However, the middle-aged man's face fell upon hearing this.
"Be quiet! How can you speak of the Lord Celestial God in private? That's disrespectful and will bring disaster upon us."
His tone was unusually severe.
Hearing this, the little boy's eyes turned red, and it looked as if he was about to cry.
"Why are you being so harsh? The child was just asking out of curiosity! There, there, Gou Dan, don't cry."
The woman at his side shot the middle-aged man a look, then gently stroked the little boy's head, letting him rest on her lap.
The little boy fell silent. Listening to the rain, he comfortably closed his eyes and soon fell asleep on the woman's lap.
After a long silence, the middle-aged man finally spoke.
"According to tradition, it's our family's turn for the village's ascension quota this year. I'll be the one to go. After I'm gone...
