VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 948: Suppressor Deity’s Ancient Lore

Qian Dani, Chief Dong’s daughter-in-law, thirty-eight, loves coin but spends generously. This farm lunch—chicken, fish, a pot of beef—was a rare feast in Touxiang Village.

As dishes hit the table, kids swarmed the doorstep, drooling, soaking the threshold. Qian Dani shooed them with a broom.

“Bosses, dig in! Mountain food ain’t fancy, but it’s fresh game—city folks can’t get this!”

After a night’s drive, the group was starved. At Qian Dani’s call, they sat in a circle and ate.

Qian Dani poured tea: “Stay easy, bosses. East and west wings are clean, bedding’s new—nights get cold! Want anything for dinner? I’ll send someone to town.”

Ye Shisan waved her off: “Sister Dani, no fuss. This lunch is plenty—we’ll reheat leftovers by the stove.”

“No chance!” Qian Dani chirped. “Leftovers are mine. I’ll grab fresh goods from town for a hot dinner!”

Yi Qing added: “Sister Dani, no trouble. We’ve got a car—if we need stuff tonight, we’ll drive.”

Qian Dani’s brow furrowed, voice low: “Bosses, I’m straight—don’t take offense. Touxiang Village, come night, it’s in-only, no out! To leave, you’d better pick a sunlit hour.”

You Long’er’s curiosity piqued: “What’s that mean?”

Qian Dani, dead serious: “I’m not making this up. Years back, Zhang Er’s son brought his bride to honor ancestors. She hated the mountains and threw a fit to leave at night. Bike and all went into a ravine—no bodies found.”

You Long’er shrugged: “Pfft, road crash. Mountain paths are rough at night.”

Yi Qing sensed more: “Sister Dani, ‘in-only, no out’ at night—There’s more than one case, right?”

Ye Shisan, born in Touxiang, had never heard this rule and eyed Qian Dani.

Before she spoke, Vanilla, while gnawing a chicken leg, piped up: “No bodies—how’d they know it was a ravine?”

Qian Dani sized Vanilla up: “Little boss, I ain’t scaring you. Leave Touxiang before sunset, or you’ll likely get lost. Even locals stay put after dark.”

Ye Shisan and Yi Qing traded looks and thought: Something’s keeping folks from leaving the mountain!

Ye Shisan probed: “Sister Dani, it sounds like a strange force at work, and I know some feng shui masters—call them in?”

Qian Dani waved it off: “Nah, it’s useless! We’ve had folks try, but they were either scared off or took the cash and split. When I joined the Dongs, the old patriarch said Touxiang has a guardian deity that patrols the mountain roads post-sunset, blocking demons and spirits.”

Ye Shisan nodded: “Got it! Touxiang’s worth a few days, with plenty of tales to hear!”

When Qian Dani heard the bosses would linger days longer, her heart bloomed with glee—more days meant more coin! She blurted eagerly, “Bosses, after lunch, fancy a ramble up the hills? My father-in-law will guide you—he knows every nook of this land!”

Yi Qing stretched: “Drove all night, beat. We’ll rest this afternoon, explore tomorrow.”

She meant planning, but You Long’er misread and yawned: “Yeah, night drive wiped me. I’m napping! Right, darling?”

Qian Dani, sharp but clueless, caught the vibe that two women—a stunning lady and a lively teen—were sweet on Ye Shisan. Her face flushed.

“Right, rest up! Leave the dishes—I’ll clean!” She hustled out, shutting the door.

Her mutter slipped through: “City folks, so strange… fooling around in broad daylight…”

Vanilla, done with her chicken leg, patted her belly: “Alright, meeting time!”

Her bureaucratic air cracked them up.

Yi Qing asked Ye Shisan: “You were here till eight—do any of Qian Dani’s tales ring a bell?”

He shook his head: “I’ve heard about a guardian deity, but in a different version. Back when my grandfather was still alive, he said the guardian deity of Touxiang Village wasn’t there to protect it—but to suppress. In other words, it’s a suppressor deity.”

Yi Qing’s eyes sparked: “That makes perfect sense!”

“What makes sense?” You Long’er and Vanilla were completely confused.

Yi Qing explained: “Assume a guardian deity exists. Qian Dani says no leaving post-sunset. Without sunlight, something tries to escape Touxiang. That’s why Ye Shisan’s term ‘suppressor deity’ fits better. A suppressor deity doesn’t protect—it restrains. Its purpose is to prevent something from leaving. And since it can’t identify its target, its only option is indiscriminate elimination.”

Ye Shisan frowned: “Now I recall Grandpa taking me to pray at the Clay Buddha temple, and he said to visit often as it’s good for me—but never after sunset.”

“That’s a thing?” You Long’er perked up: “My dad worships Mazu and goes yearly, saying night prayers are fine if the temple’s open, like Eighteen Kings or Four-Faced Buddha, which are busier at night.”

Yi Qing mused: “The Clay Buddha temple’s the oddest spot. It might tie to Ye Shisan’s Pseudo-Spirit. Did you leave the village before eight?”

Ye Shisan pondered: “Hard to say—twenty years back. What’s leaving? Past the mountain, per Qian Dani?”

The trail went cold. Yi Qing sighed at Ye Shisan: “My job’s keeping you alive, but reality insists on staking you as a pawn…”

He grinned: “No worries. Grandpa said I’ve been tough to kill since childhood—I ain’t going easy!”

“Fine. To crack this, defy your grandpa Ye Dongsheng’s advice—you can’t visit the temple after sunset, but you’re going.”

Ye Shisan’s eyes gleamed: “Just what I intended! We rest, prepare, and explore the Clay Buddha temple tonight!”