Chapter 124: Someone Is About to Be Burned Alive

Faced with Shen Xueying’s questioning, Jiang Chen gave her a firm answer.

"I believe it is necessary, and therefore it must be done."

Hardly had he finished speaking when several urgent barks erupted from ahead. It seemed something was happening, as villagers began rushing toward the area from all directions, clutching various makeshift weapons. The atmosphere grew suddenly tense, and after a brief exchange of glances, Jiang Chen and Shen Xueying quickly followed.

They arrived to find the villagers surrounding a dilapidated house, waving torches high in the air and shouting aggressively, creating a noisy and chaotic scene. Jiang Chen grabbed a passing villager to ask what was going on, but the man had a severe stutter and, despite his frantic stammering, could not make himself understood.

"It... it's a... a woman in our v-v-village, she, she, she..."

An older woman passing by grew impatient, cut in, and told Jiang Chen and Shen Xueying that everyone was about to burn a jinx to death. She claimed the woman had engaged in indecent activities in the city and had returned to the village to provoke the River God and the Earth Deity. Only by burning this "filthy woman" alive could the village be spared from disaster.

Jiang Chen’s suspicions were immediately piqued. "Is this woman named Lan?"

"Yes, that's right! Do you know her too?" The woman cast a look of disdain at him, clearly assuming the worst about his connection to her.

Shen Xueying quickly interjected, "He’s just guessing. We’re just passing through and stopped to see what the commotion was about."

"What’s there to see about burning someone alive..." the woman muttered, hurrying ahead as if terrified she might miss the start of the show.

Having learned of Lan Hui’s predicament, Jiang Chen said to Shen Xueying, "It looks like we’re about to be cursed at by these villagers. You should probably watch from a distance to avoid getting caught in the crossfire."

"If you aren't afraid, why should I be?" Shen Xueying replied with a smile.

"You cursed, shameless woman! Ever since you came to our village, we haven't known a moment of peace. My ancestral hall was perfectly fine until that night, when it was struck by lightning for no reason and reduced to ruins!"

"We later found out it was because you stood in front of the hall for a long time during the day. You must have offended the gods, and they sent down the thunder as punishment!"

A middle-aged man waving a torch pointed at Lan Hui, his chest heaving with indignation. That was only the beginning; one after another, people stepped forward to list her various faults, as if her very existence were a crime.

An old man with a white beard, who appeared to be the village chief, spoke up with a sinister tone: "You shameless girl! Two days ago, I was taking a walk by the river and saw you squatting on the bank, disheveled and acting like a temptress. It was utterly immoral!"

"If I hadn't practiced martial arts in my youth, I would have tumbled right into the water. Tell me, aren't you a menace to society?"

Jiang Chen frowned, thinking to himself that the old man must be at least eighty, yet he had the audacity to say such a thing with a straight face.

Just as the outraged villagers were hurling their most vicious insults, the door of the house creaked open. Lan Hui, her hair in total disarray, strode out and pointed directly at the white-bearded village chief.

"Village Chief, I was only washing my hair by the river that day. What exactly did you see?"

"Look at how long my hair is! It’s troublesome to manage, and who can guarantee they’ll be perfectly dressed while washing it? Even if you did see something, you could have just looked away. It’s your own mind that’s dirty!"

Lan Hui’s retort left the village chief speechless; he stammered for a long time, unable to come up with a logical defense. Suddenly, the older woman who had spoken to Jiang Chen earlier lunged at the village chief, clawing at his face with the ferocity of a shrew.

"Oh, so that’s how it is, you old wretch? So you were always hanging around the river waiting for this harlot to wash up, just to feast your eyes, were you?"

Jiang Chen and Shen Xueying exchanged astonished looks. The woman had rushed over to watch the spectacle, only to find the drama unfolding in her own household. It was truly a sight to behold.

The village chief hurriedly tried to explain, "I wasn't looking! How could I be looking?"

"If you weren't looking, how would you know she was disheveled? When you were licking my boots to ask for my hand in marriage all those years ago, you praised me for being young and beautiful, saying it was the blessing of a lifetime to have me as your second wife!"

"And now what? You’re tired of me because I’m old, and you’ve set your sights on this little tramp!"

The villagers erupted into raucous laughter. They were clearly delighted that they could enjoy a scandal in the village chief’s family alongside the execution of the woman.

Feeling his reputation shattered, the village chief frantically changed the subject. "Don't try to be clever and confuse the issue with your woman’s tricks! Ever since you arrived, the crops have stopped growing and the river embankments have been washed away!"

"Misfortune after misfortune has plagued this village, all because of you. What else do you have to say for yourself?"

Lan Hui stood her ground. "I have done nothing wrong! My parents lived here. I am simply reclaiming my own house and living on my own land. How does that concern any of you?"

"If you want to burn me alive, go ahead! Do you really feel at peace with yourselves, bullying a defenseless woman?"

Enraged, the village chief ordered the men holding the torches, "What are you waiting for? Light the fire!"

"This damned woman is carrying a bastard of unknown origin. Can we allow her to give birth to such a monstrosity in our village?"

"If we don't burn her today, our village will never know peace again!"

At the chief’s command, the men closed in on the house. Lan Hui gently stroked her slightly rounded belly, displaying a level of courage in the face of death that was far beyond the ordinary.

Jiang Chen sighed, "What a strong-willed woman. She shouldn't die in a place like this."

Shen Xueying asked, "How do you plan to save her? These villagers don't seem like the type to listen to reason."

"That’s easy. Don't forget, I grew up in the backwoods myself. I have plenty of ways to deal with ignorant villagers like these."

Just as the men were about to set the house ablaze and burn Lan Hui alive, a figure suddenly darted out from the crowd and stood directly before them all.

"Wait, wait, wait! None of you do anything rash. Put those torches down right now."

The villagers were stunned by Jiang Chen’s sudden appearance. The village chief barked, "Who are you, and why do you dare to interfere?"

"I am doing this for your own good. Burning her is not a good idea. Aren't you afraid that the vengeful spirits of this mother and child will return to claim your lives?"