novelSusiti Chapter 426 The Fake Moon God Returns to Zhangshan Village to Seek the Truth!
Chapter 426 The Fake Moon God Returns to Zhangshan Village to Seek the Truth!
Xu Longxiang searched for a long time but couldn't find the Moon Goddess.
He frowned, a sense of doubt rising in his heart, wondering where the Moon Goddess had gone.
He stopped a high-ranking member of the Moon Goddess Cult, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Excuse me, have you seen the Moon Goddess?"
The high-ranking official shook his head, his expression somewhat bewildered. "Reporting to Young Master Xu, this subordinate does not know the whereabouts of Lady Moon Goddess. She returned with you just now, and then disappeared."
Xu Longxiang asked several other senior executives, and they all gave the same answer.
His brow furrowed even more deeply.
Didn't they just come back together? How come they've disappeared now?
But he couldn't find anyone and had no other choice but to wait.
Xu Longxiang looked up at the darkening sky, still feeling somewhat anxious.
He was terrified that the spoiled young master from the capital had already sent the news back to the capital, told his father, and then his father would tell the tyrannical emperor.
But then he thought again, it probably wouldn't be that fast.
Ordinary families wouldn't typically keep war falcons specifically for transmitting messages across vast distances. Although that playboy was arrogant, he didn't seem to have that kind of means.
They still have time and opportunity.
Xu Longxiang tried to comfort himself, but the unease in his heart was like a thorn stuck in his chest, impossible to remove.
He sat on the railing of the corridor, his hands supporting his knees, his head down, the plan that made him feel so uncomfortable resurfacing in his mind.
The moon goddess should be offered to that纨绔子弟 (a spoiled, dissolute young man) in person.
The moment this thought popped into his head, his heart felt like it was being squeezed, a bitter and astringent ache, an indescribable discomfort.
Although Fan Li had already explained it to him, and he thought about it repeatedly, he felt there was nothing wrong with it, but he still felt strange and uncomfortable, like he had swallowed a fly and couldn't swallow it down or spit it out.
But for the sake of their great cause, Xu Longxiang could only tell himself that it was all worth it.
If we can really win over his father, a high-ranking official in the imperial court, through this playboy, then it would be absolutely worth it.
Even if they can't win over his father, if they can use this opportunity to control this spoiled brat, they'll have one more eye and one more pawn in the capital, which is a sure win.
Xu Longxiang muttered these reasons over and over in his mind, as if he wanted to chew them up and swallow them.
After a while,
He felt a little better after that. He stood up, dusted off his robes, took a deep breath, and began to wait.
........
At this moment, Chen Ruoyao arrived at the mountain village at the foot of the mountain.
She stood on the dirt road at the entrance of the village, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar scene before her, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
The mountain village is small, with only a dozen or so households scattered in a pleasing, irregular pattern in the valley.
The bluestone path meanders and twists, with several old locust trees planted on both sides. Their branches and leaves rustle in the evening breeze, as if they are whispering something.
As dusk settled, wisps of smoke rose from the low eaves, carried away by the evening breeze, and blended into the orange-red glow of the sunset on the horizon.
The sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking rose and fell, several children chased and played at the alley entrance, and a woman shouted at the top of her lungs to call her children home for dinner.
Everything is just as it was years ago: quiet, simple, like a painting forgotten by time.
Her memories of this mountain village were not pleasant.
She longed for the outside world, for more bustling cities, for more lively places. Every inch of this land, every leaf, every wisp of smoke reminded her of how insignificant, humble, and powerless she had once been.
Back then, she made tremendous efforts and endured countless hardships to leave that mountain village and finally came to the city.
However, even after arriving in the city, she still faced many difficulties, because she was just an ordinary woman with no background or support, and had no means of making a living in the city.
Fortunately, she saw that the Moon Goddess Cult was spreading its doctrines, and she decisively joined.
Later, she was chosen by the moon goddess to become her substitute, and her fate was changed from then on.
She never returned to that small mountain village after that.
First, she didn't want to come back; there wasn't much she cherished about this place. Second, it was because of her promise to the Moon Goddess that she could never return to this mountain village.
At the time, she was very curious as to why the Moon Goddess would make her make such a strange decision, but she didn't ask any more questions because, for her, it was something she was happy to do.
But now, she suddenly realized something.
When she saw someone on the street who looked exactly like her, the doubt that had been buried in her heart for many years was suddenly unlocked as if by a key.
Perhaps the answer lies hidden in this small mountain village.
Chen Ruoyao snapped out of her thoughts. The face she was using was naturally that of the Moon Goddess, that exquisitely beautiful, cold, and imposing face.
She took a deep breath and strode towards the village.
The dirt road stretched out beneath our feet, and the houses on both sides were low and simple, with mottled earthen walls, black and gray tiles, and the red paint on the wooden doors had long since peeled off.
Following the path she remembered, she walked through a narrow alley, turned a corner, and arrived at a familiar wooden door.
It was a very old wooden door, with several cracks in the door panel and rusty door knocker.
Chen Ruoyao was stunned for a moment, and felt a strange mix of emotions, a feeling of being close to home but also apprehensive.
She bit her lip, raised her hand, and pushed open the door.
The door creaked open.
What comes into view is a small courtyard, paved with bluestone slabs, with moss growing in the cracks.
A jujube tree grows in the corner of the yard, its branches laden with unripe fruit.
The two sat in the courtyard, their faces haggard, their eyes red and swollen, crying and grieving.
The old man sat on a wooden stool, his back hunched, his hands covering his face, his shoulders trembling violently.
The old woman squatted to one side, wiping away tears with a handkerchief, muttering something unintelligible.
They heard the door open, looked up abruptly, and their faces lit up with immense joy. They practically tumbled and crawled over.
Upon seeing the person's face, the surprise instantly turned into disappointment, like a lamp blown out by the wind, its smoke dissipating.
They lowered their heads, sighed, and turned back.
Looking at the two people from her memories, Chen Ruoyao felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
They've all grown old, much older than she was when she was a child.
The old man's hair was completely white, his back was hunched, and he walked with a limp.
The old woman's face was covered with wrinkles, her eyes were sunken, and her eyes were cloudy.
But now is not the time for reminiscing.
Chen Ruoyao stepped forward, stood with her hands behind her back, and spoke in a calm voice, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
"Why are you crying?"
The old man raised his head and looked at her with his cloudy eyes, which were full of wariness and doubt.
"Young lady, who are you? What brings you here?"
Chen Ruoyao waved her hand, her tone indifferent, as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary.
"You don't need to know my identity, you just need to answer my questions."
The old man looked at the girl in front of him and felt a sense of familiarity, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't recognize who she was.
He sighed, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and recounted his experiences of the past few days in a hoarse and broken voice.
From the moment the scoundrel brought three women to their home, to the moment the scoundrel forcibly took their daughter, to the moment their daughter was taken away, to the moment they knelt down and begged for mercy to no avail, to the moment their daughter was finally taken away in a carriage and disappeared into the morning light.
As he spoke, tears welled up again, streaming down his wrinkled cheeks and dripping onto the bluestone slabs.
The old woman also cried, her whole body trembling, covering her mouth to keep herself from making too much noise.
Upon hearing this, Chen Ruoyao's heart stirred slightly, like a string on a musical instrument being gently plucked, trembling for a moment.
She took out two portraits from her sleeve and unfolded the first one.
The portrait depicted her exactly as she looked, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, a curved mouth, and a small mole at the corner of her eye, which she had drawn on the way here.
"Is this your daughter?"
The old man stared at the portrait, his eyes widening suddenly, tears streaming down his face. He nodded frantically, his voice becoming shrill with emotion.
"Yes, yes, yes! It's her! Young lady, have you seen our daughter before?!"
Chen Ruoyao did not answer, and instead took out a second portrait.
The portrait depicts Qin Mu, with a handsome face, a half-smile at the corner of his mouth, and lazy yet profound eyes.
"Was it him who took your daughter away?"
The old man nodded repeatedly, his head bobbing like a pestle being pounded, and the veins on his forehead bulged out.
"That's right, that's him! That heartless bully! He's the one who stole my daughter!"
Chen Ruoyao received a positive answer, and her heart was filled with complex emotions, like a spilled ball of paint, red and black mixed together, making it impossible to distinguish what color it was.
She needed to find a quiet place to sort out these complicated thoughts in her mind.
She ignored the elderly couple's excited questioning, put away the portrait, and spoke in a calm voice that carried an unquestionable command.
"Remember not to tell anyone that I'm here today. Your daughter will be back soon, if possible."
Upon hearing this, the old man froze, his mouth agape and his eyes wide, as if he had heard some incredible divine revelation.
The old woman lunged forward, grabbed Chen Ruoyao's hand, and her voice became shrill with excitement.
"Girl, is what you're saying true?! My daughter can really come back?!"
Chen Ruoyao did not struggle, but lowered her head and looked at those rough, calloused hands, a complex feeling welling up in her heart.
The old man also knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead hitting the bluestone slab with a dull "thump, thump".
"Girl, who are you? Why are you helping us?!"
The old woman beside her cried, "Young lady, thank you! You must save my daughter!"
Seeing the couple crying so sadly, Chen Ruoyao felt a strange sensation welling up inside her, like something was stuck in her chest, making her feel stuffy and sore.
She didn't linger; she turned around and walked towards the door.
Just as she was about to step out the door, she suddenly stopped.
She didn't turn around, but simply took out a gold coin from her sleeve and tossed it onto the threshold.
The gold ingots gleamed in the twilight, heavy as they landed on the bluestone slabs with a crisp "tap".
"Spend it sparingly."
finished,
Without waiting for the elderly couple to say anything, she stepped out of the door and disappeared into the twilight at the alley entrance.
Only the old man and woman remained standing in the courtyard, holding the gold ingot, staring blankly at the empty door.