Chapter 58

Scholar Zhu, disguised as a caravan manager, knocked on the door of the village chief's house.

The village chief, seeing him, was somewhat surprised: "Why haven't you left yet? It's about to get dark."

Scholar Zhu put on a helpless look: "This is our first time traveling this trade route, and we are not familiar with the surroundings. We are afraid that if we leave, we might not find the next place to stay before it gets dark. After some consideration, we decided to stay in your village for the night."

"Aren't you afraid of the demons and ghosts?" The village chief frowned, suspicion flashing in his eyes.

"How could we not be afraid?"

Qin Shaoyou, noticing the village chief's suspicion, stepped forward and used his [Silver Tongue] talent to help explain for Scholar Zhu.

"Because we are afraid of the demons and ghosts, we have no choice but to stay in your village. Otherwise, once it gets dark, we would face not only the ghost officers of the Mountain Lord but also many other demons and dangers. As the saying goes, when faced with two evils, choose the lesser one.

Besides, you just said that the ghost officers of the Mountain Lord are here to collect the tribute today. They shouldn't harm others, right?"

"That's not certain."

Under Qin Shaoyou's [Silver Tongue] assault, the village chief dispelled his doubts and shook his head, saying, "If one of you is chosen by the ghost officers and taken away to be offered to the Mountain Lord, it's also possible."

Hearing this, everyone was surprised and delighted: Such a good thing?

However, they did not show their excitement and instead pretended to be afraid.

Scholar Zhu even swallowed hard and pretended to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, looking very frightened: "What are the chances of that happening?"

"It's hard to say." The village chief shook his head.

Scholar Zhu asked again, "If we stay here, besides the risk of being chosen by the ghost officers, will there be any other losses?"

"Yang energy and essence will definitely be taken away by the demons and ghosts."

"Losing a bit of yang energy and essence is not a big deal.

As for being taken away by the ghost officers... when you're out on a business trip, there are always risks. Even if you don't encounter demons and ghosts, wolves, tigers, bandits, and refugees can also take your life! If someone is really taken away by the ghost officers, it's just their bad luck."

Scholar Zhu clenched his teeth and stomped his foot, seemingly making up his mind. He took out some copper coins from his pocket and handed them to the village chief.

"We will stay in your village for the night. This money is for the accommodation fee."

The village chief took the copper coins and instructed, "As long as you are not afraid of the ghost officers taking away your yang energy, essence, and even your life, you can stay.

There is a land temple on the west side of the village. You can stay there, but don't damage anything inside.

Also, go to bed early tonight. No matter what sounds you hear or what you feel, do not open your eyes or go out to look around. Otherwise, if you lose your life, don't blame me for not warning you in advance."

Scholar Zhu thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you, village chief. We will definitely go to bed early tonight and sleep like dead pigs. No matter what happens, we won't open our eyes or leave our beds!"

Then he turned around and called the others to the land temple.

His running back and forth and giving orders really made him look like a caravan manager.

The group soon left, but Qin Shaoyou and Su Tingyu stayed at the village chief's door.

The village chief was puzzled and looked at the two, asking, "Do you have something else?"

Qin Shaoyou bowed: "Village chief, we have a request that might be unreasonable..."

The village chief interrupted him, asking, "What do you mean by an unreasonable request?"

"It means a request that is not reasonable."

"Then don't mention it."

The village chief waved his hand, very straightforwardly.

"Since it's unreasonable, I definitely won't agree. Mentioning it will only hurt our relationship, so it's better not to."

That makes sense.

Qin Shaoyou was stunned for a moment. Seeing that the village chief was about to dismiss them, he quickly said, "That was just a polite way of speaking. Our request will not harm your village but will be beneficial. Tonight, the ghost officers of the Mountain Lord will come to collect the tribute. Why don't we two take the place of the children from your village and serve as the tribute?"

"What?"

The village chief was shocked, thinking he might have heard wrong.

How could there still be people who are eager to die?

After confirming that he had not heard wrong, the village chief frowned and became suspicious again: "Who are you really? What do you want to do?"

Qin Shaoyou had already prepared his story in his mind. He now put on a melancholy look and sighed, "I'll tell you the truth. We are not part of the caravan. We paid them to travel with them for protection. In fact, we are a couple who have eloped..."

Su Tingyu was stunned.

She never expected Qin Shaoyou to say they were lovers, and even eloping...

Her face turned bright red instantly.

The village chief's eyes lit up.

Indeed, such a melodramatic love story is always very attractive, no matter where it is.

Qin Shaoyou continued his story: "We met in school. She was disguised as a boy to attend school. We spent time together and gradually developed feelings. When I found out she was a girl, I was very disappointed..."

"Disappointed?" The village chief's eyes shone even brighter.

Su Tingyu was even more confused: Why would he be disappointed to find out she was a girl?

Qin Shaoyou realized he had misspoken and quickly corrected himself: "I was happy, very happy."

The village chief was a bit disappointed.

Qin Shaoyou continued his modified story:

"I originally wanted to ask for her hand in marriage, but when I asked the matchmaker to arrange the engagement, I found out that our families were sworn enemies. My family would never agree to our marriage.

But we loved each other deeply. So, on a night of heavy rain, we chose to elope.

However, our families have never given up on us and have been sending people to catch us. We are tired of this life of hiding. We decided to find a place to commit suicide.

Since we have decided to die, we want to use our lives to save those two children, which will also be our last act of kindness..."

Qin Shaoyou's story was both melodramatic and touching, and with the effect of [Silver Tongue], it made people believe it without question.

Not only the village chief, but even Su Tingyu was captivated by the story and felt a warm, watery look in her eyes as she gazed at Qin Shaoyou.

This scene further confirmed the authenticity of Qin Shaoyou's story in the eyes of the village chief and the villagers.

Indeed, while Qin Shaoyou was telling this story, several households nearby had come to listen.

After all, in the mountains, there are not many forms of entertainment, and such a melodramatic love story is extremely attractive.

The village chief sighed, "You two are not easy, but..."

He looked at Qin Shaoyou and then at Su Tingyu.

"The Mountain Lord wants a boy and a girl who are still virgins. Are you two still virgins after eloping?"

Su Tingyu's face turned even redder.

Qin Shaoyou said seriously, "Village chief, how can you say that? Although we love each other, we have always been respectful and have not crossed the line. We are still virgins."

The village chief was a bit confused.

A villager behind him whispered, "This young man... doesn't he have some hidden issue?"

The village chief, hearing this, also had such a suspicion and looked at Qin Shaoyou with a mix of sympathy and understanding.

Feeling a sense of shared suffering, he did not press further and said, "Since that's the case, I won't stop you. However, although you will save those two children for now, you can't save them forever."

"We know." Qin Shaoyou nodded, "We didn't expect to save them forever, but we want to be at peace with our conscience."

"Then I will thank you on behalf of the two children."

The village chief bowed to Qin Shaoyou and Su Tingyu and then sent a villager to call the two families who were supposed to offer their children. He removed the grass rings from the children's wrists and handed them to Qin Shaoyou and Su Tingyu.

"Once it gets dark, put on these grass rings and go to the village temple. Stay there and don't run around. The ghost officers of the Mountain Lord will come to take you...

After you die, we will set up memorial tablets for you in the land temple so that you can receive offerings in the afterlife."

The two families thanked Qin Shaoyou and Su Tingyu, promising to frequently offer incense to them.

After Qin Shaoyou and Su Tingyu left, a villager who had just arrived whispered to the village chief, "Are these two really going to commit suicide? What if they are trying to deal with the Mountain Lord? If they anger the Mountain Lord, they will run away, and we will suffer. Should we send someone into the mountains to announce this so the Mountain Lord knows and we can clear our responsibility?"

"No need." The village chief, after some consideration, shook his head.

"From their reactions and words, they don't seem to be lying."

The other villagers who had heard the story also agreed:

"I think the young man is telling the truth."

"I also think they are not lying. Their reactions and words are very sincere."

"They really want to commit suicide and do a good deed before they die. We don't need to inform the Mountain Lord. If we do, the Mountain Lord might demand another pair of children in addition to them. Besides, it's about to get dark. Who will go into the mountains, and who would be willing to go?"

The villager who suggested it remained silent, as he also did not dare to go into the mountains at night.

Since everyone believed the couple, he had no choice but to believe them too.

The matter was settled.

The villagers never realized that they believed Qin Shaoyou, a stranger, entirely because of his silver tongue.

They were convinced by his words.

Qin Shaoyou's [Silver Tongue] talent was becoming increasingly proficient.