This single question caused the expressions of both Yae Sakura and Rin to change drastically.
They had never imagined that someone would actually challenge their faith.
Setting aside whether the god was good or bad, this act of rebellion alone was enough to make them hold their breath in silence.
If the villagers found out, Yunduo would surely be put to death!
"Yunduo, do you know what you're saying?"
Yae Sakura's expression was grave. She didn't continue speaking but walked to the door, looked around, and seeing no one, confirmed that the words hadn't been overheard before carefully closing the door.
Rin also poked her head out from under the covers, staring at Yunduo with curious eyes, yet she didn't feel anything was wrong.
In fact, she had always felt that the gods and such were fake, but because of her sister Yae Sakura, she had never spoken out.
Yunduo sat on the floor, her head tilted up, showing no regret for her blasphemous words.
She lowered her voice so that only the two present could hear her.
"Is it not so? Although there might be something wrong with my memory... sacrificing living people is clearly something only an evil god would do."
Yunduo's tone was calm, her words flowing smoothly into their ears.
"In the end, whether gods exist in this world is still a matter for debate. I think gods are actually just a form of faith; the gods themselves don't take anything. It only depends on what you sacrifice. Some places sacrifice incense, while others choose fine food and then eat it after the ritual so as not to waste food."
"That kind of god is the god in people's hearts, a vessel for the hope of a better tomorrow. But sacrificing living people, choosing virgins to kill?"
"Then what kind of god is this? Can it really protect you?"
Question after question caused Yae Sakura's breathing to gradually quicken.
Before Yunduo arrived, based on the teachings of her father and the villagers, she had always believed that the ritual itself was not wrong.
But Yunduo's words were like a spark on the prairie, igniting the sense of wrongness she had noticed long ago.
On second thought, she had never seen the so-called god, but she had seen the girls who were sacrificed and killed every year because of the drought.
Those tragic, inhuman cries and the beast-like roars of the villagers all surfaced in her heart now.
"Besides, what if... I'm saying what if, the person chosen for the sacrifice is your family? What will you do then?"
Yunduo's casual words flowed into Yae Sakura's ears, making her break into a cold sweat instantly.
When she thought about the scene of herself being sacrificed, she didn't feel much, but the thought of Rin—what if she was the one chosen?
Yae Sakura's cheeks turned pale, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
"No, it won't happen. We have the bloodline of the Miko. The family won't let us..."
Halfway through, Yae Sakura could not continue.
Her confident guarantee was actually groundless. If the villagers' daughters could be sacrifices, why couldn't a Miko?
There was a long silence.
Rin lay on the bed and fell asleep again after a short while.
Looking at her frail body and her occasional, unbearable coughing, Yae Sakura's heart felt as if it were being wrenched.
Yunduo helped by pulling up the blanket that had slipped slightly off Rin.
Then, she suddenly patted Yae Sakura's shoulder: "Hey~ stop dazing out. Come walk with me around your village. Maybe if I see something familiar, I'll remember something?"
"...I'm sorry, I lost my composure. You've seen a pathetic side of me."
"It's fine."
Yunduo stood up and stretched.
Yae Sakura also followed silently, closing the door without making a sound as they left.
Walking along the small paths of Yae Village, many simple villagers bowed their heads to greet Yae Sakura along the way.
It was clear that as a Miko, she was indeed respected by the villagers.
Just then.
A hunched old woman blocked Yae Sakura's path.
She slowly took a bundle of herbs tied with straw rope from the bamboo basket on her back and said, "Lady Miko, these are Gohyaku-so I collected fresh with the morning dew. Take them to brew medicine for your Rin. Cough, cough..."
"This is... Thank you, Granny Kaede. Thank you very much for your help. I was just worried that we didn't have enough Gohyaku-so at home."
Yae Sakura said gratefully, helping the old woman secure her bamboo basket and carefully holding the herbs in her arms.
The faint orange light shone on her fingertips, where small cuts from gathering grass remained. Her crystal-clear blue eyes, pure and filled with a hint of happiness, showed a joy that came from the bottom of her heart.
She was probably thinking that as long as she had enough Gohyaku-so, the bedridden Rin would get better.
Yunduo remained silent, but she felt that Rin's illness wasn't something that could be cured with just herbs. With such a serious condition, if she didn't go to the outside world to find a doctor and kept delaying, it would inevitably get worse.
Afterward, Yunduo didn't speak; she didn't want to disturb Yae Sakura's temporary happiness.
It was indeed a long distance from one end of the village to the other.
Yae Village wasn't particularly large or small; it probably had several hundred households.
Carefree fish played in the gurgling stream, and the sky was bright and blue.
The light reflected on Yae Sakura's slender figure, her faint shadow swaying behind her.
Yunduo stepped on her shadow, one footprint at a time, like a dark shadow following the light.
They walked one after the other, their conversation mostly small talk. Usually, it was Yae Sakura recounting scenes of Rin playing with her when they were little. When asked about Yunduo's childhood, the answer was mostly that she had forgotten.
Time passed like this for a long while.
Until they reached the end of the village, where an old man dressed in black, leaning on a cane, saw them.
The old man looked to be in his forties or fifties, his arms strong and powerful, yet for some reason, he supported himself with a useless cane.
Perhaps it made him look more dignified.
When he saw Yunduo, the old man frowned and shouted loudly:
"Yae Sakura, how many times have I told you? Do not bring these outsiders back. It will bring misfortune and disturb the Great Deity. As a Miko, do you even understand this?!!"
"Village Chief, I'm sorry. If we don't save those who wander into the village, they will surely be eaten by wild beasts," Yae Sakura said apologetically, bowing her head to the Village Chief of Yae Village.
"Hmph! So what if they are eaten? Outsiders have not received the blessing of the Deity; their bodies are filled with filthy blood. Such people, even if eaten by beasts, are better than harming our village's fortune."
"For your father's sake, I'll give you three days. This person absolutely cannot stay; she must go back to wherever she came from. The weather has been dry lately with no rain, and there's already very little water in the stream. We cannot afford to let an outsider waste it."
"..."
Yae Sakura pursed her lips, her eyes showing silent resistance.
Closed off and isolated, almost no outsiders had come to the village in years.
However, this was no paradise. The Village Chief's power was equal to that of the master of the shrine—her father, the Head of the Yae Family.
As a Miko, she had no power and could not refute the Village Chief's words.
This was reality!
The Miko, who seemed to be idolized by others, actually had no real power.
The choice of sacrifice was always agreed upon by the Head of the Yae Family and the Village Chief.
What if they—
No!
It wouldn't happen.
Rin is father's biological daughter; how could he?
But then she remembered that ever since her mother died during a difficult labor while giving birth to Rin, the Head of the Yae Family's mental state had been somewhat unstable. Sometimes, Sakura could detect a faint hatred. Previously, she had mistakenly thought she had seen wrong, but now she realized that it was indeed hatred toward Rin, who had caused her mother's death.
A father's hatred for his own biological daughter!
Back inside the shrine, Yae Sakura's spirit was very dazed.
Powerlessness, weakness, anger, hatred... various emotions swept through her soul, staining the pure white Miko with the colors of darkness.
In her ears, there seemed to be a voice telling her to overthrow it all.
If only she had that kind of power.
If she could have the power to oppose a god... When this thought appeared in her mind, Yae Sakura could not help but turn pale.
Suddenly, a caring word floated into her ear, and a hand grasped her palm.
A warm, soft voice flowed into her mind.
"Sakura, don't think too much. Rin and I will both stay with you. You're very tired today, so get some good rest."
Yunduo gently caressed Yae Sakura's fingertips, warming her soul with her body heat.
"Sorry, I was overthinking. My state of mind really isn't great today. You should go to sleep."
It was already night; a dark depth covered the earth, and the cold air sent a chill through one's heart.
Yae Sakura looked at Yunduo, her cheeks slightly flushed, unsure if it was because of the warmth in her heart or the warmth in her palm... at this moment.
The crowd outside the space was forcefully fed a mouthful of dog food.
Their mouths couldn't help but twitch, and the expressions with which they looked at Yunduo became increasingly complex.
Usually, she seemed lazy and laid-back, yet she always managed to save everyone from dire straits and was even so good at flirting.
She's simply too good at this!
You understand so well, Big Sister!
Looking at how things were developing, it was feared that a certain pure-hearted, pink-haired shrine maiden would soon fall into Miss Yunduo's gentle embrace.
Seeing this, Kiana sighed and said, "Yunduo isn't usually like this."
"Yes, Bronya feels... perhaps in a special environment, Big Sister Yunduo warms others."
"She only wants to help Yae Sakura, who saved her, without any other emotions. It should be like that."
Bronya explained slowly.
"This is what you call saving? This kind of saving—I, I can do it too."
Hearing this, Theresa put her hands on her hips proudly and said that as the Headmaster, she was the best at comforting others.
"Forget it. I still remember a certain lost nun who almost tore down all the buildings at an intersection, muttering something about destroying everything so she could get out. Oh, right! She was almost in tears then."
Himeko scratched her nose and dealt a heavy blow to Theresa, exposing her past.
Everyone discussed among themselves while watching time pass in the images.
The flow of time on both sides was different; those numerous daily scenes flashed by in an instant.
The autumn wind rolled, and the arid sandstorms swept through clouds of cracked dust.
Three days had passed, and the deadline the Village Chief mentioned had arrived, but Yunduo had not left.
After saying goodbye to Yae Sakura, she had actually secretly stayed hidden near the village.
She was mainly worried about Yae Sakura's problems and Rin's illness.
At dawn, she drank dew and sang leisurely little songs.
At dusk, she survived on fruit and occasionally caught wild rabbits for an extra meal.
Time took away the coolness of the stream water, and the green leaves on the earth grew fewer and fewer.
The flow of the stream also gradually diminished.
Until one day, the source of the stream dried up, and the yellow earth at the entrance of Yae Village split open.
Dryness, scorched earth, twilight... all breath of life withered with the prolonged drought.
Even Rin's condition worsened along with the drought.
In a day, she spent nearly 23 hours in a deep sleep.
For another half hour, she coughed painfully, and for the remaining time, she stared blankly at the withered cherry blossom tree outside the window.
As a shrine maiden, Yae Sakura had no time to accompany Rin; she had to pray to the Great God, hoping for sweet rain to fall and save Yae Village!
One night.
Yellow sand filled the sky, and all things withered.
Looking around the village, almost all the vegetables had died due to lack of water.
Yae Sakura was stopped by the Head of the Yae Family, who wanted her to attend a village meeting.
This was her first time attending; she had never had the chance before.
Pursing her dry, thin lips, Yae Sakura lightly knocked on the gate of the shrine.
"Come in!"
A majestic voice came from inside; she walked in and saw it was her father and the Village Chief.
Besides them, there were several villagers sitting together in a circle.
These villagers were all obese and bloated, their faces oily, unlike the thin and sallow bodies of the ordinary residents of Yae Village.
Upon seeing Yae Sakura, there was no reverence in their eyes, but rather looks of triumph, as if they had just won a battle.
"Lord Head, Village Chief..."
Yae Sakura's heart sank with a bad premonition, a feeling like a mournful crow fluttering in her heart.
No one answered her; they were all talking amongst themselves.
Suddenly, at a certain moment, the Village Chief's expression turned stern as he shouted, "The recent severe drought must be due to the God's dissatisfaction with the intrusion of an outsider. Yae Sakura, as the shrine maiden, you are responsible for this."
"For the sake of the Head of the Yae Family, the village will not hold you accountable for this."
"But the issue of the water shortage and drought must be resolved!"
Hearing the Village Chief's words, those obese villagers chimed in as well.
"That's right, the Village Chief is correct. The village has unanimously decided that you must solve this problem."
"The shrine maiden is also a villager and must be responsible for the village."
"The Village Chief is wise; he truly is the one who understands the God best."
Hearing this, a smile appeared on the Village Chief's wrinkled face, as if a dried-up stream had suddenly been irrigated.
When he smiled, a scar at the corner of his mouth split open, looking both terrifying and ugly.
"Sakura, the village has already decided."
"Take a look."
The Head of the Yae Family brought a scroll of cursive script, which recorded various major events that had occurred in the village.
Dazedly taking the scroll, Yae Sakura's eyes Shuhu froze.
"In the seventh year of Wenzheng, the village suffered a long drought without rain; all things collapsed, and ancient trees withered."
"The villagers petitioned that because the sacrifice in the previous ritual was not a virgin, they requested to perform the ritual again using the shrine maiden's bloodline as the offering."
These were the details recorded in the scroll.
It also described the current situation.
Yae Sakura's heart sank into a deep valley; her pupils constricted in disbelief, and her breathing almost stopped.
In an instant, she could not feel the warmth of humanity; the humans before her seemed like beasts wearing human skin.
These monsters and demons were snarling, wanting to devour her and Rin's bodies.
Her fingertips twitched slightly as she moved them away from the next cold sentence.
"This ritual was proposed by the Head of the Yae Family: his younger daughter, Yae Rin, possesses the shrine maiden's bloodline and should sacrifice everything to the God."
"Furthermore, the Head of the Yae Family proposed that the one to preside over the ritual shall be his eldest daughter, Yae Sakura."
The scroll in Yae Sakura's hand fell at some point.
She fell into despair.
This world had betrayed her.
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