The whole family is insanely eavesdropping on my thoughts Chapter 519
Chapter 519: Misplaced Wrath
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“This Sovereign has already said—there is no need for such courtesy.”
The deity’s voice carried a cool detachment, an aloofness that set him apart, as though he were a celestial being gazing down upon the mortal world from the heavens above.
The village chief bowed and scraped, his voice filled with obsequiousness. “Yes, yes! But this is merely a token of the villagers’ gratitude.”
“If not for your divine protection, Bai Li Village would have long been swallowed by demonic forces.”
Over the years, nearby villages had suffered frequent attacks from the demon race, with some even being completely massacred. Many villages had willingly merged with Bai Li Village, seeking even the smallest measure of safety under its divine shield.
It was the village chief’s ancestor who had first sought the protection of the Mountain God. Because of this sacred bond, the Li family had maintained its hereditary position as the village’s leaders, a status none dared challenge.
Originally called Li Family Village, the settlement had been predominantly populated by those bearing the surname Li. However, as more and more villages merged into its fold, it was renamed Bai Li Village, symbolizing the hundred-li radius under divine protection. Although the village had become more diverse in surnames, the Li family’s prestige remained supreme.
Despite the village chief’s humble appearance, the Li family had long amassed great wealth.
Villagers stepped forward, placing flowers before the Mountain God’s altar, while others carried offerings of sacrificial pigs, laying them out in reverence. Yet, amidst the vibrant blooms, the sight of fresh slaughtered beasts seemed somewhat out of place.
The Mountain God nodded lightly but spared not a single glance at the offerings.
“We are deeply grateful for your thousand years of protection. Now that the Demon King has returned to the Demon Realm, the people are filled with unease. It is only by your presence that we feel any sense of security…”
Before the village chief could finish speaking, that cool voice rang out once more.
“This Sovereign is leaving this realm.”
The words struck like a lightning bolt, sending waves of fear through the crowd. Heads snapped up in disbelief, eyes filled with panic.
“Mountain God, you… you’re abandoning us?” The village chief’s voice quivered, unable to mask his terror.
He had just recently agreed to merge several more villages.
And he had already accepted the benefits that came with it!
With a loud thud, he fell to his knees before the deity, his face wrought with desperation. “Mountain God, Bai Li Village cannot survive without you! If you leave, what hope do we have in the Demon Realm?”
“We were born into hardship, born lowly, scraping by in the cracks between demons. It is only because of your divine protection that we have been able to recover, to live as we do now!”
One by one, the villagers followed suit, their foreheads knocking against the ground in frenzied worship.
“Mountain God, please continue to protect Bai Li Village! Grant us a path to survival!”
“We beg you, O Mountain God!”
“Without you, how will we live?” The wailing grew louder, drowning out all else. For a thousand years, generation after generation had lived beneath the deity’s protection. His departure left them trembling with dread.
“Mountain God, do you find our offerings unworthy? Have we done something to offend you?” The village chief’s forehead had already begun to bruise from repeated bowing, his voice choked with tears.
None among them dared to rise, their tear-streaked faces pitiful in their fear.
How could they survive without divine protection?
Bai Li Village had flourished, absorbing others into its domain. But these mergers had not been acts of charity.
Every village that joined was required to surrender a tenth of their yearly harvest as tribute!
Through these offerings alone, Bai Li Village had grown rich beyond measure.
“If we have erred, tell us, and we will correct our ways!” The villagers continued to kowtow, their voices filled with panic. The celestial man furrowed his brows, watching the crying masses, and let out a quiet sigh.
Suddenly, the village chief’s eyes lit up with manic fervor. “I understand now! It’s A-Man! That wretched girl must have offended you! It must be her!”
Bai Li Village was vast, and the village chief, a simple farmer once, had long since learned the intoxicating lure of power. He would never give it up easily.
He sprang to his feet, seizing A-Man’s collar and dragging her forward.
Before she could even process what was happening, he shoved her violently to the ground. The young girl landed hard, her delicate hands scraping against jagged stones, blood welling from the fresh wounds.
“Filthy girl! I should have known you would bring calamity upon Bai Li Village!”
“You’re just like your shameless mother, always seeking to slander the divine!”
The girl clenched her fists, her voice trembling with fury. “Do not insult my mother!” A-Man’s eyes burned red with unshed tears, her anguish barely contained.
Celestial Sovereign Yan Qing, having cultivated for ten thousand years, found himself struck by a faint pang of sorrow as he beheld the girl’s silent suffering.
His expression darkened, his displeasure evident.
“Enough! When did this Sovereign ever say this matter concerned her?”
“This Sovereign comes and goes as he pleases. Who are you to speculate?”
The deity’s anger sent a shudder through the village chief’s legs. His teeth clattered audibly as he dropped to his knees once more, sweat beading on his brow.
He had overstepped.
“That harlot of a mother carried this wretched spawn from some unknown man…”
“Even as she was drowned for her shame, she refused to name the father.”
“In her madness, she stood at the village’s edge, claiming a man would descend from the heavens to take her as his wife. And who among us can fly but you, Mountain God? If she wasn’t slandering you, then what was she doing?”
“This wretched girl is the bastard of a sinful union!”
“She’s been muttering for years about climbing the mountain to demand justice from you!”
“Ridiculous, is it not?”
“If she has angered you, then Bai Li Village is willing to offer her as a sacrifice to appease your wrath. We plead for your mercy, Mountain God. Please, forgive Bai Li Village!”
“We cannot survive without you!” The village chief and the villagers knocked their heads against the earth in unison, unwilling to rise.
A-Man’s small hands curled into trembling fists, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the celestial being before her.
Yan Qing’s voice was cold as he spoke. “This Sovereign has resided here in solitude, untouched by mortal affairs.”
A-Man staggered to her feet, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You truly are not my father?”
“My mother carried me in her womb, waiting endlessly for him to come and make things right. Even in death, her gaze never strayed from the mountain…”
For a brief moment, Yan Qing saw a pair of sorrowful eyes—eyes that, even in death, remained fixed upon the mountains, filled with despair and longing.
A sharp, fleeting ache pricked at his heart.
“Are there any other deities in this mountain?” A-Man wiped away her tears.
Yan Qing shook his head. “Only demon folk dwell here.”
This land belonged to the Demon Realm. As long as they did not provoke him, Yan Qing did not interfere.
“That wretched woman dared to covet a god!”
“She was likely deceived by some spirit-beast in the mountains!”
Yan Qing’s gaze turned icy, silencing the village chief with a single look.
A-Man lowered her head and bowed. “This was my fault…” she whispered before stepping quietly into the shadows.
“Enough. Leave.”
“There is no need to beg. This Sovereign has protected you for a thousand years—that is sufficient.”
“My departure has nothing to do with anyone.” He cast a fleeting glance at the village chief, who knelt, tears flowing freely.
The villagers’ faces were grim.
The village chief shot a venomous glare at A-Man.
The Mountain God had shielded Bai Li Village for a thousand years. Why was he leaving now?
It had to be that disgraceful woman and her cursed child. The deity must have turned his wrath upon the village because of them!
And if the village was to suffer, someone had to bear the blame.