Chapter 41 The Birthday of the God of Sacrifice.
Demon Clan Inn.
Shenjun Jiuqing awoke from his meditation, his expression unusually dazed.
From the moment of God’s birth, God has no greed, anger, ignorance, resentment, hatred, or desire to associate with others, and this is true even towards His own body.
Last night, he sensed for the first time that his true self was rejecting his clone.
This has never happened in the past ten thousand years.
Just like the dream I glimpsed in my sea of consciousness the night before I came to the Demon Realm.
—Gods rarely dream.
The deity was perplexed; he realized that there were things he couldn't understand.
Then a familiar, clear voice came from outside the window: "Boss, could I have these broken flowers?"
The deity's eyes flickered slightly, and he gradually came to his senses. After a few moments of contemplation, he pushed open the window and looked outside.
The guest rooms are on the second floor, behind which is a small grove of trees. A stream has been specially brought in by the shopkeeper to attract customers. Wildflowers sway in the wind beside the smooth stones covered with moss on both sides.
Wildflowers that have absorbed the turbid energy of the demon realm are more alluring than flowers in the mortal world, with richer colors and a faint purple mist.
"Sir!" An excited voice rang out from below.
Hua Xun spotted the deity standing by the window at a glance and waved excitedly at him.
The girl tilted her head back, her cheeks flushed, and held a bunch of purple and pink wildflowers in her hands. The amulet on her purse swayed with her movements.
The deity looked at her quietly, without saying a word for a long time.
Hua Xun quickly picked up the wildflowers scattered on the ground and ran upstairs excitedly.
The deity turned around and looked at the door, listening to the light footsteps running up the stairs, across the corridor, and stopping at the door.
A smile involuntarily appeared in the eyes of the deity, and the door opened by itself without any wind.
Hua Xun was still in the motion of raising her hand to knock on the door when she saw the door open. She blinked and ran in.
“My Lord, the wind was strong in the Demon Realm last night and broke all these flowers,” she said, handing the flowers to him. “Look, aren’t they pretty?”
In the blink of an eye, Hua Xun had already calmed down her troubled mind.
It's just that we can't see the true form of the Divine Lord for a while. Once we find the Earth Soul of Divine Lord Luohe and return to White Mist Cliff, we'll be able to see it.
Why make things difficult for yourself now because of something that will happen sooner or later?
The deity looked at the flower presented to him and nodded: "Very good."
Hua Xun laughed, looked around, and finally found an empty wine jar on the antique shelf. She carefully inserted the flowers one by one into it: "In this way, the Divine Lord can also enjoy the flowers here."
The deity glanced at the only vibrant color in this dark guest room, his gaze slightly lowered.
“By the way, Lord God,” Hua Xun remembered something, “when I was picking flowers, I asked the waiter why you were worshipped everywhere in Thousand Shadows City. The waiter said it was because the city lord of Thousand Shadows City held you in high esteem.”
"Did you also save Qianying City?"
After pondering for a moment, the Divine Lord said, "Thousand Shadows City was nearly massacred due to the war between demons and monsters. I have come to stop the conflict."
A war between demons?
Hua Xun asked in surprise, "How long ago was that?"
The deity smiled and said, "It has been thousands of years."
Hua Xun was merely a hundred-year-old demon, and could only gasp in amazement at the fact that time spans tens of millions of years.
“However, this place has been sincerely worshipping you for thousands of years, so Thousand Shadows City doesn’t resemble a demon city at all,” Hua Xun added.
The deity looked out the window but did not respond.
Hua Xun was initially puzzled by the God's silence, until the demons gradually fell into night and the streets of Thousand Shadows City gradually became bustling.
Demons flocked to the market, creating a bustling scene.
For a moment, this bustling scene seemed unlike the peaceful city it usually was.
Hua Xun initially thought it was just a bustling night scene at Qianying City, but after looking at the entrance of the guest building for a while, she realized something was wrong.
A group of demons arrived with a banging and clanging, as if the humans were worshipping a god, each of them with an almost devout excitement on their face.
In the center of the crowd, several people carried a golden shrine. Inside the shrine, a jade statue, a full ten feet tall, stood solemnly and unapproachably, looking down at the crowd below.
In front of the guesthouse, a boy with horns on his forehead held up a sugar figurine shaped like a deity and pointed behind him: "Mother, are they going to see the God?"
The woman beside him hurriedly covered the boy's mouth, her eyes filled with awe: "That is their blessing, to be favored by the gods."
Hua Xun looked in the direction the boy was pointing and saw two snow-white palanquins being carried slowly behind the statue.
On the sedan chair, the girl and boy were dressed plainly, but their faces were pale. They did not cry or scream, nor were they afraid. Instead, they were just numbly obedient.
The surrounding demons instantly erupted in cheers, some kneeling and kowtowing, others raising their hands in celebration.
The fervent shouts were like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing: "May the divine ruler protect us, and may our prosperity and peace last forever."
Hua Xun stared blankly at this bizarre scene for a long time before she came to her senses and grabbed the person next to her: "May I ask why it's so lively tonight?"
"Are you new here?" The man, annoyed at being interrupted from his devout prayer, gave her an impatient once-over. "This is a celebration for the God's birthday."
Hua Xun frowned: "Isn't the God Lord's birthday on the first day of the seventh month?"
Today is clearly only June 22nd.
Perhaps seeing that she accurately stated the God's birthday, the man barely softened his expression: "My Thousand Shadows City has worshipped the God for generations, so naturally we cannot be like the weak human race."
“Every June, my Thousand Shadows City will carefully select the purest young girls and boys each day as offerings. On the birthday of the God, we will offer them to the God to ensure that my city will be free from disaster for thousands of years.”
“Look, those are the people chosen this year,” the man pointed to the snow-white palanquin, “all of whom were born on the same day and month as the God-King.”
Hua Xun stared at everything in disbelief.
Only after the sedan chair had passed and everyone around her had joined in the revelry did Hua Xun go upstairs in a daze.
Turning the corner of the corridor, Hua Xun immediately spotted a snow-white figure standing at the end of the corridor, in front of the balustrade window.
He calmly watched the rapturous "spectacle" below, listening to the fervent cheers of those who worshipped him, his expression serene.
Hua Xun stepped forward involuntarily: "Divine Lord".
After calling out, he didn't know what to say, and finally only asked, "Can you hear the prayers of these people?"
The deity's voice was as gentle as ever: "I can hear all who pray to me."
Hua Xun felt a pang of sadness: "Would the God Lord be saddened to hear such a fervent prayer?"
The beings he pities, under the guise of offering sacrifices to him, harm the innocent.
Even... there are countless dark things in this world that are using his birthday as an excuse to make a big fuss.
The deity seemed surprised by her question and pondered for a few moments.
Are you sad?
It seemed so at first.
Officials used his birthday to plunder the people's wealth, emperors used his name to undertake large-scale construction projects, and the common people slaughtered sheep and cattle to celebrate for him.
His birthday seems to be beautiful only while the Mother Goddess is still alive.
Later, it was always accompanied by greed, killing, and tyranny...
"I'm not sad anymore," the deity replied.
Hua Xun looked up at the deity who had spoken those words.
The features were clearly unfamiliar, but the longer she looked, the more she seemed to see the true face of the deity through that disguised mask.
Hua Xun pursed her lips, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly said, "I want to save them."
The deity withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and looked back at her: "Hmm?"
“Those who were sacrificed,” Hua Xun said earnestly, “I want to save them.”
"Why?" the deity asked.
Hua Xun quieted down, unsure whether she should reveal her true feelings.
She was ultimately a demon, with no intention of saving the world. She did this only because...
Hua Xun lowered her head and whispered, "They should not be the sins that the God-King bears."
The deity gazed at her for a long time, his eyes falling on a strand of hair that had been ruffled by the night wind, and his fingers twitched slightly.
But in the end, he did not raise his head, only saying, "Then let's save him."
*
Although Hua Xun wanted to save those who were sacrificed, she also understood the dangers of acting rashly and making mistakes.
These young girls and boys are not yet all together; it is likely that they will only gather together on the day of the God's birthday.
Hua Xun used this time to investigate where those who had made sacrifices were being held, and then discovered that they had all been sent directly to the Nine-Story Pagoda, which was also the city lord's mansion.
The city lord, Qian Zhichou, has lived for ten thousand years. Hua Xun knows that even ten of her would probably not be a match for her.
Hua Xun had no choice but to turn her gaze to the God.
At that time, she was hiding behind the nine-story pagoda, secretly watching the movements inside.
The deity stood not far behind her, his expression serene, showing no unease whatsoever from secretly investigating. Instead, he strolled leisurely and slowly, as if taking a leisurely walk.
Receiving her gaze, the deity looked at her and smiled, "Come again on the first day of the seventh month."
Hua Xun nodded in agreement with eyes full of trust when the deity spoke.
For the next few days, Hua Xun and the Divine Lord only needed to stay in the guest house to wait for the Divine Lord's birthday to arrive, and rarely went out.
Hua Xun was busy continuing to practice magic. Although it seemed like she was cramming at the last minute, the more she practiced, the better her chances of survival.
Until the first day of the seventh lunar month, it was a rare sunny day for the demons.
There weren't many people in Thousand Shadows City during the day, and those who were there were mostly people in a hurry.
Hua Xun did not cultivate, but instead took the Divine Lord to a bamboo house she had accidentally discovered a few days earlier in the mountains behind the inn.
The house was quiet and secluded, but it was deserted and clearly no one had lived there for a long time.
In front of the bamboo house, there was a patch of flowers, grass and trees, floating and swaying in the light turbid air of the forest. A clear stream flowed through the flower patch and gurgled into the depths of the mountain forest.
"Why have you come here?" The deity looked at Hua Xun.
Hua Xun stood nervously by the stream, pursing her lips without saying a word.
The deity took two steps toward her, puzzled. "Hmm?"
The moment she finished speaking, a clear blue light suddenly appeared in Hua Xun's palm, and the stream behind her was swept up by the magic, turning into droplets of water that kept accumulating above her head.
The deity's steps gradually came to a stop.
The next instant, Hua Xun suddenly clenched her fist.
The suspended water droplets burst open instantly, turning into a finer mist that enveloped the bamboo house and flowerbeds, like a light spring rain.
A beam of light quietly fell through the gaps between the branches, shining on the misty water droplets and creating a colorful halo.
Like a small but not spectacular rainbow, it weaves together vibrant and dazzling colors.
"My Lord, may your birthday be joyful!" The girl rushed to him from under the rainbow light, looking up at him with delight.
The deity watched her quietly, tiny water droplets clinging to her hair, the emerald ribbon in her hair fluttering gently in the breeze.
"My magic is not high enough to create a true rainbow light; it's rather rudimentary..."
Hua Xun's voice abruptly stopped.
Jiuqing raised her hand and gently brushed away the water droplets from her hair.
Hua Xun blinked and held her breath.
The deity withdrew his hand, his brow furrowing slightly.
He felt the original body's rejection of the clone once again.
It was an hour later when they returned to the inn from the mountains.
Hua Xun returned to her room and immediately crawled into bed.
Thinking of the scene where the deity gently wiped away the condensation from her face, her cheeks burned uncontrollably.
It was clearly just a simple gesture, yet it seemed... to be more heartwarming than a hug.
Within his mind, the Spirit Rhinoceros Gu was also happily shaking its head.
Hua Xun extended a wisp of spiritual energy and gently squeezed it...
Downstairs, in front of the guest building.
Shang Qu saw the man and woman enter the room before he appeared from around the corner, his expression complex as he looked toward the closed window on the second floor.
He wasn't mistaken; it really was Lord Jiuqing and... that little demon named Hua Xun.
*
On the White Mist Cliff.
Shenjun Jiuqing walked slowly, step by step, alone, along the peach trees on the edge of the cliff.
Her black hair and white dress moved without wind.
He stopped in his tracks, still smiling slightly, when a petal drifted down in front of him.
He saw a beam of rainbow light, and he also saw a girl with smiling eyes, standing in front of a face that should have been completely unfamiliar to her, wishing him a happy birthday.
He felt joy, which was transmitted to his consciousness by the clone.
But he also felt a sense of loneliness.
This arose from the bottom of his heart.
These feelings are incredibly complex.
After an unknown period of time, Jiuqing inexplicably withdrew the divine power that had been suppressing the Lingxi Gu deep within her sea of consciousness.
The Lingxi Gu surged forth, swaying slowly.
Is this it?
The deity pondered quietly, then suddenly his body stiffened.
He felt a soft force stroking his back, moving upwards piece by piece along the vertebrae that protrude from his skin.
A strange feeling gradually grew in his heart, his breathing became slightly disordered, and a few traces of confusion appeared in his eyes.
As the Spirit Rhinoceros Gu gradually calmed down, the Divine Lord's eyes regained their clarity, and a breath deeper than usual slowly dissipated into the heavens and earth.
After a moment of silence, he once again used his spiritual power to suppress it deep within his sea of consciousness.
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