"Lord Mountain God, please open your eyes and take a look. We are almost dead..."
In front of the dilapidated mountain temple, a woman who looked like an emaciated woman knelt there and prayed to their god at the top of her lungs, her voice full of despair.
The little girl in the woman's arms licked her lips, which were flaking and whitening from severe dehydration, and gently tugged at the corner of the woman's clothes, saying in a whisper, "Mom, I'm thirsty..."
The woman felt bitter in her heart. She lowered her head and coaxed softly, "Nannan, be good. Mother will go get you some water..."
After saying that, she picked up the little girl and walked out of the mountain temple.
"Mom, will the mountain god hear our prayers?" The little girl rested her head on the woman's shoulder, her clear and bright eyes looking at the mountain god statue that was getting farther and farther away with hope.
The woman paused, looked back at the somewhat dilapidated stone statue, and finally nodded firmly: "Yes!"
Walking out of the dilapidated temple, the scorching sun above her head made her dizzy. She swayed to steady herself and looked around tremblingly. The fields were cracked, the crops were withered, the river had dried up, revealing the dry riverbed. Everywhere she looked was devastated.
In just ten years, wherever he went, there was widespread misery.
But this place was once green mountains and clear waters, with good weather and people living and working in peace and contentment. It was a scenic spot in the hearts of literati and poets.
The woman withdrew her sad gaze and carried her daughter down the mountain. The further down they went, the more they saw that the trees had been stripped bare and the grass stems had been dug up. Everywhere they looked, there were people in tattered clothes with pale and skinny faces.
The scorching sun burned the earth and the sultry air made it difficult to breathe.
The woman was dizzy from the sun, her body was shaky, her vision went dark and she suddenly fell forward, "Mom!" The girl panicked, and the woman staggered and barely managed to keep her balance.
She pulled the corners of her mouth and said, "Nannan, be good. Mommy is fine. I will definitely find you some water to drink."
He shook his head vigorously and continued walking towards the county town with his daughter on his back with difficulty.
The girl looked back worriedly at the beggar who had been knocked down on the roadside. "He, should be okay?" "But mother is so tired too..." She pursed her lips and reached out to hug her mother tightly.
The sun was shining brightly in the sky, the earth was silent, the birds had disappeared, and the weeds were drooping their heads.
The beggar moved his fingers, revealing an old and dirty face. His tattered clothes could not cover his body, and one of his straw sandals was lost somewhere. He slowly got up and continued to wander aimlessly.
In the past, Yungui Mountain was beautiful and unparalleled in beauty, but now it is broken and riddled with holes.
The beggar walked with one straw sandal, one foot deep and one shallow, staggering across the dry and scorching fields, passing by dying people, crossing the barren mountains with no grass, and staggering to a slightly prosperous town.
The town is called Fulai Town. It was once a famous wealthy town in the surrounding area. The river surrounding the town was full of lotus flowers.
When summer comes, "the lotus leaves are endless and green, and the lotus flowers are red in the sun." Admiring lotus flowers and picking lotus pods are the favorite summer activities of young ladies and scholars. Lotus pickers can also earn money to supplement their family expenses.
Now the water in the pond has dried up, revealing a dry pond, which is particularly shocking when reflected by the skinny pedestrians on both sides of the pond.
Beggars entered the city unhindered, with banners from inns fluttering on both sides of the streets. Pedestrians had pale faces and were listless, wandering around like zombies. For a moment, it was impossible to tell who the real beggars were.
"Lord Mountain God, please show your power."
The old man in his seventies knelt on the ground and said, "Please save my poor grandson. He is only three years old and has never had a good day since he was born... Please take my life and give him a chance to live."
After saying this, he burst into tears and held the dying child beside him to his chest with trembling hands.
The beggar passed by with an expressionless face. With every step he took, there was a citizen praying to the mountain god for help, and all of them had despair on their faces.
The beggar staggered to the end of the street and collapsed. Passersby saw him and said in surprise, "Another dead one." He looked around for a shovel and said, "The pit outside the city is full. I need to dig another one..."
The beggar fell to the ground, curling his lips in self-mockery. Is he finally going to die?
But he knew it was just his delusion.
He closed his eyes tiredly, and the sound of passers-by's footsteps and voices praying to God gradually became blurred.
Suddenly, someone tugged at his sleeve. The beggar raised his eyelids and saw a dirty little boy. The boy opened and closed his mouth to say something, but the beggar could not hear a word, so he closed his eyes again.
At the end of his consciousness, he felt someone pry open his mouth and a stream of water mixed with mud and sand flowed into his mouth.
How foolish! He thought...
"Miss, how can you waste water on a beggar!"
"Water is so expensive now, a can costs ten taels of silver! He's just a stinking beggar with nothing to lose. Why would he waste so much money? He might as well..."
"A-Lu."
The female voice was neither light nor heavy.
The maid's voice instantly disappeared, and she said nervously: "Little Miss."
The teacup rested gently on the table, and the beggar's ears rang with the woman's cold and indifferent voice: "If you continue to speak so recklessly, you can return home on your own when you pass by Fengxian City."
When the maid heard this, she knelt down hurriedly: "Miss, I was wrong. I won't dare to do it again..."
The beggar no longer wanted to hear what was being said.
He opened his eyes, looked straight at the source of the sound, and gritted his teeth: "Cheng Ge!"
In the spacious and bright carriage, a gorgeous and graceful woman was sitting leisurely in front of the window. She was dressed in white clothes as white as snow, with long eyebrows reaching her temples, eyes as bright as stars, and lips that were red without any makeup. She held a scroll in her hand and looked like a fairy concubine.
The beggar's eyes were bloodshot, and he wished he could eat her flesh and blood: "How dare you appear before me!"
Who else could this absolutely gorgeous woman be but Cheng Ge, the one who had brought him to this point? A raging rage welled up in his chest: "Today, I will demand your life for yours, to atone for all these sins!"
He pounced on her, grabbed the woman's neck, hatred in his eyes.
The maid was stunned for a moment, then she reacted and quickly rescued her mistress: "What are you doing? Let my mistress go!"
Push hard,
The beggar slammed his head against the wall of the car, feeling dizzy and sweating profusely.
Xihe frowned slightly, pushed away the maid's hand, stepped forward to help him up: "You are not in good health now, don't be angry, and have a good rest." The beggar struggled weakly, staring at her angrily.
"Get away! Don't touch me!"
Kill her! Kill her! Kill this vicious woman!
The beggar's eyes showed no sign of concealing murderous intent. He tried his best to control his dizzy desire and tried to find the right opportunity to kill with one blow.
Xihe sighed: "Don't waste your energy. Now I am the butcher and you are the meat. You can't resist me." If he wants to blame someone, he can only blame himself for trusting others too much, which led to his helpless situation today.
She poured a glass of water, handed it to his lips, and said, "Fulu, drink the water and follow me."
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