This land temple was bustling with incense and prayers, frequented by villagers from two nearby hamlets seeking blessings.
Out of respect for the deities, they even paid their respects before the statues of the Earth God and Goddess before entering.
As soon as the group stepped inside, a torrential downpour began. Fierce winds raged, accompanied by lightning and thunder. The interior was dim, and the young ladies huddled together, frightened by the rumbling thunder.
Gu Tingyun took a flint and lit the candles on the altar. Though faint, the light offered a sliver of comfort.
Yu Mingyue's expression faltered as she looked at the altar in the main hall.
Perhaps her gaze lingered too long, as Chi Dan beside her asked, "Miss?"
"Is today the first day of the month?"
"Yes, yesterday, the thirtieth of May, was Youyou's birthday. Why do you look like that?" Mo Yuxi chimed in.
"Today is the first, but there are no offerings on the altar. Doesn't that seem strange?" Yu Mingyue frowned.
The land temple was popular, especially on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. Today was the first, so how could the villagers not have come to offer sacrifices?
"Perhaps the weather is too hot, and people didn't want to go out, or they were afraid the offerings would spoil and were collected early," Gu Tingyun said with a smile, trying to comfort her. "Don't be afraid, Mingyue sister, there are so many of us."
Yu Mingyue pursed her lips but remained silent, a sense of unease settling in her heart.
Jing Zhan's gaze fell upon the altar. Indeed, there were no offerings, and the incense burner showed no signs of recent use, with the characteristic scent of incense being very faint.
It was indeed unusual.
"Jing Zhan, you travel outside often. Are there bandits around here?" Gu Youyou tugged on Jing Zhan's arm.
The only thing she could think of was whether bandits had robbed the temple and taken the offerings.
"This place is quite close to the capital, and the nearby villagers sell vegetables and fruits. They live comfortably and there are no bandits. Don't worry, I'm here," Jing Zhan said, squeezing Gu Youyou's hand to reassure her.
Yu Mingyue quickly comforted everyone, "I remember, temples have caretakers. It's probably as Tingyun brother said, the caretaker feared the offerings would spoil and disrespect the deities, so they were put away. In a time of peace, under the Emperor's feet, where would bandits come from? Don't be scared, sisters. I was just overthinking and apologize to you all."
The others then resumed their chatter and laughter. Indeed, where would bandits be found so close to the capital? Moreover, this area used to be imperial farmland.
The rain outside intensified, water gathering like a small river, washing over the land. Soon, the thunder stopped, the sky brightened, and then the rain ceased.
June rain was like this, arriving and departing swiftly.
As the group was about to leave, Yu Miaoyan suddenly shrieked, "Over there… there's a hand…"
Everyone followed her gaze, and a chorus of screams erupted from the young ladies. Only Yu Mingyue remained relatively calm.
Gu Tingyun, seeing that Jing Zhan was beside his sister, quickly reassured Yu Mingyue, "Don't be afraid, Mingyue sister."
"Let's get on the carriage first," Jing Zhan said immediately.
It seemed they couldn't take the small path anymore and would have to stick to the main road for safety.
Yu Mingyue knew Jing Zhan often handled affairs for Uncle Gu and had more experience and capability than Tingyun brother.
Before boarding the carriage, Yu Mingyue called out to him, "Elder Brother Jing Zhan."
Although Yu Mingyue was acquainted with Gu Youyou, she hadn't interacted much with Jing Zhan. Now that he was no longer a guard but Youyou's future husband, it was better to address him as elder brother.
"What is your command, Sixth Miss Yu?" Jing Zhan guessed that this Yu family's sixth daughter surely had something to say.
"I dare not issue a command. Beside that corpse just now, there was an arrow feather. I observed that it was not used by an ordinary hunter, but rather more like… military issue," Yu Mingyue whispered.
Having come from a military family, she naturally understood a bit more than others.
Jing Zhan glanced at Yu Mingyue, having always known Yu family's Sixth Miss was intelligent, but he hadn't expected her to be so observant.
He had also seen the arrow feather and had intended to make plans after escorting them back to the city.
"Sixth Miss, please speak freely."
"We didn't see any villagers along the way. The worst possibility is that all the villagers have met with misfortune," Yu Mingyue said, looking at Jing Zhan.
What this implied, she didn't need to elaborate; Jing Zhan understood naturally.
It wasn't the worst possibility, but a certainty. The nearby villages had likely been occupied by rebel forces.
They might not be able to leave alive.