Chapter 81: Sacrifice

Yin Zhai is a tomb in the traditional sense. Although it is quite different from Yang Zhai, it must also pay attention to Feng Shui.

Gu Longming and Lin Qiushi were talking while looking around in the yard. The yard is very large, and besides the place where they live, there are some other landscapes and buildings.

And between their residence and other residences is a dense locust tree. Although Lin Qiushi doesn't understand Feng Shui, he also knows the saying that locust trees are easy to attract ghosts.

Lin Qiushi noticed that there were strings of bells tied with red ropes on the locust trees, and the bells rang when the wind blew. It sounds pleasant at first, but if it is placed at night, the sound of the bell must be a little intimidating.

A little further past the locust tree, there is a small river crossing the edge of the yard. This small river should be the water source of the town, but it was cut off by the brick wall and left in the yard.

Seeing this scene, Gu Longming shook his head and sighed, and said, "Dragon is trapped in the shoal, surrounded by walls, and it is a fierce water. This water is not right." He said, "I walked around the house and felt that I could live in it. It's okay, they are really great people."

Lin Qiushi reminded him: "It's us who live in the yard now."

Gu Longming: "...Then we are quite good."

They were talking when they heard the sound of gongs and drums from outside. The two walked to the door and saw that it was a group of people on the street carrying a live pig and heading towards the distance.

This group of people are all wearing red clothes dedicated to the sacrifice, and the atmosphere seems to be festive. But if you look closely, you will find that the expressions on each of their faces are very heavy, and there is even a faint fear in their eyes.

"Where are they going?" Gu Longming asked in a low voice.

Lin Qiushi shook his head: "I don't know, let's go and see?"

"Okay." Gu Longming is gearing up.

Hearing this voice with them, there were other people in the team, but some people were afraid and unwilling to leave the yard, but a few others, like Lin Qiushi and the others, chose to go to see where the group of people was going.

So six or seven people sneakily followed the sacrificial procession and went into the distance.

They crossed the street and walked through a grove, and saw that the sacrificial procession finally stopped in front of a river beside a small town.

This river seems to be the main trunk of the river that was introduced into the yard where they lived.

The people who sacrificed went to the water and put down the live pigs they were carrying. Lin Qiushi thought they would throw the pigs directly into the river, but he didn't think that this group of people actually took out a rattle from their pockets and started over and over again. What they were reciting over and over again, the group of people were far away, and their voices were mostly silenced by the intense sound of water. Most people couldn't hear what they were reading, but Lin Qiushi heard it very clearly. He heard this group of people. What people are reciting is exactly the sentence written in the clue: the sky is terrified, the earth is terrified, there is a crying boy in my family, the past benefactor recites it three times, and slept until the bright sky.

After reading it several times, the group threw the live pig into the river.

The live pig struggled a few times in the water, and then quickly sank. When these people saw this scene, they were relieved and put away the rattle in their hands to turn around and leave.

However, just after they took a few steps forward, they heard the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground. When they turned around again, they found that the live pig had been thrown back from the water by something.

Seeing this scene, Lin Qiushi was slightly shocked. He clearly saw that the pig's body was actually covered with dense blood-red tooth marks, as if it had been bitten by something. And the bloody pig that was bitten was still alive, with a miserable howl from its mouth.

The crowd of worshipers saw this scene, and they were instantly fried. Almost everyone had a panicked expression on their faces. They didn't seem to dare to stop by the river, and hurriedly ran in the direction of the small town. It seems that some monster is about to chase after him.

Gu Longming said, "What's in the river..."

Lin Qiushi shook his head: "It's not a good thing anyway."

Gu Longming muttered: "What kind of messy River God Festival, I think it's the Water Ghost Festival."

Lin Qiushi's heart moved when he heard the words.

They were talking, but they saw two of the people who came with them standing up from the dark and heading towards the river. It seemed that they wanted to check the pig and the contents of the river carefully.

Gu Longming turned his head to look at Lin Qiushi, eager to move: "Can't we go and have a look? Maybe there are some key clues over there?"

"Don't go." Lin Qiushi didn't want to risk his own life, "Have you forgotten how fast those people who sacrificed were running?" It was as if there were ghosts dying by the river. Even in such a situation, it is either stupid or there is some trump card to rely on.

When the two got to the river, they looked at the pigs first.

The pig used for sacrifice was still alive, screaming in pain, and the blood flowing from its body ran down the river bank into the dim river. The two of them didn't find any clues in the pigs, so they looked into the river with their heads supported. One of them seemed to see something, and exclaimed: "There is something, don't go over—"

But when he said this, it was too late. As soon as the other person's foot fell on the bank of the river, something grabbed his ankle and started to drag it into the river.

The thing in the river seemed to be so powerful that it didn't even give people a chance to react. The man let out a scream and fell into the river with a thud.

"Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu——" The man left by the river shouted his friend's name in embarrassment, "Xiaoyu——"

The dusky river water began to churn, as if it had been boiled, with blood mixed in it, and the light rain that was pulled into the river was silent.

Lin Qiushi heard the child's crisp laughter, he looked at Gu Longming and saw that his face was pale.

"You heard that too?" Lin Qiushi asked him.

"What did you hear?" Gu Longming didn't know why.

Lin Qiuhui said, "Then you were frightened?"

Gu Longming was silent for a while before whispering: "I saw the thing that pulled him into the water." There was a little fear in his eyes, "It's... a pair of children's hands."

A pair of pale, swollen hands that were blistered and belonged to a child.

"Let's go." Gu Longming didn't want to stay here any longer.

Seeing that there was no movement by the river, Lin Qiushi nodded and got up.

The two returned to the city and found that the entire small town was in a very weird atmosphere at this time. People on the street were whispering, with fear in their eyes or numbness in their expressions.

But seeing these two foreigners, there is something else in this fear and numbness. Although Lin Qiushi was reluctant to admit it, he recognized it as an expression called excitement.

"Fuck, why are their eyes like this." Gu Longming couldn't stand it anymore, "It's like seeing a girl perverted, I've already changed my skirt."

Lin Qiushi: "..." He didn't say a word, thinking that if you put on a skirt, you might be competent for a perverted role.

A gust of wind passed, and the red lanterns hanging on the street were swayed around, like bright flames. Although it was a festival, there was no festive atmosphere here. Instead, everyone was afraid, afraid of the birthday of the River God in seven days.

Lin Qiushi casually found a shop, and after going in to buy something, he politely asked about the sacrifice of the river god.

The boss, a middle-aged man in his fifties, glanced at them and said reluctantly, "This is our special festival here, in order to pray for good weather..."

Lin Qiushi said, "Just like this?"

"That's it." The boss was cleaning around with a feather duster in his hand, muttering, "Otherwise what else could be done."

Lin Qiushi said, "What about the sacrifice process?"

The boss said very vaguely: "Just throw the animals into the river and feed the river god..."

Gu Longming has always spoken directly: "It's just livestock? You won't throw people in in the end, right?"

The boss was actually angry when he heard the words: "How is it possible! If you don't believe me, you can follow along and see for yourself. Can't you see what was thrown?"

Gu Longming said, "Then why..."

He wanted to ask why a child's hand stretched out from the river, but was patted by Lin Qiushi, so he changed his words: "Then why are those people so afraid of things in the river?"

"It's been said that it's a river god. Since it's a god, it must have a temper." The boss was very impatient, "Okay, okay, I'm going to do business, you ask questions and don't buy-"

"Who said I wouldn't buy it anymore." Gu Longming said, "Can I pay.Pay.Pay? Pay.Pay.Pay can't work. Wechat also works."

The boss was expressionless: "I only accept cash here."

Gu Longming said regretfully: "You can't do this, sooner or later you will be eliminated by the times, I tell you..."

Before he said anything, he was pulled away by Lin Qiushi.

Lin Qiushi felt that if Gu Longming was not taken away, it was very likely that Amway would have the advantage of non-cash payment on the spot. Cashless payment is really easy to use, but at least you need a smartphone. Besides, it's still inside the door. Can you buy some souvenirs back?

"What are you arresting me for?" Gu Longming rolled up his sleeves, obviously not saying enough, "I haven't finished speaking yet..."

When he said this, he noticed Lin Qiushi's expression and laughed dryly, "Just kidding, kidding."

However, the other people here seem to be reluctant to mention the matter of offering sacrifices to the River God. only know that the birthday of the river god is seven days away, and the whole small town will participate.

At noon, Lin Qiushi and Gu Longming returned to the yard for dinner.

The lunch was quite sumptuous, and everyone ate at the table. Lin Qiushi's ears were sharp, and he could incorporate most of the conversations into his ears.

"Is that ancestral hall really okay?" Someone whispered.

"I think there is, but I haven't found it yet." Another person was answering. This person seemed to be the man who proposed to divide the room yesterday. Lin Qiushi remembered that his name was Yan Shihe, and he was in a team with another girl group. , the girl's name is Xiao Qian.

"I don't want to go in anymore." Xiao Qian said, "The atmosphere there is weird and scary."

Yan Shihe said: "You wait outside, I'll go in and have a look."

Lin Qiushi was listening carefully, but he was suddenly patted by Gu Longming. He was startled, looked at Gu Longming, and said, "What's wrong?"

"What are you listening to?" Gu Longming whispered, "You can hear it so far away?"

Lin Qiushi said vaguely, "I can only hear a little."

Gu Longming said: "It's amazing at all."

Lin Qiushi: "Well..." He said, "There seems to be an ancestral hall in this small town, we have to go and have a look."

"Okay." Gu Longming said, "Let's go after dinner." He stood up and went to add another bowl. I have to say that Gu Longming's appetite is really good. He killed four bowls of white rice by himself, and basically ate all the dishes on the table.

Lin Qiushi suddenly felt that he should have a common language with Cheng Qianli.

After eating, they found the servants in the yard and asked carefully about the location of the Xiaocheng ancestral hall, and learned that the ancestral hall was located upstream of the river.

The ancestral hall is also called the ancestral hall. It is a product of the ancient family system. It is usually used to worship ancestors. It is also used as a place to deal with important affairs within the clan. punish.

It is also because of the important status of the ancestral hall that it is usually the symbolic building of the entire family. It is magnificently built and very beautiful.

The same is true of the ancestral hall in this small town.

The door of the ancestral hall was open, and a gatekeeper sat at the door. He didn't say hello when he saw them coming. He just raised his eyelids and glanced at them, and then closed it again without interest.

"Why didn't he stop us?" Gu Longming felt that something was wrong after entering the ancestral hall smoothly. "So important place, let people come in casually? The tablets of their ancestors are provided inside, so we are not afraid that we will smash them?"

Lin Qiushi said: "It's not right." Usually the world inside the door follows the rules of reality. For example, under normal circumstances, they should be stopped by the gatekeeper and have to use other methods to enter.

Gu Longming thought for a while, but couldn't come up with a reason, so he had to give up.

The ancestral hall enshrined neatly arranged tablets, and the number was very large, and Lin Qiushi couldn't even count them. The incense and offerings are enshrined in front of the tablet, which looks no different from other ancestral halls.

But Lin Qiushi always felt that there was something inconsistent here, but he couldn't catch it for a while.

Gu Longming looked east and west, and the more he looked, the more wrong it became: "...This ancestral hall is not right."

Lin Qiushi: "What's wrong?"

Gu Longming pointed to a tablet that was placed at a relatively high position: "Did you see that tablet?"

Lin Qiushi said: "What?" He looked in the direction Gu Longming pointed, and saw a black tablet.

Gu Longming said, "The date is wrong."

To put it simply, in the middle of the tablet is the person's name and social relationship, the left is the birthday, and the right is the time of death. Lin Qiushi looked at the time and showed surprise: "Only one year old?"

The person recorded on this tablet turned out to be a one-year-old child, or a little boy who died.

Gu Longming shook his head, his eyes full of disapproval: "Children who died prematurely cannot enter the ancestral hall."

Lin Qiushi also knows this custom, that is, the folk rule is that children who die prematurely cannot enter the ancestral grave, because it is said that such children are full of resentment when they die, and even hate their parents and brothers and sisters.

As they were talking, the tablet in front of them fell from a height with a clang and shattered in half in front of them.

Lin Qiushi and Gu Longming were silent at the same time.

"Haha, it's the wind." Gu Longming laughed dryly.

Lin Qiushi didn't speak, his eyes swept across the top tablets of the ancestral hall, and found that the row was actually filled with children's tablets. The oldest is no more than three years old, and the youngest is only one year old... Maybe not even one year old, people just Gone.

And it was definitely not the wind who smashed the tablet just now. There is no window here, and the door is half-closed. How could there be wind...

Lin Qiushi glanced at the place where the tablet was and said, "Let's go."

Gu Longming couldn't ask for anything, so he quickly got up and ran away.

When they were leaving, Yan Shihe and the others just came over, so the two sides greeted each other politely.

"What, are there any new discoveries?" Yan Shihe asked them.

"I can't tell you if there is." Gu Longming is a very direct person, and said carelessly, "What if you took the key and ran away first."

Yan Shihe laughed when he heard the words, as if he thought Gu Longming was very interesting.

Lin Qiushi was still thinking about what happened in the ancestral hall, when he felt that Gu Longming suddenly came close to his ear and took a breath. He was shivered by the breath: "What are you doing?"

Gu Longming: "I don't want to talk to you, why, do you think they will have other clues?"

Before Lin Qiushi spoke, he heard a crackling sound coming from the ancestral hall behind him. This sound was too familiar to him. They had heard it just now. It was the sound of the tablet falling to the ground and being smashed. Judging from this loudness, Lin Qiushi suspected that the tablet might have fallen a lot.

Gu Longming also heard it, and was a little confused: "Damn, what did they do in there, it made the whole family angry."

Lin Qiushi: "I don't know..."

The person guarding the ancestral hall also heard the voice, his expression was very angry, he got up and went in.

After a while, they heard a roar from inside, and then Yan Shihe and his friend Xiao Qian were driven out.

Gu Longming put away the schadenfreude on his face, pretended to be concerned, and said, "Are you all right?"

"It's okay." Yan Shihe said, "There was a little accident." He glanced at Xiaoyu.

However, Xiao Qian was very aggrieved and whispered, "Someone really pushed me, otherwise I wouldn't fall on that tablet..."

"Don't think too much." Gu Longming said, "What if it's not a human being who pushes you."

Xiao Qian almost cried.

Lin Qiushi thought to himself, brother, you should stop talking.

It was getting late now, and the four of them were going back to the yard where they lived.

The weather inside the door is not very good, even in the daytime, the sky is gloomy, but around six o'clock, the silence in the small town is restored as if it was late at night, only the big red lanterns hang lonely on the street, blown by the wind.wobbly.

When returning to the yard, Lin Qiushi saw the hostess who had received them before.