Xie Jia gripped the knife tightly in her hand, biting her lower lip, but she still didn't make a move.

Mixed in with the chaotic sounds of various instruments, a faint opera-like singing drifted into her ears.

"The years of ruin and desolation, no harvest to be had, hurrying to escape the mountains.

The distant food cannot be seen, while the villagers cry in desperation, unable to survive.

Year after year of drought and sorrow, the crops withered, no smoke rising from the chimneys, every house without rice or firewood.

Skeletons scattered, no one to bury them, the wastelands filled with disaster.

The tree bark and grass roots are all consumed, the years of suffering are hard to endure!

Children cling to each other, tears flowing, while on the bed, parents become corpses.

Once, spouses loved as deeply as the ocean—how could they now treat each other as if they were mere dishes to be served?"

It was the same singing voice she had heard on the first night in this village.

The voice continued to sing on.

"Heaven pities, earth mourns, loyal Dog helps us through this calamity, bones won't rot, earth won't bury, only waiting for the food to grow.

"Not rice, not wheat, no need for streams to irrigate, no husks to sift — These mushrooms bloom in blood and flesh

How can one Dog feed the whole village, every family, every person lingering, no hell on earth but only the sacrificial lamb waiting to be slaughtered."

Xie Jia listened intently to every line of the song. Very soon, the voice changed tone, becoming cheerful.

"Yiya— every three years we raise a Dog, waiting only to sacrifice to the Dog God, the old Dog leaves, the new Dog comes, if you ask how many new Dogs there are— count the outsiders stand upon the altar."

Hearing this final line, Xie Jia's hand trembled, and the knife fell to the ground with a crisp clang.

The instant the knife fell from her hand, the dog that had been obediently lying on the ground suddenly went feral and lunged at Xie Jia.

Wan Qian had already thought this ritual felt strange. She held the knife in her hand, still hesitating whether she should follow local custom and kill a dog too.

God knew she was still a soft and innocent young woman who had never even slaughtered a chicken. Yet now she was supposed to kill this large dog, nearly the size of an adult human.

Of course, she needed plenty of mental preparation for that.

Who knew that in the moment she hesitated, the dog in front of Xie Jia would suddenly go mad?

Without thinking, Wan Qian threw down her knife and leapt forward in a flash.

Just as the dog was about to bite Xie Jia, Wan Qian grabbed the scruff of its neck with one hand, pinned it to the ground, and slapped it twice with full force.

The dog was stunned, standing dazed and motionless for quite a while.

Seeing Wan Qian's actions, the villagers below the altar erupted in an uproar.

Could Wan Qian be trying to ruin the ritual?

Immediately, some villagers stood up and rushed toward the altar, trying to pull Wan Qian away.

At that moment, a low, deep bark suddenly echoed out: "Woof woof, woof woof woof!!"

Right after that, a huge monster charged at full speed from the village entrance.

Its entire body was covered in tentacles that whipped wildly in the wind, like some gigantic sea urchin.

Trailing behind it was a much smaller human figure, struggling to keep up.

The monster drew closer and closer... When the villagers got a clear look at it, those who had been about to storm the altar all froze.

"Dog God!"

"Lord Dog God has descended!"

One by one, the villagers dropped to their knees.

The "dog" charged straight at Wan Qian standing in the center of the altar, its target unmistakable. It ran so fast that steam puffed from its nostrils with each breath.

Below the altar, Doctor Jiang's lips curved into a satisfied smile. He raised a hand and gently adjusted his glasses, his face full of anticipation.

Although the village chief did not appear for this year's God Worship Festival, and the Dog God descended even before the ritual had fully begun.

Still, Doctor Jiang knew that as long as Wan Qian had eaten the feast last night, she would definitely become the chosen sacrifice for the Dog God.

Didn't they see? The Dog God was already heading straight for Wan Qian—

"Hmm?" Doctor Jiang froze.

He stared wide-eyed at the altar in disbelief. In his shock, he even wondered if he was seeing things.

So he took off his glasses, breathed warm air on them, wiped the lenses, and looked again at the altar.

Hey, did you guys raise your Mushroom Village's Dog God into a complete idiot or something?

Doctor Jiang stared at the Dog God, now flopping down in front of Wan Qian, rolling around playfully, its tentacles covered in dog fur wagging happily.

Finally, he couldn't hold it in anymore. His thin lips parted, and he uttered a single word: "...Fuck."

"Good thing I made it in time." The late-arriving Cleaning Department Chief rested his hands on his knees, his face flushed red from the run, panting heavily.

He slowly climbed up the altar, wiped the sweat from his forehead with one hand, and held the loose leash in the other as he approached Wan Qian.

"Farm owner, the butler said you're a girl traveling alone, afraid you'd get lonely, so he asked me to bring you a dog for company."

Then, the Cleaning Department Chief fished a small medicine box out of his pocket. Bold words on the box read — "Digestive Tablets."

The Cleaning Department Chief said, "The butler said you asked him to send these. There's a big client at the farm, so he can't leave for now, so he asked me to deliver them to you."

Wan Qian gave the dog at her side—a creature rolling on the ground, searching of a belly rub—a quick pat, before taking the digestive tablets from the Cleaning Department Chief.

She hadn't expected the butler to be so thoughtful — truly worthy of being the person her great-uncle had left by her side.

Wan Qian patted Xiao Qing's shoulder. "Thanks for bringing it over."

Xiao Qing was deeply moved, instantly standing up straight and repeatedly saying, "It was no trouble at all!"

While Wan Qian and Xiao Qing were talking, the "dog" suddenly sniffed the air and slowly scooted over to Xie Jia.

No matter how calm Xie Jia appeared when facing ghost and monster, she was still just an ordinary young girl.

The moment the "dog" ran up the altar, she had already fallen back onto the ground in panic.

When she felt its hot, damp breath on her face, her legs went completely weak and she couldn't stand, only able to scoot backward in terror, her face written all over with fear.

At that moment, Wang Hui — who had always seemed so dull and even usually needed her daughter's care—actually tumbled and crawled over to Xie Jia's side. She threw her arms wide and used her own body as a barrier between Xie Jia and the "dog."

She opened her arms wide, using her own body to shield Xie Jia from the "dog."

"Mom..." Xie Jia instinctively called out.

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