Bihua stood at the village entrance.
The village sat on elevated ground, allowing Moon River Village to appear within the crystal like a living painting.
The entire settlement was built along a great river, with several tributaries weaving through it like a network of waterways, creating scenes of everyday life everywhere.
In the distance, village women stood by the water washing clothes with wooden paddles, rhythmically beating soaked fabric. Several boys nearby kicked around a woven rattan shuttlecock for fun.
The outer parts of the village were filled with thatched cottages and adobe houses. Fishing nets hung everywhere to dry, while bamboo-woven fishing tools decorated the walls.
It was close to noon, and smoke from cooking fires curled gently into the sky. Together with the distant mountains and flowing river, the village perfectly captured the atmosphere of a classical Jiangnan water town, as though it had stepped directly out of an ink-wash painting.
It felt vivid, real, and alive.
The Adventurers' eyes immediately lit up before they had even entered the village.
This was their first true encounter with the civilized world of the Central Plains.
Every region in the Ten Kingdoms Chronicle possessed its own customs and traditions.
These cultural details not only strengthened immersion, but also became one of the greatest motivations for Adventurers to explore. After all, what could satisfy curiosity more than uncovering an unfamiliar world piece by piece?
Even without quests or storylines, many Adventurers would happily visit Moon River Village purely as tourists.
When Ethan created Moon River Village, he carefully considered that this was not merely an ordinary ancient settlement, but a world inspired by the Classic of Mountains and Seas, where demons and monsters roamed freely.
Thus, alongside the foundations of a traditional Chinese water village, he added countless cultural symbols that matched the supernatural setting.
As Bihua entered the village, she noticed bronze bells hanging beneath every roof to ward off evil spirits. Strange talismans written in twisted tadpole-like script covered the doorways.
She could also see traces of sacrifices and bizarre folk rituals everywhere.
For example, black pottery bowls filled with clear water hung outside many shops. According to local belief, they could repel wandering ghosts and yakshas.
These details were everywhere, and all of them were incredibly meticulous. The world felt realistic, yet mysterious.
The architecture and clothing matched the style of the Sui Dynasty, giving the setting a strong historical atmosphere.
And because the River God Festival was approaching, the entire village carried a strange mood—outwardly lively, yet inwardly anxious and tense.
Moonlight Snow said, "Is this what a small village in the Central Plains looks like? The customs feel completely different from Ashina Country!"
Time Traveler nodded.
"It's obvious they're not only from different regions, but entirely different eras as well."
"So realistic!"
"Although Ashina Country also had a lot of detail, the sense of everyday life there still can't compare to this place."
---
What is a "sense of life"?
Simply put, it refers to the traces of daily living reflected through clothing, food, housing, transportation, and customs.
The sense of life in Ashina Country from Sekiro was relatively thin. Although Ethan added many residential areas in the remake, the setting itself was a war-torn land with little normal civilian life, so its atmosphere naturally felt harsher and less grounded.
Moon River Village was different.
This was the very first area of the Sui and Tang Chronicles.
Every household here lived like real people.
Every corner carried traces of generations of villagers who had once lived there.
In truth, if Adventurers were willing to study the village carefully, this small settlement alone contained dozens of regional customs and at least a hundred small stories connected to the Classic of Mountains and Seas mythology and the history of the era, with roots stretching back several centuries.
It was practically a treasure trove.
And if even one village was this detailed, how rich would the larger cities of this world be?
Although Bihua was curious about everything, Adventurer time was limited, so she needed to push the main story forward as efficiently as possible.
Thus, she began asking villagers for directions.
"Excuse me, do you know how to get to Thundermist Marsh?"
"I don't know."
"Excuse me, have you heard of Thundermist Marsh?"
"Don't bother me. I'm preparing offerings for the River God Festival!"
---
She gained nothing.
Just as she was feeling frustrated, a gentle voice suddenly called out:
"Excuse me, young Taoist priest… are you trying to go to Thundermist Marsh?"
The speaker was a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a light-blue ruqun dress.
Her skin was smooth and pale, her appearance delicate and gentle, and her temperament soft and refined.
But her most striking feature was her long silver-white hair.
The Adventurers immediately became excited.
Mao Mengmeng exclaimed, "That appearance, that personality, and the white hair… this girl is definitely important!"
Nancilia nodded.
"Her aura is completely different from the villagers. She's most likely a major story character."
---
"That's right!" Bihua replied. "Do you know anything about Thundermist Marsh?"
"You can only reach Thundermist Marsh by boat," the girl explained. "You'll need to ask the ferryman for help. But Moon River Village is currently preparing for the River God Festival, so the ferry won't operate for the next two days."
No wonder Thundermist Marsh couldn't be reached directly from the travel map.
The Adventurers first had to pass through Moon River Village and continue by water.
The white-haired girl continued:
"My family runs an inn here in Moon River Village, and our prices are affordable. Young Taoist priest, why not stay for a day or two and leave after the festival ends?"
Bihua immediately sensed this might be related to the main story.
Although she urgently needed to reach Thundermist Marsh and find Master Gideon, waiting one or two days wouldn't matter much. Her master's sealing spell could still last for nearly a year.
"Alright then," Bihua smiled. "Sorry for troubling you, miss. May I ask your name?"
"My name is Lily Snow. You can just call me Lily."
The silver-haired girl looked delighted to finally attract a guest to her family's inn, and she immediately led the way.
Bihua asked curiously, "Miss Lily, why is your hair white?"
Lily looked embarrassed.
"This… I was born this way. My biological parents thought it was a bad omen and abandoned me in the river. Only Uncle Harris was willing to adopt me."
Mao Mengmeng couldn't help complaining.
"No way! Such a beautiful girl was abandoned just because of her hair color?"
Pear Blossom Rain sighed.
"It seems people in this world are extremely superstitious and fearful of anything different."
Time Traveler added:
"That's understandable. This is a world where demons roam freely. Any abnormal trait could hide danger. Ordinary people naturally fear the unknown."
---
Bihua smiled gently.
"I don't think your hair is strange at all. Honestly, I think it's beautiful."
Lily had always been self-conscious about her appearance since childhood.
Hearing praise like this for the first time made her blush immediately.
By now, the two had already reached the center of the village.
An old ferry dock stood nearby. Since Moon River Village sat along an important waterway, merchants and travelers often passed through during normal times, so despite being a small settlement, it contained several general stores, herbal shops, and inns.
The village had once been lively and prosperous.
But now it felt desolate.
There were barely any outsiders around, and the atmosphere suggested difficult times.
Lily's family inn had not received guests for several days, which explained why she had been so excited earlier.
One night's lodging cost two hundred wen.
Meals cost another fifty wen.
Bihua quickly searched through Chen Prescott's memories and learned:
"The Sui Dynasty still uses the old Wuzhu coin system. One thousand wen equals one tael of silver, and I currently have more than ten taels with me. Travel expenses won't be a problem."
The Adventurers discussed enthusiastically.
"Even the currency system is this detailed? That's impressive!"
"Two hundred wen for a room really is cheap!"
---
After checking into her room, Lily quickly brought over food.
The meal consisted of steaming millet rice, pickled fern vegetables in a rough pottery bowl, Moon River Village smoked fish, and three-colored kudzu cakes personally made by Lily herself.
Lily said apologetically:
"Because of the River God Festival, it's difficult to buy fresh ingredients recently. I hope you don't mind…"
Bihua smiled.
"It's fine! These dishes are really unique. I like them!"
There was no shortage of delicious food in Miracle City.
Instead, it was these dishes full of regional flavor that truly fascinated the Adventurers.
For example, the three-colored kudzu cakes were made from wild kudzu roots gathered from the mountains, dyed with red yeast rice and mugwort juice.
It was a common local food and also frequently used as a ritual offering.
The details were astonishingly thorough.
Even Ran Tianyun had to admire Ethan's meticulous craftsmanship.
Although the Adventurers had spent less than half an hour in Moon River Village, the countless cultural details in the architecture, clothing, customs, and cuisine had already made the village feel alive and believable.
Through conversation, Bihua learned more:
"Lily has a younger brother named Lucas."
"He was born disabled and can only walk with crutches. However, doctors say the condition can still be cured before he turns ten, so the family has been desperately saving money for treatment."
As the conversation continued, the Adventurer clearly sensed that Lily blamed herself for her brother's disability.
Because of the villagers' gossip, she genuinely believed she was cursed.
Otherwise, why would kind-hearted Uncle Harris, who finally had a child late in life, end up with a disabled son?
Bihua naturally didn't believe such nonsense.
Just as she was about to comfort her, a child's crying suddenly echoed from downstairs.
"Lucas fell again! I need to go check on him…"
Lily hurriedly stood up.
"Tomorrow is the River God Festival. Outsiders aren't allowed to participate, so it's best if you stay inside. You can leave for Thundermist Marsh in another day."
With that, she hurried downstairs.
What a pure and kind girl.
How could someone like her possibly be cursed?
Bihua didn't think too deeply about it.
Adventurer time was precious, and she couldn't simply waste it waiting around. Perhaps there were hidden quests and stories throughout the village, but she was more interested in advancing the main storyline.
When she finally lay down on the bed—
[Rest immediately? Yes / No]
"As expected," Bihua muttered. "If you don't explore optional content, the extra time can be skipped."
The moment she selected "Yes," exhaustion from three straight days of travel overwhelmed her.
Her eyelids felt heavy as lead.
Within seconds, she fell asleep.
The Secret Realm Crystal dimmed.
Two seconds later, it lit up again.
Bihua woke the next morning—
Only to be awakened by crying.
"Why is Lucas crying again?"
Curious, Bihua walked downstairs and saw a six- or seven-year-old boy leaning on crutches, sobbing loudly while Uncle Harris stood nearby with a devastated expression.
"What happened?"
"Waaah! Sister's going to be eaten by the River God! I don't want Sister to be eaten!"
After asking for details, the Adventurers immediately exploded with anger.
Bihua said furiously:
"So the so-called River God Festival is actually human sacrifice?!"
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