Chapter 91: Deadly Travel Group (16)
The fog grew heavier and heavier. Visibility was less than fifty meters.
The twelve remaining couples followed behind the Tour Guide as they climbed the mountain behind the village, threading through the woods. Their vision was filled with a strange haziness.
To prevent any accidents, Sheng Churan firmly held Ji Ning's hand as they walked in the middle of the group. Behind them was a real player couple they had met.
In the space, the only sounds were the Tour Guide's occasional enthusiastic introductions and the rustle of everyone's footsteps on the fallen leaves—monotonous and somewhat unreal.
It made people feel as if some horrible thing was going to crawl out of the thick fog at any moment.
However, fortunately, they arrived without incident at the legendary Cat's Eye Spring.
"Everyone, please look. The spot where we are now standing is the most suitable location for viewing the Cat's Eye Spring. Looking down, the round spring cave is shaped like a round cat's eye. Because the spring bottom has a concave shape sinking toward the center, combined with the green algae growing there year-round, it looks just like a cat's eye," the Tour Guide introduced attentively while standing at the edge of the high slope.
Ji Ning looked down and saw that the Cat's Eye Spring truly lived up to its name. It really looked like a green cat's eye. The green algae in the center, resembling a pupil, was also formed just right into a spindle shape.
It was just that because the resemblance was so striking, it was a bit unnerving to look at.
The Tour Guide continued the introduction: "Legend has it that there are two deities in Ai Mountain—one who governs growth and one who governs decay. The growth deity ensures the spring water never runs dry, while the decay deity causes all things to wither. In the waters of the Cat's Eye Spring, aside from the green algae, no living creature has ever appeared from ancient times to the present. Therefore, the people here believe that the Cat's Eye Spring is the only place where the two deities can coexist. It is a sacred spring that cannot be defiled. No one may approach or touch the spring water. If one wishes to see it, one can only look from this high vantage point."
Upon hearing the Tour Guide mention the two deities—even though their names weren't explicitly stated—the real players who had already inquired about Poye and Guma Lazi knew this was a very crucial hint.
Ji Ning craned her neck, gazing at the spring water, so clear she could see the bottom at a single glance. She inexplicably felt that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
She wanted to look again, but the Tour Guide had already led the group away.
Sheng Churan looked down at her, noticing Ji Ning's slightly furrowed brows. Concerned, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Ji Ning shook her head. "It's nothing. Let's go." Perhaps it was just her nerves acting up.
Next, the Tour Guide led the couples to climb high and overlook the Ai Mountain range from a distance, but because the fog was too thick, they couldn't see much of anything.
Around noon, the group returned to the Yao ethnic village.
The villagers were busy setting up the sacrificial altar in the center of the village for the Harvest Festival, along with offerings, a bonfire, and the flowing feast banquet. Compared to the eerie atmosphere of the previous night, it was finally bustling with lively human energy.
During the wait for the Harvest flowing feast to begin, the tourists, not yet seated, stood around the periphery watching the locals bustle about.
Ji Ning and Sheng Churan stood far off by themselves. She fixed her gaze on the offering table beneath the central altar, recalling the sacrificial ceremonies she had seen as a child in her hometown. She leaned close to Sheng Churan and said, "Heartthrob, look at those offerings. I think there's a problem."
Hearing her mention it, Sheng Churan's eyes shifted to the offering table. He looked for a moment but couldn't spot anything amiss, so he asked studiously, "Please enlighten me, wife."
Ji Ning explained patiently: "Generally, sacrifices include chickens, ducks, and pigs. Their ceremony here is such a grand, elaborate one, yet they only set out a few plates of fruit and grain. Does that make sense?"
Sheng Churan's expression turned solemn. He said quietly, "Actually, I have a guess, though I'm not sure if it's right."
"What is it?" Ji Ning withdrew her gaze and looked at Sheng Churan. Judging by his expression, she figured what he was about to say was quite serious indeed.
"I suspect... that perhaps we are the offerings meant for the deity Poye."
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