White Guiding Force

The standoff persisted.

The old man’s expression was fraught with tension, large beads of sweat trickling to the ground.

His wrinkled face remained stubbornly silent.

‘This level of interaction doesn’t feel like an NPC. Could he be a real person?’

Chen Zeyu worried that keeping the old man suspended would cause him serious harm.

“Grandpa, I mean no harm. Don’t be so tense.”

“I’ll let you down, but you must promise not to approach me.”

Hearing Chen Zeyu’s words, the old man’s expression shifted between surprise and hesitation, his eyes wide.

“I’m letting you down now. Remember, don’t come any closer.”

Fearing she might truly frighten this lifelike old man, Chen Zeyu slowly dispelled her magic, allowing him to settle firmly onto the sandy ground.

Once released, the old man regarded Chen Zeyu with lingering wariness.

After scrutinizing her for a moment, perhaps finding her appearance inconsistent with his perception of the calamity, he tentatively asked,

“Are you… a witch?”

“Yes, but I assure you, you’ve mistaken me.”

“I’m no envoy of the calamity; I merely happened to pass through this Novice Fishing Village.”

Chen Zeyu then cast another spell, gently lifting the fallen walking stick and delivering it into the old man’s hand.

The old man glanced at the staff, then back at Chen Zeyu’s innocent expression.

Only then did he begin to believe he had misidentified her connection to the calamity.

“Then, child, if you are a witch, will you help us resolve this calamity?” the old man pleaded, as if grasping at a lifeline.

Chen Zeyu felt a natural resistance.

Why should this old man, who had been shouting moments ago, suddenly turn his attitude around and beg for her help?

Chen Zeyu frowned slightly, biting her lip, conveying an expression that clearly stated she found the matter troublesome and didn’t want to get involved.

The old man suddenly recalled his earlier behavior towards Chen Zeyu.

He had clearly offended this young witch.

She had kindly inquired and even helped him retrieve his stick and explain, yet he had responded with an indiscriminate roar!

“My old eyes are dim! My old eyes are dim!”

Slap! Slap!

The old man suddenly slapped himself several times, the loud sounds startling Chen Zeyu into a momentary stupor.

She rushed forward, using her magic to stop him.

“Why are you hitting yourself! I never said I wouldn’t help!”

Chen Zeyu’s magic held the old man’s hands.

She drew closer, observing his bloodshot eyes and the tear tracks etched at their corners, clear evidence of much weeping.

What could cause this old man to shed so many tears?

There could be no answer other than the ceaseless calamity.

“Little witch, can you help us?”

“Please save our Harvest God. We are barely clinging to life.”

Tears welled in the old man’s eyes, as if he might cry himself blind at any moment.

Chen Zeyu couldn’t bear the sight of an old man weeping from the bottom of her heart, but her magical abilities were only at a novice level.

She could only offer a compromise.

“My capabilities are limited; I cannot save your deity.”

“However, I might be able to assist you with the difficulties you are facing.”

Upon hearing Chen Zeyu’s proposal, the old man’s expression wasn’t one of outright joy, but it certainly brightened considerably.

“That’s wonderful!”

“Please, come with me quickly. Some of the children in the village are already on the verge of collapse.”

The old man immediately leaned on his walking stick and started back, but Chen Zeyu remained rooted to her spot.

She had not forgotten the fate of the body behind them.

“Wait! You must tell me what happened to that corpse!”

“Eh?”

The old man halted his hurried steps, turning only half his face.

Upon seeing the corpse, he spoke with an air of helplessness.

“That young man offended the authority of the Harvest God and was sun-dried to death.”

“By whom?”

Chen Zeyu could not believe someone would willingly dry themselves to death unless coerced.

The old man fell silent, offering no reply.

His expression seemed to be fabricating an excuse.

‘This old man clearly knows something! I’m glad I asked before rushing in.’

“Please tell me who did this; only then will I feel assured in helping you.”

Chen Zeyu clasped her hands behind her back, clenching her fists, ready to respond to any sudden changes.

The old man remained unresponsive for a long moment.

Then, as if reaching a realization, his parched lips parted to give his answer.

“I tied him myself. I watched him being sun-dried to death.”

!

Though Chen Zeyu had vaguely suspected, there was not a trace of guilt or sorrow on the old man’s face; instead, his resolve was absolute.

“Will you come with me now? The children can’t hold on much longer.”

The old man continued towards the house, seemingly confident that Chen Zeyu would follow.

‘A murderer! Following him would be suicidal!’

Chen Zeyu was no fool; she would never get involved in such a risky endeavor!

What was there to discuss with a murderer?

“Wahhh! Mama, my hand hurts so much!”

Suddenly, the cry of a child from inside the room shattered Chen Zeyu’s thoughts.

“Oh no!” The old man, flustered, dropped his stick and stumbled into the doorway.

“Village Chief, you’re here! Yuli’s curse has flared up again!” A woman’s voice, judging by her tone, belonged to the crying child’s parent.

“Village Chief! Goway is also feeling it!” Another man’s voice stammered urgently, followed by faint whimpers from within the room, as if a child was trying to suppress their tears.

“Goway, you’re a good boy, just be strong a little longer!”

“The calamity will be driven away soon!”

“Yuli, don’t be afraid, Grandpa Village Chief is here, no more pain, no more pain!”

The Village Chief held the hands of both children, and despite his best efforts to comfort them, he felt utterly powerless.

Listening to those words, Chen Zeyu’s mind involuntarily conjured the faces of suffering people.

The disaster unfolding right before her eyes was contained within that house.

Could she truly ignore it and walk away?

Crack.

Chen Zeyu heard a burning sound.

She felt a searing heat in her palm, and when she turned her hand over, a small white ball of fire floated up.

Its outer flame spiritually pointed towards the Village Chief’s hut.

‘Is it guiding me?’

Chen Zeyu’s resolve wavered.

Rumble—

A muffled roar echoed from the dark clouds in the sky.

Moments later, raindrops began to strike the eaves, dripping steadily and collecting into streams of water.

Inside the room where the Village Chief stood, all the village fishermen had gathered.

They were all gaunt and pale, huddled around the Chief and the children.

Lacking any medical knowledge, they could only pray for the curse to disappear quickly and for the illness to cease.

‘She didn’t follow after all.’

‘If I had concocted a lie, perhaps she could have saved us.’

The Village Chief regretted his actions, his hands clenching powerlessly.

He only wished for his villagers to be safe and free from sorrow and pain.

And then, a voice answered his wish.

Bang!

A loud knock on the door coincided with a clap of thunder!

A flash of white light illuminated the silhouette of a silver-haired girl.

Chen Zeyu stood by the door, her right hand clenched into a fist.

The hem of her dress, damp from the rain, clung to her calves, yet it did not diminish her determination.

“I might have a way to save you!”

“But first, Village Chief, you must keep your distance from me and remain within my sight!”

“And please, explain everything clearly to them.”

Chen Zeyu addressed the Village Chief.

The glittering light in her red eyes caused the fishermen to instinctively recoil; it was too reminiscent of the calamity.

Seeing her as a savior, the Village Chief silently retreated, assuring her in his heart.

“Yes, I will explain to them. I beg you, please help us.”