Chapter 15 No Way No Way

Xiao Yu pointed at the crowd below the observation deck and said, "Look carefully! The worship has ended, and the people have mostly dispersed. But none of the government officials have withdrawn. In fact, the guards have increased, and some are even carrying items covered with cloth to the river."

He waved his fan and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the worship just now was just a perfunctory gesture to appease the people, or perhaps a cover. The real ceremony will officially begin later."

Ah Fu immediately looked in the direction Xiao Yu pointed, squinting his eyes and searching for a long time. Sure enough, he saw a few people dressed in officials' clothes, avoiding the scattered crowd, and stealthily walking in carrying something.

Wow, there are so many people down there, like ants. It's thanks to my young master's strong observation ability that he can spot them from such a distance.

Needless to say, the young master is awesome, and Ah Fu admires him!

Later that evening, Xiao Yu ordered some refreshments and sat on the observation deck for a while longer. The other dignitaries gradually left after their worship, and the crowd gathered on the riverbank gradually dispersed, seemingly quiet.

Xiao Yu was also very patient. He drank tea for more than an hour and had lunch. He waited until the weather turned cloudy in the afternoon before paying the bill and going downstairs.

At this time, the people living on the river bank had completely dispersed, and even the garbage left behind had been cleaned up by government officials, but the high platform used for sacrifice had not been dismantled. It was only covered with gray cloth, and it was unknown whether there was still anyone inside.

"It's time." Xiao Yu instructed Ah Fu, "Arrange your guards to wait in the dark and await my orders at any time."

"Yes, sir." Ah Fu didn't know why Xiao Yu was so interested in such an ordinary ceremony of worshiping the Dragon King, but he did as he was told.

After the deployment was completed, he followed Xiao Yu and took a detour to the other side of the platform and ambushed from a distance.

Sure enough, I saw the fat county magistrate and several people dressed as fortune tellers gathered together and talking.

And these fortune tellers were not the ones who performed on the stage today.

Most of them looked younger and had smarter manners. In this group of people, one could more easily find the calm and confident feeling that Xu Chuchu had when he first met her, rather than the greasy feeling of many charlatans who were swindling and deceiving others.

If there is any difference, it may be that Xu Chuchu gives people a more peaceful feeling, without their overly sharp arrogance.

"Sir, these guys are probably the real fortune tellers." Ah Fu whispered, "They didn't come forward just now, and now I don't know what they are doing here."

"Don't make any noise." Xiao Yu instructed.

After waiting for a while, I saw one of the fortune tellers who looked the oldest and most prestigious in a gray robe walk to the water's edge, shaking the whisk in his hand and muttering something.

As he moved, ripples appeared in the water. But unlike the previous tricks, this time the ripples did not stop even after he finished the trick.

The county magistrate was overjoyed when he saw this. He waved to his men and ordered them to carry out something covered with cloth from under the platform.

When they uncovered the bodies, they saw several young girls tied up!

The girls were all wearing bright red wedding dresses and sobbing.

Xiao Yu and Ah Fu looked at each other, and both of them thought of the case of the missing young woman they had seen a few days ago.

At this point, there is no need to guess, they are the sacrifices for the Dragon King's worship.

The pork and mutton, as well as the people's wishes, were all a cover for sacrificing the young girl.

No wonder there has been no progress in the case of the missing woman posted at the city gate. It turns out that the government itself is crying wolf.

Is this really like those folk rumors, that people angered the Dragon King and had to throw unmarried girls into the river and offer their wives to the Dragon King as an apology to prevent a flood?

Nonsense!

At this time, the ripples on the water surface became even more severe. Several fortune tellers gathered at the water's edge and performed a spell at the same time. In the center of the water waves, the outline of a dark giant dragon actually appeared!

Ah Fu was terrified: "Master, there really is a Dragon King in the water!"

Xiao Yu frowned. "Whether there's a Dragon King or not, we can't sacrifice people! I want to see who gave a mere county magistrate the power to practice superstition and disregard human life!"

Suddenly, a fortune teller said happily: "The Yin time has arrived, the ceremony is ready, send the bride!"

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate quickly ordered his men to lift the girls and throw them into the river.

Although it was a "marriage", the girls' limbs were tied up and thrown into the river, where they were doomed to die.

Xiao Yu raised his right hand and signaled the guards hiding in the dark.

As long as he gave the order, his guards would rush out from the darkness and rescue the girl first.

——At this split second, a familiar female voice came out slowly.

"Hey, hey, so many fellow travelers are here." A girl in a loose dress popped out from somewhere and walked leisurely towards the stunned crowd. "No way, no way, no way, do people really think there's a Dragon King in the river?"

Suddenly, a little girl appeared silently, and no one noticed her.

Everyone was shocked. None of the officers gave any orders, and Xiao Yu did not order any rescue either. The two sides were in a stalemate.

"Why is she here?" Xiao Yu frowned.

Ah Fu couldn't answer either and looked confused.

Needless to say, the person who came was Xu Chuchu, whom I had not seen for long.

Xiao Yu was able to recognize him even from the observation deck so far away, not to mention that he was rushing to the front line alone and becoming the brightest focus of the whole audience.

...But when I look at it closely, it doesn't seem like her.

The facial features are still the same, but compared to when we parted, they are more brilliant and bright, and seem to be more pleasing to the eye.

Was it his psychology? Or had this girl mastered some fox demon technique?

"Where did this little girl come from? She's so arrogant!" A young fortune teller stepped forward and shouted, "Someone, throw her out!"

"Wait a minute." The county magistrate hurriedly stopped them and winked at the gray-robed fortune-teller standing in the front.

The gray-robed fortune teller was the oldest person in the group and immediately understood the county governor's intention.

Although this human sacrifice was made under the pretext of maintaining peace in Tailing, it would definitely not be a good thing if it got out. They had always done it in private, and now that someone had seen this, they had to think of some way to silence her...

"Little girl," the gray-robed physiognomist said with a smile, "From your tone, could it be that you are also a fellow practitioner of ours? I wonder which school or sect you belong to, and what is your master's name?"

Xu Chuchu could see that he was smiling but hiding a knife. She politely asked her about her master, but she was also trying to find a way to deal with her. So she smiled and said, "I have no sect or school, no master, and I am self-taught. But I seem to be much stronger than most of you. At least I won't be easily taken advantage of."

As soon as she said this, she was immediately scolded by other fortune tellers: "Shut up, you stubborn little girl, what do you know!"

He then turned to the gray-robed fortune teller and said, "Master Xiang, please don't argue with her. Tie her up and throw her aside. Our ceremony is more important."

"Foolish, foolish!" Xu Chuchu sneered. "You can't even tell the difference between a Dragon King and a water ghost, and you really think you're doing something kind?"