Yan Xiaohan chuckled, thinking this person was just like a child looking for his mother as soon as he opened his eyes. He pulled the blanket up, covering both their shoulders, and softly responded, “Mm. Sleep.”
The next morning, the two went to the back mountain of Xihe Village again, noticing a woman continuously wiping her tears by the river. Surrounding women tried to comfort her, presumably the “Tian Cheng’s wife” who had been crying the night before. Fu Shen, having recovered his spirits, twirled his fire-poking stick and said, “Keep an eye on her. Help if necessary. We might be able to extract some truth.”
Yan Xiaohan replied, “As you command.”
As the sunset approached and tired birds returned to the forest, villagers working in the fields gradually went home. Yan Xiaohan and Fu Shen stood halfway up the mountain, overlooking the entire village.
Just like the scene that night, lanterns first lit up from the ancestral hall’s direction, then households emerged with lanterns, gradually forming a light band that wound along the village paths towards the river.
In the lantern light, they could vaguely see a flower cart in the crowd, with a white-clothed person lying motionless on it. This scene sent a chill down Yan Xiaohan’s spine, reminding him of the strange, funeral-like procession he had seen in the ancestral hall.
Suddenly feeling warmth on his hand, Fu Shen held his hand and casually said, “Don’t be afraid.”
Yan Xiaohan secretly intertwined their fingers: “Mm. Not afraid.”
However, for some unknown reason, he didn’t break free, allowing Yan Xiaohan to hold his hand until the villagers reached the riverbank, placing the flower cart on an open space and spreading out fruit offerings.
An elderly man with a white beard stepped forward, first solemnly kowtowing three times to the rushing river. Then, trembling, he pulled a yellow charm from his sleeve, recited an incantation, and burned it on the incense. As the charm turned to ash, he shook a bell and began to chant a prayer.
Fu Shen vaguely heard a plea to some sacred entity to forgive sinners and bless the village with good weather and prevent epidemics.
Fu Shen was stunned: “The current dynasty abolished River God sacrifices long ago, replacing them with water officials and dragon kings. How dare these ignorant people still use human sacrifices?”
