Chapter 34 We're determined to handle this matter...
The man turned around and said to Si Yao and Li Ye, "This is my humble abode. Please come in."
Si Yao and Li Ye did not hesitate and stepped across the threshold into the ordinary courtyard.
The main hall in the courtyard was lit up. An elderly couple, both nearing sixty, were leaning on the door as they walked into the courtyard. When they saw the man leading Si Yao and Li Ye, they were startled and became wary.
The old woman, trembling with fear, finally couldn't help but ask, "Xuan'er, who are these two?"
She had barely finished speaking when she saw the man's injuries and was even more shocked. "Xuan'er, your injuries..."
Instead of directly answering the question about his injury, the man introduced them: "Mother, these two guests are cultivators from the Joyful Union Sect. Perhaps they can help us."
At this point, the man turned around again and bowed to Si Yao and Li Ye, "My name is Lin Xuan, and these are my mother and father."
Si Yao looked at Lin's father and mother and said politely, "Excuse me, sirs."
Upon hearing that they were cultivators from the Hehuan Sect, the two elders lowered their guard considerably and immediately followed Lin Xuan in warmly inviting Si Yao and her disciple into the house.
"Han Niang, our honored guest has arrived. Please serve tea." Lin Xuan called out towards the inner room.
A short while later, a young woman came over with two cups of tea and respectfully placed them in front of Si Yao and Li Ye.
When the woman saw Lin Xuan's tattered clothes and several wounds, her face instantly turned bitter, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She didn't cry out loud, but covered her mouth and ran into the inner room. She quickly brought out a set of clean clothes. "Husband, please change your clothes first."
Lin Xuan shook his head, placed the clothes on the table beside him, and then said to Si Yao, "Immortal Master, the lady beside me is my newlywed wife, named Zhao Xuehan."
Zhao Xuehan bowed to Si Yao and Li Ye.
Si Yao quickly said, "You don't need to be so polite, Lin Xuan, please tell us what grievances or difficulties you have."
Lin's mother and father glanced at Zhao Xuehan subconsciously, and then both sighed.
Just as Lin Xuan was about to speak, there was a commotion outside the door.
Then, a familiar voice rang out, "Si Yao, so you're here!"
Si Yao looked up and saw that Yu Ke and Tang Che had actually appeared in front of the Lin family's door.
They actually followed us!
Lin Xuan hurriedly stood up, his face filled with panic, and said to Si Yao, "Immortal Master, who are they...?"
Si Yao said, "They are also cultivators of the Hehuan Sect, my fellow disciples, so don't be afraid."
Lin's parents exchanged a glance, then said to Lin Xuan, "Quickly invite them in."
In no time, the Lin family's main hall was filled with people.
"Now that all four immortal masters have arrived, I, Lin Xuan, will no longer conceal anything."
Lin Xuan took a deep breath. "Two years ago, a river god descended upon the Yunshui River. Every month, he would marry a woman from our Yunshui County. The Mr. Xue we met at the Fenglai Inn just now was named Xue Qing. He can be said to be the matchmaker and officiant of the river god's wedding. He was in charge of organizing the river god's wedding ceremony every month."
"Wait!" Yu Ke interrupted Lin Xuan. "The River God is getting married? But just now at the inn, Xue Qing seemed to be trying to get your wife on behalf of the River God."
Hearing this, Si Yao nodded, "Your Hanniang is already married to you, so how can she marry the River God?"
"Sigh!" Lin Xuan slapped his knee, his face filled with anger and resentment. "This is the strange quirk of the river god. He wants to marry married women. For the past two years, for dozens of months, every bride has been someone else's wife."
"Such a thing is true!" Yu Ke's voice rose slightly.
Si Yao also found it unbelievable that the river god actually had a thing for married women.
"Many married women in the city have been taken by the River God. Xue Qing had already prepared a list of brides for the River God years ago. And this time, it's my Han Niang's turn. I want to resist, but Xue Qing has many people and is powerful. You all saw it with your own eyes just now. I am powerless to change anything..."
Lin Xuan couldn't continue speaking; his shoulders trembled slightly, and he seemed to be sobbing.
Lin's parents looked sorrowful and turned away to wipe their tears.
“Husband…it’s all my fault…” Zhao Xuehan started crying again, “It’s all my fault for bringing trouble to the Lin family.”
Lin Xuan, with tears in his eyes, held Zhao Xuehan's hand and said, "Hanniang, how can this be your fault? You can only blame me. If I hadn't married you, you wouldn't have suffered this misfortune..."
"Husband!" Zhao Xuehan cried even harder, burying her head in Lin Xuan's arms.
Seeing this, Si Yao quickly comforted her, "This is not your fault. Xue Qing and the River God are the real culprits."
"This is outrageous!" Yu Ke exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table. "What is the origin of the river god of Yunshui River? If he dares to call himself a god, why would he do something like forcibly abducting a woman from the countryside!"
Lin's mother sighed repeatedly, "That's not a river god at all. The women he married over the years have never appeared in Yunshui County again. There are rumors that the river god ate all those brides."
"Eat it, eat it!" Tang Che's eyes widened. "That means it's not a god at all, it must be a monster!"
Compared to Tang Che, Li Ye was calm and composed. He slowly asked, "Old man, could you tell me where those brides were sent on their wedding day?"
Lin's mother's eyes became distant as she began to recall: "The last time the River God took a wife, I secretly followed and took a look. The bride was sent to the Cloud Water River by her former husband's family. When the Cloud Water River lifted a hundred-foot-long water curtain, a waterway would appear leading to the back of the water curtain. Led by Xue Qing, the bride entered the water curtain, and then, she could see nothing at all."
Si Yao stroked her chin, pondering, "In other words, all those brides were sent into the Yunshui River."
At this point, she turned her gaze to Yu Ke beside her, "If the River God is really a demon, perhaps those brides were eaten by that monster the moment they entered the Cloud Water River."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Xuehan's face turned ashen, and she swayed and collapsed to the ground. "Eaten...ate...were all the brides eaten?"
She was trembling all over, her face filled with endless fear.
Lin Xuan pulled Zhao Xuehan along, and the two of them knelt down before Si Yao and the others, saying, "Four immortals, we beg you to save my Hanniang."
Zhao Xuehan also kowtowed, "Please, please save me, I... I don't want to be eaten, I don't want to die..."
Yu Ke's chest heaved, and she couldn't help but stand up. "Get up quickly, we're determined to handle this!"
Si Yao was slightly taken aback and looked up at her.
Yu Ke transmitted her voice to Si Yao, "What are you looking at? Are you going to just sit here and do nothing?"
Si Yao smiled and replied, "Of course not, I'm just shocked that our Elder Yu Ke is so chivalrous."
Yu Ke snorted coldly, "Within the sect, I was far more ambitious and upright than you. Now that I've descended the mountain, I naturally understand compassion for all living beings far better than you do."
Si Yao almost rolled her eyes, but she had no choice but to hold it in.
She also got up and helped the four members of the Lin family to their feet one by one. "Don't worry, we will find a way to resolve this for you."
Upon hearing that the two female immortals had spoken, a glimmer of hope finally ignited in the eyes of the four members of the Lin family.
As night deepened, the Lin family began preparing dinner for the four members of the Hehuan Sect.
Inside the lobby, Yu Ke glanced at Si Yao and asked, "Hey, speaking of helping, what are your plans?"
By this time, Lin Xuan had changed into clean clothes and returned to the main hall. Yu Ke had treated his injuries earlier, and he looked much better than before.
Si Yao pondered for a moment, then Lin Xuan handed her a red scroll. "This was given to me by Xue Qing. He said that the River God will marry my Han Niang in two days, and that our Lin family should follow the instructions on this scroll."
The scroll was opened, and Si Yao and Yu Ke huddled together, heads close, to study it carefully.
It clearly states that on the wedding day, the bride's original husband's family will arrange the wedding sedan chair and the wedding procession. Then, the bride's original husband, also dressed in wedding attire and riding a white horse, will personally escort the bride to the Yunshui River. Finally, the original husband will take the bride's hand and hand her over to Xue Qing.
After reading the contents of the scroll, Si Yao and Yu Ke looked at each other simultaneously.
The two were indignant and shouted, "Is this river god a pervert?!"
Seeing the two elders so angry, Tang Che walked over shakily, picked up the scroll they had thrown on the ground, and looked at it. His eyes widened. "That river god is really perverted. Does he want to experience the thrill of personally snatching a man's wife from his hands?"
At this point, Tang Che turned to look at Li Ye and said, "Senior brother, do you think what I said is right? We men can't act like this."
Li Ye: "..."
Lin Xuan's emotions were amplified, and he unleashed his pent-up anger, "That's why I said that river god is a monster! He uses the name of the river god to poison women! Four immortals, I beg you to do justice for the poor people of Yunshui County!"
Si Yao nodded, already having made up her mind. "I've thought it through. Let's do it this way."
Yu Ke narrowed her eyes. "Tell me your plan."
“The Lin family has four members, and we also have four.” Si Yao’s eyes sparkled. “In that case, the four of us will pretend to be the four members of the Lin family, and two days later, on the wedding day, we will go to Yunshui River to see for ourselves. Because of our disguise, Xue Qing will naturally lower his guard against us.”
“That doesn’t seem like a bad idea,” Yu Ke said, stroking her chin and looking Si Yao up and down. “Who are you going to pretend to be?”
Si Yao's gaze fell on Yu Ke, a sly glint in her eyes. "Yu Ke, you are as beautiful as a flower. Why don't you dress up as the bride, and I will dress up as Lin's mother?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Ke immediately stomped her foot in protest, "That won't do! If you pretend to be Lin's mother and I pretend to be Zhao Xuehan, wouldn't I have to call you 'Mother'? Wouldn't that be taking advantage of me?"
Si Yao almost burst out laughing.
Yu Ke pouted and glared at Si Yao resentfully, "So this was your plan all along! I'm not going to be taken advantage of! I'll play the role of Lin's mother, you can stay as the bride!"
Si Yao also refused to agree, saying, "How about this, we draw lots."
Yu Ke snorted loudly, "Fine! Let's decide the winner by drawing lots!"
As a result, Yu Ke drew the words "Lin's Mother" in the lottery. She was overjoyed, "Hahaha, Si Yao, you're doomed! Get ready to call me 'Mother'!"
Si Yao opened the note in her hand and saw that, sure enough, she would be playing the role of Zhao Xuehan next.
Tang Che and Li Ye drew lots and their names were "Lin's Father" and "Lin Xuan" respectively.
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