SWDnovel Chapter 358 Infiltrating the Moon Goddess Cult
Chapter 358 Infiltrating the Moon Goddess Cult
"Long live the Moon Goddess! Long live the Messenger!"
Some people cried, some laughed, and some collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.
The masked man raised his hands, signaling for everyone to be quiet.
"The Moon Goddess cherishes the world and cannot bear to see the people suffer. Today, I am here on the Moon Goddess's orders to select a few destined individuals to join the Holy Sect and accompany me to the main altar to meet the Moon Goddess, where they will learn the supreme and wondrous methods so that they may save more people in the future."
His gaze swept over the people kneeling on the ground. "Who among you is willing?"
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone raised their hands.
"I do!"
"Pick me! Pick me!"
"My lord, my family has been worshipping the Moon God for three generations. Please choose me!"
The masked man descended the stone steps and slowly walked through the crowd.
He stopped in front of a boy who was about fifteen or sixteen years old and had delicate features.
"What's your name?"
"Ah Sheng."
"Are you willing to join the Holy Church?"
Tears welled up in the boy's eyes instantly. "I do! I do!"
The masked man nodded and walked up to a young girl.
The girl was thirteen or fourteen years old, with two braids and big, bright eyes.
"And you?"
"willing."
The girl's voice was soft and trembling slightly, whether from excitement or fear, it was hard to tell.
The masked man selected seven or eight people in a row, both men and women, all around fifteen or sixteen years old, with decent looks and sturdy builds.
"You have been chosen."
The boys and girls knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
Those who were not chosen let out a collective sigh of disappointment.
Some people collapsed to the ground, some covered their faces and cried, and some clenched their fists, their eyes filled with resentment.
The masked man turned around, faced the crowd, and raised his hands.
"Those who were not chosen need not be sad. The Moon Goddess's blessings are not limited to these. Her mercy shines like the moonlight, without distinction between people or relatives. As long as you hold her in reverence and make offerings to her daily, the Moon Goddess's protection will follow you like a shadow, protecting your family and ensuring a peaceful life, abundant harvests, protection from evil spirits, and lasting blessings."
The people were moved to tears and shouted in unison, "Moon Goddess, have mercy! Moon Goddess, have mercy!"
The masked man turned around and walked towards the white sedan chair.
He took two steps and then suddenly stopped.
A voice came from a corner at the edge of the crowd, very soft, with a hint of laziness and a casual smile.
"Wait a minute, we want to join too."
The masked man stopped in his tracks.
All eyes turned to that corner.
From the shade of the banyan tree, a man and three women slowly emerged.
The masked man turned around, his gaze falling on the four figures emerging from the shadow of the banyan tree.
The leader was a young man, dressed in a moon-white robe, with delicate features and a hint of languor in his eyes.
He looked to be in his early twenties, not particularly handsome, but he had an inexplicable charm that made people want to take a second look.
This is naturally Qin Mu.
However, his appearance at this moment was somewhat different from his usual appearance.
Her brow bone was lowered slightly, the outline of her nose bridge was softened, and the lines of her jaw were no longer so sharp.
With his current strength, changing his appearance is just a matter of a single thought.
The vital energy flowed gently between the bones and muscles of the face, concealing those overly conspicuous and easily recognizable features.
He didn't want to alert the enemy.
Since the Moon Goddess Cult is a remnant of the Taiyin Holy Cult, it must be wary of the appearance of the Qin royal family.
Although he didn't think these small fry in the southwestern border region would recognize him, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.
Even after the disguise, he was still handsome, but he went from "stunning" to "pleasing to the eye," and from "unforgettable" to "forgotten after a glance."
This kind of perfectly balanced ordinariness is the best disguise.
He was followed by three women.
The first one wore a moon-white dress, with a cold and aloof demeanor, and held a long sword in her hand. The scabbard was snow-white and inlaid with pale blue gemstones.
The second one was dressed in plain white clothes, gentle and graceful, with a faint softness in her eyes and brows. Walking in the group, she was like a flower blooming in the dust.
The third one, dressed in a dark blue outfit, was as cold and sharp as a blade. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and his gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over every man in white, every sedan chair, and every shadow.
The masked man's gaze swept over the four of them, his voice icy and carrying a strange echo. "Did you just offer your sincerity?"
Qin Mu smiled and glanced at Yun Luan.
Yunluan stepped forward, took out seven or eight small gold bars from her sleeve, and then took out several white jade porcelain bottles.
The gold bars gleamed brilliantly in the twilight; each one was as thick as a thumb and of excellent quality.
The porcelain bottle was pure white, and the mouth of the bottle was sealed with red silk, making it clear at a glance that it contained top-quality elixirs.
The masked man's eyes suddenly lit up, but the light was fleeting and quickly suppressed.
Yunluan's voice was cold. "Is this enough sincerity?"
The masked man paused for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Enough, enough."
He suddenly realized that his tone had been too hasty, so he quickly straightened his back and his voice regained its superior authority.
"It's alright. You may all come with me."
Qin Mu nodded slightly. "Thank you, envoy."
The masked man turned around, lifted the sedan curtain, bent down, and crawled inside.
The sedan curtain fell behind him, obscuring the white jade mask.
Four men in white lifted the sedan chair, and the procession slowly began.
The sound of gongs and drums rang out again, and the chanting of scriptures resumed. The chosen young men and women followed behind the sedan chair, their faces still wet with tears.
Qin Mu led the three women at the very back of the group.
Once outside the city, the caravan did not take the official road, but instead turned onto a narrow dirt road.
The road was full of potholes, and on both sides were dense bamboo forests, the bamboo leaves rustling in the evening breeze.
After walking for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the dirt road turned into a mountain path, so narrow that only one person could pass at a time.
The pebbles hurt my feet, and the gravel slid off the soles of my shoes and rolled into the deep ditch by the roadside.
The mountain road became steeper and more dangerous.
On one side is a steep mountain wall, and on the other side is a bottomless canyon.
The sound of rushing water came from the bottom of the valley; the river could not be seen, only the roaring water could be heard.
Qin Mu raised his head, gazing at the increasingly dark twilight ahead, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
It seems this so-called moon goddess is indeed wary.
Having already largely controlled these areas in the southwestern border region, they still set up their main base in such a remote and mountainous area.
If we hadn't followed these people, we really wouldn't have been able to find it in a while.
He recalled that a hundred years ago, the main altar of the Taiyin Holy Sect was located in the suburbs of the city, but it was wiped out by the imperial army.
These remnants, however, have learned their lesson.
Zhao Qingxue walked beside him, her steps steady. She turned her head and said in a low voice, "I have a feeling we made the right choice this time."
Qin Mu nodded, his gaze falling on the white sedan chair ahead. "Let's see if we can find that big fish."
The mountain road wound its way forward, and the group moved slowly into the twilight.
The trees on both sides grew denser and denser, their branches and leaves obscuring the sky. Only a few rays of light occasionally pierced through the gaps, illuminating the narrow path beneath our feet.
Before long, the group ventured deeper into the mountains and forests.
The trees grew denser, their branches and leaves overlapping, blocking out the last ray of sunlight.
The mountain path could no longer be called a path; it was just a gap formed by intertwined rocks and tree roots. You had to carefully watch where you were stepping with each step.
The masked man stepped down from the sedan chair and walked at the front, his steps light and quick, clearly very familiar with the road.
After walking for about half an hour, the road ahead suddenly opened up.
A mountain stands before us, its steep slopes almost perpendicular to the ground.
The masked man walked to the mountain wall, stopped, raised his head, and let out a series of bird calls.
The sound was three short notes followed by one long one, with the final note rising slightly, like a nightingale in the mountains.
On the mountainside, a stone door slowly opened.
Inside the door was a narrow passageway with niches carved into the stone walls on both sides, where candlelight flickered gently in the night breeze.
After passing through the passageway, the view suddenly opened up before me.
This is a huge natural circular cave, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with a flat valley in the middle.
The opening of the tunnel faces upwards, allowing a small patch of starry sky to be seen overhead.
The surrounding mountains rise high into the clouds, steep as walls, and can only be accessed through the passageway we had just passed through.
Qin Mu surveyed the natural circular cave, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
This place is easy to defend and difficult to attack; it's practically a natural fortress.
Without inside help, even ten thousand elite troops might not be able to break through.
In the center of the valley stands a cluster of pure white buildings.
The palaces, pavilions, and corridors were all white, gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the moonlight.
The buildings are laid out in a staggered manner, with a high platform in the center, on which stands a huge statue.
The statue was five or six zhang tall, entirely white, and depicted a woman.
She stood in the center of the high platform, holding up a full moon in one hand and letting the other hang by her side, her clothes fluttering, as if she might step down from the stone platform at any moment.
She wore a white jade mask that covered most of her face, revealing only a pair of slightly drooping eyes.
The eyes were sculpted with exquisite detail, each eyelash clearly visible, yet they held no emotion whatsoever, empty and cold, like two bottomless wells.
Qin Mu's gaze lingered on the statue for a moment before shifting away.
Inside the cave, people wearing white masks were everywhere.
Some stood in front of the hall, some stood under the corridor, and some knelt on both sides of the high platform.
Their masks were exactly the same as the messenger's, made of white jade and carved with a crescent moon.
Below the platform, a large group of young men and women knelt in a sea of black.
They were dressed in uniform greyish-white robes, their hands clasped together, their foreheads touching the ground, and they were chanting incantations.
The sound was very soft and dense, like the buzzing of a swarm of bees, echoing in the cavern.
The masked messenger walked up to the high platform, faced the huge statue, and slowly knelt down.
The white-clad man, the colorful-clad woman, and the gray-clad believer behind him also knelt down one after another.
Qin Mu stood at the very back of the crowd, his hands behind his back.
Moonlight streamed down from the opening of the tunnel, falling on his shoulder and clearly outlining his pale figure.
His gaze swept over the kneeling figures, over the white buildings, over the statue holding the bright moon, and finally landed on the tightly closed white jade door at the deepest part of the platform.