Chapter 30: The Goddess's Wrath

Chapter 30: The Goddess's Wrath

Everyone looked towards Huang Xian, but no one dared to speak. The environment was deathly silent for a moment.

"Huang Xian, how would you explain it?" The silence was finally broken by Chen Liang.

Everyone present had the same question in their minds.

Huang Xian took a deep breath and looked into the eyes of the villagers. He honestly didn't know why this happened. He faced Chen Liang and said, "Village Head, I had already tested the water before bringing it back."

"One of my subordinates drank the water to test if it was safe or not. After confirming that there was no harm, I brought back the water. I honestly don't know what is going on, but I can't run away from my responsibility. I'm willing to accept any punishment for this."

"Now, what's the use of punishment? I really didn't expect you to make such a silly mistake. Can you imagine the consequences?" Chen Liang shouted in anger.

Lin Xin hurriedly came to defend Huang Xian. "Village Head, you know that Husband has been serving our village for years. He would never do something like this. There must be something else here that we can't see now."

"Xin'er, don't argue. It was my responsibility, and I failed," Huang Xian interrupted Lin Xin.

"Protector Xian, I know you wouldn't do anything wrong on purpose to harm us. I request Lord Liang to forgive Protector Huang for his mistake," Xiao Gang came forward to help Huang Xian.

"Yes, Village Head, we all know that Protector Huang is innocent. Please forgive him," Chen Ying also stepped forward to protect Huang Xian.

"Yes, Village Lord, there must be some misunderstanding here. Protector Huang can never harm us," the villagers chimed in, rallying to support Huang Xian.

All of them knew Huang Xian very well. During the previous drought, his family had the most reserves, and they distributed everything to the village. Huang Xian had found water before and had saved many lives in the village. The villagers had blind trust in each other, and they couldn't believe that one of their own would harm them intentionally.

"Enough," Chen Liang stopped everyone from talking further. "I know that Huang Xian would never do something like this on purpose. But the mistake has been made, and its consequences can't be avoided. So, Huang Xian will have to face the punishment."

He turned to Huang Xian and said, "Huang Xian, your past contributions are commendable, and this is your first mistake. I won't punish you very harshly this time. You are removed from the position of Village Protector for the next three years. Do you have any objections?"

Before Huang Xian could speak, Huang Wei suddenly stepped forward and pleaded, "Village Head, you know this is a great shame for my dad to be removed from his position. Please be merciful."

"Huang Wei, you know very well that your father's mistake is not small. If he had done something else, I would have never punished him. But this time, I am helpless," Chen Liang said with a sigh.

"But, Village Head..." Huang Wei wanted to continue persuading Chen Liang but was stopped by Huang Xian.

"Huang'er, you are not allowed to speak between the elders. Just step aside," he said firmly. Then, he looked at Chen Liang and bowed deeply. "I don't have any objections, Village Lord. I accept."

"Stop!" Before he could finish speaking, a voice interrupted.

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice, and it was Wu Xiu who had spoken.

Wu Xiu walked up to Chen Liang and said seriously, "I apologize for the interference, but I have something important to say."

Chen Liang looked toward Wu Xiu and said, "You can speak."

"It's not Protector Huang's fault. He hasn't done anything wrong. The water was indeed not poisoned when he had checked it."

Everyone was puzzled after hearing this and looked at Wu Xiu, seeking an explanation.

"Village Head, I believe you can understand what I mean," she said seriously before turning to the villagers. "Everyone, I didn't want to tell you, but now I have no choice. Actually, the real reason why we are facing all these problems is because the goddess is angry with us."

Jiang Lei was also very surprised by this revelation. Why would a goddess be angry with innocent villagers?

Not only him, but all the villagers had the same question in their minds. They gazed at Wu Xiu with questioning eyes, asking for an explanation.

Their goddess was their last hope, and they believed that in their most difficult times, she would be with them and protect them. If today their goddess was angry with them, it meant they were completely hopeless.

Wu Xiu looked at all the villagers with disappointment and sadness, sighed, and said, "Actually, I had some intuitions before that the goddess was angry with us. But these intuitions grew stronger and stronger. Ten days ago, when I was meditating in front of the goddess, I heard her voice."

Her face became even more saddened as she continued, "The goddess said that she is very angry with us villagers. She feels that our devotion towards her is decreasing day by day, and she is not happy with us."

"I think this is because of our goddess's anger that the water, which was pure and harmless, became poisonous. Our goddess is punishing us for our deeds."

Guo Jia, a middle-aged woman who was a devout follower of the goddess, started crying and asked, "Why is this happening? What did we do wrong?"

"I don't know. She didn't explain much," Wu Xiu replied. "She just said that she feels our devotion toward her is diminishing. She didn't provide further details."

"I believe this is the reason why our water source turned poisonous," Wu Xiu continued. "Our goddess is punishing us for our lack of devotion."

"I think that this is because of our goddess's rage that the water, which was pure and harmless, became poisonous. Our goddess is punishing us for our deeds."

Wang Jun, a timid young man, was very scared and asked, "Elder Wu, please save us. At this time, only you can save us. Please persuade our goddess. We are very sorry for our mistakes."

Wu Xiu shook her head, signaling that she couldn't do anything in this situation. "I was thinking about going into seclusion in these two days to connect with the goddess and ask her how we can calm her anger. But after seeing what happened today, I can feel that simple actions won't be enough to appease her."

"We truly need to show our devotion through our actions, not just words," Wu Xiu continued. "Please, Elder Xiu, do something. Only you can save our lives."

Wu Xiu's expression was filled with sadness as she listened to everyone's pleas. She said in an assuring voice, "Everyone, please calm down. I will do my best."

She turned her gaze to Chen Liang and said grimly, "Lord Chen, please forgive Protector Huang this time. It is truly not his mistake."

"Yes, Village Head, please forgive Protector Huang," the villagers echoed in unison. Their unity was their actual strength, and in this time of crisis, they couldn't afford to lose someone like Protector Huang.

"Okay, Huang Xian, I also believe that this is not your mistake. I cancel your punishment," Chen Liang said with a sigh. His mood had completely soured after hearing Wu Xiu's explanation.

Huang Xian, however, was not entirely happy with this outcome. His expression remained very serious as he said, "Lord Chen, this is not the time to think about all this. We need to find a way to please our goddess as soon as possible."

"Yes, we must," Chen Liang agreed. He then turned to Wu Xiu and said grimly, "Wu Xiu, find a way. Our villagers' lives are in your hands."

Wu Xiu approached Chen Liang and said in a voice that only they could hear, "Lord Liang, I have already told you the solution. I just need your permission."

Chen Liang looked at Jiang Lei with complicated eyes before sighing, "Do it."

Wu Xiu turned her face towards Jiang Lei. "Lord Wei, please come and meet me in some time. I need to talk to you."

Jiang Lei was very puzzled after hearing this. "Why does she want to meet me at such a critical time? It's not possible that she wants to help me now, right?"

Jiang Lei was curious but didn't dwell on it too much. He would find out soon enough. He looked toward Huang Xian and said, "Elder Huang, please go and rest for now. You must be very tired after your journey."

Huang Xian looked at the villagers, who were scared, depressed, and sad, and muttered, "I broke their hope. It would have been better if I hadn't found the water."

Li Xin came to Huang Xian and placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "Forget about it, Husband. You didn't want to do this, and you didn't know that something like this would happen."

Huang Xian smiled wryly, and his gaze fell on Chen Ying and Xiao Gang. He went towards them and bowed deeply. "I am very sorry to have hurt your child. Please forgive me for my mistake."

Xiao Gang and Chen Ying were very surprised when they saw Huang Xian approaching them. When they saw him bowing in front of them, they were taken aback and hurriedly tried to help him get up.

"Protector Huang, please don't embarrass us. You have saved our lives so many times; we don't dare to blame you for anything. You haven't done anything wrong," they reassured him.

"No, I can't completely get over this mistake. I want to help you guys. Please tell me if I can do something for you. Only then would I feel at peace," Huang Xian insisted.

Chen Ying smiled upon hearing this. "Protector Huang, I've heard that Mrs. Xin is an excellent cook. Our Xiao'er always wants to taste her food. How about you invite us to your dinner?"

"Sure, she really cooks very well," Huang Xian replied with a smile. He knew that they just wanted to help him come out of his grief.

Chen Ying and Xiao Gang returned to their child, and Huang Xian and Li Xin went back to their home.

...

Jiang Lei and Huang Xian were walking along the path. It was already evening, and Jiang Lei was still new to the area, so Huang Xian stayed by his side to guide him.

"Lord Wei, do you know the reason why Elder Wu wants to talk to you?" Huang Xian asked curiously.

"No," Jiang Lei shook his head. "But I don't know why I've been feeling very uneasy for a while," he admitted with uncertainty.

"Lord Wei, maybe it's because you're injured. Don't worry; you'll feel better soon," Huang Xian reassured him with concern.

"Hmm, I hope so," Jiang Lei replied, his thoughts still lingering on the upcoming conversation with Elder Wu.