The next morning, Jiang Yue fed the mule and was about to go down the mountain when he suddenly heard a noise outside the cave.
This was unusual. The refugees were afraid of being discovered, so they kept quiet at all times and dared not make any sound.
The two men walked to the entrance of the cave and were hit by screams.
"ah--"
When Jiang Yue saw it clearly, she was surprised. It was a wild boar that had become thin due to starvation. It had a long snout, big ears, protruding fangs, and sparse black hair on its body. It looked very ugly.
The wild boar may have been hungry because it had not eaten for a long time in the mountains. It was mad with hunger and ran towards the entrance of the next cave like a fly, scaring the refugees there and making them flee in all directions.
The wild boar changed direction, and its small eyes turned towards Jiang Yue's side - the mule, it seemed to be drooling, with long fangs on its head, rushing towards it!
The wheezing sound was getting closer.
Jiang Nian pulled Jiang Yue behind him, then stepped forward, clenched his right fist, and hit it hard on the neck!
With a snapping sound, the wild boar fell to the ground. After wailing a few times, it gradually became silent.
Everyone hid behind haystacks and rocks, in complete silence, shocked and frightened.
Especially the refugees who had tried to rob yesterday, cold sweats broke out on their bodies. This man was actually a strong man. Fortunately, he missed and didn't actually hit him. Otherwise, it would be like an egg hitting a stone!
Jiang Yue took Jiang Nian's hand, her knuckles red, and blew gently, "Does it hurt?"
Jiang Nian shook his head, "It doesn't hurt."
She looked down at the wild boar. To be honest, it was too skinny to look like a pig. Its sagging belly looked like it had ribs. But no matter what, it must have weighed dozens of kilograms.
It looked ugly and smelled fishy. She still had more than a dozen pigs left in her space, so naturally she looked down on them.
She waved to the child peeking from behind, "Come here."
The child was a little scared, but he didn't dare not go, so his mother accompanied him tremblingly.
"Take this wild boar away and divide it among them."
"ah?"
They stood there, unable to believe it. This, this is a pig!
Jiang Yue repeated, "You guys take it away now, and share it among the families. We don't want it."
After they realized what was happening, they were overjoyed and said, "Okay, okay!" They turned around and went back to get their men/fathers.
After thanking Jiang Yue and the others, they pulled the wild boar away.
Some were shaving the hair, some were cutting open the stomach, and some were making fire. Several families were busy and it was more lively than during the Chinese New Year.
A year and a half had passed since the natural disaster, and they hadn't eaten proper meat for a year. They ate whatever they could catch, such as rats, snakes, and bullfrogs, and divided it among the family, with each person only getting half a mouthful.
Thirty or so people could share a wild boar like this, and that would definitely give them a good meal. If there was water, we could make a big pot of soup, which would be even better! It would last two days!
Unfortunately, the lack of water forced them to move into the mountains and become refugees.
Jiang Yue saw Jiang Nian staring into the distance without moving, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Nian frowned, "It's very dark over there."
The sky was dark and covered with dark clouds. Jiang Yue walked out of the cave and took off his mask. He felt the coolness of the wind on his cheeks, as if the water vapor content had increased.
Is it going to rain?
Rain will alleviate the disaster!
However, as she looked at the thick dark clouds, she wondered if it would be easier to survive during a drought or a flood if there were continuous heavy rain like last year.
"Then let's wait another day and see what happens. It's better than being stuck in the rain."
Jiang Nian naturally listened to her.
Inside Zhaoyang City, Madam Lianhua stood on a high building, gazing into the distance. She reached out and felt the direction of the wind. Turning back, she said to the adults, "The time has come. We can prepare the altar."
The adults were beaming with joy. After waiting for more than half a year, the time had finally come.
"Sacrificial offering..."
Madam Lotus smiled, "Are there any people in the city willing to contribute to the sacrifice? It's just half a bowl of blood, it won't kill anyone."
In the past, it would have been no problem for an adult to donate half a bowl of blood. But nowadays, with everyone suffering from deficiency of both Qi and blood, it is hard to say.
Madam Lotus doesn't care about these things, so naturally she won't mention them.
The lord passed the order down without even a second thought. It wasn't like he was going to donate his family's blood.
"My Lord has ordered that the time has come. A sacrifice will be held tomorrow at noon, praying to the gods for rain. I am now looking for..."
The yamen runners announced everywhere that only half a bowl of blood would be enough and it would not endanger his life.
Some people think that half a bowl of blood is too much, and they can't drink it back after it flows out, so they are unwilling to...
Some people think they are strong and healthy, and half a bowl of blood is no problem, so they can cut it casually...
Some people were too afraid to donate blood themselves, but instead dragged their wives and daughters along, saying, "The adults said we're in need of pure blood from women and children. If we offer sacrifices and it rains, we can live a good life again!"
The sacrificial ceremony that the people in the city had been looking forward to for many days had finally arrived. Suddenly, people's hearts were excited and there was light in their eyes, no longer as numb as before.
Lady Lotus walked around the lotus altar that was as big as an acre of land. "Lotus, oh Lotus, you are pure and unstained by the mud, but I want to dye you red with my blood. Hahahahahaha..."
There was a crazy hatred in her eyes, as if she could see a blood-red world before her.
The next morning, the only 900 people left in the city came to the altar to watch the sacrificial ceremony.
This was built specifically for the Sixteen Altars, taking six months to complete and using up all the stone slabs in the city. Now, the day has finally come.
The 66 men, 66 women and 66 babies responsible for the sacrifice were dressed in white and stood around the altar with smiles on their faces, as if they were proud to have the opportunity to be sacrificed.
Shiliutan is wearing Taoist robes, holding whisks, and has a solemn expression.
In front of the lotus platform, there is a large green dragon eight feet long and seven small green dragons four feet long, with their heads facing east.
Lady Lotus stood in the center of the lotus platform, and the other fifteen people stood in different directions, facing the Azure Dragon.
After she recited a string of spells, fifteen people began to dance for rain.
More than nine hundred people knelt on the ground and bowed their heads in prayer.
"May the heavens have mercy on us all and send us sweet rain!"
"May the heavens have mercy on us all and send us sweet rain!"
At Lady Lotus's command, the sacrificers began cutting their wrists, letting the blood drip into the lotus platform. The parents of infants cut their wrists on their behalf.
Unable to bear the pain, the babies burst into tears. For a moment, the whole city was filled with shrill cries, which seemed to shake the world.
Lady Lotus stepped on blood, which stained her white socks red, but she smiled with tears in her eyes, feeling happy in her heart.
Some people dripped blood and felt dizzy, but no one taught them how to stop the bleeding.
Everything in front of my eyes went dark, and people gradually fell down.
The people raised their heads, but no one paid any attention.
Because raindrops really fell from the sky.
“It’s raining!”
"Oh my god, it's really raining!"
"The sacrifice worked!"
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