The young child was covered in the foul-smelling pig's blood and was crying loudly.
Fang Yuan had a neutral expression as he walked towards the second animal. Soon, he pulled a child out of the belly of each animal.
These children, both boys and girls, were mostly crying. Originally, the cries of these children should have been loud when gathered together, but the surrounding noise completely drowned out everything.
"Th-th-th..."
Qin Hai, still on the roof, was stunned. He never expected that there would be something else hidden inside the bellies of these pigs, cows, and sheep!
This was clearly a live human sacrifice!
Now, he finally understood why the young priest was holding a statue of a god that was carved with a golden boy and a jade girl!
So this was the absurdity behind it...
Looking at the fleeing civilians, there was fear and panic in their eyes, but those emotions were all directed at Fang Yuan!
They had no doubt about the children inside the cows and sheep, meaning the civilians all knew about the live human sacrifices...
Putting them inside the animals' bellies was probably to prevent outsiders from noticing...
"Whose children are these? Take them back!" Fang Yuan shouted, and a couple of families in the distance suppressed their fear and rushed toward him.
They fought their way through the crowd, risking their lives to reach Fang Yuan.
These young parents all had faces full of gratitude and panic. They nodded and bowed to Fang Yuan, then picked up their children and quickly turned to flee.
"Sorry, Lord Fang..." Qin Hai looked guilty and said, "I didn't expect such a thing to happen here!"
He thought there was nothing serious here, but it turned out to be the place with the biggest issue!
"Stop talking." Fang Yuan interrupted. "Go find the Chongwu Guard here, I'll go check out the county magistrate's office."
"Yes," Qin Hai immediately replied.
With the situation in Mingxian County turning so chaotic, unless the Chongwu Guard stationed here were all dead, they couldn't escape responsibility!
"Wait."
Fang Yuan looked down and noticed there were still two children on the table that had not been taken by their parents. He could only helplessly say:
"Master Qin, these two children will have to be entrusted to you for now."
"No problem!" Qin Hai nodded again, squatting down to carefully pick up the two children.
...
At the Mingxian County office, in the inner house of the magistrate's residence.
Magistrate Ma Dahai lazily leaned against the soft quilt, his silk robe half-open, exposing his round, pale belly.
The woman beside him had a flirtatious look in her eyes, with her soft hand lightly resting on his arm.
"My lord, today is the grand ritual, aren't you going to preside over it?" the woman asked.
Ma Dahai laughed loudly, his laugh echoing like a broken gong in the room. He extended his thick hand and lightly pinched the woman's delicate cheek, saying:
"Not going. It's time for the younger generation to take over and show their worth in front of the mountain god."
"I believe my son can do well!"
"Yes, I also believe the young master can do well. He's great at everything he does!"
The woman agreed, smiling sweetly and leaning into the magistrate's embrace, her fingers lightly drawing circles on his chest, teasingly saying:
"Thank you, my lord, for choosing my enemy's child to be the mountain god's boy!"
Ma Dahai chuckled:
"As long as you're obedient, I won't treat you poorly. Anyone in this county who crosses you, I can make sure they become childless..."
While the two were exchanging sweet words, they suddenly felt the room darken.
The young man in white, looking like snow, had appeared by the bedside and stood beside them, blocking the light from the window.
Before Ma Dahai could scold, and before the woman could panic, Fang Yuan casually waved his hand, and their eyes immediately went blank.
This was the mind control from the "Yin-Yang Reversal Law."
"What's the deal with the live human sacrifices?" Fang Yuan asked.
"We offer young boys and girls to the mountain god, as his disciples. When the parents grow old, their children will come down from the mountain to take them to the mountain god's immortal cave to enjoy happiness..." Ma Dahai answered truthfully.
"Do you think this is true?" Fang Yuan asked again.
"No..."
"Then, have you thought about stopping it?"
"No... This matter was orchestrated by Lord Chongwu Guard, I didn't dare stop it, and Lord Chongwu Guard has also given me many benefits."
Orchestrated by the Chongwu Guard?
Fang Yuan immediately realized things were not so simple. He had originally thought it was due to poor defense, but now he realized it was a case of collusion!
He no longer lingered and turned to leave.
As he turned, two red vertical lines appeared on Ma Dahai and the woman's smooth bodies.
[Slaying the tyrant magistrate, Good Deed Value +700]
[Slaying the malicious woman, Good Deed Value +100]
Flying out of the magistrate's office, Fang Yuan took out a communication talisman:
"Master Qin, don't look for the Chongwu Guard here. They are up to something. Meet me instead."
After a while, Qin Hai's weak and intermittent voice came from the talisman:
"Lord Fang, you might need to come find me..."
Fang Yuan furrowed his brows. "What's going on?!"
"I was attacked..."
"Where are you?"
Qin Hai reported his location, and when Fang Yuan found him, Qin Hai was lying in a secluded alley, on the verge of death.
He was gasping for breath, his eyes unfocused, looking dazed.
Qin Hai had visible knife and axe wounds on his shoulders and chest, and there was even a steel fork sticking out of his abdomen.
When Qin Hai saw Fang Yuan, he didn't talk about his injuries but instead, with great effort, said:
"Lord Fang, the children, those two children were taken away!"
"By whom? The Chongwu Guard here?"
"No... it was a group of ordinary civilians..."