Start of Winter.
After three consecutive days beneath an overcast sky, flecks of frost and snow began to fall.
Rice-grain-sized pellets of snow pelted the roof tiles with a constant crackling, making the arrival of bitter winter feel all too real.
The weather had already turned bitterly cold, and even the surface of the small river at the eastern edge of Datian Village had frozen over with a thin layer of ice.
The north wind howled across the desolate fields, while the distant mountaintops were already blanketed in snow.
Yet amid these days when all things lay silent, Datian Village's Houtu Temple was exceptionally lively, bustling with people and ringing with voices.
Incense smoke filled the temple, while nine enormous cauldrons had been set up outside.
Blazing flames licked the black bottoms of the pots. Steam billowed from within as diced pork tumbled through the boiling water, thoroughly mingling with all kinds of seasonings.
A mouthwatering fragrance hung in the air.
Every year at the start of winter came the Day of Sacrifice for the villages across the region.
The villagers gathered together to offer incense and sacrifices to Empress Houtu, protector of the people of the earth, while praying for a bountiful and peaceful year ahead.
Of course, while worshipping the gods, they could not leave their own stomachs empty. The meat stew simmering in those nine great pots was a shared feast for everyone.
It was called sacrificial stew.
One great pot could yield two hundred large bowls of sacrificial stew.
Unlike previous years, this year's sacrificial stew contained an especially generous amount of meat.
And it was first-rank Demonic Beast Meat!
Temple Priestess Xu had originally presided over the sacrifice, but after she was taken away, the position of temple priestess had remained vacant.
Thus, this year,