Chapter 3: Living Sacrifice

Lu Li said: "I will not leave unless you come back with me"

As soon as these words were spoken, several elderly members of the Lu family exclaimed in surprise, clearly taken aback by the clan leader's statement

Lu Li's eyes turned, and he proposed: "How about this, I will go in your place."

Night quietly descends, and the days pass one by one

After dinner, Lu Li secretly ran out of the village and hid in a large tree by the Nu River, intently observing the movements at the village entrance

Lu Li retorted, "Who says the mountain god must eat people? No one has seen it. I will go find the mountain god and have a word with him, asking him not to shout for no reason, causing the adults to be restless."

Hearing this, Luffy smiled bitterly, took his son's hand, and turned to walk into the house

Now, Lu Yao has become a sacrifice, and on the night of the full moon, she is to enter the mountains to meet her death. This greatly displeases Lu Li, who secretly resolves to help Lu Yao

Lu Li said: "For no particular reason, I simply cannot tolerate the erroneous decisions that adults make out of their own self-righteousness"

Lu Li nodded and said: "I, Lu Li, have always been a person of my word."

In the following two days, a layer of dark clouds enveloped the entire Pingxi Village due to the sacrificial rites, and no one was willing to offer their own child as a sacrifice to be sent to death

Standing on the second floor of the *Picture* Bookstore, Lu Mingjie looked grimly at the towering Canglu Mountain, muttering anxiously to himself: "The mountain god roars, disaster is imminent, calamity is about to befall my Lu clan."

Before long, Lu Li caught up with Lu Yao and called out to her.

Lu Yao exclaimed, "You are going in my place? Aren't you afraid of dying?"

Among the entire Pingxi Village, Lu Li and Lu Yao are the most exceptional. The former is notoriously mischievous and is rejected by peers of the same age.

Lu Yao hesitated and asked, "Are you really going?"

These, Lu Li seemed completely unconcerned. At the age of five, he appeared particularly bold, showing no regard for the various legends and warnings about Canglu Mountain that adults often spoke of.

At that moment, five-year-old Lu Li quickly climbed down from the tree and chased after the direction in which Lu Yao had gone.

Lu Yao stopped in her tracks, turned to look at Lu Li, and asked: "Why do you want to help me?"

Several elderly individuals shuddered, exchanging glances with one another; such a cruel act truly sends chills down one's spine

Another elder said: "For nearly two hundred years, the mountain god has not roared. Why has it suddenly become furious today? Is it perhaps reminding us that it is time for sacrifice?"

Lu Yao smiled faintly and said softly, "Lu Li, I don't want to burden you. You should go back quickly; your parents must be very anxious and heartbroken."

At that time, Lu Yao had just turned one month old. Because of this matter, she was pointed at and criticized by the clan members, who said that she was born to bring misfortune to her father and had never been favored by the clan.

Lu Li closely followed by his side, stubbornly said: "If you don't go back, I will accompany you to confront the mountain deity."

Tonight, the moon is full and the stars are sparse. Lu Li, taking advantage of the moonlight, jogs along and soon arrives at the foot of Canglu Mountain. In the distance, he sees a torch slowly advancing in the deep mountains two miles away.

At approximately 7:45 PM, Lu Yao, escorted by the members of the Lu clan, walked out of the village entrance, heading towards Canglu Mountain.

Seeing Lu Li chasing after her, Lu Yao's pale face revealed a hint of complex joy as she softly said: "This is an ominous place, you should return quickly"

On one side, several elderly members of the Lu family wore worried expressions. One of them asked, "Patriarch, what should we do?"

Lu Li hid in the tree, watching a group of people in the distance.

To this end, after discussions among the villagers of all ages, it was ultimately decided that eight-year-old Lu Yao would be chosen as the sacrificial offering

After about half an hour at the Yamato bookstore, the members of the Lu clan who came to see them off gradually returned.

Five-year-old Lu Li watched this unfold and felt quite unhappy in his heart

Without hesitation, Lu Li ran towards the direction of the torch, the sound of crunching dry branches underfoot occasionally echoing, and combined with the pitch-black night, it gave a chilling sensation throughout his body

Lu Mingjie had a strange expression on his face and sighed, "To offer sacrifices to the mountain god, a living person must be used as a sacrifice, and they must not be older than ten years, and it must be a girl."

Lu Yao shook her head slightly, turning to move forward as she said, "I will not return with you; my mission is to pray for blessings and peace for my people"

Having faced discrimination since childhood, no one was willing to play with her, which led her to develop a withdrawn mentality

In the blink of an eye, two days have passed, and the night of the full moon has arrived

Lu Yao grew up without a father. Her father accidentally fell into the Nu River when she was young and has since been missing, leaving her to rely solely on her mother.

Lu Li scolded, "Why are you so foolish, knowing it will lead to death yet still going forward?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yao ceased to speak further. With a torch in her left hand and holding Lu Li's hand with her right, she walked into the mountains with him

Lu Li ran in front of Lu Yao, panting and said: "Don't listen to the adults' nonsense; their incompetence is what leads you to face danger. Hurry and come back with me."

Lu Yao shook her head and said: "I cannot go back; I must consider the safety of the entire village and my mother. Thank you, Lu Li, you should leave quickly. I will remember your kindness and will repay you in the next life."

The latter has been lonely since childhood, enduring indifference and criticism.

The elders of the Lu family all sighed, yet for the sake of the entire village's kin, they could only agree and not oppose

Lu Mingjie said: "I remember a thousand years ago, when our Lu ancestors first arrived in this land, they offered sacrifices to the mountain god. Since then, the weather has been favorable, and the harvests abundant. Now the mountain god is roaring with anger; it seems we must offer sacrifices once again."

Lu Mingjie hesitated and said: "On the night of the full moon, we enter the mountains to pay homage, offering our bodies and souls"

At eight years old, Lu Yao is quite sweet-looking, ranking among the top in beauty among the dozens of children in Pingxi Village.

In the background, Lu Yao's mother cried heart-wrenchingly, yet she could not change her daughter's fate; all that remained was her unwilling weeping, which carried a hint of resentment in the night.

Lu Li said: "This is my own decision. I am happy to seek the mountain deity, and it has nothing to do with anyone or the library."

One afternoon a few days later, while the Lu clan members of Pingxi Village were busy in the fields, a tremendous roar suddenly echoed from Canglu Mountain. This startled the Lu clan members of Pingxi Village, who hurried back to the village to report to their chief, Lu Mingjie

Lu Yao bitterly said: "Even if I go back, the clansmen will not spare me. Even if they do spare me, they will send others to their deaths. In this case, why should I drag others down with me?"

The elderly man beside us said, "Whenever the time for the ritual comes, we will prepare right away"

For this reason, Lu Yao's mother cried inconsolably, kneeling before the clan leader Lu Mingjie to plead for mercy, but unfortunately, it was to no avail. Lu Mingjie was also unwilling to act in this manner, yet he had no choice but to do so

For a moment, an old man asked: "How do the living perform sacrifices?"

This time, the entire village unanimously elected Lu Yao through a show of hands, simply because she had no father and was not well-liked

Lu Mingjie said: "In two days, it will be the night of the full moon. You should go down and prepare well, selecting a suitable person to pray for the well-being and survival of the entire village. "

Lu Yao exclaimed, "You are truly bold, not even afraid of the mountain god. However, the clan leader has stated that the sacrificial offering must be a girl. I appreciate your good intentions, but you should leave now"