Chapter 109: Dress Up as a God System
In the summer of the 374th year of the Great Xia Dynasty, it was already more than 300 years since the establishment of this dynasty. The Great Xia Emperor was incompetent and fond of beauty. The court was dominated by treacherous ministers and the people were living in dire straits. But even so, the people in this world still tried hard to live, or could only die without trying hard.
Eight years ago, the Emperor of Daxia granted fiefs to his eight sons in various parts of Daxia. The place where Yanping County was located was Beiyang, the fief of one of the emperor's sons, the King of Qi.
The land of Beiyang is located in the north of Daxia. Yanping County got its name from mining salt for the King of Qi. However, this year the entire northern region is facing a huge disaster.
Since the first spring rain fell in March, the people of Yanping County have been plowing the fields with good seeds. However, from March to June now, not only has the weather been getting hotter, but there has not been a drop of rain.
Although Yanping County had food reserves, the people were extremely worried when they saw the hot weather and the frequent rain. The crops in the fields that had been plowed during the spring season all began to die of drought. They knelt down every day and prayed to God for rain to save them from the disaster.
And just below Anping County, the smallest county under the Wuxin Prefecture of Yanping County, there is a small village with less than 200 households, Wangjia Village.
There were quite a few people in Wangjia Village in the past, but after the eight kings were enfeoffed, these nobles recruited guards everywhere, and the adult men in the family were conscripted in batches. Now, many people in the village are old, weak, sick and disabled.
In the low thatched house, there was a man wearing delicate brocade lying on the dark couch. His face was as white as spring flowers and autumn moon, which shocked the Wang family. When they saw this man for the first time, they all sighed that there was such a man in the world.
The key point is that as the head of the Wang family, Wang Goudan personally touched the man's clothes, but his rough fingers accidentally scratched the silk, forcing him to quickly withdraw his hand. The man's delicate hands were as white as young onions, and it was obvious at a glance that he was a wealthy man who had never been to the fields.
Although they searched the other party and found no token, they brought the person back after all. The Wang family could only rely on this man to save the woman in the family from disaster.
Wang Goudan had four sons in his life, three of whom were taken away by conscription. Wang Goudan was really afraid that his only son would die outside, so he hardened his heart and broke his son's left hand with his own hands, thus leaving his youngest son Wang Dalin. In recent years, Wang Dalin's daughter Wang Jinglan has also reached the age of getting married. The twelve-year-old girl is pretty and charming, and is very much loved by Wang Goudan and his wife.
But now Beiyang is suffering from a severe drought. It has not rained for more than four months and the crops on the ground are dying. At first, the villagers could still go to the river to fetch water to irrigate the fields, but later it did not rain and the weather became drier and drier. The water in the river had to be kept for survival. The villagers watched as the crops that had finally sprouted and grown to an inch began to slowly wither.
Even though he was sitting inside the house at this moment, the sunlight outside seemed to be shining in. Wang Goudan's dark and shriveled hands like a skeleton were weaving straw sandals. He always had to prepare for the future. In case there was a severe drought and there was no food, his family would have to flee from the famine, so straw sandals were a must.
"Goudan, will the village chief really let Jinglan go?"
Some of the women with red eyes were now extremely skinny, with yellow-brown skin almost sticking to their bones. Their hair was sparse on their heads, wrapped in blue cloth, and they looked extremely miserable.
This woman is Wang Goudan’s wife. She is only in her forties, but she looks as old as a skeleton. Life is hard at home, and the husband has to farm. All the food she has is given to the man, and the woman has become so thin because of hunger.
"...I don't know." Wang Goudan said sullenly. He had selfish motives. Seeing that it hadn't rained for such a long time, the elders in the village began to offer sacrifices to the river god, but what kind of tribute would the river god want?
Memories of more than ten years ago filled Wang Goudan's mind. At that time, the village selected the most beautiful woman to be the bride of the river god. At that time, Wang Goudan could only see the bride covered with a red veil being pushed into the river, and he didn't know whether she was alive or dead.
Now the old story is repeated, and the villagers also demand to sacrifice the most beautiful and cleanest woman in the village to the river god. One of them is Wang Jinglan, the granddaughter of Wang Goudan. This name was given to Wang Goudan by a Taoist priest who traveled here. The name is different from that given to the villagers.
So for the first time, Wang Goudan didn't want to contribute to the village, and secretly took his son to the mountains to find a more suitable sacrifice for the river god, and ended up picking up this man.
If there was a strange man, Wang Goudan could tell the village chief that his granddaughter had contact with a strange man, and that would make her unclean and she would not have to serve the river god...
The elderly couple soon fell silent. Hunger, poverty and drought had swept across the entire Wangjia Village. In order to conserve their strength, people did not say a word.
Wang Jinglan, secretly listening to her grandparents' conversation, cautiously looked at the man on the bed. She felt that he was more beautiful than any other man or woman in the village. Was he really a human? Could he be some kind of mountain spirit?
In such a depressing atmosphere, a voice was heard outside the door, and footsteps were heard outside the yard, one heavy and one light. It was Wang Dalin, whose left arm was hanging at his side. He also had dark skin, and his hair was casually tied on top of his head with straw. His eyes were also red at this time.
"What did the village chief say?"
Wang Goudan's wife spoke first. She was really worried that her granddaughter would be sacrificed to the river god. Her only son, Wang Dalin, had other children with his wife, but they all died because they could not be raised. His daughter-in-law was also angry to death.
Now there are only four people in Wang Goudan's family, an orphan and a widow. They take care of the more than 30 acres of land at home, so at least they can survive by starving.
Wang Dalin burst into tears as he entered the door, and then the man wiped them dryly. Wang Goudan looked at his son and was ready to accept the worst outcome.
I only heard Wang Dalin choking and saying this.
"The village chief wants Huaer to marry the river god tonight, and he wants everyone in the village to watch the ceremony."
Huaer is the granddaughter of the village chief Wang Shan. Wang Shan also has several sons. After being conscripted into the army, he left behind a lame son named Wang Dazhuang. He and his wife had several boys, and the only daughter was Huaer in the village.
Hua'er is ten years old this year. She is not yet of marriageable age, but you can tell from her eyes and eyebrows that she is a beauty. Many people in the village like Hua'er, but now, Hua'er is going to be the bride of the River God.
The hands weaving straw sandals paused for a moment. Wang Goudan's voice trembled, but he lowered his head so that his wife would not see his appearance.
"Okay, okay, I understand."
He agreed, then threw away the straw sandals in his hand, stood up and walked out dejectedly.
"I'll go see if there's anything I can do to help."
It was still a few hours before nightfall, and in order to send a bride to the river god, other sacrifices were also needed, and the altar had to be grand, so Wang Goudan went out.
Wang Dalin, whose one hand was useless, had red eyes. Then he watched his little daughter hiding in the corner come over. She looked at her father's painful expression with some helplessness.
"Daddy, is Sister Hua'er going to marry the River God? Will it rain if she marries the River God? Will the land in the village be able to grow crops?"
The little girl was only twelve years old and still not very sensible. Wang Dalin looked at his well-behaved daughter. She was his only bloodline, and he absolutely could not watch her die.
"Yes, as long as Sister Huaer marries the River God, he will bless us and our village will have water."
The father and daughter exchanged a few words, and then the little girl went to help her grandmother with her work. There are many things to do in a farm family. Wang Dalin also left the house, and the whole house became quiet in an instant.
The man lying on the dark bed, Qin Lang, had woken up at this time, but did not speak. From a few words from the family, he understood that he had arrived in the ancient world, there was a drought, and the villagers were planning to sacrifice a bride to the river god.
In an instant, many memories came flooding back, and Qin Lang quickly accepted his identity. He was still a poor citizen this time, but he didn't expect that the world had become such a mess.
[Ding Dong! Congratulations to the host for binding the Godly System. Would you like to open the system store?]
There was a mechanical sound from the familiar golden finger in his memory. Qin Lang did not open his eyes and confirmed to open the mall, but it was all like a dream. Even with his eyes closed, he could "see" a virtual clothing mall appeared in front of him. It was all gray and locked.
Even with the gray interface, one could see the exquisite beauty of these fashions. When Qin Lang was watching, he heard the system again.
[Ding Dong! 200 Faith Points Detected. Your followers are praying for a rain of blessings. Would you like to accept the novice quest? You'll receive a God-level suit right from the start~]
This is also a system that likes to be promoted. Qin Lang remembered that the family just said that they were offering sacrifices to the river god. If the little girl named Huaer was sacrificed to the river god, she would probably lose her life, right?
'Accept the mission.'
He confirmed it in his mind, and the next moment, he heard the system prompt sound.
[Ding Dong! Congratulations to the host for accepting the novice quest. A rain of resuscitation will descend upon Wangjia Village. All plants exposed to this rain will revive, and those caught in it will gain a health-strengthening buff. A special bonus is the god-level starting set [Dragon Roar in the Ninth Heaven]. Please claim it.]
When Qin Lang heard the name, he felt that this fashion must be good. As a result, the next second, the fashion mall in front of him excitedly unlocked a set of suits emitting golden light. The cool special effects almost blinded Qin Lang.
[Dragon Roar in the Ninth Sky]: The wearer will possess the body of Dragon King Canglang, able to control the clouds and rain, travel a thousand miles a day, and be accompanied by the incarnation of the black dragon, looking very cool and imposing.
It seems that this god-level suit is not a scam. Qin Lang didn't say anything else, but kept searching everything in his memory. However, his body was a little weak and a little tired.
Qin Lang, who had his eyes closed, felt tired unconsciously and fell asleep. When he woke up again, he was awakened by the festive sound of suona.
It was getting dark and the house was empty. Qin Lang heard the sound of gongs and drums outside the window, as well as the villagers' shouts with a slight accent.
"The River God is getting married! Strangers, stay away!!!"
"The River God is getting married! The whole world rejoices!!!"
"The River God is getting married! Rain is falling from the sky!!!"
The voices of the villagers could be heard sporadically, and Qin Lang knew that it was time to offer his wife to the river god.
At this time, just outside Qin Lang's house, by the river at the entrance of the village, the villagers were carrying a wooden statue, inside of which sat Hua'er wearing a red wedding dress. She was not afraid, but kept praying to the river god in her heart, asking him to please rain if she married him.
She was willing to marry the river god as long as he made it rain.
This way everyone in the village can survive.
Many villagers thought so too. Accompanied by the festive sound of suona, hundreds of villagers carried the wedding sedan to the river. The river had begun to dry up. If they did not pray to the river god for rain, it would dry up completely in less than a month. By then, not only would there be no water for the fields, but people would also have no water to drink.
Under the dim sky, beside the quiet river, the suona stopped playing. The red in the darkness was like dripping blood as red as black. The village chief Wang Shan sang loudly with red eyes.
"Pray to the River God! Bless my Wangjia Village with a sweet rain! I'm sending you a flawless bride today! Pray for your protection!!!"
Not only the bride, but also the altar that had been prepared long ago was filled with chickens and ducks killed by the villagers, and there was also a live pig placed in the middle. These were all tributes to the river god.
What he had to do after that was simple. As long as he threw all the tributes and the bride into the river, the sacrifice would be considered a success. However, looking at the little granddaughter in the wedding sedan, Wang Shan felt his eyes hurt. But facing the expectant gazes of everyone in the village, he had no choice but to speak loudly.
"Send!! The bride!!!"
With the order from the village chief, the villagers were planning to bring the bride out of the sedan chair when they saw Wang Huaer, who was wearing an inappropriate wedding dress, walk out of the sedan chair on her own initiative. She stood by the river, and the flickering torches reflected her youthful face.
"I am willing to marry the river god and pray that he will bring rain to Wangjia Village!!!"
Wang Huaer, dressed in red, knelt on the ground and prayed to the river god. But the moment she raised her head, the sky suddenly became as bright as day. A flash of lightning tore through the heads of the people in Wangjia Village, making everyone look up at the sky.
The sky as bright as daylight filled people with fear and awe. Everyone instinctively knelt on the ground. Then, a low and distant chanting voice was heard from the sky, which made people tremble inexplicably. Wang Huaer, who was kneeling there, was also looking at the sky as bright as daylight.
Is it the river god appearing?
She prayed so in her heart, but the next moment, she saw that in the silver lightning, the sky as bright as daylight seemed to be torn open by someone. A black dragon tore through the darkness with its sharp claws, circling and soaring above everyone's heads, accompanied by bursts of dragon roars, making everyone in Wangjia Village tremble.
"Dragon...Dragon God..."
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