Li Family Town, while not prosperous, had always enjoyed favorable weather and a generally smooth life, with every household able to eat their fill and stay warm. However, a year ago, the water source for irrigation began to fail. It wasn't due to a lack of rain or excessive drought; the water simply vanished at a visible rate, leaving the land gradually parched.
Without water to irrigate their crops, the villagers had no means of survival. This year, coincidentally, a new town mayor took office. The new mayor summoned a sorceress to perform rituals. To everyone's shock, the sorceress declared that the River God, who governed the waters, was angered and thus punishing the villagers.
The proposed solution was to offer a new bride to the River God every month. The first woman sacrificed was an orphan. With no family to support her and lacking influence, she was quickly chosen. They claimed she had a "hard fate" that caused her parents' deaths, and that her presence would bring misfortune to the village. They forcibly placed the young woman onto a bridal boat.
Upon hearing this, Qin Jiujiu was furious. It was clear they were exploiting a vulnerable woman because she had no one to rely on.
After the sacrifice, the village's water source miraculously returned to normal, and the sorceress was subsequently revered by the villagers. In the second month, the water began to dwindle again. The villagers, troubled by the sacrifice, were unwilling to offer their own daughters. Consequently, they began to target the daughters of those with no power or influence…
Gradually, wealthy families, fearing their daughters would be sacrificed, quietly left the town. The number of young women in the village dwindled, and except for a few impoverished families, most of those with some means departed, leaving the village increasingly destitute.
However, there were only a handful of truly wealthy families. Li Family Town, named for the prevalence of the Li surname, was a large village. Even with a few families gone, many people remained. Over the course of a year, the number of young women decreased dramatically. Thus, the mayor implemented a lottery system to decide who would be sacrificed.
As the month for the lottery had not yet arrived, Li Cuiya's father, fearing for his daughter's safety, decided to have her marry Xu Shen in advance. Who would have expected the villagers to be so deranged as to simply abduct her directly!
If she hadn't escaped midway and encountered Qin Jiujiu and Xie Jing on the road, she would likely have been sent off on the bridal boat by now.
As she spoke, Li Cuiya’s tears flowed freely.
Qin Jiujiu's anger was evident on her face. Even Bai Qianluo, upon hearing the story, felt restless. A vibrant young girl vanishing without a trace, who knew what she might have endured.
"Since the River God is a deity, how could a deity commit such heinous acts?"
Qin Jiujiu's words resonated with the protagonist group, and thus Bai Qianluo and Xie Yun decided to stay. They would investigate this so-called River God and the peculiar sorceress.
This particular instance seemed absent from the book. Qin Jiujiu carefully considered its origin, perhaps due to her own butterfly effect.
Without her presence, the protagonist group would likely have traveled mostly by sword, and rarely on foot, and would certainly not have rested in the woods near Li Family Town.
Analyzing the cause and effect, Qin Jiujiu realized this scenario was triggered by her. Although she didn't know its trajectory, Qin Jiujiu felt she couldn't stand by and watch more girls suffer. Thus, energized, she proposed heading to Li Family Town immediately to investigate.
Xie Jing now genuinely believed that preventing Qin Jiujiu from coming out earlier had been foolish. Not killing her sooner was his most regrettable act.
Because of her, many troubles had now arisen. Furthermore, the woman's behavior was truly uncouth. He had never met a lady from a noble family as unreserved and shameless as her. Despite the strictures of propriety between men and women, she had touched him multiple times.
Most importantly, he hadn't been able to stop her in time. Xie Jing felt that perhaps by spending too much time with such an idiot, his own mind had become sluggish.
However, he never opposed Xie Yun's decisions, so he could only accompany them on this expedition. He would simply not get involved, to avoid further trouble.
Qin Jiujiu observed the protagonist group and noticed Bai Qianluo's approving gaze. Soon after, a system prompt informed her that the female lead's favorability towards her had increased again. However, looking at Xie Jing, Qin Jiujiu felt her mission might be impossible to complete!
The contrast was stark. In Qin Jiujiu's mind, the female lead Bai Qianluo was a goddess, beautiful and kind-hearted, while the villain was an annoying demon king.
Qin Jiujiu secretly rolled her eyes at Xie Jing, but unfortunately, Xie Jing was looking at her.
She was caught red-handed. She felt she had definitely offended the plot gods, or perhaps Xie Jing had eyes on the back of his head.
Otherwise, how could he have turned around precisely when she was secretly rolling her eyes at him?
In reality, Xie Jing had indeed turned around coincidentally. He had intended to look at the foolish expression on Qin Jiujiu's face, only to see her rolling her eyes when he turned.
Furthermore, in this direction, Xie Jing was certain these eyes were rolled at him!
As expected, her previous attitude towards him had been an act; this was her true inner thought.
If Qin Jiujiu knew Xie Jing's current thoughts, she would surely explode with anger. Her attitude towards the villain had indeed been an act, but wasn't it because he intended to kill her?
If one day she, Qin Jiujiu, gained the upper hand, she would definitely confront the villain about this. "Dare you say you didn't try to kill me repeatedly back then?" Qin Jiujiu felt that would be satisfying.
But the word "foolish" was out of the question. Qin Jiujiu considered herself quite intelligent, and the word "foolish" was utterly unsuitable for her.
If she knew that the villain not only found her foolish but also believed it was a ploy to deceive him, Qin Jiujiu would truly be enraged enough to drag him down with her.
Although in the end, she might be the one to suffer casualties.
Li Family Town appeared to be holding a wedding ceremony, with decorations everywhere. Despite its lack of apparent wealth, the ritual was not simple.
This matter might truly be tricky.
Qin Jiujiu recalled cult followers in modern times, who, after severe brainwashing, found it difficult to regain normal thoughts.
These villagers' belief in the legend of the River God was deeply ingrained, and it was clear that persuasion would be ineffective. They couldn't rely on convincing them now, but the woman who had been forcibly placed on the bridal boat had to be saved.
Xie Yun decided to seize this opportunity to strike at their so-called River God, uncover the truth, and rescue the maiden.
Therefore, Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo, protected by their spiritual arts, would investigate the monster's true nature, while Qin Jiujiu and Xie Jing would remain in the village to observe the situation and keep an eye on the sorceress.
As the bridal boat reached the middle of the river, a thick fog descended. At that moment, Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo entered the mist, approaching the bridal boat.
No sounds of fighting were heard, and the fog soon dissipated. The bridal boat, along with Xie Yun and the other two, vanished without a trace, as if nothing had happened.
The villagers were unaware of what had just transpired, believing the ritual had concluded successfully.
Qin Jiujiu and Xie Jing stood at a distance, watching the villagers disperse, but soon they converged in the same direction. Qin Jiujiu looked in that direction and saw a bizarre old woman standing not far away. She didn't know how long she had been there.
The old woman's face was withered, with little flesh on her bones, and her skin, wrinkled and thin, barely covered them.
The sorceress stood amidst the crowd. The villagers regarded her with the reverent posture of devoted followers. Upon spotting her, they all flocked towards her, then knelt before her.
Qin Jiujiu recognized a few villagers she had encountered in the woods that day. Their contrasting demeanor struck her as amusing.
Xie Jing naturally noticed. He had witnessed such behavior countless times in humans, and each time it reminded him of painful memories. During these moments, the bloodthirsty impulses within him would surge. Previously, he could suppress them well with the power of the Xie family's tribute jade. Recently, perhaps because he was approaching adulthood, the suppressed power within him had grown stronger, making it increasingly difficult to control.
Xie Jing inwardly suppressed the power within him and turned to look at Qin Jiujiu.
She was currently staring intently at the sorceress, who was surrounded by the crowd, without even blinking.
Did Xie Yun's words hold that much sway? Xie Jing felt a twinge of annoyance once more.