Feng Ninghe looked up at the palace before her. "According to Xiao Zhao's report, there are quite a few people inside the palace. We'll wait here for the right moment, and then enter when the time is ripe."
Inside the palace.
Xiao Zhao was led into a room decorated festively.
Two young girls stood guard at the entrance.
Xiao Zhao tried to leave the room but was stopped by the girls at the door.
"The High Priest has given orders that you are not to leave this room. When night falls, the High Priest will come to consummate the marriage with you," one of the girls said obediently.
Xiao Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze falling on the two girls. "The High Priest told me a lot. Are you perhaps also among the women chosen to marry the celestial god?"
He subtly observed the two before him, hoping to glean more useful information from them.
The two girls exchanged glances, a hint of apprehension in their eyes, as if hesitating whether to tell the truth.
Xiao Zhao casually took out a fragrant roasted chicken and offered it to them. "Ladies, I will be living here in the future. I wish to understand more about this place, and I also wish to make friends with you."
Seeing the roasted chicken, the girls' eyes clearly brightened.
One of the girls was the first to let down her guard, eagerly grabbing a piece of roasted chicken and putting it in her mouth. "I haven't eaten meat in a long time. Here, I can barely manage to fill my stomach."
The other girl, afraid she wouldn't get any, quickly grabbed a chicken leg and started eating. "We are both from Chenjia Village. We were chosen by the High Priest to marry the celestial god. Because we are clever and obedient, we were allowed to serve here."
"What a coincidence, I'm also from Chenjia Village," Xiao Zhao said with a gentle smile, seeing that the two girls had lowered their defenses.
The girls' chicken-eating paused abruptly, and tears streamed down their faces.
"My mother runs a butcher shop in the East Village. I haven't seen her in years. I wonder if she's alright."
"My parents have always been in poor health. I don't know how they are now..."
The two girls looked troubled. Xiao Zhao quickly comforted them, "You can rest assured. In recent years, apart from the women who have been married off one after another, nothing has happened in Chenjia Village. Are all the chosen girls from Chenjia Village?"
The girls shook their heads. "It's not just Chenjia Village that has been harmed, but also the surrounding villages. This is not a curse at all, but the High Priest's selfish desires!"
The more the girls spoke, the more agitated they became, their faces showing fear...
Outside the palace.
In a hidden jungle.
Everyone sat quietly, waiting for nightfall.
Xiao Zhao's conversation was immediately relayed to Feng Ninghe.
"Xiao Zhao has news. The High Priest, under the guise of the celestial god, is abducting young women. On one hand, it's to satisfy his own selfish desires, and on the other hand, it's to absorb their souls..."
Feng Ninghe opened her mouth, a hint of coldness lingering in her eyes. "The obedient women are kept, while the disobedient ones have their souls absorbed."
Bai Niannian couldn't sit still and suddenly stood up, gritting her teeth. "I knew this High Priest wasn't a good person. He only knows how to play tricks in the dark!"
"Why absorb souls?" Si Jianye looked up at Feng Ninghe. The man's calm eyes held no emotion. "There's no reason to absorb souls for no reason. He must have a purpose in doing this."
Feng Ninghe shook her head, her gaze fixed on the palace before her. "This is all we can gather. We'll have to find out the rest ourselves. It is said that the girls are imprisoned before their souls are absorbed. If we search carefully, we might find some clues."
Si Xin Xin rubbed her little hands together, gritting her teeth. "Mother, it's getting dark. We can prepare in advance. I can't wait to see this scumbag torn to pieces!"
Bai Niannian nodded repeatedly, her delicate face flushed with anger. "Master, I can't wait either!"
Feng Ninghe was about to get up when she stopped as if she had noticed something. "Look, someone's coming."
A figure swaggered towards the palace.
The guards at the palace entrance bowed respectfully to him.
"Who is that? Could he be an accomplice of the High Priest?" Bai Niannian voiced her suspicion, her gaze constantly scanning the person entering the palace.
Upon seeing the person's face clearly, Feng Ninghe's delicate eyebrows furrowed instantly, her gaze fixed on him.
For some reason, she felt this face was very familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before.
Ancient memories flooded her mind, and she searched through them carefully.
"Master, he's gone in. Why don't we make our move?" A clear female voice interrupted her recollection.
Bai Niannian stared at the palace before her with righteous indignation, rubbing her fists with excitement, looking ready to attack at any moment.
Feng Ninghe also collected herself at this moment and nodded to them. "The palace is not small. It will be less conspicuous if we split up."
Si Xin Xin's eyes rolled in her sockets, and a slight smile appeared at the corners of her lips, a few bright smiles appearing in her eyes. "Mother, I'll go with Uncle Xi and Grandpa Luo."
To her, this was a good opportunity for her father and mother to have some alone time. They had been together all these days, and her father and mother hadn't had enough time to interact. It was time for them to have a good chat.
Bai Niannian's eyes swept over everyone, and when they landed on Si Jianye, she couldn't help but shiver. Even though Si Jianye stood there silently, the cold aura emanating from him was chilling. Beneath the mask, the man's indifferent gaze was like a sharp blade, making one recoil.
Bai Niannian reluctantly took a step back and stood beside Feng Xing. "Xing, let's go together."
In just a moment, everyone had been assigned. Feng Ninghe was left with only Si Jianye to choose. With such a formidable figure here, even a 'celestial god' would be intimidated. She braced herself and looked at Si Jianye. "Let's go."
Ding ding—
A clear silver bell rang.
The guards at the palace entrance suddenly froze. They seemed to have lost their minds, their movements unconscious. Even as several figures walked past them, they didn't react. When the bell stopped, the two guards came back to their senses.
"Did you hear anything just now?"
"There's no one here but us. What could we hear? Keep guarding!" The guards muttered softly.
Feng Ninghe and Si Jianye strode forward.
Guards patrolled the palace from time to time. When they heard footsteps, they hid in advance.
At this moment, a male voice reached their ears.
"Time is almost up. Have all the souls to be given to the young master been collected?"
"They're almost all collected. I'll present them all in three days!" Two figures walked slowly ahead. One was the man who had just entered the palace, and the other was the so-called High Priest.