Sunshine Boy sighed. ’If I’d known it would come to this, I never should have taken this name. It’s so cringeworthy.’
A moment later, Sunshine Boy thought, ’I’ve been called Sunshine Boy my whole life. It’s the name on my birth certificate. What’s so embarrassing about that?’
Sunshine Boy vaguely felt he had another name, a nickname perhaps, but he decided to let it go.
As he thought, Sunshine Boy slowly said, "I have resolved Deceit with the Imperial Prison Envoy in the Imperial Prison Department, so I know a lot about Deceitful incidents. Deceit..."
"Don’t throw that word around," the Book Listener warned.
Sunshine Boy said, "It’s fine. You should mention it less before being afflicted by Deceit, but once you are, it doesn’t matter. I’ve heard from people in the Imperial Prison that Deceitful Lands and Deceitful Demons have different tiers. But no matter the type, it’s always possible to resolve the Deceit—it’s just a matter of difficulty. The kind I encountered in the Imperial Prison Department before was what they call Overt Deceit, where everything is laid out on the table. This kind, where you enter without realizing it and there are no obvious signs, is called Covert Deceit. With Covert Deceit, we have to find the ’taboos’ ourselves. We must avoid them while simultaneously figuring out how to resolve the Deceit."
"Do you have any leads?" the Captain asked.
Sunshine Boy shook his head. "No. But whether this is a Deceitful Land or a Deceitful Demon, the Five Goddess Temple and the Five Goddesses are at its core. Has anyone heard of them?"
The Book Listener said, "I think I’ve heard of the Five Goddesses, but I don’t know any details."
But Hao Yunsheng sighed and said, "I have."
A hopeful gleam appeared in everyone’s eyes.
Hao Yunsheng recalled, "I read about the Five Goddesses in an ancient book. It said they are five Divine Spirits who preside over childbirth: the ’Lady of Prayer for Birth,’ the ’Lady of Delivery,’ the ’Lady of Protection for Birth,’ the ’Lady of Celebration for Birth,’ and the ’Lady of Longevity.’ In places where the population was dwindling, people would build a Five Goddess Temple to pray for more children and grandchildren. It was said to be very effective."
"Were there any records of them being connected to a Deceitful Land or Deceitful Demon?" Sunshine Boy asked.
Hao Yunsheng shook his head, trying his best to remember. "None at all. The book only said that the grand rite for the Five Goddesses must be completed in its entirety. If the process is interrupted at any point, the entire village will suffer a Curse. I understand now. Just as... Sunshine Boy said, we’ll probably have to take part in this grand rite and find a way to resolve the Deceit from within."
"Hao Yunsheng, good man. When we get back to the Divine Capital, I’ll be sure to recommend you for the highest merit!" the Captain said.
The Book Listener said, "Since we have to resolve this Deceit, we can’t remain uninvolved. We need to join the grand rite of the Five Goddesses. In the process, we’ll likely be tainted by Deceitful Qi and sink deeper into the Deceit. We must maintain a delicate balance while trying to resolve this. The slightest misstep, and we could be stuck here forever."
The Book Listener still couldn’t bring himself to say "death" or any other inauspicious words.
Hao Yunsheng looked at Sunshine Boy. "You’re a Fate Master and you know Daoist Skills. You’re the key to resolving this Deceit. We’re counting on you."
The four men behind him immediately chimed in, "That’s right, we’re counting on you."
The others all nodded in agreement.
Sunshine Boy cursed Hao Yunsheng internally. ’That bastard, putting me on a pedestal in a place like this. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be the one to take the fall.’
Sunshine Boy smiled. "Since everyone has faith in me, I won’t refuse. You’ve all probably heard that the reason a Fate Master can resolve Deceit is that we treat the Deceit as a Fate Grid, correct?"
More than half the men nodded.
Sunshine Boy continued, "Therefore, to resolve this Deceit, we must use the methods of Fate Grids and Fate Skills. Among us, Hao Yunsheng’s Fate Grid is the strongest. You must have heard his story. He went from being an obscure, illegitimate son of a Marquis Mansion to his recent, sudden rise to prominence—first entering a predecessor’s immortal cave, then obtaining the Celestial Fire True Intent. He’s now a Ninth Grade master. Is there anyone here whose Fate Grid is better than his?"
Everyone looked at Hao Yunsheng with envy.
Just as Hao Yunsheng was about to speak, Sunshine Boy cut in, "The key to resolving this Deceit requires Hao Yunsheng and me to work together. I understand Fate Skills, so I’ll be in command. Hao Yunsheng has a superior Fate Grid, so he will be responsible for confronting the Deceitful Demon. I will guarantee his safety. This is the only way to resolve the Deceit. If I am not in command, or if he does not confront the Deceitful Demon, we will never succeed."
The Book Listener said, "That’s right. I support Sunshine Boy commanding and Hao Yunsheng handling the Deceitful entities."
"I agree too," said Foodie.
The others quickly voiced their agreement.
Hao Yunsheng looked at Sunshine Boy. "Fine. Protecting my life means protecting everyone’s lives, so I’ll leave it all to you. But if your commands are wrong or your Fate Skills aren’t sharp enough, you’ll have to take responsibility. What’s our next step?"
"We wait," Sunshine Boy said. "We need to observe how they perform their ritual. Afterward, we’ll all share our thoughts and find a way to break this."
"Then it’s all up to you, Lord Fate Master," Hao Yunsheng said.
The Night Guards stood at the entrance of the official building, watching the crowd continue to sing and dance around the bonfire.
From not far away, a procession approached.
Four men at the front were carrying a large white pig. Its belly had been sliced open, and it was spread-eagled and tied to a wooden frame. The pig’s body was plump and rich, and it quivered with every step.
Behind the pig, two more groups of people carried two large, red-rimmed, white cowhide drums on their stands.
The men glanced once before looking away, but the Book Listener whispered, "Look at the white pig’s eyes."
Sunshine Boy and the others looked over.
The large white pig had delicate brows and narrow eyes. There was a large black mole under its right eye, and it stared at the Night Guards with a pair of light brown eyes.
A pig that had clearly been de-bristled and disemboweled, yet its gaze was as sorrowful as a living person’s.
Beside the pig’s head lay a wilted sprig of Mugwort.
"The pig’s still alive?"
"It’s turning its head to look at us."
"Wait, why does that look seem so familiar?"
"It looks a little like Fang Shui... we’ve known him for almost ten years..."
The Night Guards’ chatter came to an abrupt halt.
Some of the Night Guards clenched their jaws, rendered speechless as they stared into the big white pig’s light brown eyes.
Two streams of clear tears rolled from the big white pig’s eyes.
The pig’s snout moved, chomping a few times as if it were trying to speak, or perhaps to eat.
The Night Guards looked to their Captain, but the Captain remained silent.
A few Night Guards who had gripped the hilts of their sabers slowly relaxed their hands and sighed under their breath.
The big white pig kept its head turned, its eyes fixed on the Night Guards.
Under everyone’s watch, the big white pig was mounted over another, smaller bonfire. It was brushed with oil and honey, then slowly turned as it began to roast.
SZZZ...
Clear grease beaded up all over the pig’s skin, dripping into the fire with a sizzling sound.
The grease was especially thick around the pig’s eyes, like pearls of fat that dripped continuously from the very beginning.
A faint, fragrant aroma and light smoke wafted through the air. It was as if every breath was coated in roasted fat, the delicious scent of pork boring straight into one’s nostrils.
Foodie’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
Sunshine Boy wondered if there was something wrong with his nose. What he smelled wasn’t the normal aroma of pork, but the acrid scent of burnt flesh, like singeing your own hand.
After a long time, the edges of the roast pig were charred black, but the rest of the skin had taken on a tempting, golden-yellow hue.
The villagers lifted the whole roast pig onto a large table. A Witch in a multi-colored Patchwork Robe walked to the table, her right hand gripping a bloody, unwashed butcher’s knife. She aimed for the back of the pig’s neck and brought it down with a vicious chop.
CRACK!
THUD!
First came the crisp crackle of the knife slicing through the brittle pigskin, followed by the thud of the blade hitting the table.
Four young women in Patchwork Robes came forward. They took the pig’s head, placed it on a tray along with the sprig of Mugwort, and carried the tray into the White Tower of the Five Goddess Temple.