Xue Family Village was anything but peaceful that day.
The village chief leaned on his cane and put on the finest clothes he had tucked away at the bottom of his chest. With eyes that were nearly half blind, he strained to look into the distance.
His aged body could hardly bear standing for long, and his recent malnutrition had only made matters worse. Still, the village chief stood there trembling, maintaining the most polite and respectful posture he could manage.
—Because he knew all too well that the people about to pass through the village... were not to be crossed.
So he had to act this way.
And so did everyone in the village.
Behind him, the last seven or eight households in the village had also put on their best clothes—though they were little more than coarse hemp garments covered in patches—and lined both sides of the dirt road as if to welcome their guests.
But despite all his careful efforts, some people still didn't understand.
Their whispers buzzed like flies, never stopping for a moment.
"...I don't know what's gotten into the village chief. They're just a merchant caravan. Is there any need to act so humble? He's treating them like some big shot from the county seat."
"...I heard they're more than just merchants. Remember Wanggang Village? They refused Lord Tai Sui's blessing, just like us. I heard these merchants only passed through once, and then everyone in the village disappeared for no reason."
"That's not all. I heard the pack animals in their caravan get replaced all the time. And whenever they do, some people from the surrounding villages always seem to go missing..."
"Hey, I'm just saying, why put ourselves through this? If all else fails, we could just accept Lord Tai Sui's gift.