Translator's note: My apologies for the delayed chapter; I had a hectic weekend. The next chapter is over 6k in the raws, so that might be delayed slightly as well, but I'll do my best to post it in a timely manner. - The crisscrossing roads were like a qi board, [1] the uneven houses the blanks where pieces couldn't be placed, and the sun and moon and stars the hands moving the pieces, seizing the passersby with shadow. The village's other end was clattering with the sound of the "firecracker", rising and stopping along with Xiao Douding's footsteps, the child's clear, tinkling voice drifting further away, along with the thick, unbeaten gasps. "It's the New Year! The coming year will be well!" He went from house to house, patting the doors. The bamboo pipes clattered against the stairs, and he lifted them, knocking on them, making the sound of the beast-chasing weapon even louder. Exhaustion struck once more; in the end, his body had st...