Silence hung heavy all around, broken only by the sound of the black dog running over.
At that moment, a frail voice rang out, "There are no living people left, not a single one..."
Following the sound, Chen Shi walked over and saw an uprooted wisteria vine.
Beneath the wisteria, a ragged woman in purple sat in the dirt, covered in wounds.
She was the godmother of this village, whose true form was a wisteria vine. Having lived for thousands of years, she had gained spiritual awareness over time and cultivated a divine form amidst the incense smoke, becoming the godmother who protected this village.
Only now, the roots of the wisteria were severed and its leaves withered; her time was running out.
Stepping closer, Chen Shi saw the traces of battle left all around, figuring that when the ghosts and monsters had invaded, this godmother had fought desperately to protect the villagers, but in the end she had still failed to save the village.
Chen Shi dug away the soil, placed her roots back into their original spot, and piled earth over them.
The woman in purple shook her head, her voice as faint as gossamer, "I cannot live, do not save me. My roots are severed, and even if I could survive, I would slowly fade away because there are no human sacrifices. The weather is growing colder, and I cannot last long in the darkness."
Chen Shi squatted down, lifted her, and propped her up against the wisteria.
Lighting a stick of incense, Chen Shi planted it beside her feet and said, "Fellow Daoist, what other dying wish do you have?"
The woman in purple shook her head blankly, "None. My people are all dead. I was born because of the sacrifices of my people, and I