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Chapter 65 Animalization (Please continue reading)

Unfortunately, the village chief did not provide him with any further answers.

He simply exhaled a breath of stale air and continued.

"I was almost scared to death at the time, but luckily those people didn't notice me, which allowed me to slip away with my crippled leg. But after seeing that scene, I knew that the Tai Sui star was definitely not a good thing. So after returning to the village, I forced the remaining households to throw away all the Tai Sui meat, and we barely survived by growing some food from the village's well that hadn't dried up."

After that, he basically just kept complaining, mainly about how the villagers didn't understand his good intentions and kept causing trouble. But Zhou You didn't listen to them; his mind was just repeating those few sentences over and over again.

"Deformed flesh and blood. Deformed flesh and blood."

So, is it really the same thing?
Zhou You glanced instinctively at the old Taoist priest in the bag, but then shook his head.

This person is unreliable.

—I don't know why, but whenever it comes to anything related to Tai Sui, unless he's forced to his limit, he always keeps his mouth shut and refuses to reveal anything.

So Zhou You could only silently keep this in mind and then put on a smiling face again.

"Then let's talk about the second thing. I'd like to buy some grain from you, sir. Would you be willing to sell it to me?"

The village chief, who was complaining, suddenly paused, and then hesitantly spoke.

"Excuse me, how much would you like?"

Zhou You gave a number.

—This is the lowest number he can reach in the county town without falling into a state of starvation, given his current appetite.

However, upon hearing this number, the village chief's expression froze, and after a long while, he shook his head with a wry smile.

"Master, even if I sold myself, I couldn't raise enough for this meal. The village doesn't have much grain left, and the little we managed to grow with the well water isn't ready to be harvested yet. Today, to avoid further trouble, I even slaughtered the rooster that guards the village to make enough for this meal. I know you're willing to pay, but we really can't afford this much."

An expected answer.

So Zhou You's expression remained relatively calm—but it was the old Taoist priest in his bag who couldn't hold back any longer.

Then he said in a sinister tone.

"Kid, don't listen to his nonsense. Even if they don't have enough, as long as you kill them all and dry them into jerky, you'll be able to get to your destination without anyone noticing. Come here, let me teach you a few spells that will ensure these people die without anyone knowing."

How come you're everywhere?

Zhou You grabbed the bag at his waist and swung it around a few times with all his might.

And then the noise around me instantly stopped.

Ignoring the dazed old Taoist priest, Zhou You took out the map from the caravan, pointed to a name, and asked the somewhat bewildered village chief.

"Excuse me, sir, do you know where this place is?"

Zhou You pointed to a name called 'Jinhua Inn'.

Next to this name, there was a very careful note from Li Tou.

[The store has a large stock of rice, flour, and oil. They charge both money and customers, so you can buy some to prevent any unusual symptoms that might occur if you only consume the Tai Sui.]

This is also the only place within a hundred miles where he might be able to obtain enough supplies without resorting to cannibalism.

The problem was that Li only wrote down the place name but not the location, which meant Zhou You couldn't go there on his own and had to ask the locals for help.

Unexpectedly, the old man reacted as if he had seen something extremely terrifying with such a simple place name, and was so frightened that he took several steps back.

"Master, this place—"

Before he could finish speaking, the dilapidated wooden door of the house was kicked open.

Then, a worried face burst in.

"Village chief, something terrible has happened!"

"Xue Er, Xue Er, he's turning into a donkey!"
-
In the east of the village, in a desolate wilderness.

The village chief is furious.

"What did I tell you again? Bury the donkey, and leave the rest untouched. Are you deaf? Where the hell did you hear that?!" The two emaciated young men were beaten with canes and ran away with their heads in their hands, still begging for mercy.

"Uncle, Uncle, please stop hitting it! We didn't know it would turn out like this! We haven't had a proper meal in ages, and we thought it would be a waste to just bury this donkey, so we figured we could eat a little. Who would have thought it would turn out like this!"

However, the village chief ignored him completely and rained blows on the two young men with his cane.

I'll make sure you don't get enough to eat!

"I'm so sorry for you!"

"I told you it's okay!"

"I'll beat you two idiots to death today, just to save the village some food!"

Zhou You ignored the farce unfolding around him.

He simply stared ahead.

In the open space on the outskirts of the village, a creature covered in black fur was being held down by several people and was groaning incessantly.

If you say this thing looks like a monster, it has a human-like outline. If you say it looks like a human, it's covered in black hair, and its two hands are twisted abnormally, making them look like black donkey hooves. No matter how you look at it, it's bizarre.

"—I say, Master, if I had eaten that pig's head back then, would I have turned into this too?"

Zhou You whispered to the head inside the bag.

After a long pause, a cold response came from inside.

"Your condition will take a little longer to take effect than his, but not by much. This is the consequence of eating the flesh of this beast. If no one saves you, you will eventually become the same thing."

"Wait, you mean there's still hope for this thing?"

But before the Taoist could reply, the village chief, who had just finished beating the younger man, stepped forward.

Then, without saying a word, he knelt down with a thud.

"Master, I know it's impolite to ask someone I've only just met for a request, but Xue Xi is a senior member of the village. His father entrusted him to me before he died, and I simply cannot stand by and watch him die. Since you were able to escape from Bai Lu Tu Xu's clutches, you must be a capable person. I beg you, if you can truly save him, then..."

The village chief gritted his teeth, his face showing determination.

"Then I'll risk all my old bones to bring you to that Jinhua Inn!"

No, it's just showing you the way. Do you have to act like you're going to your death?

Besides, I'm not some kind of Taoist priest, I don't know anything about exorcising ghosts or catching evil spirits, how am I supposed to save you?
Zhou You looked troubled and thought for a while, but finally decided to seek help from outside the field.

He helped the village chief up with one hand while quickly scribbling a sentence on the cloth bag with his finger.

—Master, why don't we give it a try?
The old Taoist priest snorted coldly, "I do have a way to try, but why should I tell you?"

Zhou You paused for a moment, then spoke in a barely audible voice.

—You heard it too, I need someone to guide me to Jinhua Inn, it's the only village around here with living people. If we miss this one, where will we find a guide? Besides, it's just a favor, neither of us will lose anything. You can think of it as winning people over, who knows when it might come in handy.

The old Taoist remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a cold snort.

"Alright, alright, I know. I've wasted so much energy on this little thing of yours—I'm not trying to criticize you, but why are you so principled? How many problems could you solve by eating people? Would anyone in this world still be after you for this?"

Zhou You did not reply.

But unlike what the old Taoist said, the reason he insisted on doing so, besides his instinctive disgust, was actually for another reason.

He always had a vague premonition.

—This script probably requires you to avoid eating human flesh and the flesh of the Tai Sui (a mythical creature) throughout the entire game in order to officially complete it.

　Thank you to "一人万商" for the 500-point reward, and to "感觉尘缘从来如春水" for the 100+101-point reward.

　　Thank you to all my friends who have supported me all this time.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)