These betrothal gifts weren't something she accepted voluntarily. They were forced upon her.
Faced with this situation, Jiang Xiuxiu didn't think twice and turned to flee.
She hadn't expected Xu Bai's methods to be so extreme after all this time.
It was her first time encountering something like this.
She hadn't met the conditions to be taken away, so the NPCs forcefully "helped" her meet them.
Unfortunately, Jiang Xiuxiu's hopes were beautiful, but reality was cruel.
After she was forced to accept the wedding gifts, she lost all strength to resist in her dream. She could only surrender to them by putting on the ominously colored wedding dress.
As hands smeared makeup on her face, Jiang Xiuxiu felt immense despair and shot Xu Bai a vicious glare.
"Isn't it nice to stay here?" Xu Bai tilted his head, his eyes full of confusion, seemingly not understanding why Jiang Xiuxiu was so angry.
His voice was gentle, almost as if he were trying to soothe her. But the words he spoke carried a casual cruelty, "Once you're dead, you can stay with me forever."
Once you're dead, you can stay with me forever.
As Xu Bai's calm voice faded, Jiang Xiuxiu abruptly woke from this absurd dream.
She gasped for air, the echo of Xu Bai's words still lingering in her ears.
She suddenly realized that when Xu Bai said those words, he genuinely meant it.
He believed that by killing her, her soul could be bound in the game.
But who wants to stay by his side?
When she opened her eyes, she found herself no longer in the woodshed.
Before her was a red curtain, and the window was adorned with the "double happiness" character. Through the curtain, she could see shadowy figures moving.
She knew she must be inside the bridal sedan chair.
Beside her were three male players dressed just like her, looking utterly defeated.
They probably hadn't expected that the NPCs here would be so progressive, taking men as well.
For some reason, facing this absurd scene, Jiang Xiuxiu felt a bit curious about Xu Bai's reaction when he saw these three male brides.
"The promising hour has arrived!"
With a sharp shout, the sedan chair jolted and was lifted, swaying as it was carried away.
They carried the four "brides" towards their destination.
Jiang Xiuxiu felt a cold, damp wind seep through the curtain. She wanted to peek outside, but her body was completely immobilized for some unknown reason.
She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but found she couldn't.
The sedan chair moved on, traveling for an unknown amount of time before finally stopping.
The curtain was roughly pulled open, and the brides were dragged out one by one.
Only then did Jiang Xiuxiu realize they had been brought to the riverside.
Before them was the rushing river.
Jiang Xiuxiu shivered as a cold, damp wind blew from the rolling waves, seeping through her thick clothes and into her skin.
Why were they brought here?
Jiang Xiuxiu stared at the dark water, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.
It was obvious that the game's boss was Xu Bai.
Xu Bai typically played roles like a demon or an evil god.
Since these villagers wanted to find a bride for Xu Bai, in another sense, wasn't this a kind of "sacrifice"?
The fate of these brides was clear.
Sure enough, the villagers brought a wooden table, lit incense, and placed offerings on it.
They also burned many paper-made treasures, clothes, and food items.
After these preparations, an elderly man in a worn black robe tottered out, speaking in a dialect Jiang Xiuxiu couldn't understand.
Then the old man waved his hand, and the nearby villagers grabbed Jiang Xiuxiu and the others by the arms.
They fetched long ropes from elsewhere, tying several huge stones to Jiang Xiuxiu and the others.
After doing all this, they lifted Jiang Xiuxiu and the others, seemingly about to walk into the water.
Were they going to throw them into the river?
What were they doing, marrying off to a river god?
Seeing the vast, icy black waters, Jiang Xiuxiu panicked and started to struggle.
At this critical moment, she suddenly found that she regained control of her body.
"Stop!"
Without thinking, Jiang Xiuxiu quickly opened her mouth, trying to stop them. "Three of the brides are men, are you sure you want to deceive the gods like this?"
She wasn't sure what role Xu Bai was playing, but seeing the fanatical looks of these villagers, she guessed that calling him a "god" wouldn't be wrong.
Her words made the villagers hesitate.
But the elderly man in the black robe, who was clearly the leader, waved his hand coldly, instructing them to continue.
"It doesn't matter," the old man said, "the god won't mind."
Jiang Xiuxiu: "Are you so sure?"
But thinking about Xu Bai's temper, Jiang Xiuxiu suddenly felt that maybe, just maybe, the old man was right, and he wouldn't mind at all.
Unwilling to give in, Jiang Xiuxiu continued to resist, "You must have a purpose for offering brides to the god. But I'm a foreigner, and I don't want to marry. If I become the god's bride, I'll surely whisper in his ear, making him hate you."
The old man seemed unfazed, "It has been our tradition for hundreds of years to marry off brides to the river god. God has thousands of wives, what difference does one more make?"
Though he didn't finish his sentence, everyone understood his meaning.
Jiang Xiuxiu: "..."
So she was right, they really were playing a "river god marries" game.
At this moment, one of the male players spoke up.
"Give it up," he said, "stop trying these pointless things. Arguing with NPCs, what's the use?"
Clearly, they had given up struggling ever since they knew they had accepted the betrothal gifts and had to become brides.
This was a common thought among players, given that the game operated on rules and NPCs were just a series of data following those rules.
Once a player triggered the death condition, it was hard to escape elimination.
No matter how much they struggled, it was futile.
Jiang Xiuxiu understood their point, but for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to give up.
Maybe it was because she was "forced" to accept the betrothal gifts, or maybe she instinctively felt that these NPCs weren't as rigid as other players thought.
Sometimes she even unconsciously treated them as real people, believing they could understand her, believing they could think.
At least for now, she didn't want to give up.
Feeling her feet already immersed in the cold river water, Jiang Xiuxiu gritted her teeth and decided to use her ultimate move.
Looking at the solemn villagers, she closed her eyes and put on a thoroughly defiant expression, "Even if the god doesn't mind the bride's gender, he surely wouldn't like becoming a father, right?"
Taking a deep breath, she declared, "I'm pregnant."
Villagers: "..."
Even the old man in the black robe looked shocked.
"You're so young and already pregnant?" a villager couldn't help asking, "You don't look pregnant at all, are you lying?"
"I'm just over a month pregnant, of course, it doesn't show," Jiang Xiuxiu shamelessly retorted, "You elders wouldn't understand the ways of us young people. Have you ever heard of positions like 69, 89, 73, or 42?"
She made up those numbers, but as long as it worked, that was all that mattered.
After saying this, she even touched her belly. “Come to think of it, there were about seven or eight guys at the last party. I don’t even know whose kid it is. I was planning to get rid of it when I got back. Of course, if the river god doesn’t mind me bringing a soul with me to him, then I don’t mind either. The kid would gain a father for free.”
The villagers were stunned into silence by her outrageous claims.
An elderly woman even looked at Jiang Xiuxiu with contempt, clearly thinking she was utterly shameless.
Seeing this, Jiang Xiuxiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
According to her understanding, in the game world, Xu Bai, as the god, could appear and respond to the villagers' prayers.
So, the villagers could continue this practice of offering brides as a form of sacrifice.
Did the devout villagers really believe Xu Bai wouldn’t mind male brides?
If they took this a bit more seriously, they wouldn’t be so daring.
Therefore, Jiang Xiuxiu believed that the reason they also threw male players into the river was because they knew Xu Bai genuinely didn’t mind male brides.
The villagers must have received some sort of indication from Xu Bai through their prayers before acting.
Knowing that Xu Bai didn’t mind male brides was one thing, but whether he wanted a pregnant bride was another.
In ancient times, when slaves were sacrificed, purity was a consideration. That's no longer the case. But few men would be willing to become fathers without warning.
“Village chief, what should we do?” A villager hesitantly asked after hearing Jiang Xiuxiu's words, “Should we continue?”
The old man in the black robe glared at Jiang Xiuxiu with a gloomy expression. Jiang Xiuxiu met his gaze fearlessly, her face showing a stubborn defiance.
“Put her down first,” the old man said slowly after a moment, “I will consult the river god.”
The villagers carrying Jiang Xiuxiu nodded and placed her back on the shore.
It worked.
Seeing that Jiang Xiuxiu had succeeded, the male players nearby were shocked.
One male player immediately spoke up, attempting to save himself, “Actually, I am also—”
“Men can’t get pregnant,” the old man said coldly. “Throw him in.”
With a splash, one male player was thrown into the river.
The second male player quickly said, “I’m impotent. I can’t bring happiness to the river god.”
The old man: “Throw him.”
Splash.
The third male player, desperate, said, “I have promiscuous relationships. I—”
Splash.
In no time, the three male players, along with their stones, sank into the river.
Only Jiang Xiuxiu remained on the shore.
“Take her away,” the old man ordered.
The others untied Jiang Xiuxiu’s ropes and shoved her back into the sedan chair.
Throughout the journey, Jiang Xiuxiu acted very obediently, pretending to be as weak as before.
But once they started moving, she secretly lifted the curtain to observe her surroundings.
She watched as they carried her back to the village, where the old man in the black robe appeared and had a brief discussion with the others.
Jiang Xiuxiu listened closely, catching words like “doctor,” “check,” and “pregnant.”
She realized they were only half-believing her story.
They were likely planning to get a doctor to verify her claim.
So, if she wanted to escape, she had to do it before the doctor arrived.
Fortunately, the village seemed too remote to have a proper doctor, and they probably had no definite way to diagnose pregnancy.
Judging by the old man’s expression, bringing a doctor would take some time.
After a while, the villagers ended their discussion.
Then, they led her towards the forest beside the village.
This path was familiar to Jiang Xiuxiu.
Earlier today, she and Ye Ming had followed some villagers and saw five or six of them sneak up this path.
The villagers moved quickly, leaving some to guard the path while the others led Jiang Xiuxiu up the mountain.
After about ten minutes, the path reached its end.
At the end of the path was an ancient temple.
The outside of the temple looked old and weathered, clearly showing its age, while inside stood a statue of a benevolent god.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Xiuxiu instantly understood.
This was Xu Bai’s evil god statue. When the old man mentioned consulting the river god, he meant coming here to seek Xu Bai’s guidance.
From the beginning, Xu Bai was just a weak demon sealed away. Over time, a couple secretly worshiped him, and now, an entire village was his followers.
Jiang Xiuxiu was surprised to see that Xu Bai’s influence in the game was gradually expanding.
This time, Xu Bai dared to display his statue openly, indicating he was no longer afraid of it being destroyed.
So, what could Xu Bai's current weaknesses be?
The villagers set the sedan chair outside, and the old man led most of them inside.
Two villagers stood guard on either side of the sedan chair, watching Jiang Xiuxiu.
Now was Jiang Xiuxiu’s chance to escape.