bestfiction Chapter 452 There have never been immortals!
Chapter 452 There have never been immortals!
It's not an elixir of immortality, it's a poisonous pill.
Is it... a poison pill?
The word slowly surfaced in the villagers' minds, as if they were dreaming. But how could it be a poison pill? When the celestial officials first descended, they clearly saw them use elixirs to heal people who were on the verge of death. They clearly saw that after taking the elixirs, they felt much lighter, more energetic, and all their ailments had vanished. Clearly, it was an elixir! How could it be a poison pill?
how could be?
Are they really not dreaming?
But with the sun shining brightly, how could they possibly be dreaming?
If they weren't dreaming, how could they have seen so many elixirs? How could they have seen the Taoist priest begin to show symptoms of divine punishment after consuming a handful of elixirs? Shouldn't divine punishment be directed at the girl who vandalized the temple? Shouldn't it be directed at those who disrespect the immortals? Why is it targeting the Taoist priest who consumed so many elixirs?
Why, why is this happening?
Countless questions arose in the villagers' minds. They simply couldn't believe it. They revered it as an elixir of immortality, and even if they obtained it, they wouldn't easily consume it. Instead, they mostly saved the elixir for the girls who were to marry into the celestial palace, so that those girls could also absorb some of the immortal energy. If they served the immortal well, perhaps the immortal would be pleased and bless them, allowing them to be freed from labor and live a long and prosperous life.
But this elixir, this elixir is clearly fake, it's poisonous, it's a poisonous pill!
All along, they've been sacrificing their own daughters to obtain poison pills.
When this fact was laid bare before them with absolute clarity, in that instant, the Taoist priest lying on the ground in agony, and the Shangqing Immortal statue enshrined in the Immortal Temple, seemed to have their kind and benevolent exterior melted away under the scorching sun, revealing an ugly face beneath, with gaping, blood-red mouths, as if it were a demon ready to devour them piece by piece.
Evil spirit, yes, it's an evil spirit.
There have never been any immortals!
Someone finally couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears.
Since this immortal descended, how much have they lost? Countless. Husbands are gone, brothers are gone, sons are gone, daughters are gone one by one. Day after day, the village is slowly reduced to a group of useless old, weak, sick, and disabled people. In recent years, not even a baby's cry can be heard in the village. All that remains are thin coffins, teetering on the brink of collapse, being carried up the mountain, and the unfulfilled longing for the return of loved ones.
"Give my child back! Give him back!"
"What kind of damned immortals are you? You bunch of scoundrels, I'll smash you all to death, smash you all to death—"
A villager grabbed a stick and rushed forward, angrily smashing it against the offering table inside the temple, and then against the statue of the deity seated above. One person rushed over, and another followed. Their eyes were red, and they grabbed whatever they could hold and smashed it against the temple that had once ruled and imprisoned them.
At that moment, they didn't know what would happen if they smashed the statue; they only knew that, at this moment, only by smashing it could they find an outlet to release the anger and grievances that had been building up in their hearts.
The remaining Taoist priests in the temple stared in disbelief at the villagers who had been so respectful that morning, practically offering their hearts to demonstrate their piety, now daring to smash the sacred statue of the immortals. Were they insane? Were they crazy? They must be crazy!
"You, you're all doomed! You foolish, unruly people, you're all doomed! The immortals will surely punish you, they will surely punish you!"
The Taoist priests shouted in trembling voices, trying to step forward to stop them, but seeing the group of villagers who had gone mad, they only dared to retreat step by step, even trying to find a chance to run away.
However, before they could run away, several people dressed in government uniforms surrounded them.
A disheveled peasant woman, carrying a kitchen knife, with red eyes, stepped forward, grabbed a Taoist priest, and held the knife to his neck. The priest immediately became terrified and his legs went weak.
This was the first time Zhang had done something like this, and her hand trembled slightly when she put the cleaver to the man's neck. As a result, the sharp blade sliced through the Taoist priest's neck, scaring him so much that he wet his pants on the spot and cried out for mercy: "Spare me, spare me! I don't know anything, I don't know anything!"
"Where is my daughter? Where did you send my daughter? Where did you take my daughter? Tell me, tell me—" Zhang's hands trembled, her voice shrill and frantic. The blade scraped across the Taoist priest's neck again and again, scaring the Taoist priest so much that his body went limp.
"I, I, I... I'll tell you, I'll tell you," the Taoist priest cried out, no longer daring to conceal the truth. "The brides all went to the celestial palace with the celestial officials. The officials will select all the brides they've collected. The average-looking ones will be kept for themselves, while the beautiful ones will be sent to the celestial palace. If, if they are lucky enough to be noticed by a nobleman, they might even be kept as concubines. They, they really do have good prospects, really..."
"Where is my Xiu Niang? Where is my Xiu Niang? She's only thirteen! You beasts!" Zhang was trembling with rage. What nonsense about immortals, celestial palaces, and noble people! What wonderful places! All she wanted was for her daughter to live!
The Taoist priest screamed in terror, "I don't know, I really don't know, I don't know..."
At this moment, another slightly older Taoist priest was so frightened by the scene that his legs went weak. He trembled and tried to shrink into the corner, as if afraid of being noticed.
However, before he could hide, Lu Yangyang, who had been watching them from the side, grabbed him and stomped him to the ground: "Stop talking nonsense, tell me, where did you send that little girl who was delivered this morning? If you don't tell the truth, I'll stuff a handful of elixirs into your mouth and send you to paradise as soon as possible."
The old Taoist priest lay prostrate on the ground, trembling like a leaf. He stared dumbfounded at his fellow disciple, who had consumed a handful of elixirs and was now almost motionless. He stammered, "That...that girl is beautiful and clever, exactly the type that the Immortal Master Shangqing likes best. She will definitely be sent to the Immortal Palace. This time, if we send this girl, we will all receive a reward. The Immortal Official...the Immortal Official took the girl away early this morning, and she will be sent to the Immortal Palace first thing tomorrow morning."
Lu Yangyang angrily cursed, "You old beast! Where did you send them off from? How long ago were you sent off? Get up and lead the way!"
The old Taoist priest was already crying in fear. "They left through the mountain path of the Immortal Temple. The immortal official knew he was going to make a fortune the moment he saw that girl. Heaven, before dawn, he sent her away first. The remaining few, a few ugly and deformed ones, the immortal official disliked them and only took two. There are still two left, in the backyard..."