Xia Chuhe unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and only then did he feel that his breathing became easier.
The tight-fitting suit and leggings she wore signified that she had arrived at a place where she was given a new identity. Her weakly clenched fists warned her that she had lost her superpowers and enhanced physique, and that she had to proceed with caution in everything she did.
However, compared to the winter-damaged seedlings lying next to it, the summer-harvested rice was undoubtedly very lucky.
"Damn it, this is unfair!" Dong Huimiao's eyes were red with grievance. Why was Xia Chuhe completely fine, while she couldn't even move her hands and feet and could only lie there paralyzed!
"There's nothing unfair about it."
Xia Chuhe's nonchalant attitude drew a barrage of angry curses from Dong Huimiao.
Xia Chuhe explained calmly, "My special ability can't be used anymore, so..."
Therefore, the ability to destroy seedlings in winter is also unusable. While the inability to use abilities to weed in summer doesn't significantly affect mobility, the inability to use abilities to destroy seedlings in winter renders her physical body truly useless. She should already be grateful for the mercy of the Land of Rules for being able to speak.
Hearing Xia Chuhe's words, Dong Huimiao's mentality collapsed. Due to the nature of the Land of Rules, even if she reopened it, she would still be paralyzed, unless she could enter in her true form.
It seems the outcome of this competition is already decided.
Xia Chuhe looked around the room where the two of them were. It was a room full of Western medieval style.
The stone-walled room was dark and solemn, with a somber image of a deity hanging on the wall and a deep red curtain draped over the large bed. A sliver of light shone through the narrow window, illuminating the scattered parchment scrolls and quills on the desk.
Xia Chuhe approached the statue. It was an ingeniously conceived painting. The main body of the statue was covered with uneven gray, as if it had merged with the hanging stone wall. However, the light and decorations on the statue distinguished the god from the wall.
Xia Chuhe touched the main body of the statue, his brow furrowing. His hand didn't feel the texture of paper, but rather the roughness of the wall.
She lifted the painting and discovered that it was actually a hollowed-out painting. The artist had cleverly carved out a human figure and used just a few strokes to make the stone wall part of the painting.
Xia Chuhe suppressed his confusion and flipped through the parchment scroll on the table again. The contents of the parchment scroll were the same as the text on the stone tablet of the Temple of Heaven.
Both within and outside the realm of rules, the same deity is worshipped.
Xia Chuhe leaned against the narrow window, his gaze gazing out.
Sparse grass could not cover the barren land, and emaciated cattle and sheep huddled on the ground like stones scattered on the Red Cliff.
Seeing these animals, Xia Chuhe felt a pang of heartache.
What a terrible thing to do!
If the farm is usable, all of these should belong to her!
She can definitely fatten up cattle and sheep so much that they can be slaughtered and sliced into lots of healthy, fatty beef and lamb rolls!
Thump thump thump—
"Master, the divine messenger is outside the door, waiting to see you."
Xia Chuhe and Dong Huimiao exchanged a glance and whispered, "Just wait patiently."
Winter destroyed seedlings: "..."
Damn it, why didn't she think of such a pretentious thing when she died in Xia Chuhe's place? What a loss.
Xia Chuhe opened the door, his breath catching in his throat.
What a beautiful person.
The thin porcelain bathed in moonlight, the pine needles falling softly like frost and snow, the dewdrops lingering on rose petals... all the beauty in the world pales in comparison to the smiling glance of the woman before me.
Her beauty transcends gender.
Xia Chuhe didn't dare to breathe too loudly, afraid that his breath would disturb the person in front of him.
"Master, the divine messenger is waiting for you." The woman glanced at someone not far away.
Xia Chuhe couldn't help but follow her gaze and saw a person dressed in coarse linen clothes, with a gray headscarf wrapped around their head and small stones placed on the headscarf.
Xia Chuhe dared not look at the woman again, hurriedly responded, and walked towards the divine messenger.
Lust is one of the seven deadly sins.
Xia Chuhe's mind was slow to process; she only remembered this when she got closer to the messenger.
The messenger, dressed in coarse linen, with a slightly hunched back and a humble expression, said, "Pingtu, in the next seven days, evil beasts will attack the village. Your home has not yet been protected by the gods. I have come to remind you to be careful."
"Thank you. How can I receive God's protection?" Xia Chuhe asked directly.
"By offering sacrifices to the gods you worship, you will receive divine protection and be reborn." The messenger's words seemed to have a hidden meaning.
"What offerings should I prepare? How should I worship the gods?"
"The gods will accept everything you have. As long as you are devoted to the gods, they will reveal themselves."
Xia Chuhe exchanged a few polite words with the divine messenger before letting the man leave.
During the conversation, after staring at the stone above the messenger's head for a long time, I vaguely felt that the stone was revealing a human shape.
Xia Chuhe blurted out, "Divine messenger, please wait. May I ask which deity you worship?"
“I humbly believe in every god and dare not make any mistakes. The gods gave me life and light.”
...
Xia Chuhe stood there pondering the deeper meaning of the divine messenger's words, while also observing the layout of the courtyard.
It was called a courtyard, but it was actually just a front yard enclosed by a fence, with a few wilted scallions planted there. The living quarters consisted of just a few small houses built with stone walls. The largest house was in the very center, where the winter-damaged seedlings lay, and there were four other small houses next to it.
Compared to the neighbor's exquisite stone house and lush vegetation, this yard made Xia Chuhe feel utterly ashamed.
But now is not the time to worry about the house; the most pressing issue is how to obtain God's protection in the face of the evil beasts that attack at night.
To witness a miracle, one must find something related to God.
Xia Chuhe remembered the statue of the deity hanging in the room, hurriedly skipped over the beauty in the courtyard, and rushed into the room.
"What just happened?" Dong Huimiao asked hastily.
Xia Chuhe dismissed her with a few words, moved a wooden chair from the table, and sat in front of the statue, staring blankly at the wall.
The saying goes, "Sincerity brings results." But to what extent must one go to achieve the condition of "sincerity"?
Xia Chuhe recalled the seven virtues corresponding to the seven deadly sins, repeating them silently in her mind. With each repetition, she seemed to enter a profound and mysterious state.
Consciousness drifted out of the body, suspended in mid-air. The stone wall seeped out shadows with an asphalt-like texture, which solidified into countless cold fingers that gripped the limbs. The eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, the ringing in the ears was accompanied by distant shrill laughter, and thorny vines grew from under the chair, slowly growing and tightening around the body. Every tiny movement felt like throwing a punch in a swamp.
In a daze, fingers and vines in his consciousness slowly seeped into his body, binding Xia Chuhe so tightly that he could not move.
A dense, pricking sensation appeared in her mind. No, that's not right. It wasn't that her soul had drifted out of her body, but that something else was trying to take over her body.
"Whoosh—whoosh—"
Xia Chuhe gasped for breath, desperately trying to escape this state, but she was already stuck in the mire and could no longer move an inch.
"Xia Chuhe—Lord Xia—Head of the Family—Aunt—"
A distant call slowly flowed into her mind, and Xia Chuhe felt a sharp pain in her cheek; someone had slapped her.
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