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"Mm …"
Tang Xin didn't try to evade this question as she nodded her head lightly.
She could no longer return to the Tang Sect, so leaving this place was her only choice. Furthermore, she had already taken off her veil, so there was no other way out.
"Can I look for you outside in the future?"
The little girl's face darkened, and she fell silent for a long time before asking.
They had been best friends for more than ten years, but now they were going to be separated. They might not be able to see each other again, so she was very sad and reluctant to part with Zhuo Xin.
"Of course you can …"
Tang Xin hurriedly replied. Even though she had left the mountain with Qin Fang, the outside world was far too foreign, and she didn't know if she could adapt to it. If Zhuo Ma could visit her, she would be very happy.
"Why don't … you come with me?"
However, a crazy idea suddenly flashed through Tang Xin's mind, and she almost blurted it out.
"Uh …"
Zhuo Ma was stunned. Clearly, she had never thought of this idea before. Now that Tang Xin had suddenly brought it up, she wasn't prepared at all, and didn't know how to respond.
Although she didn't want to be separated from her best friend Tang Xin, the thought of walking out of this mountain was something she had never thought of.
More importantly, if she left this mountain, where could she go?
She was a complete stranger to the outside world, and she didn't even know a single person … Even Little Pepper Zhuo Ma was at a loss if she were to leave the mountain like this.
"Qin Fang, why don't we bring Zhuo Ma with us?"
Tang Xin knew that her suggestion was a little too sudden, but she was doing it for the sake of her best friend.
Zhuo Ma had practiced the martial arts that she had taught her, and was known as the number one expert in the Gelan Tribe. This had saved her from the fate of marrying off at an early age.
However, if the Tang Sect started investigating Tang Nan, Zhuo Ma might be implicated, and it might not be a good thing for her to stay.
Even if the Tang Sect didn't pursue the matter, Zhuo Ma would have to find a mountain man to marry as soon as possible … As her best friend, Tang Xin naturally didn't want the rest of Zhuo Ma's life to be ruined like this.
Since Qin Fang had already brought her out of this mountain, it shouldn't be a problem to bring Zhuo Ma along. The two of them were best friends, and it was naturally best if they could be together.
"This … It's up to her!"
Qin Fang was a little surprised himself, but since Tang Xin had said so, Qin Fang didn't have any objections. After all, to him, bringing one more person out was just one more mouth to feed. He could still afford to feed them.
When Tang Xin heard Qin Fang's answer, she was very satisfied. She immediately started discussing with Zhuo Ma.
"Let me think about it …"
Zhuo Ma didn't agree immediately, and expressed that she still needed to think about it. Just like Tang Xin, she was at a loss and hesitant, but from her eyes, it was obvious that she was moved.
Others might lie to her, but Tang Xin wouldn't. She naturally trusted Tang Xin, but she had never thought about this before. Her mind was in a mess, and she didn't know what to do.
The matter ended there, and Qin Fang didn't care. In the end, it was up to Zhuo Ma to decide whether to leave or not. Qin Fang didn't have any problems with it.
Soon, the few of them walked down the mountain and returned to the Na Yi Tribe.
Wen Yan's family had been waiting there for a long time, and when they saw that Qin Fang had returned safely, they heaved a sigh of relief. However, when Uncle Wen and his wife noticed that there was a beautiful woman by Qin Fang's side, they couldn't help but raise their guard …
However, when they saw that Tang Xin's attire was similar to that of the woman who came with Zhuo Ma, they remembered her identity.
However, at this moment, Tang Xin had removed her veil, revealing her beautiful face.
It wasn't that they didn't want to admit it, but Tang Xin was indeed prettier than Wen Yan, and this made them feel a lot of pressure for their daughter.
On the other hand, Wen Yan didn't seem to notice anything, and quickly mingled with Zhuo Ma and Tang Xin. The three women were about the same age, and although they were from the mountain, outside the mountain, and Tang Clan, they could always find common topics to talk about …
For example, Tang Xin began to ask Wen Yan about the world outside the mountain. When Wen Yan knew that Tang Xin was going to leave the mountain with them, she immediately explained a lot of interesting things about the outside world. Zhuo Ma couldn't help but be fascinated by it, and her heart was moved.
"Uncle Wen, Auntie Song, something has happened. I'm afraid we need to leave this place as soon as possible. If we stay here for too long, I'm afraid it'll be dangerous …"
Qin Fang didn't hide the truth from the Wen couple, and he wasn't sure when the Tang Clan would receive the news. However, Tang Zhan had escaped, and time was running out. If they continued to wait, they might be in danger, so it was better to tell them directly.
"Sure, no problem …"
Uncle Wen and Auntie Song weren't pedantic people. They had long known that Qin Fang wasn't an extraordinary person, and they were very satisfied that he had accompanied them for so long in the mountain.
Moreover, Qin Fang's abilities along the way were already very shocking, but even with such abilities, they still felt that this was a little tricky. It was clear that this was a big problem.
"Actually, even if you didn't tell us, we wanted to tell you that we're leaving the mountain tomorrow. It's just a little earlier now …"
In fact, they had already packed their things. After staying in the mountain for so long, the old man's body had recovered a lot. He estimated that he could live for another six months to a year.
This was already Qin Fang's best effort, and Luo Sang's family expressed their gratitude. They almost treated Qin Fang as their savior.
They also wanted the old man to live a long life, but the conditions in the mountain were too simple. The old man didn't want to leave the mountain and live in the city with Auntie Song. He just wanted to live out his last days in peace …
Auntie Song couldn't persuade his old mother. After all, she had lived here for decades. She obviously wouldn't agree to leave her hometown at the last stage of her life.
Besides, they had been in the mountain for a long time. Auntie Song and Uncle Wen both had their own jobs outside, so they couldn't stay indefinitely. It was time to leave.
Coincidentally, Qin Fang mentioned it, so they had no reason to refuse …
They thought that it would be a little troublesome, but it was easily solved. Qin Fang and Song Qingshan didn't have much luggage, so they said goodbye to Luo Sang's family and started going down the mountain.
Normally, people said that going up the mountain was easier than going down the mountain, but sometimes going down the mountain wasn't necessarily difficult … At least, Qin Fang and his people were relatively fast.
After living in the mountain these days, Wen Yan was no longer the girl who had never been in the mountain before. She was quite strong on the mountain road. Qin Fang deliberately accommodated her, so she could barely keep up with Qin Fang and his people …
Tang Xin followed them unhurriedly. She talked to Wen Yan from time to time, and the two of them became much closer. Meanwhile, she learned a lot about Qin Fang from Wen Yan.
Tang Xin didn't have much of a reaction when she learned that Qin Fang had a few girlfriends. She was from the Tang Sect, and the Tang Sect was like the ancient times. It was normal for men to have multiple wives, so she didn't particularly care.
If that wasn't the case, she wouldn't be getting along so well with Wen Yan. After all, Qin Fang had told her that Wen Yan was his girlfriend long ago. If she got jealous, she would kill Wen Yan first.
Besides, she didn't express her feelings for Qin Fang, so Qin Fang was still in the dark.
Zhuo Ma didn't walk with Qin Fang and his people. Although she was tempted to leave the mountain, she hadn't made up her mind yet. At the very least, she had to say goodbye to her family, so she rode back to the Gelan Tribe alone …
Although the speed of going down the mountain was fast, it was still impossible to walk out of the mountain in one day. What's more, Qin Fang and the others had set off in the afternoon. They had to stay in a stockaded village on the way and could only walk out of the mountain the next day.
Coincidentally, the village that Qin Fang and his people were staying in was holding a grand ceremony. It was an important event hosted by a high priest in the mountain, and it was a very lively event in the mountain. It attracted people from the surrounding villages to come and watch.
Woo woo woo woo ~ ~ ~
With the sound of a horn, the ceremony officially began. When Qin Fang and his people arrived, they were in the middle of the most important part — the blood sacrifice!
Sacrifice, in fact, had existed for a very long time in the inheritance of human society. For example, sacrifice to the heavens … Although modern people had gradually abandoned such activities, it still existed in some ancient tribes.
Just like the village in the mountains, the living environment was very primitive and very ancient. There was still a considerable market for sacrificial offerings.
This could be seen from the fact that Song Qingshan was appointed as the messenger of God. It was said that his position was comparable to the highest position in the ceremony, the high priest …
There were many ways to sacrifice. The Hmong Village's sacrifice was usually some fruits, livestock, and so on. However, when everything was more important, there would be a blood sacrifice.
Ordinary sacrifices were no big deal. It was the same as people going to temples to burn incense and worship Buddha. There was nothing unusual about it.
However, a blood sacrifice was different …
Blood sacrifice wasn't as simple as offering some fresh blood. The sacrifice it required wasn't animals, but humans, living human beings …
The requirements for this sacrifice were also very high. It had to be a virgin who had just turned 16 years old. It had to be a virgin who had lost her virginity, married, or even engaged. It had to be the purest body. The reason was that this was a holy maiden who was going to be offered to God. Only an incomparably pure body could meet the requirements.
Otherwise, if God was angry, not only would the prayer not succeed, but it would also bring endless disaster to the tribe …
The people living in the mountains relied on the mountains and rivers to survive. Their daily lives were already tight. If there were some natural disasters, it would be even more difficult. It was not uncommon for people to starve to death. Therefore, everyone hoped that the gods would bless them and bring them a good year.
If they wanted God's blessing, they naturally had to offer the best and most perfect sacrifice …
Unfortunately, this stockade had not been doing very well in the past year. First, many good hunters had mysteriously disappeared while hunting in the mountains, and even their corpses could not be found. Then, a heavy rain caused a strong mudslide, directly burying dozens of people and destroying a lot of fields and food …
A series of cruel blows made the survival of this tribe extremely difficult. As a last resort, they had to invite a sacrifice to carry out a grand blood sacrifice, hoping that the God who ruled the sky would pity and bless them, so that their tribe could live more smoothly and happily.
For this blood sacrifice, the tribe had been preparing for a few days. They had specially selected the most suitable sacrificial offering and had just started to carry it out. Coincidentally, Qin Fang and the others happened to encounter it.
"Blood sacrifice …"
When Qin Fang heard the news, his first thought was — ridiculous.
The life of the Miaojiang people was very backward, and they were quite superstitious about many things. Although Qin Fang already had some understanding and recognition of the witch doctor, it did not mean that he agreed with this kind of sacrificial activity.
In the outside world, this kind of activity was feudal superstition. The government would not allow it and would definitely ban it.
Not to mention, the sacrificial activity in front of him was actually a blood sacrifice with the lives of living people. It was too inhumane.
Even Song Qingshan's face was quite ugly when he heard the news. Although the awareness of human rights in Long Province was completely incomparable to that of foreign countries, it was far from the point where people's lives were treated with disregard, let alone for such an ignorant superstitious activity.
"Xiao Qin, you can just look at this matter. Don't be nosy …"
Seeing that Qin Fang seemed to have some complaints about this sacrificial activity, Uncle Wen and Auntie Song could not help but persuade him. They naturally did not approve of such activities, but the people in the mountains were not open-minded and were still somewhat ignorant. They all thought that such sacrificial activities were effective.
Even the young girl who was going to be the sacrificial offering was willing. When the sacrificial offering was being selected, almost every single unmarried girl in the tribe fought to be chosen … It was as if this was a rare honor, and if one obtained this honor, they would immediately be superior to others.
(To be continued.
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