Chapter 26: The Insect Village 25

"Village Chief, is she going to work the fields too?" The villagers leaned out from the layers of narrow, pitch-black irrigation channels, their stiff faces twisted into a rare, unsettling expression.

The young girl looked far too fragile.

Even though her exquisitely delicate face was deathly pale, lacking a drop of color, and her gaze was unfocused and dazed, her dainty and beautiful appearance made her look less like a laborer and more like a pampered young lady of a wealthy house.

They truly had not expected the village chief’s sister to be so beautiful.

The villagers had never seen her before; they only knew she was a "Gu Eye," raised in a small shed at the edge of the village. No one had cared about her, and they had never paid attention to a fool destined to die. To them, being used as a Gu Eye was the only value a fool could have.

But Zhou Shan had been acting strangely lately and refused to use her as a Gu Eye, which had piqued their curiosity. However, Zhou Shan had kept her hidden so tightly that they had never been able to catch a glimpse of her.

Seeing her now, they realized she was so beautiful and delicate that it was no wonder Zhou Shan refused to use her as a Gu Eye. If it were them, they certainly wouldn't use her that way either...

The villagers’ blatant stares fixed upon the girl like greedy eyes on a priceless treasure, making Zhou Zhou shiver, a chill running down her spine. This group of villagers was truly too grotesque.

"What are you looking at?" Zhou Shan’s voice was cold. Did these people think he was blind? Their constant staring at the girl stirred a violent, dark rage within him. "Do you not want your eyes anymore?"

The villagers fell silent, dropping their gazes, not daring to look at the girl again.

Zhou Shan suppressed the malice in his heart and led the girl to the edge of the outermost, pitch-black paddy field. He handed her a basket, his voice gravelly. "Zhou Zhou, you must pick the insects out of the fields and put them in here..."

Zhou Zhou was stunned. She looked at the pitch-black, wriggling creatures in the water, and goosebumps broke out all over her skin. Her body stiffened, and she stood completely frozen.

Zhou Shan knew this was difficult for her, but he could not stop it. The Gu insects would choose a host suitable for them, one whose life they would prolong. Having her enter the field was an opportunity for the Gu to make its choice. Even if the insects were repulsive, they were the only things that could extend her life.

The man stared at her, and Zhou Zhou knew she could not refuse. Despite the panic and unease in her heart, she nodded obediently. "Okay..."

Yet, looking at those constantly squirming, terrifying insects that seemed to be searching for a living body to parasitize, she still retreated a step in fear. Her snow-white, delicate wrists protruded tremblingly from the wide, loose sleeves of her dress. Against the backdrop of the rugged, ink-black field, her skin appeared even whiter, the contrast stark and unsettling.

It gave her an indescribable, strange allure.

Zhou Shan stared for a few seconds, his expression darkening.

"Put this on." He summoned a thin, jet-black cloak—it was unclear where he had pulled it from—and wrapped it around the girl.

Zhou Zhou was bundled from head to toe, leaving only her dazed, wet, red-rimmed eyes visible.

Only then did Zhou Shan feel a sense of relief.

Zhou Zhou felt very uncomfortable being wrapped up like that.

But the girl dared not say anything. She was truly terrified to go down there; it was obvious at a glance that nothing good lurked in that water. In her dreams, she had already suffered when that butterfly blood-Gu had burrowed into her skin, and she had learned her lesson.

She could catch them, but she didn’t want to go down there and let those insects tear at her.

She bit her lip, suppressing her panic, her small face pale as she said in a trembling voice, "Brother Zhou Shan... can I not go down?"

"Can I just stand here and catch the bugs... please?"

Her voice was incredibly soft, delicate, and intoxicating, making the very bones of those who heard it itch. The surrounding villagers were all monsters with keen hearing, and they felt a jolt of numbness wash over them.

How could the girl be so cute, and her voice so enchanting...

Zhou Zhou looked at him with moist eyes, as pitiful as a rain-soaked kitten.

"Brother Zhou Shan..."

When such a delicate, pampered creature pleaded, it was enough to make one’s bones melt. How could Zhou Shan not understand her little worries? She was timid, possessed the mind of a child, and had never worked a field in her life—how could she endure such suffering?

"Zhou Zhou... your brother doesn't want you to suffer, either," Zhou Shan said, using the gentlest tone he could muster. "But you must go down today."

"Brother is doing this for your own good."