During the few days prior to the moment Qi Jingchun set down that pair of chopsticks, some ominous signs had begun appearing in the town. The water level in the Iron Lock Well had been falling rapidly, while the leaves and branches of the old locust tree had all become yellow and withered, something that clearly shouldn't have been happening at this time of year. 

Furthermore, there were also frequent flurries of cracks and pops that resembled the sound of firecrackers ringing out in the middle of the night outside the town, where many clay and wooden deity statues were situated. 

Some curious individuals had gone out to investigate the source of the sounds, only to discover that most of the clay Bodhisattva and wooden deity statues near the town, artifacts that had definitely still been there the previous winter, had gone missing.

There had also been a constant procession of ox-drawn carriages and horse-drawn carriages traveling along Fortune Street and Peach Leaf Alley, and even in the dead of night, one would still be able to hear the sound of clopping hooves ringing out on the bluestone street outside.

The regal and well-dressed outsiders were also beginning to leave the town in a hurry, with most of them wearing displeased expressions, and they were often sighted pointing in the direction of the school in the town with disgruntled looks on their faces.

The gatekeeper of the eastern town gate, Zheng Dafeng, had seemingly vanished into thin air, yet no attempts were made to find a replacement for him. Hence, the town had become akin to a person missing their front teeth, with people coming and going as they pleased.

Liu Baqiao and Chen Songfeng...