Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 1138: Chapter 773: Dead Mouth Lama

This thought emerged and lingered in Yang Xiao’s mind; Tai Wenqin, who was crouching beside him, keenly sensed his anomaly and asked in a low voice, "What’s wrong with you?" freeweɓnøvel.com

"Earlier, you mentioned that among the protective youths is someone who clashed with me last night. Won’t he seek revenge on us?"

Yang Xiao had no grievance with the Dharma Sect, so if the White Robe Venerable were truly pursuing him, it could only be due to last night’s conflict.

Or perhaps the other party intended to cheat them and swallow the goods they brought.

To this, Tai Wenqin reassured him not to overthink. "Don’t worry about that; the Dharma Sect still abides by the rules in business; otherwise, who would be willing to trade with them?"

"Of course, the premise is that the goods you brought are fine," Tai Wenqin added.

Conducting business requires adhering to trade rules, which is fundamentally about trust. It is likely that Mo Daidai from the higher levels of the Chamber of Commerce also said similar things to Yang Xiao.

"Brother Tai, what is the background of this Venerable One, and do you know his specific strength?" At the moment, Yang Xiao didn’t want to take out the Human Bone Staff to probe, fearing it might cause unnecessary trouble.

"No one knows his real name; people here call him Mahachidu. In translation, it means a deity with great power. He rarely takes action; it’s rumored he has a Half-step Netherworld Level strength."

"A Half-step Netherworld Level Angel Envoy..." Anxiety crept into Yang Xiao’s heart.

"But..." Tai Wenqin slightly frowned.

"But what?" Yang Xiao pressed.

Tai Wenqin hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and changed the subject. "It’s nothing, just some unsubstantiated rumors."

The convoy led by a giant elephant was quite long, and at this moment, another white elephant approached not far in front of Yang Xiao and Tai Wenqin, with several large vats tied to its sides with red-painted hemp ropes.

The water vats were nearly half a person’s height, with a black surface. Seeing the white elephant with the vats approaching, the devotees around Yang Xiao all bowed down, prostrating themselves in worship.

This scene left Yang Xiao unprepared. Pulled down by Tai Wenqin, they both crouched again, assuming a posture of worship; standing in the crowd at this moment would make them conspicuous.

Yang Xiao noticed that the vats had white paper pasted on them with several lines written, similar to the bold characters he had seen at the mouth of the alley on the street.

"What’s inside these vats?" A bad premonition suddenly arose in Yang Xiao’s heart. "Why are these people worshiping?"

As the white elephant passed by, Tai Wenqin stood up, dusting off the dirt from his skirt, "Inside are offerings prepared for today’s temple festival, with the types and quantities of offerings written on the paper."

"Half a corpse of an infant, the skin of a maiden, two sets of heart and liver, three heads of men, four pairs of hands, eight left eyes..."

Tai Wenqin unemotionally recited the offerings written on the paper, his expression already numb.

Suddenly, Yang Xiao remembered last night, that girl who was captured by the Dharma Sect followers.

"Your guess is correct, that girl is one of the offerings; she drew the red lot a week ago," Tai Wenqin explained.

"Those who draw lots become offerings. Wouldn’t everyone in the city live in constant fear?"

"No, only the poor suffer like this. Wealthy families can pay for a surrogate to take their place if they draw the lot. In this land, human life is the cheapest commodity." Tai Wenqin gazed distantly at the white temple; the White Robe Venerable was about to arrive.

"What about the Dharma Sect followers or their families if they are drawn? Do they also have to pay for a surrogate?" Yang Xiao pressed further, "Everyone here appears to be devotees of the Dharma Sect."

"Of course not. Dharma Sect followers and their families are exempt. They don’t participate in the lottery, as for these people..."

Tai Wenqin glanced at the crowd around, all with frenzied faces, and shook his head, "They’re not followers, just devotees. Devotees exist solely to support the followers; monetary support is one way, and if there’s no money, then their flesh and blood is another."

Yang Xiao instinctively wanted to ask if these people were insane, why not flee from such heretical rule? But he quickly realized, where could these impoverished, powerless people run to?

Everywhere in the Myanmar-Tai Black Triangle was a hell on earth like this; switching cities made no difference.

The Blood Sect, Dharma Sect, Esoteric Sect, Exoteric Sect, or any of the hundreds of other small and medium forces forming the Yin Temple, all places were the same; they were birds of a feather.

Yang Xiao had no recourse for this. In this land, just surviving was their limit.

Reflecting on last night, that girl, and her elderly parents quietly weeping on the bed, it was hard to imagine their despair at that moment.

Yang Xiao guessed that the elderly couple wanted to escape with their daughter. They had fled from home to the inn to hide, but unfortunately, they were discovered in the end.

Originally, these parents didn’t have to die if only they had been willing to sacrifice their daughter.

Witnessing the rampant brutality of these Dharma Sect members, Yang Xiao increasingly understood the necessity of the existence of the three major forces in the country, particularly the Patrol Defense Office.

At least in the Rongcheng he oversaw, such beasts would never appear; if they did, he would stop at nothing to utterly destroy them.

As the sound of drums shifted once more, the crowd in the square began to move toward the white temple. The White Robe Venerable slowly descended from the wooden cart and stepped into the temple entrance under everyone’s watchful gaze.

His physique was robust and towering, his white garment adding a tremendous sense of oppression.

Four protective youths accompanied him into the entrance, while the remaining youths directed other Dharma Sect members to unload several vats from the elephant’s side, carrying them with combined effort, following the procession.