Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

"And of course, there's our Miao region's guardian deity, the Qilin."

The monster in the dream that ultimately swallowed the female dancer might be the Qilin that Mao Chihua spoke of.

Ruan Wan's mind went blank as if struck by lightning. How could she have such a dream? Was the scene in the dream from the past or from the future?

If this is about the future, then the dancers will be in danger.

Mao Chihua brought me here, could it be to use me as a sacrifice? After all, only I and she are qualified to perform the sacrificial dance.

Ruan Wan glanced at Lou Qianyuan beside her, and Lou Qianyuan immediately understood and became on guard.

This is the tacit understanding they've developed over so long together.

Mao Chihua covered her mouth and nose and walked forward, while Ruan Wan kept a distance of ten feet and followed behind her.

Mao Chihua suddenly stopped and turned around, and Ruan Wan also immediately stopped in her tracks.

Mao Chihua said, "Let's split up and search around here to see if we can find any clues."

Ruan Wan asked cautiously, "A thousand-year-old tree should be a very obvious altar, with a Qilin guarding it. It should be quite conspicuous, right?"

Mao Chihua frowned and said, "Logically speaking, it should be, but it's also possible that it's been buried underground for a long time, so it's hard to say."

So the four of them split into four groups and began searching for suspicious places.

But there were trees all around, it didn't look like a place with an altar. Such a big wooden stake must have been a large open space, there was no way trees could have grown on it.

Ruan Wan glanced in Lou Qianyuan's direction and slowly moved towards him, walking about two miles away.

Ruan Wan glanced behind her and around to make sure no one was following her, then walked towards Lou Qianyuan.

Lou Qianyuan was still focused on searching for the ancient altar when Ruan Wan quietly walked up behind him, intending to scare him.

"Hey!" Ruan Wan suddenly patted Lou Qianyuan on the back, but Lou Qianyuan didn't react at all. Instead, he stood there motionless, as if petrified.

Was he stunned by fright? Ruan Wan carefully tilted her head, wanting to see what was wrong with him.

Just as Ruan Wan was about to see Lou Qianyuan's face, Lou Qianyuan suddenly turned around, startling Ruan Wan.

Ruan Wan exclaimed in surprise and jumped back a step.

Lou Qianyuan turned around with a smile and looked at Ruan Wan. Seeing Ruan Wan's frightened and panicked appearance, he laughed even more happily.

Ruan Wan kicked Lou Qianyuan in anger, but she didn't use any force at all. Lou Qianyuan pretended to be in a lot of pain and jumped around while hugging his leg.

Ruan Wan was amused by his antics and said, "Stop fooling around, I have serious business to discuss with you."

Lou Qianyuan immediately stood up straight and suppressed his smile.

Ruan Wan asked, "How did you find out about me?"

Lou Qianyuan frowned and asked, "Is this the important matter you wanted to discuss?"

"Tell me how you found me first, then I'll get down to business."

Lou Qianyuan laughed and said, "You glanced at me several times when you left, so I knew you were definitely coming to find me."

So that's what it is. Ruan Wan had thought it was some kind of supernatural power, like having eyes in the back of the head.

Ruan Wan glanced around again, making sure no one was there, and whispered, "The Mao Chi Flower might want to use us as a sacrifice."

Lou Qianyuan was so shocked that he raised his voice, "What? How could this be?"

Ruan Wan told Lou Qianyuan about her dream, but Lou Qianyuan still didn't quite understand how she deduced that Mao Chihua wanted to sacrifice them.

Ruan Wan then continued, "The holy maiden dancing in the dream was devoured by the Qilin, which means she was sacrificed to the gods. The air in the open space where the bamboo house used to be reeked of blood, so it must have been a human sacrifice."

Lou Qianyuan suddenly realized, "So, that Mao Chihua wanted you to dance the sacrificial dance in her place, and then be eaten by the Qilin."

After Lou Qianyuan said that, it did sound a bit strange. Surely they couldn't actually summon a Qilin.

Ruan Wan asked, "Do you think there really are Qilin in this world?"

Lou Qianyuan pondered for a moment and said, "I've never actually seen one, but there are records in ancient Miao texts that people have indeed seen a Qilin."

What credibility do ancient documents have? They even record mythological stories. Does that mean those gods and monsters really exist?

Ruan Wan was still uneasy about Mao Chihua, especially about the question of good versus bad people she had asked before. The person she was struggling with, who was inherently evil, might just be herself.

Ruan Wan said to Lou Qianyuan, "We still need to be careful. If she makes any move, we'll subdue her immediately."

Lou Qianyuan also said, "Once we find the ancient altar, as long as she makes you dance, we'll subdue her."

After discussing it, Ruan Wan and Lou Qianyuan went off to search for their own places.

After searching all afternoon, by evening when the four of them met up, they had all found nothing.

Ruan Wan still felt that the ancient altar was right below the bamboo building, and this open space was the most suspicious, but there were neither tree stumps nor unicorns here.

Therefore, Mao Chihua still believes that the ancient altar is in another location.

Liang Kun, being of advanced age, had reverted to his old self after such a long rest. He propped himself up on his knees and said, "Could it be that we've misunderstood? The two altars, one yin and one yang, one sun and one moon, are actually reversed. The ancient altar of the City of the Sun is actually located in the Eye of the Moon."

Ruan Wan and Lou Qianyuan both thought it made sense, and they both looked at Mao Chihua.

Mao Chihua shook her head. "The Eye of the Moon in the City of the Sun, and the Eye of the Sun in the City of the Moon, are both fictitious; they don't actually exist. Besides, I went to check the Eye of the Moon, and there was nothing unusual there."

Ruan Wan and Lou Qianyuan were both discouraged. There were only four days left until the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and they had to find the ancient altar before then to make any difference.

But right now, we don't even know where the ancient altar is located.

The next day, the group expanded their search area, and Ruan Wan even accompanied Mao Chihua to the Eye of the Moon for a closer look.

Indeed, just as Mao Chihua had said, the location of the Eye of the Moon was no different from any other forest.

Ruan Wan then had a new question in her mind. Although she didn't trust Mao Chihua right now, it wouldn't hurt to ask, "Since the Eye of the Moon doesn't exist, why was this place set up?"

Mao Chihua explained, "This has been passed down since the Miao tribes were established. This spot is the Eye of the Moon. You don't need to do anything else; just knowing that it's the Eye of the Moon is enough."

Everything exists for a purpose; it's impossible to establish a point for no reason and have people remember it for hundreds or thousands of years.

Either Mao Chihua is unwilling to tell the truth, or she genuinely doesn't know what the reason is.

Perhaps the real reason has long been forgotten in the long river of history.

Ruan Wan suddenly remembered something and asked, "You said that the City of the Sun and the City of the Moon are completely symmetrical, right?"

Mao Chihua nodded, and Ruan Wan continued, "Then can you find the location of the bamboo house corresponding to the symmetrical Moon Eye within this Moon Eye?"

Mao Chihua pointed to the ground beneath her feet, and Ruan Wan also glanced at the ground. "Could it be that what we're standing on is the Moon Eye of the Moon City?"

This is too ordinary; it's no different from any other place they saw during their two months of travel through the mountains.

Ruan Wan squatted down, wiped the dirt off the ground, and sniffed it. There was only the fragrance of soil, and none of the fishy smell of the Eye of the Sun.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it; the sun and moon are just there to recreate the Qilin's two eyes.

In the end, when the four of them gathered together that evening, they still hadn't found anything, and there were still three days left.

They searched for six days straight, expanding their search area almost to the location of the previous bamboo house, but still found nothing.

Now, Mao Chihua was really anxious. She kept looking at the sky and the ground, pacing back and forth.

Ruan Wan still felt that the ancient altar was located at the bamboo building of the Eye of the Sun, a place called a sacred site, and could not possibly be an ordinary place.

It is also the oldest sacred site in Sun City in Miao territory.

Lou Qianyuan suddenly asked a question: "We've been here for so long, and it seems like no pursuers have come after us at all. It's like they've given up looking for us."

Ruan Wan glanced at Mao Chihua's reaction; she was still immersed in her own world, wondering where the ancient altar was.

Ruan Wan had been focusing all her attention on the ancient altar these past few days, and only after Lou Qianyuan reminded her did she realize that Meng Cilan seemed to have given up on capturing them.

This situation is very unreasonable. Meng Cilan knows that they are in the Holy Land, and Lin Lianhua has already been defeated. If they just narrow down the encirclement like a hunt, they can catch them very quickly.

But things are too calm right now, abnormally calm.

Ruan Wan whispered a few words in Lou Qianyuan's ear, and Lou Qianyuan immediately led Liang Kun into the dense forest.

Meanwhile, Mao Chihua, who was standing to the side, was completely unaware that Lou Qianyuan and Liang Kun had left.

She looked very strange; she didn't seem anxious or worried at all, but rather more like she was afraid.

Ruan Wan tentatively asked, "There's only one day left until the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Now you can tell me what I can do to help you, right?"

Mao Chihua was stunned for a while before she reacted, turning to Ruan Wan and asking, "What did you just say?"

Seeing her like this, Ruan Wan became even more suspicious. "I said, there's only one day left. You have to tell me in advance what you're going to do."

Mao Chihua stared into Ruan Wan's eyes for a long time, and then her heart calmed down.

Mao Chihua sat down and said, "Let me tell you a story first."

Ruan Wan also found a dead tree to sit down and waited for the story of Mao Chihua.

"The Holy Maidens of Miao territory have always been a single-lineage successor. After the first Holy Maiden married the Miao Emperor, she gave birth to the second Holy Maiden, and this continued without exception for a thousand years. Until one year, after the Holy Maiden became pregnant, natural disasters struck one after another, with droughts and floods following in quick succession. For thousands of years, Miao territory had enjoyed favorable weather under the protection of the gods. No one knew why they had angered the gods and were being punished by heaven. Then, the Holy Maiden gave birth to twin girls, an unprecedented situation. The Grand Elder deduced that all the natural disasters were caused by one of the twin girls, but they didn't know which one. However, as the girls grew up, one of them inherited the Holy Maiden's abilities, while the other was naturally the one who brought the disasters. The Grand Elder decided to sacrifice the girl who brought the calamities to heaven on the day of the sacrificial ceremony. However, the two girls spent their days together and developed a deep sisterly bond. The younger sister helped the older sister escape from Miao territory. From then on, the younger sister stayed in Miao territory and became the Holy Maiden, while the older sister disappeared without a trace."

Therefore, Ruan Wan is able to possess the abilities of a saintess, just like Mao Chihua. However, according to Mao Chihua, the lineage of saintesses can only give birth to female infants, so the investigation must go back to the maternal grandmother.

Ruan Wan asked, "About how long ago was the twins?"

"The younger twin is my maternal grandmother, the saintess from the generation before her."

Ruan Wan was struck dumb, staring wide-eyed at Mao Chihua. So the sister who had run away was her maternal grandmother.

But Grandmother said that she and Grandmother Maternal Grandmother were sworn sisters who grew up together. So who is telling the truth?

Suddenly, Ruan Wan thought of a terrible problem, took a few steps back, and looked at Mao Chihua warily.

Did Mao Chihua bring her here to complete a ritual that was left unfinished decades ago, and to sacrifice her?

But there was no need to tell such a big lie, to run away with her in the dense forest for two months.

As long as you cooperate with Meng Cilan at the beginning, you can catch her.

Or perhaps Mao Chihua isn't in cahoots with Meng Cilan, and she doesn't want to stay as a saintess.

Ruan Wan then asked, "During these past few years since you secretly left Southern Xinjiang, did you go to Great Xia to look for us?"

Mao Chihua laughed, "You're quite clever; none of them guessed that I escaped to the Great Xia."

Ruan Wan felt a chill in her heart. She had only guessed that Mao Chihua had gone to Da Xia during the years she disappeared.

Unexpectedly, it was true; Mao Chihua may have come specifically to find him.

Avoiding the elders and Meng Cilan, and going to Daxia alone, there must be something particularly important going on.

Moreover, Mao Chihua's growing anxiety makes it hard not to suspect that the inability to find the ancient altar might have some impact on her.

Ruan Wan asked cautiously, "What bad consequences will there be if the ancient altar cannot be found before the seventh day of the seventh lunar month?"

Mao Chihua stared intently at Ruan Wan, slowly approaching, getting closer and closer until her face was almost touching Ruan Wan's. "If you can't find the ancient altar on the seventh day of the seventh month and can't complete the sacrifice, you will disappear from this world."

"Ah, why did I disappear?"

Ruan Wan was baffled by Mao Chihua's actions. What did it have to do with her? If this outcome would affect her, why was Mao Chihua so anxious?

Ruan Wan wanted Mao Chihua to explain herself, but at that moment, Lou Qianyuan and Liang Kun, who had been out, returned.

The two men caught two chickens and two rabbits, all of which were still lively and energetic, as specified by Ruan Wan.

Mao Chihua walked over and asked, "What are you doing grabbing this? We're in dire straits, and you're still thinking about making food?"

Ruan Wan ignored her and walked straight towards Lou Qianyuan, took a pheasant from his hand, and walked to the center of the open space.

Ruan Wan raised her hand and slashed the pheasant's neck with her knife, causing blood to splatter everywhere and flow onto the ground.

Ruan Wan carefully observed the reaction on the ground, Lou Qianyuan and Liang Kun also came over, and Mao Chihua watched from afar.

Even after all the pheasant blood had drained, there was still no reaction on the ground.

Ruan Wan took another rabbit and drained its blood, but there was still no reaction on the ground.

Ruan Wan frowned. "Could it be that I'm mistaken?"

Ruan Wan always felt that the altar was right here, right beneath their feet. There was no particular basis for it; it was just a feeling in her heart.

Liang Kun scratched his head, pointed to the ground, and said, "It seems like all the blood has seeped down there."

When Ruan Wan looked, she saw that the blood had indeed seeped in, and there wasn't a trace of blood on the surface.

Ruan Wan and Lou Qianyuan exchanged a glance, both eager to see what would happen next.

But after half a day, there was still no movement.

At this moment, Mao Chihua said, "Perhaps it's not the right time yet. Let's try again tomorrow at noon."