Chapter 630: The Saintess

Although he had grasped this supernatural ability instinctively, it was far from easy to wield it proficiently.

The sword light that Qin Sang had split off was riddled with flaws and could only be maintained for a fleeting moment. It was completely unusable in real combat. As he traveled, he continued to study and ponder, only to find the Sword Dao even more unfathomable than he had imagined.

The path to immortality was long and arduous. Every Great Dao held unfathomable depth.

Soon, he arrived at the upper reaches of the river where he had once drifted. Qin Sang flew low, extending his spiritual consciousness in all directions, even deep into the ground, probing the subterranean waters for any hidden presences.

But he found nothing.

After entering Qingyi River, Qin Sang concealed his presence and followed the river downstream. He landed behind Thousand-Household Village, frowning slightly. The room was empty.

From the time he had left the village to recover and then break through, not even twenty days had passed. Yet a thin layer of dust had already gathered on the desk in Mute Girl’s room, and she was nowhere to be seen.

Mute Girl had always been diligent. If she were still living here, she would have cleaned daily without fail.

"Now that her birthmark and muteness have been cured, has she finally gained the acceptance of the villagers?"

The thought crossed Qin Sang’s mind as he leapt forward toward the front of the village, but he still found no trace of Mute Girl.

After the grandma's death, Mute Girl had lived alone, shunned by her clansmen. She had never dared venture far from the village, and had never once left the mountain.

Even during the Witch God Festival, when villages from the surrounding area would gather in celebration, singing and dancing in joyous revelry, Mute Girl could only stand alone at the mountaintop, gazing longingly into the distance.

"The Witch God Festival is just around the corner. Did she finally make some friends and join them to attend the festivities?"

Qin Sang tried to think optimistically. He knew Mute Girl had always looked forward to the Witch God Festival, but something still felt off.

He swept his spiritual consciousness across the village and finally found a familiar figure: the witch doctor

The old man was the only witch doctor in the entire Thousand-Household Village and held a position of great respect. His stilt house, facing Qingyi River, was one of the finest in the village and offered a broad, unobstructed view.

The old man was pounding herbs in his room. His expression was grim and thunderous, lacking his usual warmth. He struck the mortar with almost vengeful force, as if the herbs were his mortal enemies.

"Who’s there?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a shadow flicker past the curtain and instantly grew alert.

The light in the room dimmed. Before he realized it, a young man was already standing by the window like a phantom. He clearly was not from the village, but there was something vaguely familiar about his face.

The old man’s gaze shifted toward the youth’s left shoulder. His arm was perfectly intact.

"Who are you?"

He reached for his cane, fully on guard.

"Sir, have you forgotten me?"

Qin Sang had taken several doses of the old man’s medicine in the past, though they had not helped much. Nonetheless, he had always treated the man with courtesy. He now spoke in a calm, respectful tone. "Not long ago, I was seriously wounded, lost an arm, and was drifting down the river. Fortunately, you and Mute Girl rescued me. My injuries have finally healed, so I came to express my gratitude. But Mute Girl is nowhere to be found. Do you know where she went?"

"It’s you!"

The old man finally recalled who Qin Sang was. His eyes reddened instantly. His face twisted with rage as he barked through clenched teeth. "Mute Girl saved your life, and yet you brought ruin upon her. How dare you even mention her name?"

"What?"

Qin Sang’s brows furrowed. His voice turned solemn. "Mute Girl saved my life. How could I possibly harm her? Before I left, out of gratitude, I gave her medicine that cured her muteness and removed her birthmark so she could finally live a normal life. What happened?"

He realized now that something must have gone wrong during the time he had been away.

He had anticipated that once Mute Girl was cured, her life would change drastically. The villagers would surely investigate how she had recovered.

One mysterious cure might have been explained away. But both her muteness and her birthmark had been miraculously healed. That would undoubtedly cause a stir.

Mute Girl had no power to protect herself and might very well have become a target instead.

Before departing, Qin Sang had warned her to pretend she was still mute and to tell her clansmen that her birthmark had been removed by a rare herbal medicine her grandfather had used.

In the eyes of Thousand-Household Village, Mute Girl had always been seen as a bearer of misfortune. Beyond the so-called coincidences, much of this stemmed from superficial judgment. They believed her facial birthmark was a curse from the Witch God.

By erasing the birthmark, she might finally have had a chance to reintegrate and live a peaceful, ordinary life.

Qin Sang had planned to return and teach her cultivation or martial arts. Once she had the power to protect herself, she could finally reveal her voice without fear.

He never imagined something would go wrong in such a short span of time.

Even the Qingfu Coin he had left behind as a precaution had failed to avert disaster.

"Who harmed Mute Girl?"

Qin Sang’s expression turned cold. A deep, chilling murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

The old man sensed that Qin Sang’s aura had suddenly shifted, as if a bringer of death had descended upon the world.

But his grief for Mute Girl gave him the courage to feel no fear. Pointing at Qin Sang, he said through gritted teeth, "Because you cured Mute Girl’s birthmark, she was chosen by Winged Serpent Village to become their saintess. Winged Serpent Village only selects beautiful young girls. If not for you, if that birthmark had still been on her face, how could she possibly have been chosen?"

"Saintess?"

Hearing that her life was not in immediate danger, Qin Sang felt slightly relieved.

He had seen Winged Serpent Village marked on the Five-Insect Sect’s geomantic map. It was the dominant force over Thousand-Household Village and the surrounding region. The priests in the village practiced immortal cultivation, and there was even a Foundation Building expert among them. Their strength surpassed that of Tianyue Village.

Qin Sang did not know much about the witch race of Xijiang, nor what being a "saintess" truly meant. On the surface, being chosen by Winged Serpent Village sounded like a good thing.

But it was certainly not that simple.

The witch race practiced corpse refinement, insect taming, and spirit worship. Some of their customs were deeply sinister.

"What does Winged Serpent Village do with the girls they choose as saintesses?"

Qin Sang’s expression turned stern as he asked in a deep voice.

The old man shook his head helplessly, tears welling in his eyes. "All I know is that every girl who’s been chosen as a saintess by Winged Serpent Village has never been seen again. That child... Mute Girl’s life has been too cruel."

He slumped to the ground. Only after hearing the old man recount what had happened did Qin Sang understand the situation.

It turned out that Winged Serpent Village had a longstanding custom. Every year before the Witch God Festival, they would choose one pure, newly adult maiden from the villages under their control to be their saintess.

They claimed the saintess would be blessed by the Witch God, calling it a great honor. But no one in those villages was foolish. After each festival, the saintesses vanished without a trace and never returned. Clearly, there was some dreadful secret behind it.

Still, no one dared oppose Winged Serpent Village. Their priests were seen as envoys of the Witch God. The villagers were mere mortals and lacked the strength or courage to resist.

Moreover, Winged Serpent Village did not demand a girl from the same village every year. Each village’s turn came only once every few years, and since the burden rotated, it remained barely tolerable. Over time, this cruel custom had become a tacitly accepted rule.

This year, it happened to be Thousand-Household Village’s turn to offer up a saintess, and Mute Girl was just about to reach adulthood.

Winged Serpent Village also placed importance on appearance when selecting their saintess. If Qin Sang had not cured her birthmark, Mute Girl might indeed have escaped this fate.

"How is the saintess chosen in Thousand-Household Village?" Qin Sang’s voice was icy as he asked the question.

The old man let out a bitter laugh. "Everyone was desperate to get rid of Mute Girl, this so-called ‘calamity.’ Some had wanted to drive her to her death long ago. Was there ever any need for a selection? Now that she’s recovered, who knows how many people are celebrating with glee."

"They all deserve to die."

Qin Sang let out a cold snort and turned to look out the window at Thousand-Household Village.

A glint of frost flickered in his eyes, but he did not make a move. That would be overstepping.

Mute Girl had lost her parents at a young age, and surviving until now had required the help of a few within the village.

He would let her decide for herself.