Hua Yao was alone in the dilapidated yellow earth house, propping her chin on her hand, obediently waiting.
She remembered that when she and Lan Heng arrived, it was noon, and she had almost suffered heatstroke. Now, as the sun was nearing its descent, Lan Heng showed no signs of returning.
Hua Yao sighed and walked back into Ning Qing’s bedroom, casually rummaging through her belongings.
She overturned the redwood chest that she hadn't finished searching, and at the very bottom, she found a painting.
Curiously, she unfurled the painting. It depicted two women, or rather, a woman with a servant trailing behind her.
The servant looked honest, with a slightly hunched posture, his eyes lowered as he supported the woman.
Based on the woman’s appearance, Hua Yao confirmed that the woman in the painting was Ning Qing from Lan Heng's description. As for the servant...
As she thought this, her gaze swept across the courtyard. She recalled the person who had been eavesdropping on her and Lan Heng's conversation before fleeing, and her heart skipped a beat. Although she hadn't seen the fleeing person's face, she was certain that person was also hunched.
"It's over. Master hasn't returned yet. Is something going to happen?" Hua Yao thought. With this, she rolled up the scroll in her hand and hurried towards the direction Lan Heng had disappeared.
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Yuxian County.
Zhong Li stayed by Lu Wuxie's side, her fingertips occasionally stroking his forehead.
The poison in Lu Wuxie’s body had not been completely cleared, and after a fierce battle last night, coupled with external injuries, he was now suffering from a high fever and was drowsy.
"Miss Zhong, please rest and eat something. Let me take over," Lin Jin said as he placed some hot dishes on the table and approached Zhong Li.
Zhong Li shook her head, "I have no appetite now. You all eat first."
"Has Master's fever subsided?" Lin Jin asked.
Zhong Li nodded, replacing the damp cloth on Lu Wuxie's forehead with a cooler one.
"Dad, I'm not going, I'm not going!"
"Zi'er, listen to your father. Being chosen is the highest honor. It's about revitalizing the family honor. For the sake of the family, you have to endure a little."
"Endure? Dad! Zi'er may stay indoors, but she's not stupid. Have any of the women chosen by the Goddess Cult ever returned? They disappear without a trace, dead or alive. They say they've all ascended to serve Lord Yayu, but have you thought about it carefully? What if they've all met with misfortune!"
"Slap!" A sharp sound echoed.
"Zi'er, I'm asking you, are you going or not?"
"I'm not going!"
"Fine, you're not going? Then I'll tie you up today!"
...
Zhong Li had just finished her tasks when she heard a series of arguments outside the inn.
She stood up and walked to the window, following the sound, and looked down. On the sparsely populated street, a father and daughter were pulling and struggling with each other. The daughter, tears streaming down her face, was pleading bitterly, while the man seemed not to see her, wrapping a rope around her.
The surrounding people seemed accustomed to it, going about their own business.
"What are they doing?" Zhong Li had been taking care of Lu Wuxie for the past two days and had barely inquired about anything outside.
Lin Jin and A Wu exchanged glances. Lin Jin put down his chopsticks and walked to Zhong Li's side, glancing down. "It's like this: at the beginning of this month, the Goddess Cult's sacrifice is approaching again."
"So, that girl is this month's sacrificial offering?" Zhong Li finished Lin Jin's sentence.
Lin Jin nodded.
"Has there been any news from Jincheng?" Zhong Li asked again.
This time, it was A Wu who answered. He shook his head and said, "No."
Zhong Li pondered for a moment and then asked, "Have you inquired when the sacrifice begins?"
"Tonight." As soon as A Wu finished speaking, he earned a glare from Lin Jin. He realized his mistake and quickly covered his mouth.
Zhong Li looked at the two of them and said nothing more, simply sitting at the table and picking up her chopsticks to eat.
Seeing that Zhong Li had no other actions, they also started eating.
Time passed quickly, and by evening, Zhong Li replaced Lin Jin, who was watching over Lu Wuxie, telling him to rest before she began to examine Lu Wuxie's body.
As she had expected, his body had recovered somewhat. Apart from the lingering poison, the remaining injuries were insignificant.
Zhong Li tucked him in, then got up and went to the window again to check.
The house of the arguing father and daughter from earlier was not far from here. She could still see their front door if she looked carefully.
Now, several followers of the Goddess Cult, dressed in black, were standing at the entrance. She could faintly hear sobs from inside the house.
She knew that these people were here to collect the sacrificial offering.
There was no time left.
The thought flashed through Zhong Li's mind. She quickly took out a newly prepared bottle of Enlightenment Pill, changed into her sturdy clothes, glanced at Lu Wuxie still lying in bed, and then walked to the desk, picked up a brush and ink, and wrote a note before climbing out the window.
"No, Dad, don't send me away."
The young girl was pushed out of the door. She seemed unwilling to give up, still sobbing as she looked at her father standing inside the door, hoping he would soften his heart at her desperate plea.
But her hope was ultimately just a hope. When she saw the Goddess Cult followers escorting her place a golden bottle in her father's hand, all her tears froze on her face.
"Dad, you..." The girl's lips trembled, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.
"Zi'er!" The man dared not meet his daughter's eyes. He rubbed the small bottle in his hand and stammered, "Every family that offers a sacrificial victim can receive an elixir from the Goddess, but... but this isn't for your father."
The girl shook her head, her face full of despair.
"You know our family's situation. Your brother fancies Jiu'er from the next village. Jiu'er's family doesn't want a betrothal gift, only this elixir, so..."
"So, you're trading my life for an elixir?" the girl roared hysterically, her voice filled with anger.
"Zi'er... if you go to the Goddess Cult, you'll not only ascend to immortality but also fulfill your brother's wish. What's not to love? Our family..."
"Enough!" The girl interrupted the man, let out a mocking laugh, and stopped resisting. She followed the cult followers towards a palanquin not far away.
The palanquin was red, appearing exceptionally vibrant in the darkness. Yet, for some reason, Zi'er felt it was dyed with blood.
She walked into it numbly. Just as she was about to sit down on the mat, a hand covered her mouth.
"Mmph... mmph..."
"Hush!" Zi'er tried to resist, but Zhong Li had already made a shushing gesture at her.
'Who are you?'
Zi'er frowned and asked with her eyes.
Zhong Li presented the Dali Temple token at her waist.
Zi'er's expression softened slightly.
Zhong Li pointed to Zi'er's clothes and then threw a coarse cloth garment in front of her.
"You want me to change?" Zi'er whispered.
Zhong Li nodded, listening carefully to the sounds outside the palanquin, ensuring the surrounding cult followers had not noticed anything unusual before quietly replying, "We should be entering the forest now. When they rest later, seize the opportunity to run deep towards the south. There's a small wooden hut there where you can briefly rest. When dawn breaks, someone will save you."
After hearing this, Zi'er began to take off her clothes and asked, "And you, Madam?"
Zhong Li picked up Zi'er's clothes and said, "I'll impersonate you."