Chapter 48: Requiem Meal

After Zhao Shuihe finished the phone call and briefly explained the situation, she hung up, her expression immediately turning grave.

Noticing her unusual reaction, I quickly asked, "What happened?"

She steadied herself for a moment before looking up, her voice trembling slightly as she said, "It was Zhao Haikun... He says your master, Zhao Haipeng's body, has been found. Your comrades and friends are all there."

Hearing this, a surge of excitement rushed through me. I urged, "Where?"

A flicker of incomprehensible fear crossed Zhao Shuihe's face, though she quickly composed herself. She waved a hand and said, "Come with me. I'll take you there. But you must prepare yourself. The situation there... it isn't good."

Her words were cryptic, but I was too anxious to press for details.

After I nodded, Zhao Shuihe led me toward the north of the village. She remained silent, and the atmosphere grew quiet.

As we walked, I was lost in thought, ruminating on the series of questions and doubts brought about by my old squad leader's death.

During the day, having received Zhao Shuihe's promise to help us remove the White Food Gu, my mood was far less stifled and impulsive than when I had first arrived at Zhao Family Mansion. However, the pressing issue remained: I desperately wanted to unravel all the "tricks" surrounding the squad leader's funeral. I wanted to dig out the bastard who had directed Huo Weilian to stir up trouble time and again.

After the recent skirmish, I had come to deeply understand that a "force" in this village was determined to kill me. From the pretending-to-be-mad Master Duan to Li Douniu, who lured me into the "Cat Formation" trap; from the Lei brothers, who coveted my squad leader's ancestral kitchen knife, to that old woman in black who carried a white flour doll everywhere—none of them were good people. They were likely all in it together.

But what was their goal? I didn't know, and I couldn't fathom why someone would repeatedly try to kill me. I possessed no core clues regarding the squad leader's death, nor could I hinder anyone from obtaining his legacy.

In short, I felt like an outsider dragged into this for no reason.

Why would someone fear me, an "outsider," enough to feel the need to eliminate me?

At that moment, I thought of the elusive old woman. Out of curiosity, I couldn't help but ask Zhao Shuihe, "Shuihe, do you remember the old woman at the entrance holding the white flour doll?"

When I asked about her, Zhao Shuihe’s expression twitched slightly before she returned to her calm demeanor. She nodded, saying, "I remember. What do you suspect?"

Fearing she might misunderstand, I simply asked, "You remember the method she used to lure away my squad leader's body, right? Could you analyze it with me to see if we can find any leads?"

At the time, the old woman had only shouted to my squad leader, "Go see your wife," and his iron-like corpse had actually smiled. Not only did he smile, but he walked out step by step, following her. The eeriness of it was truly unfathomable.

Since I couldn't make heads or tails of it, I naturally wanted to ask.

Zhao Shuihe didn't answer immediately. After deep thought, her pace slowed significantly.

"I can't tell which sect that old woman belongs to," Zhao Shuihe said pensively. "However, I do know about the flour doll in her hand."

That bit of news lightened my heart. From the beginning, that old woman had cradled the doll, calling it her son and coaxing it to laugh. It was... deeply abnormal.

"What is the origin of that white flour doll?" I asked urgently.

"That doll is technically called 'Guoshi' (Fruit Food)," Zhao Shuihe explained. "In the past, it served two purposes: one was for eating, and the other... for rituals and appeasing spirits!"

"Appeasing spirits?!" I was stunned.

"Appeasing spirits," Zhao Shuihe confirmed, and she began to tell me the history of the "Guoshi."

"Guoshi" is essentially the predecessor to modern "flour sculpture." Unlike modern sculptures, which are purely ornamental, Guoshi was edible. In ancient times and many remote areas, these human or animal-shaped dough figures were used for sacrifices, and even for sorcery and casting curses.

The origin of Guoshi lies in the *mantou* (steamed bun). Legend has it that during the Three Kingdoms period, after Zhuge Liang defeated Meng Huo and was leading his army home, they were blocked by a violent storm while trying to cross the Lu River. The crossing was impossible for seven days.

The locals claimed that vengeful spirits in the water were causing the trouble and that they had to sacrifice human heads to appease the spirits and perform a ritual to safely cross.

Zhuge Liang, unwilling to sacrifice humans, devised a clever plan: he stuffed dough with pork, beef, and mutton, carved human faces into the dough, and used these "mantou" as offerings. He performed his own rituals and threw these objects into the Lu River. The river calmed, and the army crossed safely. Because these white dough balls resembled human heads, they were called "mantou," which later evolved into the common food we all know and eat today.

After the invention of the *mantou*, it diverged into two paths during the Tang Dynasty. One path led to the common *mantou* we know today, focusing on nutrition and culinary function, with the ritualistic aspect fading. The features of the face were eventually omitted.

The other path was the "Guoshi" flour sculpture that Zhao Shuihe mentioned. It preserved the religious function of sacrificing and appeasing spirits, while its edibility gradually withered away. Nowadays, Guoshi is often a "sacrificial offering" used in religious rites, soul-summoning, and witchcraft.

At this point, Zhao Shuihe spoke with the keen intuition of a master chef: "The doll in that old woman's hand was incredibly lifelike. One look tells you it's the work of a master. It’s likely the craftsmanship of a 'Grandmaster' among flour-work chefs."

I gave a bitter, helpless laugh. "Another enigmatic figure. Why do all the experts at Zhao Family Mansion love to play the fool?"

Zhao Shuihe shook her head slightly; clearly, she was just as confused about the purpose of this intrusive old woman.

"Can you... see anything else from the doll she held?" I asked, unwilling to give up.

I asked this hoping for more clues. I felt that Zhao Shuihe was very observant; she had been able to judge my best dishes just from my knife skills, so perhaps she had a unique eye to see through the old woman's doll.

Zhao Shuihe reflected for a moment. "I can only give you a rough idea. I can't guarantee its accuracy."

I nodded.

Zhao Shuihe explained that Chinese flour sculpture originated in the Three Kingdoms period and flourished during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is highly regional, with the main schools being the "Northern" and "Southern" factions. The Northern school, represented by Shanxi flour sculpture, is typically made from glutinous rice flour. It features exaggerated shapes and rich themes, excelling in emotional expression but lacking in detailed carving.

I recalled the doll in the old woman's hand and shook my head. "It definitely wasn't that style. That white doll was beautifully sculpted, lifelike, and clearly made with great finesse."

"Then it's the Southern school!" Zhao Shuihe said.

She continued, explaining that Southern flour sculpture is a more recent development, having emerged during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China era as northern techniques moved south with the "Su-style" culinary traditions. It combined the principles of the Northern school with the techniques of Huaiyang pastries, focusing on realistic forms. The most representative styles come from Zhenjiang and Shanghai.

"Zhenjiang! Shanghai, Su-style!" I stared at Zhao Shuihe, wide-eyed. "Isn't that the territory of your Huaiyang Ancestral Temples? Do you really have no impression of that old woman?"

Zhao Shuihe's next answer, however, left me feeling even stranger.