Chapter 139: The Ritual of the Ma Family Village

I rolled my eyes, walked over to Ms. Hu's ear, and whispered, "You will die!"

Upon hearing these three words, Ms. Hu, who had previously insisted on following us, instantly lost her composure.

Shortly after, she told Wang Zihao that she would go back to the police station to wait for news, and instructed us that we must find Wang Lei.

Watching Ms. Hu leave, Wang Zihao let out a deep sigh. "I thought she actually cared about her son."

"If she truly cared, she wouldn't have divorced Wang Song, and she certainly wouldn't have gone two whole years without visiting Wang Lei even once."

Song Zhong asked me how I knew this. How could I have known? It was simple.

Wang Lei had told me everything.

Yet he also said that even though his mother didn't like him, he still liked her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have let Ms. Hu take Wang Lei away so easily back at the shop.

"Alright, let's split up and search! Notify me immediately if you find anything!"

The three of us took three different paths. Unfortunately, this place was simply too vast, and after searching for a long time, we didn't find a single clue.

After searching for about forty minutes, my phone rang. It was a call from Wang Zihao.

He said he had just received a notification that a report had been filed at a construction site nearby. Someone reported finding a child whose eyes had been gouged out on the site.

Hearing this news, needless to say, all three of us thought of the exact same thing.

After regrouping, Wang Zihao led the way, and we met the person in charge of the construction site about a kilometer away from us.

He was the one who had made the report.

"Officers, we really had no idea about this! Everyone had already turned in for the night. We were just patrolling the site to prevent thieves, and then we saw that child!"

"Where is the child?" I asked, my brows furrowing tightly.

"Right up ahead. We've already called an ambulance, but it will take a moment for them to arrive."

Guided by the person in charge, I saw the child whose eyes were still bleeding incessantly. It was Wang Lei.

Wang Lei was already unconscious by this time. His hollow, blood-soaked eye sockets were chilling to look at.

I glanced at Song Zhong, then looked at Wang Zihao.

I didn't say a word. I simply turned around and walked out of the room.

Song Zhong followed me out shortly after. "Are the people of the Golden Cicada Society all this devoid of humanity?"

"Humanity?" I took a deep breath, shook my head, and said, "The people of the Golden Cicada Society are worse than beasts. Talking to them about humanity is no different from seeking your own death!"

"Jiang Huai, then the arcane arts we study—are they meant to deal with these kinds of people?"

I looked at Song Zhong, nodded, and said, "In a sense, yes."

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

Song Zhong's question left me at a loss for how to answer.

After thinking about it for a long time, I turned to look at Song Zhong and said, "What is there to talk about killing or not killing? Those things are just beasts."

I pressed my lips together and stretched lazily. "Instructor, do you know of any familiar orphanages? Could you help handle Wang Lei's funeral arrangements? With the boy reduced to this state, I doubt his mother will care."

"She should, shouldn't she? No matter what, she's his mother."

I shook my head. "Not everyone who gives birth to a child is qualified to be a mother. Although my words sound a bit extreme, once you see more of the world, you'll understand."

Song Zhong did not argue further. He told me he would follow up on Wang Lei's situation.

We stayed at the construction site until the middle of the night. Footage from the site's security cameras showed that it was indeed the woman disguised as Ms. Hu who had brought Wang Lei here. However, after dropping him off, the woman simply vanished into thin air within the camera's frame.

At that moment, I massaged my temples. "Instructor, I'm afraid I'll need to head out for a few days. While I'm away, if Brother Hao asks for your help, go assist him. Don't talk about money; treat it as part of your training."

"You're leaving?" Song Zhong asked, looking at me with a puzzled expression. "Where are you going?"

I shook my head, having no intention of answering him. "To a place I ought to go. I shouldn't be gone too long. Don't worry, if you run into any trouble you can't handle, call my grandfather."

"Why do I feel like you're giving final instructions before passing away?"

Final instructions?

I smiled bitterly and shook my head. "What are you talking about? I'm in the prime of my youth, and you're cursing me like this? Can we still have a normal conversation?"

Although Grandpa had told me that Song Zhong was my benefactor, I still didn't plan to tell him about going to the Majia Village.

If Seventh Brother hadn't lied to me, that was Lin Feng's stronghold. Heaven only knew how many members of the Golden Cicada Society were inside, or what kind of horrors awaited there.

Early the next morning, without telling anyone, I chartered a car and headed straight toward the Majia Village.

As luck would have it, the driver had just returned from the Majia Village. He told me that the Majia Village was quite lively right now, as their annual sacrificial ceremony was about to begin, and many people were flocking there by reputation.

Curiosity piqued, I asked, "Driver, is the sacrificial ceremony of the Majia Village really that famous?"

"Of course! Didn't you know? Once the sacrificial ceremony at the Majia Village begins, the Majia Mountain Scenic Area becomes completely free of charge. There's also a snack street and discounts on accommodations."

"The event lasts for a whole week, and every year at this time, tons of people go there for vacation!"