He was referring to ancient customs where people believed river floods were caused by the River God’s anger, requiring sacrifices to appease him. In milder cases, they would sacrifice livestock, but more extreme practices involved sacrificing young boys, girls, or beautiful maidens. Many innocent children and women died this way. When the current dynasty was established, the emperor strictly prohibited these old customs, demolishing river god temples and banning live sacrifices.
Who could have imagined that a century later, this nightmare would repeat itself?
Yan Xiaohan restrained him: “Wait, don’t be hasty. The River God only manages weather, not epidemics. And historically, sacrifices used young boys and girls. The person on the flower cart seems to be a man. It might not be a River God sacrifice. Let’s wait and see what happens.”
After the elder finished his prayer, two fully covered men lifted the white-clothed person from the cart and tied a large stone to his chest. Suddenly, a woman in the crowd let out a heart-wrenching scream, rushing forward to fight the men: “…Let me die! Let me die in his place!
The village chief signaled some women to drag her away. The woman collapsed, crying and cursing on the ground. The villagers seemed to ignore her as two men lifted the white-clothed person and threw him into the rushing river. With an old, hoarse “sending the immortal,” everyone knelt and kowtowed three times to the river.
Fu Shen’s face was dark. With his keen eyesight, he could even see the person still struggling in the water. He whispered, “This river flows into a small lake near the fox spirit temple. Let’s go check; he might still be saved.”
Yan Xiaohan responded, “His wife will likely not survive the night. I’ll go to the lake to fish him out. You follow her. If we can’t save her husband, we’ll need a living witness.”
Fu Shen hesitated, looking worried. Yan Xiaohan understood his concern and reassured, “Don’t worry. I’m a decent swimmer. I’ll always prioritize self-preservation and won’t take unnecessary risks.”
“Be careful. I can’t handle another lightning strike like last time,” Fu Shen said, pulling out the small knife Yan Xiaohan had once tried to use for self-harm and tossing it to him. “I’ll take the woman to the fox spirit temple.”
