She glanced at the sky; it was overcast, and a heavy rain was imminent. In this desolate wilderness, the downpour greatly increased the chance of another mudslide. Xiang Wan quickened her pace; she didn't want to get soaked to the bone or be buried alive.
The good news is that she has moved far away from the nameless village, where there will be no more torrential rains.
After walking briskly for dozens of miles, they came to a relatively flat hilly area. A small stream meandered there, and a village was built on the bank of the stream.
After crossing the stone bridge, a man in a hurry, carrying a basket on his back, rushed straight into the village without even looking up, seemingly ignoring Xiang Wan's calls from behind.
One side of the sky was completely covered by clouds, and the dark clouds connected with the mountains, completely enveloping the entire village.
There was no wind, and the air felt so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
Xiang Wan frowned and followed the man's direction into an ancestral hall on the west side of the village.
The ancestral hall was already crowded with people, men, women, and children, all looking towards the very center of the hall. There stood a ferocious-looking stone statue, with the words "Yanlang God" written in large gold lettering next to it.
As Xiang Wan drew closer, she heard the people on the outermost edge chanting, "Birth, old age, sickness, and death; life is impermanent. Lord Yanlang, defy fate, offer your soul, and gain eternal life, freedom from illness and disaster, and blessings upon your family. Lord, please calm your anger! Birth, old age, sickness, and death; life is impermanent..."
Looking at their faces, they were all expressionless, their eyes lifeless.
After chanting this three times for about fifteen minutes, a cool breeze blew in through the main gate, and the leader at the front shouted, "The divine lord has appeared! The ceremony begins!"
"The divine lord has appeared!"
"The divine lord has appeared!"
The others echoed the shout three times, and a pregnant woman was pushed out and lay down at the feet of the stone statue.
The leader took out a pair of copper bells and circled around the pregnant woman, shaking the bells every three steps while chanting incantations.
After three rounds, the leader reached out, and someone brought over a bowl of bright red chicken blood. The man took it, drank it all in one gulp, and then forcefully spat it onto the pregnant woman. The blood sprayed all over her body, but instead of being angry, she was overjoyed, excitedly shouting, "May the gods protect us!" She then pulled out a black dagger from the side, gripped it tightly with both hands, the tip pointing at her belly, waiting only for the leader's command to stab her.
"Zhang, the Divine Lord has summoned your young son and taken him as his attendant. From this day forward, all of you family members will be under the Divine Lord's protection, and after your passing, you will all be enshrined among the immortals. Your son is deeply blessed, protecting Xihong Village from disaster and misfortune, and your family members will surely have a peaceful end. The Divine Lord's power is boundless, Zhang, why don't you quickly send your son back to his side!"
The leader knelt down with a thud, and the others all prostrated themselves on the ground, chanting, "The divine lord's power is boundless, please take the boy back to your seat!"
The pregnant woman slightly raised her hands and forcefully stabbed her belly.
With a clang, the black dagger snapped in two, its blunt edge embedded in her belly. The pregnant woman couldn't help but cry out, "Ah!" and immediately released her grip, tossing the dagger aside. Suddenly, her belly began to throb violently.
"What happened?"
Upon witnessing this scene, everyone stood up, their expressions varied.
The leader's face immediately darkened. He walked past the pregnant woman, picked up the dagger, examined the broken edge carefully, and then glanced at Xiang Wan.
"Stranger, what is your purpose in disrupting the sacrificial rites of my Xihong Village?"
The crowd turned and saw Xiang Wan; their expressions immediately turned hostile. Several burly men even pulled out daggers hidden at their waists.
Xiang Wan frowned, gripped the exorcising sword with both hands, and mimicked the stone statue's posture, her voice loud and majestic: "Foolish! When has this deity ever needed an unborn child? This deity clearly wants you!"
He pointed his finger, and it landed squarely on the leader.
The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, slightly overweight, with an honest and simple face and very small slits in his eyes. With a little bit of pretense, he gave people a very trustworthy feeling.
He is Hong Tianze, the village head of Xihong Village, and also known as a great philanthropist by the villagers. More than ten years ago, Xihong Village suffered a flood, and Hong Tianze somehow obtained a fortune to help the villagers rebuild their homes. Later, when a plague broke out in the village, Hong Tianze knelt and prayed to the deity Yanlang at home, and then funded the purchase of medicinal herbs, allowing the villagers to safely get through that difficult period.
The villagers were extremely grateful to him. They had only seen him worshipping a mysterious deity named Yanlang, and at first, they were skeptical. However, whenever they suffered minor illnesses or ailments, they would imitate Hong Tianze's actions and kneel in worship, and miraculously, they would recover in no time. As these stories became more numerous, the villagers all began to believe in Yanlang, and, grateful for Hong Tianze's help, they not only elected him as their village chief but also entrusted him to communicate with Yanlang on matters they couldn't obtain through their own prayers.
If Hong Tianze had initially promoted Yanlang Shenjun's magical powers to the villagers, many would likely have questioned it. Instead, he not only refrained from doing so, but also advised the villagers against seeking too much help from Yanlang Shenjun.
People have a rebellious streak. The more you forbid them from doing something, the more they'll do it, and then they'll blame others for keeping good things hidden from others.
This Yanlang deity would generally grant the villagers' small requests, as long as they asked. However, when the request could not be fulfilled, Hong Tianze would use the pretext of appearing in their dreams to demand that the villagers pay a certain price before the deity would help them realize their long-cherished wish.
First, a bachelor would kill a chicken to win the heart of a girl he desired, and she would marry him the next day. Then, if a child fell seriously ill and there was no money for treatment, a little bloodletting would suffice. As time went on, the greater the villagers' desires, the greater the price they paid. Incredibly, everyone became accustomed to this behavior, not only without questioning it but also developing a morbid dependence on it.
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