Free Web NovelChapter 1742: Chapter 1352: Sacrifice, Mirage!
Diao Chan saw that her master had rested and resumed her patrol. When she passed by the courtyard where Shi Wujue was, she saw the Linyuan City guards standing on the perimeter, each looking vigilant...
"Hmph! It’s just dealing with a servant in private; is there really a need to be so secretive, as if no one can guess what’s going on!" She snorted coldly and led a group of Dark Night Army patrol guards to turn and leave!
Tonight’s events, although the masters didn’t mention them, Diao Chan had seen everything from start to finish. Even if some parts were perplexing, she could guess the gist: Shi Wujue’s trusted subordinate had done something insubordinate, angering her master. Although the matter was left unresolved, Shi Wujue would no doubt handle it privately, if only to give her master an explanation!
Everyone understands these things privately. Since Shi Wujue didn’t want outsiders to see their internal jokes, Diao Chan naturally wouldn’t rush to get involved. After all, Shi Wujue was a friend, not a foe, and treated her master well...
Thinking of Shi Wujue’s kindness towards her master, Diao Chan’s club-like mind rarely opened up just a bit, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit worried for her own son-in-law...
If you really think about it, Diao Chan was actually someone Gu Changsheng took from Zhou Mu. Although she now serves Gu Changsheng, the master and the son-in-law are family, so Diao Chan thought she could distinguish distance and closeness. She felt she should support her own son-in-law...
Even though Shi Wujue seems really nice, handsome, highly skilled in martial arts, and of not low status...
But still...
In terms of closeness, she’s still closer to her own son-in-law!
"From now on, we need to be mindful; after all, we were the ones brought out by the son-in-law, and we can’t let some outsider steal our son-in-law’s thunder at the last minute!" Thinking about this, Diao Chan couldn’t help but warn the patrol guards following her.
"Commander, what are you talking about without context?" a patrol guard asked, puzzled.
"Blockhead!" Upon hearing this, Diao Chan immediately echoed Gu Changsheng’s daily rebuke to her subordinates, speaking angrily, "What I mean is that we need to be more attentive in the future. We’re now in Northern Mongolian, surrounded by enemies, and we can’t let our master be alone, especially with Shi Wujue!"
"Uh... why especially?" a patrol guard was even more confused.
"Because... because..." Diao Chan, upon hearing this, found her face tied up in knots, how should she put it? To say Shi Wujue was eyeing her master? Shi Wujue, after all, was their benefactor. Saying it so directly felt a bit petty...
Looking at her puzzled subordinates, Diao Chan’s not-so-bright head went blank for a moment and, after some hesitation, said through clenched teeth, "Because a widow’s door attracts trouble!"
As soon as Diao Chan said this, the patrol guards following her were astonished.
And Diao Chan regretted it, wishing she could bite off her own tongue!
Oh, this mouth of hers!
What on earth did she mean by that?
What widow’s door attracts trouble?
Her master isn’t a widow! Even though the grass on her master’s former husband’s grave was probably as tall as a man!
Seeing her astonished followers, Diao Chan lowered her head and marched off with large strides, looking as if she was fleeing in defeat!
Godfather, she misspoke again. What if this reaches her master’s ears?
She decided to stay out of her master’s sight for a few days to avoid accidentally provoking her master’s wrath...
Seeing Diao Chan and her group moving away, the Linyuan City guards outside the courtyard relaxed slightly but kept their vigilance, wary of anyone approaching!
With their spears in hand and knives half drawn, they looked as if they were bracing for a formidable enemy!
Though within the guesthouse, under the protection of the Dark Night Army, Shi Wujue’s men remained so strictly on guard, it surely wasn’t just because they were dealing with a servant in private and didn’t want outsiders to know; there must be something more going on!
However, Diao Chan was so straightforward that she didn’t notice anything unusual!
Not only did she fail to find any abnormalities, but after leaving the courtyard, she also specifically instructed the patrolling subordinates to stay away from Shi Wujue’s courtyard, lest he feel embarrassed that others would find out about him dealing with the servants!
This inadvertently ended up helping Shi Wujue!
Because, at this very moment, something that must not be disclosed to outsiders was indeed happening in Shi Wujue’s courtyard!
Guards surrounded the place, and all around the courtyard were kneeling family servants and guards brought by Shi Wujue. In the very center of the courtyard, a long table was conspicuously set up!
On that long table, amidst offerings and clusters of flowers, was a silver basin prominently placed in the center. The basin’s surroundings were engraved with complex patterns that resembled scenes of universal worship and blessings. Strange symbols, seemingly ancient script different from the Chinese characters of the Central Plains or Northern Mongolian script, adorned the basin’s edges—simple lines that created a primitive feel, profoundly antique!
Everyone knelt down on the ground, except for Shi Wujue, who stood on the steps in the courtyard, looking down at the long table set in the courtyard center, the basin on it, and the rippling waters within...
With a face full of helplessness, Shi Wujue shook his head self-deprecatingly, looked towards the kneeling people, and said with a hint of a smile, "You even arranged a Mirage sacrificial ceremony; it seems you still don’t believe what I, the Hall Master, have said..."
After saying this, Shi Wujue sighed.
"Hall Master, forgive us for the offense. It’s just that matters concerning the Bright Moon are of utmost importance; we must confirm repeatedly! Please, Hall Master, understand!"
Upon hearing Shi Wujue’s words, all the kneeling people’s faces were filled with tension. However, an elderly man in coarse clothing raised his head, speaking solemnly.
Upon hearing this, Shi Wujue glanced disdainfully at the elder and waved his hand dismissively, "Elder Qiyue, keep your distance from this Hall Master; you’ve been posing as a coachman for too long, carrying the stench of horse manure that’s nauseating to this Hall Master!"
"Hall Master..." Elder Qiyue blushed with embarrassment upon hearing this, but still kowtowed once more, pleading earnestly, "Hall Master, we only wish to confirm the reflection of the Bright Moon, meaning no offense to you. Please consider the great affairs of our Ancient Country and understand our loyalty!"
"Indeed! Your loyalty is unwavering! Yet, in your eyes, your master, this Hall Master, has become someone who would joke about the faith of the Ancient Country for mere personal affairs. Haha..." Shi Wujue laughed self-deprecatingly, "I did not know when it became so difficult for me to discern priorities..."
"Hall Master! Your servant deserves to die a thousand deaths! May I take a drop of your blood, Hall Master!" Elder Qiyue naturally detected the sarcasm in Shi Wujue’s words but, given the gravity of the matter, he had no choice but to proceed, even though it was somewhat offensive!
Even though Elder Qiyue’s words were quite blunt, Shi Wujue snorted coldly, knowing that since his subordinates had arranged such a spectacle, he couldn’t avoid giving them an explanation. Glancing angrily at Elder Qiyue, Shi Wujue, with a cold face, extended his hand...
"As the people from the Central Plains say, don’t shed a tear until you see the coffin, don’t give up until you hit the wall. I thought the Ancient Country’s Bereaved Clan, once revered as the most astute beings in the world, would understand. Now, since you are determined to see this coffin, to hit this wall, if this Hall Master stops you, you might indeed think I’m meddling somehow!" Saying this, Shi Wujue extended his hand further towards Elder Qiyue, coldly saying, "If you wish to take this Hall Master’s blood, come forth! Qiyue, if today’s Mirage ceremony provides an answer identical to what I said, you will spend the rest of your life in the stables as a genuine coachman, saving you the hassle of pretending!"
Upon hearing these words, Elder Qiyue was momentarily stunned, but after a brief hesitation, he immediately kowtowed, respectfully replying, "Yes! I have offended!"
Agreeing to the words of Shi Wujue to delegate himself, a dignified elder, as a coachman, Elder Qiyue, at some point, produced a dagger glinting with a cold light. Hesitating for a moment, he grasped Shi Wujue’s extended hand and stabbed it at his fingertip...
Shi Wujue watched coldly as Elder Qiyue acted decisively, snorting once.
This bit of pain was nothing to him, but he was very averse to being doubted by his own subordinates, to the point of having to bleed to prove himself!
Suddenly, he felt that the duty and mission he had been protecting all along seemed laughable...
He had given so much, from generation to generation, tirelessly and painstakingly. Despite all his manipulations, even calculating the woman he admired thoroughly, he didn’t expect that in the end, the people he risked his life to protect, along with his ancestors, would still not believe him...
Did he do something wrong?
He had just fallen in love, and after plotting meticulously, sought only to make some amends...
Was that wrong too?
As the dagger pierced his fingertip, a Blood Bead instantly emerged, Shi Wujue’s striking face remaining unchanged, as he glanced at it, and then flicked it towards the basin filled with clear water...
A beam of blood light shot out from his fingertip, directly entering the basin. As the water flashed, the blood dissolved in it, instantly spreading a hazy red mist...
At this moment, Elder Qiyue swiftly turned his kneeling position, facing the long table, raising his hands in worship, and began chanting eerily, "Using the blood of the Descendants of the Moon God as the guide..."
