Chapter 34

Chapter 34

In the oppressive darkness, a bonfire flickered to life. Villagers cheered and laughed, eagerly welcoming their once-in-a-decade sacrificial ceremony.

Unlike previous years, the deity was thoroughly pleased with this year’s offering.

Amidst a fervent crowd of believers, a small sedan chair carried by women appeared. Its windows and doors were veiled with diaphanous red gauze. As the evening breeze lifted the fabric, only a faint glimpse of a figure inside, draped in a bridal veil, could be seen.

The believers’ cheers grew louder. Amidst the joyous clamor, the women placed the sedan atop the altar. An elderly woman bowed deeply to the uncannily realistic straw effigy at the altar’s center and intoned reverently:

"Great One, this is the offering your devoted followers have painstakingly selected for you. We hope it pleases you."

The lifelike straw effigy stood at the heart of the altar, its face completely obscured by a black hat. Dressed in traditional wedding robes, it remained silent in response to the woman’s greeting.

Perhaps stirred by the wind, the straw figure leaned slightly toward the sedan. Another gust swept through, lifting the red gauze and revealing the scene inside to the effigy.

A black-haired young man was bound inside the sedan with red ropes. His eyes were covered, his pale body nearly bare beneath the sheer red fabric draped over him. His shoulders and cheeks were flushed an unnatural red, the ropes accentuating the curves of his slender frame. His body trembled uncontrollably, his chest rising and falling rapidly with each ragged breath.

The straw effigy’s hat was blown away by the wind, revealing an eerily beautiful male face beneath. His dark eyes fixed on the young man’s chest, and his rigid face curled into a grotesque smile.

"My bride… is truly adorable."

*

"Hey, fellow netizens, can you help me check if these photos are good enough to submit to a magazine?"

On the Xiaodi Gua app, a post had caught widespread attention, amassing over 10,000 likes.

Netizen 1: "What an ugly kitty. How can someone take such terrible photos?"

Netizen 2: "Poster, what you really need right now is to find a job."

Netizen 3: "Teacher, I’m a stay-at-home mom. Can my kid be a child model? Can you take free modeling photos of them? Oh, and remember to photoshop them fairer—they’re a bit dark."

"What kind of people are these?! This is infuriating!"

In the pitch-black night, a bespectacled young man chewed his fingernails, his other hand furiously scrolling through his phone. The screen’s glow cast a pale light on his face, his bright eyes flashing with anger, his unusually fair cheeks flushed with an unexplained blush.

Reading the comments under his post, Lin Xingshu was seething. He fumed as he opened his own thread—though it had over 100,000 views, not a single comment praised his photography. Instead, they were all mocking him.

He scrolled back up, frowning as he examined his own photos, then nodded in satisfaction. "Hmph, what’s ugly about these? They’re amazing!"

The post featured several pictures he had taken of a stray cat in his hometown.

A black-and-white cat perched on a stone pillar, stretching and yawning. He had captured the moment with a quick shot, but his skills weren't perfect—the photo showed the cat with airplane ears, rolling its eyes, and its mouth yawning like a chasm. It was ugly-cute.

The other photos were of the same cat, but without exception, they all captured the feline in bizarre, distorted poses. Some were even out of focus. Though undeniably ugly-cute, they weren’t as bad as the comments made them out to be…

Lin Xingshu felt a pang of *emo*. He genuinely loved photography—why did people have to ridicule him?

Ding—

His phone chimed, snapping him out of his thoughts. A notification popped up—a fan had sent him a private message on Xiaodi Gua.

"Hey Poster, I really love your photography! Don’t mind the haters—keep doing your thing!"

Lin Xingshu adjusted his glasses, perking up. He clicked into the sender’s profile and was immediately drawn to their photos.

The account introduced itself as a tourism ambassador for his hometown, but its posts didn't get much traction. The account had only been active since last month, and all its content showcased the scenery of their hometown.

With just one glance, Lin Xingshu found himself clicking into the posts, carefully browsing through the images.

The photos depicted a town called "Xiushan Village." Though the photographer wasn't the best, the natural beauty of the place was undeniable—lush landscapes in every season, unlike anything he had ever seen.

Unable to resist, he messaged the user: "Are these photos from your hometown? It’s so beautiful!"

The reply came swiftly: "Yes! I think so too. Our village has amazing scenery, but because of its poor geographical conditions, the government won't invest in developing it. Such a shame…"

"So you’re trying to promote tourism for your hometown?"

"Mm-hmm! But I’m not in the village anymore—these photos were taken a long time ago."

Lin Xingshu paused, a spark of inspiration flashing in his eyes. He typed: "Can you tell me where this village is? I’d love to visit."

"Eh?! (Surprised) Are you planning to take photos there?!"

Lin Xingshu hesitated. He had recently left his job and just wanted to travel somewhere new… Photography hadn’t even crossed his mind…

Before he could reply, the other person suddenly grew excited.

"Hey Poster! Poster! I’ve been following you for a while—I think your photos are really unique! And your posts already have such high engagement. Would you be willing to take photos to promote my hometown?!"

"I’m working in another city now, and my family home is just sitting empty. If you trust me, I can rent it to you short-term!"

"Please! Our little village just needs one chance—just enough to get the government’s attention! QAQ!"

Lin Xingshu nibbled his nails, torn. He wasn’t sure if he should agree—after all, this was just a stranger on the internet…

What if he got robbed or had his kidneys stolen?

"I know you might have concerns… How about this? I’ll send you my ID photo, phone number, and address. You can share them with your family and friends. If I don’t respond to calls or messages within 24 hours, you can report me to the police with my info. Would that work?"

The other party was earnest—they really did send over their personal details. Lin Xingshu opened the files: the sender was a young man barely twenty years old, with delicate, handsome features and currently seemed very easy to get along with. To further reassure him, the guy even sent a short video of himself holding up his ID.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Xingshu finally agreed.

He had been in a funk since leaving his job—he really needed to unwind. Besides, with modern technology, if anything shady happened, he could call the police immediately. If he brought some self-defense items, it should be fine…

"Alright then. Where’s your family home?"

The boy sent an address. Lin Xingshu checked—it was in a neighboring city, not far at all. His remaining doubts faded.

"Poster, just to be clear—while I’m inviting you to help promote my hometown, the rental isn't free though~ My family home is 200 yuan a month. Is that okay?"

Hearing this, Lin Xingshu felt even more at ease.

If this were a scammer, they’d be rushing him to come, dangling irresistible offers. This guy was upfront—let's keep things separate.

"Okay!"

Lin Xingshu transferred 300 yuan. The boy accepted promptly: "I’ll mail you the key tomorrow! Can you send me your address?"

Lin Xingshu obliged, sharing his details. But the boy didn’t reply immediately. Anxiety crept in—what if this was a take the money and run? Though it was just 300 yuan.

Just as anxiety gnawed at him, a message arrived:

"Got it! Order placed—same-city express delivery! Let’s keep in contact tomorrow!"

Lin Xingshu exhaled in relief, took off his glasses, and rubbed his temples.

Whatever. In for a penny, in for a pound. He didn't believe that in a law-and-order society, these people could pull any shady business.

He rubbed his eyes, turned over, and closed them, gradually drifting into sleep.

Meanwhile.

In the darkness, an ancient structure from the Ming and Qing dynasties loomed within the old town. A flock of crows swept past the blue bricks and black tiles, emitting rasping caws. The plaque above the main gate displayed the bold characters: "Ancestral Hall."

Inside the building, flickering candlelight illuminated a crowd of men, women, and children kneeling in hushed silence. The evening wind rattled the ancient wooden doors, making them creak eerily.

An elderly elder rose first, carrying a red-cloth-draped tray into the shadows. As he moved, someone hastily lit the lamps on either side.

The old man stopped before a shrouded statue, bowed deeply, presenting the tray. He kept his head lowered, his body trembling as he placed the offering before the figure and then knelt in submission.

"Great One, we’ve selected this year’s offering. May it find favor!"

With these words, he prostrated himself on the ground, eyes tightly shut. This year marked their decennial rite, and he prayed fervently that the deity would accept their offering.

He could no longer remember how many times they had done this. Every ten years, they would present their offerings just as they had today, yet the deity had never accepted them.

It had rejected their sacrifices and, in turn, withdrawn its blessings. The village had gradually fallen into desolation. Even the recent development plans had conspicuously bypassed Xiushan Village—what a missed opportunity!

Once developed, tourism would flourish, and the townspeople would prosper, paving the way to prosperity!

This year's offering had been meticulously selected. It must... it must be accepted this time!

Creak—

An eerie creak echoed from the darkness. The crowd held their breath, cautiously lifting their eyes.

Beneath the red cloth, a bone-white hand emerged, radiating cold. The onlookers gasped, quickly lowering their heads, too terrified to look further.

A cold gust swept through, violently lifting the red cloth. The hand slowly picked up the photograph from the offering tray, its fingers gently tracing the face of the young man in the picture before lingering on the three characters: "Lin Xingshu." As the movement ceased, the owner of the hand let out a low, raspy laugh—a laugh so chilling it froze their blood.

The laughter, ghostly and menacing, made every person present tremble uncontrollably, their bodies shaking in unison.

"Excellent. I accept it."

With the man's deep voice, the pale hand withdrew beneath the red cloth, and the hall sank back into silence, as if nothing had ever happened.