Praying for rain
"Miss Yue'er seems to have lost a lot of weight since I last saw you. It must be that Sangmu didn't take good care of you. Don't worry, I'll have a good talk with him when we get back tomorrow. I brought some chicken today, which will help Yue'er recover," the village chief said with a smile, glancing at the chicken lying on the ground. The chicken was still looking around, occasionally flapping its wings.
The moon turned its head and looked elsewhere.
Although the village chief was displeased that Yue'er remained silent, he remained patient and wore a smile.
“Moon, I know you are a cultivator, and the most important thing for a cultivator is to accumulate virtue and do good deeds,” the village chief said.
“This village has raised you for many years, you must have grown attached to it,” the village chief said again.
...
The moon seemed to have become mute, deaf, or blind.
The village chief's patience gradually wore thin.
“This drought has killed many people, and Sangmu will die too, or perhaps he will be the first to die,” the village chief said, standing up at the end.
Everyone in the village knew that Sangmu was a blockhead, stubborn and inflexible. Since his family lived on the edge of the village, he had never known about these things. He brought food to Yue'er every day. Even if Yue'er was hard-hearted, she shouldn't really think that Sangmu was a blockhead. So the village chief was certain that Yue'er would eventually compromise for Sangmu.
The moon still didn't look at him, her gaze blankly fixed on something else, as if she were the only person in the courtyard.
The village chief opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing more. He stood in the yard and took one last look at the hen lying on the ground. The hen didn't look at him either. It kicked its swollen legs and wings a couple of times before giving up and lying still on the ground. The village chief raised his head and walked away without looking back.
Yue'er doesn't eat meat, so the chicken will eventually be released. If the chicken is released, then the rain should start to fall. How can someone who can't even bear to kill a chicken just stand by and watch the whole village die?
It's already late, and no one will break into Yue'er's room tonight, nor ever again.
Yue'er stood up, walked over to the chicken, squatted down, and used her skinny, bony hands to untie the chicken's rope. The chicken flapped its wings and lay on the ground; it would have to wait a while before it could move around freely.
When Sangmu came to Yue'er's place again, he found that the water bowl on the table was empty. Without thinking much about it, Sangmu gently put down the vegetable basket in his hand.
"Is there no water left, Miss Moon?" Sangmu asked with concern.
"You'll die if you don't leave," Yue'er said, without looking at him.
She lay in her tattered clothes, which were too big for her because she was so thin, covering her on the chair like a blanket.
“Yes, I’ll stay here with you, young lady,” Sang Mu said frankly, his gaze fixed on her with undisguised tenderness.
"Sangmu, I won't save you if you don't leave," Yue'er said coldly, tilting her head back and ignoring him.
"I know, thank you, young lady," Sangmu said, then smiled sheepishly.
"Fool," Yue'er murmured.
Sangmu looked at her and smiled.
In the past two days, Yue'er's courtyard has gradually become lively again. The village chief first organized the villagers to beg Yue'er. After begging for three or four days, he changed to persuasion. When persuasion failed, he changed to threats. But no matter what they said or did, Yue'er remained silent and did not even look at them. She was like a statue without a soul, and they were just worshipping a useless god.
The villagers only truly panicked when the last well in the village dried up. They ran to Yue'er to beg again, but Yue'er, with her gaunt face, sat on a chair in the courtyard without uttering a word. In the end, the people had no choice but to leave cursing and never came back again.
Sangmu was thrown into Yue'er's courtyard one night. He was pale and thin. His once strong body had become emaciated due to dehydration. He was only wearing a thin pair of trousers and his body was covered with bruises and bloodstains from whipping. When Yue'er found him, he was already dazed and about to die.
No one knows how Yue'er, with her slender frame, managed to carry such a large man back to the room. When Sang Mu woke up, he was already sleeping on Yue'er's bed, and the bloodstains on his body had been wiped clean.
"You're awake," Yue'er's voice came from beside the bed.
Sang Mu suddenly sat up in bed with a start, the blanket slipping off her body to reveal her wheat-colored skin. Sang Mu pulled the blanket up a little embarrassedly and smiled sheepishly.
"Miss Moon!" he called out, vaguely remembering that he had been beaten and thrown away elsewhere. He looked around the room and suddenly realized that this was not his home.
The Moon Maiden never leaves home; this must be her home.
"You were unconscious for three days. Who injured you?" Yue'er simply asked.
Under the moonlight, the bruises on Yue'er's face disappeared, and she didn't seem so thin anymore. Under her fair skin, only her two eyes shone brightly black, making her extremely beautiful.
"I don't remember," Sangmu said in a low voice, lowering his head and looking away involuntarily, clearly lying.
"You can't lie, tell me!" Yue'er said bluntly in a cold voice, with a commanding tone.
“Miss Moon, would you be sad if I died?” Sangmu asked.
"No," Yue'er said coldly.
"That's good," Sangmu said.
He lifted the covers to get out of bed, but his legs gave way and he fell headfirst into Yue'er's arms. Yue'er sat silently in the chair, but he was so startled that he jumped up, his face turning bright red.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Sangmu said.
"Let's go, Sangmu. It's not worth dying for me," Yue'er said calmly.
“It’s worth it. Now that I’m alright, I’ll go outside and keep watch over the girl,” Sangmu said.
"No need," Yue'er refused, for she had already passed the age where she needed protection.
“To be honest, Miss Yue’er, I overheard a Taoist priest yesterday telling the villagers that offering the goddess’s pure heart as a sacrifice could summon rain. Miss Yue’er, I think you will be in danger these next few days,” Sang Mu said. He had been unconscious for three days, so for him, the events before he lost consciousness were just yesterday.
“They told you on purpose, just to lure you over,” Yue’er said.
"Lead me? Why?" Sangmu asked, puzzled.
Sometimes he's really like a block of wood, only having one screw.
"They're just using your life to force me to submit, or rather, to test me. They're not sure if I prayed for the rain back then, so they're looking for an excuse to test my strength," Yue'er explained.
“But I, I alone…” Sang Mu lowered his eyes and murmured softly. He was just a rough countryman, while Miss Yue’er was a high and mighty goddess. How could Miss Yue’er be coerced by someone for his sake?
“Sangmu, I’m dying,” Yue’er said calmly.
"What? Miss Yue'er, how could you die?" Sang Mu was anxious. He wanted to squat down, but instead he knelt down in front of Yue'er and stared straight at her.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the Moon Girl's face was as pale as paper, and even her lips had lost all color.
"Sangmu, if you were about to die, what would you most want to do?" Yue'er asked calmly. She remained seated because she could no longer stand up.
"How can I save you?" Sangmu asked without hesitation.
“Sangmu, I want something from you that only you have,” Yue’er said.
“Take whatever you want, young lady,” Sang Mu said, looking at Yue’er with a firm gaze.
"I want your cultivation from your past life," Yue'er said.
"How can I give it to you?" Sangmu asked, his gaze firm and resolute.
Yue'er reached out and gently pulled Sangmu down. Sangmu followed the movement, and his lips touched Yue'er's cold lips, startling him. He tried to get up but Yue'er stopped him. He felt his heart pounding wildly, and this frenzy made him sink into despair. He sucked on her soft lips, using all his warmth to warm her cold body. He gently lifted Yue'er up with his strong hands, and Yue'er did not resist, letting him carry her to the bed.
Like rain after a long drought, the mulberry tree's body, which was almost withered, was finally nourished. He admired and loved the moon, and because of his love, he had always restrained himself. But at this moment, he finally embraced his love and poured out all his desires without reservation. After a long while, he got up from the moon, feeling a little tired, and gently stroked the moon's small face, which was only the size of a palm, looking at her with great heartache.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't control myself. Did I hurt you?" Sang Mu asked softly.
With a twist of her body, Yue'er escaped from under Chongsangmu. She picked up her clothes and put them on. The cold moonlight shone on her thin face, making her already cold gaze appear even more icy.
"It's alright," Yue'er said calmly, as if nothing had just happened.
He got out of bed still wearing only a thin pair of trousers, and for some reason, he, who was never afraid of the cold, felt that the weather was a bit chilly.
"Moon," he called out, walked to Moon's side, gently embraced her from behind, and rested his head on her slender shoulder with heartfelt affection.
“They’re here,” Yue’er said.
The villagers had assumed Sangmu was dead, so when they rushed into the room and saw the lively Sangmu wearing only shorts, they were clearly stunned for a moment. But then their emotions were filled with anger, as if something that originally belonged to them had suddenly been taken away by someone else, and coincidentally, that thing had willingly gone with that person. So people were jealous, and their jealousy turned into anger.
"You adulterous couple!" the village chief shouted, taking the lead.
“One must take responsibility for one’s actions. You must not wrong Yue’er,” Sang Muhu shouted in front of Yue’er.
“Sangmu, I pity you for losing your parents at a young age, which is why you were bewitched by this witch. Today we will sacrifice this witch to the heavens,” the village chief said angrily.
"If you want to hurt her, then take my life first!" Sangmu said, standing in front of Yue'er, his resolve as firm as a mountain.
"Then don't blame us for being impolite," the village chief said fiercely.
Excessive thirst caused people to regress to their animalistic state. They desperately needed rain to quench their parched throats, so no matter what, they were determined to take Yue'er away today.
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