Dawn.
The people gathered on the riverbank in the rain stared at the empty shore. Hemp ropes lay shattered everywhere, and even the stone millstone passed down through several generations had been ground into rubble. Anxious villagers stood by the river inspecting the scene, their big feet trampling back and forth over the rusted treasure sword recovered from beneath the bridge...
The old man in the Dragon King Temple atop the riverside cliff was still kowtowing and shouting.
"There will be retribution..."
His cries echoed over the town. The townsfolk paid them no mind. After drinking dragon blood, their whole bodies felt wonderfully refreshed. Sick old men regained their health and could leap about; Second Brother Wu, who had suffered from asthma for years, could laugh heartily again. The men had grown stronger, the women's skin softer and more delicate. Last night, they had frolicked for a long while before finally falling asleep, and this morning every one of them woke clear-headed and invigorated.
"What a pity we couldn't drink more dragon blood. I'd even been thinking of sending a bowl to my father-in-law."
Looking out over the empty river, the people felt deeply regretful.
Once the excitement passed, life returned to calm. No matter what had happened yesterday, life had to go on today. The women busied themselves mending fishing nets, while the men tidied their boats and prepared to put out onto the water. Even the landlord could only sigh and continue managing the town and collecting rent. It was as though life had returned to what it had been before, except the changes in the townspeople's constitutions had become a topic of conversation.
Widow Hu had spent the whole night fooling around with that Qiao family man who had been the first to haul up the Dragon