TN-
Karmazur’s name, 卡玛佐兹, doesn’t translate well so I’ve decided to call her Kama Zuozi, as that is how it sounds when pronounced in Chinese.
Actually, Xiao Qing doesn’t really dislike Kama Zuozi.
After all, who would dislike a pretty big sister inviting you for a meal?
Yeah, that’s right. Xiao Qing and Kama Zuozi not only had intelligence exchanges but also shared a meal together in real life. For Xiao Qing, this was quite normal. His work for Guoteke determined that a large part of his real-life social circle would be gamers.
However, Kama Zuozi’s overt aggressiveness and clear intentions, without any attempt to disguise, often made Xiao Qing feel like a rabbit stared down by a tiger. Players like them were highly sensitive to danger, and not reacting was already commendable.
Xiao Qing sighed softly, postponing any unnecessary emotional topics for later discussion. “Are you sure the police station is this way?”
“Yeah…” Kama Zuozi stopped, glancing left and right. Tilting her head back, she gazed at the sky. “Probably?”
At the end of the road stood a luxurious three-story villa. Through the gap in the iron gate, the fountain garden and several parked cars in the front yard were visible. The spacious front yard kindled a burning red flame in Kama Zuozi’s heart. She murmured, “This front yard is bigger than a primary school playground.”
There weren’t many people on this road, but Xiao Qing and Kama Zuozi, peeking around into the house, quickly drew the attention of security. “Hey! What are you doing here? This is the Mayor’s private residence!”
—The Mayor, huh?
Xiao Qing swiftly put on a business-like smile, pulled out a business card, and handed it to the security guard, speaking in a confident tone, “Hello, we’re from a media studio in City N. Your town has such beautiful scenery and simple folk. Our live stream today has attracted over two million viewers, and many investors are interested in your town. Let the Mayor know…”
As he spoke, he opened his phone. “This is our anchor, Sugar. He has over eighty million followers on the internet. Any product he endorses never goes out of stock. Many of his fans are planning to visit your Ceylons Town.”
The security guard couldn’t handle this scene and was quickly swayed by Xiao Qing’s words. “I’ll go inform the housekeeper. You wait here.”
While the security was away, Kama Zuozi said to Xiao Qing, “Qiao Ou previously told me that the Mayor is two-faced, saying he wants the town to develop and everyone to prosper but actually wanting to be the sole ruler of the town. He keeps rejecting all external investments and has tried several times to drive them out of Ceylons completely, aiming to control all industries in the town.”
“Qiao Ou’s family has built the town’s railway, telephone network, and even the school. Apparently, the church fathers are quite satisfied with their family’s faith and have received a considerable sum of money for repairing the church.”
“Additionally, I believe the Mayor surely has some undisclosed business. Still, living in such a good house and affording luxury cars…” Based on her extensive experience in anti-corruption, she assessed the grade of the cars parked outside and estimated the town’s average consumption level. By this comparison, she immediately deduced that the Mayor’s undisclosed income was definitely not small.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Zfjcktlif, Wljb Hlcu byrfgnfv atf rajaef vfmbgjalcu atf obecajlc, jrxlcu lc j ibk nblmf, “Pr atja rajaef vloofgfca ogbw atf bcfr kf fcmbecafgfv fjgilfg? Pa rwfiir rlwlijg.”
Ktf rajaef bc atf obecajlc kjr mgjoafv ogbw fzdelrlafis rwbbat ktlaf wjgyif, vfqlmalcu atf vslcu obgw bo j vfwbc klat j ubja’r tfjv, yja-ilxf klcur, jcv j ajli gfrfwyilcu j rcjxf. Pa rageuuifv lc jubcs, rffwlcuis bc atf yglcx bo vfjat sfa ralii tbivlcu bcab j oilmxfg bo ilof.
At a glance, this beautifully crafted statue differed greatly from the rough and crude humanoid figures they had seen before. However, Xiao Qing could clearly smell the familiar scent. On closer inspection, it seemed to emanate a mix of mournful wails and curses in the wind, silently seeping into every corner of the mansion.
Wanting to step back for a better view of the statue and the front yard as a whole, Xiao Qing found Kama Zuozi standing right behind him.
“I also think it’s similar,” Kama Zuozi accepted the unintended embrace from Xiao Qing with a smile. His clothes carried the fragrance of laundry powder and sunlight, his fluffy hair brushing against her, causing a slight tickle in her chest.
But the statue on the fountain only caught the corner of her eye. Then, leaning close to Xiao Qing’s ear, she said, “What’s inside is the same, just encased in a prettier shell.”
Afterward, she sneered, “Whoever made this must be a fool.”
She paused here and didn’t continue. By the time Xiao Qing asked about the security guard who had gone to inform earlier, the guard had returned, apologizing and informing them that the Mayor was currently occupied with some important guests. He assured them that he had passed on their business card to the butler, and the Mayor would contact them when he had time.
Xiao Qing didn’t push further. He didn’t expect to actually meet the Mayor with just a few words. He hoped that by getting the news of their livestream to the Mayor through the security guard, it would reach him faster.
The upper echelons of this town were roughly divided between the development faction led by Qiao Ou and the conservative faction led by the Mayor. Both sides were aware of the news about their livestream, and anyone wanting to act against them would have to weigh their options carefully.
He overheard from a room in the mansion some elderly voice talking anxiously on the phone to their subordinates. They were urgently instructing an investigation into “Sugar” and the “livestream,” angrily berating them as useless for being unaware of this crucial information.
“If they find out ‘that thing,’ what do we do? Those fools in the town!”
“That person almost escaped three years ago! If I hadn’t reacted quickly, you’d all be in prison for life!”
“The police will investigate him soon, so tidy up your tracks! If you slip up, it’s on me!”
The person on the other end of the call reluctantly agreed. Xiao Qing remembered that voice—it was the one they encountered when they arrived, the voice of Charles, the police chief of Ceylons Town.
This town was indeed quite small.
Xiao Qing also inquired the security guard about the situation regarding the statue at the fountain. Scratching his head, the guard said, “I know a bit. It seems like this statue has been here for a long time. They say it’s meant to deter demons or something.”
…
“Deterring demons!”
Five hundred meters away from the mansion and with no one around, Kama Zuozi finally felt free to vent her worries without Xiao Qing covering her mouth.
“With that thing around, even if there were no demons in the town, there would be. I really wonder who came up with such a clever idea!”
—This was a question that Xu Yintang could answer.
He met Old Duolin on the mountain road. Today, Old Duolin wasn’t drinking. Upon knowing why Xu Yintang was in the mountains, he initially thought Xu Yintang was lost in the mountains. He chatted a bit, mentioning that an outsider like Xu Yintang should follow him up the mountain.
When not drunk, Old Duolin was very affable. He heard Xu Yintang mentioning his nervousness about the live stream and naturally greeted the viewers. He even welcomed everyone to stay at his place and try his wife’s signature creamy stew. The barrage of the audience in the live stream immediately supported the idea.
That’s their own anchor! It must be arranged!
Xu Yintang chuckled, saying, “There are only two rooms available to accommodate so many guests.”
“That’s easy,” Old Duolin said, “I’ll clean up a few more rooms.”
Xu Yintang laughed and spoke about their morning visit to the church, praising the grandeur of the church in town, not inferior to those famous grand cathedrals outside—the exquisite and vibrant murals, the elegant and magnificent architectural style, and the lifelike sculptures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. He mentioned that Father William had said these statues had been passed down for hundreds of years and held significant meaning.
“Too bad the statues can’t be photographed; otherwise, viewers could see them too.”
Old Duolin said, “Those statues were left by a former priest in the town, along with the murals. If you want to film his statues, you can visit the Mayor. The exorcism statue in the front yard of the Mayor’s house is also from that priest.”
“Exorcism statue?” Xu Yintang asked with interest, “Is there a legend behind it?”
At this, a complex emotion appeared on Old Duolin’s face. He remained silent for a moment before speaking up: “It was when the town was newly established. A cunning demon possessed the body of the Mayor’s ancestor—a respected old man’s niece in the town. She was a beautiful and intelligent girl, raised by her uncle after her parents passed away.”
“After discovering the demon, the old man, despite family ties, immediately reported it to the church. Only then could the town be protected, and the demon banished back to hell. Since then, that old man was often troubled by the demon in his dreams. So, the priest carved that statue to keep the demon away.”
“If I’m guessing correctly, this should be the town’s earliest exorcism ritual?” Xu Yintang asked.
Old Duolin nodded and sighed deeply. “Alas, for hundreds of years after that, our town has been coveted by demons. Townsfolk often get possessed, their personalities altered. If they aren’t sent to the cleansing place in time, their souls will descend into hell.”
“I’ve heard Father William talk about this,” Xu Yintang said, as if genuinely moved. “They’ll ascend to heaven before heading to the cleansing place and can even visit their parents during the harvest festival.”
“Yes, indeed.” Old Duolin’s expression grew even more complicated, restraining himself before saying, “But if they could let the child stay by their side, which parent would be willing to send her away…”
Xu Yintang, puzzled, pressed him, “What do you mean? Is there something wrong with this?”
“Yes, there is…” Old Duolin initially shook his head, stayed silent for a while, then sighed, “Yes… I have a friend. His daughter was chosen by a demon when she was very young. She was lively and adorable. Even when exposed to sunlight, she only got a few red spots. My friend couldn’t bear to send her away, so he hid her in the attic, telling people she had passed away and persuading his wife and himself to keep the secret.”
“The older the daughter grew, the deeper the demon’s influence. Sunlight would cause rashes all over her body. Every day, she’d talk incoherently and lose her sanity. Sometimes, even her father couldn’t recognize her. His wife said there was no other way; they had to drive away the demon, or the entire town would be destroyed.”
“At that time, a traveler lodging at their house discovered the secret hidden in the attic. The traveler said the daughter only had a sun allergy and had communication issues due to isolation. He also claimed there were no demons in this world and promised to take her to a big city to seek treatment—once cured, she’d be as lively and cute as she was in her childhood.”
Old Duolin’s eyes shimmered with longing. He spoke of “my friend” but everyone knew that friend was himself.
He didn’t finish the story. He stopped at the point where “his friend,” the traveler, and the daughter vanished into the night. But the audience who had just experienced the terrifying scene in the cave already knew the ending and complied with his wish.
Xu Yintang patted Old Duolin’s shoulder. “Perhaps she doesn’t resent you.”
In this town with religious fervor, being able to hide a daughter in the attic and maintain silence when they escaped probably depleted this man’s courage entirely.
Old Duolin forced a smile, trying to cheer up. “If you’re planning to attend the harvest festival the day after tomorrow, you can wear the clothes from my and Isa’s younger days. Attending the festival dressed casually as you are now might displease the gods.”
Xu Yintang smiled, smoothly shifting the conversation, “Sure, that would be great. Thank you.”
Author’s Note –
Loads of clues are now online! I need to write quickly about the festival attire (wink) of the sugar daddy.
*slurps*
Scary statue
Sad, too
The village names keep changing 😭😭
The village that shall be renamed… Hahahahaha…. Thanks for the update ❤️❤️❤️
🥺🥺🥺 poor anna
Thank you for your translation 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
I propose we become friends with the demons and become Their Majesty who they serve wholeheartedly