Ling Xiao's stamp collecting plan was temporarily put on hold, simply because the fish that Nüba wanted to catch had finally taken the bait.
The commoners outside the Xiang mansion peeked out, their curiosity piqued as the magnificent carriages passed by.
Someone was counting the horses pulling the most luxurious carriage at the front: one, two, three... six!
Oh my, this is terrible! The rules of etiquette dictate that the emperor should ride in a six-horse chariot, while the feudal lords should ride in a five-horse chariot. Now that the Zhou emperor no longer exists, these feudal lords have long since exceeded the rules of etiquette.
In the state of Chu, a six-horse chariot could only have been ridden by the king of Chu.
……………………
When King Fuchu met Nüba, he immediately bowed deeply upon their first meeting, displaying extreme humility, and recited beautiful, albeit difficult, poems.
"System, what is he muttering about?"
Ling Xiao wondered if she had become illiterate, since she couldn't understand anything at all!
"Ahem, the State of Chu is different from the states of the Central Plains. They have their own customs and habits, and even their writing system is different; they use a bird script, so of course the host can't understand it."
The system also gossiped:
"Both Chu and Qin were notorious barbarian states, ostracized by other countries. Otherwise, why would they frequently intermarry? It could be considered a form of solidarity."
Ling Xiao suddenly realized, "No wonder Qin and Chu have such bad reputations." In those little stories, Qin was portrayed as tyrannical and Chu as barbaric; it turns out it was all about exclusion.
"Host, I advise you not to speak ill of the barbarians of Chu," the system said with a wink.
"Why?"
"Because you said you're from Hunan, right? The State of Chu is located in this area! Hahahahahahaha!"
Ling Xiao gritted his teeth, and everyone saw that Nüba was displeased and kept plucking feathers from Cangying's body.
The scene was terrifying. Just then, the King of Chu finished reciting a long string of flattering words and, trying to ignore his inner panic, said to Nüba:
"Great Goddess Nüba, we, along with the State of Chu, have sincerely offered sacrifices for many years, and finally we have awaited your arrival. We beseech you, Great Goddess Nüba, to assist our nation in driving out the tyrannical Qin."
Of course, it would be best if we could help him destroy the Qin state directly.
The other nobles behind the King of Chu, dressed in tall hats and silk robes, also spoke up, echoing the King's sentiments.
Ling Xiao: ...If I had that ability, why would I bother with all that? Wouldn't it be better to just sweep everything aside and become the empress myself?
"The King of Qin is the future Human Emperor, his destiny is already largely connected to the human race, and he also has my father's protection! Although I can help you, I cannot directly intervene."
Ling Xiao looked down at everyone, her tone arrogant. Her long red hair twisted and turned forward from time to time without wind, brushing against people's skin, making people feel scared and terrified.
Upon hearing this, the King of Chu and his entourage were disappointed, but dared not offend her, and agreed without asking Nüba how she would help them.
At that moment, a dark figure suddenly appeared from the side.
The high wizard, wearing a hat that resembled neither a beast nor a human, with long robes and wide sleeves, and hands that were withered like bird claws, bowed tremblingly and said:
"The great shaman of Chu pays homage to the goddess Nüba, and the junior shaman has prepared a grand sacrificial ceremony to welcome the goddess."
The purest maidens offered a sacrificial dance to the gods, and eighteen pairs of young boys and girls came to invite the great god to enjoy them.
As he spoke, he raised his deeply lined face, revealing his effort to appear humble and submissive.
However, his long-term high position made his expression very strange; at least Ling Xiao felt it was an eyesore just by looking at him.
The term "virgin boy" or "virgin girl" implies that they are either devoured alive by the demon Nüba or have their blood and marrow extracted; in any case, they will not fare well.
However, the people of Chu present took it all for granted and did not sense anything amiss.
Ling Xiao revealed a mocking expression. When she worked for her previous employer, she had eaten anything to survive, even swallowing the eyeballs of ghosts without looking at them.
But he has never eaten a human!
"No matter what situation a person falls into, there must be a bottom line. If we eat people, we are no longer human."
Ling Xiao recalled her teammate's words: "That dungeon was so hungry, I could feel my stomach digesting itself."
Looking at the people of Chu again, Ling Xiao suddenly became unhappy. It was clearly their speculation about the evil goddess Nüba's behavior that led them to commit the human sacrifice.
It's ridiculous. Is Ling Xiao the kind of person who understands others? All she knows is that these people have upset her.
Then you shouldn't live a good life.
The great wizard looked at his god with anticipation and excitement.
He thought to himself that if Nüba liked it, he would find more people to serve the gods, as it would be their blessing.
The next second, his eyes were pierced!
Ahh, blood spurted from the great wizard's eyes as he howled and writhed.
The two strands of red hair that Nüba had retracted dripped blood continuously in mid-air. Under the sunlight, it was hard to tell whether the red hair was redder or the blood was more vibrant.
The Chu king and his ministers were greatly alarmed, not knowing why Nüba had suddenly become angry. The king trembled and almost collapsed to his knees.
"Blood sacrifices to humans were a custom of the old Heavenly Court, and they actually used it to worship me? They're truly courting death."
Nuba combed her long hair with her hands instead of a comb, and said with an icy look in her eyes.
Only then did everyone remember that the Moon Goddess had mentioned the old and new Heavenly Courts, and that the Eastern Emperor Taiyi, whom they had always believed in, had been dethroned.
In the mortal realm, even a new emperor brings a new court, so this kind of sacrificial ceremony is an offense to the gods of the new Heavenly Court.
Even a wicked goddess like Nüba—no, it's precisely because she's a wicked goddess that she acts without restraint.
Ling Xiao's casual excuse was thoroughly analyzed by them, who understood the whole story.
"Great Goddess Nuba, please forgive me. I guarantee that there will be no more human sacrifices within the borders of Chu, and the worship of Donghuang Taiyi will be replaced by yours."
While apologizing, the King of Chu was also very troubled. The Chu state lacked cohesion, and the powerful nobles within its borders were very influential. It would not be easy to persuade them not to perform the human sacrifice.
However, with the goddess Nüba around, I believe they will know when to back down.
After this incident, Xiang Yan signaled his servants to drag the great shaman out, showing no mercy.
Believers rejected by God are useless!
Nuwa looked somewhat weary and said:
"I am skilled in making weapons and armor. I led the men to forge all the weapons for the soldiers under my father, the Yellow Emperor, and the output was extremely high. Now I will bestow these weapons upon you."
As he spoke, he took out a book called "Essential Techniques of Weapon Forging"—a handwritten copy by Ling Xiao of the small blast furnace techniques for large-scale steelmaking that circulated in the 1950s and 60s, which was extremely advanced for this era.
Everyone's eyes lit up, and they instantly forgot their earlier fright. Armor provides a significant boost to soldiers.
A soldier wearing iron armor, holding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, can defeat more than five unarmored soldiers with wooden spears.
"On behalf of the subjects of Chu, I thank the great goddess Nüba."
The King of Chu took the booklet, touched it carefully a couple of times, and then quickly stuffed it into his sleeve.
At this point, Ling Xiao added with a playful tone, "There are methods within it to extract gold, silver, and copper ore, which will increase production by at least 30%."
She wasn't lying; the pamphlet did indeed contain these methods, such as roasting and preliminary selection...
As for how much conflict it will cause, and whether the forging of weapons will be delayed by the refining of gold and silver, that is not something that Nüba can decide.
The King of Chu was overjoyed, clutching the book in his sleeve tightly. The Chu ministers looked on with eager anticipation.
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