Wang Jue lunged forward, catching the old man before he could fall, steadying him with his left hand on his shoulder while pinching the philtrum with his right. It took a long moment before the elder finally caught his breath.

Meanwhile, the crowd had carried the body into the main hall. They cleared tables and chairs, quickly setting up a makeshift mourning hall, laying the remains down, arranging incense and candles, and taking turns kneeling before the spirit tablet to kowtow.

Half an hour later, those who had brought the body departed; word was that several other families were still waiting to have their own bodies transported. Only Gui Fang's family remained in the courtyard, utterly devastated by grief.

Seeing this scene, Wang Jue and I felt we couldn't leave, so we stayed behind to help them manage the funeral arrangements.

Wang Jue cleaned the body minimally, wiping away the bloodstains with a damp cloth and gently combing the hair. He had Gui Fang find a set of clean clothes, and I assisted by helping to dress Jin Bao'er.

It was clear Jin Bao'er was still just a child. Though the dim firelight last night obscured which of the fighting figures belonged to him, the clear knife wound across his throat told us plainly that this was one life lost to Li Xiaohao’s scheme.

The white-haired sending off the black-haired—the old man sat beside the memorial tablet, watching us meticulously wash and dress Jin Bao'er, weeping inconsolably. This sudden tragedy had completely shattered him.

Gui Fang’s husband was slightly better composed, but still uncontrollable. At one point, he grabbed a slaughtering knife, intent on going out to find someone for revenge. Gui Fang knelt on the ground, desperately restraining him, clinging to his legs and crying, "They already said there were no survivors! Everyone near the fire pit is dead. Who are you going to find for revenge?"

The man sank onto the ground, letting out a howl of grief.

Witnessing this profound sorrow, Wang Jue and I exchanged a few words privately. We both agreed we needed to find Jingyin Mountain and leave this village as soon as possible. However, after stepping outside, we found that nine out of ten households were preparing funerals, with wails echoing everywhere; it was impossible to find anyone to ask about Jingyin Mountain.

Just as we were at a loss, Gui Zhi was squatting near the courtyard entrance, playing alone with pebbles. Wang Jue approached her, squatted down to join her game, and tried to coax her into conversation while they played.

"Gui Zhi, how old are you this year?" Wang Jue asked in an artificially sweet, affected tone that made one's skin crawl. His change in mannerisms seemed even more pronounced than before.

"Five," Gui Zhi replied, holding up five fingers to indicate.

"Have you ever climbed the mountains near the village?"

"Of course," Gui Zhi nodded proudly. "I’ve climbed two mountains. There’s a third one that no one in the whole village is allowed to climb, so I’ve never been there."

Hearing this, our eyes lit up—we sensed an opportunity!

"Can you tell Uncle where that mountain is?"

Gui Zhi shook her head, returning her attention to her game of catching stones. Seeing her silence, Wang Jue pulled out a lollipop and tried to tempt her, "Do you remember lollipops? So sweet?"

The appearance of the lollipop certainly worked. Gui Zhi snatched it, beaming as she said, "You can’t find that mountain during the day; you can only see it at night. Only my grandpa knows the path to get up there."

Another night of waiting! I sat slumped on the ground, letting out a long, exasperated sigh toward the heavens. Looking at the family consumed by grief, asking for directions seemed a daunting task.

Wang Jue shared my sentiment. He suggested, "How about we stay and help them for one more night? Once they’ve recovered a bit and have time to talk to us, it won’t be too late to ask for directions then."