I Went Crazy Killing in the World of Gods and Demons - Chapter 70

Chapter 70

“Do you take me for a fool?!” The Village Chief roared furiously at the smiling Xie Qingling. “Seize them all!”

Just as the village’s able-bodied men were about to charge forward and capture Xie Qingling, a middle-aged woman suddenly rushed out from the crowd. She had a red silk ribbon tied around her waist and a white cloth band on her arm.

She stood protectively in front of Xie Qingling and shouted loudly: “It’s a misunderstanding! Truly a misunderstanding! Village Chief, she really is the great-granddaughter of my maternal uncle’s third daughter! This child’s mother had no milk since birth, and I fed her mouthful by mouthful! We’re closer than real mother and daughter! Her offer to substitute for Qiaoqiao in the marriage is genuine!”

The middle-aged woman called out to the crowd: “Child’s father, come quickly and see if this isn’t your eldest niece?”

A middle-aged man poked his head out, pretended to examine Xie Qingling for a moment, and responded: “Yes, it’s her!”

These two were none other than Ma Qiaoqiao’s parents.

The entire scene fell into silence for a moment.

Xie Qingling declared loudly: “I truly came to be a substitute bride.”

Xie Qingling said: “You’ve married off brides to the River God so many times, yet he remains unsatisfied. It must be because none of the brides were willing, which angered the River God. I’m differentI’m beautiful, intelligent, understanding, helpful, and self-sacrificing. The River God will surely like me.”

“I’m willing,” Xie Qingling proclaimed loudly. “Let me marry the River God, and no matter what problems arise, they’ll all be resolved.”

The Village Chief remained silent, deep in thought.

The villagers also seemed contemplative.

What she said… actually made some sense.

This fickle and lustful River God had taken bride after bride, yet remained insatiable. Perhaps it was because the previously chosen brides didn’t suit his tastenot beautiful enough, not gentle enough.

If they could marry the River God to an absolutely stunning beauty, he might be satisfied for two or three years, right?

Thinking this way, the Village Chief found Xie Qingling’s words quite reasonable.

However, the Village Chief’s eyes secretly drifted toward Shen Huaizhou standing nearby.

Actually, it wasn’t just the Village Chiefthe other villagers’ gazes also involuntarily turned toward Shen Huaizhou.

Their meaning was unmistakable.

If only such a beautiful woman could be married to the River God.

Shen Huaizhou stood with a darkened face, perfectly understanding what these people were thinking.

In fact, when he realized what Xie Qingling intended to do, he had considered whether he might be more suitable to be the bride.

But then he thought againXie Qingling’s plan might not differ from his, yet she chose to be the substitute bride herself, probably because she had some other arrangement.

Although Shen Huaizhou didn’t know exactly what scheme Xie Qingling was plotting, since that was the case, he would just cooperate.

Finally irritated by the constant staring, Shen Huaizhou frowned and let out a soft, cold snort.

With an icy expression, he walked a short distance away but remained within everyone’s sight. Then he lifted his skirt, found a tree, turned his back to the crowd, and stood while urinating.

As the sound of trickling water echoed, everyone presentmen and women, young and oldfell into complete silence.

The Village Chief was deeply troubled. His sagging eye bags trembled with anxiety as his gaze shifted back and forth between Shen Huaizhou and Xie Qingling. Finally, he let out a long sigh and said, “Go fetch Wang Laodian. We need his opinion on this matter.”

Before long, the Wang Laodian mentioned by the Village Chief arrived.

He appeared to be a madman, yet not quite mad.

He didn’t look very oldperhaps in his forties or fiftiesbut his back was hunched so severely it nearly reached the height of his knees, making him resemble a man in his seventies or eighties, frail with age.

His hair reached his shoulders but was unkempt, piled on his head like a bird’s nest.

His face was mostly obscured by a dense, wild beard that grew like weeds, covering much of his features.

However, his eyes were exceptionally brightpupils starkly black and white, with a sharp, penetrating gaze that bore no resemblance to a madman’s.

As soon as Wang Laodian appeared, the crowd automatically parted to let him through.

The villagers’ eyes held a mix of wariness, caution, and reverence when they looked at him.

It was an attitude of keeping a respectful distance, as if an invisible line clearly separated Wang Laodian from everyone else.

[Stepping on your spine as a ladder, crawling on your back without looking back. Hunched, oh hunched, the Village Guardian carrying three Little ghosts on his back moves with slow, heavy steps, as if bearing a mountain on his shoulders.]

Wang Laodian was the Village Guardian.

A man who appeared disheveled and mad.

Xie Qingling quickly glanced at Dai Xingyu and noticed his expression had also turned grimhe must have noticed something.

Wang Laodian slowly approached Xie Qingling and circled her several times.

After a moment, Wang Laodian nodded to the Village Chief and said in a hoarse voice, “Her, then.”

The Village Chief was taken aback for a second, then nodded in agreement. “Her, then.”

“Lock up the other two and put them in the woodshed,” the Village Chief quickly ordered. “The River God’s bride will be changed to”

“I’m willing, but I have conditions,” Xie Qingling interrupted the Village Chief.

The Village Chief glared at her fiercely, his eyes flickering with a mocking light as they swept over Shen Huaizhou and Dai Xingyu. “You just want us to let them go, don’t you? Don’t worry, once the wedding is over, we’ll deal with them accordingly!”

“How could that be? Do whatever you want with themit has nothing to do with me,” Xie Qingling shook her head. “I just think that since this is my first marriage, the Ritual should be grand and formal. Things like an eight-carriage sedan chair and a banquet for guests should be prepared, right? Otherwise, what if the River God feels disrespected?”

“And these red silks and lanternsthey must be leftovers from the previous bride. The red silks haven’t even been replaced, and the double happiness characters haven’t been taken down. This is my first marriage, after all. How can I use hand-me-downs like these?”

First marriage? As if she could divorce the River God and remarry, thinking about a second wedding?

The Village Chief widened his eyes, his emotions suddenly very complicated.

Having witnessed many weeping brides, the village chief found Xie Qinglinga bride who not only took her marriage seriously without fear but also made numerous demandsutterly insane. She seemed calm on the surface but harbored a deeply disturbed mind. The tall man accompanying her was equally abnormal.

Xie Qingling declared matter-of-factly, “You must send me off in grand style, with the entire village toasting at my wedding feast. There must be three days and nights of continuous banquet at the ancestral hall, offerings to heaven and earth, and prayers to our ancestors”

“You ask for too much!” the village chief shouted. “Don’t push your luck!”

“Hah, so this is how you disrespect the River God’s bride, no wonder He’s displeased.” Xie Qingling curled her lip in disdain. “Fine, one day and night of continuous feasting. Not a moment less.”

Wang Laodian studied Xie Qingling intently, as if pondering something.

After a while, Wang Laodian said, “Do as she says. We cannot hold a third wedding.”

“Very… well.” The village chief heaved a heavy sigh.

He then ordered Shen Huaizhou and Dai Xingyu locked in an empty room with iron chains.

The rest of the villagers began preparing for the River God’s wedding.

This was a real weddingslaughtering pigs and ducks, setting up the continuous banquet. Everyone was bustling with activity.

The village chief announced the feast would last one day and night, with the “ceremony” at dusk tomorrow. Time was pressing for all.

As for Xie Qingling, she followed Ma Qiaoqiao’s parents back to the short white house at the village’s end.

After all, they were “relatives.”

Ma Qiaoqiao had also returned home. Upon hearing Xie Qingling would take her place as bride, she looked utterly bewildered, as if unable to comprehend what was happening.

Was… this how she was being helped?

Ma Qiaoqiao’s joy at escaping death evaporated instantly. She wailed again, “You should’ve just taken me with you to elope! Waaaaah!!!”

Her mother embraced her, and both wept bitterly.

In contrast, the bride Xie Qingling watched them calmly, as if observing someone else’s drama.

Ma Qiaoqiao’s father took a drag of his cigarette and sighed, “Though we don’t know where you came from… Ah, child, you saved our Qiaoqiao. After you die, we’ll build you a cenotaph and make offerings every year.”

“No need.” Xie Qingling smiled faintly. “I doubt I’ll require it.”

The entire Ma family stared at her in shock, completely baffled.

They had never met someone so… self-sacrificing and eager to devote themselves.

Was she a bodhisattva?

Had she appeared solely to perform good deeds?

A saint!

A true sage!

Ma Qiaoqiao’s father nearly knelt to kowtow, wishing he could build her a golden body for daily worship.

As the Ma family wept moved tears, Xie Qingling continued, “I have some questions for you. If you can’t answer or hide anything, I won’t marry.”

What?

“Let Qiaoqiao marry again,” Xie Qingling said.

Ma Qiaoqiao’s father was stunned for a long moment before he finally grasped the situation. Staring at this unfamiliar girl who had appeared out of nowhere, his heart was filled with unease.

Her intentions were likely impure.

The village’s secrets were strictly forbidden from being disclosed by the Village Chief.

Violating this taboo would bring punishmenta consequence he couldn’t bear.

But now they were all in the same boat. If they didn’t cooperate, their own child might not survive the day!

Looking at the white funeral banners and the still-hanging “memorial” flags throughout the house, Ma Qiaoqiao’s father wrestled with indecision.

Ma Qiaoqiao’s mother slammed the table hard. “Go ahead and ask! I’ll tell you everything I know. At this point, what’s left to hide? It’s just that damned River God! Today I’m going to expose all His secrets!”

Xie Qingling smiled. “Alright, I’ll be direct then. Who ordered you to make sacrifices to the River God? How many years have you been doing this? What’s the purpose of these sacrifices? Also, five outsiders came to your village before, right? Where are they now? And the other threewhere did they go?”

This barrage of questions struck at the heart of the matter.

Even Ma Qiaoqiao’s mother fell silent.

The silence stretched on for an unknown length of time. Xie Qingling didn’t rush them, letting them think it through.

After three to five minutes, Ma Qiaoqiao’s father finally spoke.

“I don’t know who ordered us to make the sacrifices either,” he said. “According to Wang Laodian, our village has been doing this for generations, so we must continue. But the older Masters all know he’s lying.”

“Because decades ago, our village worshipped different deities. We didn’t believe in the River God.”

“Back then, I was just a child. Every December, the village would hold grand sacrificial ceremonies and temple fairs. I don’t remember where the temple was located anymore.”

“But I remember those deities. We called them the City God and Eight Spirits.”