A loud slap landed hard on Lu Jiaojiao's face.
Lu Jiaojiao was stunned by the beating and looked at Shen Qingtang in disbelief.
"Why did you hit me?" Lu Jiaojiao screamed, covering her face.
"Hit you? Hitting you would be too lenient!" Shen Qingtang looked at her coldly. "I kindly tried to help everyone leave, but you're here spreading rumors and sowing discord! What are you up to?"
Lu Jin and Lin Peirou stood aside, watching this scene, their faces turning pale and then red.
They wanted to speak up for Lu Jiaojiao, but they didn't dare because they knew Shen Qingtang was not someone to be trifled with now.
Shen Qingtang ignored them and looked at everyone, saying firmly, "I know you are all anxious, but please believe me, I will definitely find a way to get you all away. Building a ship takes time and materials, and I will come up with a plan as soon as possible. I hope everyone can work together to overcome this difficulty."
Just then.
A villager ran over in a panic, shouting, "Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened! The neighboring village has been flooded by the sea! It's completely flooded!"
Upon hearing this, everyone panicked.
"What? The neighboring village is flooded?"
"Will our village be flooded too?"
"I heard that the river god is angry and demands that we sacrifice young boys and girls, or he will flood our homes!"
More and more villagers gathered around, chattering amongst themselves.
They said that children have been going missing in the village recently because the river god is collecting "offerings." If they don't send children to the river god soon, the entire island will be submerged by the sea.
Shen Qingtang frowned, immediately thinking of the previous child abduction case.
"River God sacrifice?" Shen Qingtang wondered to herself, "Could this be related to the 'resurrection of the king' that the white-bearded old Taoist priest who kidnapped the children mentioned before? Why do they turn the land into the sea? And why do they kidnap children for sacrifice?"
She couldn't understand the conspiracy behind it.
But she knew that this was definitely not a simple natural disaster or superstitious activity.
"Don't panic, everyone!"
Shen Qingtang shouted, "The so-called river god sacrifice is all a rumor! The missing children and the flooded village must be the work of someone! We cannot believe the rumors, and we certainly cannot sacrifice children! We must unite and find the mastermind behind this so that we can truly protect ourselves and our homes!"
Her words calmed some people down, but many others were still terrified by the rumors and insisted on sacrificing the child.
Shen Qingtang knew that the most important thing now was to find out the truth as soon as possible and find the mastermind behind it all.
Otherwise, not only will these children be in danger, but the entire island could face annihilation.
Rumors about the ritual spread like a plague across the island, causing widespread panic.
Lu Jin and Lin Peirou were terrified, especially Lu Jin. Looking at the chaotic scene before him, his resentment towards Shen Qingtang deepened.
He felt that if it weren't for Shen Qingtang meddling, they would have left this godforsaken place long ago.
His gaze swept across the crowd with a sinister intent.
Finally, the blame fell on Pei Nian'an. A wicked thought began to sprout in his mind.
"I have an idea!"
Lu Jin suddenly shouted, drawing everyone's attention, "Let's hand over all the children in the village! It's better for a few children to die than for all of us to die here!"
His words were like a thunderclap, causing an uproar among the crowd.
"What? Hand over the child? That's our own flesh and blood!"
Someone immediately objected.
"So what if they're your own flesh and blood?"
Lu Jin sneered, his tone icy, "If we keep them alive, we'll all die! Only by sacrificing them can we survive!"
Lin Peirou stood to the side, her face pale.
But he didn't dare say a word.
She just looked at the people around her with timid eyes, appearing weak and helpless.
The officials were already frustrated by being stranded on the island.
Hearing Lu Jin's words, he became even more furious.
"fart!"
Officer Zhang roared, "We're law enforcement officers, here to escort prisoners, not to die! This wretched place is a curse! If I'd known it would turn out like this, I would never have come!"
"that is!"
The other officials chimed in, "We don't care about any river god or anything like that. Whoever wants to send their child can do it, just don't drag us into it!"
Although they were angry, they only talked about it and didn't really mean to stop it.
Shen Qingtang trembled with anger upon hearing Lu Jin's words.
She pointed at Lu Jin and said sternly, "Are you even human? Those are innocent children! You're actually sending them to their deaths!"
"So what?"
Lu Jin glared back at Shen Qingtang without backing down, "It's better than us all dying here! Shen Qingtang, don't just stand there and talk like you're not in the same boat. If you're so capable, hand over Pei Nian'an!"
"If you're going to hand her over, hand over your daughter Lu Jiaojiao first!" Shen Qingtang refused to back down. "Isn't she your most precious daughter? Since you think it doesn't matter that the child died, then send her over first!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiaojiao screamed in terror, "I won't go! I won't go! I'm Fu Bao, I can't die! Shen Qingtang, you bitch, you want to kill me!"
"Smack!"
Shen Qingtang slapped Lu Jiaojiao across the face again, making her see stars.
"If you dare utter another curse, I'll throw you into the sea right now!" Shen Qingtang's eyes were icy cold.
Lu Jiaojiao was too scared to speak after being beaten, so she just covered her face and cried pitifully. Lin Peirou was also trembling with fear, her head lowered, looking utterly pitiful.
Wavering began to emerge in the crowd. Some, in an effort to protect themselves, actually started preparing to hand over their children, constantly urging others: "Don't hesitate! To survive, we have no choice but to sacrifice our children!"
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