Chapter 171 The old lady said we were a good match
Achan looked at the small piece of reverse scale in her hand, lost in thought.
It is said that dragons have a reverse scale, and touching it will surely enrage them. Dragons have never been easy to deal with; even a young dragon can cause the earth to shake if it stretches.
Why did the Reverse Scale appear in Zhou Ning's hands? Could there really be a dragon in White Dragon Village? And what is the relationship between Zhou Ning and that dragon?
What was originally just a temporary stop in a small village turned out to hold a secret that piqued people's curiosity.
Bai Xiuming sat up in bed and saw her staring at the dragon scale with her eyes darting around. He asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Ah Chan knelt by the bed: "I was thinking, should we do something naughty together tonight?"
Bai Xiuming smiled enigmatically: "That depends on what kind of bad thing it is."
“Go find the dragon.” Achan looked at him intently, her face full of anticipation.
"Not interested."
Seeing the man's expression change instantly, Achan leaned over and gently shook his arm: "Come with me, it's a dragon."
"You've never seen a dragon?"
Achan looked at the ring on her hand and emphasized, "I've never seen one alive."
"His rebellious scales have been removed; he might have died long ago."
She immediately snorted in dissatisfaction: "Bai Xiuming, you've changed."
Bai Xiuming remained unmoved: "Who said before getting off the carriage that they were going to sleep until the end of time and wouldn't allow me to disturb them?"
Achan's eyes flickered; it was her.
He gently pinched Achan's lower back: "It's still three days' journey from here to the wilderness. Your back and legs don't hurt anymore?"
Ah Chan let out a soft "Hey," and said coquettishly, "It's sore, quickly rub it for me."
Bai Xiuming massaged her lower back and asked, "Do you still want to find the dragon?"
She thought about it carefully and came up with a compromise: "Then I'll get a good rest tonight, and you can come with me to find the dragon tomorrow?"
Sure enough, she wasn't the type to give up so easily.
Ah Chan tugged at his clothes and shook him back and forth: "Is it okay?"
Bai Xiuming looked up at the sky, a helpless expression on his face: "Fine."
Ah Chan seemed full of energy, but by late afternoon, she was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open.
After she fell asleep, Bai Xiuming got up and left the room.
At this hour, the caravan had already begun cooking. Lie Xian and his group were sitting around in the open space in front of the house, playing chess while waiting for the meal to be served.
From afar, they saw Bai Xiuming, dressed in white robes, approaching. Lie Xing greeted him, "Brother Bai, why are you alone? Where is Miss Achan?"
"She's a little tired and is resting."
"Oh, then Brother Bai, come and sit down." Lie Xing was about to make room for Bai Xiuming when he saw several people walking over from a distance. The people were dressed smartly and did not look like villagers.
As they approached, the middle-aged woman at the head of the group asked, "I heard your caravan just returned from the capital and brought back quite a lot of fabric from there?"
Lie Xian hurriedly replied, "Yes, we have all kinds of fabrics and jewelry. This way, madam."
Lie Xian and another member of the caravan led them to the room where the goods were stored. Seeing Bai Xiuming looking at the group, Lie Xian explained, "They should be people from a nearby county town."
"Your caravan has such a great reputation?" Bai Xiuming was quite surprised.
Lie Xing couldn't help but laugh and said, "Of course not. They should all be here to participate in the White Dragon Festival. They probably heard from Brother Zhou that our caravan was also here, so they came to take a look."
"White Dragon Festival?"
"Yes, tomorrow is the Bailong Festival, a unique festival in Bailong Village. It will last for about twenty days, with the first three days being the most lively. In the past, many wealthy families from the surrounding counties would come to the village to stay for a few days and worship the Bailong together."
Bai Xiuming pondered, "To attract so many people, the White Dragon Festival must have something special about it?"
"These people are probably all here for the sacrificial offerings after the parade. They say that the offerings from Bailong Village are good for your health."
"Have you heard?"
Lie Xing shrugged: "These offerings are usually only distributed to the villagers. If outsiders want to eat them, they need to spend a lot of money to invite them."
"Yeah."
Achan slept straight through until the next day. When she woke up, there was no one in the room, and a simple breakfast, still warm, was laid out on the table.
After washing up, she sat down at the table to eat. Before she had finished her meal, she suddenly heard the sound of drums outside.
After finishing the last few bites of her meal, she pushed open the door and went outside, only to find that Bailong Village was unusually lively today.
The villagers all wore new clothes and looked very happy. It seemed that quite a few outsiders like them had also come to the village.
She saw a large crowd gathered in the open space in the center of the village, so she went over to join them.
A dozen or so tables were set up in the open space. Several women from the village were kneading dough, while two hunched old men were shaping dough into long dragons. There were already more than a dozen long dragons on the table in front of them.
Besides the man making the dragon-shaped dough, seven or eight strong men from the village gathered on the remaining open space. They were putting the sections of the wooden dragon body together, and finally, the huge dragon head was attached to the dragon body by three men working together. The dragon head was supported by a thick wooden stake.
Achan couldn't help but ask a village woman nearby, "Auntie, what are you doing?"
The woman turned to look at Achan, and seeing that she was not from this village, she explained in a kind manner, "This is a dragon statue used for the White Dragon Festival."
"Such a huge dragon?"
"This is hardly big; it's far from being as big as a real dragon."
Ah Chan looked surprised: "Could it be that you've seen a real dragon, ma'am?"
The old woman was very pleased with Achan's supportive reaction. She leaned close to Achan's ear and whispered, "I've not only seen it, I've touched it myself. It's covered in palm-sized scales, so beautiful."
"Really? When did this happen?"
"Of course it's true. It's been more than ten years. The dragon was injured and bled a lot. It was the people in our village who saved it."
"And then?" Achan pressed. "Where did the dragon go in the end? Did it stay in the village?"
"How could that be? The dragon flew away after it recovered from its injuries, but it has always protected our village and ensured good weather and abundant harvests."
“No wonder I thought Bailong Village was a place of outstanding people and auspicious energy; it turns out it really is protected by dragons.” Achan looked knowing.
"Of course! If you don't believe me, just wait and see. It will rain after the parade. It happens every year."
"Wow, that's amazing! I definitely have to take a look." Achan looked up at the sky; the sun was shining brightly today, and it didn't look like it was going to rain.
Achan watched the commotion for a while longer, and then casually asked about Zhou Ning from the village chief's family.
These things were probably known to everyone in the village, and the old woman didn't suspect anything at all, telling her almost everything she knew.
"You mean Ningning from the village chief's family? That child had a hard life. When she was five years old, there was a drought in the village. Her parents went up the mountain to look for food, but they both died there. Later, the village chief took pity on her and took her into his home."
"The village is suffering from drought, and the village chief's family probably doesn't have any surplus food either. It's amazing that he's so kind-hearted," Achan exclaimed.
"Who says otherwise? Good people are rewarded. Not long after that, it started raining in our village, and we've never lacked rain since. The village chief's family all say that the rain was brought by Ningning. They treat Ningning very well and always put her first when it comes to food and other necessities."
"Really? I saw Ningning yesterday, and she didn't seem to talk much?"
"Yes, she rarely goes out and doesn't talk to people when she sees them," the old woman said with some regret. "If it weren't for her eccentric personality, the village chief's doorstep would probably be worn down by suitors."
Upon hearing this, Achan chuckled. The old woman was somewhat dazed by Achan's laughter and couldn't help but ask, "How old are you this year, young lady? Are you betrothed?"
As Achan was about to answer, she looked up and saw Bai Xiuming in the crowd, so she pointed at him and said, "He's already betrothed to someone, he's over there."
The old woman looked in the direction she was pointing and saw Bai Xiuming, who still stood out among the crowd. She nodded and exclaimed, "He and the young lady are a perfect match."
Bai Xiuming happened to look over and saw Achan smiling at him, so he walked through the crowd towards her.
Just as Achan was about to go over, the old woman reminded her, "The parade starts at 1-3 PM, so don't forget to come over, young lady."
"I've got it. Thank you for reminding me, ma'am."
Bai Xiuming walked to Achan's side, led her out of the crowd, and then asked, "What were you talking about just now? Why were you so happy?"
The old lady said we were a good match.
"Good taste."
Ah Chan smiled, looking at the growing crowd, and said, "The old lady also said that more than ten years ago, an injured dragon came to the village and was rescued by the villagers. Over the years, that dragon has been protecting the village and ensuring good weather and abundant harvests."
"It sounds like a dragon that knows how to repay kindness."
Just as the hour of Wei (1-3 PM) arrived, Achan pulled Bai Xiuming along to the center of the village to wait for the parade to begin.
At this moment, the wooden dragon that was originally placed on the ground had been lifted up by more than a dozen strong men. The one carrying the dragon's head was a young man who looked to be in his twenties, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a strong physique.
When Achan heard everyone around him calling him Brother Xun, she inquired and learned that his name was Xia Xun. His ancestors had fled famine to Bailong Village and had lived there ever since, making a living by hunting.
By the time it was his turn, his family had all passed away, and he was able to hunt and support himself at a very young age.
As for why he was qualified to carry the dragon's head, according to the villagers of Bailong Village, the injured dragon was saved by Xia Xun.
Nowadays, Xia Chang lives in the Bailong Temple in the mountains all year round, saying that he wants to pray for the Bailong on behalf of the whole village, and the villagers have great faith in him.
The parade began quickly, with the sound of gongs and drums. Xia Xun carried the dragon head at the front, followed by one load of offerings after another, and then the village chief's family.
Achan saw Zhou Huai supporting an old man, who should be the village chief of Bailong Village.
Following behind Zhou Huai were Zhou Ying and Zhou Ning. Zhou Ning seemed unwilling to move forward, but Zhou Ying and Wu Shi held her arms on either side and dragged her forward.
I heard that according to the route in previous years, the procession needs to leave the village, carry the wooden dragon statue to the White Dragon Temple on the mountain, and then return to the village.
Ordinary people are not qualified to enter the White Dragon Temple. When Achan followed the procession to the foot of the mountain, she was stopped by the villagers. She could only watch as the village chief and his family followed the procession carrying the wooden dragon into the temple.
Throughout the event, the sounds of gongs and drums were constant, and shouts could be heard from inside the temple. Everyone was craning their necks and standing on tiptoe to look in the direction of the White Dragon Temple.
A group of people waited at the foot of the mountain for more than half an hour before the huge wooden dragon head finally reappeared in their sight.
Unlike before, this time the wooden dragon is painted with colors. The eyes on the dragon's head are painted with red and gold pupils, and the scales on the dragon's body are painted in red. From a distance, it looks a bit more lively.
The paint on the wooden dragon's body seemed not to be dry yet, and red liquid was dripping down.
The procession went down the mountain towards the village, and everyone followed, but Achan fell behind.
She clearly remembered that Zhou Ning was in the group when they came, but after they came down the mountain, only the village chief's family was left, and Zhou Ning had disappeared.
Were they left in the White Dragon Temple?
Seeing that Achan and the others did not follow the procession, the four villagers who remained at the foot of the mountain watched them warily.
Achan ignored them. She looked down at the red liquid flowing from the wooden dragon's body that had fallen to the ground. It looked exactly like fresh dragon blood.
She wasn't in a hurry to find answers for herself; the march wasn't over yet, and she was more interested in seeing how the rain would develop.
They walked slowly, and when they returned to the village, the center of the village was already surrounded by people.
In the middle of the open space, a lot of firewood was piled up, and the huge wooden dragon was placed on the firewood. The red-dyed dough dragons made of white flour were arranged in a circle around the huge wooden dragon.
At this moment, the drumbeats became more and more rapid, and Achan noticed that the villagers and outsiders watching all looked excited.
After the drumbeats ended, the village chief handed the lit torches to the strong men who had carried the wooden dragon in the parade. The first torch was given to Xia Xun.
Everyone picked up torches, and after the village chief shouted "Burn!", they used their torches to light the firewood.
The firewood quickly caught fire, crackling intermittently. Just as the flames licked the wooden dragon, large patches of dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky.
Just a moment ago the sky was clear and blue, but in the blink of an eye it darkened.
It's unclear whether something else was applied to the wooden dragon, but the flames burned even more fiercely after sticking to it. Soon, many blackened parts appeared on the dragon's massive body, resembling rotten wounds.
As the flames rose higher and higher, a sound that was like thunder or a roar rang out, and finally, dense raindrops began to fall.
"It's raining! The White Dragon has appeared!"
Someone shouted first, and then everyone started screaming and cheering. The sudden downpour brought the march to its climax.
The sound of gongs and drums rang out again, as if accompanying the crowd's jubilation.
Achan and Bai Xiuming stood at the back of the crowd, and the rain falling from the sky did not fall on them at all.
The village chief, who looked quite old, was distributing offerings to the villagers. No one tried to snatch them; they all waited expectantly for the chief to hand them the offerings.
The rain poured down harder and harder, extinguishing the burning firewood, but no one cared.
The villagers who received the offerings all carried them home, and the number of people gathered in the center of the village gradually decreased, with most of those remaining being people from outside the village.
Achan watched as they placed the prepared silver ingots into the money box, and then took a dragon-shaped dough figurine from the village chief.
Seeing that Achan kept staring in that direction, Bai Xiuming asked her, "Do you also want to taste the offerings?"
Achan wrinkled her nose in disgust: "Who wants to eat this kind of thing?"
If her guess was correct, those white flour offerings had all been soaked in dragon's blood.
Dragons are creatures that hold grudges. If they die, it means they have lost all their power and everything is over. Their skin, flesh, bones, and blood will become very useful materials.
But if they are still alive, and their blood is sucked and their flesh is eaten, then the flesh and blood they devoured are like marks imprinted on those people.
Although it seems that the dragon has no chance to resist now, who knows what might happen?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
