Return to Li Family Village

Today was the seventeenth of September.

The snow had already stopped.

But the weather was even colder when the snow began to melt.

When Xie An arrived at the training ground, he saw three carriages loaded with jars and bottles parked in the center of the square. More than twenty saber-wielding guards in fitted uniforms stood beside them.

In a distant pavilion, Xie Zhengtang, dressed like a wealthy gentleman, was chatting with an old Daoist in yellow robes.

The old Daoist appeared to be around forty. A coin sword hung at his waist, and he held a whisk in his left hand, carrying himself with the bearing of an immortal sage.

He had to be Daoist Li Yunfeng of Returning Dragon Abbey.

Xie An did not hurry over. Instead, he hid around the corner of the corridor and watched.

If his father learned that he intended to leave the city, he probably would not allow it.

Before long, Li Yunfeng cupped his hands in farewell in the pavilion. Just then, Uncle Shui came over from the rear courtyard. The two climbed into a spacious two-horse carriage and led the convoy grandly out the gates.

Xie An slipped away quietly and went to the back gate, where Zhou Ji had already brought two horses and was waiting.

Xie An took hold of a tall horse and swung himself into the saddle. "Follow me out of the city."

Xie An had not ridden a horse since arriving in this world, but the original owner of this body had been a skilled rider. The muscle memory remained.

He rode around to Five Fragrances Studio and bought a portion of Uncle Shui's favorite Osmanthus Cake and Peach Blossom Brew.

After catching up to the convoy, Xie An dismounted. "Zhou Ji, hold the horses. I'm going to ride in the carriage."

He dashed after the two-horse carriage at the very front of the procession. After greeting the driver, Xie An jumped onto the carriage shaft, lifted the curtain, and climbed inside.

Uncle Shui was in the carriage, deep in conversation with Li Yunfeng. Seeing Xie An suddenly enter, he was startled. "Mingxi, why are you here? Didn't the master forbid you from leaving the city...?"

Xie An sat beside Uncle Shui as though he belonged there. "I've been cooped up at home practicing martial arts for the past few days. It's been terribly boring. Today, I saw Uncle Shui leading a team out of the city for a ritual, so I wanted to follow you and broaden my horizons."

Uncle Shui shot Xie An a glare. "No. If your father finds out..."

Xie An immediately pulled out Five Fragrances Studio's Peach Blossom Brew and Osmanthus Cake. "This is Peach Blossom Brew and Osmanthus Cake from Five Fragrances Studio. Uncle Shui, have a taste while it's fresh."

As he spoke, Xie An took the initiative to remove the seal from the wine jar and fanned its mouth toward Uncle Shui. A rich, mellow aroma of wine immediately drifted over.

Uncle Shui inhaled the intoxicating fragrance, took the wine jar, and drank a mouthful. Smacking his lips, he said, "Five Fragrances Studio's Peach Blossom Brew still has the purest flavor."

Xie An promptly offered him a piece of Osmanthus Cake. "Have a bite of Five Fragrances Studio's Osmanthus Cake too. That's what you call satisfying."

Uncle Shui took the cake and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it as he smacked his lips a few times. "Once we get outside, don't run around. Stay close to me."

Xie An smiled broadly. "All right."

Peach Blossom Brew and Osmanthus Cake—wasn't it all because he was afraid Uncle Shui would forcibly send him back?

"This must be Young Master Mingxi." Li Yunfeng, seated across from them, spoke with a smile. "You truly are handsome and distinguished, an outstanding young talent."

You certainly know how to talk... Xie An said, "We must trouble you to leave the city and conduct this ritual, Daoist, to protect the Xie Household and keep us safe."

Li Yunfeng smiled amiably. "Young Master Mingxi, there is no need to be so polite. Taking someone's money and dispelling their misfortune is this poor Daoist's duty."

Perhaps because the Xie Household had paid him eight hundred taels of silver, Li Yunfeng was especially accommodating toward Xie An.

Seizing the chance, Xie An asked, "May I ask, Daoist Li, are there any taboos for today's ritual?"

Li Yunfeng flicked his whisk, his words brimming with confidence. "There are no particular taboos. We merely need to hang yellow lanterns, find a living person for sacrifice, light a human candle, and perform a ritual. Then all will be well."

Xie An's heart tightened.

It required a living human sacrifice?

Uncle Shui seemed to notice Xie An's alarm and explained, "I caught a bandit who robbed homes and plundered travelers to make up the numbers. It can be considered ridding the people of a scourge."

Li Yunfeng smiled reassuringly. "Young Master Mingxi need not worry. This poor Daoist has handled this kind of ritual many times. Nothing will go wrong.

Two months ago, a wealthy Li family in Wuqiao Town heard a baby crying outside their door at night. A kind-hearted maid found the crying unbearably pitiful and, unable to bear it, opened the door. Sure enough, she found a red swaddling cloth on the steps outside, with a fair, tender baby wrapped inside.

The maid found the baby adorable and carried it inside to feed it milk..."

Li Yunfeng deliberately paused before continuing. "The next morning, a vegetable farmer delivering produce to the Li family knocked on the door and found it standing open. He carried his vegetables to the kitchen, where he happened to see the steward sitting at the kitchen entrance. The farmer was about to step forward and greet him when the steward suddenly collapsed. The back of his head had been torn open, and his brain had been sucked clean... All fifteen members of the Li family had their brains eaten. After word spread, the neighbors were terrified. Every household pooled some silver to hire a Daoist from Returning Dragon Abbey to conduct a ritual. For the following two months, Wuqiao Town remained peaceful.

That Daoist who performed the ritual was this poor Daoist."

By the end, Li Yunfeng sounded rather proud. "Li Family Village has never had any deaths before. This ritual will certainly proceed without incident."

Xie An felt somewhat more at ease after hearing that. "Then we'll have to trouble you, Daoist."

As everyone chatted, the convoy soon left the city.

Once outside the city, they traveled much faster. By early noon, they had nearly reached Li Family Village.

The outline of Li Family Village was already faintly visible in the distance.

Xie An's heartbeat gradually quickened as well.

The carriage turned a corner and arrived a hundred meters from the village entrance.

"Stop!"

Li Yunfeng shouted for the convoy to halt, then jumped down from the carriage to inspect the items loaded on the carriages behind them.

After confirming that nothing was missing, Li Yunfeng called out loudly, "Uncle Shui, Young Master Mingxi, wait here. This poor Daoist will go to the village entrance alone to perform the ritual. It should take about half an hour, and the rite will be complete."

With that, Li Yunfeng drove the two carriages laden with jars and bottles toward Li Family Village by himself.

Xie An, seated in the carriage, asked curiously, "Uncle Shui, are we just waiting here?"

Uncle Shui took a sip of Peach Blossom Brew. "Daoist Li is experienced with rituals, so we shouldn't interfere. If something goes wrong..."

Xie An asked, "Then what?"

Uncle Shui set down the wine jar. "Turn around and run! Did you think eight hundred taels were that easy to earn...?"

Xie An fell silent.

After waiting in the carriage for a few moments, Xie An grew restless. He lifted the side-window curtain and looked toward the village entrance.

The scene at the entrance was... exactly the same as when he had come last time.

A tax collector in black clothes stood at the village entrance, striking a bronze gong to urge people to pay their taxes.

Farmers delivering grain stood in a long line. Dressed in padded clothes and carrying sacks of grain on their shoulders, they complained as the clanging gong mingled with their voices. Even from several hundred meters away, he could smell the stench of rotten mud, aged rice, sour sweat, and stale body odor hanging in the air.

From the crooked old locust tree at the village entrance hung densely packed, upside-down corpses of flesh and blood, like gnawed pork ribs.

Beneath the tree, a yellow-robed Daoist was performing a ritual. He scattered spirit money with his left hand and shook a soul-summoning bell with his right. "Heaven is bleak, earth is bleak, this tree is tied to the King of Hell's stake. Living people who come here must not answer, must not answer..."

Daoist Li Yunfeng seemed completely unaware, driving the carriage alone toward the village entrance.

In an instant, an inexplicable chill swept through Xie An's entire body...