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Somewhere in the dense forest.

Beside a thick birch tree stood a tall and thin middle-aged man. His face was covered and his hands were behind his back. He stared at the dry stream not far away.

Suddenly, a figure landed behind him. “Master.”

The middle-aged man spoke slowly, his voice deep. “What’s so urgent?”

The figure paused for a moment and said solemnly, “Master, ‘One’ has disappeared.”

The middle-aged man reacted excitedly. “What?”

The figure lowered his head. “When 1 contacted ‘One’, he didn’t come to see me.”

The middle-aged man clenched his fists. “Are you sure ‘One¹ has disappeared?”

The figure said, “Two days ago, Tang Jinghong caught a man in black. After I heard the news, I immediately rushed to their camp. After they left, I dug him out of the ground and confirmed that it was ‘One’.”

The middle-aged man closed his eyes and took a deep breath to suppress his anger. “Did he say anything?”

“Master, the secret guards have all gone through strict training. They won’t reveal any secrets. Moreover, ‘One’ died from biting the poison in his mouth. He definitely didn’t reveal any secrets. Master, don’t worry.”

The middle-aged man nodded. “Good, find someone to replace ‘One’.”

The figure cupped his fists. “Yes, Master.”

Little Leaf Village.

Not only were all the plants in this village withered, but even the tree bark had been gnawed away. It was much more serious than the situation in the other villages at the beginning.

The soldiers distributed water and porridge to appease the starving villagers.

Chu Qingzhi went to look for the water vein. When the soldiers saw that she had accurately found the water vein again, they were extremely impressed.

Tang Jinghong wrote a letter and got someone to send it to the county office.

The letter said that the county magistrate should think of a way to gather some seeds and distribute them to the villagers. With water and seeds, the villagers would not have to find refuge.

The matter of the refugees was so serious that the county magistrate, who had received the letter, did not dare to delay. He immediately thought of a way and quickly distributed the seeds to the various villages.

In the village, a seven-year-old girl walked towards Tang Jinghong. “General, thank you. Otherwise, I would have been sold by my father.”

Tang Jinghong reached out and patted the little girl’s head gently. “Good girl.” He took a bowl, filled it with thick porridge, and brought it to the little girl. “Drink it.”

“Thank you, General.” The little girl did not drink it. Instead, she carefully carried it home.

Tang Jinghong was a little curious and followed.

The little girl’s voice came from the room. “Father, this porridge is for you. Don’t sell me.”

The man choked up. “No, 1 won’t sell you again.”

The little girl heaved a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, “Thank you, Father.”

Tang Jinghong smiled and left.

After helping the villagers find hope, they continued on their way.

On a wide but dry riverbank, there was a large group of pitiful and hateful villagers.

In the middle of the crowd, a girl was tied to a rack.

The girl was dressed like a bride, but her eyes were lifeless and her expression was dull. She was still alive but she looked dead.

In front of her was an old woman dressed like a priestess. She was holding a wooden staff and chanting an incantation that no one could understand.

A man rushed over and shouted, “Let Jinniang go, let her go.”

Outside the crowd, two tall men grabbed the man’s arms. “Stop fooling around. If you affect the sacrificial ritual, we won’t get a drop of rain.”

“That’s right. What’s wrong with sacrificing her in exchange for everyone’s safety?”

“The sacrificial ritual has already begun, and she has agreed. Why are you making a fuss?”

The villagers criticized him one after another and stopped the man from approaching the woman.

“You murderers. How can you justify sacrificing someone? Why don’t you sacrifice yourself instead?!”

“Why should Jinniang have to sacrifice herself to save you bustards?!”

“You are worse than animals. You will die a horrible death!”

The man struggled as he cursed at the top of his lungs and cried bitterly.

When the tied-up girl saw the man, tears flowed from her eyes. “Wulang, go back and forget about me.”

A man walked over and hit the back of the man’s neck with the stick in his hand, knocking him out. “No one is allowed to disrupt the sacrificial ritual. No one!”

The scene fell silent. Only the priestess’s chanting was heard. Under the breeze, it spread in all directions.

When the incantation was complete, the priestess drew a red-hot dagger from a brazier and walked toward the girl.

The girl looked at the fiery red dagger, and her dead eyes could not help but reveal fear. “No, don’t…”

The priestess said in a bewitching voice, “Don’t be afraid. It won’t hurt. Don’t be afraid. It won’t hurt. In a while, I’ll take out your heart and offer it to the angry heavens. Then, it’ll rain.”

The girl cried and shook her head. She was terrified and her voice trembled. “No, no. I don’t want my heart to be gouged out. 1 don’t want to be sacrificed…”

The priestess walked in front of the girl and unbuttoned her clothes with one hand.

The girl struggled desperately, but it was to no avail. “No, don’t kill me, don’t…”

The priestess raised her dagger and stabbed at the girl’s heart.

At this moment, the priestess was shot by an arrow and flew out. “Ah—”

The dagger in her hand landed on the clothes of the village chief beside her. Immediately, there was the sizzling sound, followed by the village chief’s scream. “Ahhh—”

Tang Jinghong held a black heavy bow in his hand. At this moment, the bowstring was still buzzing.

His eyes were cold as he scolded in a dignified manner, “How dare you lynch a woman? Arrest them all!”

The soldiers behind him immediately ran over and surrounded the villagers.

The villagers instantly fell into chaos. A few burly men broke out of the siege and fled.

An arrow shot over and hit the thigh of the burly man running in front. “Ah—”

Seeing that person fall, the rest of them instantly stopped on their tracks and knelt on the ground, not daring to move.

The village chief knelt down and said, “Officers, we had no choice. You can’t blame us for doing this.”

Tang Jinghong looked down at the village chief on horseback. “You had no choice but to kill? I want to hear what you have to say!”

The village chief said in panic, “Officer, it’s been a long time since it rained. There’s a drought everywhere. The villagers are struggling to survive. We must have done something to anger the heavens. In that case, we have to think of a way to appease the heavens.. The best way is to hold a sacrificial ritual!”