Even hybrid monsters have their day

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhang Tianshi still hadn't arrived. She still hadn't gleaned any useful information about Yuntian Pavilion. The only thing that impressed her most was the town's outrageous level of worship for Yuntian Pavilion; Zhang Tianshi was like a god in their hearts.

Early that morning, just as dawn was breaking and the sky in the distance was beginning to lighten, the first hint of white appeared on the horizon.

Suddenly, a loud gong blared down the street, deafeningly loud. Geng Miaowan jumped out of bed and looked out the window. She saw a young man running through the street, banging on the gong and shouting, "The Yan family in the east has lost a child! The Yan family in the east has lost a child..."

Soon, the young man ran past the inn, leaving behind a crowd of people discussing the incident on both sides of the street. Geng Miaowan and Xiaobai exchanged a glance, then left the inn and went out onto the street.

On the street, an old man with a small stall sighed and shook his head, muttering, "Another child has gone missing..."

Geng Miaowan sensed a deeper meaning in his words and stepped forward to ask, "Uncle, I'd like to ask you, what do you mean by 'another child is missing'? Do children often go missing in town?"

The old man looked up at her and asked, "Young lady, you're not from around here, are you?"

Geng Miaowan replied, "Yes, I am from out of town. I was passing through this place and heard that the Rain Festival in Shangxing Town was very lively, so I stayed to watch the Rain Festival before leaving."

“No wonder you didn’t know,” the old man said, tidying up his stall. “Speaking of which, this is the ninth child to go missing this year. It’s about one child a month.”

"A child goes missing every month? What kind of logic is that?" Although child abduction is a common occurrence throughout history, and there are many unscrupulous people in the world who cheat and abduct children for their own selfish gain, this kind of regular child abduction is something Geng Miaowan has never heard of before.

“There’s no reason to lose a child.”

"Has the lost child been found?"

"Looking? The world is so vast, where am I supposed to look?" The old man sighed again, seemingly unwilling to say anything more to her. "Alright, I have to get back to business."

Geng Miaowan thanked the old man and turned to leave, but the old man called her back and said cryptically, "If you have nothing else to do, young lady, it would be best not to join in the fun. Go do what you need to do; things are not peaceful before and after the Rain Festival."

Geng Miaowan was startled, not understanding what he meant. She wanted to ask again, but the old man had already made it clear that he wanted to see her out. She slowly walked back to the inn with Xiaobai.

For some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about the old man's words, "One child goes missing every month." After lunch, she called the waiter into her room alone and asked him about the missing children.

At first, the waiter looked at her in surprise, "Why do you ask about this, young lady?"

Geng Miaowan took out the silver she had prepared beforehand and placed it on the table, saying, "I just happened to run into you today and was just asking out of curiosity. If you know anything, please don't hide it from me."

The waiter glanced at the silver, which was a good tael or two—several months' wages for him—and was immediately tempted. He looked around; seeing no one else besides the girl, he stepped forward, slipped the silver into his sleeve, stood beside her, and bowed, saying, "Since you want to know, I'll tell you. It's not a secret. Not only do children go missing in our town, but they also frequently go missing in nearby villages."

"But they only lose one a month?"

The waiter frowned and thought for a moment, "If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed, but now that you mention it, it seems that a child really does go missing about once a month."

"Is it the same in the nearby villages and towns?"

"Yes."

Now, Geng Miaowan felt even more suspicious. The regularity of the children's disappearances seemed far from accidental; it was as if someone was doing it intentionally. But why? And what kind of children would they target?

Thinking of this, she quickly asked, "Does the young man know what common characteristics those lost children have?"

"Common characteristics?" The waiter was taken aback at first, but quickly realized what she meant and replied, "They are all girls who went missing, and they were all sleeping at home at night, but they disappeared the next morning."

"That's strange. Have you reported it to the authorities?"

The waiter nodded. "When the children first went missing, we reported it to the authorities, but they couldn't find anything. The children seemed to have vanished into thin air without a trace. After a few years, no one reported it to the authorities anymore, and even if they did, the authorities ignored it."

"So, the child abduction has been going on for many years?"

"Yes, it's been like this since I can remember, it's been more than ten years now." Next, Geng Miaowan asked about the families of those who lost their children, and the waiter answered all her questions without reservation, which Geng Miaowan silently remembered.

Finally, she waved to him and said, "Okay, I understand, thank you, sir."

The waiter walked to the door, clenched the silver in his sleeve, and said as if he had made a great decision: "I don't know what business you have in staying in town, young lady. If possible, please leave as soon as possible. The town is not peaceful before and after the Rain Festival."

That same phrase again, just like the old man's. Though she was puzzled, she wore an innocent smile and said, "Young man, you really love to joke. I see that Shangxing Town is safe and peaceful, the people are kind, and everyone lives a prosperous life. How could it be unsafe?"

“Miss, you may not know this…” The waiter stopped as if he had some taboo, peeking out the door and looking left and right. Seeing that no one was around, he went back inside, closed the door, and came to Geng Miaowan’s side, whispering in her ear, “Miss, you may not know this, but the rain god only protects the residents of the town. Outsiders are not guaranteed safety. Every year around the time of the rain festival, outsiders mysteriously disappear.”

Upon hearing this, Geng Miaowan was greatly shocked and unconsciously raised her voice, "Is that so?"

The waiter quickly covered her mouth and said cautiously, "Shh...shh..." Seeing that she stopped making a sound, he let go of her mouth. "I was being rude. Miss, you must not make a fuss about this, and you must not tell anyone that I told you. I...I was just trying to be kind and remind you because you gave me a lot of money."

Geng Miaowan nodded, and the waiter sneaked out.

After the waiter left, Geng Miaowan gently nudged the little white dog that had been lying motionless at her feet with her toe and asked, "Does divine blessing also vary depending on the circumstances and the person?"