Chapter 589

Liu Liu Jinghui wasn't someone who could be summoned on a whim. Of course, upon Jiang Yuan's invitation, he quickly arrived.

Elfa directly picked up Liu Liu Jinghui from Changyang City and brought him to Zoumadao Police Station. Everyone met in the station's courtyard, and the atmosphere was intensely rural.

Huang Huang Qiang smiled broadly as he shook Liu Liu Jinghui's hand. Liu Liu Jinghui frowned suspiciously and bluntly asked, "Has Jiang Yuan been exiled?"

"No." A group of young people, surrounding Awa, sang and danced their way to Lu Cai Mian's house. Xiao Xiao Jiyao from the Béry family walked to the door and knocked loudly.

He was a friend of Lu Cai Mian, Raymond, and Awa, with slightly curly brown hair, prominent freckles on his face, and blue eyes smaller than normal, as if always half-closed.

With a creak, Aurèle appeared before them. She had pinned up her golden hair and wore a formal, light-colored dress with ruffled collars, radiating vitality, her face glowing—completely free of any fatigue from staying up half the night and skipping sleep the next morning.

Awa, wearing a crown woven from branches and flowers, stepped forward and sang.

"I am the spirit of spring."

"My face is sweet and lovely."

"..."

"Sing, dance!"

"Only then will you gain a bountiful harvest..." Aurèle listened quietly, took the leaf, and handed Awa a small clay jar filled with animal fat.

"Bountiful harvest! Bountiful harvest!" The young people cheered.

As the "Spirit of Spring" procession moved toward the next location, Xiao Xiao Jiyao from the Béry family deliberately lagged behind and asked Aurèle.

"Where's Lu Cai Mian? I haven't seen him these past two days. Isn't he joining the Lenten celebration?"

Aurèle smiled. "He's sick."

"Sick?" Xiao Xiao Jiyao was slightly surprised.

"He gets sick?" In his mind, Lu Cai Mian was always full of energy, at most suffering minor scrapes or bruises from his pranks.

"If he never got sick, I'd be afraid," Aurèle replied playfully.

"Humans get sick."

As the "Spirit of Spring" procession grew distant, Xiao Xiao Jiyao quickly waved to Aurèle.

"Tell Lu Cai Mian—I'll visit him after Lent!" Aurèle nodded gently, watching Xiao Xiao Jiyao sprint toward the procession, now halted before the next house.

"How was it?" Lu Cai Mian poked his head out beside his sister.

Aurèle thought for a moment. "They still seem normal now, but I don't know what they'll become by the end of the celebration." Thinking of the bloody scene where Awa's head was cut off, and how the young participants had been driven mad by the strange atmosphere and events, either descending into frenzy to bid farewell to the "Spirit of Spring" or collapsing utterly, Lu Cai Mian felt no one would escape.

He silently watched Awa singing at the neighbor's door, surrounded by Xiao Xiao Jiyao and the others, then slowly withdrew his gaze.

Lyane, Liya, and Valentin also came downstairs, gazing out the window.

"We must be extra cautious now," Lyane said once the "Spirit of Spring" procession had left the area.

Aurèle nodded. "Understood."

While the celebration still continued, they quickly prepared lunch and ate their fill. Ding, ding, ding—the classical wall clock on the first floor chimed noon.

After clearing the dining area, Lu Cai Mian and the others exchanged glances, their nerves tightening uncontrollably.

If the Lenten celebration had proceeded normally, it should have ended by now. And if the ritual to send off the "Spirit of Spring" was truly completed, who knew what Coldu village would become.

Because the house was partially underground, Lu Cai Mian had to slightly lift his head to see outside. The sky was deep blue, dotted with white clouds, the sunlight bright—nothing like the dark clouds, fog, or dim light he'd imagined.

Liya paced near the stove, her headscarf and boots' silver bells jingling softly—not intense, not soothing.

Seeing Aurèle look at her, she spoke: "We are already in danger—a persistent one—but for now, it's manageable."

Aurèle murmured "Mm," asking no further questions. Lyane, however, sighed lightly. "If this level of danger holds until the twelfth night, it would be best."

Aurèle blinked, unwilling to tell this "Knight of Dawn" of the "Mechanical Heart" not to speak such words—they often invited the opposite outcome.

Though Lu Cai Mian's heart was heavy, he kept a smile and replied to Lyane: "In our Dali region, there's a saying: 'Fate decides good or ill; all is preordained.' No matter how much we worry, we can't change what's coming." What he didn't say was that the only thing left was to muster courage and face it.

Amid fragmented conversation, the five remained alert for possible changes—but whether weather or birds, everything was unnervingly normal.

After nearly half an hour, they all turned their gaze toward the door. Footsteps approached. Soon, the bell at Aurèle's door rang—ding-ding-ding—echoing through the entire first floor.

After exchanging a glance with his sister, Lu Cai Mian cautiously walked to the door and peered through the peephole.

The person ringing the bell was their neighbor, Louis Bedec.

"What do you need?" Lu Cai Mian opened the door with a smile. Louis Bedec had black hair, blue eyes, was in his forties, and had lost two fingers on his left hand from a wheat-harvesting injury.

He wore a gray-blue short jacket and darker trousers, speaking timidly: "I'd like to borrow your oven. It's Lent—I need to bake fresh bread for the children."

As he spoke, he lifted a sack of flour and kicked a bag of poor-quality coal beside him.

Lu Cai Mian hesitated, glancing back at Aurèle. She nodded, signaling him to let Louis Bedec in.

She had already discussed quietly with Lyane and the others, planning to closely observe any changes in villagers after the Lenten celebration.

"Just baking bread? I thought you'd make some smoked meat for your kids," Lu Cai Mian stepped aside, teasing Louis Bedec.

Louis Bedec replied stiffly: "If we have a good harvest this year, I'll make plenty of smoked meat." His eyes shone with hope, as if a bountiful harvest were certain.

Inside, Louis Bedec greeted Aurèle, then walked to the oven and began working on his own.

The more Lu Cai Mian and the others watched, the stranger it felt. Louis Bedec hadn't looked at Lyane, Liya, or Valentin even once—as if they didn't exist!

It was like a monster pretending to be human, but when confronted with anything beyond its old memories, it either reacted abnormally or simply ignored it.

Lu Cai Mian instantly recalled the parish priest Michel Garigu, who at first seemed fine, but recently had reduced himself to only eating, sleeping, and urging prayers—everything else ignored!

Under the gaze of the three outsiders, Louis Bedec baked bread like a programmed machine, occasionally chatting with Lu Cai Mian and Aurèle.

It was normal. It was deeply abnormal. When Louis Bedec left with the baked bread, Aurèle looked at Lyane and the others and smiled bitterly: "Everyone who attended the Lenten celebration has become like this."

"Like they're being slowly replaced by monsters," Liya sighed, her forced smile gone.

Lu Cai Mian had steadied himself and asked: "If we want to save people like this, how?"

"The only thing I can think of is 'purification,'" Valentin replied with a sigh. "But if the anomaly has fused tightly with the human self, the result may be mutual purification."

At that moment, two villagers passed by the window.

One was a regular at the old tavern—Pierre Xiao Jiyao, who had mooched Lyane's absinthe in the last two cycles.

He was chatting merrily with his companion, laughing as if discussing the festivities of the Lenten celebration.

As they passed Lu Cai Mian's door, they both turned sharply, staring into the house with unnervingly gloomy expressions.

After just one second, they looked away, their faces instantly filled with smiles again, continuing their conversation.

If Lu Cai Mian and the others hadn't been watching the outside whenever someone passed, they'd have missed that fleeting change in expression.

The louder the laughter and joy outside, the heavier the oppression inside. Silence replaced conversation. After a while, once the two villagers had left, Aurèle sighed: "This isn't just a slow replacement by monsters anymore. I suspect the entire village—except us—is wearing human skins."

Is this the full Lenten celebration? Lu Cai Mian whispered to himself uncontrollably.

Lyane warned solemnly: "It will get harder day by day. Hold on."

From noon to night, they remained on guard against attacks from transformed villagers—but aside from occasional passersby casting gloomy or chilling glances toward the house, nothing happened.

This placed immense pressure on Aurèle and the others.

Lyane glanced around and said gently: "We still have several days until the twelfth night. Don't tense up so much."

"After dinner, we'll split into two groups to rest in shifts. Maintain good mental condition." With such a seasoned, calm, and powerful outsider organizing them, whether Aurèle,

They looked for only a second, then averted their gazes, plastering smiles back on their faces and resuming their earlier conversation.

If Lumi'an and his companions hadn't been watching outside whenever someone passed by, they would have missed that fleeting change in expression.

The louder the laughter and chatter from outside became, the more suffocated they felt. Silence replaced discussion. After a while, when the two villagers had moved away, Auror sighed and said:

"This isn't just about monsters slowly replacing people—I suspect everyone in this village, except us, are monsters wearing human skins." Is this the full Lenten Festival?

Lumi'an couldn't help whispering to himself. Ryan then warned solemnly:

"It will get harder day by day—hold on, everyone." From noon until night, they remained on constant guard against attacks from the mutated villagers, but nothing happened—only occasional passersby glanced inside with gloomy or chilling expressions.

This placed immense pressure on Auror and the others. Ryan looked around and said gently:

"We still have several days before the twelfth night—don't be so tense.

"After dinner, we'll split into two groups to take turns resting—we must maintain good mental condition." With such a seasoned, calm, and powerful outsider organizing things, whether Auror,