After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

As night fell, the village fell into a deathly silence.

The villagers who were working in the fields during the day had all gone back to their houses before sunset.

But even after going back inside, there was no escaping it.

In the evening, everyone had to leave their homes and go to the ancestral hall in the west of the village.

No one resisted, and no one dared to run away.

Because that devil was waiting for them in the shrine, waiting for them to willingly offer themselves up, like a herd of livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

A few oil lamps were lit in the ancestral hall, casting a dim light that made everyone's faces look sallow.

Some people huddled in corners, sobbing softly, while others hugged their children tightly, covering their mouths.

The elderly people in the village had their eyes closed and their lips moving; it was unclear whether they were praying.

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind rushed in from outside the gate, startling everyone and making them tremble.

Several oil lamps went out all at once, then slowly came back on.

A cloud of black mist surged in from outside the door and slowly condensed into a human shape in the center of the ancestral hall.

After the fog cleared, a man dressed in white appeared before everyone.

He had an effeminate appearance, skin so white it was almost inhuman, and a pair of narrow eyes that gleamed with a faint blood-red hue under the lamplight.

He glanced at the villagers filling the room, as if he were inspecting a pile of relatively fresh ingredients, and smiled with satisfaction.

"Good, they're all very well-behaved." His voice was gentle, like a snake's tongue brushing against your ear. "Come on, who will be tonight's lucky one?"

His gaze slowly moved through the crowd, finally settling on a young woman holding a child.

The child who had asked his mother questions by the edge of the field during the day was now nestled in his mother's arms, obeying his parents' words, his eyes brimming with tears but daring not to utter a sound.

The man in white tilted his head, stretched out his hand, and nodded towards the mother and child.

"Let's choose him."

Two villagers, as if pulled by invisible threads, swayed and stood up from the crowd.

Their faces were contorted in pain, their limbs twisted unnaturally, their bodies completely out of their control, and they could only walk step by step toward the mother and child.

The woman screamed and desperately backed away, clutching her child.

But the surrounding villagers seemed frozen in place, only able to watch helplessly, unable to even lend a hand.

The woman's husband stared at the scene with bloodshot eyes and a look of utter despair, wishing he could take her place.

"No! Please, don't touch my child!" the woman cried out desperately.

The man in white laughed even more heartily.

He loved watching these kinds of scenes. Fear, despair, helplessness—these emotions made their blood taste even sweeter.

The manipulated villagers staggered forward, grabbed the woman's hands and feet, and forcibly snatched the child from her arms.

The child was so frightened that he cried loudly, his little hands flailing wildly. His cries echoed in the ancestral hall, making everyone's hearts clench with worry.

The woman struggled desperately, crying out hoarsely, "Let go of my child! He's so small, he can't withstand your bleeding! Drink my blood instead! I'll take his place! Can't I take his place?!"

The man in white tilted his head, as if he were genuinely considering it. His gaze slowly swept over the woman's face.

The woman was young and had a pretty face; she should have been to his liking. But in the end, he shook his head.

"No. You've been married before. A married woman's body is tainted by a man's impurities; her blood isn't pure anymore. I don't like that."

The woman froze, the light in her eyes dimming little by little, leaving only overwhelming despair.

……

On a hillside not far away, Lin Zhixu and his companions lay in the grass, watching the movements in the village from afar.

The entire village was dark and quiet, with only a faint yellow light shining from the end of the village, like a half-open ghost eye in the thick night.

They saw the villagers slowly gathering there.

Cheng Yan lowered his voice and said, "That old man said that the evil cultivator would choose someone to bleed every night. Now everyone is heading that way, it seems like he's forcing the whole village to gather together so it's easier for him to choose."

Someone muttered under their breath, "That bastard, so vicious, he deserves to die a horrible death!"

Lin Zhixu asked him, "What are your plans?"

Cheng Yan: "We don't yet know the extent of the evil cultivation, so we can't act rashly to avoid casualties. Therefore, my plan is to choose someone as bait to scout out the situation."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Someone asked, "Then who should we send?"

Cheng Yan looked at Lin Zhixu.

The others followed his gaze and looked at Lin Zhixu.

Lin Zhixu: "...Why did you choose me? Give me a reason."

Cheng Yan said sincerely, "Junior Brother Lin, this isn't the first time we've worked together. I believe in your abilities. Besides, among these people, you're the best-looking, the most attractive, and the most suitable to be the bait."

Lin Zhixu: "..."

Okay, he admits he was convinced.

Cheng Yan immediately took out two talismans from his pocket, one yellow and one red, and solemnly stuffed them into his hand: "Then it's decided."

"These are two talismans of different colors. If you can take action later, use the yellow one, and we will support you immediately."

"If there is any danger, use the red one. I will immediately send two people back to the sect to get reinforcements, saving as much time as possible."

Lin Zhixu took the talisman and nodded.

……

Inside the ancestral hall.

The man grabbed the child's flailing arms with one hand and pressed him firmly against the offering table.

The child cried so hard he almost passed out, his little face turning purple.

The woman collapsed to the ground, her voice hoarse from shouting, only able to utter muffled sobs.

The man held a dagger, the blade gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

He grabbed the child's thin wrist, held the knife tip against the skin, and was about to make a cut when there was a knock on the door.

The man looked up warily.

The villagers were all taken aback.

Who would come at a time like this?

The man winked at the nearest villager.

The villager shuffled to the doorway, hesitated for a moment, and then carefully opened it.

The door hinges made a sour creaking sound.

Moonlight streamed in from outside the door, casting a shadowy figure.

The villagers were stunned when they saw the newcomers.

It was a young man, standing against the light outside the threshold, slender and tall, with a handsome face.

The moonlight fell on him, as if lining his whole body with a faint silver edge.

The wind blew through the stray hairs on his forehead. He looked up and gave the villager who had opened the door a very slight smile.

"Brother, I was passing through this area and it's getting late. I'd like to ask for lodging for the night. But all the houses are closed and there's no light. I only heard some noise here, so I came here."

The villager's lips parted slightly, and he didn't react for a long time.

The man in white, growing impatient, raised his voice and said, "What are you dawdling about? Who are you?"

The villagers then hesitantly stepped aside, exposing the newcomer to the crowd.

The moment the white-clad man's gaze fell upon Lin Zhixu, his eyes glazed over.

He claimed to have seen many beautiful women.

In the past, in the bustling immortal city, he had abducted and tasted men and women of outstanding appearance.

But compared to the boy in front of him, those people all seemed vulgar.

Perhaps it was because the place was so dilapidated, with its gray village and gloomy ancestral hall, that the man seemed to have fallen from the moon palace, making him impossible to look away from.

Only the old man in the corner recognized him as one of the people who had come with him during the day, and suppressed his excitement.

They really came to rescue them!