Pan Long picked up the rubies one by one in surprise, but the aged sigh sounded only once.
He had no idea where the gems had come from. All he could tell from their soft, lustrous sheen was that they were fine jade.
That Demon God, who had become a River God back in the days of the Sky Hero Dynasty, had left behind nothing but these few dozen gems...
Pan Long thought for a moment, then sighed.
"You lived your whole life doing as you pleased. What good was regretting it only when you were about to die?"
After that, he returned to the boulder and brought the villagers back.
Seeing that the enormous head was gone, the villagers regained their composure. They thanked Pan Long and went home, while he followed the old Village Chief to his house.
"That head belonged to a Dragon God," he told the Village Chief. "His spirit lingered after death. He lamented that he had spent his life without doing good deeds or earning merit, and that was why he had come to such an end. After his sigh, he turned into clear water, seeped into the ground, and vanished without a trace."
The Village Chief jumped in fright. "Hero! Do you mean the Dragon God's head... is still in our village?"
"I suppose you could say it isn't..." Pan Long considered it, then said with some uncertainty, "I think that since he regretted his ways at death's door, he shouldn't cause you any more trouble."
"B-but..." The Village Chief stammered despite himself. "That was a D-Dragon God!"
"He was a Dragon God, yes, but he's dead."
"But... but..." The Village Chief repeated himself several times without managing to say anything more. His old face flushed red, and sweat covered his brow.
Pan