Lu Cai spoke calmly, "Can you eliminate the abnormality in this village?"
The reason he didn't continue to provoke or attack Xiao Yu was because she had lost the ability to fight back. Lu Cai showed no mercy but he was methodical.
The main reason was that Lu Cai, who usually only cared about killing and not burying didn't really know how to eliminate the abnormality here so he could only ask the suspect.
Xiao Yu glared at him resentfully, daring not to curse. She could only glare at him expressing her inner anger and fear. "Why should I eliminate the anomaly here? I wish they were all dead right now!"
Zeshia, seeing that she dared to yell at Lu Cai subconsciously growled, then fell into deep thought.
Should he pity the girl or firmly stand on the side of the dragon knight?
She looked like a girl and indeed, she was a girl.
It made Long worried.
"Because they sacrificed you to the Dragon King?"
Lu Cai didn't notice Zeshia's sudden worry. One of his strengths was that if there were no external forces simply put the situation was equal or beneficial to him. When not threatened he was always direct, never beating around the bush or looking back.
His older brother once said he was suited to practicing the ruthless way but then he was slapped away by his master cursing him for practicing his father's ruthless way when the global population was plummeting!
Xiao Yu sneered, "You know it yet you're asking? Or are you trying to persuade me to sacrifice myself for the greater good? To persuade me to be magnanimous?"
She stood on the dim path unable to move due to Lu Cai's restraints. She looked frail and fragile, easily blown down by a gust of wind yet her sharp tongue was even sharper than when they'd first met.
Lu Cai shook his head glancing slightly sideways at the dark village entrance. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly spoke, "Ever since the sacrifice proposal was approved the bride's position in the village has become very important, right?"
He remembered that when Zhang Xue disappeared the village went berserk. Even the slightest contact with her body would cause public outrage.
It was impossible to say it wasn't important.
Xiao Yu sneered, "Yes, it was. So important that when the time came you ignored my wishes and personally pinned me to death in the pool. How's that? Has your curiosity been satisfied?"
She had no idea what this young man was trying to ask. The cramped darkness and the heavy memories seemed to drag her back to the pool that day. She struggled, cried out and begged for help.
Did anyone respond?
Did anyone care that she was just a sixteen-year-old girl who had done nothing wrong and had no intention of harming anyone and who didn't deserve to be treated this way?
No!
For a ridiculous legend, to worship a Dragon King whose origins were unknown these village elders who had once lived with her day and night treated her like a commodity to be sold, a bargaining chip to be used in a trade with the gods for their own survival.
Why?
Why should she die while they live?
If she must die then everyone must be buried with her!
Xiao Yu fought back the burning sensation of the decree, trembling and slowly raising her arms with all her might. Even though she couldn't muster any strength she laughed heartily and made a flower-scattering gesture in front of Lu Cai:
"Everyone dead, that would be best!"
Lu Cai stared at her intently and suddenly said, "Since the bride is the most important, why didn't he tell me directly that you were the bride when I asked the village chief to trade you for my help?"
Xiao Yu was stunned not understanding what Lu Cai was talking about.
Lu Cai briefly recounted what had happened in the village that morning. "You probably never communicate with your father so you underestimate my abilities."
This wasn't boasting but rather confirmation of Lu Cai's suspicion. Regardless of who was abnormal, Xiao Yu wouldn't discuss the situation with the villagers. That was why she had overlooked this "serious problem" of her own.
Xiao Yu twitched her lips. "So? What exactly do you want to say?"
Lu Cai was silent for a long time, then slowly said, "What I want to say is that even in this situation, in his heart you are his daughter first and his bride second. The primary reason he wants to protect you is because of your father-daughter relationship, not because he wants to protect his bride."
Xiao Yu opened her mouth seemingly unprepared for this deeper meaning.
But she quickly caught on sneering and retorting, "So you think they deserve redemption? Can they just show a little bit of conscience and turn the page on the fact they sacrificed me and Zhang Xue?"
She gritted her teeth and trembled. Perhaps Lu Cai's revelations had finally struck a chord with her. She screamed fiercely, "They deserve to die!"
Seeing this Lu Cai fell silent.
In fact, there was one thing he hadn't told Xiao Yu because he wasn't entirely sure the village chief hadn't been infected when he first met him.
Why?
Lu Cai speculated that perhaps for the same reason that fools are immune to infection the village chief had likely been on the verge of collapse after his first encounter with such a bloody ritual.
His chaotic neuronal network, impervious to dark matter, protected him from infection early on but it also caused him to lose his normal rational judgment and fail to protect these poor girls.
The infected villagers saw the corpses and the revived bride as normal as they were infected themselves. The village chief however, saw Xiao Yu alive and well because he hadn't realized his daughter was dead.
After more than thirty days the village chief finally succumbed to the dark matter's erosion and gradually began to show signs of infection. If he wasn't rescued promptly within 35 days there would be no normal person left in the village.
Darkness enveloped them forever. Li Min would never return. Everyone was trapped in this swamp unconcerned about their future intent on dragging everything around them down with them.
Zeshia, who had been scratching his head agonizing over how a gentleman should treat a young girl suddenly perked up and looked at Lu Cai suspiciously.
He felt a sense of desolate emptiness in his heart.
Is it his dragon knight who is mourning?
This was a truly serious problem. Zeshia immediately stretched his neck to nuzzle Lu Cai hoping to offer some comfort but ended up using too much force and nearly knocking the young man over.
Before Lu Cai could curse a weary Xiao Yu suddenly said, "If you want me to save this village there's another way."
Lu Cai turned his head and lashed out with a rage, "Speak!"
Xiao Yu: "Tell me, he clearly ate monster flesh so why wasn't he affected?"
This question stifled Lu Cai's temper as he not only didn't know the reason but also didn't know how to translate it.
But to reassure Xiao Yu, he turned expressionlessly to Zeshiya: "Why, eating? Is it safe?"
Zeshiya blinked, pondered for a moment, then tilted her head to look at Xiao Yu. Unsure what he was thinking, Lu Cai feigned composure then rephrased the question: "What? Will it kill me?"
Zeshiya understood Lu Cai's meaning and slowly stepped back. His solemnity made Lu Cai a little nervous and confused about what he was suddenly going to do.
The next second, Zeshiya's abdomen suddenly hummed as if something was wriggling inside. The movement then slowly shifted rising to his throat.
He twisted his neck toward the open space to the side and opened his mouth to vomit.
A mixture of mucus and a white unidentified substance was expelled. A faint trace of fleshy blood could be seen flowing slowly beneath the white mucus.
Lu Cai felt a surge of mental contamination at the mere sight of him. He felt his stomach churn a sour taste welling up in his mouth and a strong urge to vomit welled up!
He turned around holding onto a tree retching relentlessly.
"As you can see we dragons can regurgitate," Zeshia said, a touch shy and a touch proud. He tapped her paw explaining the reasoning with the previous gesture.
Not only was Lu Cai's reaction intense but Xiao Yu was also stunned speechless for a moment. For the first time since their falling out a look of bewildered vulnerability lingered.
That's it?
This is too... that. Xiao Yu's head pounded.
But she quickly calmed down glancing at Lu Cai, who had returned from vomiting with a complex expression. "Are you really not disgusted by giving yourself to a dragon like this just for the sake of cooperation?"
Zeshia tilted his head sensing a moment of uncertainty in Lu Cai's mind; this was quite rare. His knight was always calm and powerful. What had so disturbed his mind?
He stared at Lu Cai, dazed, thinking he'd misread the flash of embarrassment that crossed her face.
His face was red looking rather appetizing against his fair skin.
And Lu Cai: "..."
It seemed like there was a misunderstanding.
He'd been able to trick the village chief and the other insane people but he'd even believed Xiao Yu.
But a strange expression quickly crossed Xiao Yu's calm, numb face. Her lips trembled and as if remembering something she said with a half-smile, "Forget it. In this world who am I to call you disgusting?"
She looked at Lu Cai with a hint of reluctance but she slowly opened her mouth as if she had no choice. "If you want to eliminate the strangeness in this village, go find..."
Midway through her words the calm fog suddenly exploded like boiling water!
Lu Cai lurched sideways and a thick tentacle lashed out from where he'd been standing. The flesh-pink tentacle was coated in a dark green slime of unknown composition looking far more eerie than the one Zeshia had spewed out.
Zeshia's scales exploded. He hadn't understood what Lu Cai and Xiao Yu were saying so he was just casually trying to figure out why his knight was alternately blushing and feigning composure. Who knew then that something hideous, straight out of a ghost story would suddenly appear nearby?
What a contrast!
He flapped his wings in anger and stomped hard at the monsters. Lu Cai dove in and out of the process, attacking with a stern face.
He turned to look at Xiao Yu only to find her face pale. She stared around in disbelief, mumbling something.
It was truly perplexing. The surroundings had been stable until just now but then it was like dropping a piece of sodium metal into boiling water exploding instantly.
According to Lu Cai's style he would have to eliminate Xiao Yu first to maintain the safety of his surroundings but he hesitated for a moment and before he could act a familiar wave suddenly emanated from the nearby opposite side dispersing the fog.
Lu Cai's face suddenly changed.
Foundation!
He turned and yelled at Zeshia who was still stomping furiously, "Hide!"
As soon as he finished speaking a silver bullet pierced the mist and flew straight towards them.