County Town Tavern.
Lin Chen hosted a banquet for the village chief, also to calm his elder brother’s nerves.
It’s not a high-end tavern, but a small inn frequented by city peddlers and common folks. To Lin Chen, the dishes were even inferior to those at Uncle Zhao’s tavern.
At the dining table, Lin Liang, as instructed by Lin Chen, only ntioned that he was fishing as usual when the Governnt Office officials inexplicably took him onto the boat, leaving him clueless about what had happened.
Not long after he was taken to the Governnt Office, his younger brother managed to bring him out, and he’s still in a state of bewildernt.
Fearing his elder brother might divulge too much, Lin Chen changed the topic, asking about Gu Fei’s progress in martial arts.
"Chen, we can’t compare ourselves to you, but I am confident I can train Essence Qi within six months. Which martial arts hall should I join by then?"
"Focus on developing Essence Qi first; don’t be overly ambitious. As for which martial arts hall to join, I will help you decide when the ti cos."
Lin Chen actually had already thought about the best option for Gu Fei once he achieved Essence Qi status, which was the Mantis Martial Arts Hall.
It requires less money and breaks through the realms thodically, making it the best choice for students with average family backgrounds.
After the feast, Lin Chen planned to send the village chief and his elder brother back ho. However, Zhao Canghe proposed, "Since you’re already in the city, Fei, go to the tavern of Aunt Two at the southern part of the city to get a jin of Shaodao wine, it’s very good."
"Lai, go to the incense shop and buy so paper money, the last ancestor worship at our village used up almost all the paper money in the ancestral hall."
Gu Fei and another young man from the village were montarily confused, but upon receiving the copper coins handed over by the village chief and after clarifying the address, they left the tavern.
As soon as the two had left, Zhao Canghe glanced around, then lowered his voice, "Did Liang see sothing he shouldn’t have seen?"
With these words, Lin Liang’s expression changed instantly. Lin Chen sighed inwardly; elder is still wiser, as the village chief had noticed the oddity in his elder brother.
Even though the elder brother had answered well, he seed sowhat distracted while eating. Gu Fei might not notice, but an elder like the village chief, who had lived for decades, definitely wouldn’t miss Liang’s abnormality.
What puzzled Lin Chen more was how the village chief knew Liang had seen sothing inappropriate?
Could it be that the village chief knew sothing?
"Seven years ago, a similar thing happened at Poyang Lake. Dozens of fishern were taken away, and as of now, only about ten have never returned. It’s only known that they went to the military camp, and every year they send letters and money back ho."
Seeing the shocked expressions of Lin Chen and Lin Liang, Zhao Canghe sneered, "It happened again about twenty years ago."
Lin Chen decided not to hide anymore: "Village chief, what is going on here exactly? My brother ntioned seeing an extraordinarily large fish corpse."
"Fish Monster!"
Zhao Canghe sighed lightly, "You don’t know, the entire Poyang County, I reckon other counties are the sa, books from more than two hundred years ago have disappeared. Even our village’s chronicles only go back two hundred years. There’s a secret I’ve buried in my heart for many years, thinking I’d never reveal it to others until my grave. But now it’s ti to tell you, Chen."
Hearing this, Lin Liang was about to stand up, but Zhao Canghe pressed him down: "Liang, since you are caught up, it’s fine to know. I’ve also decided that when I am too old, I’ll have you beco the village chief."
"?" Lin Liang widened his eyes, waving his hands hurriedly: "I... I can’t do it."
So young, how could he have the rit to beco a village chief?
"Don’t decline yet. I still have several years to live. A fortune teller told that soone as cunning as would live a long life. Even if you really want to be a village chief, you’d need to endure a few more years."
After saying this, Zhao Canghe took a sip of his wine, then his expression turned solemn: "Fourteen years ago, Poyang County experienced a great drought, and the water level of Poyang Lake dropped by thirty percent. Our village’s residents found a wooden box in the mud at the lake bottom."
"The wooden box had been subrged for years, likely coated with a special wax, which prevented water from seeping in. When the box was opened, it contained a few silver ingots, and a book. The finders of the box were illiterate, and after I read the book’s content, I divided the silver among them, telling them not to disclose the box to anyone."
To the villagers, a tattered booklet was insignificant, and having found wealth, they didn’t want to spread the word outside; thus it beca a secret.
"This book was written by a scholar, not during our Liang Dynasty but the previous Chu Dynasty."
Lin Chen squinted slightly. A book written by a scholar from the previous dynasty, preserved underwater for three hundred years, indicated that the box was likely not made of ordinary wood.
"Village chief, what does the book say?"
"Actually, this scholar was also one of our village’s ancestors. According to his writings, during the Chu Kingdom’s era, the annual offering to the Lake God required the presentation of ten pairs of virgin boys and girls. Otherwise, the Lake God would be enraged and send his underling Fish Monster to stir up trouble."
"Offering ten pairs of virgin boys and girls to the Lake God, what would the Lake God want with virgin boys and girls?" Lin Liang looked puzzled.
Lin Chen glanced at his brother, suddenly recalling that, in the mories of his original self, offerings to the Lake God rely involved offering animals and setting off firecrackers, devoid of any concept of human sacrifice.
"To sink into the lake, as offerings to the Lake God."
As Zhao Canghe uttered these words, his body trembled, just as he had when reading the recorded texts years ago.
Trembling, fear, and anger!
Yet, as noted in the ancestor’s record, this had beco a customary practice; so doing it wasn’t wrong, as the Lake God was exalted and could not be offended.
"Doesn’t the governnt care about this?"
"The Governnt Office?" Zhao Canghe enunciated each syllable slowly, "In the past, even the Poyang County Governnt Office had to offer sacrifices to the Lake God once a year, a hundred pairs of young boys and girls, and three hundred livestock..."
As if recalling sothing horrifying, Zhao Canghe poured himself another cup of wine and drank it in one gulp.
Lin Liang’s mouth dropped open; he couldn’t fathom how even the dignified Governnt Office had to offer sacrifices to the Lake Monster.
In his eyes, the Governnt Office was sothing akin to the heavens.
"Have you not read that book? The words of our ancestors are filled with despair."
Zhao Canghe recalled the sense of hopelessness his ancestor recorded in his notes, a feeling so strong that occasionally it still woke him from his dreams.
"Couldn’t they escape?"
"Escape? Escape where? Other places also worship gods, there are Mountain Gods, River Gods... The lives of ordinary people are just ant to give their children to these gods as food, as sustenance for these gods."
Seeing his brother’s shocked expression, Lin Chen asked in a grave tone, "Did that person ntion the Liang Dynasty in the book?"
"No."
Zhao Canghe shook his head, "Our ancestor lived in the Chu Kingdom until his death. The last sentence in his notes was a hope that one day, the common people wouldn’t have to beco food for monsters."
"That’s not right!" Lin Liang seed to have realized sothing, his voice rising slightly before glancing around and lowering it again, "If the Lake God is so malevolent, why does the village chief make us worship it every year and offer the Lake God sacrifices of the three types of at?"
"What do you know? Our village has been offering the three types of at into the lake every year, unlike other villages who only go through the motions. If that Lake God... Lake Monster returns, at least it will rember our village’s goodwill."
Listening to the village chief’s explanation, Lin Chen’s lips twitched; the village chief was quite calculative indeed.
Now, he had a rough judgnt in his heart.
The Chu Kingdom before the Liang Dynasty was plagued by monsters, and the elite of the Chu Kingdom were indifferent to the lives of the people at the bottom. So eventually, the Chu Kingdom collapsed and the Grand Ancestor established the Liang Kingdom.
What happened to those monsters?
Were they all slain by the Grand Ancestor?
If they were all slain, there would be no need to conceal it; it should have been widely publicized, to promote the achievents of the Liang Kingdom and to win the people’s allegiance.
But if those monsters were not slain, where did they go?
"Chen, the village is supporting your martial arts training, and I have selfish intentions; I’m just afraid that one day, those monsters will return, and our village will be in peril."
Zhao Canghe spoke candidly, continuing to look at Lin Chen, "If we truly return to such tis, those aristocrats won’t care about our lives; we’ll only be able to save ourselves, and having a Martial Artist like you offers a layer of safety."
"Village chief, you’re overthinking. Liang is as stable as Mount Tai, and martial paths are flourishing; such circumstances won’t occur again." Lin Chen reassured with a smile.
"But who can promise what the future will be like? In any case, since you have talent in martial arts, you must aim high, the higher, the better."
Lin Chen’s eyes sharpened; the village chief was right about that.
No one could predict the future with certainty.
But whether the tis remain peaceful or descend into chaos, being more powerful is never wrong.
And since his brother saw the Lake Monster’s body, coupled with the village chief’s account of a similar situation seven years ago, it proved that monsters hadn’t completely vanished from Liang’s lands.
"Village chief, let’s stop discussing this matter; when you and my brother return to the village, don’t ntion it again."
"Rest assured, I may be old, but I’m not senile; I know what should and shouldn’t be said."
Lin Chen wasn’t worried about the village chief; he turned his gaze toward his brother, "Brother, just forget about this matter, pretend it never happened."
Even though he knew his brother would never forget, Lin Chen could only advise as such. Those fishern who were taken away likely saw the fish monster’s body like his brother.
The Liang Governnt Office didn’t want the public to know about the monsters, and having managed to keep it a secret for so many years without rumors in the streets suggests one thing.
The Liang Kingdom’s asures to deal with those in the know were stringent.
Judging by the fate of those fishern, those in the know could indeed be taken away.
Though he had shown talent, against the rigid laws involving the entire Liang Dynasty, he might not be able to protect his brother.
The Governnt Office might let his brother go because Chief You and others were unaware of the details, and the institution actually dealing with such cases hadn’t intervened yet.
"Brother Chen, I understand, I won’t speak if asked."
Patted his brother on the shoulder, Lin Chen said nothing further, deciding instead to privately probe Chief You for more information.
The three of them discussed the matter no longer, and soon Gu Fei and another young villager, Yang Hao, returned with their purchases. Lin Chen escorted the four to the city gate, rented a carriage for them, and only turned to leave after seeing them board.
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