Chapter 404 If There Is a God
The mountain road leading to the city twists and turns like a rising Z shape.
On either side of the road, tall and short houses stretched from the foot of the mountain all the way up the slope. Men, women, young and old, all stood by the roadside, curiously watching Shen Yuexi and the other two. They seemed surprised that just three people were planning to attack a city.
At first, Shen Yuexi thought that these people wearing Dayan costumes would stop them, but when she saw that these people had no ill intentions, she walked up with confidence.
"You won't be able to see the city lord," an old man with a pipe in his mouth reminded them as they passed by, "unless she wants to see you."
Su Mo said to the old man: "Uncle, the city lord is our mother, she will meet us."
The old man was stunned for a moment, then said to the little boy hiding behind him, "Grandson, go get some coconut juice for the three guests to quench their thirst." Then he pointed at Shen Yuexi and said, "Come and see the city lord. This lady is pregnant, and she must be working very hard."
Shen Yuexi felt a little embarrassed, but since she was tired from walking anyway, she asked Xiao Zhuo to help her sit down on a clean rock.
After a while, the little boy came over with three large yellow and green coconuts in his arms. She took one of the coconuts, touched the boy's head with a smile and said, "Are you born on this island?"
The little boy was a little shy and shook his head timidly.
The old man tapped his pipe on a nearby tree stump and said, "Madam, you are wrong. There is no one on this island. It is just a deserted island."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhuo looked surprised and asked, "Did so many of you migrate here?"
The old man said, "Yes, we have lived here for twenty years. The city on the top of the mountain was built by us."
He raised his pipe with a touch of pride, gesturing towards the fields and houses below. "Look, before, this island was just trees and rocks. Now, it's not an exaggeration to call it a paradise."
Looking down the mountain, Shen Yuexi discovered that the scenery was just as the old man had described. Beneath the blue sky and white clouds, on islands surrounded by the azure sea, neatly arranged squares of green fields stood. A small, earthy-yellow path wound its way up the mountain. Standing here, feeling the gentle sea breeze, and gazing out across the horizon, it was a refreshing experience.
Xiao Zhuo poked a hole in the coconut with his sword and handed it to her. She took it and took a big sip. The coconut milk tasted sweet, with a hint of immature astringency. She thought to herself, this place is really nice. I didn't expect Pei Jingyun to be such a good choice.
Su Mo said to the old man, "Old man, since you migrated from the inland of Dayan, where were you originally from?"
The old man said, "It's hard to say. There are people from all over the place." He pointed to the house next to his house with his pipe and said, "The one next to us is from Liangzhou, and the one over there is from Anzhou."
Shen Yuexi put down the coconut with satisfaction and said, "What about your family, old man?"
"We are from Jingxi." The little boy said with courage, "We are from the west of Jingzhou."
The old man smiled and tapped the little boy's head lightly with his pipe. He said to Su Mo, "I used to have a daughter, but she was chosen to be a servant in the government. I haven't seen her for almost thirty years since I came to this island."
Shen Yuexi was startled, remembering the dead women in the Daliang Village underground cave. She vaguely understood that some of the island's residents were the families of those deceased women, and Pei Jingyun had brought them all to live on the island.
The old man didn't notice her expression and continued, "But it's okay this way. Life wasn't as leisurely as it is now. I had to pay taxes every year, and I could encounter bandits while walking. This is all thanks to the city lord..."
Shen Yuexi put the coconut down and said to Xiao Zhuo, "Husband, let's go."
She wanted to tell the old man that her daughter was dead. However, she didn't know which woman was the old man's daughter, and she had no evidence. She saw that the old man was very satisfied with his current life, so she decided to let him live out the rest of his life in peace.
The old man was nagging when he saw Shen Yuexi stand up and asked hurriedly, "Madam, you are from outside the island. Has the current emperor changed?"
"Changed," Xiao Beiheng's voice sounded not far away, "Three have been changed."
Su Mo saw Xiao Beiheng coming and hurried forward to greet him. Seeing that he was injured in the shoulder and waist, she was frightened and asked, "Beiheng, are your injuries serious?"
Xiao Zhuo also helped Shen Yuexi up and came over to check.
Xiao Beiheng acted as if nothing had happened and said to the three of them, "It's just a minor wound. I applied some medicine myself and it's fine now."
The old man was shocked to hear that there had been three emperors. He said to Xiao Beiheng, "You young man, you have a nice appearance, but you're just a liar. What's an emperor... and you've changed three? You're just playing house like a child."
Xiao Beiheng said: "I'm not lying. I was once the emperor, but I don't want it anymore."
Every word he said was true, but the old man was even more surprised after hearing it. He raised his pipe and just chased him away: "Go away, go away. At first I thought he was a liar, but I didn't expect him to be a lunatic... Grandson, please don't give him coconuts."
Xiao Beiheng ignored the old man and walked quickly up the mountain. Su Mo hurriedly followed him. Shen Yuexi and Xiao Zhuo followed closely behind.
After walking for a while, Xiao Beiheng said to Su Mo, "Momo, do I really look like someone who is used to telling lies?"
Su Mo smiled and took his arm and said, "Bei Heng, how could you doubt this? You can't tell whether a person is lying or not from their face."
"Maybe the gods can change a person's appearance," Xiao Beiheng said worriedly, "I've told too many lies before. Have I really changed..."
Shen Yuexi rushed over and said, "Brother, don't let your imagination run wild. You look fine. The dark circles are gone, and you look much more energetic."
She still remembered seeing Xiao Beiheng on Wangyou Peak. His eye sockets were sunken, his cheekbones were prominent, his eye circles were frighteningly dark, and his chin was covered with stubble. He looked like a prisoner who had endured countless tortures and was in endless pain. Although Xiao Beiheng had not yet fully recovered his former charm, he was much better than before.
Xiao Beiheng shuddered, suddenly realizing that he hadn't had nightmares since he hadn't known for some time. He seemed to have lost that problem when he accompanied Shen Yuexi and the others south. Even without Su Mo by his side, he could still sleep peacefully.
He hadn't noticed this change in himself until Shen Yuexi reminded him.
"Did the gods let me go?" He looked at Shen Yuexi in surprise and joy, "Sister-in-law, are you saying that the gods let me go?"
Shen Yuexi smiled and said, "I'm not a god, how would I know. If there really is a god... then it must be my sister-in-law."
The moment Su Mo jumped off the cliff, she became Xiao Beiheng's spirit and pulled this doomed man out of hell.
Touched, Xiao Beiheng hugged Su Mo and said excitedly, "Momo, sister-in-law is right, you are my god. No matter what happens in the future, we will be together. I will spend the rest of my life to make up for my previous sins."
Su Mo was moved by his words, and she smiled and cried, "Bei Heng, I'm really happy."
Xiao Beiheng had said something similar before, but it was false at that time. Now she knew that Xiao Beiheng was speaking from the heart.
She took Xiao Beiheng's hand and ran towards the city gate not far away: "Let's go see mother."
Seeing the two of them reconcile, Shen Yuexi felt touched and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
She discovered that deep hatred can destroy a person, but true love can also save a person. When she and Xiao Zhuo were struggling in the muddy storm, and Xiao Zhuo was in despair, it was her love for him that kept her going. However, Xiao Beiheng's love was only suppressed by heavy cruelty and indifference.
She was just about to say something kind to Xiao Zhuo when countless hissing sounds suddenly rang out from the surrounding bushes, just like the lit fuses when setting off fireworks as a child.
Before she could react, Xiao Zhuo suddenly rushed towards her, pushed her to the ground and protected her with his body, shouting: "Firearm!"
Bang bang bang bang bang!
Intensive gunfire rang out.
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