Chapter 29: The Oracle
The old priest's request made the village chief freeze for a moment.
"To see Xiao Ai?"
This request was not considered to be an imposition, after all, although the village chief did not dare to meet the Mountain God, he could meet that girl.
But...
After a few seconds of hesitation, the old village chief felt that he should explain it clearly in advance.
He said, "Although this girl is young, she is the one who is favored by the Mountain God. At the Double Ninth Festival, when all the villagers paid homage to the Mountain God, she alone stood next to the Mountain God and received the ceremony together."
"Even we, the village elders, are cautious in front of her and would never dare to take offense. So ......"
The latter words, the village chief did not say, but the old priest already understood the village chief's meaning.
"We know, you need not worry," said the old priest, "I also understand that this girl is special, so I will never offend her. You can put your mind at ease."
The old village chief then breathed a sigh of relief, "Then please come with me, Master Priest."
He was really afraid that the priest would think highly of himself and bring trouble to the village.
Since the initial selection, the village people felt they had offended the little girl. After that, this little girl was favored by the Mountain God, standing beside the Mountain God and receiving the villagers' salutation.
Now everyone knew that Xiao Ai could not be offended.
And Xiao Ai’s character was colder and colder by the day. Neither did she play with the village children, nor talk with the elders. People often saw that she was sitting alone in front of the house, looking dazedly at the Cold Feather Mountain.
Even if someone took the initiative to talk to her, her attitude was also cold, making people inexplicably panic.
So the old village chief was a little nervous about taking the priest of the Li tribe to see Xiao Ai. The good thing was that when they left, the old priest and the young girl did not take away the gift box on the table. The two-hundred-years of water ganoderma was just "forgotten" in the old village chief's house.
This gave the village chief a little courage.
They walked through the village and came to Cripple Ai's house. From afar, the old village chief saw Xiao Ai sitting in front of the house, fanning the fire of the boiling stove.
The old village chief immediately revealed a smiling face and said in a gentle tone, "Xiao Ai, are you concocting the medicine?"
The girl turned around and saw the smiling old village chief, as well as the two foreigners behind him.
Without much reaction, she just nodded and explained, "My brother's illness is not yet healed, and Grandpa Bai said that this medicine has to be taken twice a day regularly, and for more than half a month before my brother will be cured."
The person named Bai that the girl spoke of was a clan elder in the village, who knew herbs and could cure diseases, and had been making medicine for generations. The villagers all sought medical treatment from this old man when they were sick.
After the girl finished, she looked at the two foreigners behind the old village chief and asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
The old village chief's heart was timorous now, and the smile on his face grew wider and wider.
"There are two guests from the Li tribe that wants to meet you, I wonder if you are free now?"
Xiao Ai looked at the old priest behind the village chief.
Seeing the girl looking over, the old priest arched his hand, "I am Li Ju, the priest of the Wind Raiders of the Li tribe. Oracle, please, I want to meet the divine wolf God." Considering the old man's status, this was already a big salute.
Xiao Ai hesitated for a moment and also arched her head and said, "Master Priest, I am not the oracle of Lord Mountain God. If you have something to say, just say it directly."
The girl's response made the old priest somewhat surprised.
Although the girl was dressed in simple clothes, her speech and manner were modest and courteous. She was not an ordinary countryside villager, and she was special in this environment.
After thinking about it, the old priest said, "Then I will be straightforward...... Since ancient times, we, the Li tribe, have been following the guidance of the Sacred Mountain and have been migrating from place to place. And this year, according to the guidance, I need to move to your land and live there temporarily for a few years."
"But I heard that there is a wolf God in the mountain, so if we want to live here, we must get his permission. But we have no one to introduce us. Therefore, I would like to ask Miss Ai for help."
The old priest said earnestly, "This matter is of great importance to my tribe, whether it succeeds or fails, my tribe will be grateful."
After the old priest finished speaking, everyone present looked at the girl in front of the house. The old village chief and a few nearby neighbors were secretly watching, and everyone was curious about how the girl would answer.
The old village chief was even more eager, and he could not wait to answer instead of Xiao Ai at this moment. He thought that the priest of the Li tribe was generous, and if he could make them owe a favor, it would be a great thing!
However, Xiao Ai shook her head and said, "Sorry, Master Priest, I can't help you."
She said with a serious expression, "Lord Mountain God is so kind to me, and I can't repay this kindness now. If I use the Mountain God's name to get benefits, I would be guilty. Therefore, I can't help you."
"But, Master Priest, you actually do not have to worry too much. Lord Mountain God is a good God. As long as you do not do evil things, I think the Lord Mountain God will not make things difficult for you."
The girl's answer made the old priest smile and gain a little more awareness of the little girl.
He did not continue to pester her, but smiled and arched his hand to thank her, "In that case, then I thank Miss Ai for your guidance, and I will bear it in mind."
After expressing his gratitude, the old priest and Qian left directly.
Although the village chief wanted to stay a little longer, he needed to personally send two people to the village entrance. Along the way, he was constantly assured that after returning he would find a way to convince Xiao Ai, so that the priest would not be discouraged.
But all the way, the old priest just smiled, and did not say anything more.
Only after the two people left the village far away, Qian asked curiously, "Grandpa Priest, why didn't you take out the gift you asked me to prepare? If the gift is brought out, perhaps the oracle will help us."
The old priest shook his head and said, "You little girl, you think things too simply. There are some people in this world who can be bought, such as the village chief. But there are also some people who cannot be bought, such as the oracle named Xiao Ai."
"Although she is young, she is not someone who can be bought with a few treasures. It would be worse to pester her, and it would be better to leave, so that we can make a good relationship and leave a good impression."
Qian pouted, a little unhappy, "But if we just leave, we won't be able to find anyone to help us ask to see the wolf God in the mountain. Do you think that old village chief can really convince the oracle?"
The old priest laughed and patted the little girl's head, saying, "Actually, the oracle has already given a hint, you just didn't notice it."
Qian immediately froze, "Ah? What hint?"
The old priest smiled and said, "The oracle said that as long as we are sincere, the Mountain God will not make things difficult. Since she potentially allowed us to visit the wolf God, we could enter the mountain directly without having to ask for any introduction."
The old priest's explanation made Qian suddenly understand, "Then I will go immediately to prepare the tribute to the wolf God!"
"Well, go, move faster," the old priest thought about it and added, "Just in case, bring the human face drum with you."
"Okay, Grandpa priest, wait for me, I'll be right back," the girl said happily, jumping away.
The old priest smiled, watched the young girl leave and then turned his head to look to the direction of Cold Feather Mountain.
By now it was noon, as the blazing sun rose, the mist in the mountain gradually dispersed, and the old priest was finally able to see the full picture of the Cold Feather Mountain.
Now there was some huge vortex clouds that covered the sky. The black vortex clouds slowly rotated, and from time to time there were flashes of lightning. This group of black vortex clouds were like a huge eyeball, and they were indifferently looking down on the world.
And if someone looked at these huge vortex clouds for a long time, he would have a creepy feeling. So people wanted to look away subconsciously.
The old priest's expression was slightly gloomy. Having personally witnessed these huge heavenly clouds, he confirmed more and more that the wolf God was definitely not an ordinary mountain God.
It was more terrifying than everyone imagined.
And they have to live under the rule of this wolf God for several years......
The old man shook his head bitterly. Nowadays, he could only hope that the Lord of Calamity mentioned in the Holy Maiden's prophecy was not the Mountain God.
Otherwise, they were pretty much doomed......
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