Chapter 125: Evil God? Monstrous Spirit?

"Divine Feast? What Divine Feast?"

Luo Zhutong not only clamored but struggled to resist. Seeing this, Shang Lu simply dislocated the joints in his limbs, making it impossible for him to exert any strength and rendering him immobile. After several futile struggles, Luo Zhutong roared in helpless rage:

"If you dare to oppose us and stop us from attending the feast, you will surely be executed by the god and served as part of the Divine Feast..."

Shang Lu raised an eyebrow. From Luo Zhutong's words, he caught a piece of information: was the so-called Divine Feast made of human beings?

What kind of righteous god would use human flesh for a banquet and bestow it upon believers? The people of Luo Family Village were either obsessed with an evil god or being deceived by demons or ghosts masquerading as deities. The latter was more likely.

A thought stirred in Shang Lu's mind, and he immediately interrogated, "What is the name of the god you worship? Where is the feast held?"

However, Luo Zhutong did not answer him, only cursing that he would be executed by the god and turned into a Divine Feast. Soon, Luo Zhutong slipped into a strange state of madness. He drooled at the corners of his mouth, his limbs convulsed, and he kept shouting things like, "The Divine Feast, I want to eat the Divine Feast."

The others in Luo Family Village showed similar reactions. Those who had not yet been subdued or bound had bloodshot eyes, appearing like demons possessed. Their emotions were extremely volatile, looking as if they would tear apart anyone who stood in their way of reaching the feast. Even from their bodies, they actually erupted with strength greater than usual.

Unfortunately, they were, after all, ordinary people—simple farmers. Their sudden increase in strength did not help them turn the tide of the battle; instead, it plunged them into greater chaos, as they frequently struck and injured one another.

Liu Zhi and Du Feng were different. They not only possessed cultivation but were also proficient in martial arts, footwork, and had rich practical combat experience. Even without drawing their blades, they were more than enough to deal with the people of Luo Family Village. Not to mention, there were three government horses charging back and forth like tigers among wolves. These three horses were far more ruthless than Liu Zhi and Du Feng, throwing the villagers into even greater disarray.

Shang Lu did not watch from the sidelines. Seeing that Luo Zhutong refused to answer his questions, he joined the fray. His intervention brought a swift conclusion to what was already a one-sided battle.

Soon, the people of Luo Family Village lay all over the ground, either with their joints dislocated or their hands and feet bound with their own belts. Even the children were not spared, because these children were just as mad and strange. Du Feng, due to a moment of soft-heartedness, was almost pounced upon by a child who tried to bite off his privates. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough to avoid the lethal strike, but he was left covered in a cold sweat.

"Liu Zhi, interrogate them!" Shang Lu ordered.

As a veteran official, Liu Zhi had plenty of ways to deal with people; handing the interrogation over to him was perfectly appropriate. Shang Lu wanted to see how long these villagers' fearlessness of pain could last. Du Feng went to assist as well.

Soon, a series of wails could be heard. It seemed the state of being fearless of pain did not last forever.

Shang Lu did not stay idle. He searched the village, hoping to find some clues, but found nothing. On the other hand, Liu Zhi and Du Feng quickly obtained results from their interrogation.

"Sir, according to the people of Luo Family Village, there is a temple more than ten miles east of the village. In recent days, every night, a god descends and bestows blood food upon the people of the surrounding villages. The villagers of Luo Family Village go every night, calling it the Divine Feast, because eating that blood food not only makes them feel refreshed and physically strong but also gives them the pleasure of ascending to a fairyland. And if they miss even one day of the feast and do not eat the blood food, they feel extremely miserable..."

Shang Lu looked around; many of the villagers were currently in a pathetic state, tears and mucus streaming down their faces. The words they repeated were no longer threats, but pleas like, "Give me a bite of the Divine Feast," and "Please, give me a bite of the Divine Feast, I can't take it anymore."

Indeed, as Liu Zhi said, they were in great agony.

Du Feng cursed, "Damn it, these people act like they're possessed as soon as they hear 'Divine Feast.' Is that even a divine feast? Why is it like they're hooked on theriac?"

"Theriac?"

Shang Lu raised an eyebrow, feeling that the reactions of these villagers were indeed very similar to those addicted to theriac. The so-called theriac was a secret drug brought from the far west. Those who took this secret drug would enter a state of extreme excitement, feeling as if their minds were incredibly clear, experiencing a heavenly, transcendent pleasure. After using it for a period of time, if they could not get their hands on it, they would feel unbearable agony, as if countless insects were gnawing and tearing at their bodies. They had to consume it again to alleviate these symptoms and regain that transcendent feeling.

The people of Luo Family Village were in exactly such a state, so it was no wonder Du Feng was suspicious. To Shang Lu, theriac was nothing more than a drug. The imperial court had long recognized this and enacted laws strictly prohibiting the sale and circulation of theriac. However, in many places, people were still selling it. For instance, the Black Wind Gang from before had been involved in this business, merely changing its name and moving the trade into the shadows.

"Did the people of Luo Family Village say which god appeared in the temple?" Shang Lu asked.

"They said it's called the Blood Age God."

"Blood Age God?"

Shang Lu repeated the name and asked the two, "Have you ever heard of this divine name?"

Liu Zhi and Du Feng shook their heads in unison.

Shang Lu asked again, "When does the Divine Feast begin?"

"At the third quarter of the Zi hour," Liu Zhi replied.

The third quarter of the Zi hour was around 11:30 PM; there was still plenty of time. That the villagers were already suffering from withdrawal meant either the Blood Age God had done it on purpose, or their excessive use of strength while resisting arrest had caused their "addiction" to flare up early.

Shang Lu immediately made a decision: "Knock out the people of Luo Family Village, find a house to lock them in, and let's go to the temple they mentioned to see what this Blood Age God really is and what kind of mischief it is up to."

Du Feng bowed and complied, acting immediately.

Liu Zhi asked, "Sir, if the people of Luo Family Village don't show up, will it expose us and arouse the suspicion of the Blood Age God?"

Shang Lu pondered for a moment and instructed, "Go to the nearby villages and say that officials are staying in Luo Family Village tonight and tell them to bring wine and meat as offerings. You can also tell them that the people of Luo Family Village were dealt with for defying the officials, and warn them not to be ungrateful."

Whether this would work, Shang Lu did not know. So, after Liu Zhi left, he immediately drew a bucket of water from the village well, scooped some into the sound-transmission conch, and followed the method taught by Feng Boyuan. He spoke into the conch, detailing their findings at Luo Family Village and the information regarding the Blood Age God, and called for reinforcements.

However, he waited and waited, but received no response from Feng Boyuan. With wells in the village and canals outside, it clearly wasn't a "signal" issue. Most likely, something had happened to Feng Boyuan, and he hadn't been able to answer.

After a while, Liu Zhi returned, all the villagers had been knocked out and locked up, and the time was drawing closer to the Zi hour.

Shang Lu stopped waiting. He put the conch into his bag, took Liu Zhi and Du Feng, and galloped off on their horses, leaving Luo Family Village behind.

They soon arrived at a location more than ten miles east of the village and saw the temple the villagers had described, situated on a low, small mound. It was a tiny temple, less than a meter in both height and width. There was no name on the temple gate, and inside sat a headless statue with mottled colors. In front of the statue, where there should have been a spirit tablet, it had been destroyed, leaving only a small base.

Shang Lu, Liu Zhi, and Du Feng cautiously crept toward it. The small temple was deathly silent. There was no movement. Around the mound, they saw no sign of anyone coming for the feast.

"Did we go to the wrong place? Or did the people of Luo Family Village lie to us?" Du Feng gripped his blade and whispered.

"No, this is the place."

Shang Lu stared at the headless statue in the small temple, having made a discovery.