SFS Chapter 209 Things are revealed
Chapter 209 Things are revealed
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi stayed at home every day, quietly making preserved eggs.
The holy raven messenger, which had been "brought out" by the Left Protector, also flew into the territory of Ping'an County.
The holy raven messenger circled several times over Ping'an County before finally landing on the rooftop of the busiest market in the county town.
Its jet-black, glossy feathers shimmered with a strange, iridescent light in the sunlight.
At this time, the people of Ping'an County were still busy at the market as usual, making a living.
The streets and alleys were filled with the aroma of various foods, and the shouts of vendors rose and fell.
The elderly woman selling vegetables skillfully arranged the fresh, green vegetables, while the butcher wielded a large knife to cut fresh pork; everything seemed peaceful and serene.
However, beneath this seemingly ordinary appearance, the influence of the Lotus Sect has never ceased and has been quietly spreading.
Some of their followers had already infiltrated every corner of the county town, some disguised as ordinary people, and others mixed in with the county government's errand boys.
In the center of the county town stands a magnificent lotus throne.
At this moment, the Right Protector was sitting on a lotus throne, receiving the kneeling worship of people from all directions.
An elderly woman, holding a child with a high fever, knelt devoutly at the foot of a lotus seat.
The old woman's eyes were full of pleading as she murmured, "Lotus Goddess, please have mercy and save my poor grandson. He has a burning fever, and I really have no other way to help him."
The surrounding people echoed their sentiments, and their prayers were heard incessantly.
The Right Protector sat on his high lotus throne, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd, secretly pleased with himself.
He deliberately delayed for a while before slowly speaking: "God will protect the devout. Go and fetch some holy water specially made by the Lotus Sect. After I perform the ritual, I will give it to the child."
A short while later, the believer hurried over carrying a bowl of so-called "holy water".
It was placed respectfully before the Right Protector.
The right protector picked up a talisman drawn on the table, circled it three times in front of the child, and muttered incantations.
Suddenly, the talisman in his hand spontaneously combusted without any fire.
This caused a gasp of surprise from the surrounding crowd.
"Wow, could this be a divine intervention?!"
Everyone looked on with awe, their eyes wide like copper bells, not daring to breathe loudly, for fear of disturbing the Right Protector's magic to save people.
They knelt on the ground in devout worship, reciting prayers.
The right protector's lips curled up slightly, secretly pleased with himself, but on the surface he pretended to be unfathomable.
The burning talisman was gently placed into the "holy water," and it instantly turned to ashes and dissolved into the water.
The Right Protector held the bowl in both hands, solemnly bowed to the sky several times, and then handed it to the old woman holding the child, saying, "This is divine water. If you drink it and are sincere, it will work. The child's illness will improve immediately. This is a divine gift to your piety."
The old woman thanked her profusely, took the bowl, and fed the child.
She quickly took out a purse from her waist, took out a silver coin, and placed it on the tray of the believer next to her.
"Ok?"
Suddenly, an unpleasant sound startled the old woman.
The old woman looked up in alarm and saw the Right Protector staring at the purse in her hand with a gloomy expression.
The old woman was so frightened that she trembled all over and quickly put the entire purse on the tray.
"Ok!"
The Right Protector nodded slightly in satisfaction, but his eyes remained cold.
He coughed lightly, glanced at the people around him, and said, "How can divine grace be measured by such mundane things as money?"
However, considering your sincerity, I'll let it go this time.
But if they wish to continue to receive God's protection, they must exert themselves even more diligently.
The old woman nodded repeatedly, not daring to utter a single word of objection. She would definitely prepare more for the next offering.
Just then, a crazy, disheveled woman ran out from a distance.
"Help, help..."
The woman, with disheveled hair and a terrified look in her eyes, charged straight towards the crowd.
Before she could finish speaking, a follower caught up from behind, covered her mouth, and dragged her toward the headquarters.
The right protector's eyes were sinister and terrifying.
But the people bowed their heads and knelt in devout worship, unaware of the terrifying side of their "god".
The woman struggled desperately, kicking her legs and trying to pry open the hand covering her mouth, making muffled noises, her eyes filled with despair and anger. Ignoring her resistance, the cult members dragged her away quickly, raising a cloud of dust.
The Right Protector took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
He put on his inscrutable expression again and said to the still kneeling people, "This woman is possessed by an evil spirit, hence her incoherent words."
They disrupted our prayer ceremony, but fortunately, the gods warned us and took them away in time to prevent harm to everyone.
Upon hearing this, the believers repeatedly exclaimed that the god's power was immense!
The Right Protector slightly raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.
He continued, "God loves the world, how could He allow such evil spirits to cause trouble!"
Now, we must pray even more sincerely to the gods to ensure good weather and abundant harvests in Ping'an County, and that our families are safe and healthy.
After saying that, he began to chant scriptures in a pretentious manner again.
After the ritual concluded, the Right Protector returned to the main headquarters.
As soon as he stepped through the main gate, he kicked over a stool and roared with a livid face, "What exactly happened today! Bring that madwoman here!"
Upon hearing this, several believers immediately scrambled out to find someone.
A moment later, the woman was dragged in. Her hair was even more disheveled, and there were several scratch marks on her face, but her eyes were still full of fear.
The Right Protector reached out and grabbed the woman's chin, lifting her face up. "You wretched woman, you almost ruined my plans today."
The woman's fear was even greater.
She was only after the twenty taels of silver she was offered for being chosen as a saintess, thinking that she could live a life that even daughters of officials could not match.
Little did anyone know, the twenty taels never even passed through her hands; it was merely hush money for others.
Moreover, this saintess title was just a facade; after being chosen, it was discovered that she had fallen into a pit of fire.
She deeply regretted that she shouldn't have kept it a secret from her mistress and impersonated her to become some kind of saintess.
Given the mistress's viciousness, how could she possibly allow Jiang Yue to live a good life here?
This is clearly using the Lotus Sect to get rid of Jiang Yue.
She regretted it.
But it was too late. Her young mistress, realizing she had been chosen to impersonate her as the saintess, had already fled.
Unwilling to accept this, she immediately shouted, "Let me go! I am not Jiang Yue! I am not the Holy Maiden!"
Upon hearing this, the Right Protector was first taken aback, then flew into a rage.
He suddenly tightened his grip, "You ignorant fool, how dare you impersonate a saintess?"
Tell me, where is Miss Jiang now?
The woman's face turned red from being choked, and she gasped for breath, "No...don't kill me, I'll talk...I'll talk..."
Upon hearing this, the Right Protector threw her violently to the ground.
The woman collapsed to the ground, coughing repeatedly. Then she looked up in alarm and hurriedly said, "My young lady must have gone to her mother's hometown, Wangyue Village in Pingyao."