Zhu Tian: Starting from the World of Zongwu

"Yes, over the past century, it has been relatively stable. There hasn't been any panic or chaos. People live in an orderly manner, and there hasn't been any large-scale exodus."

"Oh?"

Song Xuan was a little surprised. "The demons here are so law-abiding and don't harm the people?"

Zuo Jingzhong was silent for a moment. "I think they negotiated with the higher-ups of our Imperial City Division. I'm not sure how they negotiated, but since the negotiations a hundred years ago, this place has been considered stable."

Song Xuan was silent for a moment. "The world is bustling with people because of profit. The world is bustling with people because of profit... What benefits did the Imperial City Bureau give them?"

Zuo Jingzhong took a deep breath and said, "Allow them to claim to be river gods. Every year, the officials of each county in Jiangcheng Commandery will hold a grand sacrificial ceremony in their honor."

"What sacrifice?"

"Boys and girls!"

Seeing Song Xuan's expression turn cold, Zuo Jingzhong continued, "The river god of the main stream has an annual sacrifice of nine pairs of boys and girls, and the county governor is responsible for presiding over the sacrifice.

The river gods of the tributaries were presided over by local county magistrates, and the sacrificial ceremony required three pairs of boys and girls every year.

After the annual sacrifice is completed, Jianghe County will be blessed with good weather and good harvests..."

"So..." Song Xuan's voice was a little cold, "Is this what you mean by the people living a relatively stable life?"

Zuo Jingzhong nodded. "Compared to the past when demons and monsters were rampant and causing chaos, the past hundred years have been quite peaceful."

Song Xuan was a little puzzled and said, "Every year, there are boys and girls who are offered up as gifts. It goes without saying that those powerful families would never give up their own children. Only ordinary families would be sacrificed.

Even so, the people of Jianghe County didn't panic and flee?"

Zuo Jingzhong shook his head and said, "Sir, this world is not as peaceful as we imagined. Even if we escape from Jianghe County, who can guarantee that other places will be safe?

At least in the eyes of the vast majority of the people here, just sacrificing some boys and girls every year can ensure a year of peace and security. For many people, this is enough.

I'm going to say something you may not like to hear, this Wanling Continent lacks everything except people. The lives of ordinary people are worthless!

There are so many people that even after ten thousand years, it might not be their turn to sacrifice their own children. No one cares about their feelings except for those unlucky ones who are chosen!"

Song Xuan was silent for a moment, but had to admit that Zuo Jingzhong was right.

The thing this world has the most is people.

In the Continent of Ten Thousand Spirits, the spiritual energy is so dense that it can be seen with the naked eye. Just scattering some seeds on the ground can produce enough food to feed a family for most of the year.

When people have enough food and clothing, what they care about most is safety and stability.

Although the sacrificial method is bloody, for local officials, it is the lowest price to pay for local stability. In their view, this kind of stability is worth it!

As for those boys and girls who had not yet experienced the beauty of the world and became blood food in the belly of the river god,

No one cares at all!

"Sacrificing a small number of people in exchange for living space for the majority is rationally acceptable..."

Song Xuan's voice was cold, "But, I just feel unhappy!"

Chapter 650: Even if you acknowledge the master, you still have to be cautious. Then wouldn’t it be in vain that you acknowledged this master?

Intellectually speaking, there is nothing wrong in sacrificing a small number of people to preserve the safety of the majority.

But Song Xuan was still very unhappy.

Because no one will ever ask whether the small part that is sacrificed is willing or not.

Moreover, it was the Imperial City Bureau that made this decision to settle the matter peacefully!

A privileged organization that holds the power of life and death compromises with criminals. Song Xuan, who has worked as a spy all his life, feels instinctively unhappy!

"Young Master is unhappy?"

The Black Mountain Old Demon carefully observed Song Xuan's expression. After confirming that his young master was indeed unhappy, he immediately straightened his body to express his loyalty.

"If you are unhappy, this old servant will set out immediately to kill all the demons and monsters in Jianghe County!"

Victoria Song glanced at the dark-skinned man and said, "Heishan, you just said you've been cautious your whole life, why are you so reckless now?"

Hearing Song Qian speak, Heishan bent down subconsciously, "This old slave is eager to protect his master. I'm sorry to make you laugh, Miss."

At this moment, he was eager to kill people in Jianghe County.

You need to be cautious before you recognize the master, and now that you have recognized the master, you still need to be cautious. Then, isn’t it a waste of time to recognize the master?

If I can’t defeat Old Demon Wang, can’t I, Heishan, deal with this group of little ants in Jianghe County?

"Please consider this carefully, my Lord. The situation in Jianghe County is even more complicated than that in Jiangcheng County. There are many powerful monsters with strong backers. Otherwise, the Imperial City Division would not have negotiated with them in the first place."

Zuo Jingzhong advised in a low voice: "If we can't catch them all in one fell swoop, and those demons' backers come after us, it will be the people of Jianghe County who will be hurt!"

Song Xuan nodded without comment, "Let's see the specific situation first."

As they were talking, they flew down and appeared outside a small town nestled in the mountains and beside the water.

Outside the town, a small river meanders like a green ribbon.

The banks of the river are lined with green trees, birds singing and flowers blooming, like a beautiful painting. The gurgling river makes a clear and pleasant sound, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.

This scene with birds singing and flowers blooming, like a paradise, is definitely a holy place suitable for retirement in the eyes of outsiders.

But only Song Xuan and others knew how much danger lurked in this small river.

Deep in the river, a fish monster was staring at the fishermen on both sides of the river bank with greed, but it seemed that it was intimidated by some constraints and did not dare to launch an attack.

At this time, many people gathered on the river bank. There was an incense burner on the bank, and pork and mutton were placed on both sides of the incense burner. It seemed that they were holding a sacrifice.

A man dressed as a Taoist priest, with no flesh on his cheeks, holding a peach wood sword, danced with the sword while chanting something and lighting a talisman paper.

When the talisman paper burned out, he gave an order and several fishermen nearby pushed all the offerings placed on the shore into the river.

Song Xuan turned his head to look at Zuo Jingzhong and asked, "Is today the day to offer sacrifices to the river god?"

Zuo Jingzhong shook his head. "No, it's still more than half a year away from the day of sacrifice. Besides, this isn't grand enough. It shouldn't be a proper annual sacrifice!"

Song Xuan nodded slightly, took a step forward, appeared behind the crowd, and casually patted an old man in front of him.

"Old man, why is your town holding a sacrifice before the annual sacrifice?"

The old man turned around and took in Song Xuan's appearance. He immediately took a liking to him and said with a smile, "Where are you from, young man? You're not from Qinghe Town, are you?"

"Indeed, I wasn't. I was traveling with my friends and happened to pass by here. I saw that there was a lot of excitement, so I came to take a look."

"Students on study tour..."

Hearing Song Xuan's identity, the old man's attitude became more friendly. He pointed to the river bank and said, "It's nothing serious. It's just that Hu Zi, the son of Widow Wang, was playful and went swimming without permission and drowned.

I've seen this happen a lot. Every year, some disobedient children in this town drown in the river."

Song Xuan said, "So you are holding a funeral? A river burial?"

"no!"

The old man waved his hands and said, "Hu Zi drowned, but his body is still in the river. Fishermen have been trying to retrieve it for three days but haven't been able to. We have no choice but to ask the river god for help."

As he spoke, cheers came from the shore.

"Come out, come out!"

"Hu Zi's body is floating!"

"Daniu, hurry up, cast the net and drag Huzi's body ashore!"

Song Xuan turned his head and saw a swollen young boy's body floating up in the middle of the river. With the ripples of the river, it drifted towards the shore.

Finally, he was dragged ashore by fishermen using a fishing net, covered with a white cloth and placed in a small coffin that had been prepared long ago.

"Thank you, Lord River God!"

After the bodies were salvaged, the fishermen knelt down one after another, and the old man who was talking to Song Xuan also knelt on the ground and kowtowed devoutly to express his gratitude.

Seeing that Song Xuan did not kneel, the old man advised: "Young man, please bow down! I know that you scholars do not believe in ghosts and gods. Some things can be disbelieved, but you must be respectful.

There is a God above us, and it is always good to have some respect in your heart."

Song Xuan didn't say anything, but looked at the fish monster that was eating blood at the bottom of the river, then turned his head to look at the corpse of the young man who had been dead for several days.

With his level of cultivation, he can understand many things at a glance.

There was no causal connection between the body of the young man named Hu Zi and the fish monster, which also meant that Hu Zi really drowned accidentally while swimming secretly.

His death was not caused by the fish demon's deliberate mischief.

"Do you respect the river god?"

"Yes, ever since the river god came into being, our Qinghe Town has enjoyed good weather and no floods for the past hundred years. The town used to be haunted from time to time, but now we don't hear any ghost stories anymore..."

"Young man, please pay your respects..."

The old man kowtowed towards the river bank and wanted to persuade Song Xuan a few more words, but when he turned around, he found that there was no young man around him.

He patted a middle-aged man beside him in confusion and asked, "Qiangzi's father, did you see that good-looking young man next to me just now?"

"Where are the young people?"

Qiangzi's father was puzzled and said, "Uncle Liu, you must be sincere when you worship the river god. Don't let your imagination run wild!"

Liu Bo trembled, looked at the place where Song Xuan had stood before, and subconsciously shrank back.

It's broad daylight, could it be haunted?

...

Outside the town, Victoria Song was rubbing her hands together, "Brother, shall we start?"

Song Xuan shook his head.

"Wait for now, until I understand the situation in this county."

The situation seemed to be somewhat different from what he had imagined.

It is true that the river god here requires children as sacrifices every year, but eating the sacrifices is indeed fulfilling one's obligations to the river god.

If this is true, it is not appropriate to kill without any discrimination.

After all, it was the upper echelons of the Imperial City Administration who sent people to Jianghe County to sign the agreement with them. If these river gods were indeed performing their duties in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, it would be unreasonable for him to rashly tear up the agreement.

"Go to other places and have a comprehensive understanding. Then, I will decide how to deal with them according to the specific situation!"

Chapter 651 Don’t be afraid, Auntie, we are not bad people!

Song Xuan and his companions did not fly again. Instead, they got a few horses and rode them galloping along the official road.

“I haven’t ridden a horse in years!”

Victoria Song and Yao Yue rode side by side, each with a look of emotion on their face, "I remember the first time I rode a horse, it was my brother who taught me!"

Yao Yue also laughed and said, "The first time I rode a horse, your brother also taught me. I was about thirteen at the time. I sat in the front and he hugged me. My heart was beating really fast."

Song Qian's face looked a little strange. She remembered that the two bright moons on Lu Qingxue's chest were already quite large when she was thirteen years old.

At this moment, she was a little suspicious. Was the reason why the other party was so big because it was kneaded by her brother since childhood?

Yao Yue followed Song Qian's gaze and immediately understood that this little girl had some bad ideas in her mind again.

But she didn't mean to explain.

Because Song Xuan's hands were not so honest back then.

When you like someone, sometimes it’s hard to control your hands.

Just as Song Xuan said back then, his hands had their own thoughts and were not controlled by his brain, and he always wanted to pinch something.

"I've known my husband for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen him so conflicted."

Yao Yue glanced at Song Xuan, who was riding in the front, and whispered, "According to your brother's temperament, he would definitely kill all the river gods in Jianghe County after learning that they eat children!

But now it seems that those river gods are not completely without merit.

If we kill them all at once, the people of Jianghe County may not necessarily live any better as a result."

Victoria Song hummed, "But regardless of whether those river gods are killed or kept, my brother will definitely abolish the annual sacrifice of boys and girls.

They ate children before my brother came, and they still eat them after my brother came. So my brother's coming here was in vain!"

Yao Yue nodded, "That's true!"

...