Chen Yu pointed at these children: "Each child has a trace of flame painted on his forehead, which seems a bit unusual."
"But based on these, can we conclude that they are sacrifices?" Zhou Meng was still a little unbelievable.
She had contact with the people in the village this afternoon. She felt that the people in the village were very kind and hospitable, but why did they use the children as sacrifices?
"The flame on his forehead is like a symbol. Although I don't know what it means, the sacrifice is inseparable." Chen Yu sighed slightly.
"In an isolated place like the mountains, there are often some customs that are difficult to understand, so don't be surprised no matter what you encounter here."
"What will be the fate of these children?" Zhou Meng was a little frightened.
"Those who offer sacrifices usually do not have a good ending." Chen Yu frowned and said, "Generally, they cannot escape death, and their death will be very miserable, and they will have to endure great pain before death."
"Chen Yu, let's find a way to save them. They are really pitiful." Zhou Meng said.
"If you meet someone, of course you have to save him, but you have to find out what's going on with the villagers." Chen Yu said, "Maybe they were just deceived."
"Okay, let's rescue people first and then explain it to them carefully," Zhou Meng said.
Just when the two were about to take action, there was suddenly a burst of fierce gongs and drums outside the house, and countless torches were lit, followed by dozens of villagers surrounding them.
The leader was the old village chief. When he saw Chen Yu and Zhou Meng, his expression changed: "What are you doing here?"
"Can you explain to us what's going on here?" Chen Yu pointed at these sleeping children.
"These children are going to be sent to the Agni Fire Temple. They are the children chosen by the temple owner." The old village chief said.
"To put it bluntly, it's just a sacrifice. I don't know where Agni Fire Temple is. I also know that you, old village chief, and the people in the village are very kind. You will not send your children to die for no reason."
Chen Yu said: "You must have some reasons for sending them there. Tell them and I will help you."
There was a commotion among the villagers, and some of them looked at the sleeping child with a look of unbearability on their faces.
Some of these children are their own children.
Sending their own children to die with their own hands is something they are very unwilling to do.
But if they don't send them away, nearly a thousand people in the entire village may suffer disaster, so they have no choice but to reluctantly send their children away.
"Mr. Chen, I know you are a good person, but these children must be sent there." The old village chief also had a sad look on his face.
"So don't worry about it. These children can bring back the stability of the village, so we can only do this."
"Old village chief, if you have any difficulties, just tell me. I know you are all good people, so I will definitely help you." Chen Yu said patiently.
"Yes, old village chief, Chen Yu is very powerful. If you have any unspeakable secrets in your village, just tell him and he will definitely solve it for you." Zhou Mengye said.
"But..." The old village chief looked hesitant, not sure whether he should say anything.
"Old village chief, just tell this Mr. Chen, maybe he can do something about it."
"Yes, every year we send a group of children there. Once they are sent, there is no news. These are our own children."
A group of people looked at the old village chief with expectant eyes, hoping that he would tell the truth.
Although Chen Yu was just passing by, they didn't know whether Chen Yu had the ability to solve this matter.
But at least Chen Yu's appearance brought him a glimmer of hope.
In other words, even if Chen Yu really can't solve their problems, they won't blame Chen Yu.
At least, they tried hard, which is much better than letting their children die in front of them.
"Oh, okay, Mr. Chen, you and Miss Zhou come with me." The village chief sighed slightly.
Chen Yu and Zhou Meng followed the old village chief to a cave not far ahead.
This place should be the location of the ancestral temple in the village.
The cave is very wide and deep, and there are many large and small murals painted on the stone walls around the cave.
This mural is the origin of the ancestors of the village.
"As early as hundreds of years ago, our ancestors came here, opened up fields and built farmhouses in the mountains, and over time, formed a village. This is where our tribe is located."
The village chief led the two people forward, telling stories about the village as they walked.
It turns out that after nearly a hundred years of development, the village has developed quite well. At its peak, there were thousands of people. If it continues to develop, the surrounding mountains will be included in it, and over time, it will become a tribe.
However, at this moment, a mountain god suddenly appeared in the village. This so-called mountain god was three feet tall and had a hideous face.
It sucks people's hearts and brains, and the number of people in the village has been reduced by one-third in a few years. Less than half of the ten rooms in the village are empty.
The village chief at that time organized the strong men in the village and vowed to get rid of this monster.
But the village chief and more than sixty young adults went to the mountains and never came back.
Just when the village was in danger, a Taoist priest came here and told the villagers that the monster was actually a mountain god.
As long as you give enough sacrifices to the mountain god, he will not come out to cause trouble.
The sacrifices can only be children between the ages of three and eight. He goes to communicate with the mountain god. As long as we give enough sacrifices, he will not come out to cause trouble, but will also keep our village safe in the future.
The old village chief sighed and said: "At the beginning, we were dubious, but after paying the tribute for the first time, the mountain god did not appear again."
"And there has been less trouble in our village. Since then, this inheritance has been established, and it has been like this for hundreds of years."
"Have you never questioned the identity of the mountain god? Maybe he is not a mountain god, but a monster who simply likes to eat meat." Chen Yu said.
"This... we have questioned it, but it is of no use because this mountain god is too powerful." The old village chief said.
"Has any of you seen it?" Zhou Mengye asked.
"No one has seen it, and no one dares to question the rules handed down from our ancestors." The village chief said: "However, there was a village chief who wanted to break this rule, but he died unexpectedly on the night he announced it.
"
"How did you die?" Chen Yu's heart moved slightly.
"It was like being bitten by something." The old village chief recalled: "I was only about 8 years old at the time and witnessed all that. Since then, the village chiefs have never dared to mention it again.
It's settled, and we'll pay it on time every year."