Chapter 42

Su Jiu looked at the situation before him. Although it was as he had expected, his expression remained serious.

The reason for the condition of Chen Jie's father was due to the untimely treatment of the yin sha qi (negative energy) in his body, which had accumulated over time. When it reached a certain level, it would be the end of Chen Jie's father's life.

Up until now, everything had not yet concluded. The talisman in the incense burner seemed to be burning without end, and the smoke continued to enter Chen Jie's father's nose.

However, no one in the room was paying attention to these minor issues.

Everyone was closely watching Chen Jie's father's condition.

One minute, two minutes.

Gradually, Chen Jie's father's complexion began to change. The originally pitch-black face started to fade.

Gradually, it returned to its original appearance.

Slowly, a rosy hue began to appear on his face.

When all the blackness on Chen Jie's father's body had completely faded, Su Jiu let out a slow breath of relief.

The people in the room also relaxed, even Uncle Three, whose tense expression eased.

When the flame in the incense burner finally stopped burning and the smoke ceased, Su Jiu spoke to Chen Jie.

"It's done, Little One. Your uncle is fine now. He should wake up in a while."

"Third Brother, is my father really okay?" Chen Jie looked at Su Jiu with shock.

In his eyes, his Third Brother had always been an ordinary person, but now, after this incident, his entire perception had changed.

Was this an ordinary person? Not at all. Were the so-called feudal superstitions in this world really just superstitions?

At this moment, Chen Jie's worldview underwent a tremendous transformation. He couldn't help but doubt whether the scientific principles he had learned were truly correct.

At this moment, Chen Jie's mind was in chaos.

As for the others in the room, their gazes towards Su Jiu had also undergone a 180-degree shift. Some had come to mock, but now, their eyes were filled with reverence.

Especially Uncle Three, the thin man, whose expression had changed significantly, filled with complexity and awe.

"Of course!" Su Jiu said confidently.

"Master Su, I am Chen Lao San. I have something to discuss with Master Su."

At this moment, the thin man, Uncle Three, who had been standing to the side, seemed to have made a significant decision and finally spoke to Su Jiu.

However, Uncle Three indicated that he wanted Su Jiu to follow him outside to talk.

Su Jiu glanced around the room. Everyone was still in shock, so he hesitated for a moment before following Uncle Three.

The people outside the room did not know what had happened inside and their gazes towards Su Jiu did not change much.

Su Jiu followed Uncle Three to a small grove outside the house.

When they entered the grove, the trees and grass blocked the view from outside.

With a "thud," the thin man, Uncle Three, immediately knelt before Su Jiu.

"Please, Master Su, save the fate of the 1,300 people of Chen Village."

Su Jiu was taken aback by Uncle Three's action and was speechless for a long time.

After a while, Su Jiu hurriedly reached out to help Uncle Three up.

"Get up, Uncle Three! You are an elder, and I am a junior. I cannot bear this bow."

"Master Su, I won't get up unless you agree."

Uncle Three stubbornly refused to get up, kneeling on the ground.

"Alright, alright! Uncle Three, I agree. Please get up."

At this moment, Su Jiu had many questions, but he first helped Uncle Three to his feet.

"Thank you, Master Su! Thank you, Master Su!" Hearing Su Jiu's agreement, Uncle Three finally stood up.

"Uncle Three, please tell me what's going on! Is it related to the Divine Ox Cave? Why does the fate of 1,300 people in Chen Village need my help?"

Only after Uncle Three stood up did Su Jiu voice his questions.

"Yes, it is related to the Divine Ox Cave..." Hearing Su Jiu's question, Uncle Three fell into deep thought.

After a long while, Su Jiu finally understood the entire situation. His initial assumptions were completely overturned, and his shock was indescribable.

He never imagined that such a thing could still exist in this society, in this era. His surprise was beyond words.

The legend of the Divine Ox Cave that he had heard in the room was not the whole truth.

As the hereditary geomancer of Chen Village, Uncle Three knew a great secret of the village.

This secret had been passed down through Uncle Three's family for generations, and only his family knew it.

The history of Chen Village was indeed as he had known.

The legend of the Divine Ox Cave was also as it was told.

There were only slight differences, but these differences had confined the people of Chen Village for generations, a restriction known only to Uncle Three's family.

It turned out that the divine power of the Divine Ox Cave was real. Even now, Uncle Three possessed the incantation that could drive the people of Chen Village into a frenzy, granting them supernatural strength.

When driven into a frenzy, the people of Chen Village became incredibly strong and fierce.

This was not a simple matter.

The Divine Ox Cave had indeed been a place of worship for the divine ox since ancient times, and it did have mystical properties.

However, the people of Chen Village had to pay a huge price for this mystical power.

The price was that every year, one person from Chen Village had to be sacrificed to the divine ox. If this ritual was not completed in a year, the people of Chen Village would suffer various accidents, misfortunes, and even mysterious deaths.

In ancient times, this mystical power was a great asset. During times of war, it had been a significant factor in the survival of Chen Village. However, in today's society, this mystical power was of no use to the people of Chen Village. Instead, it was a restriction that confined their lives.

Four hundred years ago, Chen Village had a population of 1,300. Four hundred years later, the population remained the same. The number of people who died each year was the same as the number of people who were born, and this number had never changed.

The older people in the village were aware of this and knew the reason to some extent, but not as clearly as Uncle Three.

This secret had always been in Uncle Three's hands.

Chen Village secretly held this ritual every year, or rather, the people of Chen Village had been living under this restriction for generations.

This was what Uncle Three was worried about.

In the past, the people of Chen Village had not resisted. Uncle Three remembered clearly that when he was young, during the era of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, the elderly leader had called for the destruction of the "Four Olds." That year, the people of Chen Village decided to break this custom, but that year, a great disaster struck Chen Village.

That year, the population of Chen Village dropped from 1,300 to 800.

To understand that a village's population could drop from 1,300 to 800 in just one year is a terrifying thing.

After that year, the people of Chen Village never dared to resist again.

After that year, the rituals of Chen Village were moved from the open to the underground.

This has continued to the present day.