In ancient times, they secretly became gods in the deep mountains.

Chapter 88 A Miracle Descends from Heaven, the Goddess Appears
"No matter what, Xing'er is still a child of the Liu family. You let him out, we want to take him away. The Lu family, a wealthy merchant family, can't raise my Xing'er properly. Listen to my son, he's all right now, and he'll bring glory to our Liu family and carry on the family line in the future!"

Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu gritted their teeth. They had always thought the Liu family looked down on their sickly grandson, so why had they come knocking on their door so quickly? It turned out they had received news that Xing'er had recovered. No wonder they were so anxious.

"If you want to take Xing'er away, we'll have to go and talk to the magistrate!"

The two elders of the Lu family refused to budge an inch.

The two elders of the Liu family left in anger.

Liu fell ill. He knew that once Lu Jinxiu woke up, he would surely die. He was filled with grief and wanted to find the old Taoist priest again. Unfortunately, the old Taoist priest was not someone he could find so easily.

Fate is truly wondrous. In just a few days, he went from a robust man to a sickly man with dark circles under his eyes and shortness of breath, now bedridden. He sighed inwardly at the hardships of life and the unpredictability of the world.

"Alas!" His life is beyond saving. He only has Xing'er as his child all these years, so he wants him to come back to mourn him.

So he went to his parents and told them the story in a half-truthful way. The two elders of the Liu family only knew that Lu Jinxiu's disappearance was somewhat related to their son, but they did not know that Liu Sheng's second wife was a fox demon and that he used evil magic.

Therefore, in their minds, it was just that the couple had a conflict, and their son accidentally knocked Lu Jinxiu unconscious. Perhaps it was a little too serious, but to avoid further trouble, Lu Jinxiu was being carefully taken care of by her son somewhere.

“My son didn’t do it on purpose. Lu Jinxiu is perfectly fine, so why did she take my grandson to her parents’ home and refuse to come back? She even wants a divorce. What kind of wife is she?”

After venting their frustrations, the Liu family elders finally went to the Lu family to demand their return.

However, Liu's parents returned home disappointed.

"Father, Mother, where is Xing'er?"

When Liu Sheng returned home, he didn't see his son and frowned as he asked his parents.

Seeing her son seriously ill and weak, Old Madam Liu cried out, "My poor son, that Lu family is full of troublemakers. As soon as we arrived at the Lu family, that old man wanted to drive your father and me out, and even threatened to report your imprisonment of Lu Jinxiu to the county magistrate."

"To protect your future, your father and I have no choice but to swallow this insult."

"Lu Jinxiu is really something. Not only did she take Xing'er away, but we couldn't even see her when we went to her house. She doesn't even respect me as her father-in-law. We might as well just divorce her. Didn't your vixen second wife run off with someone else? Once you're better, we can remarry and have another well-behaved son to carry on the Liu family line," Old Master Lu comforted him.

"That's right. I didn't agree to let you marry a merchant's daughter back then, but you not only ignored me but also took it upon yourself to marry her. And what happened? Merchant's daughters are heartless. You've become so sick, while she's enjoying a peaceful life at her parents' house with her son."

"Once you're better, we'll marry a daughter of an official. Not only will she have a healthy child, but it will also help your career."

what?
Xing'er hasn't come back?
Lu Jinxiu, she's really heartless!

He was dying, yet she wouldn't let her son come home to wear mourning clothes.

Liu was so angry that he couldn't catch his breath and fainted. A trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and the smell of blood filled the air.

The two elders of the Liu family screamed.

"My son! My son!"

"How...how did he faint?"

"Old man, hurry, get a doctor!"

The two elders of the Liu family panicked and hurriedly sent a maid to find a doctor.

"What? Liu Sheng... he died of illness!"

A few days after the Liu family elders visited, the Lu family heard the news of Liu Sheng's death.

Upon hearing the news, Lu Jinxiu was shocked and blinked several times, feeling somewhat incredulous.

Suddenly she realized that the Golden Saintess had said that Liu Sheng was a dying man, and the reason he had lived for so many years was because he had exchanged his life for hers. Now that she had woken up, Liu Sheng would naturally die.

Madam Lu nodded: "I heard he had nightmares every night and scared himself to death. It seems that he did too many bad things and was punished by God."

Seeing her daughter's distraught state, her heart skipped a beat: "Jinxiu, you don't still have any hope for him, do you? Don't forget, he ruined your life!"

Lu Jinxiu shook her head: "Mother, how could I possibly have any expectations of him? He's just a treacherous villain. I'm just a little surprised."

"I just don't know if Xing'er will be sad." "Having a father like that is a disaster for Xing'er. After the sacrificial ceremony, I'll have your father find you a house so you and Xing'er can move in. When Xing'er recovers, he can go to school. If he's lucky, your future won't be bad. As for your husband, he's dead."

Does this mean... Xing'er doesn't have to go to the funeral?

Lu Jinxiu said, "But Liu Sheng is Xing'er's father after all. If he doesn't go, it will definitely damage his reputation and limit his future chances in the imperial examinations."

Once the label of "unfilial piety" is attached to you, it's not easy to get rid of.

If Xing'er is truly destined for greatness, someone will surely make a fuss about it in the future.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Old Madam Lu was quite open-minded: "As long as Xing'er is willing, nothing is impossible. Everyone in Xiping County knows that the Liu family has a sickly young master who is so ill that he can't even get out of bed. How can he wear mourning clothes?"

Lu Jinxiu worried again: "But what if the old master and the old lady try to smear Xing'er?"

"No!" Old Madam Lu shook her head: "Even if those two old hags wanted to smear Xing'er, the Liu family's second branch would not agree. The Liu family's second branch has three sons preparing for the imperial examinations. If Xing'er is not clean, how clean can the three children of the Liu family's second branch be?"

"I refuse to believe those two old geezers don't understand the principle that we all prosper together or suffer together!"

"On the contrary, we have evidence that Liu Sheng framed you, so they should be the ones who are most worried. Right now, we should focus on getting Xing'er well before we talk about anything else."

Lu Jinxiu thought it made sense: "But we still need to ask Xing'er. If he is willing to wear mourning clothes, I won't stop him."

Anyway, Liu Sheng is already a dead man.

Could he possibly climb out and steal the star from her?

So she settled down and followed her parents to do good deeds and give alms to the people, waiting for the grand sacrificial ceremony to properly worship the goddess and ask her to bless her Xing'er with health, happiness, and a smooth future.

After nearly a month of preparation by He Jinzong and others, the day of the sacrificial ceremony finally arrived.

He led a large group of people from Xiping County, Yunwu Town, Ping'an Town and other places up the mountain. Due to the war, the men were all fighting, and the sacrificial rites were mostly performed by healthy women, with the few men arranging the behind-the-scenes preparations for them.

The people who were performing the rituals and the villagers all arrived at Peach Blossom Village.

He Jinzong, dressed in official robes, invited several important officials from the county to Peach Blossom Village. With them there, the people would be more convinced of the goddess's existence, and the incense offerings would naturally flourish.

More than a thousand people participated in the sacrificial ceremony, making Peach Blossom Village more lively than ever before. The only problem was that the food prepared by the villagers was not enough.

The villagers offered fresh food to the people who came to participate in the sacrificial ceremony.

Food is the most important thing for people. When the people heard that the eight villages at the foot of Qihuang Mountain had received a divine gift, they didn't quite believe it. When they saw food that was not what they knew, they all showed excited and surprised expressions.

I completely believed in the existence of gods.

Before the worship ceremony, He Jinzong arranged for people to bring out the wooden statue of the god that had been prepared in advance. In front of them were the offerings for the worship ceremony, with pig and sheep heads prominently placed at the front. In the middle was the wooden statue of the god, and behind them were ritual music, drums and cannons. Men and women dressed in different clothes danced the worship dance, and the people behind them held up the god banners.

The sacrificial ceremony was sacred and awe-inspiring.

The people gathered on both sides to watch the spectacle.

The procession stopped in front of the marble statue of the deity at the foot of Qihuang Mountain.

After He Jinzong finished reciting the prayer for the gods, the ritual music and dance began.

Gu Yuexi had known for a long time that they were preparing a grand sacrificial ceremony. This was a rare opportunity. As long as she could convince the people of her existence, she would have no shortage of faith.

"brush!"

Suddenly, people saw the entire Qihuang Mountain emitting a strange light.

"what!"

Exclamations came and went.

"The Golden Saintess has appeared!"

Faced with this divine miracle, people shouted excitedly.