Chapter 1 Worship and Sacrifice

  The snow-white shadowless surgical lamp on the ceiling emitted a cool light, sprinkling on her forehead. Those lamps looked like the sun shining brightly, but actually had no temperature at all.

  Before one's eyes, everywhere is white, covering the sky and earth, a vast expanse of snow.

  A woman wearing a white coat, with a mask covering half of her face, revealing only a pair of extremely gentle eyes.

  She looked at her like that, soft enough to melt people's hearts.

  It seems like she heard her talking, but what was she saying? She couldn't quite make it out...

  Sheng Siyan desperately wanted to move forward, to get closer, to hear clearly what the woman with a mask was saying. But no matter how hard she tried, the woman seemed to be separated from her by a pane of glass - she could see her but not hear her, nor touch her.

  With one more effort, her whole body shook and she felt like she had jumped off a high cliff... and woke up with a start.

  And then there was no and then.

  "Siyan, get up! The sun is high in the sky. This child, everything is fine, just sleeps too much." A loud and energetic voice came from outside the door.

  Sheng Siyan moved on the bed and opened her eyes.

  It's still pitch black in front of me. Endless darkness, like being locked in a sealed black box, not a single ray of light can penetrate.

  Sheng Siyan blinked vigorously twice, and then rubbed his eyes hard. The darkness in front of him finally let in a hint of dark gray, like the negative of an old photograph that hadn't been exposed correctly.

  “...I had that dream again. It seems my illness isn't cured yet. —Although I survived, but my eyes are still blind.” Sheng Siyan smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth, felt around to sit up from bed, stretched lazily, and sat on the bed with his knees hugged.

  When Mr. Wang came in, he saw a small girl with a pale complexion and greyish-white eyes that seemed to be shrouded in mist, sitting on the bed with her knees hugged, staring blankly into space.

  Five-year-old Sheng Siyan is a blind child.

  If she weren't blind, who knows how beautiful she would be when she grows up...

  Wang said in his heart, walked over and whispered: "Siyan, did you sleep well?"

  Sheng Siyan turned her head towards the direction of the sound and gave Wang a sweet smile, with two shallow dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth.

  "Mother, I'm hungry, I want to eat meat buns." Sheng Siyan pulled on Wang's sleeve, speaking softly in a sweet voice that made Wang's heart melt. "Okay, okay, today we'll have meat buns... pheasant meat buns, the wild pheasants that neighbor Wang Erge brought over yesterday." Wang hastily replied, handing her clothes to put on.

  After finishing breakfast, Wang put several steamed dishes into the food box and got them ready. She also combed Sheng Siyan's hair neatly, tied two green ribbons on her head, and changed into a green cotton dress. "Siyan, we're going to the city today for worship, let's leave early so we can come back early."

  Sheng Siyan obediently nodded and pulled Wang's hand, walking with her on the main road into the city.

  They live in the suburbs and it takes half a day's effort to walk into town.

  Sheng Siyan's eyes couldn't see, but her ears were very sensitive. She followed Wang Shi all the way, listening to the gradually increasing noise of the crowd, knowing that she should have arrived in the city.

  This city is not an ordinary city, but the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty.

  Sheng Siyan knew that every year on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Wang would bring her to worship at the Shen Nong Temple in the capital.

  Generally speaking, when visiting ancestral tombs, one should go to the countryside or outskirts of the city. Why did Wang Shi want to do the opposite and come to the bustling capital to pay his respects? This riddle had been hidden in Sheng Siyan's heart all along. She silently wondered, but feeling that Wang Shi was not in a good mood, she didn't dare speak up and quietly followed him with her head lowered.

  Before long, Wang stopped.

  She gazed into the distance with a tinge of sadness, where a majestic mansion stood, with towering cloud terraces, giant trees that seemed to touch the sky, and grand halls and pavilions that rose steeply. The wisteria flowers and stone carvings were lush and vibrant, as if one could still see the maidservants in their neat attire flitting about inside, while the young mistress smiled lightly as she strolled along the covered corridor, her jade pendants tinkling softly with every step, accompanied by the gentle rustle of silk and the sweet scent of perfume wafting through the air.

  A gust of wind blew in, and the scene before her eyes instantly vanished into thin air, leaving behind a deep stillness.

  It's all in the past now, the bustling streets and vibrant markets of the old days are like a fleeting cloud that has vanished.

  Her eyes gradually became moist.

  Sheng Siyan felt Wang's sadness and didn't even dare to breathe, she could only stand still beside her, tightly holding her hand, afraid of losing her.

  This is in the bustling capital city, not in a quiet countryside. Once they get separated, she worries that she will never see her mother again.

  Wang held Sheng Siyan's hand and walked towards the mansion.

  Turning around the street corner, I saw that familiar old place.

  Wang was taken aback.

  The Shen Nong Palace usually only has ordinary people bringing their own food and simple incense to worship, but today there is an unusual person.

  In front of this magnificent mansion, a long incense table had already been set up. A woman wearing silver-gray short jacket and same-colored long skirt stood solemnly in front of the table to worship. Behind her, two rows of neatly dressed maidservants stood like wings on both sides, surrounding her.

  Wang was also stunned.

  It's been ten years, a full decade. Apart from these ordinary people, has anyone else come to worship at the Temple of the God of Agriculture?

  "Who is that? The clothes are really beautiful, when the sun shines on them, you can see many different colors."

  "And on her head, there were five phoenix hairpins with pearls as big as a thumb, one of which could be exchanged for the property of ten families in our village."

  "Cut, you really have no vision. That is the young mistress of Wu's family, who is known for his divine calculations. Isn't she dressed and adorned in the best way possible? Moreover, she is also the most favored closed disciple of Shengguo Gong of Shen Nong Fu, and the eldest daughter of Zheng's family, Zheng Dà Niángzi! - Don't you know that her medical skills are incredibly skilled?! Even when the Empress Dowager fainted several times in the palace, it was she who saved her life with her own hands. In our Great Xia Dynasty for the past decade, we have indeed been blessed with good weather and prosperity thanks to the Empress Dowager's reign!"

  "Alas, it was the old master of Shen Nong Fu who messed things up back then, and his whole family was killed. This Zheng Da Niangzi was still a maiden at that time, hadn't married yet, but she knelt in front of the Empress Dowager for three days and three nights, yet couldn't save the lives of the Shen family's old and young. So many years have passed, apart from us common folks who received kindness from Shen Nong Tang back then, which official dared to come pay respects to the Shen family? This Zheng Da Niangzi has indeed taken on a lot of responsibility by coming here."

  The ordinary people who came to worship and offer sacrifices chattered and whispered to each other.

  Sheng Siyan couldn't help but let out a yawn. She knew that the Great Xia Dynasty, apart from the royal family with the surname Xia, also had four great divine manors, which were actually the four great ducal manors, and they were the pillars of this dynasty.

  Because the masters of these four major national academies were highly skilled and extraordinary in their youth, they were given the title "god" by the common people, and were respectfully referred to as Divine General Zhou, Divine Mathematician Wu, Divine Brush Zheng, and Divine Farmer Sheng. ——In fact, they are just slightly more outstanding than ordinary people in terms of technical skills, but dare to be called "gods"?

  Sheng Siyan silently cursed in her heart.

  Wang looked at the tall and elegant woman in front of him, wiped away his tears, pulled Sheng Siyan to kneel down, took out the food from the food box, and placed it on the ground. He then took out the incense sticks he had bought and inserted them into the ground in front of Shen Nong's tomb, bowing his head in worship.

  "Stop him! Stop him! That man has kidnapped the eldest son of the Zhou family's General God! --- Catch him for me!"

  Suddenly, a roar of anger came from behind them, along with the sound of pounding footsteps and rushing sounds, surging towards them like a tidal wave.

  Sheng Siyan hadn't even had time to come back to himself before he found himself being lifted up from behind, and then flew high into the air like a cloud.

  "Mother! Mother! Where are you?!" Sheng Siyan cried out in panic, her hands and feet flailing wildly in the air as she remained suspended. She was already blind, unable to see anything, and couldn't even make out who was holding onto her from behind.

  "Yan'er! Yan'er! - Please, sir, have mercy and spare her life! This is my only daughter, born blind. Don't take her away, take me instead!" Wang Shi was shocked and cried out as she chased after them.

  All that could be seen was a figure clad in black, wearing a black hooded cloak, standing atop the high walls of Shen Nong's estate, one hand grasping a sword and the other clutching Sheng Siyan, standing coldly there, gazing down at those below with a slanted glance.

  "You scoundrel! You can't escape now! — Show yourself!" Someone rode a fine horse, slowly approaching from the street corner.

  That man wore golden armor, and the helmet on his head covered half of his face. Sitting on horseback, he was tall and majestic, with a long spear in his hand that was as black as coal, made from dark iron, said to weigh over 1,000 catties!

  "It's Lord Shengong! It's Lord Shengong!" The surrounding villagers suddenly cheered and knelt down again, kowtowing to him.

  Shen Jiang Zhou, named Chengzong, styled Xu Zhi, was a man of unparalleled wisdom and bravery. In his heyday, he swept away the rebellions in all directions, expanding the territory for the Great Xia Dynasty and establishing merits that would last for generations to come.

  Unexpectedly, I saw his true appearance in front of Shen Nong Fu today.

  These people would have liked to prostrate themselves on the ground and worship him as a god.

  Zhou Chengzong's expression eased slightly, and he nodded slightly, "It's dangerous here, let's retreat."

  As soon as he spoke, the common people retreated like a tide, leaving behind even the rice bowls and incense baskets they had used to worship in front of the Temple of the God of Agriculture.

  Only Wang and Zheng's wife were still there.

  Zhou Chengzong raised his arm, "Archers, prepare!"

  Countless soldiers wearing breastplates rushed over from all sides, holding dark crossbows and aiming at the black-clad man standing on the high wall.

  The man in black was already surrounded on all sides, and it was hard for him to escape even if he wanted to.

  "Surrender now, and you'll still have a chance. Hand over my son, and I'll spare your life." Zhou Chengzong said coldly. He was the hereditary Duke of Protection of the Great Xia Dynasty, revered by the people as "God General". His words were almost as authoritative as an imperial edict, carrying immense weight.

  That person listened, but let out a strange laugh and said: "You're dreaming!" As he spoke, one hand waved the sword in his hand like a windmill, while the other hand swung the little girl in his hand, completely protecting himself.

  Sheng Siyan felt like she was back on the rollercoaster of her past life, constantly flipping and tossing about, making her feel like vomiting. And to make matters worse, she clearly heard that the ruthless woman behind her actually wanted to use her as a human shield!

  Despicable person! Despicable person dies a despicable death! Still wants to drag others down with him before dying!

  Sheng Siyan cursed in her heart while crying even more miserably, making Wang's heart knot up with anxiety. She hastily came over to kowtow to Zhou Chengzong: "Sir! Sir! Don't shoot the arrow! My daughter is in his hands!"

  Zhou Chengzong didn't say a word and indifferently looked at the black-clad man standing on the high wall.

  A soldier walked over, without saying a word, and with one blow of his rifle butt, knocked Wang senseless.

  "Take aim!" Zhou Chengzong was about to give another order.

  "Stop." This time, it was Zheng Dà Nǎi standing in front of the case who spoke up. She turned around and quietly looked at Zhōu Chéng Zōng. Her gaze was extremely gentle, whoever saw her eyes would feel their heart melting away.

  Itchy hands have started a new book and will be updated irregularly. Please collect and vote for PK, thank you all~~~

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