Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1559: Chapter 1543: Sacrificial Forest

Zhou Shitao did not find out why Gao Yuyuan and Oil Rat went to Xiangxi, but they did mention in their phone call that they would meet at the Miao Village.

This is also one of the main reasons why Huo Sining brought Qibao to the Miao Village. Because Oil Rat had the Thousand-Mile Guider placed on him by Qibao, once Oil Rat got close, Qibao would definitely sense it.

Now hearing that the mountain chief received a call and addressed the person on the other end as Mr. Gao, Huo Sining immediately had a strong intuition that the caller was definitely the Gao Yuyuan they were looking for.

This is what it means to search high and low to no avail, only to find it without any effort. They had been through so much trouble to find these people, and unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived at the Miao Village, Oil Rat and Gao Yuyuan came rushing to cast themselves into the net.

To avoid alerting the enemy, after exchanging glances with Gu Xu, Huo Sining decided not to take action against the mountain chief for the time being, but to wait for Gao Yuyuan and Oil Rat to show themselves.

Since the house of the third aunt-in-law had no other people apart from the third aunt-in-law and the third uncle-in-law, the guest room on the upper floor of the Stilted Building was vacant. Led by the mischievous Qibao, Huo Sining and the other two quietly sneaked back into the third aunt-in-law’s Stilted Building, quietly climbing to the second floor from the outside stairs and settled in an empty guest room to sleep.

They slept until the next morning, and early the next day as dawn was just breaking, Huo Sining was still groggily dreaming when suddenly there was a loud knocking at the door downstairs, and an anxious male voice came from outside the door:

”Third Aunt-in-law, something’s wrong, someone has broken into the Sacrificial Forest!”

Huo Sining was still somewhat confused, not understanding what that meant, but next to her, Qibao shot up from bed, pulling Huo Sining and Gu Xu, his face a little pale: ”Sister, get up quickly, we need to go to the Sacrificial Forest!”

Huo Sining and Gu Xu were confused, instinctively asking, ”Qibao, what is the Sacrificial Forest?”

While getting dressed, Qibao explained: ”This Miao Village we live in has another name, Shen Mu. I don’t know why it’s called that, but I know there are many hidden secrets in this village.”

”For instance, there’s a forbidden area on the back mountain of the village, isolated by a patch of coniferous forest, which the elders in the village call the Sacrificial Forest.”

”The Sacrificial Forest is off-limits, ordinarily no one is allowed to enter on their own. On every full moon night, the village holds a ritual hosted by the oldest elder, who must carry a bowl of ox’s blood to enter the Sacrificial Forest.”

Upon hearing there’s such a mysterious place in the Miao Village, Huo Sining’s eyes widened: ”Why is there a ritual every month?”

Qibao’s expression turned serious:

”I was as puzzled as you. When I was naughty, my mother would often use the Sacrificial Forest to scare me, saying there were zombies inside, and if I didn’t behave, the zombies would come and eat me. She also warned me not to enter, or I’d never come out.”

”She insisted on it, but in all my years in the village, I’ve never seen a single zombie.”

”Later, I pestered my father about it, and he finally told me after getting exasperated that the Sacrificial Forest is where the innocent people who died in battles were buried after being escorted there by a wizard.”

”Because of the great number of deaths, the Sacrificial Forest is filled with resentment. To prevent any evil from escaping, a ritual is held every month.”

Hearing this, Huo Sining was stunned, instinctively looking up to meet Gu Xu’s eyes.

Qibao’s eyes flashed with tension and urgency: ”This isn’t the time to talk about this. I didn’t remember last night, but upon hearing that someone broke into the Sacrificial Forest, I suddenly recalled that before my mother passed, she told me our family descends from the Miao King. Our family carries a strange ancient teaching, saying that by solving it, one can find the Sacred Artifact of the Mountain Goddess.”

”My mother also said the Sacred Artifact is hidden in the Back Mountain Sacrificial Forest, and our family has guarded it for generations to ensure it’s not taken by outsiders.”

”If I’m not mistaken, the thing the mountain chief forced my mother to hand over back then is highly likely this Sacred Artifact. Yet, my mother admitted to me that she only knew it was in the Sacrificial Forest, but not what it is exactly.”

”I suspect that the people who broke into the Sacrificial Forest are very likely triggered by the mountain chief’s arrangements with Mr. Gao and Oil Rat!”

Hearing this, Huo Sining also grew anxious. She and Gu Xu finally managed to track down Oil Rat and Mr. Gao, who are crucial leads to finding Zhong Fang. These two must not escape again!

”Then let’s hurry to the Sacrificial Forest!”

Downstairs, the third aunt-in-law and third uncle-in-law were awakened by the commotion, and upon hearing about the intrusion into the Sacrificial Forest, both of their faces changed dramatically. They rushed to put on a coat and went to open the door, only to find Lao Liu’s son standing outside, looking anxious.

”How can you not even keep watch over the forest?” The third uncle-in-law, realizing the seriousness of the situation, asked Lao Liu coldly, ”Who was on forest duty today?”

Lao Liu hesitated, ”It was Jiu Yao, but third uncle-in-law, it’s not his fault. The mountain chief brought some strangers into the village early this morning, saying they were here to discuss some cooperation project. At the time, we didn’t think much of it, who’d have thought...”

Upon hearing this, the third uncle-in-law’s face fell further: ”What’s going on? Why didn’t anyone inform us about the mountain chief bringing people into the village?”

Lao Liu’s expression also darkened: ”The mountain chief has always been domineering and likes to make decisions on his own. Maybe those guarding the gate thought it was better not to make a fuss, so they didn’t dare inform you.”

A cold gleam flashed in the third uncle-in-law’s eyes: ”Is the mountain chief having ulterior motives? Digging up tombs, burning ancestral houses, and now breaking into the Sacrificial Forest, is he trying to destroy the Divine Tomb Village? We elders aren’t dead yet; this village isn’t for him to decide!”

With that, the third uncle-in-law grabbed something from inside the house and followed Lao Liu to the Sacrificial Forest, with Huo Sining and the others following closely behind.

Upon entering a dense forest, they encountered a standing stone tablet inscribed with the words ”Sacrificial Forest.” Upon seeing this, the third uncle-in-law and Lao Liu immediately stopped.