OBS Chapter 34 Sacrifice to Stabilize the Soul
Chapter 34 Sacrifice to Stabilize the Soul
Jiang Yuan was greeting each of the Jiang family's "runren" members, presenting them with something. This was a common practice among all the prominent families; it seemed to be an important step before the soul-wrenching ceremony.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Jiang Yuan's eyes never left Luo Mu and the other person.
A cold glint flashed in Jiang Yuan's eyes several times as she suppressed her anger and gradually approached Luo Sifan and the other person at the back of the line.
"Lin Xiaozhi! Come here."
Jiang Yuan stopped a few steps away, waved to Luo Mu and Luo Sifan who were still entangled with each other, and softly called out to them.
Ignoring Jiang Yuan's disdain, Mu Xiaoqing shamelessly grabbed Luo Sifan's hand and followed Luo Sifan a few steps forward, getting close to Jiang Yuan.
"This is a precious treasure from the soul-sacrificing ceremony, a soul-stabilizing ring, one gray and one white. Lin Xiaozhi, take it and wear the white one, and leave the gray one for Lin Xiaoqing."
Jiang Yuan acted as if she hadn't seen Mu Xiaoqing at all, and went straight to talking to Luo Sifan, handing him her soft, white right fist.
She did indeed keep two rings she had taken from her bosom in her fist.
Luo Sifan casually reached out to catch the rings, but Jiang Yuan deliberately made a fist and, as she placed the two rings down, her palms met and slid across them, giving Luo Sifan a playful slap.
When Luo Sifan realized something was wrong, his left arm was already being pinched painfully by Mu Xiaoqing.
Before he could even put the ring down properly, Mu Xiaoqing reached out and snatched it away.
The two rings are simple in shape, neither gold nor jade, with fine wrinkles on the band.
Mu Xiaoqing rubbed the white ring in her palm a few times before returning it to Luo Sifan in front of Jiang Yuan.
"Sister, our rings, one gray and one white, match quite well."
Mu Xiaoqing placed the two ringed left hands together. Luo Sifan's slender figure and Mu Xiaoqing's delicate features, along with the white and gray rings, truly created a perfect match.
"The soul-sacrificing ceremony will take place shortly. Lin Xiaoqing, you must be careful and behave properly at this important ceremony, otherwise, if the mistress punishes you, no one can save your life."
After issuing her warning, Jiang Yuan sneered inwardly, flicked her sleeves, and turned to walk towards the palace.
The inside of the gray ring is engraved with the name of the Jiang family. It was given to the Jiang family by the mistress to control the servants.
After the soul-sacrificing ceremony, the soul of the person wearing the ring will be under her control. At that time, if she instructs Mu Xiaoqing to do something disrespectful, the high-ranking stewards in the Mistress's Palace will surely punish her severely.
After that, wouldn't Luo Mu and the other two be completely at Jiang Yuan's mercy?
The Soul-Stabilizing Ring was slipped onto his finger, as if it were a living thing, and Luo Sifan felt his soul momentarily stagnate, as if he were being bound by an extra layer of confinement.
"Xiaoqing, this Soul-Stabilizing Ring is a bit strange. Will it be harmful to you or me?"
Luo Sifan secretly asked Mu Xiaoqing, who was beaming with joy and fiddling with the two of them.
"What harm could this token of our love possibly cause? If it's harmful to you, young master, it's that you'll never be able to get rid of me, Mu Xiaoqing!"
Mu Xiaoqing replied abruptly, then her tone turned serious.
"Sure?"
Luo Sifan was half-believing and half-doubting, and reached out to fiddle with the white ring on his finger.
His soul was ripped apart by a sharp pain, but Bai Jie remained motionless.
Luo Sifan quickly stopped and looked at Mu Xiaoqing with some resentment.
"Just accept your fate, Young Master Luo."
Mu Xiaoqing smiled faintly, clearly having no intention of helping Luo Sifan break free of the Soul-Fixing Ring.
Deep within the palace, the distant sound of bells and drums drifted out.
An elderly man in a black robe with gold patterns stood on the high steps outside the palace gate, stretching out his arms and calling out:
"The auspicious time has arrived; the ritual of offering sacrifices to the soul shall begin."
The entire city of One Dream was enveloped in the old man's voice, as if thunder was ringing in one's ears.
Luo Sifan was also shocked by it, and without realizing it, his expression became solemn, and he stood like a standard.
Ten teams lined up, each led by a prominent family. Everyone remained silent as they ascended the steps like banners, entered the main hall of the Queen Mother's Palace, and gathered there.
The hall is tall and spacious, hundreds of feet deep, with vermilion columns standing in a continuous line. At the far end of the field of vision, a huge seven-colored relief can be vaguely seen.
It appeared to be the tail of a giant snake, with the area above its waist and abdomen dark and difficult to see.
Everyone nodded and bowed their heads.
Only Luo Sifan and Mu Xiaoqing, one occasionally glancing up to spy, the other walking leisurely with her head held high.
Inside the hall were dozens of men in black robes, their patterns and colors varied, who were watching the procession entering the hall.
Luo Sifan's unusual behavior drew the attention of several men in black robes. Luo Sifan's spirit trembled, and he dared not look up again.
Mu Xiaoqing's outrageous behavior was ignored by the man in black robes, as if she were invisible.
After everyone had stood still, a quarter of an hour later, the music of bells and drums began to rise, echoing softly in the palace hall.
An elderly man in a black robe with gold patterns, holding a scroll, ascended the altar at the head of the hall and began to recite the scroll.
The tone was strange, unlike the voices of humans from Yunzhou.
Luo Sifan was completely bewildered. He racked his brains but couldn't figure out what language was being recited.
The old man's speech quickened and his voice grew louder. Above the relief sculpture at the head of the hall, a radiant light gradually emerged from the darkness. As the old man's voice fell, hundreds of beams of light broke through the darkness and poured into the queue of people participating in the soul-wrenching ceremony.
Luo Sifan was no exception; he was suddenly enveloped by a beam of strange light, his body went out of control, and he was unable to move.
A white light rose from the dwelling place of the spirit, which was quite a fright. Luo Sifan thought that something strange was about to happen.
Upon closer inspection, the white light, like a bridge, continuously supplied extremely pure soul essence from afar, nourishing Luo Sifan's scattered soul and rapidly strengthening it.
Although the scattered divine soul was not even one ten-thousandth as strong as Luo Sifan's imprisoned immortal soul, after being nourished, the little spiritual infant gradually took on a human form. It swallowed Luo Sifan's spiritual consciousness in one gulp, its eyebrows and eyes became clear, its body was no longer stiff, and its limbs moved slightly, as if it could open its eyes and wake up at any time.
By sheer coincidence, the nascent spirit was formed, which not only completely eradicated the old injury that had caused Luo Sifan's soul to dissipate, but also saved him more than ten years of cultivation.
Luo Sifan was filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry, harboring some concerns about today's events. After all, one is bound to be indebted to others, and having suddenly received so many benefits from the Mistress's Palace, one fears that their intentions are not insignificant.
A soft tinkling sound came from deep within the Mistress's Palace.
The light in the hall suddenly dimmed, and many people opened their eyes, waking up from the light control.
Jiang Yuan and the others looked rather grim, but dared not show it too much.
Today's soul-wrenching ceremony had a large number of participants, and the quality of the offerings was not bad. However, the amount of soul essence that the Matriarch Palace returned to them was pitifully small compared to previous days.
The Yunzhou cultivators who were sacrificed in the hall all looked pale and dejected.
The soul essence returned by the Matriarch's Palace was pitifully small, far less than the divine soul that was taken today.
The steward in charge, dressed in a black robe with gold patterns, was experienced and his expression remained unchanged. He stood before the altar and coldly said:
"The ritual of offering sacrifices to the souls is now complete. The offerings made today have been very generous, and the Mistress is extremely pleased. From now on, everyone in the palace will have a mark on their souls as proof of their entry into Peach Blossom Spring and their submission to the Mistress."
"Gentlemen, follow my command and kowtow three times to thank the Mistress for her gracious favor!"
At the old man's command, a group of listless Yunzhou cultivators roused themselves and willingly prostrated themselves on the ground, bowing deeply with their buttocks sticking out.
Jiang Yuan was somewhat surprised to see Mu Xiaoqing and Luo Sifan standing out like cranes among chickens in the room.
Luo Sifan seemed to be in a daze, while Mu Xiaoqing smiled happily, as if she was reminiscing about something interesting.
The gray slave ring gave no response, so even if Jiang Yuan wanted to control Mu Xiaoqing's actions, she had no way to do so.
Forgetting all about being impolite, Jiang Yuan snorted coldly and pointed at Mu Xiaoqing:
"Elders! Mu Xiaoqing, the priestess of the Jiang family, has behaved improperly and disrespectfully towards the matriarch. Jiang Yuan suspects that this person is a spy infiltrating Shangzhou!"