Wang Shu's gaze slowly settled on the enormous locust tree in the heart of the city, its branches blotting out the sky and sun.
The tree stood out unmistakably across the whole of Huaicheng. Even from a great distance, one could make out its broad trunk, which rose dozens of zhang high, and its gnarled branches, twisting and interlacing...
A tree that towers above the forest is sure to be battered by the wind, let alone here on this vast, sandy plain.
For this locust tree to take root here and grow into a forest all on its own, its canopy blotting out the sky and sun, must have taken more than a day or two.
Seeing her gaze linger on the tree, Heng Daozi could not help warning her, "Once midnight passes tonight, it will be the fifteenth day of the seventh month, and the Huaicheng Festival will begin. When it does, chilling winds will rise from every direction, and killing intent will fill the air. Countless fierce ghosts and demons will lose their lives within the sacrificial grounds. Fellow Daoist, for your own safety, why don't we stay here in the tavern and keep our distance from that great locust tree?"
The waiter, with a white cloth draped over his shoulder, snickered nearby, black-red bloodstains showing at the roots of his teeth. "Miss, don't listen to that coward's nonsense. Once the fifteenth day of the seventh month arrives, the safest place in all of Huaicheng is beneath that locust tree. The General of Huaicheng will be there, and the Judicial Commissioner will pass judgment on the guilty. Every sin will be punished. Who would dare cause trouble right under his nose?"
As he spoke, the hemp-clad waiter let out a cackling laugh. "Not only is it perfectly safe, but those troublemakers, those who are sick of living and looking for death, will be made into examples at the sacrificial grounds. Once their sentence is passed, they'll either have their tongues ripped out, be thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, or suffer the agony of having their sinews and skin torn away. Heh heh heh..."
After those words, the corner of the tavern fell silent. Only the waiter's strange, sinister laughter echoed through it. "After all, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, all sins are cleansed, and the whole world celebrates..."
Theme: To live, you need something to strive for, something to give you hope.
