Either he suddenly erupted in a critical moment, or… he was playing possum.
The statue was smashed into pieces. Ren Miao walked over and poked at the fragments with the fire poker, saying: “The temple isn’t safe. Who knows what might happen next…” He remembered his ominous prediction and swallowed the rest of his words, saying, “Forget it, let’s go out.”
Yan Xiaohan silently helped Qi Wang out.
After they left, the thunder gradually subsided, and the dense clouds dispersed. Everyone looked up at the sky, confused and bewildered, with an inexplicable reverence. Some even knelt down and silently recited Buddhist scriptures.
Qi Wang remained calm, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply to Ren Miao: “Thank you, noble hero, for saving us.”
Ren Miao leaned on the fire poker, pulled his bamboo hat over his head, and laughed casually: “It’s nothing. If you hadn’t sheltered me back then, this wouldn’t have happened… Fate is mysterious, who can predict these things?”
Yan Xiaohan asked: “You’re leaving?
Ren Miao went to lead his horse: “The rain stopped, the temple is destroyed. Am I supposed to wait for another round of heavenly lightning? He nimbly mounted his horse, cupped his hands to everyone, and said cheerfully: “Everyone, farewell. We’ll meet again in Jingzhou City!”
Then he rode away without looking back.
Qi Wang sighed: “What a strange encounter.”
Yan Xiaohan subtly narrowed his right eye, staring at the distant, slender retreating figure, feeling that this matter was not yet over.
Early in the morning, the village chief and a lean young man walked out from behind the house, saying: “…Guangping and the others won’t wait until the fifteenth. We’ll do it tonight. Tell the women to mix some medicine into the food and knock them out. Drag them outside tomorrow, just as long as they don’t cause trouble.”
Yan Xiaohan understood that these people were planning to drug them, but he didn’t understand what the “ritual” was. It seemed to be something only villagers were qualified to participate in.
What did “won’t wait until the fifteenth” mean?
