"The Human-Head Tree."
Someone in the funeral procession said, "This morning, we discovered another face on the Human-Head Tree. It was a stranger's face."
"All strangers stay at the Pavilion Office, so we're heading there now to collect the body for burial."
"!!!"
At the news, Ye Qianfan was so frightened that his heart nearly stopped.
If he'd had a heart, that was!
"You mean..."
Ye Qianfan drew a deep breath and asked in disbelief, "You mean the tree in the middle of your village?"
"Yes, that's the Human-Head Tree." The middle-aged man in the funeral procession nodded. "Everyone who dies in the village appears on the Human-Head Tree. That tree is Riverside Town's memorial."
"Then when did that tree first appear?"
Ye Qianfan hurriedly asked another question.
But the middle-aged man waved him off, sounding impatient. "I don't remember. It's been a long time, anyway! All right, move aside. We're going to miss the appointed hour!"
"I'll come with you." After a moment's thought, Ye Qianfan made a spur-of-the-moment decision. "The deceased was my friend. I'd like to burn a stick of incense for him."
"No, no."
The middle-aged man's expression changed drastically at that. "Our rules forbid anyone from watching the burial of someone who died after breaking the village's rules!"
"Otherwise, everyone in the village will suffer, and when that happens, you outsiders will meet a horrible death too!"
"Isn't that going a little too far?"
Displeased by those words, Ye Qianfan drew his sword.
Only then did the middle-aged man hastily shut his mouth and give an awkward smile. "Please don't be angry, sir. I'm not deliberately trying to frighten you. These rules were passed down by our ancestors."
"If you truly wish to burn incense for your friend, sir, you can do it at the