Chapter Thirty-Nine: Parents

Their tone was calm and their words seemed sincere, yet Wu Que dared not lower his guard. After all, he had seen the photograph on the bedside table; the couple in that picture looked nothing like the innocent, well-meaning people standing before him now.

"First, hand Chen Tianyu over to me," Wu Que demanded, pointing his blade at the couple with a fierce glare.

"Of course, no problem."

The "father" consciously stepped aside to clear a path for Chen Tianyu. Still shaken, Chen Tianyu cast a nervous glance at him before hurrying to Wu Que’s side.

"Hand over the children, too," Wu Que continued, issuing another command.

This time, the "father" hesitated. He gritted his teeth and said in a deep, heavy voice, "I am sorry, outsider. I could trust you, but I do not believe you can defeat 'It.' Previous outsiders just like you came here, but the result was only that 'It' grew stronger. Although the Village of Sickness is weak now, we are willing to try in our own way."

"Who exactly is this 'It' you speak of?" Wu Que asked.

"It is the origin of everything. Because of 'It,' there is the Village of Sickness, the Overseer, and there are us," the "mother" replied as she wiped the tears from the children's faces.

"One last question," Wu Que said. "What happened to the outsiders who came before?"

"They are at the village chief's house. But believe me, you do not want to see them."

"Big brother, please don't hurt Mommy and Daddy! Mommy and Daddy are good people!"

The two "Kangkangs" cried, snot and tears streaming down their faces, pleading with Wu Que. The children's sobbing seemed to possess a strange, magical quality that left Wu Que momentarily dazed. He quickly pressed the jade pendant against his chest, shook his head violently to clear his mind, and turned his gaze back to the family of four.

"Fine. Take me to the village chief."

With that, Wu Que and Chen Tianyu followed the couple out of the house and onto the streets of the Village of Sickness.

*So dirty, so chaotic, so foul!* This was Wu Que's first impression of the village. It felt like a corner forgotten by time; the road was layered with mottled, multi-colored trash. Plastic bags danced in the wind, occasionally snagging on withered branches to create an eyesore, while scraps of waste paper, fruit peels, and unrecognizable debris were scattered in complete disarray. Every step was accompanied by a subtle, unsettling rustling sound.

The drainage ditches along the road were severely clogged, overflowing with sewage that emitted a pungent stench, attracting swarms of flies and mosquitoes. In front of the shops lining the street, clutter was piled up haphazardly, some of it encroaching on the sidewalk and making the already narrow space feel suffocatingly crowded.

Throughout the village, people with physical deformities roamed about. Regardless of gender, they were gaunt and skeletal, stunted to the height of children. Their complexions were a sickly blue-gray, their eyes dull and sunken deep into their sockets, and a strange, rank odor clung to their bodies. Upon seeing Wu Que’s group, they approached one after another, muttering, "Those without the mark... run... run away..."

"These are the original inhabitants of the Village of Sickness. Do not be afraid; they have always looked this way." A flash of heartache crossed the "father's" eyes. He gritted his teeth and steered them around these villagers, only to be blocked by a few middle-aged men and women who had not yet mutated.

"It’s your family again! It’s always your family!"

"You know perfectly well that the ritual can only be performed among the marked, yet you keep bringing outsiders back. It was hard enough for everyone to send the children away, and now you want to bring your own boy back—what exactly is your intention?"

The "father" looked at them with a firm gaze and stated, word by word, "I am taking them to the village chief. They have their own path to follow. Rest assured, I will not let them interfere with our plan."

The mention of "plans" and "marks" only left the already bewildered Wu Que and Chen Tianyu even more confused. They wanted to ask, but did not know where to begin.

"Fine, go ahead," the leading middle-aged man waved his hand, clearing a path for them.

The "father" gave him a look of gratitude and led the group toward the village chief's residence.

"Sir, what is the ritual?" Chen Tianyu asked the back of the man in front of him, unable to suppress his curiosity.

"I am sorry, I cannot tell you," the "father" replied calmly. "You outsiders have your own way of dealing with things, and we have ours."

Hearing this, the two had no choice but to suppress their curiosity and continue forward.

*The village isn't large, so where did Zhang Deshuai go?* With all these frustrating matters piling up, Wu Que felt a massive headache coming on. Just as he was deep in thought, they arrived at the village chief's door. Taking it one step at a time, Wu Que followed the family of four inside.

Upon entering, they saw two massive catfish.

To call them catfish was an understatement; they possessed human limbs. There was no water near them, so they simply flopped about on the floor, their mucus trailing across the ground, picking up filth and dust before sticking back to their bodies.

Chen Tianyu stared at the monsters on the floor, grimacing as he asked, "What on earth are these things?"

The "father's" reply made cold sweat break out across his skin. "You wanted to see the last group of outsiders, didn't you? That is them."

Watching this gruesome scene, Wu Que and Chen Tianyu felt their bodies tense, a chilling sensation creeping up their spines. At that moment, an old, frail voice drifted from within the house.

"Please come in, outsiders."

The "father" turned the handle and pushed the door open, saying to the old man sitting on a folding stool, "Village Chief, I have brought them here."

There were no lights on inside. Only a single candle burned on the coffee table, casting the entire room in a dim, eerie, yellowish glow. Under the flickering candlelight, the old village chief’s frame appeared incredibly hunched. His face was etched with the ravages of time, his eyes half-closed, revealing a sense of indifference and profound depth born of endless hardship. Sparse white hair leaked from beneath his hat, swaying gently in the draft.

His hands were covered in prominent veins and age spots, trembling as he held a chipped teacup, sipping from it slowly as if even that simple movement exhausted all his strength.

"Your family has quite the connection with outsiders," the old man sighed, his voice sounding weary.

"Village Chief, I..." the "father" began, but the chief waved a hand to silence him. He stared at Wu Que and Chen Tianyu, beckoning them closer.

Wu Que and Chen Tianyu exchanged a glance and walked side-by-side to stand before him.

"Please, sit."

"Thank you." Wu Que nodded and sat down honestly, observing the withered old man before him.

"Outsiders, I will tell you the location of the medical clinic. As for 'It,' after you arrive, Dr. Deng Ming will tell you himself," the village chief said slowly.

Wu Que and Chen Tianyu looked at each other, both feeling a surge of joy; they hadn't expected the third key location to be obtained so easily.

"As for your two friends, they have already departed for Dr. Deng Ming’s location."

"Two?" Wu Que’s pupils trembled violently.

"Yes. There was also a lady; she, too, left a step ahead of you."

"In any case, you outsiders have your ways, and we of the Village of Sickness have ours. I will not interfere with you. I can only tell you this: if you fail, your end will be far more miserable than those two at the door."