The elder brother didn't say.
But later, by piecing together the snippets from the old villagers, he learned the truth.
His biological father actually had a younger brother.
This younger brother was infertile and died when he was six years old.
If he hadn't gone missing that year.
If his memory hadn't been so hazy that he couldn't remember his home.
If there hadn't been his adoptive parents...
Perhaps that thing in this world would have ceased to exist long ago.
Zheng Wen felt a chill run down his spine.
Of course, he couldn't follow his elder brother's words.
His precious daughter was the apple of his eye, raised with all his love.
To offer his own daughter as a sacrifice to a mother who had never raised him.
Only a fool would do such a thing.
After that, he felt that the villagers looked at him strangely.
He didn't want to stay in this village any longer. He just wanted to escape, hide far away, and just get through next year.
He ran away, but neither his elder brother, nor his mother, nor the villagers came to look for him.
But in the next year, his elder brother somehow learned about his business trip. He took advantage of this time to deceive his wife, saying that their mother was dying and that she should take their daughter back to the village to see her for the last time.
He just couldn't make it in time.
His dear daughter finally became a sacrifice.
A mother and daughter are connected by heart. How could his wife, who loved her daughter so much, not notice something was wrong with her daughter?
Finally, he couldn't hold it in anymore and told his wife the truth.
Originally, he thought his wife wouldn't believe it.
But unexpectedly, his wife didn't have a single doubt.
She picked up a knife and wanted to fight his elder brother's family.
His wife said that what she really wanted to kill was the old woman who had occupied her daughter's body.
But it was her daughter's body.
She just couldn't bring herself to do it, no matter what.
So she just wanted to kill his elder brother's family to avenge her daughter.
But this village was surprisingly united. His wife left a suicide note and went there secretly without telling him.
When he arrived, the villagers told him that his wife had never been there.
But he clearly saw that there was a piece of torn cloth from his wife's clothes beside the garbage dump at the village entrance.
That piece of torn cloth was stained with blood.
He realized that his wife might have been killed.
Zheng Wen wanted to take revenge, but he felt so powerless.
How could he, a single person, fight against the whole village?
His own mother's soul had occupied his daughter's body, and his wife had disappeared without a trace when she came to take revenge.
Such things would drive anyone crazy.
Zheng Wen was once in despair.
He no longer regarded his biological parents and elder brother as his blood relatives.
They were all his enemies.
The flames of revenge burned fiercely in his chest.
He felt that he should do something.
Zheng Wen was an editor in a newspaper. He deliberately publicized this incident, hoping to attract others' attention and see if he could find someone who had experienced the same thing or find a helper.
After that, he pretended to be calm and lived in the village for a long time. He installed surveillance, took photos, and collected evidence, trying to expose their evil deeds.
But the villagers all knew how important this secret was. He couldn't get them to say anything strange from the front.
He could only prove it from the side.
For example, he recorded many children showing wisdom beyond their age inadvertently.
Or he recorded their strange behaviors.
Although this incident seemed incredible, there was no shortage of people who liked to hunt for the strange in this world. The things in the village still caused a small sensation. Even Yu Nian, who was thousands of miles away, heard the news.
His goal was achieved.
But only half of it.
After attracting a lot of attention, the villagers really didn't dare to act rashly.
The old people died, and the children didn't change.
But this also planted a curse for him.
The villagers knew that it was him who had attracted the attention, and they completely hated him and labeled him a traitor.
Zheng Wen didn't care about these at all.
As long as he could destroy their conspiracy, it didn't matter if he lost his life.
But he still failed.
The village head was smart enough to divert the attention of the inquirers to those children.
He created an illusion for others that there was no secret of immortality here, just a lot of smart children.
He actually managed to get away with it.
He was really very unwilling.
But he could never go back to that village again.
There was nothing he could do. Zheng Wen had to change his identity and secretly continue to investigate, hoping to find favorable evidence and completely expose the village.
And he really found something!
He found that the old village head was always present during every soul - changing event. He seemed to play a very important role in the soul - changing process.
He keenly sensed that there must be something wrong with the village head.
So he began to focus on the village head's family.
Then he found that the village head would always bring a book with him when he went to change souls.
The book was very thin, with a blue cover.
The middle pages were yellow, looking very antique.
He hadn't seen the whole book, so he wasn't very sure.
Later, by chance, during a heavy rainstorm, the villagers were busy rushing to the fields to save the grain, and the village was completely unguarded.
He took this opportunity to sneak into the village and quietly entered the village head's house. He rummaged through the house and finally found the book.
When he opened the first page, he saw a dense list of names.
He knew all these names.
He didn't know why, but he somehow tore that page up.
And just as he tore the page, the village head came back with some people.
At the same time, he also learned that when he tore the page, all the people whose names were written on it died.
He suddenly realized something.
But it was too late.
He was blocked in the village head's house and couldn't get out of the door.
He was beaten and tied up.
Tied like a pig and taken to the well at the end of the village.
These people threw him into the well and covered the well with a big stone.
Since then, he had been trapped here forever.
When Yu Nian heard the ghost mention the book, she subconsciously thought of the Book of Life and Death.
No way, no way?
Could it really be the Book of Life and Death?
But the Book of Life and Death in the underworld was in the hands of the judge. How could it end up in such a small village?
Yu Nian felt that there were even more mysteries lingering in her mind.
After listening to the story, she was silent for a long time.
"I'll help you, but only if what you said is true."
Yu Nian was ready to take a big risk.
Even if the book wasn't the Book of Life and Death, even if it was something similar, getting it into her hands might play a big role in dealing with the Holy Cult.
She wanted that book in the village.
"I won't lie to you. If you can help me take revenge, you can do whatever you want with me."
The ghost's blood - red eyes suddenly lit up.
It was the light of hope.
He seemed to see the hope of revenge in Yu Nian.
His daughter, his wife...
As long as he could avenge them, what did it matter if he disappeared right now?
"Okay, tomorrow, you'll see the demise of this village."
Yu Nian nodded slightly and made a promise.