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“Have you heard? Another person died yesterday, it was the eldest daughter of the Zhang family… She suddenly went mad at night, murmuring about finding her brother. Before her family could stop her, she ran out into the night.”

“Wait, doesn’t the Zhang family only have one son? Where would she get a brother from?”

“Who knows? This morning, her family found her in a shallow pond, the water only waist-deep. Her body was there, submerged and lifeless… They say she… looked as though she’d been soaked for half a month. Barely recognisable, if not for her clothes and birthmarks…”

“And it ain’t just the Zhangs. The two brothers from the Zhao family in the neighbouring Yanqi Village also disappeared… The day before, they were drinking with some folks from our town. We clearly saw them walking back on the main road when a red shadow flashed by. Then those two brothers staggered into the woods as if they were blind… The villagers looked for them all day but found no traces. They’ve reported it to the county office.”

“Sigh . . . adding them up, more than a dozen people must have been gone this month, right? It’s only just the beginning of the month. God knows when this will end…”

“Early this morning, I saw Li Yuanwai’s family leaving with their carriage… They said they were moving away from Shuiyang Town and never coming back… The rich and powerful can relocate, but how can we common folks live on?”

The street was deserted and desolate, with a few gloomy old people idly chatting by the roadside. A cold wind blew, picking up pieces of white paper which fluttered in the air.

A youth strode quickly by, too preoccupied to listen to the idle chat of the elderly. The gloomy sky was suffocating, a storm seemed imminent.

With such weather, even though it was still before sunset, it felt no different from being night already. He couldn’t tarry outdoors; he must return home as soon as possible.

He found the world increasingly strange and terrifying, the peace and tranquillity of his parent’s lives are gone forever. All these changes seemed to have started with the death of the old emperor.

To the youngsters of the town, the existence of the emperor used to be so distant that it felt less real than the statue of the Earth God in the temple.

However, five years ago when the old emperor abruptly abdicated to his youngest son, the existence of the emperor started to make its mark.

An itinerant merchant passing through the town mentioned that the new, young emperor’s age had led his brothers, even his uncles to contest his rule. In just a few short years, they rebelled against him, trying to snatch the throne.

Although the majority of the revolts were suppressed and the young emperor secured his throne, the young man could feel his life deteriorating significantly.

The first thing that struck him was the imposition of taxes by the government. They became heavier, till his family could no longer afford medicine for his ailing mother.

After his mother’s death, his father was taken away by the officials because he could not afford to pay the heavy taxes. They said he was being sent far away to work as a labourer in lieu of the unpaid taxes.

Because of his father and his young age, he was temporarily exempted from taxes. However, that was only temporary. After a year, he too would have to face the heavy taxes that sparked outrage from the neighbours.

However, he doesn’t need to worry about next year because he may not live until then. He didn’t know when it started, but everything around him had begun to take on a strange and eerie mood.

Two months ago, a famous textile merchant and shopkeeper from the county, along with four helpers, returned from a goods collection trip around midnight. It was said that they encountered a string of floating red lanterns on the official road.

The youngest helper, stricken with fear, ran away, leaving the merchant, the shopkeeper, and the older helpers frozen in shock. From that day on, no one saw them again. Like they had vanished into thin air.

About half a month ago, a group of martial artists, seemingly on the run from something, passed through Jiming Village. They stayed for one night. The next morning, the villagers who hosted these martial artists discovered, with great horror, that all their heads had been severed, murdered during the night. Oddly, there was not a drop of blood at the severed neck and all heads had inexplicably disappeared.

The incident sent shockwaves throughout many villages. The county office sent investigators, but for some unknown reason, they suddenly went mad, drew their swords, and butchered the villagers who had hosted the martial artists. After butchering all the villagers, they slaughtered each other, all dying in the end.

Half a month ago, a man in the town screamed in horror, claiming to see a giant over three meters tall sauntering by. However, no one else saw it even though it was right beside them. The next day, his body was found in his own bed, torn to pieces. It was a dreadful sight.

…The youth had heard of these horrific rumours half a year ago, especially from places where revolts and battles had taken place. It was said that some had seen the Yin Army marching at night.

Back then, the youth took all these stories merely as fun tales. He would eagerly listen to the traveling merchants or warriors, spotting panic and fear on their faces, vividly describing these bizarre and horrible events.

But now, the youngster no longer has the same sentiments as before, because all these strange and terrifying events, which were initially unfathomably distant, seemed to inexplicably creep towards his town.