Unsanctioned Shrines and Wild Sacrifices

Luo Bin quickly assessed the situation—the child had clearly fallen into a faint. Rage surged within him. "These beasts. A 'River God Festival' my ass. Might as well tie up those Duan Gong bastards and offer them as sacrifices!"

In Huaian Province, where Ping City was located, a Duan Gong served the common folk by exorcising evil, praying for blessings, and averting disasters—essentially a "male witch."

But right now, these men were decked out in Daoist robes, a disgrace to the dignity of the Daoist path.

The surrounding offerings: a whole pig's head with red silk wrapped around its ears, a pig's tail clenched in its mouth; large white steamed buns; six live golden-scaled, red-tailed carp in a bamboo basket...

He looked around again at the atmosphere. On the riverbank, makeshift sheds were set up, lanterns hung, food vendors hawked their wares, a dough-figure craftsman worked his trade, and stall owners' cries rose and fell in waves... Even in the distance, on the open-air stage, the clear, melodious strains of bangzi opera still rang out.

Chen Mansheng had grown up in luxury, but she'd still heard of some chilling folk customs and omens.

"Do these people even know what they're doing?" Chen Mansheng whispered, her voice trembling with tears.

The scene hit Chen Jing hard too. Zhang Huai and Hu Junzhi, on the other hand, had spent years living on the edge, their tolerance far stronger.

Chen Jing patted the silver revolver in his pocket and cursed, "Zhang Huai, go get that kid back."

"Yes, Second Young Master."

Zhang Huai cracked his knuckles, eager to move, but Luo Bin held him back. The gesture immediately drew everyone's attention.

Zhang Huai frowned. "Brother Luo, what's wrong..."

Luo Bin scanned the surroundings. He noticed hardly anyone was even watching the River God sacrifice. The villagers and locals were all busy with their own affairs, as if this was routine.

Something was off...

"Not yet. The Duan Gong's ritual still has a while to go. The kid's not in immediate danger. Let's wait." Luo Bin suppressed the fury clawing at his chest, forcing himself to remember—this was the Great Xin Republic in the Demon Martial Chaos Era.

Not the civilized, enlightened world of his past life.

Human sacrifice. Trading children for food. Here, these weren't just legends. They were tragedies playing out everywhere, all the time.

After breaking through to the Golden Skin Pass, Luo Bin's five senses had sharpened. The physical boost from mastering the White Ape Through-Arm Fist had made his hearing even keener.

"Wah... wah..."

A faint, barely audible sob reached Luo Bin's ears.

He turned his head. A large crowd of villagers had gathered in one spot, talking over each other. Most were middle-aged or elderly; there were hardly any young people.

Luo Bin waved at Chen Mansheng and the others, then walked toward the crowd.

He collided head-on with a scrawny man. The man felt a surge of force slam into him, forcing out a dry heave and a strange yelp.

The ring of villagers turned as one, glaring at Luo Bin with hostility. But the moment they caught sight of Chen Mansheng and the others—dressed in expensive, refined clothing—they shrank back in fear.

They'd arrived in two jeeps. One carried the young masters and misses; the other held the guards Ji Xuan had insisted on sending. These men had already taken up positions in the distance, watching.

Now, sensing the strange atmosphere and the villagers' hostile glares, they hurried forward to protect their charges.

"Get back to where you came from. Don't block the young master and miss's way."

Part of the encircling crowd dispersed. Where they'd been blocking the view, a woman with a face swollen from crying was now clearly visible.

Chen Jing stepped forward, puzzled. "Auntie, are you in some kind of trouble?"

The woman, around forty or fifty, wiped her tears and forced herself to calm down. "It's nothing. I'm just resting here..."

Chen Mansheng looked at Chen Jing, then at Luo Bin, unsure what to say. She silently cursed herself for being so tongue-tied.

Luo Bin suddenly stepped forward a few paces, crouched in front of the woman, and asked softly, "Is that your son on the incense altar over there?"

The woman couldn't hold back her grief any longer. Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed Luo Bin's arm, her voice choked with sobs. "Noble sir, that's my child! My child! Can you save him?

Please, I beg you! If you save him, my whole family will work for you like oxen and horses! I can cook, wash clothes, sweep floors, even carry night soil—I'll do anything!"

The moment the woman spoke, Luo Bin noticed several stall owners approaching with dark expressions. One young vendor sneered, "You want these nobles to take your child away? What happens when the River God gets angry?

Dagang Village has seen this before!

The Li family at the east end of the village—their daughter ran off to Ping City on the day of the sacrifice and vanished. That very night, an entire family in the village died for no reason. The Fu River flooded into the village and drowned several more homes..."

Someone chimed in, "Exactly. The River God Festival happens once a year. It's always been about choosing children under five. How can you risk so many lives just for your family?"

The young vendor who'd spoken first added, "Honored guests, this is a private matter for the villages around Yingshui Ferry. You're from the city. You don't understand what happens to us if you take that child away..."

Luo Bin stood up, smiled without another word, and led Chen Jing and Chen Mansheng away. They began to stroll around, taking in the performances.

"Junzhi, keep an eye on the kid. If anything happens, come get us immediately."

Luo Bin gave Hu Junzhi his orders. He spent about an hour wandering with the siblings, then quietly circled back to the original spot. The woman was still slumped on the ground.

Chen Mansheng went over and pressed some food into the woman's hands—freshly bought, still warm.

As time wore on, the opera troupe and vendors near the ferry began packing up one by one. The Duan Gong, tired from their rituals, were now squatting by the altar, shoveling food into their mouths.

Luo Bin looked up. Behind the altar, beside a few trees, stood a spirit shrine taller than a man. Inside was enshrined something pitch-black and nondescript. Beside the shrine stood a rotten wooden plaque with three big characters: "Fu River God."

The first thought that popped into Luo Bin's head was:

"Unlicensed shrine! Wild cult!"

Sure enough, some absurd, twisted spirit was at work here. Luo Bin scoured his predecessor's memories and his own past-life knowledge. He'd never seen a spirit shrine this sinister...

Some statues and shrines of righteous deities, even when seen in the wilderness, don't unsettle the heart—like the shrine of the "True Lord Erlang of Guankou" found in mountain forests of a past life, its aura peaceful and grand.

But this shrine, at a single glance, made Luo Bin feel like needles pricking his back, his scalp crawling...

Luo Bin signaled Zhang Huai and Hu Junzhi to call over their men and protect the siblings well. Then he activated the Primordial Stance, stirred his blood and qi, channeled power from his waist, and flashed before the shrine—"Bam!" A single kick!

Boom—

The sinister shrine toppled in an instant, the "statue" inside shattering into pieces.

A few Duan Gong who had been eating slammed their bowls down, rolled up their sleeves, and cursed: "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"