vstars Chapter 763 The Little Girl Leads the Way
Chapter 763 The Little Girl Leads the Way
"Didn't you say this guy is very capable and there would be no problem?"
King Liang looked at Qi Qingyi with a stern face. Initially, he had planned to send Master Xuanyang, since Master Xuanyang had followed him for many years and he knew his abilities all too well.
However, since it was best not to expose Master Xuan Yang's current identity, they thought of inviting Master Tian Xi, Master Xuan Yang's most outstanding disciple, to join them.
Master Tianxi is not in the imperial city, but in another city, and it will take a lot of time to travel back and forth.
Therefore, after Qi Qingyi repeatedly assured him that Master Qingfeng was also a disciple of Master Xuanyang and a well-known figure in Qiyang City, he finally agreed.
Who would have thought that Master Qingfeng was just as Song Ruozhen had said—a useless good-for-nothing!
Seeing that her master was angry, Qi Qingyi became anxious and quickly explained, "Your Highness, Master Qingfeng is really famous in Qiyang City. I made a special inquiry about him before."
Besides, he just said that it's normal for cultivators to keep secrets of heaven, so he'll probably be able to reveal the whole truth and its origins in a little while.
Tang Xuening chimed in, "Master Qingfeng has even revealed the murderer. Even with his profound cultivation, it must not be easy for him to investigate the origins of all this."
Looking at the two men who believed him so readily, King Liang thought they were truly a bunch of fools.
Apart from the two women who were fooled, no one else present believed it at all.
If he continues to be fooled by this breeze, he may not only fail to gain favor with his father, but also be branded as a troublemaker.
He must get Master Tianxi here immediately!
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review has already sent someone back to the capital to report the news. The Emperor has been paying close attention to the situation at Tianci Nunnery and reports on its progress every day.
With such a big thing happening today, we absolutely cannot miss it.
"What did you say? The King of Chu and his consort have already left Tianci Nunnery?"
Upon learning that the two had left, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review felt a sudden pang of unease. "Could it be that Princess Chu was truly angered? That shouldn't be the case..."
Since the King of Chu came to the Dali Temple, he had met with the Queen Consort of Chu several times and had gained some understanding of her temperament.
Princess Liang did go too far today, but any reasonable person knows who is right and who is wrong. Besides, Princess Chu said all the right things, so she shouldn't be that angry.
"My lord, the King and Queen of Chu took Guard Yang away before they left, presumably to investigate something else."
Upon hearing this, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review breathed a sigh of relief and immediately understood.
"I understand. We don't need to tell anyone else about this for now, so as not to cause any further trouble."
Today, the Queen Consort of Chu clearly knows something about this matter, and she should be investigating the situation with the King of Chu right now.
If this news were to reach the ears of Princess Liang and the others, they might follow along, which would surely cause them trouble.
……
Song Ruozhen and Chu Junting did indeed embark on their journey to the village at this moment.
When Yang, the guard, saw that the King of Chu was letting the Queen of Chu lead the way, and that he didn't even know where they were going, he was even more confused.
"The people I sent to investigate haven't returned yet. Do you know the way?"
Chu Junting looked at his wife, who said she would take him to the village where these corpses lived before they died.
Today, after seeing that all the skeletons were of young boys and girls, and in pairs, he realized that some sacrificial rituals were performed in this way.
However, Qiyang City is extremely large, and there are many villages nearby, so finding a village where such a ceremony is being performed is not easy.
After all, although the imperial court has officially banned this bad habit, it is still practiced secretly in some places.
These villages are exceptionally united and ostracize people from other places. They know that this matter cannot be known to outsiders, making it very difficult to investigate.
He sent a group of people to search, which would undoubtedly be a large-scale investigation. The best way would be to find out the truth from Abbess Jingyin herself, and going directly to find her would be much faster.
Song Ruozhen looked at the "little girl" beside her, whom no one else could see, and said with a faint smile:
"Don't worry, I've hired an assistant you can't see. She personally said she'd guide me."
Chu Junting immediately understood when he saw Song Ruozhen turn her gaze to an empty spot to the side.
After all, he had seen real ghosts through the psychic eyes given to him by his wife.
"Is she Master Jingyin's daughter?" Chu Junting asked.
Song Ruozhen nodded, "It's her."
Yang, the guard, was not a big believer in ghosts and gods, but the Princess of Chu's power was well-known in the capital. Hearing their conversation, he couldn't help but swallow hard, feeling goosebumps all over his body.
There are clearly only a few of them here, so why did the Princess of Chu ask if they had any help?
The daughter of Abbess Jingyin is clearly already dead!
"Your Highness, do you mean... there's a ghost leading the way for us right now?"
Song Ruozhen turned her head and saw that Guard Yang's face was deathly pale. He was a strong and energetic man before he came out, but now he looked terrified.
"Don't worry, she's a good girl and won't hurt you."
Guard Yang: "..." This attempt at comforting doesn't seem to have any effect.
Song Ruozhen rode alongside Chu Junting at breakneck speed, heading in increasingly remote directions. That night, they found an inn to rest, and set off again the next day.
They arrived at a village the following evening.
"This is it." Song Ruozhen's lips curled slightly. They had finally arrived!
Chu Junting and the others looked at the village in front of them, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.
"Your Highness, are you sure we're here?"
Yang, the guard, stared in astonishment at the village before him. He had assumed that a village that would use such a ritual would be remote and impoverished.
The village in front of us doesn't look like a poor village at all.
Song Ruozhen looked at the little girl beside her and saw her nod.
"This is the place, Mingyue Village. I've lived here since I was a child."
Song Ruozhen frowned slightly. "This village is much richer than any other village we've seen along the way. You can tell just by looking at the clothes these villagers are wearing."
"You grew up here, why would they still make you a sacrifice?"
Generally speaking, sacrifices are made to pray for good weather and abundant harvests, such as offering sacrifices to the Dragon King or to the Mountain God. She had learned quite a bit about this.
If a village is developing well, and she has heard that Qiyang City has enjoyed favorable weather in recent years and has not experienced any disasters such as drought or flood.
"The reason why Mingyue Village is able to live so well is because many children are sent to be sacrificed."
The little girl looked at the village before her, her innocent face revealing a touch of naivety:
“That’s what my grandma and grandpa said when they wanted to send me away. They said that as long as I became a virgin and was sacrificed, the whole family would live a good life.”