"Nothing, it's just time to see the Underworld Venerable again," the woman said, as if accustomed to it. "Families in the village who have daughters encounter this day when their daughters turn 18. You'll get used to it, nothing will happen."
Qi Yu feigned a look of shock. "Underworld Venerable? That name sounds quite formidable. Does this family's daughter have to marry the Underworld Venerable then?"
The woman nodded. "Yes, every year, one daughter from the village is married off to the Underworld Venerable."
"The girls married to the Underworld Venerable become the village's Saintesses the next day. They live in the highest pavilion in the village for life, chanting scriptures and praying for the Underworld Venerable."
Qi Yu was utterly stunned.
"Every year, a maiden is contributed from the village?"
Qi Nian's tone also conveyed disbelief. "How many would that be over so many years?"
"And they have to live in the highest pavilion, chanting scriptures. Wouldn't that mean they remain spinsters for life?"
"I can't recall, but they all sacrifice themselves for the prosperity of our village. So, what does it matter if they contribute a little more?" the woman said indifferently. "Anyway, they are just girls, useless things. Even if they aren't offered to the Underworld Venerable, they'll have to get married eventually. It's better to offer them to the Underworld Venerable than to outsiders."
The woman spoke with conviction, as if she had forgotten she was also a woman.
Just then, a loud crashing sound suddenly erupted from the neighboring courtyard.
Qi Yu walked over and glanced through the courtyard.
She saw that the paper windows of the courtyard were covered in blood-red stains. It was likely that the daughter in the neighboring courtyard, who was to be married to the Underworld Venerable, had committed suicide by banging her head against the wall, unable to bear it.
The girl's mother was still crying out:
"My child, why did you do this? Serving the Underworld Venerable is such an honorable thing. How could you bang your head against the wall... What if the Underworld Venerable gets angry? You're dead, which girl will the village offer to the Underworld Venerable this year?"
The girl's father replied with a heavy voice:
"Yes, it was supposed to be our turn this year. But because this girl took her own life, now she's gone and disfigured. How can she serve the Underworld Venerable?"
"Husband, why don't we let the next family send someone, and skip our daughter?"
"How can we skip this? The Underworld Venerable knows it's our family's turn this year. Our daughter's name and birth date have already been submitted. How can we find someone from the next family to replace her?"
Qi Yu frowned as she listened. Just as she was about to turn back and say something, she felt a chill sweep over her. The flowers and trees surrounding the village instantly withered due to this cold air.
All the villagers emerged from their homes and appeared at their courtyard entrances. Even the couple whose daughter had just died came out, their hair and clothes covered in blood.
They all knelt on the ground, facing the same direction.
Soon, the sound of horses' hooves echoed from that direction.
Qi Yu looked up.
She saw a tall man in a black robe, with a red sash pinned to his chest, slowly riding a fine horse towards them.
The man was handsome, with a pale complexion and hands as delicate as porcelain. He exuded no aura of life, nor any malevolence, only a chilling coldness.
He reined in his horse in front of Qi Yu, his dark eyes fixed on hers. After a long moment, he slowly spoke:
"Why has the esteemed patron come without prior notice? We could have come to greet you."
Qi Yu: "..."
She blinked, pointing at herself. "What? Esteemed patron? Are you referring to me?"
The man stared at Qi Yu, his expression indifferent. "Otherwise?"
Qi Yu: "..."
Perhaps it was Qi Yu's bewildered gaze that prompted him. The man dismounted and spoke word by word:
"I am the shopkeeper of Talisman Pavilion. You personally bestowed this identity upon me hundreds of years ago."
Qi Yu pursed her lips. "...Is this the territory of Talisman Pavilion?"
The man was silent, then nodded.
Qi Yu's mood became complicated. "Then what about the damned barrier of Seven Absolutes Mountain?"
"You set it," the man said indifferently.
"Ah? No, I didn't ask you to capture mermaids and extract their pearls! Don't frame me!" Qi Yu's expression changed instantly, and she quickly clarified.
"There is indeed a misunderstanding regarding the mermaid pearls being the medium for the Seven Absolutes Mountain barrier, and the hunting of mermaids in the Seven Absolutes Mountain village," the man said, looking at Qi Yu with neither joy nor sorrow. "Perhaps you could return to Talisman Pavilion first, and I will explain it to you in detail."