Ye Nuan was suspicious. What else did she want to say?
She shook her head.
Qi Wuze frowned, a little unhappy: "Then go!"
Ye Nuan really left. Qi Wuze stood there in a daze for two seconds, then bit his back teeth and cursed inwardly.
The lake was shimmering with moonlight, casting his shadow into the air. The moonlight was cold and clear. Qi Wuze patted the falcon's head and sneered, "You pervert! You took advantage of her and didn't even mention it. You followed her!"
A few candles lit the village, and the occasional barking of dogs could be heard. Ye Nuan took a few steps and realized a falcon had been following her. It didn't turn around and fly away until she reached her home safely.
There was a small fire burning in the yard. Su and her son were sitting around it. When they heard footsteps, they hurried over to open the door.
"Dazhu said you'd be back late, and I thought it would be very late." Su said as she let her into the yard, "I left two pancakes for you on the stove, and your brother is still baking eggs, so eat something first."
She pulled Ye Nuan to sit down by the fire, then went to the stove, took the sesame cake and put it in her hand, and asked casually, "Have you found the salt mine?"
Ye Nuan took a bite of the biscuit and said, "No, it's not that easy. Not only did I not find it, I also fell into the bottom of a pit." She was covered in dirt, and if she didn't tell her mother, she would definitely ask again.
Su came closer and asked curiously, "Just the two of you?"
Of course, we cannot mention that there were also Wei Qian and twenty or so horse bandits.
"Yeah, just the two of us."
Su looked her up and down, trying to discern something different from her expression, but Ye Nuan's eyes were clear, and she allowed her to examine her without wavering. Su stared at her for a long time, unable to discern the reason, and could only say, "Mother doesn't object to you finding a husband, but you must know your limits and protect yourself."
"Mom, why do you keep bringing this up? I've already told you that City Lord Qi and I are just business partners." Ye Nuan was helpless. She really didn't mean that.
As they were talking, the eggs in the fire suddenly exploded, sending dust flying everywhere. The three of them quickly ran away, and Su scolded, "Ye Xiaohu, you didn't wrap them and roast them?" Ye Xiaohu chuckled twice.
Ye Nuan ate the cake while watching her mother chasing her brother. Before she finished the cake, the village suddenly became lively with the sound of banging drums and gongs. It was very lively.
There was still a faint glow of fire at the entrance of the village. Ye Nuan asked her mother, "What's going on over there?"
Su said, "Didn't Snow God Mountain shake during the day? The village chief said the mountain god was angry and needed a sacrifice. They're all performing rituals at the village entrance right now."
Ye Nuan asked suspiciously, "Doesn't the village chief disbelieve this?" He looked at her with disdain every time.
Su sneered: "He doesn't disbelieve this, he disbelieves you!"
As the two were talking, a villager knocked on her door. Seeing Ye Nuan standing in the yard, he hurriedly said, "Goddess Ye, the village chief asked you to help with the sacrifice. As a goddess, you should be more effective."
Ye Nuan was tired after a whole day and didn't want to go at all. She replied directly: "No, tell the village chief that I am not familiar with the mountain god." After that, she walked towards the house.
The two villagers who had come to call for help looked at each other in bewilderment, but since the goddess wouldn't go, they had no choice but to reply truthfully to the village chief. The village chief didn't want to offer a sacrifice; he just wanted Ye Nuan to plead with the mountain god in front of everyone not to get angry, and then ask her to pray for rain. If that didn't work, he would find a way to save her face.
I didn't expect her to not show up and just dismiss me by saying she wasn't familiar with me. I suddenly felt so angry that I couldn't calm down.
Seeing the village chief's face becoming increasingly grim, the man who had gone to invite Ye Nuan earlier said, "Village chief, there's no point in asking the goddess to come. The goddess is the goddess of spring, a legitimate deity in heaven. The mountain god is merely an earthly immortal and can't bear the goddess's worship."
Some people in the crowd began to echo his words.
Village Chief Jin snorted coldly: "What do you know? There was an earthquake before, and that was a warning. This time is different. If we don't perform the sacrifice, disaster will surely befall Dahuang Village!"
Village chief Jin still had some prestige among the crowd. When he said this, the villagers of Dahuang Village were a little panicked.
"Village Chief, what should we do?"
Village Chief Jin remained silent, smoking silently amid the clamor of gongs and drums. His expression left everyone hanging in the air. This hung for days, while the people from Weijia Village and Chujia Village searched for Wei Qian for days.
In the end, all they found was a piece of his usual whip.
He Xin came to Chujiazhai in a hurry, but as soon as he stepped into the study, he immediately slowed down his pace and made sure that the boss was not painting before he dared to speak.
"Boss, it is confirmed that Wei Qian is dead."
Chu Xuesong was playing with a jade fan in his hand. The fan bones were made of delicate white jade, and the fan surface looked like silk, or a mixture of silk and rice paper. A snow-white cat was outlined on it, and its shape was very lifelike.
The hand holding the fan bone is slender and well-proportioned, with obvious calluses visible between the palm of the hand and the fingertips.
Without even raising his eyelids, he asked in a gentle voice, "Have you seen the body?" He looked very refined, like a young man from a wealthy family, without any trace of banditry.
The more he spoke like this, the more frightened He Xin became.
"No, my subordinates. It's not easy for our people to go down. But I heard that there is a strange grass in there that eats people. The people in Weijiazhai suffered heavy losses. Finally, they burned the grass and brought out the corpses. One of them had the whip and scimitar of the head of Wei, and was missing a hand. The height was also similar." Their scimitars are usually marked, and the head of Wei's boots were also found at the scene.
Chu Xuesong showed no sign of grief, and even chuckled. He asked, "Didn't he go after Qi Wuze? I heard that Qi Wuze fell in with that woman from Dahuang Village?"
He Xin nodded. "Yes, the people from Weijiazhai had encountered Gao Zangfeng earlier and were chased away. Later, they rushed over and saw from afar that Gao Zangfeng had rescued the people. Qi Wuze took the woman to Dahuang Village."
About a month ago, Chu Xuesong rescued a dying mute in the wilderness and learned a secret.
He raised his eyebrows: "Did you see the woman's appearance?"
He Xin shook his head: "But the people in Weijiazhai said that it was Qi Wuze's lover. The head of Wei rushed to kill him because he heard that Qi Wuze came out to see her alone." But he didn't expect that he failed to kill the person and lost his own life.
"Looking at the appearance of the corpse, it should not have been killed by Qi Wuze..." He could think of no one except the grass that could have turned the corpse into that state, but why were Qi Wuze and the woman the only ones who were okay?
"The Wei Family Village is in chaos right now. No one wants to bury Wei Qian, and his brothers are all vying for the position of head of the family."
Chu Xuesong's slender hand brushed across the fan, and the corners of his lips curled up, his smile becoming even happier. "Spread the word, Qi Wuze killed the head of the Wei family. Whoever can kidnap his lover will be the next head of the family."
"Yes." He Xin was about to leave when he heard Chu Xuesong say softly, "Oh, by the way, his girlfriend's name is Ye Nuan, and she must be brought along without missing a single hair."
He Xin was puzzled. Why did they have to include not even a single hair?
But what the boss hadn't said was not for him to ask. He walked out quickly and spread the word. The chaos in the Weijia Village suddenly united again and summoned all the people to go to Dahuang Village.
At this time, Dahuang Village was still immersed in peace. Ye Nuan got up early in the morning and started drying peppers. Before she was halfway through, her mother ran home in a panic without even washing the clothes in the wooden basin.
Ye Nuan asked in confusion: "Mom, what happened?"
Su put down the basin and said, "A lot of bandits have come from outside the village. They are shouting that you should be handed over, otherwise they will destroy Dahuang Village. Quick, hide!"
"No, let's pack up quickly and run." Su was anxious.
Ye Nuan grabbed her and said, "Mom, where are you going to run to at this moment? They must have even blocked the back mountain by now. If you run now, won't you be walking into a trap?"
Su was stunned for a moment, then became anxious again: "What should we do? These people will definitely hand you over. How about you take Xiaohu and hide first, and I'll go check out the situation?"
Ye Nuan comforted Su and said, "Mom, don't worry. Didn't the village chief say that the bandits have sworn not to enter the village? Maybe they are just trying to scare us." She said this, but she was also comforting herself.
Wei Qian is dead, and since these horse bandits can't find trouble with Qi Wuze, it's normal for them to find her.
"Wait a little longer and see what happens."
Many villagers gathered at the village entrance. The Wei Family Village was out in full force, completely encircling Dahuang Village. Village Chief Jin didn't dare leave the village, only standing by the withered tree at the stone bridge. His hands trembled as he touched his pipe. He addressed the people from the Wei Family Village across from him, saying, "You can't go back on your word. Both the Wei and Chu Elders swore an oath that no one would touch Dahuang Village. Are you trying to make them die in humiliation?"
Who cares about oaths when you can be a bandit? Normally, no one bothers to bother with the impoverished Dahuang Village unless there's something going on. But now, the world is different. Whoever captures the woman named "Ye Nuan" will be the next head of the clan.
What is a vow and can it be eaten?
Anyway, it wasn’t sent by them!
The bandits on the opposite side all laughed heartily, their scimitars gleaming coldly in the scorching sun. They pointed at Village Chief Jin and said, "You old fool, we didn't attack directly now because of the old boss's face. I asked you to hand over the people, so hand them over. Why are you talking so much nonsense!"
"You'd better hurry up. If you don't hand them over after dark, you'll all be dead." It was so hot, it wasn't easy for them to come out, and waiting until dark was the limit. If these untouchables didn't hand them over after dark, they would rush in and rob them, and whoever grabbed the body would keep it.
Village Chief Jin said with a smile, "Please allow us to discuss this, and I'll get back to you later."
Jin Bao tugged at Village Chief Jin's sleeve: "Dad!"
Village Chief Jin's forced smile froze, his heart sinking to the bottom. He turned to the villagers who had followed him and said, "Go back first, and then call everyone to my house."
Then he said to Jin Bao, "Go back and look after your sister. Don't let her run around."
The weather was hot and dreary, and the usually bustling village was hushed. The Ye family's courtyard was lush and green, with roses climbing up the fence. The grapes were ripe. Ye Nuan, carrying a newly changed basket, silently shuttled back and forth in the vegetable garden, collecting all the ripe vegetables and fruits into the space.
The metallic sound in her mind kept dripping. Su was walking back and forth in the yard. Ye Xiaohu also noticed something was wrong. She squatted beside the extinguished fire with Xiao Hei in her arms, staring at her mother back and forth with her big eyes.
Su couldn't help it, so she stopped and asked Ye Nuan: "A Nuan, how come you still have the time to pick the vegetables?" There was no movement for such a long time, what was going on?
Ye Nuan pretended to be calm and said, "Mom, even if we want to run away, we have to take all the things at home with us. We can't let others take them." In this situation, she didn't know if Luo Mucheng had received the news, and whether Qi Wuze would come to save her because she helped find the salt mine.
But this is Dahuang Village, a village that has a grudge against Luomu City. The possibility that Qi Wuze would come here is very small.
"Mom, go gather up the pots, pans, clothes, and quilts we'll be using. If there's still no news in an hour, we'll leave.
She didn't expect these villagers to refuse to hand her over even at the cost of their lives. The reason they feared her was simply because she could keep everyone well-fed and clothed. Now that their lives were in danger, all other beliefs could be put aside.
However, before the hour had even begun, Village Chief Jin arrived with everyone in the village. Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look Ye Nuan in the eye.
Village Chief Jin pushed through the crowd and walked to the front, his pipe still smoking but he didn't smoke. He looked at Ye Nuan with a helpless look on his face, "Goddess Ye, you've heard about the bandits coming to demand the people. Let me ask you, is the death of the head of the Wei Family Village really related to you?"
He knew that Wei Qian and Ye Nuan had a grudge against each other. He had stopped her the last time she went to the Creation Pavilion. However, he had not expected the most ferocious bandit in the wilderness to die so suddenly. People outside were still clamoring that Ye Nuan and the people from Luo Mucheng had killed him.
Ye Nuan looked around at the people huddled in the courtyard and suddenly realized how naive she had been. This was ancient times, a desolate land, where people's hearts were always complicated. How could anyone be grateful just because she was a so-called goddess and had given them benefits?
The idea of making everyone rich now seems so stupid!
"You've already discussed the outcome, so what's the point in asking me this?"
Village Chief Jin quickly shook his head in denial, "Don't misunderstand, Goddess. We haven't discussed this yet. I'm just here to ask you a few questions before making a decision."
Ye Nuan was suspicious: "What's the problem?"
Village Chief Jin pretended to be forced into a corner and asked, "First, don't you have supernatural powers? Can you use them to drive away the bandits outside?"
"Secondly, can you ensure that these people never bother you again from now on?"
"Third, if they really rush in, can you guarantee that all the villagers will not suffer any harm because of you?"
These three conditions were very harsh. He asked these questions because he was sure that Ye Nuan was not a god. He wanted to break the faith of the villagers in Ye Nuan.
When Village Chief Jin asked these three questions, the villagers surrounding the Ye family looked at her hopefully, hoping to get a positive answer.
But Ye Nuan wasn't a god. Even if she could summon snakes and other animals, she couldn't protect everyone. Besides, why should she protect everyone? How could these people be worthy of her doing so?
Ye Nuan sneered. In the wilderness, force is the most important thing. As long as you are strong enough, you can rob food if there is no food, and you can be unreasonable if there is no reason.
Many villagers began to panic, fearing Ye Nuan's anger, but their lives were also important. Someone stood up and said, "Goddess, you are a god, so you will understand us, right? We don't want this either."
Someone else said, "Yes, we know you have done us a favor, but there are still elderly people and children in the village. You can't just ignore them."
Su was furious and cursed at the villagers, "Your consciences have been eaten by dogs. There are no elderly or children in my family, right? Why do you need me, Ah Nuan, to take care of you and understand you?"
"All of you, go away. Get out of here. I will fight anyone who dares to touch me, Ah Nuan." She turned around to get the broom, but was pulled back by Ye Nuan. Ye Nuan shook his head at her, his eyes unusually calm.
She pulled Su behind her, her dark eyes swept over everyone present, and said coldly: "No, even if I were a god, I would not protect an ungrateful person!"
Everyone present blushed at her words and lowered their heads again. Village Chief Jin frowned, thought for a moment, and said to Ye Nuan, "May I have a moment with you?"
"No!" Ye Nuan refused flatly. She was wrong before and shouldn't have been so gentle.
Village chief Jin looked unhappy after being contradicted by her in person, and said to the villagers: "You all go wait outside, I want to talk to the goddess alone." The villagers had no choice but to wait outside the yard.
Only the three members of the Ye family and Village Chief Jin were left in the yard. He glanced at the closed gate before turning around and speaking in a low voice, "Ye Nuan, you've seen it too. These people are fence-sitters. There's no benefit in you staying here. There's no one guarding the back hill. As long as you promise to leave the village and never come back, I'm confident I can convince these people to let you go."
His idea was simple, which was to force Ye Nuan away.
As long as Ye Nuan leaves, Dahuang Village will still be his from now on!
With the abilities Ye Nuan displayed and Ye Xiaohu's terrifying strength, they were no match for him. As long as they could force Ye Nuan away, the bandits would have no reason to trouble them anymore.
Ye Nuan smiled awkwardly, and Village Chief Jin frowned: "What are you laughing at?"
Ye Nuan stared at him seriously and said, "They're fence-sitters, and you're no better. Even if I'm leaving today, it's because I'm disgusted by you. Besides, if I want to leave, I don't need you to be my lobbyist. Who of you can stop me?"
Village Chief Jin was furious: "You, don't be ungrateful!"
Ye Nuan suddenly yelled out the door, "Your village chief said he'll convince you to let me go if I never show up in the village again and get in his way. Do you agree?"
"You!" Village chief Jin didn't expect her to say it so blatantly, and he was so angry that his face turned red and his neck became thick.
The villagers who were guarding outside the courtyard immediately rushed in, looked at the angry Village Chief Jin, then at Ye Nuan, and hurriedly explained, "Goddess, we had already agreed to let you leave through the back mountain. The Village Chief was afraid you wouldn't leave, so he asked him to persuade you alone."
"We are sorry for you. We couldn't protect the goddess."
"You'd better go, goddess!"
Village Chief Jin's face turned increasingly grim as he was slapped from both inside and outside. Ye Nuan hadn't expected this, and after a wry smile, she thought to herself: These villagers finally have some conscience.
"No need for you to invite me, I can go by myself." Ye Nuan's things had been packed up and put in the space. At present, she and Su Shi each had a cloth bag in their hands, and Ye Xiaohu was holding Xiao Hei in his arms.
The villagers consciously made way for them as they passed, too ashamed to look up. After the three members of the Ye family disappeared into the yard, someone came to their senses and asked, "Hey, where are the vegetables in the yard? Why are they all gone?"
Everyone then looked towards the Ye family's vegetable garden. They hadn't noticed it before, and were stunned when they saw it. Not only were the vegetables gone, but even the leeks and garlic had no roots left. What was even worse was that even the grape racks were gone, not to mention the fences and roses.
They went to the Ye family's house to check. The chickens, geese, and sheep they kept were gone. The pots, pans, and stove in the kitchen had been pried away. The quilts, tables, chairs, and bed boards were all gone. Not even a single vat was left of the family's water storage tank!
The entire Ye family's house was empty. Even three-tenths of the fertile soil in the ground had been scraped away, leaving only the roof.
This is outrageous. They clearly left empty-handed, so how did they take it away?
Everyone was shrouded in doubt, but at the same time, they believed more in Ye Nuanshen's identity. Thinking too much, they couldn't help but panic: Were they too selfish and cowardly to offend Goddess Ye? If she could really take away so many things out of thin air, her abilities must be more than what she had shown before.
It’s not that she couldn’t repel the horse bandits, but she was disheartened and would never protect Dahuang Village again.
Everyone felt anxious again when they thought that Dahuang Village would return to the days of no food and no water.
Village Chief Jin, who had never believed Ye Nuan was a god, felt a pang of fear in his heart. He seemed to have thought of something and started walking out. Seeing his panicked look, the villagers hurried to follow him.
Everyone left the Ye family's yard and headed straight for the only ancient well in the village.
The sun was blazing, making them dizzy. The closer they got to the ancient well, the more panicked they became. Village Chief Jin was the first to crawl over to the well's mouth to see what was left. The well, which had been full for some time, was completely dark and bottomless, without even a trace of moisture.
The rest of the villagers came running over, all leaning over the well mouth to look in. They were all horrified when they saw what was happening. Some of them ran to their own vegetable gardens to check on the vegetables. In a moment, the once vibrant green vegetables had all wilted and looked as if they were about to die.
In an instant, the village began to return to its barren appearance. Some people sat down on the ground, crying in panic: "What should we do? We have offended the goddess. She no longer protects us. She has taken away the water."
"If we offend the gods, will our village be in a worse situation than before?"
As he started to cry, more people started to cry out of fear. Everyone was in chaos. Someone shouted in panic, "Quick, go and get the goddess back."
"We can't let the goddess go."
Village Chief Jin was stunned for a moment, and only came to his senses when his fingertips were burned by the pipe of a cigarette, and then he shouted, "There are still bandits outside. If you go to stop her now, have you considered the consequences?"
"You can protect her."
The villagers, overcome by fear of the gods' wrath, said recklessly, "The goddess is so powerful, she will protect us."
"Yes, we can't offend the goddess."
"Hurry up, the goddess is leaving!"
The villagers who were forcing Ye Nuan to leave just now swarmed towards the back mountain again. Village chief Jin wanted to stop them but was pushed down by the excited villagers. His head hit the manhole cover directly, and even the pipe that he never let go of was broken into two pieces.
Before he could get up, someone stepped on his little instep several times.
Click!
The bone seems to be broken!
Village chief Jin wanted to cry but had no tears, but what could he do? He had to go, so he limped and jumped behind the villagers, but after a few steps, he fell again and hit his broken leg on a rock, almost fainting.
Ye Nuan led her mother and Xiao Hu to the back of the mountain, carrying a large bunch of grapes. Su Shi had an apple in her hand, but she had no appetite for it. As they walked, she asked, "A Nuan, where are we going now?"
Ye Nuan said, "Let's go to Crescent Lake and reopen a Yunjian Farm there." She had seen through it all. Where there are people, there are disputes. She didn't require everyone to be as sincere as she was, but she wouldn't let anyone take advantage of her either. She could come when she wanted and leave when she wanted.
"Mom, if we start over again, we will definitely make Yunjian Farm bigger than the Creation Pavilion." She had been wrong before. She always thought about upgrading the spiritual spring and then hiding in the Great Wilderness Village to live a good life.
If you want to live well in the wilderness, you must be like Jiang Ji, with your own support and power. Then, no matter how arrogant you are, the horse bandits will not dare to target you.
"Yeah." If Ye Nuan was a god, Su would definitely be the first believer. She believed whatever Ye Nuan said!
Just as the three of them reached the entrance to the back mountain, the villagers behind them chased out, pleading and shouting in panic, "Goddess, stop!"
"Goddess, please don't leave!"
"goddess......"
Su Shi was confused and even a little angry. She pulled Ye Nuan and asked, "Did they change their minds and want to hand you over?"
Ye Nuan raised the corner of her lips, pressed her mother's hand and said, "Mom, I'll let you vent your anger later!"
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