In Ye Zhen's impression, although Baoxiang was not as prosperous as the Jin Kingdom, because of its geographical advantages, there were still many merchants from other places who settled here. Today, walking on the streets of this country, she felt an inexplicable sense of strangeness.
"Daddy, why does it seem that there are more people from other places? Don't the people of Bao Xiang like to go out? Do they all hide in their houses?" Ye Zhen asked her father in a low voice. There were not many people coming and going on the road, and most of them seemed to be passing merchants. Even most of the shops were closed.
Ye Yiqing said, "Maybe there are only a few people in Baoxiang."
"There should be some festival today," Zhao Yang whispered. "Look, the women over there are dressed very strangely. They look very solemn."
As soon as Zhao Yang finished speaking, she saw some people coming out of the shops that had been closed. They were all dressed very strangely. They wore what seemed to be a crown of wild rice leaves on their heads and draped with Zhu Lan cloth. It seemed that they were going to attend some grand ceremony.
"Daddy, have you noticed that the expressions on their faces don't seem to be quite right?" Ye Zhen lowered her voice and said to her father. Everyone's face seemed to be grieving, as if they were going to a funeral.
Ye Yiqing nodded gently. "Yao Yao, you take the child back to the ship first. I'll go and see the situation."
"Okay." Ye Zhen saw that something was wrong here. If she didn't have the child with her, she would have liked to watch the fun, but with the child around, she felt it was better not to take risks.
"Ah Dong, take your sister back to the ship," Ye Yiqing said to Ye Chundong.
Suddenly, Ming Yu, who was in Hong Ying's arms, burst into tears. Her voice was louder than anyone else's.
"What's wrong?" Ye Zhen hurried over and smelled a sour smell. She laughed. "It seems that Ming Yu is pooping."
The child's cry suddenly attracted many people's attention. Ye Zhen even felt that those people's eyes were a little strange. Suspicious, she held Ming Yu tightly in her arms. "Let's go first."
Just as they were about to take the child back to the ship, they were stopped by several soldiers wearing bamboo armor. They spoke a lot of words to them, none of which Ye Zhen could understand.
"What are they talking about? Why are they staring at Ming Yu?" Zhao Yang stood beside Ye Zhen and looked at the soldiers warily.
When Ye Yiqing saw the situation, he immediately rushed over. When he heard the soldier's words, his face darkened. Why did these soldiers want to take the child away? "This is our child, you can't take him away."
When the soldiers heard that Ye Yiqing could speak their language, they immediately said loudly, "Since this child has entered our country, this is their fate. This is the guidance of God. You must hand this child over to us."
"Father, what are they talking about?" Ye Zhen felt that their eyes had been on Ming Yu. She was shocked. Did they want to rob her of her child?
Ye Yiqing patted Ye Zhen's hand and motioned her not to be afraid. He looked at the soldiers coldly. "I don't care what kind of gods you are, you can't take my grandson away!"
"Then you can't leave this place!" the leading soldier shouted. "Go and snatch the child. It must have been sent by the gods to save our king!"
When the other five soldiers heard his words, they immediately rushed towards Ye Zhen and pointed their spears at them.
Ye Chundong grabbed the spear of one of them and kicked him away.
"Protect the child!" Ye Zhen said to the other two subordinates.
"Do they want to rob the child?" Ye Zhen was shocked. What was going on with this Bao Xiang Kingdom? How could they rob other people's children? She glanced around and found those strangely dressed people standing next to them, looking at them sympathetically with grief and indignation in their eyes.
Ye Zhen's heart paused for a moment. Were these people also robbed of their children?
The six soldiers were no match for Ye Yiqing at all. After a while, they could not even stand up.
"Let's go!" Ye Yiqing simply did not want to stay here and wanted to leave with Ye Zhen and the others.
"Yes!" Ye Zhen nodded. "Father, what do they want?"
Ye Yiqing said, "Listening to what they said, they want to take the child away and say that it is the guidance of the gods. It's bullshit!"
"What do they want the child for? The people we saw today, were their children taken away?" Ye Zhen asked in surprise. "Aren't those soldiers? Why are they robbing the children of the people?"
"Let's go back to the ship and inquire about the situation," Ye Yiqing said. He also felt that the Bao Xiang Kingdom was a bit strange. In Qi Yanling's notes, the people of the Bao Xiang Kingdom seemed to be very hospitable. Even the king was very kind and friendly. It seemed that after a hundred years, the Bao Xiang Kingdom had changed after several generations of kings.
Before they could return to the ship, they were stopped at the city gate.
At least dozens of soldiers stood around the city gate. Standing at the forefront was a middle-aged man wearing a black feather cloak and a three-mountain golden crown on his head. His face was dark and red, and the bags under his eyes were frighteningly large. He held a long crutch in his hand, which was carved with the face of a beast. He stood at the forefront and looked coldly at Ye Zhen and Ming Yu in her arms.
"The gods have finally heard our prayers and sent the child of God to our Bao Xiang Kingdom. This child was sent by the gods. The king's illness will be completely cured with a child. As long as the king is cured, our Bao Xiang Kingdom will be as prosperous as before. My people, for the sake of our respected king, we must send the child to the altar, and then the king will wake up!" The middle-aged man said loudly, his expression gloomy and terrible.
Although Ye Zhen did not understand what he was saying, she could guess what he meant. She turned to look at Ye Yiqing. None of them expected to encounter such a change in the Bao Xiang Kingdom.
"Who dares to come forward?" Ye Yiqing asked coldly.
Probably because his eyes and momentum were too cold, the soldiers' footsteps stagnated for a moment.
"Your child can save thousands of children. For the sake of our king, for the sake of our innocent children, please take out your child!" The middle-aged man spoke in stiff Chinese, his eyes staring straight at Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen understood what he meant this time. He wanted her child to be a sacrifice for others. "Since it is your king and your child, why don't you go and be a sacrifice yourself? Why didn't your god strike you with a bolt of lightning?" Ye Zhen's eyes widened.
The middle-aged man's eyes became more gloomy. "This is your honor!"
"Bah!" Ye Chundong snorted coldly. "We don't want this honor!"
(Nine-headed Bird Academy)
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