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Finest Servant Chapter 650
🕑 Added 2023-11-14 11:23:29 +0000 UTCChapter 650 The Spirit Tablet
"Yilian, Yilian—" He hurriedly shouted at the top of his voice. The girl dashed towards the mountaintop like the wind, never once looking back.
The mi duo of Yingyue Hamlet were furious at his ruthless rejection of Yilian. They surrounded him, roaring in anger, with Kunshan's eyes red with rage, drawing his hatchet and charging forward.
"Ah Lin Ge, how can you treat our Yilian like this?!" The most vociferous protestor was a mi cai named Zitong. She was familiar with Lin Wanrong during the journey. She was so angry that she gnashed her teeth, wishing she could bite off his flesh. "Yilian thinks of you day and night, waiting for you to return without sleep! She would do anything for you! But you, you treat her like this—are you still our Ah Lin Ge?!"
Lin Wanrong desperately waved his hands: "Zitong, it's not what you think. You don't know the situation in my family—"
"Why call him Ah Lin Ge," Kunshan shouted, brandishing his hatchet and lunging forward: "I will chop this Hua dog to death!"
The mi cai of Yingyue Hamlet hurriedly stopped him. Zitong, speaking, stomped her foot in anger, loudly saying: "The village mother was right, every man of the Hua people is cruel and heartless, deceiving our Miao women. It's a pity we didn't see through them sooner! From now on, you are not our Ah Lin Ge. There's no friend like you in Yingyue Hamlet anymore. Brothers and sisters, let's go!"
"Zitong, listen to me—"
The youths of Yingyue Hamlet had no patience to listen to his explanation. They spat at him in unison, throwing the water from their bamboo tubes over him, then left with disdain on their faces.
This sudden change left him bewildered. The place was deserted in an instant, and the young men and women of Yingyue Hamlet had disappeared. The friends he had made in the Miao village over the past few days had all distanced themselves from him, leaving him alone once more.
Lin Wanrong sighed quietly, not knowing what to say. His gaze unintentionally fell on the grass in front of him, where Yilian's jade belt was conspicuously left behind. He gently picked it up, feeling its soft, fragrant fabric, still warm from the girl's touch. A pair of pink butterflies were embroidered in the center, fluttering beautifully.
He felt an indescribable taste in his heart, carefully folding the white belt and tucking it into his chest, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
Gao Qiu hurried over, whispering something in his ear. Lin Wanrong nodded slightly, his reaction muted.
In the midst of their conversation, a commotion arose ahead. Two groups of Black Miao guards, armed with hatchets and looking fierce, surrounded them. The leader was Zhaguo's brother, Zhalong.
Lao Gao blinked and smiled: "Trouble has come!"
Zhalong strode forward, waving his hatchet menacingly. Pointing at them, he erupted in a furious tirade. Lin Wanrong and Gao Qiu exchanged glances, both foreigners and unable to understand a word of Miao.
Old Gao, used to big scenes, chuckled slyly. Suddenly drawing his hatchet, he charged forward with a loud battle cry. This move caught Zhalong off guard. Accustomed to rampant behavior in Miao territories, they had never seen anyone dare to challenge them like this! Especially this dark-faced man, not only speaking incomprehensible Miao, but also showing extraordinary courage.
Zhalong hastily retreated a few steps, waving his hands as a brawl seemed imminent. Suddenly, a clear voice commanded, "Stop!"
From a distance, a thin, elderly Miao man approached, his eyes round and filled with anger. Zhalong, frightened, quickly called out, "Uncle Hannong!"
Hannong snorted and asked in Hua language, "Zhalong, what are you trying to do?"
Zhalong, evasive and shifty-eyed, said, "Uncle, these two Red Miao are not following the rules. They just harassed our villagers and now they are threatening us with hatchets. We had no choice but to defend ourselves!"
Lin Wanrong chuckled, "So, we, the few, are bullying you, the many?"
Zhalong's face hardened, "What, is that not allowed?!"
Lin Wanrong thought, 'There are many more shameless people in this world than me,' and chuckled, trying not to laugh.
"Shut up!" Uncle Hannong, trembling with anger, pointed at Zhalong's nose, "Your brother couldn't beat them in horse racing, so you bring men to cause trouble. What kind of skill is that? If you have the guts, win it back! You two brothers are disgracing our Miao village!"
Faced with such fierce scolding, Zhalong, unable to retort in front of so many, turned red and white with rage, his teeth grinding. He shot Lin Wanrong a resentful look and left.
Seeing the elder's face turn ashen with rage, Lin Wanrong quickly tried to appease him, "Uncle, don't be angry. A few bad apples don't spoil the whole bunch. The people of the Miao village are good!"
"You're no good either," said Uncle Hannong, turning his anger towards Lin Wanrong, "Sneaky and deceptive, pretending to be Miao to get close to the Holy Maiden. What are you really up to?!"
Lin Wanrong blinked, urgently saying, "Uncle, I really came to see the Holy Maiden. Didn't she tell you?!"
The elder snorted, glaring at Lin Wanrong's Red Miao attire, his anger reigniting, "You came to see the Holy Maiden, but what about Yilian?"
Yilian? Lin Wanrong sighed, unsure of how to begin.
"Hua kid, where have you hidden Yilian? Did you bully her? Speak up!" demanded Hannong, his beard bristling with anger.
"Wouldn't say I bullied her," Lin Wanrong cautiously lowered his head and whispered, "Just had a little, a small dispute. She's hiding, doesn't want to see me!"
Seeing his evasive demeanor, the elder silently shook his head and sighed, "Come with me."
Hannong turned and walked away, resolute. Lin Wanrong, feeling the gravity of the situation, quickly followed, "Uncle, where are we going?"
Hannong snorted coldly, not responding, leaving Lin Wanrong with no choice but to remain silent.
The Flower Mountain Festival had regained its liveliness, filled with singing, dancing, and laughter. Looking up at the high platform, Lin Wanrong saw Zhaguo, who had been defeated in the horse race, sitting beside Nie Yuanqing, both speaking in hushed tones. An Biru, who had been sitting beside them, was nowhere to be seen.
‘The Great Elder led me, could it be that Sister An wants to see me?’ His thoughts raced like lightning, the more he thought about it, the more he felt this possibility was very likely, and he was immediately overjoyed.
The two walked for a while, but they ended up on a mountain path. Discerning the direction, they were actually heading towards a mountain hamlet halfway up the mountain. The White Miao Village of Biluo Hamlet was built atop a peak within a peak. After walking for what seemed like ages, he felt the cold wind whooshing, sending chills straight down his neck. The area was shrouded in dense fog and moisture, as if stepping into the clouds.
Lin Wanrong hurriedly ducked his head, not daring to look down anymore, and looked up to find himself at the highest peak of the White Miao hamlet. Uncle Hannong stopped in front of a stilted building and grunted at him, "You, go in!!"
This stilted building was embedded in the rock wall, unique in shape. It was extremely quiet inside, not a sound to be heard. Before even approaching, he felt waves of coldness rush to his heart. Lin Wanrong felt a chill on his back and hurriedly asked, "Ah, Uncle, what is this place?"
The Great Elder's expression softened, and he smiled at him, "You'll know once you go in—"
"Can you reveal a little bit first, just a tiny bit!" he bargained with wide eyes.
Hannong stretched out his hand with a heh, "If you're too scared to enter, then please go back!"
This was clearly a provocation. ‘I won't fall for your trick!’ He secretly smirked, quickly perking up his ears to listen, but inside the stilted building, it was dead silent. No human voice, no breathing, as if it were a deserted city, with only that biting coldness continually circling in his heart.
The Great Elder watched him with a smile, silently pondering, while Lin Wanrong felt unnerved by his gaze: ‘What does this mean? Why did Uncle bring me here? Where is Sister An? Should I enter this door or not?’
He hesitated for a long time but still couldn't make up his mind, until Hannong chuckled, "I'm going to count to three! If you haven't entered by the count of three, then consider it as you giving up, and don't blame me! One!"
The Great Elder actually did what he said and started counting immediately! Lin Wanrong's heart pounded furiously, and sweat beaded on his forehead. This psychological game was usually his forte, yet today it was used by Hannong against him.
"Two—"
The Great Elder's voice was both fast and loud, like a death knell, leaving no room for him to think. Lin Wanrong clenched his teeth and shouted, "I'm going in—"
Hannong laughed heartily and suddenly flung open the door, kicking him in the knee, "That's right! Go in quickly, Hua kid!"
Unexpectedly, this tall and thin Hannong turned out to be a deeply hidden martial arts master. His kick was fast and fierce, catching Lin Wanrong off guard, and he was kicked into the room.
The room was pitch black, filled with a cold breeze. Just as Lin Wanrong shivered, he heard a soft click behind him - the door was locked from the outside.
"Hey, Uncle, what are you doing?" He jerked in alarm, quickly jumping to the door, trying to pull it open. The wooden door, thick and heavy, seamlessly closed, not letting in a single ray of light.
The room was already dark, and with the door shut, it was pitch black. In an instant, he could see nothing at all. The room was vast and empty, surrounded by deathly silence, with only his own heavy breathing audible.
It was said to be quiet, but for some reason, he always felt an eerie silence in the room, devoid of any signs of life, as if it were a cold, spirit house.
‘A spirit house?’ This thought made his hair stand on end and cold sweat stream down his forehead. His heart pounded chaotically, and he dared not even breathe heavily.
He didn't know from where, but a chilly breeze floated in, sending shivers down his spine. He took a deep breath hurriedly, gradually regaining his composure, and continued to grope forward with his hands, cautiously advancing.
The deeper he went, the more frightened he became. The room's size was unknown, eerily silent and shadowy, with no tables, no chairs, and not a single sign of life. A thick sense of fear enveloped him like a ghost, tightly coiling around his heart.
Suddenly, a sharp scream came from beneath his feet, echoing hauntingly in the dark, gloomy room, like the wail of a ghost.
Already highly strung, this sound nearly scared the soul out of him. He plopped down on the ground, sweat streaming down, "Who, who—"
His trembling voice echoed in the empty room, reverberating around him. He gasped for air, fighting the immense fear inside him, and slowly reached out his hand.
There seemed to be something at his feet. He touched it tremblingly, and what he first felt was a human foot.
"Eh—" His mouth twitched, muscles trembling, heart nearly leaping out.
After a moment of silence, something felt off. Why was this foot soft and pliable, like a doll? Gritting his teeth, he reached out again, feeling from the foot upwards—arms, legs, a nose, a mouth, it was indeed a life-size doll!
He jumped up, shouting angrily, "Who, who's playing tricks on me?!"
Suddenly, all the candlesticks in the room lit up, the bright light so dazzling he couldn't open his eyes. Startled, he leaped back, quickly covering his eyes, "Who? Don't scare me!"
The room remained quiet, but the feeling was completely different now. There was a faint breathing behind him, a gentle and warm sound echoing in his ears, full of the warmth of life.
He suddenly opened his eyes, and there stood a charming Miao woman, beautiful as a flower, smiling at him.
"Master Sister!" he exclaimed with joy, jumping forward to embrace her.
"Hush!" An Biru placed her finger on her lips, her face serious, slightly shaking her head.
"What's wrong?" He looked at Sister An, puzzled and bewildered.
An Biru took his hand and slowly turned around, and he was utterly stunned by the sight.
In the spacious room, the only furnishing was a large shrine, on which were placed many spirit tablets, arranged from top to bottom. An Biru gently knelt down, her cheeks flushed, hands slowly joined together, her eyes misty with tears, she murmured, "Ancestors, father, mother, your daughter has brought someone to see you!"
