"This is Lord Qin, Qin Yang."
"Lord Qin, this is the village chief of Jiangxin Village, Zhao Jiang."
Meng Feng introduced them to each other.
"Greetings, Lord Qin!"
The old village chief did not know what official position Qin Yang held, but seeing Meng Feng's attitude, he hurriedly bowed.
"No need to stand on ceremony, village chief."
"Have you kept Zhao Jiang's Fishing Boat?"
Qin Yang came straight to the point.
"Captain Meng instructed us before, so we did not dare touch it. It has remained by the riverbank."
Zhao Jiang spoke softly.
"Good. Let's go take a look."
Qin Yang nodded faintly.
Zhao Jiang led Qin Yang and the others toward the small boat.
Crackle, crackle, crackle~~~
As they neared the riverbank, a burst of dense firecracker explosions drifted over from afar.
They were accompanied by strange cries.
Qin Yang looked over.
He saw a patch of ground by the river blackened by smoke and fire.
Vaguely, he could make out many people kneeling on the ground by the riverbank.
A figure danced and flailed about, continuously letting out strange noises.
Firecrackers burned without pause, while the ground was densely packed with thin incense sticks and candles.
This scene.
Was grotesque and mysterious, as though shrouded in some occult hue.
It gave Qin Yang the feeling of having traveled back to a primitive barbaric tribe.
Qin Yang narrowed his eyes. "Village chief, what are they doing?"
"The people from the nearby villages all believe the Water Lord is angered, which is why people have kept disappearing in the North River. After discussing it, everyone invited a shamaness to perform a ritual and dispel the Water Lord's wrath."
Zhao Jiang looked toward the smoke-wreathed place, seeming to want to speak but holding himself back.
After saying that, he fell silent.