River God's Wish?
Tang Ning glanced at Shao Mingyong, who was staring at him deeply. The reflection in Shao's glasses showed the myriad states of being, with people's shapes stretched and distorted. Despite the distortion, their expressions were abhorrent.
At the center of the glasses was Tang Ning's bewildered face. His appearance was not distorted; it was clear and beautiful, passing through the glasses into Shao Mingyong's eyes.
Tang Ning shook his head. From the expressions of the surrounding villagers, it was clear this was not a good thing; otherwise, the elder wouldn't look so heroically resolved.
Moreover, Tang Ning remembered what Lin Yun had told him: no deities appear in Level B instances, only in Level S instances do beings of such nature exist. So, what was the elder praying to?
This thought gave Tang Ning a chill. He avoided Shao Mingyong's slightly disappointed gaze and instead looked at the wishing well filled with coins. In the center of the well stood a moss-covered stone sculpture. Although parts of it were mottled, one could still discern the chiseled contours. It was a sculpture of a figure with a human upper body and a fish tail, embodying a strong man's perfect form, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted. The lower half, the fish tail, was folded, as if ready to leap out at any moment, full of explosive power.
This was a fine piece of sculpture, marred only by numerous damages. The surface was pitted, especially around the wrists of both hands, where it was broken off, reminding Tang Ning of the Venus de Milo. He wondered what the sculpture's complete form would have looked like.
The elder, maintaining a prostrate position, slowly got up. It was a struggle, and no one helped him. Using his cane, he rose to his feet, holding an ancient coin, his lips trembling, seemingly murmuring something.
What was this for?
Tang Ning looked at Shao Mingyong with a puzzled expression. Shao Mingyong understood Tang Ning's confusion and explained softly, "This is the last step of making a wish. He will throw the ancient coin into the well. If the coin lands face up, it means the river god is willing to fulfill his wish."
The elder closed his eyes and tossed the ancient coin into the wishing well. As the coin caught the sunlight, it reflected a rainbow of light. It hit the water, creating a tiny splash accompanied by a soft "plop," and then the coin sank into the well, while the elder stood still, as if lacking the courage to check the result.
The surrounding people also held their breath, standing still.
Affected by this solemn atmosphere, Tang Ning involuntarily held his breath too. The elder's wish must have been for the safety and peace of the town. Since this instance was about survival, naturally, the safer the town, the better. Tang Ning also hoped the elder's wish would come true.
Was it successful?
The elder slowly approached, searching for the coin he had thrown. He looked slowly, and when he stopped at a certain spot, his cloudy eyes sparkled with something called hope. He knelt down again before the sculpture, a series of actions that seemed to drain all his strength. He remained kneeling before the wishing well, not rising for a long time.
The mayor approached the elder, intending to help him up, but the elder's body slumped against him. The mayor was shaken and placed his hand under the elder's nose, "The elder has passed away."
Tang Ning instinctively looked at Shao Mingyong, who this time offered no explanation but adjusted his glasses and calmly watched as the villagers rushed to the elder's side, weeping bitterly over the body of the old man.
Tang Ning then looked at Lin Yun and Jiang Mianmian and noticed that the expressions of these two players were equally grave.
"This is a Level B instance. A true god is not supposed to appear in such instances, but the process of worship by these NPCs, the depth of their faith, plus the accumulation of the village's ancestral beliefs," Lin Yun whispered to Tang Ning, "might actually bring about a demigod or something of that sort."
Aren't demigods good? If a divine being protects this ancient town, monsters should also hesitate to kill indiscriminately, right?
"No decent deity demands the lives of its believers as offerings." Lin Yun said through gritted teeth, "Generally, only evil gods, or demi-evil gods, do such things. If it really is one of those, we might as well consider ourselves done for."
Only then did Tang Ning realize the seriousness of the situation. He typed, "But it seemed like the NPC's wish was granted?"
Lin Yun frowned, "I don't know what wish he made."
As the villagers carried away the elder's body, Jiang Mianmian stayed behind to observe the wishing well. Tang Ning and Lin Yun continued with the main group, with Shao Mingyong close by. Tang Ning glanced at Shao Mingyong and noticed that he appeared dry, not like before when his clothes were still damp. It seemed the wind had finally dried him.
The group soon arrived near the mayor's house and coincidentally ran into the family of Zhang Shunping. They seemed to have finally gathered their emotions. Madam Zhang was supported by someone as she walked, and the wooden plank carrying Zhang Shunping's body was lifted by people. A gust of wind blew, lifting the white cloth covering the body. The Zhang Shunping lying on the plank suddenly opened his eyes!
The people carrying the plank screamed in horror, letting go in fright, causing the plank to fall. The Zhang Shunping on the plank shook his body, his head twisted awkwardly to face the approaching group. His face, swollen from soaking, was beyond recognition. His cloudy eyes, under the sunlight, emitted a sinister glow—
The dead opened their eyes!
Tang Ning halted, doubting his eyes as the other villagers recoiled in fear, leaving Madam Zhang to collapse to the ground without support.
What followed was even more unbelievable. Without any aid, Zhang Shunping's upper body, previously motionless, abruptly sat up straight!
He turned his head, tilting it left, then right, leaking foul-smelling yellow fluid from his ears with each movement. After completing these actions, he opened his mouth, saliva pouring out, and with stiff movements, he gazed at Madam Zhang and twisted his mouth into a bizarre smile, saying, "Mother."
Screams erupted from Tang Ning's side of the crowd as the previously deceased elder also opened his eyes, standing up straight without any assistance needed.
"Pretending to be dead! Oh my God!!! Help!!!" The villagers scrambled to escape from these two eerie figures, with even Madam Zhang refusing to look at her son. The scene descended into chaos, with some men, driven to hysteria, even attempting to beat the two resurrected bodies with sticks. Eventually, it was the mayor who, mustering his courage, approached the elder and tremulously asked, "Elder, what is happening? Is there something you cannot let go of?"
The elder's face cracked into a sinister smile, "Ah Zhong, my wish has been fulfilled."
Despite the eerie situation, the mayor managed to keep his composure and inquired, "Is that so? What wish did you make?"
"I wished to the river god," the elder articulated slowly, "to bless our village so that no one would die again."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yun couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Tang Ning looked at Lin Yun, who whispered, "He overestimated himself! How could one person's life be worth the lives of the entire village!"
As the resurrected elder looked around with a smile, everyone he made eye contact with quickly looked away. The elder continued to smile as he staggeredly made his way home, with people frantically avoiding the old man. Zhang Shunping, now behaving childishly despite being in his thirties, sat beside the collapsed Madam Zhang, muttering, "Mother, I'm hungry."
Madam Zhang fainted.
"It's not good, Mayor!" someone ran over from the riverbank, shouting towards the mayor as they approached, "Uncle Two and Uncle Three fell into the river while building the bridge!!!"
One piece of bad news followed another, making the mayor seem a decade older in an instant. He grabbed the newcomer by the shoulders, "What are you saying?!"
"My older brother went into the water to save Uncle Two and Uncle Three, and he also fell in!" the newcomer cried out, tears streaming down his face. Amidst the crying, another scream pierced the air: "It's terrible! Zhang Shunping has gone mad!!!"
Zhang Shunping, who had risen from the dead, buried his face in Madam Zhang's abdomen, making slurping noises. The unconscious Madam Zhang slowly opened her eyes, saw what her son was doing, and immediately fainted again.
A burly man swung a wooden stick and struck Zhang Shunping hard on the back of the head, causing his head to tilt. When Zhang Shunping turned his face, blood dripped from his green lips.
The man who hit him swung the stick wildly while letting out a wail, shouting loudly, "Help! Help! Zhang Shunping has been possessed by a demon!!!"
Braver villagers armed themselves with handy tools and worked together to subdue the crazed Zhang Shunping. They tied him up with rope, and during the struggle, someone was accidentally bitten by him.
Tang Ning was dumbstruck by the rapid succession of events, which unfolded too quickly to follow, akin to a patient whose early-stage cancer suddenly deteriorated to a terminal stage with no cure.
"It's all a sin! It's all the damned Zhang Yun's fault! He had it too good! He's the one who turned the river god bad!" An elder lamented. His accusation provided the terrified and desperate villagers with a target for their frustrations.
"Right! It's all Zhang Yun's fault! All of this is because of him!!!" "If it weren't for him, Shunping wouldn't have died! The elder wouldn't have died! So many have died, why should he get to live so well!" "Mayor, please save my Uncles Two and Three and my brother!" "Mayor, if we don't hold a ceremony soon, our whole town will end up dying because of Zhang Yun!" "Zhang Yun! You bastard, come out! Hiding in the mayor's house won't save you forever!"
The mayor tried to calm everyone, "No, folks, please, let's calm down! Don't act rashly! We will find a solution."
But the people, engulfed in fear and anger, were beyond listening to the mayor's pleas. Some tried to force their way into the mayor's house, others brandished weapons, surrounding the mayor with faces twisted in rage, all shouting the same demand: "Hold a ceremony! Hold a ceremony!! Hold a ceremony!!!"