The Faith and Salt

Xiao Yan watched the foreigner lying on the ground, curling.

He seemed immune to spiritual energy. Otherwise, having inhaled so much without a mask, he should be vomiting and dying soon.

Xiao Yan spent a short while making sure.

Even though this foreigner was hateful and stupid, he was probably lonely.

Maybe way too lonely.

Whether his country or his strange god forced him to come, he was clearly in deep pain.

But there was no time left for pity. Xiao Yan had to risk using magic again to rush toward that bridal escort.

He just inhaled a great amount of spiritual energy. He felt dizzy, and the world started to pivot on its own.

The roots were everywhere, bright yellow and thick.

He could see them more clearly now.

They were spreading, releasing fog, rotting this world.

Nothing could stop them.

A red-eyed crow flew near. Waiting for him.

Thank you. He said to the black bird.

Through spiritual connection, he could take control of this bird.

His surrounding world grew massive. Normal trees looked like giant buildings.

Xiao Yan noticed his heartbeat more and more.

Flying to that small boat to save that David man had already drained his strength. He knew controlling a bird right now was exactly like playing a joke with his own life.

But he only prayed for a little more energy. Just a little more.

The scenery around him turned blurry. He flew forward purely on stubborn will.

When he could not fly any further, he stopped under a branch to catch his breath.

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Heavy rain made flying even harder. He heard sharp, ugly panting sounds coming from inside his own beak.

Reaching Snow Flake Village, those gongs and drums had already stopped. Also, heavy rain was falling much harder than before. Neither of these was a good sign.

Just as expected, that earlier fight took way too much time. The ritual was long over by now. Broken paper horses and paper men covered wet ground.

Rainwater in the distance grew thicker, taking on a dead grey-black color.

He landed on a tree branch.

"People always make mistakes," his mother said with a warm smile right next to him. "A mistake is a mistake. But how to carry that mistake on your shoulders, that is what a person must face."

Xiao Yan turned his head. He saw a pale-faced girl watching him from far away.

Grey-black dirt mounds. Rising river water. And this rain...

This girl never attacked first. She had just followed him using all sorts of methods.

Xiao Yan felt annoyed. He also felt a bit lost right now.

Leftover heat from his fight still burned inside his body. His thirst for blood had not faded either.

What should he do now?

He looked out at that barren flat where Zheng Laosi lived. That entire area had already turned into a vast ocean.

Not far away, heavy rain smashed into the river water, making huge, crashing noises.

Water on that river's surface kept rising higher and higher. It also grew muddier by the minute.

A dying sun cut a dark red line through heavy gray clouds. It looked like cheap red paint spilled into dirty water.

Heavy rain had washed the dry dirt completely pale.

Broken wooden salt racks soaked in thick mud. Puddles in narrow village alleys floated with torn paper figures and faded red strings.

Swollen, dead flower petals were scattered across that wet riverbank.

Half of a paper marriage chair floated in tall reeds. That double happiness character on its curtain had already rotted beyond recognition.

A few salt workers used broken rakes to turn over salt pools, just like normal. Iron scraping hard against stone bottoms made a very uncomfortable sound.

Xiao Yan stood right at Zheng Laosi's front door.

A dead male body pierced from a broken wooden pole inside. He appeared to have struggled before he died; now he was hardly recognizable.

Xiao Yan burnt a talisman on his head to make sure Zheng Laosi wouldn't turn into any monster

His wounds from yesterday suddenly burned with the talisman. He squeezed his face into a tight frown.

A crow jumped off that bent doorframe and flew straight toward an inn near the local river docks.

The sun was gone again.

I am sorry, Xiao Yan said quietly in his own mind. I am sorry…

Carrying salt rakes for defense, a few strong men ran to that riverbank early this morning with torn nets and wooden buckets. They wanted to catch stranded fish.

Seeing Xiao Yan's back from far away, those men muttered something to each other.

Xiao Yan felt a sharp pain in his throat. His mind was a bit blurry.

A girl walked over from the village center and squatted down by the dirty water.

She looked a little familiar to him. She seemed to be one of Zheng Laosi's daughters, but he was not completely sure.

This girl was clearly waiting for someone.

Xiao Yan took one last look at that corpse inside. This morning felt especially bitter and cold.

He cleared his throat and started walking toward her.