"Punishment? There is punishment?" Yin Xiu raised an eyebrow slightly.
After quickly devouring the small bread, the person opposite Yin Xiu raised his bloodshot eyes and looked at him, lowering his voice and saying in a sinister tone, "It's fog! A thick black fog! The black fog will bring waves and attack the entire sea village! You'd better leave now!"
Yin Xiu paused for a moment, then roughly understood how to get back, but before the black mist arrived, he needed to wander around some more, hoping to discover something else.
He ignored the man and turned to walk towards the other people, wanting to get the information from them again to confirm that the man hadn't lied.
This time, he chose a pregnant woman sitting at the doorway, fanning herself while holding her belly. She was wearing tattered clothes, and her bulging belly looked somewhat deformed compared to her thin figure. Perhaps because she was pregnant, she was given some food, and she was one of the more energetic people in the sea village.
She was touching her belly and looking out at the sea with a worried expression.
When Yin Xiu arrived, the woman looked at him, following the sound of footsteps. "A stranger dares to come here? Aren't you afraid of being robbed?"
Then the woman noticed the knife hanging at Yin Xiu's waist, understood the situation, and said nothing more.
Yin Xiu silently pulled another small bread roll from his pocket and waved it. "I have something to ask you. Do you have time?"
The woman stared at the small bread in Yin Xiu's hand, then patted her stomach a couple of times. After weighing her options, she looked at Yin Xiu and said, "Ask away, I'll tell you what I know."
Yin Xiu asked her about the information the man had already told him, and the results were largely the same. However, this woman usually stayed at home and knew less information than the man.
Yin Xiu then asked, "Have you ever seen what that god looks like?"
The woman shook her head. "We must close our eyes during the sacrifice; we cannot watch."
"When God appears before you, do you feel uncomfortable?"
The woman shook her head.
"Have any people in your village developed unexplained black patches on their skin?"
The woman shook her head again.
It seems that at this stage, Li Mo was still a very young being, not enough to have any impact on those around him. In Li Mo's own words, he was not yet fully formed. Not to mention a human form, he didn't even have a dark, twisted form; he was merely a void.
During this period, it is possible that the villagers' cessation of sacrifices and departure caused Limo, who had already developed consciousness, to feel the loneliness of being abandoned for the first time, and it probably threw a tantrum.
Constantly being demanded of, then satisfied, and finally leaving, this created god was abandoned by its followers after losing its usefulness. Its sorrow and anger are understandable, but it did not know that this small temper was enough to wipe out the entire sea village.
The deaths and mutations of countless people that follow will make it realize how fragile humanity truly is.
Having asked enough questions, Yin Xiu prepared to make the most of his time and visit other places.
But the woman who took the bread suddenly asked him, "Do you think my child can still be born?"
Yin Xiu looked down at the woman's belly. "I think so."
The woman smiled and said, "I think so too. If I really can't hold on any longer, I'll secretly leave this place. Others may not accept me, but my mother will definitely accept me. She's always been looking forward to seeing her granddaughter. I'm determined to persevere no matter what."
Doesn't your mother live in Hai Village?
The woman shook her head. "I came here with my husband. I haven't been back to my parents' home for a long time. The child's maternal grandmother lives in a small town that's quite far from here, a town called Muzhen. Have you heard of it? Since you came from outside, you must know a bit about the outside world, right? You might have even been there."
Yin Xiu nodded. He had been there, but when he went, the place was no longer as peaceful.
"Sigh, so you really went there. I really miss my mom." The woman sighed, then looked down and touched her belly. "Although that heartless man refused to accept you after finding out you weren't a son, Mommy loves daughters. Mommy will definitely give birth to you."
The woman, sitting in the shadows of the eaves, looked exceptionally gentle. "What name do you think I should give my daughter? Something elegant and cute, like a doll, not something common or vulgar."
The way she smiled and touched her belly made it seem as if she was already caressing her daughter.
Yin Xiu seemed to see the adorable figure nestled in this woman's arms, and said calmly, "Let's call her Ya Ya. She's very cute, like a doll."
The woman chewed it for a moment, thought it was not bad, and nodded, "Then your nickname will be Ya Ya, and your formal name will be chosen by your maternal grandmother after you are born."
The woman patted her belly happily, "Ya Ya, hang in there with Mommy, you must have a smooth delivery!"
Her gentle voice was the complete opposite of the panicked shouts from afar.
Something was amiss at the beach; suddenly, a commotion erupted: "Run! Everyone run! The black fog is coming! The black fog is coming again!!"
The chaotic sounds of the crowd caught Yin Xiu's attention. He turned around and saw a massive black fog rising from the sea, rolling with waves and crashing towards the entire sea village. The momentum was so fast and fierce that a normal person would not have time to dodge.
Yin Xiu turned around and instinctively shielded the woman from the oncoming waves.
But the next second, he was swept into the sea, tumbling and submerging. Yin Xiu struggled and swam until he lost his sense of direction in the sea.
As he swam, his waist suddenly tightened, and a force pulled him sharply in one direction. Using the force, Yin Xiu instantly surfaced. As he took a deep breath, a blinding light appeared before his eyes, making him open them.
The gloomy sky of the town unfolded before Yin Xiu, and everything around him returned to normal, no longer the scorching sun of the seaside village.
Yin Xiu choked on a mouthful of water, the force around his waist still tightening. He turned around and saw 408 struggling to drag him up from the shore.
"How could anyone willingly jump into this lake that's boiling hot? I've never seen such a brave human being. I'm impressed." 408 cursed as she dragged him ashore.
Yin Xiu learned a lesson from 408 as soon as he landed.
"If it weren't for the fact that you have a boyfriend, I wouldn't bother with you at all. Value your own life and don't cause your partner pain. You're both in relationships, can't you be a little more considerate?"
Yin Xiu choked on a couple of mouthfuls of water, took a breath, and tucked his wet hair behind his head before calmly looking up at 408. "You're right, but I won't do it."
Now it's the 408's turn to be unable to climb up in one go.
As he pulled in the rope, he vehemently denounced humanity's fragility and lack of appreciation for life, rambling on and on. Yin Xiu didn't listen to a word he said, instead turning his head to look at the lake behind him, where black mist was billowing outwards.
How long have I been down there?
408 proudly raised its head, "I'm quick and agile, I scooped it up for you in less than half a minute, before the black fog even dissipated."
Yin Xiu nodded. It seemed that when he went down there, whether it was due to an illusion or a different flow of time, it was different from the town.
He can go and explore again next time.