The sun sank low in the west, and dusk was fast approaching.
Outside Tongzhou City, in Hu Family Village, droves of villagers followed two constables from the County Government Office out of the village.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! A middle-aged constable in the lead struck a bronze gong in his hand and bellowed, "Pick up the pace and keep up! It'll be dark soon. If we don't reach Yang Family Village before sunset, you might end up as a roadside meal for the evil spirits."
The County Government Office had dispatched all its constables to the villages surrounding Tongzhou City, warning them that an evil spirit might come to devour people that night and ordering everyone to evacuate to Yang Family Village.
"What a pain," a villager grumbled. "I hear from the officials that all the surrounding villages are being evacuated. This is such a huge hassle. Couldn't they just station some men in each village to stand guard? Do they really have to herd us all to Yang Family Village?"
