This World Is Not at Peace

In Great River City's Changning Ward, a figure abruptly appeared out of thin air in a secluded alley. It was none other than Huang Huai.

An unfamiliar air, nothing like the modern world, swept over him. Huang Huai's eyes brimmed with wariness. After all, this world was utterly strange to him, and no one could say what dangers might be lurking here. The instant he stepped through that mysterious portal and appeared in the alley, he had already gripped his dagger, body taut as he scanned his surroundings.

After a dozen or so breaths, Huang Huai let out a long breath and relaxed a little. This was the same landing spot where he had appeared the last time he entered this world and stayed for a dozen or so breaths. Now, it seemed, the danger he had worried might be waiting for him had not appeared.

He looked around. The narrow alley, the uneven, pitted road, and the old-fashioned buildings in the distance all seemed to proclaim that this was a world with an ancient setting.

As Huang Huai surveyed his surroundings, a figure suddenly appeared ahead. His eyes narrowed, and he instinctively grew more alert. A woman in plain clothes approached, her hair arranged in a simple bun and pinned with a wooden hairpin. She wore a pale-blue, patched skirt that reached her ankles and walked with measured steps.

The woman seemed just as surprised to find someone in the alley. She froze when she saw Huang Huai, then gave him a wary look and noticeably quickened her pace, hurrying past him.

Huang Huai could sense her wariness, but when he thought about it, it was only natural. The alley was clearly secluded, and any woman alone in such a place would be right to stay on guard if she suddenly came across a stranger.

Once the woman had disappeared from sight, Huang Huai let out a breath. He couldn't help recalling what he had just seen: the woman had carried a bamboo basket, and inside it were clearly incense sticks and candles. Most striking of all was a statue of a god, about half a foot tall.

Though he had only caught a fleeting glimpse, Huang Huai was certain it wasn't some ordinary statue or wooden carving. It was a genuine idol, the kind people worshipped.

He had spent several years at Xunzhen Temple, after all. Huang Huai had often cleaned the temple and wiped down its worshipped idols. He was more familiar with them than most.

The faint scent of incense clinging to the idol in the woman's basket could never have escaped his nose.

The strange-looking idol did pique his curiosity, but Huang Huai didn't dwell on it. She was just a believer, no different from the many people he had seen at Xunzhen Temple.

After all, devout believers often came to Xunzhen Temple to request a god's aid, then took the idol they had requested home to worship, hoping it would keep their household safe and free from calamity.

Huang Huai glanced at the end of the alley, then set off toward the street.

"Candied hawthorn! Candied hawthorn!"

The hawker's cry rang out, and Huang Huai's heart settled. It seemed he wouldn't have to worry about the language barrier.

Huang Huai didn't waste time wondering why the language of another world was still Chinese. The answer was simple: Chinese was the universal language of the myriad heavens and endless dimensions.

Amused by the thought, Huang Huai took a step forward, his resolve mingled with nervous anticipation, and left the alley.

A tumult of voices and bustle reached him, along with the heady, earthy atmosphere of the marketplace. Huang Huai emerged from the alley and into everyone's view, cautiously and curiously taking in the scene before him.

Fortunately, the clothes he had prepared after his brief first glimpse of this world made him blend right into the crowd.

His fear that he would attract everyone's attention proved unfounded, and Huang Huai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Even the hand gripping his dagger inside his sleeve slowly relaxed.

From the shops lining the street and the passersby hurrying past, it was clear this was a fairly prosperous town. More importantly, judging by the people's expressions and clothing, he seemed to have landed somewhere decent—at least it wasn't a chaotic age when people lived in constant danger, hungry and cold.

After all, whatever the world, the reactions of the people at the very bottom of society were always the best way to glimpse whether it was orderly.

Huang Huai let out a long breath, feeling much more at ease. He could no longer hold back his curiosity and kept looking around.

He walked and looked as he went, and before he knew it, he had spent most of the day wandering. Only when an enticing aroma drifted from a roadside eatery and his stomach began to rumble did he notice the ache in his legs and the gnawing hunger in his belly.

In this unfamiliar place, everything seemed full of unknowns. As he walked and looked around, he had completely forgotten about fatigue and hunger.

Seeing the flatbreads in the steamer, fragrant with the smell of food, Huang Huai couldn't resist stepping over and taking a deep breath. Then he called to the busy owner, "Boss, two flatbreads and a bowl of thin porridge!"

The owner glanced up at Huang Huai, then called back, "Just a moment, sir. I'll get them ready for you."

Huang Huai found a seat in the corner. When the owner brought over his flatbreads and thin porridge, he settled in at a table.

Since ancient times, taverns and teahouses had been places where all sorts of news changed hands. Just sitting there, Huang Huai heard all kinds of gossip. Most of it was trivial chatter about this family and that, but now and then a spicy rumor would make people exchange strange looks and whisper among themselves.

Huang Huai couldn't help sighing at that. People had always loved scandalous gossip; even in different worlds, they were no different.

Suddenly, a voice reached his ears. Huang Huai stiffened, and his hand tightened slightly around the flatbread he was holding.

"Hey, have you all heard? Every one of the hundred or so people in Niujia Village, by Niushui Stream, died overnight. Even the High Gods in the city were alarmed!"

An entire village of over a hundred people wiped out in one night—that would have been a world-shaking headline even in the modern world. Huang Huai had thought this world was enjoying a peaceful age, but the moment he heard the news, his guard shot up. He slowed his chewing and listened intently, while secretly sizing up the other people in the eatery.

The safety of this world was directly tied to his life. He couldn't afford to be careless.

If he accidentally stumbled into some hidden peril and lost his life, who could he complain to?

Sure enough, as soon as the man finished speaking, someone replied, "What's so surprising about that? Just a whole village wiped out. That happens once or twice every three to five years. I'd say either a High God lost control and turned into a Demon, or some evil spirit from the wilds did it."

"Hah! Our Great River City in Taian Prefecture is protected by the High Gods of Great River Sect. There are hardly any powerful evil spirits within a hundred miles. Even when the occasional Demon appears, it's no match for the Guardian Gods worshipped by the villages and towns. Niujia Village is only a little over twenty miles from Great River City. Those powerful Demons wouldn't go all the way there for Blood Food. I'd say there's a nine-in-ten chance that a God worshipped by some High God in Niujia Village went out of control again."

A voice spoke in a sinister tone. "Bah! That's a nice way to put it—'the God they worship went out of control.' But what's the truth? What 'God going out of control'? It's clearly a High God using living people as Blood Food, cultivating with their flesh, blood, and souls..."

As soon as those words were spoken, the lively eatery fell silent, as if the man had touched on some taboo.