No Love

The moment the eastern sky turned pale, A Miao woke up.

There was heavy rain and strong winds overnight, and flash floods broke out.

All traces of last night were washed away by the mountain torrent.

The mountains are still lush and green, and the peaks are still as steep as ever.

On one side of the Shenjun Peak, lay the lifeless county lord.

A Miao untied the woven rope of her dress and climbed up to the platform of Shenjun Peak step by step.

Kneeling down beside the county master, her face was ashen and she was frozen to the point of being bloodless.

He held a knife tightly in his hand.

"Master, no matter whether there was a mountain god in Qianshanling County in the past, from now on, you are the mountain god of Shenjun Peak!"

A Miao said in a trembling voice,

"Master, A Miao was unable to keep you alive, so I must bury you. This place is picturesque and a good place. You love your people, so you should stay here."

"Master, A Miao swears that she will overthrow them."

"You must protect A Miao and kill those devils in human skin!"

"Master, this Shenjun Peak will be yours from now on. Don't let those devils in human skin come here!"

A Miao was talking as she patrolled around. She stood up, found a place that she thought was a good place, and started digging the hole one hole at a time.

The mountain ground was soft after the rain, and when the sun rose she had dug a not very deep hole.

She was worried that wild animals in the mountains would dig up the adults' graves, so she continued digging.

They stopped digging until the sun was high in the south.

She cut some more branches and put them in the pit. Then she dragged the county master in and gently placed him there.

He tore off a piece of his clothes, soaked it with rainwater from last night, and used it to wash the county lord's face.

Then he took some branches and leaves and covered him with them.

Then start filling the soil.

Looking at the mound of earth in front of her, A Miao could no longer hold back and burst into tears.

……

June 21st, in Qianshanling County Town.

Ah Miao walked alone in the silent night. She didn't know how she walked down the Shenjun Peak. She knew she was very hungry and needed to eat.

The basis for survival is not to starve to death.

The sound of noisy gongs and drums came from the streets in the distance, the night trembled, and the moon appeared above the head.

A Miao looked up at the moon in the sky, and there were floating clouds looming around the moon.

A voice in A Miao's heart called her:

A Miao,

Go ahead,

There is food available there.

A Miao,

go ahead

A Miao,

live...

—

Bazhenju, the largest restaurant in Qiansanling County.

The owner of Bazhenju is Du Liuniang, a well-known philanthropist in Qianshanling County.

The once-in-a-decade selection of Mrs. Qianshan has come to a successful conclusion.

The government official personally visited Qianshanling County to thank the family of the mountain owner's wife for their strong support, and specially hosted a banquet at Bazhenju to entertain them.

Bazhenju also set up a porridge stall on the street to provide food for beggars and refugees passing by.

Although it is late at night, people are not quiet.

Ah Miao followed a group of refugees and walked slowly over. The porridge distributor looked at her. She stretched out her dirty hands and said hoarsely:

"Pour it in so I can eat it."

The woman looked at the person next to her, and the other person took out a broken bowl, filled it with porridge, and handed it to her.

"Eat slowly, there's more."

A Miao took it, said nothing, walked to a corner and drank the porridge silently.

After finishing the porridge, she came over again.

"Can you give me a nest?"

She returned the bowl with the hole in it and begged,

"I'm so hungry."

The two people in charge of distributing porridge did not speak. There were too many people like her these days. They just wanted to eat more and be full. Then, they quickly handed her two wild vegetable nests.

"Eat, there's not enough."

They repeated what they had just said.

A Miao took the wild vegetable nest and turned to leave. This time, she did not hide in the corner to eat it. Instead, she left as fast as the wind.

The night is as cool as water, just like last autumn.

A Miao walked alone in the silent night, walking towards the outside of the city as fast as the wind.

After midnight, she climbed up Shenjun Peak again.

At this time, Shenjun Peak is steeper than before.

The cliffs were sharp and some exposed rocks scratched her tattered clothes and her body.

She was completely unaware of pain.

She knelt in front of the county lords' graves, took out a stack of crumpled paper money and a handful of crumpled ghost paper, and then placed two nests of wild vegetables on them.

He lit the paper money and said softly, "Master, A Miao is here to see you. These tributes are all clean."

"I exchanged my own jewelry for the paper money. They refused to give me incense and candles, saying that they didn't have enough money."

"But it doesn't matter. This is enough."

A Miao bit his fingertips and wrote and drew on a crumpled piece of paper money. After writing for a while, he stopped, found some branches, and started a fire.

She just knelt there holding the piece of paper with symbols written on it, and roasted it by the fire.

The blood dried.

She placed the paper money on the ground, opened her hands and stretched them out in front of her, blew a deep breath into her hands, and then turned her hands over to cover the paper money.

Next, pick up the paper money and place it on the fire.

"Master, A Miao said: From now on, you are the mountain god of Qianshanling County. This is your appointment letter. You must keep it well."

The paper money is burned out.

A Miao stood up, bowed to the county master's grave, and then left Shenjun Peak with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

...

Inside the elegant room of Furong Pavilion in Bazhenju, the handsome young man Luo Zhen was surrounded by eight charming young ladies. He was drinking and admiring the swaying figures of the girls with excellent dancing skills.

Du Liuniang came over with a smile as beautiful as a flower, picked up the wine glass with her orchid fingers, and said in a coquettish voice:

"Master Priest, I wish you eternal happiness and a long life."

After saying this, Du Liuniang raised her glass and drank it all.

Then, he put the empty wine glass on the table and looked at Luo Zhen with a smile.

"Has the person been found?"

A cold light flashed in Luo Zhen's eyes, and he glanced at the middle-aged Du Liuniang with the corner of his eye, and said indifferently.

Du Liuniang winked at the beauties, and they urged them to drink more enthusiastically.

Luo Zhen raised his hand and pinched the chin of a beauty, and said softly: "What I hate most is the kind of people who say they can't do what they say."

As he spoke, he gradually applied more force to her fingers. The beauty whimpered in pain and begged for mercy in a tender voice:

"Master, it hurts."

"It won't hurt anymore."

Luo Zhen raised his lips to smile lightly, a hint of viciousness flashed across his eyes, and he pinched the beauty's chin hard with his fingers, breaking it!

The pain of broken bones caused a slight twitch on the beautiful woman's smiling face.

The tears stayed in my eyes, rolling around, but I didn't dare to let them flow out!

After a moment, blood flowed out of the beauty's mouth.

Luo Zhen raised his hand, and a palm wind wrapped the beauty and fell from the carved window.

poof,

The beauty fell on the street in front of Bazhenju, falling down with her limbs spread out, and blood immediately flowed from under her!

Those who distribute porridge and those who come to receive porridge are already accustomed to such scenes.

They would not sympathize with these disobedient beauties who were thrown out. They even hoped that those women who had a good time every night, ate delicacies from the mountains and the sea, and wore brocade and gorgeous clothes would be thrown out. In this way, they would have the opportunity to wear brocade and gorgeous clothes and serve the priests from the upper world.

In the elegant room of Furong Pavilion in Bazhenju, Luo Zhen still had a smile on his face. Another beauty snuggled in his arms obediently, picked up the hibiscus cake on the plate and fed it into his mouth.

Du Liuniang's heart was trembling, but she still had a wry smile on her face. At this moment, she didn't know what to say.

Even though I'm used to seeing all kinds of people, this is the first time I've met someone like the High Priest.

He speaks so gently and you never see him angry, but his life can be gone in an instant.

Isn't she just a girl?

What kind of girls doesn’t Bazhenju have?

Why can't we satisfy the High Priest?

"Master, calm down."

Du Liuniang took a half step forward, knelt down, stretched out her white and tender hands, and massaged Luo Zhen's legs. While massaging his legs, she said flatteringly,

"Master, there was an accident that day. Except for a few people who survived, everyone else was washed away by the mountain torrent. No one was found alive, and no body was found dead. But, don't worry, Master, trust me, it will be three days later."

Luo Zhen's face darkened.

"Two days."

Du Liuniang quickly changed her words.

Luo Zhen raised his leg and pushed with his knee, sending Du Liuniang flying against the wall. She bounced back and landed at his feet.

"one day."

Du Liuniang lay at his feet, her clothes soaked.

Although it was June, she felt as if she was falling into an icy cave. If she couldn't find a woman that satisfied the priest, she would have no chance of survival.

"one day."

Luo Zhen picked up the beauty in his arms and kissed her hard. The beauty was terrified, but she still had a shy smile of being flattered on her face.

"If you haven't found it after one day, Du Liuniang, you know."

"I know. I understand. I will do my best to find her back."

Du Liuniang kowtowed like a chick pecking at rice, she knew this was her deadline.

"I'll take my leave, Master. Have fun."

……

"Qian Shiqi, tell me, did you hide the person?"

Du Liuniang ran to Qian Shiqi's yard like a gust of wind and stood there shouting,

"If you don't hand him over to me, I will compile a book about your betrayal and publicize it in every teahouse and tavern!"

Qian Shiqi came out of the bedroom with his bare chest, and watching her yelling in the yard, he couldn't help laughing:

"Du Liuniang, you are usually very smart, why are you so stupid today? She is a wild woman living on the streets, where else can she go except Shenjun Peak?"

Du Liuniang looked at him coldly and said, "You know where she is, why don't you go find her? Don't you know that the priest has killed someone?"

"Humph, isn't it common for the priest to kill people?"

Qian Shiqi smiled.

"Tomorrow, at this time tomorrow, I will send the wild woman to you."

……

Night, quiet.

The wind blows gently.

A Miao looked at the ancient trees standing on the mountain and smiled.

This smile was not one of relief, but of despair.

You can’t avoid what’s coming, so just face it.

She found a stream and washed the stains on her body by the stream.

We have to face those things, and it’s better to be clean.

she thought.

.

Its daybreak.

The first ray of sunlight shone through the leaves onto A Miao's face, and she saw a familiar face.

"Master Qian, is that you?"

A Miao's face was filled with surprise at having escaped death, but her tattered wedding dress could not hide her dishevelled appearance.

There were traces of scratches from tree branches, and bloodstains everywhere. The old wounds had not yet healed, and new ones had appeared.

"Master Qian, they are all dead, they are all dead!"

A Miao cried and threw her delicate arms towards Qian Shiqi without hesitation.

Qian Shiqi was frightened by her appearance. Facing someone who took the initiative to throw herself into his arms, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

She had experienced a night like that, shouldn't she be unaware of the inside story?

She didn't look like she knew.

"Master Qian, the master was killed by them. I took advantage of the chaos to escape!"

A Miao knew that some things still needed to be said. She didn't hear their conversation clearly, but she guessed it almost exactly.

In March, although Qiao'er and the other two didn't say anything to me, they told me before getting on the sedan chair: A Miao, if there is a chance when we reach Shenjun Peak, you and Lin Qi should escape together.

We are responsible for stopping Du Liuniang's men. The county lord sent Brother Qian to discuss with the government lord, and we will send you away without anyone noticing.

As long as you leave this time, no disaster will happen. The county master will ask the government officials to come forward together and exempt Madam Qianshan from the selection...

"They are bad guys, all bad guys. Very bad guys."

A Miao cried so hard that she was out of breath. She had to cry if she wanted Qian Shiqi to believe her.

My mother once said, "A woman who can't lie to a man is no more useful than a dead person."

If you want to deceive someone, you have to make the lie sound more real than the truth!

"Master Qian, they gave me a knife..."

A Miao cried and told Qian Shiqi half the truth and half the lies about what happened that night.

Qian Shiqi then slowly put his arms around her waist. Her waist was thin and soft, and her body exuded the fragrance of a young girl.

Qian Shiqi's heart came alive:

I have already betrayed the county master, so why can't I be the master myself?

This woman is wanted by the High Priest, so she must be of special use.

If so, she and I are in the same boat...

Qian Shiqi was shocked by his own boldness.

Once the door of desire is opened, there is a bottomless abyss on the other side!

"A Miao, the master's death was so unjust! We want to avenge him."

Qian Shiqi thought of a good idea. This wild girl had no one to rely on, no scheming, no experience, just like a lamb. If one day, she could win the favor of the high priest.

He could also get a piece of the pie in this huge Qianshanling County.

"Du Liuniang is a beast in human form, but we are both weak. Trying to bring her down is like trying to shake a tree with an ant!"

Ah Miao shook her head and cried, "Master Qian, I don't want revenge. I want to live. I just want to live."

Qian Shiqi showed a disdainful smile on his face, thinking:

alive?

Okay, I'll give you to him and you'll have a hard time dying!

"A Miao, Brother Qian is just a small yamen runner. You..."

"Brother Qian, as long as I can stay alive, I'm willing to do anything."

A Miao let go of her hand, looked at Qian Shiqi shyly, and slowly lowered her head.

Qian Shiqi's nose bled as he looked at her charming appearance. However, he dared not touch the priest's woman!

"Then, follow me."

Qian Shiqi didn't dare to look at her and turned away.

A Miao looked at Qian Shiqi's back, a sinister murderous look appeared on his face, he raised his foot and followed him step by step.

……