Chapter 34: Dispute (1/2)

Translator: Flying Lines

Edited by Lord Immortal

When he said he wouldn’t go, the onlookers wore a look of reproach. Upon hearing the reason, though, they were in a daze and then burned with wrath. After a short moment of silence, some began to throw curses at him at full blast.

“Well, Geng Zhishan, we treat you with sincerity while you’ve been deceiving us the whole time. How dare you?!”

“False? It turns out to be false? How could you do that? Why did you give a false horoscope? You’ve been watching out for us from the very beginning.”

“What? The orphan we had taken in went so far as to be the death of us.”

“He was a black sheep!”

“No, we can’t leave such a man in our village. Anyway, we should either offer him to the Mountain God as a sacrifice or drive him away!”

“Yes. Be a human sacrifice! Or get lost!”

Everyone seemed to have reached an agreement; force Geng Zhishan to the corner.

Having lived here for over ten years, Geng Zhishan was a little reluctant to leave. However, those familiar people suddenly turned strange to him, and they eventually revealed their true colors at the critical moment.

He turned out to be of little use except this.

With a bitter smile, Geng Zhishan lowered his eyes without a word. After a while, an old lady tottered to hold his hand. “Good boy, I know your suffering,” she said.

Her words sounded like a stone falling into the river, which caused a burst of ripples. Geng Zhishan showed an unbelieving look in his eyes because he went so far as to hear a word in favor of him.

“Granny…”

He thought this old lady meant to support him since he had been helping her cut firewood and fetch water.

To his surprise, the old lady cried. “Good boy, I still want to live. The rain is so heavy that the road has been blocked, and the river is rising with the downpour as well. I know you’re a kind-hearted guy. Why not agree for others in the village?”

Geng Zhishan withdrew his hand and quickly stepped backward. He had considered it as sugar, only to find poison wrapped inside.

Aunt Cui turned her eyes and went forward. “Look, Geng Zhishan. Even the old lady is begging you, and so are others in our village. Why not accept it?”

“Why not ask my true birth horoscope?” Geng Zhishan chuckled.

The sorceress took a deep breath. “Your horoscope has been registered and put on file, which was already sent to the ancestral temple in our village. Although you were not born in our village, you’ve received recognition from our ancestors. It doesn’t matter whether your horoscope is true or not; you’re the chosen one.”

All of a sudden, she opened her arms and yelled loudly. “Mountain God, we intend to offer this man to you as your husband. If you agree, please reduce the rain as your blessing.”

When she finished speaking, it only took a cup of tea for the heavy rain to turn to drizzle.

Cheers broke out among all the present. Some continued to persuade Geng Zhishan, who clenched his teeth and did not utter a single word.

Annoyed, Aunt Cui went forward. “Geng Zhishan, even if you don’t comply, we’ll try our best to beat you into submission.”