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墨書 Inktalez
The heavy rain continued relentlessly, with dark clouds looming overhead for a full seven days. This caused the water level of the Xun River to rise dangerously high, overflowing its banks and inundating numerous farmlands on both sides. Landslides occurred in the mountains, resulting in countless casualties.
In Jiangling, many small towns opened their gates to accept refugees, with the area near Wushan suffering the most severe damage.
At the White Cloud Palace's Observation Pavilion, an elderly man dressed in a flowing white robe stared intently at the silver flashes dancing within the dark clouds, his expression grave.
Below him, dozens of town leaders anxiously discussed countermeasures. Such a disaster had never been seen before; it must be the Dragon Lord's wrath.
The river had surged once before on the day of a wedding, and now it was happening again. If only they had known better than to let those reckless cultivators enter the water!
The Dragon Lord must have misunderstood that they were trying to deceive him with those inferior offerings, and now he was punishing them.
"Dragon Lord, Dragon Lord! A thousand years have passed; even if there was a Dragon Lord, he would have long since perished! If he truly still lives, why did he not react in previous years? This is clearly just a coincidence!"
In this urgent situation, they should stop pondering such ethereal matters and instead focus on how to respond to the disaster.
An elderly man with a lean frame glared fiercely, his beard bristling with anger. "Hmph! Why is it that when we speak, it is deemed ethereal? If you think our words are nonsense, then explain why the river has only stirred on wedding days these past few years."
The man stammered, unable to provide a coherent explanation.
The elder slightly bowed his hand towards the stage. "Palace Master, I believe this is indeed the Dragon Lord's anger at our neglect in offering a new bride for many years. We must seek out a new bride according to tradition to appease him."
"One bride won't suffice; this custom has been neglected for too long. We must present several brides to demonstrate our sincerity!"
The surrounding town leaders nodded in agreement.
"Yes, Palace Master! We all believe Lord Li's words hold merit. Please make a swift decision!"
If this delay continued, more people would suffer; my small town is nearly submerged by the Xun River!
After being rebutted, the hesitant man finally murmured, "What if we are wrong? What if we inadvertently sacrifice several young women's lives?"
At these words, silence fell over the crowd.
An elderly man in wide sleeves paused slightly, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "They are sacrificing themselves for all of Jiangling; everyone will remember them."
The man flushed red with anger, speechless in response.
But as he looked at the serious faces around him, he understood that there was no other choice at this moment. What other options did they have but to give it a try?
Everyone raised their hands in salute.
"Master, please make a decision soon."
"Master, please give the order."
The old man in the white robe sighed lightly, a hint of pity flickering in his eyes.
"You each choose one person from your city. As for the girl's family, you must comfort them; do not skimp on spirit stones or gold and silver."
"Understood."
Everyone bowed their heads in agreement, even the middle-aged man who had previously expressed dissatisfaction could only sigh helplessly and murmur his assent.
Jiang Yuanbai had just returned to the city lord's mansion when a richly dressed noblewoman rushed over with a worried expression.
"My husband, what did the master say?"
Jiang Yuanbai shook his head with a sigh, not daring to meet her gaze.
"You should prepare Lian'er in the next few days."
The noblewoman froze at his words, as if struck by a calamity. She trembled and fell to the ground, covering her face with a handkerchief, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
"I pity Lian'er; she truly has such a hard fate."
She raised her head hopefully, her eyes glistening with tears.
"My husband, is there really no other way?"
Biting her lip, she seemed to have made some kind of resolution.
"There are so many girls in this city; why must we send our Lian'er?"
"My husband, you know there are many poor girls in the west of the city. As long as we offer enough spirit stones, someone will be willing to go."
The middle-aged man's veins bulged as he felt a headache coming on.
"Foolishness! Lian'er is your precious daughter; does that mean all other innocent girls should die?"
The noblewoman stammered,
"My husband, that’s not what I mean! What if they are willing?"
Jiang Yuanbai shot her a glare and snorted coldly.
"If you hadn’t insisted on having her participate in that ‘Most Beautiful Woman of Jiangling’ contest back then, would she have ended up in this unavoidable situation?"
The noblewoman was taken aback, clutching her handkerchief as she began to sob quietly.
"I pity Lian'er..."
In the dead of night, Jiang Xinlian sat at the table facing a bronze mirror, her delicate and lively features tinged with sorrow.
Beside her, a maid whispered softly,
"Miss, it's getting late; you should go to bed early."
How could I possibly sleep when my father and mother want me to go to my death?
Her eyes reddened, and she buried her face in her arms on the table, crying.
Seeing this, the maid felt anxious and awkward. She stepped forward and gently patted the young girl's back, hesitantly trying to comfort her.
"Miss, please don't think like that. Perhaps the situation isn't as dire as it seems."
"They all say it's the Dragon God," Jiang Xinlian replied painfully. "Gods are supposed to be benevolent; how could they want you dead?"
"They can say that easily because it doesn't concern them," she continued bitterly. "They talk about becoming a bride, claiming there's a Dragon Palace below where one can enjoy a life of luxury and immortality. But if it were them, would they dare go?"
"They fabricate such tales just to trick us into sacrificing ourselves. Where is this so-called Dragon Palace? Where is this Dragon God? It's nothing but a monster demanding human sacrifices! One isn't enough; it wants an entire shipload! Thousands of years ago, it took so many young girls, and now it still wants more offerings. Even if I have to jump into a well to end my life, I will never become that bride!"
Seeing her mistress gritting her teeth in hatred, each word dripping with sorrow, the maid grew anxious.
"Miss, if you were to jump into a well, what would happen to the others? Your father and mother would be heartbroken too."
Jiang Xinlian lowered her head and let out a bitter laugh. "Do you think my parents wouldn't be sad if I became that bride?"
"You’re not worried about your parents; you're worried about the other families in this city."
Among them was clearly included herself.
The maid tightly twisted her fingers together, feeling ashamed as she lowered her head.
Jiang Xinlian fell silent for a moment before softly smiling. "Dear A Yuan, I know what you're thinking. I won't act so impulsively. Just forget what I said earlier."
A Yuan's eyes brightened as she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Miss, I'm glad you can see things clearly now."
"Tomorrow, Madam has arranged for you to meet with the tailor and has also called for a jeweler to make you some accessories."
"Madam said she wants to dress you up beautifully; you'll surely be the most stunning bride!"
Jiang Xinlian's expression was sorrowful as she forced a smile. Yet A Yuan was completely oblivious to her true feelings.
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