On this day, Zhao Xiaoli packed her bags silently.

After living in this small garden for half a year, although it is lonely, it is also peaceful. When I am about to leave, I feel a little reluctant to leave. This may be a nostalgic feeling that everyone has.

She silently picked a handful of snow-white jasmine, and the fragrance was so refreshing that she was intoxicated for a long time. She thought that if she settled on an island, she must plant it full of jasmine.

She put Jasmine into her luggage and pulled the gauze tightly around her face. Her face and body were covered with red rashes. The rashes made people feel chilled just by looking at them.

At this time, the island owner's sister and the Ironwood Messenger came over.

Zhao Xiaoli quickly lowered her head and said: "Greetings to the Second Island Master and the Great Immortal."

The Ironwood Messenger frowned and saw the red spots on her face and neck through the gauze scarf. He said, "Your name is Zhao Xiaoli?"

Zhao Xiaoli nodded timidly.

"Okay, Zhao Xiaoli, the two island owners asked me to take you to the swamp island." The Ironwood envoy said: "That island is sparsely populated, so you can live there."

Zhao Xiaoli nodded again.

Faced with the fact that such a young, originally extremely beautiful woman was suffering from the terminal disease of smallpox and had to go to a sparsely populated swamp island to wait for death, the Ironwood Messenger also secretly sighed.

The sister of the island owner said: "Where you live, the Ironwood Messenger will ask people to arrange your food, so you can just live there and spend your last days. Alas, our acquaintance is not in vain."

Zhao Xiaoli thought of parting and thought that if the island owners and sisters had not secretly cared for her, she would have become a maid on the Imperial Island. Now that she was about to leave, she felt sad and shed tears.

The Ironwood envoy did not know the inside story and thought that Zhao Xiaoli was sad because she was terminally ill with smallpox.

He said: "Let's go. Everyone will die in life. Even a tenth-level immortal will die. He just needs to live a little longer."

Zhao Xiaoli waved goodbye to the island owner's sister with tears in her eyes, put a small baggage on her back, and followed the Ironwood Messenger towards the Immortal Gate next to the tea garden.

Because she was terminally ill with smallpox, the Ironwood envoy did not dare to hold her hand, so he told Zhao Xiaoli the incantation for entering and exiting Island No. 10. The two chanted the incantation and instantly traveled through the space tunnel and were outside the Imperial Capital Island.

It was the morning and the sun was shining brightly. The Imperial Island was surrounded by ten small islands, showing its majestic momentum. Zhao Xiaoli was amazed by the glorious wings above the main island and the ten small islands rising and falling in the waves.

Then, she followed the Ironwood Messenger and slowly flew away from the Imperial Capital Island...

…

The sea is vast and almost every island is unique.

Marsh Island is just like its name. The entire island only has a highland at the east end, about two miles away, which is dry land.

The whole island is like a giant eggplant, with only the head being high ground and scattered with several families.

The rest of the place is all covered with aquatic weeds. If it weren't for this huge piece of aquatic grass, this place would be under the sea. It is this piece of aquatic grass that makes this place a swamp and a semi-terrestrial form.

On the highland side of the coast, there are about ten families of fishermen. They go out to the sea every day and make a living by fishing.

On the side of the highland next to the swamp, there is a small forest. But no one will approach here, because in the forest is an exquisite fairyland stone house, hidden under the tall trees.

It is said that there is an aloof fairy living in this forest, and he controls the entire swamp area of ​​the swamp island. His huge magic power over the swamp makes the islanders respect this forest.

In this vast sea, there is only evergreen summer.

But the swamp on Swamp Island can transform from summer to frozen winter in an instant. The originally sparkling swamp suddenly turned into a thin layer of ice.

At this time, a thin layer of ice formed continuously on the swamp.

But a huge blast of cold air blew out of the forest stone house, blowing along the swamp water and throughout the entire swamp.

Thin ice quickly formed on the water surface of the swamp, and the entire swamp became a sheet of thin ice.

It turns out that the aquatic plants in the swamp are the best ice shelves, making the entire thin ice become one. It also resists the surge of sea water and the impact on the ice.

After the ice formed, the white cold air slowly converged and no longer floated out from the forest stone castle.

This kind of ice cube is very delicate and smooth, and the sunlight shines on the ice cube, just like a mirror, with excellent reflective effect.

But the most amazing thing is that when the sunlight is reflected on the ice, it actually bends, turns, and shoots into the forest! It seems that it is swallowed up by the forest, and there is no reflection at all!

Faced with such a strange sight, the islanders burn incense and worship in the forest every year, praying to the great immortal in the forest to bless the island's safety. They call it the God of the Swamp.

And every twenty years, the islanders must sacrifice a young woman to the swamp god. Otherwise, the gods in the forest will not care about the safety of this weak village.

For example, in a storm, you can cast a spell to escort a small fishing boat back to the village, and in a thunderstorm, you can cast a spell to protect the village.

But if there is no dedicated woman, the magic cast by the gods on the swamp will also affect the highlands, and the entire highlands will be extremely cold.

Therefore, dedicating girls has become a major event for these ten or so families.

…

This year is the year to offer women to the gods again. If they cannot offer women to the gods in a few days, their stable and ordinary life will become unstable.

The village chief, Lao Yang, summoned men from every household to hold a meeting in the dilapidated but still somewhat solemn temple. This is the only public place in the village and the most magnificent house.

There is a statue of God placed in the temple, but it is a man with flying clothes, a majestic face, and a scholar's hat on his head.

Village Chief Yang burned a stick of incense and read in front of the statue: "O gods on the swamp island, we use the temple's treasured land to discuss the matter of the beautiful girl, and we also ask the gods for instructions."

Behind him stood the parents of five families with girls of school age, and seven other families of villagers standing respectfully outside the temple door.

He said: "If the gods like the daughter of a certain family, please burn the incense to the end."

According to ancestral rules, he lit a total of five long incense sticks, representing the daughters of five families. If the gods valued the daughters of any family, the other four long incense sticks would be broken.

Village Chief Yang distributed five sticks of incense to the five parents, and then shouted: "The daughter of the Liu family is fifteen years old this year."

The man from the Liu family came forward, and a thin girl walked out of the temple door. Her face was sallow and her body was very thin. The little girl followed her father, and the father respectfully placed the long incense in his hand on the far left of the incense burner.

.

Then the Liu family's father retreated, leaving only his daughter in front of Changxiang.

Village Chief Yang shouted again: "The daughter of the Liao family is eighteen years old this year."

The second-placed parent, Mr. Liao, took his daughter to the incense burner and placed his own incense stick in the second place.

This daughter of the Liao family was tall, but very fat, and she was born in a blessed manner. After Liao's father retired, the daughter of Liao stayed in front of the incense burner.

"The Xiang family's daughter is twenty-three years old this year." Village Chief Yang shouted for the third time.

The head of the Xiang family took his daughter to the incense burner, bowed and put incense.

This daughter of the Xiang family has dark skin and better appearance and figure than the previous two. She is just introverted by nature and doesn't like to talk much.

The fourth one is the daughter of the Qin family, she is also a thin figure, although she has a plump figure.

The fifth daughter of the Liu family is tall and looks like a man.

The five parents offered incense. Village Chief Yang coughed twice and said with some embarrassment: "God, you also know that our village is small and the girls this year are really not very attractive. Please God, please understand me and choose

Let a girl be your waiter."

It was a bright sunny morning, with long incense lingering in the air, and the smell of cigarettes soon filled the temple. The five women were surrounded by incense, but none of the long incense was broken.

Village Chief Yang felt strange, the five parents behind him also felt strange, and several parents outside the temple gate also felt strange. Did the gods not want beautiful girls this year?!

Village Chief Yang raised his hands and said: "God of Marsh Island, you must accept a woman, which can be regarded as our tribute to you."

As soon as the sound fell, a golden light flashed past the statue, the five long incense sticks were cut off by the golden light, and the incense heads fell into the incense burner!

"ah!"

Everyone was surprised together, this must be the manifestation of the gods!

The gods cut off the five long incense sticks, which meant that they were not satisfied with the five women and wanted none of them.

Everyone looked at each other, if the gods did not accept the woman, there would be no peace in the future. Everyone looked at the old village chief, and Village Chief Yang quickly knelt down and said: "Gods, we will definitely find a way, even if we go to the outer island to spend money, we will still buy her."

A girl pays tribute to the gods and asks the gods to grant her grace for a few days."

He stood up tremblingly and signaled the five girls to leave the temple. The male heads of twelve families gathered in front of the temple.

Village Chief Yang said: "We have a total of twelve families. Each family contributes half a silver coin, a total of six coins. I will go to the sea to choose a girl from the outer island and bring it back as a tribute to our gods."

The twelve men all nodded. Although the swamp island is barren, this money cannot be saved. They nodded one after another and said: "We will give the money to the village chief as soon as possible!"

Village Chief Yang bowed frequently and sighed: "Everyone, hurry up and raise money. This matter cannot be delayed."

…

But on this barren swamp island, these people don't have any savings. Even if they have some savings, it's not silver, but some dried sea fish. If you sell it on the outer islands, you don't know how much money you can exchange for it.

Village Chief Lao Yang visited all the houses and everyone used their brains to find money.

Xiang Jia said, "I have a piece of jade. Please donate it and bring it to Village Chief Yang to find a girl." Xiang Jia took out the piece of jade, a palm-sized raw jade that had not yet been carved.

Village Chief Lao Yang squinted his eyes and read for a long time. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Maybe I can get a girl back! This girl is considered to be a member of the Xiang family!"

"Tomorrow, I will go to sea with the Xiang family, and another girl will come back and offer it to the gods!" Village Chief Lao Yang said.
Chapter completed!