"That's the execution of criminals, their crimes were so heinous they were put to death, to protect the people from their persecution," Elder Ge said.
"Master Ge, you remember my brother, Hong Yi," Hong Mo said.
"I remember."
"You also remember those Daoist Boys who lived here with us in the Daoist Temple, right? To me, they were all my younger brothers and sisters," Hong Mo said.
"How could I forget? I'm sitting here thinking about the old times, wishing I could have taken you all to gather herbs back then…" Elder Ge began, then sighed again. What's the point of talking about it now?
"Master Ge, you don't need to blame yourself. As a stranger, you were already very kind to us. However, there's something you probably never knew…" Hong Mo pointed outside to the murky river and hinted to Elder Ge, "For one or two months, all of us had full stomachs, because that river carried not just the offal thrown away by the slaughterhouses but also whole pigs."
