Sheriff Uncle, open the door quickly! I've come to solve a case!

Back in the dormitory, Qin Qingzhou went straight to the next room.

He first knocked on the door, but when no one answered, he opened the door using special means.

There was no one in the room, and nothing at all, except for the slightly wrinkled bed, which told him that someone had indeed lived there.

……

On the other side, Xu Shan pulled Bai Zhizhi along behind the old woman.

The old woman walked briskly in silence, always leaving them with only her back to them.

Xu Shan tried to strike up a conversation with the old woman: "Sister, why is everyone tying red strings on their clothes today?"

The old woman's voice drifted over slowly, her tone mystical: "Because today is an important day... a snake god sacrifice... to protect the village."

Bai Zhizhi looked around, his face full of curiosity.

When you reach the fork in the road, going left leads to the central lake, while going right leads to the shrine.

Bai Zhizhi stared at the direction of the shrine for a while, his eyes full of doubt.

Huh?

Isn't the young lady right there?

Xu Shan and the others didn't notice that Bai Zhizhi had stopped and was still talking to the old woman.

Bai Zhizhi glanced at them discreetly, then scurried away like a little mouse.

"Miss~ Miss~" Bai Zhizhi hummed a song as she skipped towards the shrine.

"Zhi is so clever! He found a beautiful lady; Uncle will be so happy!"

The shrine slowly came into view, along with several people who were unconscious.

This includes Song Qiu.

Song Qiu and the others lay flat on the ground, their eyes closed, their breathing extremely shallow. A red rope was tied around their left wrists, the end of which was connected to the shrine.

Why are the little snakes absorbing their spiritual energy?

They'll die without spiritual energy!

Bai Zhizhi rushed forward and tried to untie the red string on Song Qiu's wrist.

"Wake up, miss! You're about to fall off!"

Unbeknownst to Bai Zhizhi, someone silently approached from behind, and with a swift movement, Bai Zhizhi collapsed onto Song Qiu's body.

The village chief scoffed and tossed the anesthetic aside.

"Let's see which little mouse has come!"

"You were still thinking about how to lure that guy away and bring him here, but you ended up delivering yourself to my doorstep."

"The Serpent God will be very pleased with such a spirited child..."

……

Xu Shan walked for a while before realizing that Bai Zhizhi was gone.

Bai Zhizhi has always been very sensible and doesn't run around, so she didn't pay much attention to her.

"I know!" Xu Shan looked back at the road she came from, thinking that it was just that her short legs hadn't kept up.

No one responded to her.

The policewoman volunteered to go back and look: "They must have lost track of me. I'll go back the way I came and check. You guys wait here for me."

"Okay, as soon as possible." Xu Shan watched the policewoman leave, anxiously biting her fingertips.

Please, I hope nothing unexpected has happened...

A strangely scented handkerchief was quickly covered Xu Shan's mouth and nose. Xu Shan struggled a few times while sobbing, and then her hands fell limply to her sides.

The policewoman returned the way she came, but couldn't find Bai Zhizhi. Just as she was standing there preparing to send a message to Xu Shan, she was also knocked unconscious by the old woman with a handkerchief.

……

Qin Qingzhou went to the old woman's house alone.

For some reason, all the houses along the road were gone, and the whole village was as quiet as an abandoned village.

The old woman's door was wide open, and Qin Qingzhou paused, sensing something was amiss.

They locked the door before they left...

After observing from outside for a while and confirming that no one was inside, Qin Qingzhou slowly entered the house.

It was still bright outside, but perhaps because there were no windows, the room was dim and foggy.

Pushing open the door to the room Bai Zhi had visited last time, the blankets on the bed were neatly folded, but the child was nowhere to be seen.

On the bedside table was a dusty photo frame. Qin Qingzhou put on gloves, picked it up, and looked at it. It was a picture of a young woman and a child who looked to be about six years old.

The young woman's features are remarkably similar to the old woman's; this must be her when she was young.

But this child... the size of a six-year-old, should be the one I saw in bed last time.

How is that possible?

He took a picture of the frame and then started searching around the house.

Having gained nothing, he stood in front of a solitary tiled house in the backyard, his face so cold it seemed to freeze.

Qin Qingzhou took a light breath and pushed open the wooden door of the tiled house.

The small room, which had no view of the surroundings, was filled with brown hay, with some fresh hay piled up in the corner, and a faint smell of livestock.

It looks like an ordinary cowshed.

Still no, how is that possible?

He was just about to close the door when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

The village is surrounded by mountains, which is not a suitable place for raising cattle at all. Moreover, they have been here for two days and have not seen a single cow, nor is there any cow dung on the road.

Why would a village that doesn't raise cattle have a cowshed?

With this idea in mind, Qin Qingzhou reopened the door and went straight inside.

If this room is disguised as a cowshed, then the only place that could imprison a person is... underground.

He kicked the hay aside, and sure enough, a square iron tile appeared on the ground.

right here!

The door behind him creaked open, and Qin Qingzhou was startled, turning around abruptly.

"Sizzle—"

The village chief sprayed a fragrant anesthetic into his nose, and Qin Qingzhou instantly lost consciousness.

Before his consciousness faded, he heard the village chief talking to the old woman who had rushed back.

"These people are really dishonest this time, but at least they're of good quality, so Lord Snake God will be very happy."

"This man has a lot of yang energy. Lock him up and keep him here. As for those we caught before today's sacrifice, oh, and that child too, let's sacrifice her as well. Her spiritual energy is more than everyone else's combined. After her sacrifice, her village can hold out for a while."

No... Bai Zhizhi...

Bai Zhizhi is in danger...

……

My wrist is itchy, like something is touching it...

The sound of a man's steady breathing rang softly beside me.

Is it my uncle?

Knowing this is terrifying...

Bai Zhizhi's vision gradually cleared, and she vaguely saw someone beside her: "Uncle..."

"I'm not your uncle," the man said calmly.

Bai Zhizhi woke up instantly, her big, bewildered eyes looking at the man beside her.

The man had fair skin with a cool undertone, delicate and three-dimensional features, a cool and aloof look in his eyes, and wore a dark Western-style trench coat, exuding an aura of rational indifference.

At that moment, he was helping Bai Zhizhi untie the red rope wrapped around her wrist.

Bai Zhizhi did not see any evil spirits on him.

Not a bad person...

After the man untied the red rope, he touched her neck, and the anesthetic that had been suppressing her dissipated instantly.

Bai Zhizhi was so shocked she almost cried out.

This older brother knows Taoist magic!

After untying her red string, the man calmly went to untie the red strings of others. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bai Zhizhi still sitting on the ground, her small face full of shock and confusion.

"Aren't you going to save your uncle, you little ginseng spirit?"