Sunshine Boy recognized the Witch in the colorful Patchwork Robe as the old woman in blue who had been handing out Mugwort.
Beside the bonfire, two strapping, shirtless men in red lower garments walked up to a man-high, red-rimmed ox-hide drum. Red cloth bands were tied around their upper arms. They raised their drumsticks and struck the great drum.
DUM... DUM...
Under the light of the soaring flames, hundreds of villagers gathered around a headless, whole-roasted pig. They joined hands, their backs bent, forming three concentric rings that rotated counterclockwise.
The crowd resembled a massive, rotating maw, closing in on the table and the whole roasted pig.
The Witch in the Patchwork Robe held a wooden staff wrapped in white cloth in her right hand. A string of bone bells was tied to her waist, and her face was painted with red, blue, and white stripes.
She raised both hands high, the dancing flames reflected in her pupils, and shrieked, "Lady of Prayer for Birth, peace upon you, year after year!"
"Lady of Prayer for Birth, peace upon you, year after year!" the villagers shouted as they moved.
DUM DUM DUM!
"Lady of Prayer for Birth, reveal your divine sign, and bless our Matron with children!" the Witch continued to shriek.
"Lady of Prayer for Birth, reveal your divine sign, and bless our Matron with children!" the crowd shouted in unison, their voices hoarse.
DUM DUM DUM!
"All beings for all ages worship the Goddess! May every family’s bloodline thrive forever!" the Witch bellowed.
"All beings for all ages worship the Goddess! May every family’s bloodline thrive forever!" The crowd was shaking their heads, their eyes rolling back. They shrieked and roared, their expressions turning savage.
DUM DUM DUM!
"The Matron hangs the blood lanterns, the servants carry in the great white pig! Lady of Prayer for Birth sows the human seeds, they fill the fields and become new babes..." The Witch, as if possessed, began to twist her head and body wildly.
The beat of the drums, the ringing of bells, the shrieks, the roars, the crackling of burning wood—countless sounds intertwined, seeming to paint the night an even deeper shade of black.
The Night Guards watched the frenzied crowd, alarm in their eyes.
After seeing the Blood Lotus sigil, Sunshine Boy’s mind cleared somewhat. He secretly tried Observing Qi and Divining Fate on the villagers, but they were all shrouded in a gray mist, preventing him from completing the divination.
’I don’t know how many Qi Fortune Fish it would take to see through this. I only have thirteen left; I have to save them for a crucial moment.’
After a long while, the four people who had entered the Goddess Temple came out.
"The Lady of Prayer for Birth accepts our offerings!" the four of them shouted in unison, raising their hands high.
The Witch and the villagers stopped, all turning to face the Five Goddess Temple and shouting together, "The Lady of Prayer for Birth accepts our offerings!"
The villagers filed to the edge of the square, each picking up a small, foot-long basket woven from willow twigs. The baskets were filled with grains like yellow millet, sorghum, peanuts, potatoes, and corn.
They formed a neat line and walked to the entrance of the Five Goddess Temple. First, they knelt and kowtowed three times, then they rose, held up their small baskets, and shouted, "A token of our sincerity for the Lady of Prayer for Birth!"
After shouting, they tossed the grain from their baskets into the courtyard from the entrance.
Once everyone had tossed their grain, they returned to the table.
The two drummers exchanged their drumsticks for pig-butchering knives and began chopping the whole roasted pig into small chunks. The CRUNCH of the crackling skin echoed through the square as the rich aroma of pork filled the air.
The Witch selected pieces of meat and gave them to the villagers.
The villagers took the pork, placed it in their mouths, and chewed slowly, not swallowing for a long time.
Many villagers smiled vacantly, letting the grease from the corners of their mouths dribble down their chins and onto their bodies.
Before long, Wang Laoshu came over, holding a platter.
On it were nineteen perfectly square, identical pieces of crispy-skin pork belly. The skin was a rich, golden brown, the fat a pristine white, and the lean meat a pale pink. The meaty aroma was overpowering.
"Gentlemen of the Night Guard, this is a blessing from the Five Goddess, which the whole village has prayed for. Now that you’re in the village, you must eat a piece." After speaking, Wang Laoshu handed the platter to the Captain and turned to leave.
The Captain asked, "Should we eat it?"
All eyes turned to Sunshine Boy.
Sunshine Boy thought for a moment and said, "I have a way to be sure. We can perform Observing Fate and Qi on someone, wait for them to eat it, and then perform it again. By observing the changes before and after, we might be able to use Inference to determine if it’s safe to eat. I think we should have Hao Yunsheng try it. His Fate Grid is strong and his luck is good. Even if something happens, he should be able to handle it."
Hao Yunsheng retorted, "If my Fate Grid is so strong, it should be saved for a crucial moment. A small matter like tasting meat should be left to someone else."
Sunshine Boy sighed and said, "Since Hao Yunsheng is unwilling to taste the meat, who is willing to take his place?"
The others averted their gazes.
"This isn’t getting us anywhere. Hao Yunsheng said he would follow my command, but now that it’s a critical moment, he’s disobeying. Captain, what do you think we should do?" Sunshine Boy asked.
The Captain sighed. "Let’s see if there’s another way."
TING-A-LING...
The Witch in the Patchwork Robe slowly approached. She carried a foot-long pig-butchering knife in her left hand and held the white-cloth-wrapped staff in her right. The bone bells at her waist jingled softly.
The pig-butchering knife was slowly dripping a dark liquid.
"Gentlemen of the Night Guard, why aren’t you eating? You’ll need your strength after you eat," the Witch said, looking up at them with a wide smile.
Their expressions tensed. The old woman who had seemed normal during the day now had eyes that were a glossy black, as if black oil were pooling in her sockets.
The Captain braced himself and said, "We ate a lot at noon. We’re not hungry right now."
"Not hungry now? You will be soon. The Lady of Prayer for Birth has issued a divine decree. She wants you to go to Master Gua’s place to harvest the autumn melons. How can you harvest melons on an empty stomach?" The Witch’s oily black eyes swept over them.
The men looked at each other, rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do.
The Witch, holding the pig-butchering knife, walked up to Hao Yunsheng and smiled. "You’re Hao Yunsheng?"
"Yes." Hao Yunsheng looked down at the short old woman who barely reached his shoulder. His legs felt weak and his scalp went numb with fear.
"You want to harvest melons, you must eat the meat. If you don’t eat the meat, the melons won’t be sweet." The old woman’s smile was kind and her voice was gentle, like a grandmother offering advice.
Hao Yunsheng shivered.
A chill ran down everyone’s spine.
The Witch set down her white-cloth-wrapped staff, plucked a piece of crispy-skin pork belly from the Captain’s platter, and held it out to Hao Yunsheng.
Hao Yunsheng stared at the piece of meat, saying nothing.
"Just eat it," the Captain sighed.
Hao Yunsheng sighed, shot a glance at Sunshine Boy, then took the meat and stuffed it into his mouth. He took a bite, and glistening fat oozed from the corner of his mouth, running down his chin. A rich fragrance filled the air.
But Sunshine Boy’s expression changed as he stared at Hao Yunsheng’s mouth.
"It hurts... It hurts so much..."
A pained groan came from Hao Yunsheng’s mouth, as if a tiny person were inside, flailing its arms and kicking its legs.
Hao Yunsheng chewed a few more times haphazardly and forced himself to swallow.
Sunshine Boy’s stomach churned.
The Witch picked up another piece and held it out to the Captain.
"So be it..."
The Captain sighed, took the meat, put it in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
Sunshine Boy once again heard someone cry, "It hurts... It hurts so much..."
The Gourmand swallowed hard and looked at the Book Listener.
The Book Listener gave a helpless nod.
The Gourmand didn’t wait for the Witch. He reached out, took a piece of pork belly from the platter himself, and put it in his mouth. He chewed only a few times, his expression changing as if he disliked it, then forced it down before turning his head to gag quietly.
Sunshine Boy thought for a moment, then did as the Gourmand had, reaching for a piece of meat and bringing it to his lips.
At the last second, he pretended to put it in his mouth, miming the chewing motion as he slipped the meat into his right sleeve.
The Witch glanced at Sunshine Boy, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "If you don’t eat the meat, the melons won’t be sweet. If you don’t eat the meat... you won’t live long."
A jolt of fear went through Sunshine Boy.