The Sheep-headed Woman gazed gently at Lin Baici: "Anyone recognized by the Dragon Princess is family, and we must learn to share everything about ourselves."
The won tugged at Lin Baici with force.
"Mariko-chan, you’ve chosen a great boyfriend!"
"He has a solid build. Can he last longer this ti?"
"Great, our village has a new man!"
The won whispered softly, their eyes greedy and eager as they looked at Lin Baici.
Lin Baici, a grown man, was unnerved, with goosebumps forming.
What is this?
Silk Cave?
"Mariko?"
Lin Baici turned his head, looking for Goto Mariko.
But she was just a young girl, with no voice in such an environnt.
The won continued to tug at Lin Baici.
"Don’t waste the blessing of the Dragon Princess!"
The Sheep-headed Woman urged, "Co quickly!"
More won ca over, pulling Lin Baici, trying to get him to bathe, with so bold won even starting to undress him.
[If you run away, you will anger these won, and they won’t take you to the real altar.]
[But if you don’t run, you will beco their sustenance!]
[n who participate in the welcoming ceremony have their vitality drained, age prematurely, and even ten years of life becos a luxury!]
Lin Baici didn’t want to participate in such a ceremony at all. Upon hearing the Eater God’s comntary, he imdiately exerted strength with his hands, shook off the won, and left the cave without turning back.
The cave suddenly fell silent.
Shush!
Everyone’s gaze turned to Goto Mariko.
Goto Mariko lowered her head.
"Convince him, he must attend the next welcoming ceremony!"
The Sheep-headed Woman ordered.
...
Lin Baici erged from the cave, unsure of the way ho, and waited near the entrance.
He thought he would have to wait a long ti, maybe even be captured, but no one ca.
Over ten minutes later, Goto Mariko, having changed clothes, walked out.
"Lord Lin, I’ll take you ho!"
Goto Mariko walked ahead, as if nothing had happened just now.
"Have you ever seen the Dragon Princess?"
Lin Baici inquired.
"You should address her as ’Princess’!"
Goto Mariko corrected him, pausing for a few seconds before explaining: "The Dragon Princess has brought favorable weather to our village!"
"More importantly, she has gifted us with longevity, health, and eternal youth!"
"Haven’t you noticed there are no elderly won in our village?"
At this point, Goto Mariko’s tone beca devout. She was unwilling to part with Lin Baici, but thinking of the Dragon Princess’s goodness...
"To stay young forever, would you exchange everything?"
Lin Baici countered.
"..."
Goto Mariko was silent.
"Have you ever thought about leaving this island to see other places?"
Lin Baici felt the key to his escape lay with Goto Mariko; he must persuade her to lower the Dragon Princess’s rank in her heart.
"If it’s for being young and beautiful, staying on this island forever, how’s that different from being imprisoned?"
Lin Baici sighed: "What a barren life this is!"
"Even if you live a hundred years, what’s the point?"
"Life should be a journey, only stopping at death. But for you all, birth is akin to death!"
Goto Mariko suddenly stopped: "I don’t understand these things, no one taught !"
"Why need soone to teach you?"
Lin Baici spoke sincerely: "Just ask yourself what you want!"
Goto Mariko fell silent again.
Lin Baici knew when to stop, so he didn’t impart more ’life philosophy,’ instead letting Goto Mariko digest.
The two returned to the village.
Dawn had not yet arrived.
Lin Baici went to his room to sleep.
Knock, knock! Knock, knock!
Lin Baici had just lain down when soone knocked at the window.
It was the previously agreed signal.
Lin Baici glanced at the door, then quickly dashed to the window and opened it.
Xia Hongyao squeezed in.
"How is it? Are you unhard?"
Xia Hongyao grabbed Lin Baici’s shoulders, examining his body.
"No!"
"What happened in the cave?"
Xia Hongyao inquired, "There was no place to hide there, so I stayed far away and didn’t hear anything."
"There was a dark ritual!"
Lin Baici, unashad, briefly recounted the events.
"So it seems, the condition to clear the level is to find the Dragon Princess?"
Xia Hongyao pondered.
"Probably!"
"By the way, we were attacked last night!"
"Was sothing strangling your neck?"
"Yes!"
"It was caused by a Jizo statue by the roadside outside the village, I smashed it!"
"I knew it was you who resolved it!"
Xia Hongyao was delighted and gave Lin Baici a hug.
The two chatted a bit more, discussed the further plans, and then Xia Hongyao left.
...
With a few crows of the rooster, morning ca again in the Divine Hidden Village.
A little after 7 o’clock, Goto Mariko ca up and called Lin Baici for breakfast.
At the dining table, Goto Lei, like a virtuous wife and good mother, served everyone diligently, without any trace of having participated in that dark ritual the night before.
"Can I go outside for a stroll?"
Lin Baici inquired.
Houteng Xin glanced at Lin Baici, then lowered his head, "Sure, you’re already half-one of us!"
Why only half?
Because Lin Baici didn’t participate in the subsequent welcoming ceremony.
After breakfast, Lin Baici walked along the street with Goto Mariko, occasionally seeing won who all chose to ignore him, as if conducting an ’isolation’ bullying.
Lin Baici didn’t care at all, wandered around all morning, then went ho to eat.
Just as he sat down, a group of people burst into the Goto’s house.
Leading them was a woman in her forties, wearing glasses, scholarly like a university professor. She saw Lin Baici and directly questioned him.
"Did you smash the Jizo statue outside the village?"
This voice was exactly like the woman wearing a sheep skull last night, but now it was filled with cold indifference and anger.
Before Lin Baici could speak, the woman sneered, "Denying is pointless, apart from an outsider like you, no one in our village would do such a thing!"
This reason was indeed impeccable.
Lin Baici couldn’t say soone else did it?
That would not only expose Xia Hongyao and the others but also show he harbors ill intentions, plotting against this village.
"Take him away!"
The Sheep-headed Woman shouted, and the won behind her stepped forward, intending to tie him up with a rope.
Lin Baici didn’t expect the situation to turn so quickly. He hesitated for a mont, didn’t struggle, and at the sa ti noticed Goto Mariko, separated by the crowd, gesturing at him not to act rashly.
Resisting would lead to being killed on the spot.
Lin Baici’s hands were tied behind his back, and a black hood without holes was placed over his head so that he couldn’t see anything.
He was dragged forward by a rope.
First, it was a flat path, then after about ten minutes, it turned into stairs. Lin Baici could feel the temperature and humidity lowering.
He must have entered so underground place.
After walking for a while, a pair of hands suddenly pushed him forward.
He didn’t fall, staggered a few steps, and with a bang, collided with a wall.
Everything quieted down.
"Am I locked in a dungeon?"
Lin Baici flexed his wrists and pushed hard to the sides.
Snap!
The rope as thick as an index finger snapped.
Lin Baici grabbed the hood and yanked it down.
It was very dark around him, and after feeling around for a while, he found a wooden door.
Was he really locked in a dungeon?
Lin Baici wasn’t in a hurry to leave; Xia Hongyao and the others had been secretly watching him and surely knew that he was captured.
If he was in danger, they would co to rescue him anyti.
The current question was, how to gain the trust of that Sheep-headed Woman...
No,
he didn’t feel hungry when facing her, so he should find a way to gain Goto Mariko’s trust.
The dungeon was pitch black and eerily quiet. Lin Baici just waited to see if any opportunity would arise.
After several hours, when Lin Baici was almost numb, the prison door suddenly opened.
A bit of torchlight first crawled in through the door gap.
"Lord Lin?"
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