As the group entered the village, they looked toward its center.
Under the night sky, the White Tower was adorned with lanterns and streamers. A massive bonfire burned outside the courtyard, spanning more than ten feet across, its scarlet flames soaring into the sky.
Men and women in festive, colorful attire, all draped in vibrant reds and purples, gathered around the bonfire. Some sat at a distance, while others held hands, singing and dancing.
The sounds of lusheng pipes, suona horns, xun flutes, drums, and the clatter of wooden planks echoed through the village.
The flames illuminated one festive face after another, filling the night with a joyous, celebratory atmosphere.
Sunshine Boy looked toward the third floor of the White Tower, where two of the white lanterns were extinguished.
"You seem troubled," Book Listener said in a low voice.
Sunshine Boy nodded. "I keep feeling like something isn’t right, but whenever I try to focus on it, my mind wanders. It’s been happening all day."
"Me too," said Book Listener.
The two of them exchanged a look.
Sunshine Boy glanced down at his left wrist. Thankfully, it was bare.
The nineteen Night Guards approached the bonfire and were about to turn toward the public quarters when a group of dancing girls and young women swarmed over. Giggling, they grabbed the Night Guards’ hands and began to sing softly.
"Come sing a folk song with us, guest! After the song, we’ll dance..."
"Singing folk songs to welcome the Goddess, joy fills the village far and wide..."
The women gently tugged on the Night Guards’ arms, urging them toward the bonfire, their glittering eyes full of longing.
The Night Guards slowed their pace, glancing over at their Captain.
Two dazzling young women, their necks encircled with multiple Silver Necklaces, took hold of his hands, one on each side.
The Captain hesitated for a few moments, then smiled. "You’ve all been working hard for days. Let’s have some fun tonight. But we stop at midnight, at the latest. Once midnight strikes, everyone rests immediately!"
"Thank you, Captain!"
The Night Guards cheered in unison and, surrounded by the women, headed to the bonfire to join hands and dance.
A few of the Martial Cultivators even began demonstrating their forms, drawing waves of cheers from the men, women, and children.
Of the four people with Hao Yunsheng, two also went to join the singing and dancing.
Sunshine Boy and Book Listener declined to dance, then both stared at Foodie.
Foodie gritted his teeth and, swallowing his disappointment, turned down the girl beside him.
In the end, only Sunshine Boy’s group of three and Hao Yunsheng’s group of three remained, standing at a distance from the bonfire and watching the revelers.
Book Listener observed carefully.
After a long while, Book Listener suddenly pointed to the four round, red lanterns at the gate to the White Tower’s courtyard. "Look at those four lanterns at the gate," he said. "I remember when we first entered the village, there weren’t any lanterns there, only on the third floor."
"You must have remembered wrong," Foodie said.
Sunshine Boy focused his gaze. "There were no lanterns there before, just three Red-Robed Guards. I even thought it was strange at the time, that the Guards weren’t in pairs. And those white lanterns... you couldn’t tell during the day, but now you can see two of them are out. Wait, there seems to be something hanging on those red lanterns."
Sunshine Boy first cast Covering Eyes. Magical Power surged in his eyes as he activated Spiritual Eye Sees Dragon, and the lanterns seemed to instantly zoom into view.
A large, red, gold-trimmed lantern swayed gently in the wind. Its shade was different from that of an ordinary cloth lantern—it was thicker, with a delicate surface, and a few short hairs, like the fine hairs on skin, protruded from its edges.
A sprig of Mugwort hung from the lantern’s left side, and a Hanging Red Tassel Double Fish Pattern Jade Pendant dangled from the right.
The golden-yellow tassels beneath the red lantern swayed gently in the wind, dripping fresh blood. Drip, drip...
Imprisoned within each falling drop of blood was a twisted face.
The twisted faces opened their mouths wide, screaming desperately.
As the four lanterns swayed in the wind, whispers actually emanated from within. He couldn’t make out the words, but the sound coiled around his ears and refused to fade.
It was like a small brush constantly scraping against Sunshine Boy’s ear.
A chill ran through Sunshine Boy’s body, and his previously muddled mind instantly snapped into focus.
Sunshine Boy suddenly remembered what he had forgotten.
’When I met that Wang Laoshu, I should have used Observing Fate and Qi to check things out, but I just forgot.’
’When I saw all the strange things and heard about the ’taboos,’ I meant to think about them more deeply, but I forgot.’
’I was going to do a head count, but I forgot...’
Book Listener and Sunshine Boy met each other’s gaze, and in the other’s eyes, they saw an endless, abyssal darkness.
They had been caught in a Deceit.
Hao Yunsheng hurried over with his two men. "I heard what you were saying," he whispered. "Something’s wrong with those lanterns. It’s probably Yun Zhigao... no, no, no, no, no, I mean the cowherd. The Jade Pendant on the lantern is his."
Hao Yunsheng panicked, clamping his mouth shut, his face turning pale.
Denggao, who was behind him, said, "It’s okay. Only we heard you."
Hao Yunsheng gave a slight nod and lowered his head, his gaze profound, as if lost in thought.
Sunshine Boy checked his wrist again. Still nothing. He suddenly remembered a Night Guard from the Imperial Prison mentioning that while the mark of a Deceit most often appeared on the wrist or arm, it wasn’t uncommon for it to be elsewhere.
Sunshine Boy whispered, "Book Listener, we need to find the mark."
Book Listener nodded firmly. "Check me."
Sunshine Boy immediately started searching Book Listener’s body. Nothing on his face, neck, behind his ears, or on the nape of his neck.
Book Listener undid his robes and pulled them open, revealing his abdomen.
Everyone froze.
Branded just below Book Listener’s navel was a red lotus flower.
"I didn’t have this before..." Book Listener whispered.
Sunshine Boy and the others immediately checked their own abdomens.
A red lotus flower was imprinted on each of their abdomens.
"We’re marked." For a moment, Sunshine Boy didn’t dare say the phrase "caught in a Deceit."
In everyone’s eyes, the reflection of the leaping, scarlet bonfire trembled.
A chill settled in Sunshine Boy’s heart. ’I thought that since I’d been caught in a Deceit once before, I’d at least have some experience,’ he thought. ’But who knew that the second time would be completely different from the first?’
"Something is affecting our minds. I’ve encountered this before," Book Listener whispered.
"What do we do?"
"First, we absolutely must obey the rules. Then, we can figure out how to break them. I’m going to get the Captain."
Having said his piece, Book Listener strode over to the bonfire, pulled the Captain aside, and spoke a few words to him.
The Captain’s expression changed. He stepped away from the bonfire, glanced down at his own abdomen, and upon seeing the mark, muttered a few curses that were lost in the noisy celebration.
The two conferred briefly, then split up and plunged into the crowd around the bonfire, pulling out all the Night Guards.
The nineteen of them gathered at the entrance to the public quarters, a safe distance from the bonfire.
After the Captain explained that they had been caught in a Deceit, the Night Guards panicked. They checked their abdomens. The legs of several Guards gave out, their faces turned deathly pale, and their lips trembled too much to form words.
The Captain surveyed the group, his face looking even more grim in the darkness. "There were twenty-one of us before we entered this village," he said slowly. "Now, there are only nineteen. The cowherd has likely been made into a lantern, and the man who went to relieve himself has vanished."
"Then... then what do we do?" a young Night Guard asked, his voice choked with sobs.
The Captain sighed. "Book Listener, you’re the most experienced among us. What’s your assessment?"
All eyes turned to Book Listener.
Book Listener spoke slowly. "Without a doubt, we’ve been caught in... whatever this is. I’ve just encountered more strange things than most. When it comes to resolving something like this, I’m not as capable as Sunshine Boy. The cowherd and the man who went to relieve himself obviously disappeared because they broke the rules. Therefore, we must remember two rules: don’t say anyone’s name, and don’t say anything inauspicious. Beyond that, there are bound to be other ’taboos.’ And one more thing: protect Sunshine Boy. He’s a Fate Master. He is our greatest hope for breaking this Deceit."
Everyone looked at Sunshine Boy.
"Sunshine Boy, what do you have to say?" the Captain asked.