March 5th, clear, suitable for burial.
The second watch's gong was struck thunderously by the watchman.
At the entrance of Cyan Mountain Village, flames flickered, and dozens of villagers gathered together, holding high torches, with a few children nestled beside the adults, holding small torches in their hands too.
Everyone's gaze fell on the riverside, their expressions solemn.
On the riverbank, a pile of firewood was stacked, with a stake standing on it, and a young man was tied up on the stake.
A young man carried a wooden bucket from the river, fetched some water, and walked to the firewood, splashing water over it.
Only then did Han Yu slowly wake up, lifting his wet and slightly immature face, his expression changing dramatically, and he began to struggle frantically.
"Demon, meet your end!"
The villagers held their torches high and shouted loudly, scaring Han Yu's face green.
An old man emerged from the crowd, leaning on a shaky cane as he approached unsteadily.
"Demon, we cannot let you go today."
Han Yu's expression changed drastically, and he quickly began to plead, "Third Granduncle, I am the last scion of the Han Family!"
Had he not mentioned this, it would have been better; but at the mention of it, the old man erupted in fury, swinging his cane and hitting Han Yu on the head three times, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
"You may be the last scion of the Han Family, but you're on the verge of ruining all the Hans in the village."
A young man carrying a torch came over, ready to light the fire, and Han Yu hurriedly said when he saw who it was, "Uncle Gen, are you serious? You raised me!"
Uncle Gen's eyes widened in anger at these words, "I raised you, and you do this to me?"
Hearing this, Han Yu couldn't help but glance at Uncle Gen's crotch, the noticeable tent. He remembered giving Uncle Gen a pill to boost male prowess, with the side effect of increased desire.
What a sin! It was said Aunt Gen went back to her parents' home and never returned.
"Hesitating, let me do it."
A delicate woman emerged from the crowd, her petite figure surprisingly majestic, an awe-inspiring sight.
"Sister Lian, I..."
Han Yu pleaded bitterly, while Sister Lian kept her face cold and slowly moved the torch closer to the firewood pile.
If remembered correctly, he had given Sister Lian a bottle of beauty water for bathing, meant to change her body shape.
The body indeed changed "greatly," but the side effect led to a maiden's bosom swelling before her time, which was quite a sin!
The torch did not eventually set the firewood alight, and Sister Lian, unable to bear it, pulled back the torch. One by one, people from the crowd stepped forward, clamoring to light the fire.
Han Yu's expression was filled with sorrow, a grim smile on his face.
A glance over, and all were victims, all had been harmed by him.
A year ago, a glazed bottle fell from outside the sky, breaking through Han Yu's roof and nearly crushing him in his sleep.
Though he didn't die, the days that followed were hard to bear.
Every midnight from then on, a pill would inexplicably appear in the glazed bottle, of varying effects.
The pill's purpose would also appear in his mind.
The pills were truly potent, but their side effects were significant.
The most critical aspect was each pill lasting only seven days, during which it had to be consumed by him or someone else.
If not, the side effects would first affect Han Yu before the pill disappeared.
Don't ask how Han Yu knew; he had spent half a year urinating while squatting until one day when a neutralizing pill finally appeared and allowed him to stand again.
He had tried throwing the glazed bottle into the river, down a valley, and even smashing it with a hammer.
Yet, the glazed bottle was extraordinarily sturdy, impervious to external damage, returning to his side even when discarded the moment he got home.
Perhaps the many attempts angered the bottle; one day, it straightforwardly took residence in his body, like a relentless adhesive, eventually taming Han Yu.
Subsequently, the people of Cyan Mountain Village suffered calamities one after another!
Tonight, the villagers of all ages finally couldn't bear it any longer, drugging Han Yu in his sleep and placing him on the stake to carry out justice on behalf of heaven.
Many people came forward, yet no one dared to light the fire.
After one round, the villagers exchanged looks, not knowing who should be sent up to ignite the flames.
"Spare me! Uncles, sisters, brothers."
Han Yu was covered in tears and snot, crying in utter despair.
The old man's anger flared at the sound of the howl, hitting Han Yu a few more times before turning back to scan the villagers.
"Who among you will light the fire?"
The villagers glanced down, staring at their feet as if there were something there.
After looking around, without a response, the old man sighed helplessly, "Aren't you willing to let him die?"
Silence enveloped the surroundings.
Only then did the old man look at Han Yu with a sorrowful expression, "You see, boy, none of your uncles or brothers has the heart to do it, but if things continue, no one can withstand your harm."
"How about I lead your uncles and brothers in kneeling and begging you to spare them?"
Saying this, the old man tossed aside his cane and began to kneel shakily, with a row of villagers behind him following suit, ready to kneel, making Han Yu struggle against the ropes and shouting, "No, don't kneel, Third Granduncle, don't do this. Let's talk it out."
"If you still care about your uncles, then just leave! Get out of the village, the farther, the better."
The old man halted, letting out a deep sigh.
"Alright, I'll leave, and no one is to kneel."
Han Yu shouted loudly.
Someone quickly came to untie him, and once he was free, a bamboo raft had already been brought to the river, loaded with clothes and plenty of food.
Setting him up was just a scare tactic; none of the honest uncles had the heart to follow through.
Han Yu wiped away tears and snot from his face, silently kneeling to kowtow three times.
The old man helped him up with a sigh, "Go, cause trouble in the outside world."
The bamboo raft drifted with the wind, and the now-homeless Han Yu left feeling deeply distressed.
As he watched the village fade into the distance, hearing jubilant cheers erupt from the shore, he only felt worse.
Following the river down, he would reach the Jiangning Prefecture boundary.
As the saying goes, the mountains of Whie Emperor City, the waters of Jiangning Prefecture, the... ahem, Southern Border's women... refer to the unique water scenery of Jiangning Prefecture.
The river shimmered, the crescent moon hung high, and from afar, it appeared as if two moons gazed at each other in the water's reflection.
Beneath the moonlight, a boat with red lanterns drifted slowly.
Han Yu navigated the bamboo raft aimlessly on the water, not knowing where to go.
In any case, he couldn't go back.
Thud!
Without noticing, he drifted into a collision course with the boat.
Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps on the deck could be heard. In the darkness, he couldn't see the figure clearly, only a head protruding over the side of the boat, shouting down loudly.
"Who's there?"
Han Yu waved apologetically, clasping his fists to explain, "I'm just passing by, meant no collision, I'll be on my way."
"Wait!"
Just as Han Yu was about to push away with his bamboo pole, a voice from the boat promptly halted him.
"Who knows if you're a bandit here to smash the boat, better come up and get inspected."
Han Yu frowned, suppressing his displeasure, and explained again, "I'm from nearby, meant no offense."
The person above sneered, "If you won't come up, soon my brothers will come down, and then it won't be an invitation."
At that moment, Han Yu's brow twitched slightly.
It was midnight already, and in his mind, a white glazed bottle suddenly released a black pill.
The pill tumbled within his mind a few times before the pill's effects immediately presented themselves.
"Well, since you've sought trouble yourself, just what I needed."
After seeing the pill, a sly smile appeared on Han Yu's face.