhao Fusheng said calmly:
"Once we enter Wuqing County and step into the Chang family's territory, there may be no way to turn back."

Her gaze was firm, and her voice, though soft, inexplicably rendered Wang Zhiyi unable to refute her.

"We can't retreat, we can only move forward. If we don't participate in the ritual, we won't figure out the laws of the vengeful spirits. How can we catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den?"

Her words surprised Wu Ciping, who looked at her in surprise, but in the end he said nothing, only sighed and shook his head.

Wang Zhiyi opened her lips, but after a long while, she simply nodded.

　I've been so tired these past two days, and I haven't been feeling well at all. I haven't had any time to write anything. I've been busy organizing, categorizing, and cleaning. I've barely even touched my phone, so I took two days off.

　　(End of this chapter)