After the girl's voice came, all the people at the entrance of the village looked at each other.
The strange silence lasted for half a sound. Uncle Jie on the clay platform didn't say a word either, just watching the villagers' reactions.
After a while, someone in the crowd cried out in disapproval.
"You are the minions of the wolf demon, of course help it speak!"
"That's right! You're with that wolf demon! Of course help it speak!"
"Master Wu Zhu, this demon girl and the wolf demon are in trouble, you know it!"
The villagers begged hard, and with the black-robed Wu Zhu by their side, they could be considered confident.
However, Gongshu Jie just watched all this happen, and when the villagers were quiet, he asked the village chief.
"May I ask the village chief, after the white wolf set up incense in the mountains, apart from forcing you to offer incense and sacrifice three animals, have you ever done other evil acts
"Uh... this... this has never happened before," the old village chief said in a low voice, "because I didn't dare to offend it, just according to its requirements, I enshrine its god statue at home, offer incense every month, and go to festivals during the new year. There are three sacrifices in the mountain. Besides, even if the hunters in the village enter the mountain, they dare not approach the location of the mountain temple, so no villagers are eaten by it."
Gongshu Jie asked again, "So when did the rumor about the white wolf cannibalizing people appear? I think everyone seems to be sure that the white wolf in the mountain will definitely go down the mountain to eat people... This kind of rumor came only after He asked for a virgin. Is it?"
"Uh... this..." The old village chief hesitated for a few seconds, as if thinking about how to answer.
The girl at the entrance of the village answered directly, "The adults in the village have already said so!"
The girl stared at the old village chief on the stage and said loudly, "When I was very young, I heard the adults in the village say this. They all said that if the children were disobedient, they would be caught by the wolf demon in the mountains. Take it and eat it! They said so long ago!"
Uncle Jie looked at the old village chief, "Is what this girl said true?"
"Uh... This..." The old village chief was sweating profusely, but he didn't dare to hide it, so he had to admit, "That's right, but it's just a lie to children, and it shouldn't be taken seriously. Besides, Master Wu Zhu, although the wolf demon has never eaten Humans, but they do force us to offer incense, and force us to meet their various unreasonable demands. In this huge aquatic village, there is no longer a statue of the god of fire, and all of them were forced by the white wolf to be replaced by clay sculptures of wolf demons. !"
The Huotong Kingdom believes in the God of Fire, and one of the most important responsibilities of Wu Zhu is to take charge of the sacrificial incense of the God of Fire.
For Wuzhu, it is an unbearable sin for the mountain spirit monster to force the villagers to abolish the worship of the god of fire.
When Gongshu Jie heard this, his expression became serious.
However, he did not immediately become furious as the village chief thought, and then went into the mountains to slay the demons. The black robe Wuzhu seems to have been inspired.
"Is that so..."
Gongshu Jie thought for a while, looked at the little girl under the stage who was scolded and excluded by the whole village, and stubbornly held her head up and didn't flinch, and asked.
"Girl, let me ask you, is there really no Vulcan statue in this village?"
The girl hesitated for a while, and finally could only bite the bullet and nod, "Yes, there is indeed no statue of Lord Vulcan in the village."
Gongshu Jie then looked at the old village chief beside him and asked, "After the white wolf forced you to worship, has this aquatic village experienced famine and poor harvest in the past 80 years? Are there monsters rampaging and killing people? Downhill disaster?"
"Uh... This..." The old village chief thought for a while, then shook his head hesitantly. "It seems... Really not. As far as I can remember, the village has never suffered a famine. The beasts in the mountains have never come down to eat people, and the terrain here is remote, so I've never seen a demon other than a wolf demon..."
Speaking of the back, the old village chief's voice could not help but soften.
Uncle Jie nodded, and some kind of guess in his heart was verified, "If this is the case, then the truth is obvious."
"A small remote mountain village has not suffered a famine for 80 years, and its crops have matured normally every year. This proves that although the white wolf received your incense, it also fulfilled the duties of the mountain god and gave you blessings."
"As for the rumors of cannibalism, it has always been your unilateral rumors and speculation, and no one has ever been eaten by the white wolf. Even the virgins that it made you enshrine, the most intact ones, have returned."
"This is probably a warning, if I expect it to be good."
Gongshu Jie said, "In fact, I have seen the white wolf in Hanyu Mountain. I can tell you clearly that it is definitely not the mountain spirit monster you know, but an extremely noble existence."
"It's my city witch, I don't dare to make a fool of myself in front of him. The little incense and wishing power you enshrine is not even a chicken rib for him."
"And from my contact with him, I can see that he doesn't want to be the Hanyu Mountain God at all, and he doesn't care about the position of the mountain god and the power of incense. There may be another reason for setting up incense in the mountain."
"With his honorable status, he is willing to condescend to guard this mountain, and wait for eighty years to bless you, but only receive a few sacrifices from three animals. Isn't this a good thing for you? And you are not grateful, but instead spread rumors for many years. Slandering, ruining his reputation, humiliating his majesty, and if he is a little bit irritable, I am afraid that the aquatic village has been destroyed."
Uncle Jie shook his head and said, "Moreover, looking at your attitude, I am afraid that even the offerings are not sincere. Even if there is any incense and wishing power that can be provided, I am afraid that there is not much. The Hanyu Mountain God asked you to worship the virgins, but it is a kind of Just a warning."
"Otherwise, He has been in the mountains for eighty years, and he has never eaten a man every year. Why did he suddenly ask you to sacrifice a virgin this year? And after you have sacrificed a virgin, he will let the virgin go back to the village? Has he never done any harm?"
"Can't you see such a simple warning?"
"However, after the girl came back, not only did you not stop slandering the gods, but it became more and more serious, and even tried to lure me to the mountain to 'subdue the demon'? If this was known to the wolf god in the mountain, what would happen to you? do you know?"
Uncle Jie's tone became more severe as he spoke, making the old village chief sweat profusely and tremble all over.
And not only the old village chief was frightened, but all the villagers who heard these words were frightened.
They looked in the direction of Hanyu Mountain in horror, watching the huge vortex cloud hovering in the sky, and Wu Zhu's words echoed in their ears.
"The white wolf in Hanyu Mountain is an extremely noble existence..."
"Even my city witch, I don't dare to make trouble in front of him..."
"If you are a little grumpy, I am afraid that the aquatic village has been destroyed..."
"Not only did you not stop... but it got worse..."
With a bang, the old village chief immediately knelt down, and the white-haired old man knelt in front of Wu Zhu in black robe, begging loudly.
"I beg Master Wu Zhu to be merciful! I beg Master Wu Zhu to save my aquatic village!"
When the old village chief knelt down, the villagers also reacted.
In an instant, all the villagers in the vicinity of the loess mud platform all fell to their knees and begged loudly.
"I beg the Lord Wuzhu to be merciful!"
When everyone knelt down, the only one who didn't knelt down was the little girl standing in front of the mud platform.
Hei-robed Wuzhu looked at her and asked, "Aren't you going to kneel down and beg me?"
The little girl said, "Master Wu Zhu, didn't you say it too? If Lord Shanshen really cared about everyone, the Shuisheng Village would have disappeared long ago."
"What's more, if begging for mercy was useful, I wouldn't have been sent to Lord Mountain God in the first place."
When the girl said this, her tone was calm.
However, Uncle Jie gave her a deep look and nodded, "No wonder God looks at you differently... You girl is indeed a little different."
Chapter 18 The Widow
Uncle Jie was surprised that it wasn't that the girl had the courage to talk openly in front of him.
But I was surprised that when the girl said these words, there was no resentment in her words and expressions.
It stands to reason that a little girl was selected by the whole village and given to the monster in the mountain, which was greatly frightened. She finally escaped and came back, but she was isolated and rejected by the whole village, and now she is called a witch by everyone.
Being treated like this, the girl should be full of resentment and hatred towards the villagers.
But now, Gongshu Jie can't see such emotions in girls. What he saw was a kind of indifference after looking at everything. It seemed that no matter how the villagers abused and misunderstood, she didn't care.
To be honest, Gongshu Jie wouldn't be surprised if this kind of indifference appeared in an old man who had experienced all kinds of things in life, or in an ascetic monk who had overcome calamity.
But the girl in front of her is just an uneducated girl in the mountains! She doesn't even know a word, but she can have this kind of indifference to humiliation.
Uncle Jie felt that he understood why the wolf god cared about this little girl.
Such a wonderful little girl really makes people look different.
If it wasn't for this girl's relationship with the White Wolf God, Gongshu Jie even had the idea of bringing the girl back to Thousand Needles City to teach and cultivate.
This girl is a good seedling...
Uncle Jie sighed in his heart, looked at the old village chief who was kneeling at his feet again, and said, "Okay, you have also heard the conversation between me and this girl. If the white wolf god in the mountain really cares about you, How can you wait now? So you can get up and don't have to kneel on me."
"What's more, with the honor of the White Wolf God, if he is really angry and wants to go down the mountain to punish you, I can't stop it, and if I force it, I can only bury you."
"So you don't have to kneel anymore, it's useless to kneel, I can't help you."
Gongshu Jie said this indifferently and calmly, but it scared the villagers enough.
The old village chief was even more frightened, looked in the direction of Hanyu Mountain again, and then asked anxiously, "Wu... Master Wu Zhu, that wolf... Master Wolf God is really so powerful?"
In the simple world view of the villagers, Master Wu Zhu of a city is already the top and the top big man. As long as Master Wu Zhu goes into action, any mountain spirit monster will flee.
But Master Wu Zhu in front of him actually claimed to be no match for the white wolf in the mountains? And the posture is still so low... Could it be that the white wolf is really so scary
The old village chief could not imagine what kind of monster would be more powerful than Master Wu Zhu.
Gongshu Jie looked at the old man in front of him, thought about it, and decided to tell the truth, lest these villagers continue to do stupid things to offend the white wolf god in the mountain in the future.
So he nodded and said, "Yes, the white wolf god in the mountain is so powerful. Not to mention me, if it really angers him, I am afraid that no one in the entire Huotong country can withstand the wrath of the wolf god. ... so you can do it for yourself."
Speaking of which, Uncle Jie couldn't help but sighed.
He thought about what the villagers had done, and couldn't help but admire the good temper of the White Wolf God.
It's not surprising that ordinary monsters tolerate villagers' slander and rumors for the sake of incense, anyway, as long as the villagers can provide the incense and wish. But the white wolf god in the mountain made it clear that he did not care about offerings from this small aquatic village, nor did he care about the power of incense.
In this case, let the villagers maliciously spread rumors behind their backs, and it took 80 years before they decided to give this group of villagers a little warning. And after the warning, the villagers not only did not repent, but even intensified.
But even so, the White Wolf God did not get angry.
Such self-cultivation, not to mention a divine beast frequented by vicious people, even among human beings, I am afraid that not many people can do it.
Before, he was a little worried that the white wolf would go down the mountain and cause chaos in the world, but now he is completely relieved.
As long as Huotong Nation treats each other sincerely, this divine beast will not be a scourge.
With so much thought in his heart, Gongshu Jie saw that the villagers were all standing up, so he asked the village chief again.
"You just said that the reason why the White Wolf God set up incense here is because of a rich businessman 80 years ago? Do you know who the rich businessman's name is? Where does he live?"
This rich businessman may be the reason why the White Wolf God is willing to stay here.
With the dignity of a dignified beast, and willing to condescend to be the god of a mountain, bless a place, and for eighty years, there must be a secret in the middle.
If you can find the wealthy businessman, you may be able to know what happened 80 years ago, and you will be able to understand more about the mysterious White Wolf God.
It was just Gongshu Jie's question that the villagers obviously couldn't answer.
Not to mention the group of ignorant young people under the stage, even a few village elders on the stage looked at each other.
It was already 80 years ago that a temple was built for the white wolf.
Today, the oldest old village chief in the village was only two years old at the time and had just learned to walk. Even the old village chief knew nothing about the matter, let alone others.
"This... I really don't know," the old village chief said embarrassedly, "It was already 80 years ago that a wealthy businessman paid to build a temple. It must have already been buried by now. You may not be able to find him, Master Wu Zhu. already."
The old village chief's answer made Gongshu Jie a little disappointed. But he also understood that this matter could not be forced, he could only sigh.
"That's right, eighty years is too long. Even if you can find that rich businessman, I'm afraid it's just a cup of loess."
But at this moment in the crowd, a voice suddenly sounded.
"I know! I know the name of that rich businessman! Master Wu Zhu, I know!"
This voice instantly caught everyone's attention.
Uncle Jie looked at the sound and saw a strong black man in the crowd raising his hands and shouting loudly. The surrounding villagers hurriedly stretched out their hands to pull him, terrified.
"Wang Lao Liu! You are talking nonsense again!"
"That's right! You don't even see what the occasion is? It's your turn to mess around with?"
The villagers were frightened by this hunter who always had a big mouth, and tried to pull him desperately, trying to cover his mouth.
Uncle Jie waved his hand and said, "Let him go and let him speak. It doesn't matter if he is wrong."
Hearing Wu Zhu's order, the villagers looked at the old village chief subconsciously. After seeing the old village chief nod, they silently released the black and strong hunter.
After everyone let go of him, the hunter named Wang Laoliu snorted proudly and said, "A bunch of idiots, when did I, Wang Laoliu, lie? When I say I know, I know! The wealthy businessman who built the temple is named Wu Chonggu, and he is from the Fushan family. These are all engraved under the altar of the mountain temple, but unfortunately you are all illiterate, so you don't know!"
After Wang Laoliu said these words triumphantly, he looked at Wu Zhu on the clay platform, "Master Wu Zhu, everything I said is true. You can check it out in the Temple of the Mountain and you will know. What Wang Lao Liu said is true or false."
Wu Zhu nodded, looked at him curiously, and asked, "Are you literate?"
The mountain people in front of them are dark-skinned, strong in body, and their speech and behavior are not like they are literate at all. They can actually recognize the engraving in the mountain temple
Wang Laoliu smiled and said, "I, Wang Laoliu, don't know a single big character, so I'm just a rough person. But there is an ugly widow in our village who can read. These are the times when I went to the mountain to worship, I heard her said."
Uncle Jie was suddenly curious. In this remote mountain village, it is logically impossible for anyone to be literate, let alone a woman.
He asked, "Where is this woman now?"
"She died two years ago, but her daughter is still in the village. Well, it's her," Wang Laoliu said, pointing to Xiao Ai not far away.
Wu Zhu looked at the little girl in front of him in surprise, and saw the lost emotion on the girl's face.
The girl's mother can read
"Is that woman from your village?" Uncle Jie asked again.