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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
"You can only watch as the villagers of Futu Ridge, including your mother, are killed. Inside you is something your father, Yang Sanqian, left behind. It won't be easy for you to die in a short time. You will witness the slaughter of Futu Ridge by the army, and in your rage, you will unleash the darkness sealed within you, ultimately killing a few people before meeting your own demise. What a pity for a promising Daoist Grandmaster, a young dragon with ideals, to be bitten to death by a bunch of ants. This is your fate!"
"Mr. Guo." Mother cried out in grievance upon seeing Guo the Blind's demeanor.
Guo the Blind looked at her and said, "Xiumei, I promised you I wouldn't tell your son about this, but can you really bear to see him fall into despair and die with resentment because he can't escape Futu Ridge? He is already over twenty; his potential is limited. How much longer do you want to keep him here?"
"I..." Mother turned away, unable to speak through her tears.
"Mom, don't believe his words. He's not a good person. I'm going down to kill them all right now; I will take you away," I said.
Guo the Blind replied, "What your father left inside you is either a Daoist Sacred Artifact or something brought from the Underworld. It can save your life, but do you think it's something good? Ordinary people using powers that don't belong to them will not end well."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Guo the Blind said, "I advise you to use life-draining things sparingly. You currently have no Dao Qi in your body at all. Even if you could fight against the army and win, you'd lose your life in the process. You might end up like me or even older than I am now. The Zhou Compass is also a Daoist Sacred Artifact; do you think no one else can use it besides you? Its true purpose goes beyond just seeing past images, yet I willingly give it to you because you are a born king. The reason you feel out of place among these people is that you stand out too much; I, Guo the Blind, have never misjudged anyone!"
I walked to the mountain peak, the strong wind blowing through my clothes as I looked down at the encircled soldiers and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Guo the Blind replied, "At dawn tomorrow, the slaughter will inevitably begin. Tear off the Gold Leaf Talisman from the Forbidden Area of Futu Ridge, and no one will be able to harm the thousands of villagers in Futu Ridge."
"You want me to release the Snake Goddess?" I glared at Guo the Blind and asked.
"That's right," he said. "I hold no love for Futu Ridge; I have no intention of saving anyone. But you're different. Although there is darkness in your nature, you cannot bear to see countless lives taken for no reason or witness loved ones suffer while enemies rejoice. Also, you hate Yang Sanqian for making both of you live like ghosts in Futu Ridge; don't you want to know what kind of person he really is?"
"And what if I find out? Your sweet words are just a ploy to trick me into helping you tear down the Gold Leaf Talisman and release the Snake Goddess. Won't everyone in Futu Ridge still die? Do you think I don't know about your deal with her?" I retorted.
Guo the Blind sighed and said, "My deal with her is actually quite simple: let her protect Guo Huaiyi. I owe Guo Huaiyi too much. You saw the Snake Goddess that night; if she didn't want you to leave, neither Li Fugui nor that old man from the Daoist Sect could stop it. She is not someone who indiscriminately kills innocents."
"If she doesn't indiscriminately kill innocents, where have all those who entered the forbidden area over the past few hundred years gone?" I questioned.
"Six or seven hundred years ago, she was captured and forcibly sealed within the Dragon Vein at Futu Ridge. That is her dwelling place, and anyone who enters will receive her warning. Do you think someone like her would be excessive in killing a mere human who trespasses at her door?"
I looked at my mother, seeking her opinion, but she shook her head, equally uncertain about how to respond. She knew nothing of Guo the Blind's words.
I asked, "Is the Snake Goddess's true form that White Python?"
Guo the Blind replied, "I really don't know, but I did see a large python. This snake can freely enter and exit the cave on the back mountain. If it wanted to harm the villagers, it would have done so long ago. Do you remember before Guo Huaiyi appeared, when Huzi told you that Li Fugui was injured?"
"Yes, that did happen."
Guo the Blind continued, "That night, there was a great commotion on the back mountain because Li Fugui was fighting with the giant snake. You should have known when you came out of the forbidden area that Li Fugui and the Snake Goddess were already acquainted. He knew that Futu Ridge was doomed; he claimed to be concerned for its peace while concocting a story about an outsider destroying Futu Ridge. Isn't that me?"
Seeing me silent, Guo the Blind added, "He is just as hypocritical as Old Scholar. When disaster struck, Old Scholar abandoned me and destroyed my Dao Body, leading to my family's ruin. And now he accuses me of wanting to destroy Futu Ridge. Don't you find that ridiculous? Destroying my Dao Body was bound to subject me to humiliation during the Ten-Year Catastrophe; it's obvious I would suffer persecution until my family fell apart. Is it wrong for me to seek revenge? If he predicted I would destroy Futu Ridge, why not kill me instead? Is it such a laughable excuse to spare me out of some misguided sense of teacher-student loyalty? And as for Li Fugui, when his family faced calamity, it was you who took them in at great risk of being slaughtered. Yet now, before the massacre order was issued, he failed to inform you. I believe that with your relationship with Li Hu's son, he wouldn't abandon you; it was his grandfather who obstructed him from notifying you. But ultimately, when disaster struck, he escaped while you waited inside for death. That's reality, isn't it?"
"What you call brotherhood is nothing more than this."
"The enemy of my enemy can be a friend; those who want to kill you are outside. Yet the Snake Goddess has never tried to kill you. The few from the Provincial Capital are dead, inciting outrage among the upper echelons. They not only want to eliminate the rabble of Futu Ridge but also intend to completely excavate everything in the mountains. Why do they have the right to be outraged while we do not? Are nobles and commoners truly different?"
"To take a step back, being slaughtered by one's own kind is worse than dying at the hands of monsters. To be executed like a dog by your own kind—don't you find that tragic? Furthermore, even if the Snake Goddess spares no one, if she fights with those outside first, we might have a chance to escape amidst the chaos. Don't you agree?"
"Enough!" I couldn't help but shout.
I grabbed Guo the Blind by his collar and lifted him up, pressing my knife against his throat fiercely as I said, "If you dare deceive me, I will not let you go!"
Guo the Blind said weakly, "I have only a few days left to live; I just want to save Guo Huaiyi. Human methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated; there are more experts like Li Fugui out there. Even if Guo Huaiyi knows sorcery, facing machine gun fire is another matter entirely—he has already died once. The process of dying and coming back is not as simple as you think; the cost is too great."
"Mom, let's go." I supported my mother as we walked down the mountain without looking back at Guo the Blind.
Guo the Blind sat slumped on the ground like an old man, his white hair falling over his face in a disheveled manner, appearing almost mad.
"The Unfeeling Earth," where everything is treated as mere fodder. I, Guo the Blind, have endured a lifetime, only to meet a miserable end. How cruel fate can be! Why can't we take our destinies into our own hands? Why do we always ponder whether dying for others is worth it, instead of making others tremble beneath our feet?
Guo the Blind's voice echoed in my ears, leaving me in a state of turmoil.
My mother and I returned home, and at that moment, Futu Ridge was in chaos. Most villagers from Guancun had fled back to their homes, broadcasting warnings to everyone that an extermination was coming for Futu Ridge.
The villagers from the surrounding areas were awakened by fear. They were in a state of panic, with each village using the Production Team's announcements to gather everyone together.
Some villagers armed themselves with knives or iron shovels, spontaneously organizing to unite against the impending threat.
Old Man, a veteran of war, once told me about the Anti-Japanese period when devils invaded the county. The county called for conscription, and Futu Ridge sent over a hundred people to sabotage the devils' transportation of food and arms along the railway. They all perished in one night.
Human nature often reveals itself under the oppression of war. Futu Ridge indeed suffered unspeakably during the Ten-Year Catastrophe, but in that era of oppression, those who did not conform to the tide faced death themselves.
No place is devoid of humanity; Futu Ridge is no exception.
My mother said, "No matter how you choose, I won't blame you."
I replied in a low voice, "Mom, I want a bowl of noodles."
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