Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
In an instant, the entire population of Futu Ridge lost consciousness, moving like walking corpses toward the Snake Goddess.
The Snake Goddess had yellow eyes and black pupils, reflecting the crowd before her as if they were walking in hell.
"What do you want to do with them?" I shouted at the giant serpent.
The giant serpent ignored me. Guo the Blind turned to me and said, "The Snake Goddess not killing you and your mother is already showing mercy; don't push your luck."
"You despicable man! You promised me you wouldn't harm the people of Futu Ridge, yet here you are, standing there with a facade of righteousness!" I yelled at Guo the Blind.
Guo the Blind laughed heartily. "It’s not me who harms them. Have you ever heard the saying about karma? These people, when they persecuted me back then, did they ever think about this day? Have you forgotten how Zhou Manman died? He wasn't killed by Huang San or anyone else; he died from the indifference of those in the car. The people of Futu Ridge are just like everyone else, full of flaws. If you want to stand tall in this world, you must be above others and make them look up to you. Even if the Snake Goddess and I don’t kill the people of Futu Ridge, the soldiers will surely wipe this place clean. Guo Huaiyi's adoptive father believes that his son Guo Huaiyi and the members of the Investigation Team have all died here; no one can save them."
"If it weren't for your conspiracy with Guo Huaiyi, how could everyone have been harmed?" I retorted.
Guo the Blind replied, "You’re mistaken, Yang Hao. Even if Guo Huaiyi and I had no conspiracy, Futu Ridge would eventually face destruction because this is a cursed place that should not exist. It was destroyed over six hundred years ago and again four hundred years ago; its demise now is inevitable. Moreover, they harmed us, so we harm them—whoever loses dies; that’s reality. You feel they are wronged, but are they really? Do you think bystanders are innocent?"
"Do twenty thousand lives mean nothing to you?" I asked, feeling despondent.
Guo the Blind said, "That depends on who they are. For those unrelated to me, what does it matter if ten or a hundred times more die? A person's life is a choice they make; you and I are alive because of our own choices."
At that moment at the foot of the mountain, everyone had gathered together. The giant snake suddenly raised its massive head like a mountain and began to suck away all the life force from the crowd as if drinking deeply.
In almost an instant, everyone became emaciated; their bodies visibly shrank into mere skin and bones. Whether child or elder, youth or adult, all turned into skeletal corpses.
I saw familiar villagers among the crowd—Old Man Wang and Zhang Widow—their eyes hollow, mouths slightly agape, their bodies instinctively struggling.
After killing everyone, the Snake Goddess hissed as all the White Snakes coiled around her lunged toward the corpses to feast.
The Snake Goddess, having consumed the blood essence of the multitude, began to undergo a slow transformation. The deformed horns atop her head shattered, giving way to a new pair. Her fur, resembling that of a Birch Tree, started to grow wildly, soon covering her entire body. Only her abdomen remained bare, revealing a gaping wound as wide as a water tank, from which pus and blood flowed outward.
"In the end, I cannot compensate for the damage caused by the Dragon Vein's scorching flames over the past six hundred years. I will remember this grudge," the Snake Goddess declared, not sparing us a glance as she slithered toward the forbidden area known as the Northern Wilderness Forest, where thorns grew thickly. Yet, even those thorns could not pierce her serpentine skin.
"Guo Daozhen bids farewell to the Snake Goddess as she returns to her homeland!" Guo the Blind proclaimed.
No sooner had Guo the Blind spoken than a figure was suddenly flung from the tail of the Snake Goddess—none other than Guo Huaiyi.
With a loud crash, Guo Huaiyi slammed into a tree, blood streaming from his head in a pitiful state.
"This is punishment for your son's disrespectful words towards me," the Snake Goddess stated coldly.
Guo Huaiyi's lips bled as he convulsed on the ground, while Guo the Blind trembled, his expression calm yet fearful, not daring to defy her in any way.
"Guo Daozhen, you have earned your freedom by aiding me; you may take your son and leave Futu Ridge. Inform those from the Daoist Sect, especially those in Qinling and Yin Mountain, and even those hidden within Kunlun. I will take two years to recuperate and will undoubtedly settle old scores with them. As for you, Yang Hao, though your rescue was not out of your own volition, it was because of you that I am free now. Your life means little to me; I grant you a path to survival, but as punishment, your mother must accompany you out. From this day forth, Futu Ridge shall become a true wasteland. And perhaps soon enough, you will witness a good show."
I couldn't comprehend the Snake Goddess's words as I watched her massive form glide toward the Northern Wilderness Forest; it felt as if my insides had been hollowed out.
Numbly, I gazed at the remnants of bones scattered on the ground and the mottled Blood River. A sudden fear gripped me—everyone was dead; against the Snake Goddess, no one stood a chance.
"It was I who released her," I murmured in despair.
My mother comforted me gently. "Child, this is not your fault."
Guo the Blind hoisted Guo Huaiyi onto his back and cast an angry glance at the retreating giant serpent before turning to leave Futu Ridge.
"Mr. Guo," my mother called out as she hurried after him. "Mr. Guo, I would like to ask you for a favor."
"Let's go," Guo the Blind said, stopping in his tracks.
"Please show some mercy to Yang Hao from now on, for the sake of his father, Yang Sanqian," my mother urged.
Guo the Blind sighed and replied, "Xiumei, Yang Sanqian is formidable, but no matter how powerful he is, I don't regard him highly. As long as he doesn't provoke me, I won't kill him. At this point, there are some things you should no longer hide. The one who burned you alive twenty years ago was your father, but there were also Old Man and Futu Ridge along with a whole group of others who agreed to it. You should have been dead by now. Enduring all these years just to raise the child of a savior, suffering through life and missing your only chance to return to the Underworld—it's truly not worth it for you."
"What are you talking about?" I felt a sudden panic rise within me at Guo the Blind's words.
Guo the Blind snorted and continued walking up the mountain path towards Futu Ridge, carrying Guo Huaiyi on his back.
I hurried to catch up with him and blocked his way, asking, "What did you mean just now? What do you mean by someone being burned alive twenty years ago? What does returning to the Underworld have to do with this?"
"You now possess the Zhou Compass, and what lies within you has already been awakened. There are things you should have known long ago," Guo the Blind explained.
"Mr. Guo, please," my mother said, her eyes red with emotion.
"I'm going to find out what really happened back then," I declared as I held the Zhou Compass and made my way towards Bright Moon Village.
My mother had never shared her past with me. I had no grandparents or relatives; often when I asked her about her youth, she would cry so hard that I stopped asking, just as I never inquired about my father.
Suddenly, several large snakes slithered toward us from all directions, hissing and warning us. Guo the Blind raised his voice, "It's the Snake Goddess! You need to take your mother and leave Futu Ridge immediately."
"Son, let's hurry. I'll tell you everything once we're outside," my mother urged.
She took my hand and followed Guo the Blind as we headed out of the mountain. The snakes trailed behind us as if obeying the command of the Snake Goddess.
I had no idea what would happen next, but my heart raced with increasing fear.
"Mom, let's take advantage of the daylight and head to the county town to rent a house. I’m sure I can find a job in these two days," I comforted her.
My mother hesitated for a moment and said, "Yang Hao, you should go find your father and seek an education at the Daoist Sect. You don’t belong here."
"Mom, I'm already in my twenties. What do I need to learn about Daoism for? I’ll find a good job and then marry a nice girl to take care of you," I replied.
My mother didn’t say anything more but walked alongside me as we followed Guo the Blind toward the county town. We passed beneath Winding Mountain Road and left the borders of Futu Ridge. The sun blazed overhead, but suddenly, my mother’s hand felt cold in mine. I turned to look at her and saw her face had turned pale, with wisps of white smoke faintly rising from her body.
"Mom, what’s wrong?" I shouted anxiously.
She said, "The time has come, my son. There are some things I need to tell you. I should have done this when you turned eighteen."
I watched as the white smoke emanated from her, resembling a ghost doused in blood.
Suddenly, I remembered that my mother had mentioned more than once that she couldn’t leave Futu Ridge unless Yang Sanqian returned.
And now, as punishment from the Snake Goddess, my mother had to accompany me outside. Perhaps soon we would witness something extraordinary.
This reminded me of a rumor about a Veteran. A few years ago, there was a battle-hardened Veteran who had survived numerous great wars throughout his life. After the wars ended, his son needed help for his business in the south and wanted to take him along. However, a fortune teller from the Village warned the Veteran that he couldn’t go south; otherwise, he would die. When asked why, the fortune teller explained that it was written in his fate. Naturally, the Veteran didn’t believe it; he had traveled far and wide through countless battles and survived gunfire—how could he possibly die in peacetime?
In the end, the Veteran went with his son to the southern city. Little did they know that before reaching their destination, he suddenly fell gravely ill and passed away that very night.
In terms of fate, one’s birth date corresponds with their destiny; some people indeed cannot go to certain places due to their Five Elements Attribute. This is often reflected in almanacs that warn about financial luck being in the north and disasters in the south—a concept known as earth overcoming fate.
I pulled my mother back toward home, but she shook off my hand and said, "Son, listen to me."
"We have to go back; there’s still hope," I insisted.
Guo the Blind stopped and said, "Going back will only cause her suffering. Coming this far is a relief for your mother. I have long since moved on. With your intelligence, you should have realized that your mother is different; she has been dead for many years."
His words suddenly left me in a state of panic. I had noticed something unusual about my mother, but I had never considered that she was already a dead person.
When my mother first saw Zhou Manman, her expression was incredibly complex. After realizing that Zhou Manman was not alive, she still supported her relationship with me. I thought my mother was a member of the Daoist Sect, but I never imagined that she, like Zhou Manman, was a ghost—someone who should have died but continued to occupy a living body.
"But my mom is just like us; there’s nothing unusual about her," I couldn't believe Guo the Blind's words.
Guo the Blind replied, "That's because of your father. He is from the Daoist Sect and has ways to make your mother live like a real person."
My mother said, "Twenty-three years ago, your father brought you to Futu Ridge. At that time, I was tied to the Wind Stabilizer at the village entrance, and the fire had already burned my clothes. By the time he rescued me, I was already dead."
"Why did they want you dead?" I couldn't believe it; no one had ever told me this before.
Guo the Blind explained, "Let me tell you. Xiumei was a stone woman who was frail and unable to bear children. That year, she suddenly fell gravely ill, coinciding with many children in the village suffering from persistent coughs. Rumors spread that her illness had infected the children. Even though I clarified things at that time, it couldn’t stop the gossip. In the end, the villagers forced Xiumei's father to burn her alive. The one who spoke out against her was none other than your most respected Old Man, along with Liu Quan."
His words echoed in my mind, causing a sharp pain in my heart.
"I'm not my mother's biological child?" I struggled to hold back my tears as I looked at my mother, who stood nearby with a sorrowful expression.
Guo the Blind continued, "Xiumei gave birth to a stone woman; of course, you are not her biological child. Yang Sanqian saved her and gave her a chance to be a mother, allowing her to raise you into adulthood. Yang Sanqian lived with Xiumei for a year; someone as extraordinary as him would naturally win her love, and she willingly raised you. When you turned eighteen, her mission was complete. However, she didn’t want to return to the Underworld and begged me not to perform any rituals that would let her go, delaying her only chance to return."
My mother cried out, "Mr. Guo, please stop! Let me be!"
Guo the Blind continued, "All these years, Xiumei taught you kindness and how to treat others with love. Yet she never told you that the Old Man you respect and your cherished relatives were actually people who wanted to kill her because of what Yang Sanqian left inside you—a darkness that could greatly affect your character. If you ever felt even a hint of malice, you would become bloodthirsty. When you were eighteen and still in school, she should have died but feared that you would go down the wrong path because of her death and become reclusive. So she endured until now. For your sake, Yang Sanqian also limited your mother's range of movement; she could never leave Futu Ridge."
"Mom, is all of this true?" I asked as I looked at her.
My mother shook her head and said, "This is my choice."
I held onto her as if I were charging forward like Futu Ridge, stammering, "Then let's go back now. What does it matter if we stay in the mountains? Even if it's just the two of us here, you're still my real mother."
The white smoke surrounding her grew thicker, and suddenly a flame ignited on her body, burning me with unbearable pain.
My mother cried out, "It's too late. Let me go; you'll get burned."
"Just hold on a little longer. We'll go back right away. Mom, what will I do without you?"
I did everything I could to rush up the mountain. My mother's body was already engulfed in flames. The restriction set by Yang Sanqian prevented her from leaving Futu Ridge; once she stepped outside, the fire would consume her until nothing remained.
And my mother, wanting to ensure I wouldn't be delayed in my future, was willing to sacrifice herself.
She always remembered Guo the Blind's words: "In times of prosperity, one should act decisively." At eighteen, she should have let me go. Now at twenty-three, I knew nothing about the Daoist Sect and had little potential left for growth.
As I reached the foot of Futu Ridge, my clothes caught fire from Dao Fire. My mother pushed me away with her hand, standing before me like a deity amidst the raging flames.
"Remember to find your father and tell him that I've fulfilled what he entrusted to me," she said.
I looked up, and through the blaze, I saw her figure disintegrate into ash.
Comment 0 Comment Count