At the end of the Huaihe River, there are many beaches, but it also happens to be a place where businessmen gather, extending in all directions.
It has access to several state roads, with prosperous connections from southeast to northwest. Relying on this, a town with a large population has been established at the mouth of Huaihe River.
Businessmen who travel all year round live here, which makes the local area more prosperous.
Over time, this place was also called Huaikou.
However, in the past few days, the originally bustling Huaikou has become deserted, and it does not look like a treaty port in the past.
Not a single fishing boat could be seen on the waterways extending in all directions.
It simply amazed the merchants who came from the waterway behind.
And those merchants stranded in Huaikou also crowded the originally small town.
Almost even the outer circle is full, and even some mud houses in the suburbs that have not yet been fully built are also occupied.
Either herding livestock or displaying various goods.
It's just that even if there is a dense flow of people, the people in the entire town port are still lifeless and without any vitality.
Apart from the noise, there was no sign of any life at all.
After all, if this delay continues and the waterway cannot be opened, those businessmen who have put pressure on their own wealth will really have no chance of survival.
But when I think of the strange situations that have occurred in the past few days, no matter how desperate I am for my life, I am not willing to try to see if I can go on the road.
Those who could leave have gone, and the rest have gone, but there is no other way.
"Otherwise, we can just pool the money together? Listen to the goddess..."
At first glance, it looked like a simple awning that had just been built. Several businessmen were panting and staring with big eyes, their faces were full of anxious and helpless bitterness.
"Bah, do you believe what the goddess said?"
"I think that guy is crazy. If he takes the money and does something that doesn't allow the waterway to be opened smoothly, then it won't be that simple!"
“You want to go to the government and go to jail??”
The man whose face turned dark with sorrow made a suggestion, but was immediately refuted by another person.
"Then what can you do? Just wait here?"
"In a few days, if I don't have to go to the waterway to try my luck, all my goods will be ruined. This time, I just left my head and walked into the desert to return to the dead end. I broke into that place, and I didn't expect it.
We were actually stopped at the mouth of the Huaihe River!"
"Those goods are my entire net worth!"
"If I can't sell those things, I might as well die!!"
These words immediately made the others who were already anxious even more dissatisfied, especially the one who had refuted him before, who couldn't help but sneer.
"Why don't you die? Then show me if you die now, and you can just throw yourself into the river without the need for human sacrifice. As long as you dare to die, I promise to help you sell all the goods, keeping them intact or even adding 30%
To your family."
"How about it?"
I saw the man humming a few words to the dark-skinned guy opposite.
"Would you like to try it?"
How could that guy, who was already so depressed, listen to others being so sarcastic?
He immediately stood up and was about to start a fight with the person who spoke, but saw a man sitting aside, occupying a wooden bench by himself, patting the table.
"Why are you arguing? If you argue, it will be useful. Can this trouble be solved? We are all from the same hometown. When we go out, we should consider the difficulties of others!"
"If you can't speak, just say a few words!"
Wearing silk and satin, his demeanor is different from the others. His weather-beaten face has a pair of shining tricks. When he looks at the guy with the unpleasant mouth, he can't help but lower his head.
.
"Don't worry, this matter will be resolved in these two days. The managers of several other chambers of commerce have gathered together to discuss it."
"It really doesn't work..."
The man's voice paused.
"Then there's no other way!"
"It would take ten days and a half for the government to send someone, and it would take ten and a half months for someone to come from the Taoist temple. The local Taoist priest took a look and reported it directly without daring to say a word. It just happened that there have been a lot of strange things happening in the waterway recently.
It's so good that all the Taoist masters from Huainan Road have been sent out."
"We have to wait for someone to come, which will probably take half a month. Let alone you, I can't bear it!"
Speaking of this, the man let out a sigh of relief.
"Since the government can't control it, we have to find a way..."
After hearing what this man said, everyone else present couldn't help but feel a little excited, but then became a little worried.
"But the matter of human sacrifice..."
Human sacrifice, as the name suggests, is to use people for sacrifice, and what the goddess was talking about this time was not as simple as one or two lives.
If there were just a few people and so many businessmen gathered together, they wouldn't have been trapped for so long. You have to know that number of lives. Once the government knew about it, few of the people involved would be able to reap the benefits.
After all, the government has long banned such things as human sacrifice. Although there are places where people are occasionally forced to use it, they are not many and the number of lives is small. The government did not hear the report and turned a blind eye.
It's over.
But here in Huaikou...
Several people looked at each other and felt a bad premonition in their hearts.
If they are really involved, this matter will really become a big trouble.
"If you want to cross the river mouth, this is the only way at the moment."
"Why, you weren't afraid when you were running business, but are you afraid now?"
The man didn't say much, just lost a few words, and then left the pavilion without knowing where he went.
On the contrary, the businessman who had a dark face before also showed a fierce look in his eyes.
"It doesn't matter, as long as we can open waterways, anything will do!"
"I will definitely not object to this."
After saying that, he turned around and left the pergola, leaving only a few people behind. His eyes were still flickering and wandering, but he did not leave for a long time.
...
"The river god forgives you, the river god forgives you, I offer sacrifices today, and tomorrow the weather will be smooth!"
An old woman dressed in colorful clothes, mumbling words, her hair disheveled, and as she swayed, you could even see a lot of dust flying up.
In front of her, there were two awning boats on the water bank, covered with black cloth. It was just visible from the way the boats twisted from time to time.
It looks like there are many people on it, and even the twisted shapes under the black cloth, there are already more than ten or twenty people.
"Open the festival!!"
After watching the old woman stagger for a while, she let out a sharp scream.
The sailors, who were looking very panicked, immediately let go of the rope.
On the calm water, two awning boats slowly started to sail away from the shore with the current.
It even made a group of people on the shore unable to help but make a noise.
You must know that not only the flagpole but also the sails have been removed from the ship. Today there is no current in the water and there is not a trace of wind, but it can still sail out smoothly.
It means there must be something or a force controlling it that they can't see.
"Really...is there really a river god?"
Several water bosses who had been running for many years couldn't help but scream.
As the two ships moved farther and farther away from the river bank, a huge whirlpool appeared at the mouth of the Huaihe River where it merged into the river, and dark clouds formed in the sky.
"It's the River God. The River God has appeared!"
Seeing such a strange situation, the nagging old woman knelt down first, and then a group of people behind her fell down.
Everyone just felt a gust of cold wind blowing over them, causing their whole bodies to tremble.
I don’t know how long it took, but just when the man kneeling on the ground was about to look up, there was an explosion like a thunderbolt.
‘Crack! Bang!!’
Then there was a shrill roar filled with terror.
"Woooo~~~~!!!!"
Accompanied by the roar, waves of water surged, and people on the shore felt the ground tremble slightly.
Following a fishy smell, it seemed as if something huge jumped out of the water in front of them, making the people present tremble more and more, not daring to raise their heads.