Chapter 71: You Come Keep Me Company
As soon as he heard the village shouting that the opera was starting, Father Chu got a little excited, shouted to Mother Chu at the top of his lungs, and hurried over.
Xuan Xia quickly called him back: “Uncle Chu, you just said they offended the deities—what exactly happened?”
Father Chu was in a hurry, so he kept it brief: “They were blabbering without restraint by the bonfire last night, and the deities must have heard it. That’s why the deities are punishing them.”
As if afraid this would scare Xuan Xia, Father Chu quickly added: “It’s fine, it’s fine. After the master craftsman invites the deities, they just need to go before them and admit their mistake.”
Just as he finished speaking, Mother Chu arrived too, and Father Chu took Mother Chu and hurried off first.
Before leaving, he didn’t forget to urge Xuan Xia: “Hurry over. If you’re late, there won’t be good spots.”
Xuan Xia agreed and let Father Chu and Mother Chu go ahead.
After Father Chu said that, Xuan Xia started to suspect too—was the staff’s diarrhea really not from the food?
If that was the case, maybe have Hong PD and the others go before the ritual master first?
Of course, she could try her non-scientific methods. But this was someone else’s turf after all, so she should show respect first.
Thinking this, she turned around and saw Zhou Shiqing sitting idly to the side.
Xuan Xia hesitated, then asked him: “Teacher Zhou, weren’t you with Hong PD and them last night?”
Zhou Shiqing said no.
After two seconds, he added: “Xiao Hai was with them last night.”
Xiao Hai was his assistant, full name Wang Xiaohai.
Xuan Xia asked: “Where’s Xiao Hai then?”
She hadn’t seen Wang Xiaohai’s figure even during breakfast earlier.
Zhou Shiqing replied: “Same as them—had the runs all night.”
Xuan Xia: “…”
It seemed she needed to prepare for emergencies.
Thinking this, Xuan Xia left a word: “I’m going to grab some things.” Then she turned and headed toward the building she was staying in.
As for what things, of course, a few more talismans.
Ever since An Qi’s incident, Xuan Xia had tasted the benefits of many talismans, so now she always brought full equipment when going out.
With the goal of always being prepared to amaze the world—Changsheng Temple is loaded\(^o^)/~
Xuan Xia grabbed her equipment and came back out, just in time to see Hong PD and the others returning.
Though these people were unwell, it couldn’t stop their eager hearts from joining the fun, so they headed straight to the Nuoxi ritual site.
A lot of people had already gathered around the Nuoxi altar, but Father Chu was very aware of his duty as host, keeping an eye out for Xuan Xia and the others. When he saw them finally coming, he waved them over repeatedly and had them stand right at the front.
Hong PD kept thanking Father Chu for saving spots for them.
But Father Chu’s expression when looking at him was a bit meaningful.
They arrived just in time—the ritual master had invoked the deities, and the rite of passage ceremony was starting.
With the sound of gong and drum music, the ritual master, head topped with a wooden mask, stepped in special dance moves, carrying a scrawny child on his back, and climbed the knife ladder step by step.
Each step of the knife ladder had a butcher knife tied with rope, blades facing up, and each knife was also pasted with yellow talisman paper inscribed with talismans.
With every step the ritual master took upward, someone let out a hiss.
Most of these sounds came from the staff around Xuan Xia.
Everyone’s gazes were fixed on the ritual master, while Xuan Xia looked toward the child on the ritual master’s back.
The child was listlessly slumped against the ritual master; his facial features couldn’t be seen clearly, only that he was skinny, with no meat on his body, like just a skeleton left.
As for the arms and legs exposed outside his clothes, they weren’t the normal dark tan either.
Amid everyone’s attention, the ritual master carried the child to the top of the knife ladder, and now it was time to “descend the knife mountain.”
A young couple nearby, probably the child’s parents, already showed relieved expressions on their faces, their line of sight locked tightly on the ritual master’s steps.
With the ritual master’s steps, Xuan Xia suddenly sensitively heard the clinking of bells mixed in the gong and drum music, sometimes syncing with the beat, sometimes standing apart.
She first thought it was from an instrument, but the on-site instruments were only gongs and drums, no bells or such.
Xuan Xia frowned slightly and uncertainly glanced toward the musicians again—no similar instruments there.
At this moment, the crowd around let out an “ah” of surprise; Xuan Xia’s line of sight quickly shifted back to the ritual master—it turned out the ritual master had swayed a bit while coming down, startling those nearby.
But because of that sway from the ritual master, the child on his back tilted, and Xuan Xia not only saw the child’s face clearly but also spotted a walnut-sized bell hanging on his neck.
The clinking sound was exactly from that bell.
……
Xuan Xia was so surprised she slightly opened her mouth.
She no longer knew whether to be surprised first by the child’s complexion or by the bell he was wearing.
The child’s face was bluish-black; Xuan Xia was very certain it wasn’t just from illness but from being tainted with evil spirit energy.
As for the bell hanging at his neck, though she couldn’t see it up close, its size and appearance were unmistakable—it was the same as the two she’d seen before.
Xuan Xia hadn’t even processed what she was seeing when the ritual master leaped down the knife ladder in a few steps, danced a few steps on flat ground with the child on his back; the villagers, who had seen plenty of rite of passage ceremonies, were waiting for the ritual master’s next ritual step, but his action was different from what they remembered.
Suddenly, the ritual master set the child down, and the mask painted with a smiling face abruptly turned toward the program group area.
The villagers familiar with the ritual wondered “huh” in their hearts; those who knew about Hong PD offending the deities last night, like Father Chu and others, cried out inwardly that the deities had truly manifested!
Hong PD and the others instantly felt that mask was looking at them, grinning eerily at them.
Their hearts were already getting hairy when the masked ritual master suddenly moved, hopping straight toward them; Hong PD and the others yelped in fright and instinctively scattered to the side.
Once they scattered, the only ones left in place were Xuan Xia and Zhou Shiqing.
Xuan Xia was already prepared, but the ritual master grabbed the shoulder of the completely unprepared Zhou Shiqing, and a strange tone came from behind the mask: “You’re good-looking, it’s you. Come with me.”
With that, the ritual master’s hand on Zhou Shiqing’s shoulder pulled, directly dragging the bewildered Zhou Shiqing out.
Zhou Shiqing had wanted to struggle free the moment he was grabbed, but he found he couldn’t break loose at all—the ritual master’s grip was incredibly strong, clamping his shoulder like it was going to nail right through it.
Just as he was about to explode in anger and curse, a hand grabbed his wrist.
The next second, Zhou Shiqing felt his surroundings suddenly change.
The surrounding villagers had all vanished, not even the village’s shadow remained; in his eyes, only the ghost shell mask-wearing ritual master was left.
And the warm touch tightly gripping his wrist was still there.
At this moment, the voice from behind the mask sounded again: “Mine mine mine, let go!”
Please chant with me: This isn’t reality, this isn’t reality, this isn’t reality. It’s all nonsense, it’s all nonsense, it’s all nonsense. PS: The ritual can’t be written exactly by the book either—watch a proper ritual documentary on CCTV.
PS again: Thanks everyone for the monthly and recommendation tickets—true feelings exist in the mortal world!!!
