To become the bride of a god.
In the myths, legends, and strange tales that Xia Chuhe had heard, this was not a story that would end well.
Xia Chuhe's knowledge of mythology was not extensive; she only knew two stories about the bride of the gods.
One is the Luohua Cave Girl from the Xiangxi legend. An unmarried woman, suffering from emotional distress, hallucinated and claimed that she had been chosen by the cave god to be his wife. She then went on a hunger strike, dressed up, and died with a smile.
One is the Sati's self-immolation pact in Hindu mythology. Shiva's wife Sati immolated herself because her father humiliated her husband, and Parvati, born from her ashes, "voluntarily" remarried Shiva.
The former is a magical projection of the predicament of the times and the oppressive fate of women imposed by feudal ethics, while the latter is a sanctification and whitewashing of Hinduism's practice of widow sacrifice.
So, what will marriage in a lawless land bring to a young girl?
The sweet wheat grains that Xia Chuhe had just swallowed tasted bitter in his throat.
"You...were you doing this voluntarily?"
The girl was surprised: "Of course, becoming the bride of a god is good for our whole family. If there are no other unmarried women in your family, perhaps you will become the wife of the goddess of chastity in the future, and we will meet again in heaven then."
A bitter taste choked in his mouth, and Xia Chuhe asked in confusion, "I'm a new villager, and I don't know much about gods and sacrifices. Can you tell me about them?"
“Believers exchange sacrifices for divine protection, there’s nothing to say about that.” The girl lowered her eyes. “The only difference is that the God of Diligence and the God of Chastity are different. The God of Diligence will take away the children from the family to prevent them from becoming lazy, and the God of Chastity will take away the women from the family to prevent them from being defiled. However, once the whole family has become believers of the seven gods, there will be a chance to see the relatives who have been taken away.”
"Have your family members... become complete believers?"
"After tomorrow, my family will go with me to see the gods and enter Heaven." The girl smiled gently. "My brother was given to the god of diligence a year ago, and I will see him tomorrow."
Taking the opportunity, Xia Chuhe asked, "Where is heaven? Can I go and see it tomorrow?"
"Of course you can. Paradise is the big villa at the east end of the village. Haven't you seen the messenger inside?"
Xia Chuhe: "..."
They saw the messenger return, but never imagined that heaven was right beside them.
Suddenly, it felt like the rank of several gods had dropped.
Back home, Xia Chuhe and Dong Huimiao compared the information they had gathered, which was roughly what the girl had said.
That night, the evil beast attacked the village again, but Xia Chuhe's family survived safely once more.
Day three.
The blacksmith's wife came early in the morning wearing a crown shaped like thorns, her eyes red, and asked to use the stove to cook.
The blacksmith sat on the stone stool by the door, remaining silent and not coming in.
Xia Chuhe casually asked, "What's wrong with your eyes?"
"Last night... Waaah... My dad was scared to death by an evil beast, and our old dog, which we've had for eight or nine years, was also taken away."
The blacksmith slapped himself hard outside the door, crying out, "It's all my fault! I'm useless, I insisted on clinging to this craft. If I had known this would happen, I would have sacrificed myself on the very first day... I regret it so much..."
Hearing about the tragic experiences of others, Xia Chuhe felt somewhat uncomfortable, as she was always clumsy with words when it came to comforting people. It was Dong Huimiao, on the other hand, who promptly offered a few words of comfort to the two of them.
The couple didn't dwell on their misfortunes; they finished cooking and eating while sobbing, then said goodbye and left.
Before leaving, the blacksmith asked, "Where did you get your family's shrine from?"
The statue was part of the house and Xia Chuhe didn't know it, but she still pointed the blacksmith's family in a direction and told them to find the messenger of the gods at the east end of the village.
...
Although she obtained the Crown of Thorns today, Winter Destroyer wasn't in a particularly good mood after hearing about the blacksmith's family.
Winter Destroyer, following divine will, knelt and offered the crown forged from thorns—where your blood burned as torches, I will temper the ashes into a sword—pierced her finger, staining the crown with her blood, and once again called upon the name of the God of Mercy.
This time, she offered up her family's house in exchange for the ability to transfer souls.
Since the summer harvest is a prerequisite for the worship of the god of diligence, the subsequent sacrifices to the god of generosity are still carried out by the winter harvest.
The divine will is to use blood as wine and ears as cups, and pouring it out will yield fertile fields for thousands of miles.
The inscription on the stone reads: "Those who offer the earth's veins will be granted the power to pierce through the dust."
The will of the god of generosity is very simple: wine is blood, the cup is the ear, and pouring the blood into the ear is all that is needed.
Pouring liquid into a normal person's ear might be a little troublesome, but the skin of the Winter Destroyer is extremely resilient. The only problem is the blood; there isn't much blood left in the skin to begin with, and some was used up in the sacrifice to the God of Mercy.
I wonder how much blood the God of Generosity needs. The word "generosity" itself sounds like a lot.
She needs the blood of other people or other living beings.
As for the abilities bestowed by the god of generosity, Dong Huimiao had seen them.
Xia Chuhe once hid in the ground, leaving only one finger sticking out, to guide her towards the temple. Therefore, the power of piercing the dust is Xia Chuhe's ability to hide in the earth, and offering the ley lines should mean offering the land itself. Regardless of what is offered, Dong Huimiao doesn't care.
Dong Huimiao smiled obsequiously: "Lord Xia, could you lend me some blood?"
"Do I look like a fool to you?" Xia Chuhe pointed to himself and smiled.
Dong Huimiao didn't understand her meaning. In order to get blood, she had to flatter Xia Chuhe: "You're not stupid, you're the smartest."
"Do you think I would give you my blood just so you could have my abilities?" Xia Chuhe said with a forced smile. "By the way, if you want to get blood from somewhere else, remember to keep a close eye on your daughter."
Winter destroyed seedlings: "..."
Daddy's balls!
Xia Chuhe, who should have been thrown into the cesspool, actually threatened her with her daughter!
Their fragile partnership crumbled instantly because of the ownership of a power.
After making those harsh remarks, Xia Chuhe went out to attend the ceremony.
Yesterday, she made a promise with the goddess's bride that she would go to see her get married.
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