Chapter 630: Saintess

The Mortal World

Although self-taught, mastering this divine ability was not easy. The sword light Qin Sang manifested was not only riddled with flaws but also extremely short-lived, rendering it useless for combat. As he traveled, he pondered it, increasingly finding the Sword Dao profound. The path of immortality stretched long and arduous; no grand dao was simple.

Soon, he arrived at the upstream section of the river where he had drifted. Qin Sang flew at a low altitude, his divine sense spreading out and penetrating deep underground to check for any unknown entities in the hidden river.

He found nothing.

After entering Qingyi River, Qin Sang concealed himself and descended the river. He landed on the back mountain of Qianhu Village, where he frowned slightly; the room was empty. He had left Qianhu Village less than twenty days ago, from the time he began healing to his breakthrough. Yet, a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the table in Dummy Girl's room, and she was nowhere to be seen.

Dummy Girl was very diligent; if she were still living here, she would surely clean daily.

"With her birthmark and muteness cured, has Dummy Girl been accepted by the villagers?" Qin Sang thought to himself, then leaped towards the front of the village, but still couldn't find Dummy Girl.

Ever since Granny's death, Dummy Girl had lived alone, unaccepted by the villagers. She dared not travel far by herself and had never left the mountain of Qianhu Village since childhood. Even during the Witch God Festival, when neighboring villages held gatherings, singing and dancing, Dummy Girl could only stand alone on the mountaintop, gazing towards them.

"The Witch God Festival is approaching. Could Dummy Girl have made friends and gone to the gathering with them?" Qin Sang knew Dummy Girl greatly anticipated the festival and tried to think positively, but something still felt off.

His divine sense swept through, finally locating a familiar person: Dummy Girl's shaman-doctor grandfather. The elder was the only shaman-doctor in Qianhu Village, holding a respected position. His stilt house was one of the best in the village, directly facing Qingyi River with a wide view.

At that moment, the elder was pounding herbs in his room, lacking his usual kindness. His face was ashen, and he seemed to be taking out his anger on the mortar, pounding with unusual force.

"Who's there?" The elder's peripheral vision caught the door curtain swaying, as if a figure was there, and he immediately became alert. Then, the room darkened slightly, and he saw a young man standing by the window, appearing like a ghost. He wasn't from the village, but his face seemed somewhat familiar. The elder's gaze shifted to the man's left shoulder, noting that his arm was still intact.

"Who are you?" The elder reached for his walking stick, highly vigilant.

"Does the elder not remember me?" Qin Sang had taken several of the elder's remedies, though they were of no use, so he remained courteous. He said gently, "A few days ago, I was severely injured with a broken arm, drifting on the river. Fortunately, you and Dummy Girl rescued me. My injuries have finally healed, and I've come specifically to express my gratitude. However, I don't see Dummy Girl. Do you know where she has gone?"

"It's you!" The elder remembered Qin Sang, and his eyes suddenly reddened. A look of fierce resentment appeared on his face as he gnashed his teeth and retorted, "Dummy Girl saved your life, yet you brought such misery upon her! How dare you even mention her name!"

"What?" Qin Sang frowned, his voice serious. "Dummy Girl saved my life; how could I possibly harm her? Before I left, out of gratitude for her kindness, I gave her medicine to cure her muteness and birthmark, so she could return to a normal life... What exactly happened?"

Qin Sang had already realized that something significant must have happened during this period. He knew that after Dummy Girl's recovery, her life would surely undergo drastic changes, and her fellow villagers would investigate the reason for her healing. Curing one illness might be explainable. But the bizarre cure of two difficult ailments would undoubtedly cause a huge stir. Dummy Girl herself had no power, which could instead bring misfortune upon her.

Before leaving, Qin Sang had cautioned Dummy Girl to pretend she was still mute and tell her villagers that her shaman-doctor grandfather had used a rare miraculous medicine to remove her birthmark. Qianhu Village regarded Dummy Girl as an ill omen. Aside from various coincidences, a large reason for this was judging her by her appearance, believing the birthmark on her face was a curse from the Witch God. With the birthmark removed, Dummy Girl could try to integrate into her community and live a normal life for a period. Qin Sang had planned to return and teach Dummy Girl immortal arts or martial skills. Once she could protect herself, speaking out would no longer be a concern.

He hadn't expected an accident to occur so quickly. He had even left a Qingfu coin as a precaution, but it hadn't worked either.

"Who harmed Dummy Girl?" Qin Sang's expression turned cold, and a deep killing intent flickered in his eyes.

The elder felt Qin Sang's aura suddenly change, as if a harbinger of death had descended. However, his profound grief for Dummy Girl made the elder fearless. Pointing at Qin Sang, he said bitterly, "Because you cured Dummy Girl's birthmark, she was chosen as a Saintess by Yihui Village! Yihui Village only selects beautiful maidens. If it weren't for you, with her birthmark still on her face, how could they have possibly chosen her?"

"Saintess?" Hearing that her life wasn't in danger, Qin Sang felt a sense of relief.

He had seen Yihui Village on the Five-Insect Sect's geographical map. Yihui Village was the overlord of Qianhu Village and the surrounding region. Its priests were cultivators, and there was even a Foundation Establishment expert, making their strength slightly greater than that of Tianyue Village. Qin Sang didn't have a deep understanding of the Western Border Witch Clan and didn't know what "Saintess" signified. It sounded like Dummy Girl being chosen as a "Saintess" by Yihui Village might be a good thing.

But it certainly wasn't that simple! The Witch Clan practiced corpse refinement, insect manipulation, and deity worship, some of their customs being quite sinister.

"What do the Saintesses chosen by Yihui Village do?" Qin Sang's expression grew serious as he asked in a deep voice.

The elder shook his head weakly, tears glistening in his eyes. "All I know is that girls chosen as Saintesses by Yihui Village have never reappeared! That child, Dummy Girl, her fate is too bitter..."

The elder slumped to the ground. After listening to his account, Qin Sang finally understood what had happened. It turned out that Yihui Village had a rule: every year before the Witch God Festival, they would select recently adult, pure maidens from the villages they controlled to be designated as Yihui Village's Saintesses. Yihui Village declared the "Saintess" title an honor, stating they would receive blessings from the Witch God. However, the various villages were not foolish; those Saintesses vanished without a trace after the Witch God Festival, never reappearing, which surely hinted at an unknown secret.

First, the priests of Yihui Village were considered emissaries of the Witch God, and as ordinary mortals, they dared not resist. Second, Yihui Village didn't demand Saintesses from the same village every year; each village only had to offer a "Saintess" once every other year. This was still within their tolerable limits, so they tacitly accepted this cruel rule. This year, it was Qianhu Village's turn to offer a "Saintess," and Dummy Girl was about to come of age. Yihui Village also had requirements for the Saintesses' appearance. If Qin Sang hadn't cured the birthmark on her face, Dummy Girl could indeed have escaped this misfortune.

"How are the 'Saintesses' chosen in Qianhu Village?" Qin Sang asked, his tone icy.

The elder gave a bitter laugh. "Everyone was desperate to get rid of Dummy Girl, the 'ill omen.' Some had long wished to force her to her death. Was there any need for a selection?"

"They all deserve to die!" Qin Sang scoffed coldly, then turned to look at Qianhu Village outside the window. A cold light flickered in his eyes, but he did not act. Doing so would be overstepping his bounds. Dummy Girl had lost her guardian at a young age, and to have survived, she had indeed received help from her fellow villagers.

Let her choose for herself!

(The next chapter will be a bit late.)