Chapter 1

Every ten years during Qingming, the village selects the most beautiful maiden to be the priestess, the Holy Daughter.

The Holy Daughter must bathe and burn incense, don a bright red bridal gown, sit in a sedan chair, and be carried to the seaside cave.

After the tide rises, the entrance of the cave will be submerged, signifying that the gods have come to take her.

If the gods are pleased with her, she will return a week later, rowing a small boat filled with riches, and be provided for by the village henceforth.

Otherwise, she will never return, and her family will be scorned by all.

The night before choosing the Holy Daughter, the village chief's son knocked on my door.

"Yunni, you'll surely be chosen tomorrow. Why not come with me tonight and avoid certain death?"

In the dark, I locked the door and licked my lips excitedly at the little toys scattered on my bed.

I've long wanted to taste what the gods are like. I'm determined to become the Holy Daughter!

Today is the day when Hailang Village holds its decennial selection of the Holy Daughter.

Early in the morning, the village's burly men took their sticks, going door to door to drag out unmarried maidens, tying them up and escorting them to the temple at the village entrance.

Continuous cries and curses filled the fields.

When they reached my house, they didn't need to knock; I came out voluntarily.

Under the blazing sun, I wore a gown as thin as cicada wings, showcasing my curvaceous figure, causing the men's eyes to instantly burn with lust.

At the temple entrance, other maidens were either sobbing or fainting.

Only I was calm and composed, with even the thought to apply lipstick while looking in a small mirror.

"Yunni, have you considered last night's proposal?"

Village chief's son, Yu Fang, leaned forward and lowered his voice, "This year, the tide rises quickly. Entering the cave is certain death! Just nod, and I'll remove your name from the list now!"

I sneered dismissively, casually twirling my algae-like long hair, exuding boundless allure with every movement.

"What a joke. A peerless beauty like me, no ordinary mortal can endure. Only the gods are worthy of me!"

Smelling the fragrance emanating from my body, the men wished they could devour me whole, each gulping in anticipation.

Yu Fang stepped back angrily, gritting his teeth, "Yunni, you'll regret this!"

I paid him no mind, and when village chief Yu Deming announced the beginning of the selection, I was the first to step forward.

"Uncle Deming, why bother with a selection? Anyone with eyes can see I'm the most beautiful woman here!"

"I won't be bothered to be picked and chosen among these ugly ones. Don't delay my good fortune; hurry and send me to unite with the gods!"

In the conservative Hailang Village, saying such shameless words publicly would have warranted being dunked in a pig cage in the past.

For a moment, all kinds of eyes focused on me, almost ready to pierce me like a sieve.

The plump aunt from next door jumped out, pointing at me, "What an unruly girl, with no parental upbringing! Showing no respect! The last Holy Daughter came from your He family, your own sister, He Jiasui, yet she never returned, rejected by the gods, wasting such a good opportunity. Why should good fortune fall on your family again?"

As she spoke, she pushed her youngest daughter, Fengming, forward, smiling ingratiatingly at Yu Deming.

"Our family hasn't been chosen for decades, finally producing such a beautiful girl, although she's a bit young, but she's fresh, surely the gods will like her. Village chief, you should choose her!"

Fengming's eyes were red from crying, hiding behind the plump aunt, biting her lip and not daring to speak.

I raised my long leg to block them both, snorting coldly.

"What does tradition matter? Since the beginning of the ritual, the choice has always been the most beautiful unmarried woman in the village, regardless of family!"

"My sister was rejected because she couldn't make it; I'm different. Just stand me there naked, and which man could refuse me?"