Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 322 Divine Water
Yan Ciwan asked thoughtfully, "Have you ever seen that Moon Goddess?"

Ah Ying whispered, "Only the chosen divine servants are qualified to see the true face of the Moon Goddess. Ordinary villagers like us cannot see the Moon Goddess."

Yan Ciwan became even more curious: "What is a divine servant?"

"They are servants who serve the moon goddess. At each prayer ceremony, someone will be chosen to become a divine servant, and the chosen person will be taken away."

Yan Ciwan pressed further, "Where will we be taken?"

Aying shook her head to indicate that she didn't know.

Yan Ciwan remembered what she had said before and quickly realized: "Your father and elder sister were chosen, which is why they never returned?"

Aying's hands, which were holding the bowl and chopsticks, trembled slightly.

She took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in her heart, quickly washed the dishes and chopsticks, and then said.

"I've said everything I need to say. If you don't want to be taken away for no reason, stay home and don't wander around."

Yan Ciwan asked, "What if you are chosen to become a divine servant?"

Ah Ying paused, her expression turning extremely unpleasant.

If she is taken away, there will only be a bedridden mother left at home. How will the mother live in the future?

The more she thought about it, the more upset she became, and her complexion grew increasingly pale.

Yan Ciwan suggested, "Take me with you to the prayer ceremony. That way, we can keep each other company. If one of us is chosen to become a divine servant, the other can help take care of the other's mother. That way, our mothers won't be left destitute in their old age."

This was indeed a good idea, and Aying was tempted.

She asked, "Why are you helping me like this?"

Yan Ciwan smiled and said, "As I just said, I wanted to pray for my mother. If the Moon Goddess really exists, she might be able to protect my mother and cure her illness."

After thinking for a moment, Ah Ying still told the truth: "When I attended the prayer meeting before, I prayed to the moon goddess, hoping that my mother's illness would be cured as soon as possible, but it was of no use. My mother's condition has not improved at all, so I advise you not to have too much hope."

Yan Ciwan found it strange: "If praying for blessings is useless, why do you still attend the blessing ceremony every month?"

Aying shook the bowl and chopsticks to remove the water droplets, then said to Yan Ciwan.

"You come with me."

Yan Ciwan followed her into the kitchen.

Ah Ying put the bowls and chopsticks into the cupboard, then closed the kitchen door and said in a low voice.

“I once questioned the authenticity of the Moon Goddess, and I even went to ask the village chief why my prayers were not answered. The village chief told me that it was because my mother and I had karmic debts, and my mother’s illness would not be cured until these debts were cleared. He also said that many people in the village prayed to the Moon Goddess after they fell ill, and their illnesses were quickly cured because they were clean and had no karmic debts.”

Yan Ciwan looked at her and asked, "You believe it?"

Ah Ying lowered her eyes: "I don't know. If there really is a karmic debt, please let the retribution fall on me and stop tormenting my mother."

"I suggest you take your mother to see a doctor. Perhaps the doctor can cure your mother's illness."

Aying's voice lowered even further: "The village chief will not allow me to leave Xiao'an Village."

“Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Xiao’an Village isn’t far from Chang’an County. You can find a chance to sneak out with your mother and walk upstream along the Yue Shui River. When you see a fork in the road, turn left and continue straight ahead until you see the official road. Follow the official road west and you’ll reach Chang’an County.” A-Ying was still in a dilemma: “But I have no money and don’t know any doctors. Even if I can get to Chang’an County, it won’t help. Besides, my mother has a gynecological disease, and it’s not easy to explain the specifics of her condition to the doctors.”

"Go to Chang'an County and find a family surnamed Liu. The head of the family is a royal physician. I am good friends with the royal physician Liu's granddaughter, whose name is Chaolu. She is very skilled in medicine and kind-hearted. Just tell her that I asked you to go to her for help, and she will do her best to help treat your mother."

Ah Ying was surprised; she hadn't expected there to be a female doctor. If it was also a woman, her mother would have fewer concerns when seeking medical treatment.

She was initially only three parts interested, but now she's seven parts interested.

Yan Ciwan continued to persuade her, "My mother's illness is already terminal and beyond the reach of medicine, which is why I placed my hopes on the River God. But you are different. Your mother's illness is not as serious as mine. As long as she receives proper treatment, there is definitely hope for her recovery."

Ah Ying was eventually persuaded. She made up her mind that she was willing to risk everything to help her mother recover.

She asked, "Will you be coming with us then?"

Yan Ciwan's purpose in coming here was to find the main altar and rescue the old woman. She could not leave Xiao'an Village before she achieved this goal, but she could not directly refuse the other party's kindness, so she could only give a vague answer.

"Let's talk about it then."

Ah Ying whispered, "Xiao An Village is not a good place. It's dangerous for you to stay here."

Yan Ciwan pretended to be clueless and said, "I think this place is quite safe."

"That's because you're new here and don't know anything yet. The village chief has monopolized almost all the land in our village. He made us uproot all the crops in the fields and replace them with a kind of flower that we've never seen before. That flower is poisonous. If people eat it, they will experience hallucinations, and in severe cases, they may even die."

Upon hearing her description, Yan Ciwan immediately thought of Datura stramonium.

But Datura is a poisonous flower unique to the Western Regions, so how could it be planted on a large scale in Xiao'an Village?

She asked, "Do you also grow those poisonous flowers in your field?"

Aying nodded and then said, "The village chief said that those are divine flowers offered to the moon goddess. As long as we can hand over enough divine flowers, we can exchange them for grain and divine water from the village chief. It is said that the divine water can cleanse karmic debts and cure all diseases. I once exchanged a bottle of divine water for my mother, but her condition did not improve after drinking it. The village chief said it was because our karmic debts were too heavy, and the divine water alone could not completely eliminate them."

Yan Ciwan was speechless. This lie was too clumsy. She asked, "Do all the villagers believe that the Moon Goddess really exists?"

"Ah."

Yan Ciwan was very interested in this prayer meeting, and her intuition told her that she would definitely gain something from this trip.

She reminded him, "Don't forget to take me with you to the prayer meeting tonight."

Now that Ah Ying was much more friendly towards her, she immediately nodded and replied, "Okay."

After leaving the kitchen, Yan Ciwan returned to the room on the left, picked up the now-cold porridge, pried open the envoy's mouth, and began to pour it into his mouth.

The envoy was paralyzed and unable to move, not even able to perform the slightest action like chewing. Fortunately, the porridge did not require chewing and flowed directly into his stomach through his esophagus.

He was choked and felt very uncomfortable. He wanted to cough but couldn't make a sound, and his face turned purple.

Yan Ciwan said slowly, "I'm going to a blessing ceremony tonight. I'll bring back a few bottles of holy water for you to drink."

Upon hearing this, the envoy's eyes widened immediately.

He doesn't want to drink that magic water!

Yan Ciwan smiled and said, "You're also looking forward to drinking the divine water, right? Don't be in such a hurry, I guarantee you'll drink your fill."