Chapter 251: A Tradition That Might Last for Centuries
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was the time for Hansu County’s annual deity worship.
Hezhou was once a major grain-producing region with a dense population. Hansu was a large county situated near He Plains, with at least 200,000 residents in the past.
It was said that even within the city alone, there were 20,000 to 30,000 people. But over time, wars and demons took their toll, and many lives were lost. Precisely because of this, the people came to understand the terror of demons.
Thus, when the Snow Temples were built, every year on the first day of the Lunar New Year and the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, nearly all of Hansu’s remaining able-bodied citizens would gather at the temples along the Snowy Plains’s edge to offer their prayers. Many people would carry baskets or shoulder poles filled with incense, stopping at each temple without missing a single one.
Back then, the temples were shrouded in clouds of incense smoke, and the worshippers formed an unbroken line along the Snowy Plains’s edge. Sometimes, long queues would stretch out in front of the temple gates.
The county seat became a ghost town, and the villages were left empty. Any newly appointed county magistrate who witnessed this scene was invariably struck with awe.
Even in the past two years, with droughts ravaging Hezhou, the people’s determination to offer incense remained unshaken. However, after the recent plague, it was different. Many had died, and Hansu County was still under lockdown, with strict control over who could enter or leave.
While the city was sealed off, the villages were not.
Amidst the vast expanse, scattered black figures still dotted the landscape. They were bundled in thick clothing, covering their noses and mouths, braving the wind and snow.