bookpub Chapter 94 The Empress Sends a Child
Chapter 94 The Empress Sends a Child
The moon was dark and dim, and the stars along the edge were indistinct.
A cold wind blew through the treetops, creating rustling ripples.
Zhang Laosi, who was already trembling with fear, felt as if he were pressed against the blue bricks, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away.
Seeing no one answer, the buffalo smacked its lips and repeated its question, as if it wanted to get to the bottom of it.
'Clang'
The blade flashed like frost, startling the surrounding night sky and causing it to shimmer with light.
The blade and the bull's horn intertwined, sparks flying from the tip. Fang Hongxuan felt as if he had struck an iron wall.
"What a sturdy monster!"
Seeing the sharp blade aimed directly at its vitals, the water buffalo bellowed several times and then released its hooves that were dangling on Zhang Laosi's arm.
The massive body charged straight toward Fang Hongxuan, and as his blood energy surged, Fang Hongxuan's usually calm eyes gradually turned red.
Pure malevolent energy gradually spread from within its body.
Zhang Laosi, who was already struggling to stay conscious, fainted upon seeing this. However, the faint smell of fish made Fang Hongxuan frown slightly.
The muddy blue bricks were now churned into a puddle of mud, the stains completely covering Zhang Laosi's trouser legs.
Amidst the intertwined black and red mist, one could vaguely see the right hand holding the sword slowly coalescing, while the scabbard scorched Fang Hongxuan's right hand, making it sizzle.
The wisps of white mist rose straight up, only to be mixed with the malevolent spirits.
A chilling wind swept through the area, startling even the rustling of the trees into silence. The waning moon hid behind the evening clouds.
'Clang'
Cuo Jin swung his sword again, this time decapitating the water buffalo with a single blow. The millstone-sized head, covered in mud, rolled all the way to Zhang Lao Si's feet.
Watching the blood gushing out like a fountain, Fang Hongxuan's throat involuntarily tightened. Then, the crimson in his eyes intensified...
...
As Zhang Laosi gradually regained consciousness, he hurriedly lifted the covers to check his trousers, only to find that his wife had already changed them into clean linen trousers.
He hurriedly got up, pushed open the door, and saw the two people sitting at the table eating noodles. As if remembering his previous disgraceful behavior, Zhang Laosi blushed with embarrassment, a rare occurrence for him.
Before his face, which resembled Guan Yu's, could completely fade, a deathly pale face covered it again.
"Distinguished guest, that cow..."
Clang...
A strong wind outside blew open the wooden door, revealing the shriveled, dried-up carcass of a water buffalo lying silently in the mud. Only its wide-eyed head gazed silently at the waning moon over the edge...
Terrified, Zhang Wangshi quickly locked the door again. She patted her chest to calm herself down and it took her a long time to recover.
"This is truly terrifying! How could my ox be like this? Could it be that we're just unlucky and have encountered some inexplicable evil spirit?"
"Our only ox for plowing has died. How are my wife and I supposed to survive...?"
As she spoke of her deepest sorrow, Zhang Wangshi, who had been covering her face and sobbing, could no longer suppress her cries and began to weep uncontrollably. Her heart-wrenching cries were so poignant that they brought tears to the eyes of all who heard them.
Zhang Laosi, who had been smug about earning two coins, was now frowning and unable to cheer up.
The couple originally had three sons, the eldest of whom died young. They struggled to raise the second and third sons, but the second son also died in the middle age of the couple due to lack of money for medical treatment.
The third brother died by drowning. He had initially gone into the water to save someone, but not only did he fail to do a good deed, he also lost his own life.
With no one to rely on and no one to care for them, the two could only make ends meet by sowing some food with the oxen in the cattle pen.
Now that the only breadwinner of the family has passed away before the couple, how could they not be heartbroken and restless?
Fang Hongxuan, who was enjoying his meal, put down his chopsticks and placed a silver ingot beside the wine jar.
"I accidentally killed your ox earlier, so consider this silver ingot as compensation..."
Despite his humiliated appearance, Zhang Laosi regained his composure and hurriedly declined, nearly staggering and falling due to exhaustion.
"How can this be? If outsiders see me treating my savior like this, how can I, Zhang Laosi, maintain my reputation in Shili Village?"
Although he was quite tempted, he hesitated for only a moment before decisively rejecting the knight-errant's offer.
Fang Hongxuan forcefully gave it to Zhang Laosi, but only he knew the reason behind it...
"Old man, are there any strange or unusual stories about this Shili Village?"
After repeatedly declining, Zhang Laosi could not shake off Fang Hongxuan's iron-like hand and had no choice but to accept it.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Wangshi couldn't help but smile, and her depression instantly dissipated.
"There are countless examples of this... Every few days, strange things happen in the village, but none of them result in death, so no one really cares."
"The most unbelievable of all is the legend of Wugu Town..."
As Zhang Laosi spoke, the oil lamp on the table flickered slightly, and in the dim light, his amiable face took on an indescribable eerie quality.
...
It is said that before Wugu Town prospered, it was a mountain village where people could hardly make ends meet, and every household was in the same situation.
Whether they travel to trade or pursue official careers, once they return to Wugu Town, they are destined to suffer the loss of their families and lives.
Logically, those who escape should never return to this eerie place. However, this is not the case. Not only do they return every few years, but they also bring back several living people.
As for those survivors who were brought back, they never appeared before the public again. Some said they were sacrificed to the gods, while others said they were sold to cheaper places as slaves...
Amidst the various opinions, no definitive conclusion has been reached.
However, one thing is certain... every household in Wugu Town, and even every couple, will and can only have one son and one daughter...
Whether they were extremely wealthy or destitute, no family would ever have a third child... This situation, for reasons unknown, had persisted for sixty years!
The most baffling thing is that, regardless of which family the girl came from, she would all die from various accidents at the age of eight.
If the girl dies, even if the family is extremely poor, they can become incredibly wealthy within eight years and live a life of extravagance.
"Then what about the woman from before...?"
It wasn't that Fang Hongxuan was unwilling to continue listening, but as a demon-slaying captain, he instinctively sensed that something was amiss.
That's why he said something extra.
"You mean Lu Yong's wife, Li Yang? It was their eldest son who died...and according to rumors..."
It seems Li Yang has already had one child... whether it's a son and a daughter or something else... we don't know...
Zhang Laosi looked around and made sure there were no eavesdroppers on the other side of the wall before he whispered to Fang Hongxuan in a mysterious tone.
"According to the mentally challenged man from Shili Village... he seemed to have seen the Bodhisattva's palanquin procession, delivering offspring to Wugu Town..."
...