Claiming the Throne of Gods, Starting from the Rebirth of Nezha

Nezha's face turned crimson the moment he got the answer, blood rushing to his cheeks. He had earlier learned that Li Jing was holding a ritual sacrifice praying for his blessing, and although he didn't say it out loud, he was moved for a long time.

But now, knowing the truth, he realized it involved sacrificing a living person!

How could this be a blessing? It was simply a curse!

And it was not just a one-time evil act, but had become some kind of so-called custom, held every three months, and even Li Jing had now decreed the sacrifices be held bi-monthly!

"How preposterous!"

Nezha gritted his teeth and said, "Old man, rest assured, I'll handle this. From now on, Lv Zhu'er will stay with me, and anyone who wants to take her has to ask me first!"

When Nezha spoke these words, the old man immediately knelt down, and before Nezha could reach out to help him, he had already kowtowed three times.

"Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master! With your words, Lv Zhu'er's life is saved. When the time comes, having someone else take her place would be good."

The family was crying and laughing, completely unaware that Nezha's face had turned extremely grim.

"Someone else to take her place?" Nezha's voice suddenly turned icy, carrying an indescribable authority, but then his voice softened and he said, "Old man, would you be glad if the practice of human sacrifice disappeared forever?"

He extended his hand to help the old man up. The old man, bowing, looked at this handsome young master before him. Despite being just a child, whether it was the words he spoke or the eyes that were now looking at him, it made it impossible for the old man to see him as just a child.

The old man almost instinctively realized he must answer this question from the General's Mansion young master seriously.

He said, "It's always good not to have such practices, but if the sacrifices stop, the Sea Dragon King will be furious, and all the fishing villages around Chentang Pass will suffer."

As the old man finished speaking, his voice lowered once again, and the voice of the little girl, Lv Zhu'er, grew louder as she covered her face and wept bitterly, tears streaming down.

Nezha paid close attention to the child's reactions, noting how she knew when to cry and made as much noise as she could. He wasn't sure whether to call her cunning or to praise her intelligence.

The gender inequality in the fishing village was still quite severe at this time, yet these were their own flesh and blood. The strapping young men nearby couldn't stand to hear their daughter's cries, deeply anguished.

He angrily said, "Father, what Sea Dragon King? If it comes to that, we will just stop fishing. We can survive by weaving mats and weaving sandals. We don't have to take this abuse!"

As soon as Lv Zhu'er's father finished speaking, he was hit by the old man with a cane. The old man scolded, "If you don't fish, will the neighbors not rely on it anymore? We're a fishing village; fishing and pearl diving has been our way for generations. Listen to dad, let's just get through today. If Lv Zhu'er's life is saved and that damn Great Witch picks another child to sacrifice to the Sea Dragon King, let people curse us."

"Old man, you mean, since I've saved Lv Zhu'er today, there's a 'Great Witch' who will take someone else's child to replace Lv Zhu'er?" Nezha's eyes were terribly cold.

The old man lowered his head and sighed, "What a sin."

They were indeed fishermen, and even the old and the children had a faint fishy smell of the sea, different from the people in the mansion.

Nezha said, "Hong Fei, you've also heard this. Since the people of Chentang Pass don't find the practice of human sacrifice good, from today onwards, there will be no more such ritual here. As for that Sea Dragon King and the Great Witch, I want to see what this is all about!"

At this point, Hong Fei's tender white neck was dripping with sweat, not from heat, but from anxiety. She looked at Nezha and said, "It might be best to discuss this matter with the master first."

Nezha acted as if he hadn't heard, wiping away the tears at the corner of Lv Zhu'er's eyes, then lifted his head to look at the sturdy man, "Big brother, what is your name?"

"Commoner's surname is Li, first name Cunxin."

"Li Cunxin, when does the sacrifice begin?"

"Reporting to young master, every afternoon the Great Witch in the village starts the ritual sacrifice, and at sunset when the tide rises, a Sea Patrol Yaksa comes out of the sea to take away the child offered in the sacrifice."

"Sea Patrol Yaksa? Have you seen it with your own eyes?"

"Yes, I've caught a glimpse from afar, that Yaksa is twelve feet tall, covered in iron scales, with a green face and fierce fangs, holding a dark giant ax, frightening people out of their wits!" Mentioning this Yaksa made the courage Li Cunxin had just mustered deflate again, realizing once more that he was just an ordinary fisherman, how could he contend with this troublemaking Yaksa.

So there really is a Sea Patrol Yaksa!

Should I tell Li Jing?

He is the Chentang Pass General, yet he turns a blind eye to the sacrifices. It was he who ordered the change from once every three months to once every fortnight, harming the villagers like this.

If I tell him, not only will he not help, he might even hand over this Lv Zhu'er in front of us, then what should we do?

Nezha looked up at the sky and said, "Lizhu Village is half a day's journey from here. Saving people is urgent. Li Cunxin, lead me to Lizhu Village. Sister Hong Fei, if father and mother ask where I went, try to cover for me."

Hong Fei couldn't refuse Nezha, so she could only watch Nezha being taken away by Li Cunxin's family, leaving her and Lv Zhu'er behind with nothing to do.

She looked down at the pitiful little girl, really feeling she was like the young sister back at her own home, she took her to Nezha's courtyard.

Upon arriving at Nezha's courtyard, they happened to meet Cui Yu, who was responsible for looking after the lady and Nezha. She hurriedly asked who this charming and likable young girl was, and Hong Fei had no choice but to tell the truth.

This worried Cui Yu greatly, who said, "My dear sister, you are really naive. Nezha is a child who doesn't understand, don't you understand either? How could you let him do as he pleases?"

"What should I do now, Nezha has already been gone for a while, Sister Cui Yu, you must help me!" Hong Fei grabbed Cui Yu's sleeve and shook it back and forth, almost crying.

Cui Yu pulled off Hong Fei's hand, saying, "You, always so hasty, rashness never leads to good outcomes, you really need to change. You stay here and take good care of the little girl, I'm going to report this matter to the master."

"I'm counting on you then."

Just as Cui Yu was about to leave, Lv Zhu'er crisply called out 'sister', her small hand tightly clutching Hong Fei's skirt, saying, "Sister, it's all my fault, it's not Sister Hong Fei's fault, nor Brother Nezha's fault, it's all Lv Zhu'er's fault, I've been thoughtless."

Cui Yu bent down to touch Lv Zhu'er's head and said, "What a lovely little girl, don't worry, Brother Nezha is a very good person, auspicious people will have their own celestial protection, he won't be in any danger, and Lv Zhu'er won't be either."

"Mm-hmm!"

Lv Zhu'er nodded vigorously, and Cui Yu hurried off.

Nezha had just left, if Li Jing could quickly catch up by horse, it might still be time, as Li Jing should have just finished practicing martial arts in the front courtyard and was now handling official duties in the study.

Halfway there, Cui Yu slapped her own head, "Really, that girl Hong Fei got me all flustered too, concern leads to chaos, I shouldn't make decisions rashly, I better first consult with Lady."