Refuse to trample on the pride of heaven

Chapter 436: Sacrifice (Sorry, I couldn't help but post a picture, you can skip it)

The day of sacrifice arrived as scheduled.

The banks of the Xiangsheng River, which have always been regarded as an ominous place and rarely visited by people, are now crowded with people and shrouded in a strange solemnity and depression.

The turbid river water surged and rolled under the lead-gray sky, making a dull roar like the growl of a trapped beast, rolling up turbid waves and hitting the temporarily reinforced embankment.

The air was filled with the damp smell of mud, the choking smoke from burning cheap incense and candles, and a bone-deep fear that came from the depths of the memories of countless dead souls.

A towering altar, like a ferocious beast suddenly growing from the river bank, stands at the highest point closest to the rushing river.

The main body of the altar is built with huge bluestones with a rough surface. The dark traces of water vapor look like dried blood and tears.

A nine-meter-high altar rose from the ground. Although it was built hastily, it deliberately created a majesty that could not be desecrated.

It is not an ordinary square altar, but one that deliberately imitates the style of the imperial palace's steps, with layers of stairs leading up step by step. Each step seems to silently declare the pressure of power and the strictness of the hierarchy, pointing directly to the highest point that symbolizes the highest position on earth.

Around the platform, huge bronze incense burners with Kui patterns spewed out thick, snake-like green smoke, which swirled under the low dark clouds, adding a bit of weirdness and heaviness.

The flags fluttered in the wind, but their colors were dark red and black, swaying weakly in the damp and cold wind.

At the highest point, Emperor Wei Liang sat on a large gilded throne.

He was dressed in an intricate black robe, the twelve-chapter pattern on it was blurred in the dim skylight, and the crown with twelve white jade beads on his head swayed slightly, and the collision of the beads made a fine and cold sound, but it could not hide the deep in his eyes that he tried hard to suppress but still revealed a mixture of pride, anxiety and instinctive fear of the rushing river under his feet.

Several maids in palace dresses stood behind him, holding huge peacock feather fans, motionless like clay sculptures or wooden carvings, with well-trained numbness on their faces.

The fan swayed slightly, but instead of bringing coolness, it stirred up the dull and depressing air. The pearl tassels swayed slightly in front of Wei Liang's eyes, reflecting a barely perceptible anxiety and a fierce determination to succeed deep in his eyes.

Wei Liang's existence, like the core of this altar, is also the focus of all eyes - awe, numbness, inquiry, and even hidden resentment.

Below the altar was a sea of courtiers dressed in official uniforms of various colors.

They lined up according to their rank, like carefully arranged colored figurines. It should have been a solemn array, but against the backdrop of the rolling leaden clouds and the surging turbid waves, it looked absurd and corrupt, like a group of demons dancing wildly.

Dark purple, vermilion, indigo, peacock green… these are strong colors that should represent wealth, but now, in the gloomy sky and solemn atmosphere, they are not only lifeless, but instead, like the peeling paint on an old coffin, giving off a decadent smell of impending death, and revealing an indescribable air of decay and rigidity.

The officials either lowered their heads, or had wandering looks, or tried to remain calm; no one dared to speak loudly, for fear of disturbing the dead silence that indicated the impending storm.

Li Qinghuan and Xiao Yan were also in the queue of officials, sitting at the front but each of them was daydreaming.

Li Qinghuan pursed his cracked lips, his back was stiff, his hands were unconsciously clenched under the wide sleeves of his robe, his knuckles turned white from the force, and fine beads of cold sweat oozed from his forehead, as if he was bearing an invisible pressure.

Xiao Yan maintained his usual romantic and wandering demeanor, leaning against the flagpole beside him, staring blankly at the turbid and turbid river surface. Despite his leisurely posture, deep in his eyes was a sense of empty confusion and unspeakable fatigue.

Further away were the people of Xiangsheng City, barely separated by soldiers and fences.

They were crowded together, like a silent and heavy cloud.

Countless pairs of eyes looked over the soldiers' shoulders and looked toward the emperor and officials at the highest point of the altar with complicated expressions. Even more looked with deep fear at the Xiangsheng River that was rolling and roaring like a giant dragon under their feet.

The sound of turbid waves seemed to carry some ancient curse, awakening the collective memory of drowning and destruction hidden deep in the blood.

Among the crowd, one could occasionally catch a few glances directed towards Lu Wensheng. They were no longer the blind hostility instigated by the nursery rhymes a few days ago, but were instead intertwined with doubt, sympathy, and even a hint of barely perceptible, forcibly suppressed expectation.

Overhead, the thick dark clouds were like a huge lead cover, pressing down heavily on the earth, rolling and stirring, brewing even more violent winds and rain.

Under my feet, the turbid waves of the Xiangsheng River emptied out, making a never-ending dull roar.

In this eerie silence, the heaven, earth and human beings seem to be accumulating some kind of destructive power that is about to explode.

In this suffocating silence, Wei Liang on the high platform raised his eyelids lazily and glanced at the officials below with a calmness like a cat playing with a mouse and a sense of victory.

He cleared his throat, and his deliberately high-pitched voice was intermittent in the dull river breeze, but it was clearly transmitted throughout the silent altar:

"Where is Lord Lu?"

The sound was not loud, but it was like a stone thrown into stagnant water, instantly breaking the stagnation.

A dark figure stepped out from the ranks of officials.

Lu Wensheng looked calm and walked leisurely, as if he was just going to court to answer questions as usual, rather than walking into a carefully planned killing situation.

He ignored the complex looks from those around him, some of which were filled with astonishment, some with pity, and some with gloating. He walked step by step across the slippery bluestone slabs and went straight to the steps of the throne. He bowed properly to the lofty Wei Liang.

"The minister is here."

Wei Liang's eyes, which originally had a hint of laziness and playfulness, suddenly flashed with a hint of surprise when he saw Lu Wensheng's calmness, with even a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

His upright body froze for a moment, a look of astonishment that was difficult to conceal flashed across his eyes. He subconsciously leaned forward slightly, and the sound of the beads colliding became a little more rapid, as if he wanted to confirm whether he had seen it wrong.

He really didn't expect that after he had clearly expressed his killing intention, Lu Wensheng would actually dare to show up so brazenly in the killing situation set for him! Shouldn't this person be hiding in a dark corner of the city, trembling like a lost dog, waiting to be hunted down?

How dare Lu Wensheng appear here so openly and calmly? !

Li Qinghuan and Xiao Yan, who were standing at the steps, were instantly drawn to their full attention.

Li Qinghuan's cloudy old eyes suddenly widened, looking at the tall figure in disbelief; Xiao Yan's cynical smile froze, and his empty eyes focused for the first time, filled with doubts - is this man... crazy? Or does he really have extraordinary means? How dare he come alone to such a dangerous place? !

"Lu Qing," Wei Liang calmed himself down and raised his voice deliberately, carrying the unique majesty of an emperor and a hint of subtle inquiry, penetrating the dull air and falling clearly into everyone's ears, "Do you know why I summoned you here today?"

Wei Liang's voice became low, with a hint of anger of being despised, trying to crush the other party's calm with his coercion.