Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 438 - 239 Disregarding Human Life_3

Chapter 438: Chapter 239 Disregarding Human Life_3

Qian Ergui was furious to the point of death, angry that Qian Mandua had so foolishly married into the Li family, unclear-headed, and now just a few months after her husband’s departure, she was being treated so abominably. He was also heartbroken over Li Ahcao being sold to sacrifice to the River God and over Li Ahcai being beaten.

Useless Qian Ergui paced around the house in despair, unable to come up with a good plan, and he could only wait for his son Qian Manhe to return home to discuss what to do. Lady Tang was not upset about her granddaughter but distressed about Qian Mandua being detained and Li Ahcai being beaten, and above all, she was concerned about the nine taels of silver. She kept cursing, "That nine taels of silver is the money from selling Ah Cao, and it should all go to Mother Duo, why should the old pious woman and those two beasts split it?"

Qian Ergui, incensed, slapped her and scolded, "Your granddaughter is about to be drowned in the river, and all you care about is the silver."

Finally, when Qian Manhe returned from the county town, Qian Ergui was so enraged he couldn’t speak; Li Ahcai cried and recounted the story all over again.

Qian Manhe was also furious, cursing the Li family for their heartlessness, wishing them no peace in death. Though he was angry with Qian Mandua, he could not just neglect her. Especially Li Ahcao—she was his own niece. How could he stand by and watch her being sacrificed to the River God?

But with just himself and his father, lacking both numbers and strength, they had to first go to Old man Qian and Eldest Qian to discuss the matter. They too had no solution, so they then went to Guiyuan to ask for Qian Sangui’s help. They wanted to borrow a few of the stronger servants to go to Shili Town and redeem the captives. The sacrificial ceremony was scheduled for the next morning, and they hoped to get Li Ahcao back that very night.

When Qian Sangui heard about the matter, he too was frightened. Sacrificing to the River God—wasn’t that just drowning boys and girls to death?

Qian Yixiu was even more terrified. Buying a cannon was to do good for the Great Qian Kingdom, but it should not come at the cost of innocent lives—not only Li Ahcao but also the boy.

In the five years since Qian Yixiu had arrived here, and nearly seven years as a ghost, she had never once seen Li Ahcao, only occasionally hearing Lady Wu mention her.

Li Ahcao, being six years old this year and not pleasing to look at because she resembled Li Shuanzi and also wet the bed continually, had never won the affection of Qian Mandua and her husband. Whenever Qian Mandua brought her sons to her family’s home to freeload meals, she never brought Li Ahcao along; even Qian Ergui and others rarely saw her. Whenever asked to bring her daughter home, Qian Mandua always said, "That wretched girl is so stupid, what good is feeding her so much?"

The little girl was, in essence, invisible.

Now, she was mentioned for the first time by everyone, but it was because of such an incident.

Ma Yuanwai ignored human lives, and the Li family was utterly heartless, but it was all because of what she’d done. I may not have killed Boren, but Boren may die because of me.

With her heart racing, Qian Yixiu was the first to speak up, "Grandfather, please save Ah Cao... and that boy as well."

Qian Sangui was of the same mind, unwilling to sacrifice innocent children because of his own family. He said, "The sacrifice is a major affair, relating to the favor of the gods towards humans. We need to think carefully and find a good excuse. Otherwise, not only will we fail to save the children, but it could also provoke public outrage."

He quickly had Su Siwu go to invite Mr. Yu for his opinion.

Seeing Qian Sangui speak these words, Qian Ergui and his son felt reassured. As long as Qian Sangui was willing to take action, there would be hope for Ah Cao.

Mr. Yu knew all too well what "loud thunder" meant. Upon hearing that boys and girls were to be sacrificed to the River God, he was so enraged that he slammed the table and swore, "This indiscriminate taking of lives is utterly abhorrent."

After cooling down, he sat back down, thought for a while, and asked, "Apart from Huaxi Village, what gods are the other villages sacrificing to? Are they sacrificing to the Sky God or River God? And what offerings are they using?"

Old man Qian, who often mingled and chatted in the villages, had the most say and replied, "Apart from Shili Town, the nearby villages all sacrifice to the Sky God. The offerings are similar to our own village; some use sheep and pigs, others use chickens, fish, and pigs."

Mr. Yu said, "This makes it easier to handle. First, find a few respected elders in the village and point out that only the Sky God can create thunder, so why sacrifice to the River God? Sacrificing to the wrong god will only anger the Sky God further. Moreover, Heaven is benevolent and does not desire the lives of living beings. Historical records show that for nearly a thousand years, even emperors haven’t used living beings as offerings, in adherence to the will of Heaven. If Shili Town does this, aren’t they afraid of divine retribution? If the Sky God becomes enraged, not only will Shili Town suffer calamities, but the neighboring villages close to Shili Town will also be affected. Then have these elders go to the village official..."

True to the Star of Literature, Old man Qian gave Mr. Yu a thumbs-up.

Old man Qian also believed that the "loud thunder" was the anger of the Immortal. He wanted to save his great-granddaughter but did not want to offend the gods by doing so. After hearing Mr. Yu’s arguments, he felt completely relieved.

Indeed, it is the Sky God who causes thunder. If we sacrifice to the River God, wouldn’t we be further offending the Sky God?

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