After resting for a few days, Xuan Yi and Yun He made their way to the affected village. They wore simple clothing and stood at the entrance of the village to observe their surroundings.
"Do you sense that?" Yun He wrinkled his nose as he asked Xuan Yi who nodded in response.
The amount of resentment energy in the air is suffocating. If she was not informed of the situation in this village, she would have thought this was a cemetery. Xuan Yi coughed lightly before she walked into the village. Looking around, she was not too sure where she should start but Yun He immediately made a beeline for the tea house. Shaking her head, she followed behind him.
"Give me two jars of your best wine," Yun He yelled and the waiter immediately went to fetch his wine. He gave Xuan Yi a playful wink as the waiter came back with his wine.
"Waiter, your tea house looks quite empty?" Yun He slung his arm over the waiter's shoulders and smiled at him.
With Yun He's good looks, he could charm even the straightest man on the street much less a waiter. The waiter quickly sat down on their table and grumbled, "the business hasn't been great due to the recent floods."
"Floods?" Yun He probed.
"That's right. Recently, it has been flooding quite heavily and the village head told us that it was because the water god is angry that we did not do offerings. We used to but the newer generation is more skeptical about this so nowadays, people don't do it. The village head said that the water god could no longer endure our insolent behavior and sent down the floods to punish us." The waiter explained in a convincing tone as though he is afraid that they would not believe him.
Yun He, "so the villagers did offerings?"
"That's right. We did it for a while but the floods did not stop at all, so everyone starting doubting the village head. Then the village head refused to give up and hired a priest. He said that the priest is able to communicate with the water god and that we should all hear what the water god wants to say. The priest chanted a few times and told us that the water god is very angry and normal offerings will not appease his anger. He says the people used to offer him women but they have all died and their souls reincarnated. He has not had company for a long time and if the villagers are sincere, they should offer their women to him as compensation."
Xuan Yi, "and everyone believed him?"
The waiter shook his head, "of course not. Who is crazy enough to believe such nonsense? Nobody believed him and the priest said that the water god will give us a few days to prepare. If there is no offering in the water after 3 days, he would send a flood to destroy the crops planted in a field near the water. Nobody cared and yet, the priest's words came true! After 3 days, someone came into the village saying that the crops have been flooded and destroyed. That's when everyone started to believe the village head. Even the village elders have started to support him and they began to choose which woman to sacrifice as an offering."
"First it was one of the daughters of a poor family but after throwing her into the sea, the floods did not stop. The priest then said the people are looking down on him by giving him an ugly commoner. Then they started choosing women who are good looking or women from high ranking families. The most recent woman had just reached marriageable age before her father offered her."
The waiter suddenly lowered his volume and whispered, "the elders are preaching that we should all try to appease the water god's anger. A daughter cannot compare to their father's and son's lives but what I am seeing is the village head and elders want to sacrifice other families' daughters and not their own daughters. So far, none of the elder's daughters or the village head's granddaughters has been chosen as offerings. Isn't that hypocritical?"
Xuan Yi eyed Yun He as she digested what she had just heard. She has an inkling of what is happening but this requires more investigation. Yun He thanked the waiter before he asked if there is any inn that they could stay in.
"There is an inn straight ahead but I am not too sure if they are accepting guests," the waiter replied with a grin but he did not leave after answering his question. The waiter kept rubbing his hands and eyeing Yun He but Yun He does not know exactly what he wants.
Xuan Yi sighed before removing a pouch from her sleeves. Taking some shattered silver, she placed them into the waiter's hands before she stood up. The waiter, realizing that it is the lady that is paying and not the man, instantly ignored Yun He and repeatedly bow towards Xuan Yi while giving thanks. Xuan Yi nodded before she took the jars of wine and headed towards the direction the waiter pointed them to.
Yun He quickly stood up and followed Xuan Yi out of the tea house. Glancing at the waiter behind, he asked Xuan Yi. "What's with his sudden change of attitude? Did you see what he did back there?"
Xuan Yi rolled her eyes at his hurt expression. "Did you expect that the wine and information to be free?"
Yun He stood at his spot, stupified. "I forgot," he then mumbled with an embarrassed grin. He is the water god. Since when did he have to pay for anything? Even in the heavenly realm, he did not need to pay for anything that he took. In fact, people would readily give it to him.
"I vaguely remember that humans used gold and silver as currencies but I have never done it before so I can be excused." Yun He nodded to himself as if he was satisfied with the way he justified himself.
Xuan Yi ignored him as she entered the inn and went to the front desk. "Can we have one room and some dinner for a week's stay?"
The man standing behind the counter was gruff and eyed her from head to toe. Xuan Yi had a scarf that hid half of her face and she wore a simple white dress. She looked extremely docile and lovely.
The man then looked behind at Yun He and then back the Xuan Yi.
"Just one room for the two of you?" he asked.
"Yes," Xuan Yi answered firmly without flinching away from his stare.
The man then turned behind him and took out a key. Handling it to Xuan Yi, he said. "Last room on the second floor to your right."
Xuan Yi took the key and paid for her stay before she went up to her room with Yun He. After closing the door behind them, Yun He pursed his lips. "The way he looked at you was disgusting," he muttered.
"Indeed, human males have never been pleasant. No matter what rank they are, they are all the same." Xuan Yi nodded before she sat down comfortably on the bed. There is only one bed and there are two of them. While Yun He eyed the bed nervously as he began to overthink, Xuan Yi knocked his head sharply.
"Ouch, that hurts. What's that for?" He whined as he slowly rubbed the spot where he was hit.
"For being an idiot," Xuan Yi answered before she went to the window. Opening the paper windows, she took in the condition of the village. If she was right, this is the wealthier part of the village. The north would be where all the poor people lived because that is nearer to the mountains. Xuan Yi could feel the stagnant air floating from the north and she mentally noted to check out that area later. For now, she needs to visit the sea.
Yun He and Xuan Yi made their way to the sea after resting up for a bit. It was not a long journey but because they traveled from another realm, Yun He was feeling a little sick in the stomach so he took a short nap. It was later afternoon when they arrived at the sea and there was nobody near it. Everyone has evacuated from the area near the water and the once lively south coast is now a desolated area. The sky is dark and the currents are unnaturally strong.
Yun He narrowed his eyes as he felt the emotions of the water. Anger and resentment. Maybe the priest was real? The water is angry for real but Yun He was very sure that there is no reason why the water should be angry. Yun He placed a hand on the slooshing currents and tried to inject some calm energy into the water. However, it was rejected.
Yun He widened his eyes in shock. He is the water god and yet, water has rejected him?
Seeing this, Xuan Yi could not help but tease him. "Maybe water knows that you have been fooling around for too long and has finally had enough of you?"
Yun He whipped his head towards Xuan Yi in disbelief. "That cannot be right?" He whispered weakly and Xuan Yi shrugged her shoulders.
Xuan Yi, "who knows, but there is something not right about this."
Yun He, "of course something is not right. When has there ever been a case of an element rejecting its master?"
Xuan Yi shook her head. Although that is indeed strange, her focus was not on the water. It was on the energy she is feeling from the water that gives her a feeling that there is something in the water.
She placed both her palms into the water and closed her eyes. As she concentrated, she slowly began to merge her consciousness with the water.
"Help me," a woman stood at the edge of the shore cried.
"I do not want to die," a man whose boat had capsized.
"Is this the end?" a young child who fell out of the boat.
All the memories of the water body drifted into her mind and Xuan Yi grimaced at the immense headache they bring along with them. She quickly filtered those that are too long ago and searched for more recent memories. Xuan Yi finally found one and she zoomed into that particular memory.
"Father has found out about the truth of this entire matter and now he is being forced to offer me as the next sacrifice. If this will protect Father then this daughter will gladly offer her life." A girl with determined eyes stared ahead before she was swallowed by the waves.
Xuan Yi snapped her eyes open and returned to her senses. Her dress is now wet as the water had reached nearer the shore. Yun He stood beside her as he waited for her to finish. He knew she was doing something that he should not interrupt and so he waited until she opened her eyes before telling her in a grave tone that he sensed someone spying on them from afar.
"We should go," Xuan Yi told him. She has gotten what she wanted after all and now the next step has been determined. Ignoring the person trailing behind them, she went straight to the house of the most recent sacrifice.