Female martial arts fanatics only love to fight, while men fight for their lives.

When the day of the sacrifice officially arrived, Anilan dressed up and got ready at dawn.

Different from the previous outfit of just wearing a short jacket and a skirt, showing off the arms, waist and calves,

Today she looked solemn, wearing a stiff, fully embroidered long gown, with densely packed silver ornaments piled on her chest, almost drowning her little face.

The huge hat on her head made her look taller, and when she wasn't smiling, she looked quite mysterious.

Lou Xiao was still wearing the simplest chivalrous outfit, without even a hairpin on her head.

After Anilan had finished packing, many villagers from Qieyue Village dressed in colorful clothes surrounded Anilan, speaking words that Lou Xiao could not understand.

One of the boys hung a bunch of flowers on her chest, full of expectation.

Anilan reached out and tapped his forehead, then turned back to look at Lou Xiao, motioning for her to follow.

They are leaving the nine-story tower.

Ignoring the boy's disappointed look, Anilan made countless bells ring with every step he took, and everyone knew where he passed.

On the stone steps outside the nine-story tower, Lou Xiao saw so many villagers from Qieyue Village for the first time—

No, judging from their attire, it seems like people have come from all the villages in Nanzi.

Even if there is fighting and killing and hatred between each other, on the day of sacrifice, all grudges are put aside.

Only faith can unite people's hearts.

Anilan was escorted through every corner of Qieyue Village, with Lou Xiao following far behind, not wanting to attract too much attention.

Some people in Qieyue Village can speak fluent Chinese, which is the result of the people sent by the imperial court to educate them.

But it was mostly their own language, and she had no idea what ceremony they were holding.

Occasionally, a young man with bright eyes would give her flowers, but Lou Xiao would refuse them by waving her hand.

Facing curious or disappointed looks, Lou Xiao followed Anilan as usual.

As more and more people came, she was almost drowned.

There were people all around her, and after she had rejected countless flowers, someone actually wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to force the wreath on her.

Lou Xiao was too lazy to make any expression anymore. He looked up at the roofs on both sides, thinking about jumping up and escaping.

At this moment, a familiar voice came from behind me. The Chinese language was very clear among the unfamiliar Nanzi language, and it was accompanied by a smile.

"If you accept the wreath and don't refuse it, it means you are willing to share the bliss after the sacrifice. Do you really want to continue wearing it?"

Don't be surprised by spring?

Lou Xiao turned around and saw the man behind him wearing a hat woven from dry grass roots. It seemed that the hat was poorly made and part of it had fallen apart, covering half of his face.

The exposed skin was also extremely dirty, just like what she saw when she first entered Nanzi, and it was primitive and could smell a strange sour stench.

She was about to greet him, but then she remembered that he was not allowed to return to Qieyue Village, and she didn't know how he had sneaked in.

But it's always good to see him safe.

"How did you get in?" Lou Xiao asked in a low voice.

"I want to see you." Mo Jingchun lowered his head to hide his face. "How is it? Is there any progress on the Gu in your body?"

"After today's sacrifice, the high priest will personally remove the poison for me." Lou Xiao assured him, "Be careful and don't get caught."

She saw some familiar figures, like the village where she had had a feud before.

Perhaps because they were in Qieyue Village or during the sacrifice, he glared at her angrily, but still did not take action.

"High Priest... That's great." Mo Jingchun naturally knew the importance of the High Priest in Qieyue Village.

No matter how powerful a Gu Master is, he must be recognized by the High Priest to have status. In addition, the High Priest has lived for who knows how many years, so his experience must be richer than anyone else.

Mo Jingchun's smile didn't last long before he looked in one direction warily.

Then he whispered to Lou Xiao, "I'll come find you after the sacrifice. We'll go out together after the poison is removed."

Without waiting for her to speak, Mo Jingchun grabbed the wreath on her chest and tore it off, then he moved left and right among the crowd and soon disappeared.

Lou Xiao had no choice but to turn around, looked at Anilan's figure not far away, and followed him.

After walking for most of the day, Lou Xiao was almost hungry when they finally reached the square.

Here, a dense crowd of people was already standing in an orderly manner, quietly waiting for Anilan's arrival.

In the center of the square, there was a huge iron pot piled with firewood, and villagers wearing masks were holding torches around it.

There are people of different heights, heights, weights, and even slim teenagers.

Everyone's eyes were on Anilan, watching her walk to the iron pot and light the wood.

The huge fire exploded into the sky, and Lou Xiao could feel the rolling heat wave from a distance.

In the distorted light, Anilan closed his eyes and sang a mysterious melody to the sky. His high-pitched voice was so penetrating that it filled the entire square.

Then the villagers from various villages in Nanzi began to sing in unison.

The figure of the high priest appeared on the high platform behind the fire, holding a wooden staff and taking steps that Lou Xiao didn't understand as he sang.

Like an ancient dance, it tells a story that has been passed down for thousands of years.

Lou Xiao couldn't help being attracted.

The heat from the burning flames and the strange wind that blew up at some point caused wind flags to fly up in various places on the square.

As the villagers' singing became more and more heroic, amid the flaming flames, she seemed to see a figure in the crowd opposite her, a figure that shouldn't be there.

Before she could carefully identify them, the villagers around her began to kneel down in unison and touched the ground with their heads towards the high priest.

Lou Xiao stood steadily, staring at the flames. When another gust of wind blew, the wind flag finally revealed a figure standing like her.

In the entire square, they were the only ones who refused to kneel.

It was indeed him.

Li Huaiqing.

He also saw her and nodded slightly in her direction. Lou Xiao wanted to ask him how he got here.

But the sacrificial atmosphere was very strong at this moment, so it would be fine if she didn't kneel, but it would be inappropriate if she disturbed others.

Lou Xiao wanted to wait until the sacrifice was completed before meeting him.

Suddenly, the high priest let out a cry like an eagle on the high platform, which was eerie and strange. Everyone stood up, and the dozen or so villagers wearing masks beside the iron pot stood up.

He actually pulled out a short blade from his sleeve and slashed his neck in front of everyone!

They did it so naturally that by the time Lou Xiao realized something was wrong, more than a dozen people had already fallen into the iron pot.

Lou Xiao's eyes widened as he looked around, but no one seemed surprised, as if it was as it should be, and some even felt proud of it.

Does sacrifice require human beings?

Lou Xiao's eyes fell on Li Huaiqing, who was standing opposite her, and she saw a heavy look on his face.

He even pulled out a handkerchief to slightly block out the smell of burnt flesh coming from the iron pot.

Perhaps, only people in the Central Plains would feel uncomfortable about this.