Chapter 25: Strange Customs

His playful look gradually faded, his posture unconsciously straightening, and he spoke with a hint of seriousness.

“I also think your blue hair looks great. There’s no need to dye it black. Loads of girls would love to have your hair; they’d have to bleach and spend a fortune just to get a color like that. But you? Born with blue hair—how cool is that? Not only cool, but it saves money too.”

As he spoke, Gu Hansheng laughed heartily.

Shi Yi’s lips curled up in a slight smile.

“So, what are you two doing down here? Watching the fun and didn’t invite me?” Mi Chen came stomping downstairs in a pale pink nightdress, looking quite aggrieved.

She found the pair sitting in the hotel lobby. Still annoyed, she plopped herself down beside Shi Yi, her stomach rumbling noisily from time to time.

“What are you guys up to?”

Shi Yi explained tomorrow’s god-offering ceremony to Mi Chen.

Upon hearing this, Mi Chen’s eyes lit up. “A god-offering? Aren’t those kinds of events usually loaded with good food?”

Shi Yi couldn’t help but laugh softly. Mi Chen was obviously the oldest of their group, but she always acted like a child.

Sometimes Shi Yi really did treat Mi Chen like a little kid.

“Are you hungry?”

Mi Chen nodded, looking utterly wronged. “Yeah, I didn’t get enough to eat today.”

Shi Yi’s mouth twitched—she hadn’t had enough? The look of utter shock on the restaurant staff’s faces when Mi Chen ate ten pounds of food was definitely genuine.

Shi Yi chuckled, glancing at Gu Hansheng as if seeking his opinion.

“How about we go out and grab a late-night snack?”

“Sure,” Gu Hansheng agreed readily.

Mi Chen cheered, springing up from the sofa. “Should we wake the other two?”

Gu Hansheng shook his head. “No need. Feng Ming is all about healthy living—she’s asleep by ten every night. Wake her up now and she’ll definitely be angry. Tang Yu doesn’t eat late-night snacks anyway, so there’s no point calling him.”

With that, the three of them left the hotel and found a nearby barbecue stall.

After eating their fill, they returned to the hotel and went straight to bed.

The next morning, Feng Ming knocked punctually on the doors at seven.

Shi Yi groggily got up, washed, dressed, and gathered with everyone in Gu Hansheng’s room.

Everyone was already equipped with miniature walkie-talkies clipped to their ears.

“Shi Yi, you’re here. Take a walkie-talkie—if anything happens, we’ll be in touch,” Feng Ming said, approaching Shi Yi, tidying her hair, and attaching the device to her ear.

“Is everyone ready? If you are, let’s head out.”

Knock, knock, knock—

Xiao Zhou walked in, carrying breakfast for five. He paused in surprise at their fully-geared appearance.

“What’s going on with you all?”

Gu Hansheng glanced at Xiao Zhou, took the breakfast from him, and set it aside.

“We’ve decided to visit Fossil Village.”

“What?!” Xiao Zhou’s face instantly paled.

“You’re going to Fossil Village? What for?” Xiao Zhou’s anxiety was palpable, and Shi Yi looked at him in confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

Xiao Zhou quickly shut the door, eyes wide with worry. “You can’t go to that village! Do you know why they ignore all government orders yet remain untouched? Why no one dares cause trouble there?”

“Why?”

Xiao Zhou clapped his hands for emphasis. “Because the people there practice witchcraft! It’s the only place left where such things are common. The mayor already negotiated with them—they promised not to use witchcraft to harm outsiders—but you can’t be too careful. It’s dangerous!”

Shi Yi and Feng Ming exchanged glances, quietly eating their breakfast buns.

“Shi Xiangxiang is from that village. They marry young there, and they practice witchcraft. This is getting more interesting,” Gu Hansheng said, his voice growing more serious.

“Tell us more about this village,” he urged. Though they had done their research the night before, some things were best learned from locals.

Xiao Zhou looked at their unconcerned faces and sighed.

The group listened to Xiao Zhou’s words, their expressions growing grave.

It seemed their investigation was on the right track—this village was indeed shrouded in mystery.

In recent years, young women had gone missing from the village, but due to local customs, the authorities hadn’t intervened. With Shi Xiangxiang being from the village and the villagers practicing witchcraft, it was clear something unusual was going on.

“The village chief is called Ah Mao. His word is law—everyone follows him. They have all sorts of strange customs, many downright bizarre. For example, you can’t touch the stones in the walls… Outsiders like you don’t know the rules, you’ll definitely offend them. If they curse you, you won’t make it back to the capital alive!”

The more Xiao Zhou spoke, the more convinced he became, finally blocking the door to stop them from leaving.

They listened patiently, finishing their meal.

Packing their things, they tried to reassure him.

“Uncle Zhou, don’t worry. We’re not ordinary people—we’re the police! Besides, we’ll be careful and not offend anyone.”

Xiao Zhou eyed them skeptically. “How can you guarantee you’ll come back out of that village safely? The mayor brought you in from the capital to help—if anything happens to you, we’re all in big trouble!”

He slapped his thigh, refusing to give up. “Listen to me, not just anyone can go to that village. If those people get angry, even the greatest authority couldn’t stop them!”

Feng Ming spoke gently, “Uncle Zhou, it’s alright. We’ve studied all the customs of this minority group; we won’t offend them, and we’ll come back safe and sound. Besides, today’s the god-offering ceremony, right? Most of the villagers will be at Panlong Mountain—no one will notice us.”

After much persuasion, Xiao Zhou finally relented. “Fine, but you must be careful. If anything seems off, call me right away and I’ll find help.”

They all breathed a sigh of relief, nodding their promises.

Fossil Village was some distance away.

When Xiao Zhou had picked them up from the airport, the car that had broken down on their way was still being repaired, but now it was ready and brought to them.

Shi Yi and the others were relieved—thank goodness they had a car this time.

Otherwise, if they’d had to bike all the way to Fossil Village, who knew how many years it would take to arrive.