Chapter 86 Sacrifice to the Dragon God
When Shen Yingzhu returned to the carriage, her body was still trembling slightly with anger.
Shen Yingxiao's face showed a hint of doubt when he saw her, and he asked, "Didn't the Second Young Master tell you to go with Bai Xiuming? Why did you come back?"
Shen Yingzhu took a few deep breaths but did not answer her brother's question. She found it difficult to speak of what had just happened.
Shen Yingxiao frowned upon seeing this: "Are you being childish again? Your father has already told you many times before you came that there is absolutely no way you and the Second Young Master are a match. Although Bai Xiuming is not destined for the throne, he is still a promising young man. How is he not good enough for you?"
"Brother!" Shen Yingzhu finally couldn't help but speak up, "Bai Xiuming doesn't take me seriously at all. He actually had someone humiliate me just now!"
"What?" Shen Yingxiao was taken aback, then his face darkened. "What did he do?"
"He brought a woman with him, and the two of them were being affectionate in front of me. The woman even mocked me. The Second Young Master witnessed it himself."
"Well done, Bai Xiuming is quite something." Shen Yingxiao said sinisterly, "Back then, he lived worse than a dog in the Xiling Prince's Mansion. If it weren't for Father sparing his life, he would have died long ago. But after staying in the capital for a few years, he really thinks he's someone important."
Shen Yingzhu was several years younger than Shen Yingxiao, so naturally she didn't know what happened back then. She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Brother, are you telling the truth?"
She had specifically inquired about Bai Xiuming in the capital; he was the adopted son of the Ming King, and enjoyed immense prestige. She never imagined he would be in such a sorry state.
“Of course it’s true.” Shen Yingxiao sneered. “He’s only at the third level, yet he dares to look down on the Shen family. He should be taught a lesson and let him know that the Shen family is not someone he can bully.”
Hearing that his brother was going to stand up for him, Shen Yingzhu was naturally happy, but he quickly hesitated and said, "I heard that he once killed a fourth-realm black dragon, but others say that he is only at the third realm. Do you think he might be hiding his strength?"
Shen Yingxiao glanced at his sister and sneered, "Those rumors are just the Mingjing Division creating hype for him. You actually believed them? If he can kill the fourth-realm black dragon, who below the fifth realm can be his match? Why would he need to be a mere fourth-rank official in the Mingjing Division?"
Last time, when the young master met the Marquis of Zhenbei, the Marquis himself said that Bai Xiuming was only barely qualified to fight him because of the formations from the capital; his true strength was only at the third realm.
Shen Yingzhu hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Let's forget it. We don't know if the Prince and the Second Young Master have other plans for him. We shouldn't make decisions on our own. If we really hurt him and ruin the Prince and the Second Young Master's plans, then it would be our fault."
Shen Yingxiao hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then said, "Fine, let's let him off the hook for now."
"But that woman must die. I want her to never make it to Xiling alive!" Shen Yingzhu's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
"Okay, whatever you say."
After being jostled on horseback for nearly an hour, Achan's legs were already a little weak when she was sent back to the carriage.
But the novelty of the trip hadn't worn off, and she was still quite excited. She flipped over the leaf cards and invited Huixue to play with her.
Shen Huixue had never played leaf cards before, but Chen Hui taught her for a while, and she quickly got the hang of it.
The three of them played in the car until evening. Achan was starting to feel hungry, but the group still hadn't stopped moving forward.
She had no choice but to eat some snacks to keep going until the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) when the group finally entered the county town.
Their convoy stopped outside an inn in the county town, and the innkeeper jogged out to greet them.
The innkeeper, seeing only the guards at the front of the procession, knew that the people in the caravan must be of extraordinary origin. He dared not be negligent and hurriedly instructed the waiter to arrange the carriages and luggage before leading the group into the inn.
When Achan was helped off the carriage by Shen Huixue, she saw the Xiling entourage catching up from behind.
However, the inn didn't have enough rooms to accommodate dozens of people, so they had to find another place to stay for the night.
She glanced casually at the caravan before looking away, but then she heard faint sobbing coming from the carriage passing by her.
Ah Chan looked at the carriage and wondered if it was Bai Xiuming's younger brother who was forcibly taking a woman.
The next moment she heard faint voices coming from inside the carriage.
A woman gently advised, "Young lady, you've been crying all the way here. If you keep crying, you won't be able to speak tomorrow."
"What good is being unable to speak? Nobody cares anymore. My parents were so cruel to me; if I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to be dead!"
The young woman's voice behind her was so familiar that Achan was momentarily stunned, and she didn't even hear Huixue calling her.
"Achan, what's wrong?" Shen Huixue asked, puzzled, noticing that Achan was staring at a carriage in the Xiling procession.
"I think I heard a familiar voice?" Achan was also a little unsure; how could Xue Ying possibly be here?
"Stop thinking about it. Aren't you hungry? Go inside and eat."
“Okay.” Achan followed Shen Huixue into the inn. There were several tables on the first floor of the inn. Zhang Jinghuai and Bai Xiuming sat down at one of the tables by the window. When they came in, Zhang Jinghuai waved to them.
Shen Huixue frowned and whispered to Achan, "Do you want the table with the deceased? If you don't want to..."
"It's alright, let's go." Achan didn't want to make things difficult for Shen Huixue. She didn't mind at all; they had provided for her food, clothing, and lodging all along the way, so she should at least give her host some face.
Chen Hui didn't need to eat. After greeting the two of them, she went back to her room to wash up.
Achan and Shen Huixue walked to the table and sat down. The waiter came over and asked them to order.
Zhang Jinghuai politely asked Achan, "Miss Ji, what would you like to eat?"
"Give me a roast chicken," Ah Chan said without any hesitation.
The waiter apologized, "Miss, our shop doesn't have roast chicken. If you'd like some chicken, our chef's braised chicken with mushrooms is also quite good, as are our chicken meatballs, which are very delicious."
"Then I'll take them both."
Zhang Jinghuai ordered a few more dishes before letting the waiter leave.
After everyone left, he smiled and said to Achan, "Miss Ji and Huixue have very similar tastes."
Ah Chan smiled without saying a word, thinking to herself, "Don't meddle in our fox affairs."
She poured herself a glass of water and raised it to Zhang Jinghuai, saying, "I must thank you for your care along the way, Your Highness."
"Miss Ji, you're too kind." Zhang Jinghuai raised his teacup and clinked it against hers.
The inn's cook served the dishes quickly, and Achan soon buried herself in her food, paying no attention to anyone else.
After she had eaten until she was about 80% full, the other three people at the table had already put down their chopsticks and had been watching her for who knows how long.
Seeing that she had finished eating, Zhang Jinghuai stood up and said to Achan and Bai Xiuming, "Huixue and I will go back to our room first."
After the two of them left, Bai Xiuming was about to get up when A Chan grabbed his sleeve.
"What's wrong?" Bai Xiuming turned his head and asked her.
Ah Chan moved closer to him and whispered, "Lord Bai, could you do me a favor?"
"Murder and arson are unacceptable."
"I'm a law-abiding citizen, I would never do anything so immoral." Achan said with an upright expression.
"What kind of help?"
"I just heard Xue Ying's voice in the Xiling group. Could you have someone check to see if I misheard?"
She still felt she hadn't misheard; it was indeed Xue Ying's voice.
"you do not know?"
"Know what?" Achan asked, puzzled.
"The Marquis of Jinyang married Xue Ying to Shen Yingzhu's elder brother. This time, Xue Ying is going back to Xiling with them, and they will get married when they arrive in Xiling."
Ah Chan, who prided herself on her extensive experience, was completely taken aback. How had things developed to this point? Why hadn't she heard a thing?
"The Marquis of Jinyang is marrying Xue Ying off to Xiling? How could the Xue family agree to that?"
"That's a question for you to answer."
"Me?" Achan asked, puzzled. "What does this have to do with me?"
"In order to break the curse, the Xue family agreed to marry their daughter to Shen Yingxiao, thanks to you."
Achan immediately closed her mouth and feigned deep sorrow: "The separation of flesh and blood is truly a tragedy. I hope that Marquis Jinyang and his wife are well."
She had no idea that her petty revenge would have such a fascinating sequel; the money spent on the spirit wood was definitely worth it. It was a pity she hadn't witnessed Madam Xue selling her daughter; she felt a little regretful.
Seeing that she could barely suppress her smile, Bai Xiuming shook his head helplessly: "Go and rest."
The next day, Achan told Chen Hui and Shen Huixue about it.
After hearing this, Chen Hui asked, "It's understandable that Xue would do anything to survive, but why did Shen Yingxiao marry Xue Ying?"
Ah Chan had no clue about this matter, and Bai Xiuming didn't mention it yesterday either.
Shen Huixue pondered for a moment and said in a low voice, "I might know the reason."
Seeing that both of them had turned to look at her, she said, "I heard that in the past, the Shen clan was cursed by a great demon for hunting too many demons, and many of its members died young."
The clan tried many methods to expel the curse, but all failed. Later, someone devised a way to share the burden of the curse: if a disciple with a compatible destiny were to marry, the curse could be shared with her.
"You mean Shen Yingxiao wants to marry Xue Ying to share the curse?"
Shen Huixue said, "Probably, but I'm not familiar with Shen Yingxiao and didn't know he was cursed before. But if he insists on marrying Xue Ying, it's probably for this reason."
"It's a pity we've already left the capital and can't share this good news with Lady Jinyang."
For some time afterward, Achan kept an eye on the Xiling team. Finally, during their lunch break, she saw Xue Ying.
Xue Ying had lost a lot of weight, and her cheeks were sunken.
She was walking beside Shen Yingzhu and talking to him when she inadvertently turned her head and saw Achan.
The surprise on her face was so obvious that Shen Yingzhu, who was standing next to her, asked, "Who are you looking at?"
Xue Ying said the name "Ji Chan" through gritted teeth.
If it weren't for Ji Chan, why would her parents have married her off to such a distant place?
She was supposed to marry a promising young official's son, or at the very least, the second son of a noble family. Now, instead, she's to marry a complete stranger with no official position, someone she's never even met?
Even though Shen Yingxiao was stronger than she had imagined, it couldn't dispel the hatred in Xue Ying's heart.
Her life was completely ruined by Ji Chan!
Seeing the complicated expression on Xue Ying's face, Shen Yingzhu asked, "Do you recognize her?"
"Of course I know her. She and my family are mortal enemies."
“I see…” Shen Yingzhu suddenly smiled, put one hand on Xue Ying’s shoulder and whispered to her, “Since you are about to marry my brother, I will give you a big gift.”
Xue Ying looked at Shen Yingzhu.
"How about I get rid of her for you?"
Xue Ying was taken aback at first, then her eyes flashed with wild joy: "Really?"
"Of course it's true."
A glint of anticipation flashed in Shen Yingzhu's eyes. The caravan was almost at Yongzhou. Soon, this eyesore of a woman would disappear.
In the first two days after the group set off, Achan was full of energy and even had the mind to enjoy the scenery and snacks. After ten days, Chen Hui and Shen Huixue were no different from before, but she was like a frostbitten eggplant.
When traveling, she not only had to get up early and rest late, but also endure a bumpy ride all day. Not all places had official roads, and some roads were really difficult to travel, making her feel sore all over from the jolting in the carriage.
Fortunately, we're almost at Yongzhou.
The procession set off just after dawn. The journey was relatively smooth, and Achan lay on her side in the carriage, enjoying a rare and comfortable nap without being interrupted.
When she woke up, there was a lot of noise outside. Hui Niang was not in the carriage; only Hui Xue was sitting to the side reading the storybook she had brought.
Seeing that Achan stirred, Shen Huixue smiled and asked, "Are you awake?"
"Why is the car parked?" Ah Chan yawned, smoothed her messy hair, and asked lazily.
"The caravan has entered Yongzhou City. We will probably have to rest here today and wait for the fleet to pick us up."
Upon hearing this, Achan lifted the curtain of the carriage window. Outside was a bustling market street, with vendors calling out their wares and pedestrians coming and going.
Before they could even disembark from the carriage, they suddenly heard a deafening sound of gongs and drums in the distance.
Achan peeked out and looked in the direction of the sound. After waiting for a while, she saw a group of several hundred people walking towards her.
The eight people in front carried a huge, colorful statue. From a distance, the statue looked like a snake, but when it got closer, Achan realized that it was a dragon.
The statue looked somewhat similar to the one she had seen at Granny Tian's place that day, she couldn't help but think.
As the people carrying the statue passed by the carriage, they were followed by people carrying unslaughtered pigs, cattle, and sheep, as well as various fresh fruits and snacks.
Achan whispered to Shen Huixue, who had come closer, "What are they doing? What are the customs in Yongzhou?"
Shen Huixue shook her head: "I've never heard anyone mention this before."
As the two were speaking in hushed tones, they saw the people at the back of the line carrying two large, bright red chairs side by side, with two children, about five or six years old, sitting on the chairs, one on each side.
Achan heard the two children sitting on it repeatedly shouting, "Worship the dragon god, cure all diseases, and ensure peace."
When I tried to look again, the car window was blocked by a crowd of Yongzhou residents who had gathered to watch.
When the two stepped off the carriage, all they could see were the people at the back of the procession playing drums and gongs.
The onlookers who had been watching the spectacle joined the procession and moved forward. Soon, the number of pedestrians on the street decreased significantly.
Achan quickly called out to an elderly woman who was walking a little slower, and asked in a gentle voice, "Auntie, what are you doing?"
The old woman turned around and looked Achan and Shen Huixue up and down before asking, "Are you from out of town?"
"Yes, we saw a group of people carrying the dragon statue past when we passed by this place."
The old woman seemed quite pleased with the name Achan, and then explained to her, "We are worshipping the dragon god."
"The Flood Dragon God?"
When the old woman mentioned the Dragon God, her face immediately became devout: "The Dragon God is our guardian deity. As long as we offer enough sacrifices this year, we will be safe and sound when we fish in the Ji River next year."
Ah Chan understood; the role of this Jiao God did indeed overlap with that of the Dragon Clan.
"Those things the back of the procession are carrying, are they all sacrificial offerings? I just saw a live cow." Achan feigned surprise.
The old woman immediately smiled smugly: "They are all offerings. Offerings to the Dragon God must be the best, and they must be living creatures."
“But I also saw two little children in the group. What are they doing?” Achan asked again.
The old woman said matter-of-factly, "Of course they are also offerings to the Dragon God."
Achan's voice was faint: "This dragon god, does it eat people?"
Seeing the procession had gone far away, the old woman was eager to catch up and hurriedly replied, "Oh dear, you don't understand, we offered all of this to the Dragon God willingly."
Achan knew that some mountain spirits liked to accept human sacrifices, but most of them knew their limits. When they started accepting living sacrifices, they were already courting death in a moral sense.
The people of Yongzhou are sacrificing young boys and girls; is no one going to do anything about it?
She was just thinking about whether to ask Bai Xiuming when she looked up and saw Bai Xiuming standing at the second-floor window looking in the opposite direction.
Achan also turned her head to look over, and suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves.
A group of guards from the Mingjing Bureau, riding dragon-blood horses and dressed in their official robes, galloped over. The leader of the group leaped into the air, maneuvering several times before landing directly at the very front of the sacrificial procession.
No one knows what that person did, but the huge dragon statue suddenly cracked open.
The procession for the sacrificial ceremony descended into chaos. The people threw down their offerings and surged toward the Mingjing Guards, as if they intended to tear them apart.
Amidst the commotion, Achan heard someone roar: "You've smashed the statue of the Flood Dragon God, and the Flood Dragon God will be angry!"
Then she heard another voice calling him a corrupt official, and it seemed that someone was throwing stones and vegetable leaves by the roadside.
Although she felt that the Mingjing Guards could be quite unreasonable at times, it was truly unfair for them to be scolded in this situation.
Seeing that the street was in chaos, Achan and Shen Huixue went into the inn together.
As soon as she entered, she saw a miniature dragon statue behind the counter. The shopkeeper behind the counter did not notice the two people who came in, but kept peeking out while muttering about how badly the dragon statue was damaged and what a terrible thing to do.
I thought only a few people were fanatically devoted to the so-called Flood Dragon God, but now even inns are displaying Flood Dragon statues, so there must be quite a few people in Yongzhou City who believe in the Flood Dragon God.
Having suddenly encountered this situation, Achan lost all interest in exploring Yongzhou City. She rested at the inn for half a day, and around 5 PM, she suddenly received a message saying that the ship had arrived at the dock. Before the curfew, they planned to board the ship.
Achan followed the convoy to the dock. Fortunately, the inn was not far from the dock. When she arrived at the dock, she saw four boats moored on the water, as well as the Xiling team that had arrived earlier.
The people from Xiling have already boarded the ship, and the remaining two ships seem to have been reserved for them.
Zhang Jinghuai's guards and boatmen carried the luggage onto the two boats, and he boarded the first boat with more than half of his guards and Shen Huixue.
Achan couldn't take Shen Huixue away, but she quickly grabbed Bai Xiuming's hand and forcibly pulled him onto the boat. Bai Xiuming didn't shake off her hand and was taken away willingly.
Once everyone was on board, the boatman shouted "Start the boat!" and the boat slowly began to move.
Four ships sailed out of the dock one after another. The Ji River was deep and wide, wide enough for several ships to sail side by side.
The ship that Achan was on was moving a little slower, but she didn't mind at all.
This was her first time on a boat. She stood on the deck and chatted with the captain, asking when they would arrive at Xiling.
The boatman laughed and said, "Miss, don't worry. It only takes two days to travel from Yongzhou to Xiling by water. Please rest well tonight, and you will be able to see the scenery on both banks early tomorrow morning. This scenery is something you can't see anywhere else."
Thinking back to how she had talked to Hui Niang about the scenery on both sides of the Ji River a few days ago, and now that she could see it with her own eyes, A Chan couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.
Although it was getting late, she couldn't sleep at all, so she stood on the deck, enjoying the river breeze and gazing at the distant, undulating mountains with only outlines, and the lanterns hanging high on the boats ahead.
Although the Mid-Autumn Festival has passed, the temperature in Yongzhou is much higher than in the capital, and it only gets a little cool at night.
The wind on the deck made people drowsy, and Ah Chan finally felt sleepy and decided to go back to her cabin to sleep.
Just then, their ship collided with something and suddenly shook violently.
Achan clung tightly to the railing, and just as she regained her balance, a huge splash suddenly erupted from the calm water, and a colossal creature emerged from the water.
A large amount of river water fell, and before she could even see what it was, the railing she was holding suddenly shattered, and a huge suction force came from behind her.
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