Chapter 175 Shen Huixue took Achan to Lie Xian's house, having heard that they had just come from the High Priest's place...
Shen Huixue took Achan to Lie Xian's house. Hearing that they had just come from the High Priest, Lie Xian led them directly to an empty courtyard behind his house.
He explained to Achan, “This used to be my uncle’s house. After he got married, he went to live with my aunt. This place has been vacant. Miss Achan and Brother Bai can live here in peace.”
After saying that, he pushed open the door and let Achan and the others go in to take a look.
The room was sparsely furnished but very clean, clearly indicating that it was regularly cleaned.
Asan was already very satisfied to have such a place to rest in the wilderness.
She thanked Lie Xian, saying, "This place is very nice, thank you very much, Brother Lie."
“Miss Achan, you don’t need to be so polite with me. When Brother Bai comes back, you can all come to my house for dinner. Huixue, you can come too.”
"I understand, I'll be there on time." Shen Huixue didn't stand on ceremony with Lie Xian at all.
Bai Xiuming didn't stay with the High Priest for long; he quickly followed Achan's scent and came over.
He pushed open the door and entered the room, where he saw Shen Huixue helping Achan make the bed. He paused slightly.
Hearing the door open, the two turned around at the same time. Shen Huixue stood up and said politely to Bai Xiuming, "Lord Bai, your room is next door."
Bai Xiuming raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Achan.
Ah Chan nodded in agreement, then said in a perfunctory manner, "Yes, it's next door. Do you need me to make your bed?"
"OK."
Unexpectedly, he agreed. Ah Chan could only take responsibility for her words. She greeted Shen Huixue and reluctantly followed Bai Xiuming to the next room.
As soon as I entered the house, Bai Xiuming's voice rang out behind me: "Aren't you going to sleep with me?"
"There are plenty of rooms here, no need to waste them."
"Okay, you decide."
Bai Xiuming didn't insist, since sleeping with her wasn't exactly conducive to good sleep quality.
Although Achan was called over to help make the bed, it was actually Bai Xiuming who did the work while she watched from the side.
The bedding was laid out, and soon after, Lie Xian's voice rang out from outside the courtyard: "Miss A Chan, has Brother Bai returned?"
Achan ran out of the house and replied, "I'm back."
"My family has prepared the meal at home. Come and eat!"
"Coming right away."
Achan turned around and called to Bai Xiuming, "Let's go to Brother Lie's house for dinner."
Liexian and Liexing were not yet married. They lived with their parents and two younger sisters, and the family was very lively.
When Achan and the others entered, they saw Liexian's mother carrying a large plate of millet cakes into the house. Upon seeing them come in, she greeted them directly, "Dinner is ready, come in and sit down."
Clearly, Lie Xian had already introduced A Chan to his parents before they arrived, so there wasn't much formality, and everyone sat around the table.
The food of the Wu tribe was not as refined as that of the Great Xia, but it had its own unique flavor. Moreover, Lie Xian's father, Lie Jiang, was particularly good at praising people. If you ate a few more bites, you would be praised a few times. A Chan and Shen Huixue were treated the same as Lie Xian's two little sisters. A Chan, who was usually a picky eater, was coaxed into eating until her little belly was round.
After the meal, Liejiang made an appointment with Achan to come to his house for dinner in the next few days. Achan couldn't resist his enthusiasm and had to agree. Only then did Liejiang ask Liexian to send them back.
After finishing my meal and stepping outside, it was almost 5 PM. Usually at this time, the sun would be setting, but it was still bright and sunny outside.
Shen Huixue didn't use Lie Xian to send off her. She made an appointment with A Chan to go out and play together the next day, and went home first.
When Lie Xian escorted A Chan and Bai Xiuming back to their residence and left, the previously bright sky suddenly darkened. It wasn't the gloom of sunset, but rather a direct transition from daylight to night.
Having traveled for most of the day, Ah Chan had been relying on her curiosity about the wilderness to keep going, but now that it was suddenly dark, she immediately felt sleepy.
After washing up, Achan crawled into the soft quilt and fell asleep almost immediately.
Bai Xiuming didn't disturb her. He read a book in the next room for a while, and only turned off the oil lamp on the table when it was almost 7 PM, and then lay back down on the bed.
Achan slept soundly until the sound of a baby crying woke her up.
As he sat up and listened intently, it sounded as if more than one baby was crying, the cries rising and falling, growing ever more piercing.
Such continuous crying could not possibly be from a baby in the village. Achan suspected that a nine-headed bird had flown over the village.
This is not the Great Xia Dynasty after all; all sorts of strange beasts and monsters can be seen everywhere. It seems not impossible that a nine-headed bird would actually fly in.
She lay back down on the bed, pulled the blanket over her head, and tried to bear it, but the bird seemed determined to live above the village, its calls never ceasing.
Achan couldn't hold out for more than a quarter of an hour before angrily throwing off the covers, stomping out of bed, and pushing open the door. Then she quietly opened the door to the next room.
Bai Xiuming's room was quiet. Achan, wrapped in a thin nightgown, quickly walked to the bedside, then lifted the quilt, slipped on her slippers, and got into bed in one smooth motion.
Bai Xiuming was lying on his side on the bed when Achan touched his hand, raised her arm, snuggled into his arms, and then put her hand down.
The warm breath instantly enveloped Achan, and she sighed with satisfaction, feeling that even the crying outside seemed to have subsided.
Bai Xiuming was woken up in the middle of the night. Before he could even open his eyes, he felt a soft mass snuggle into his arms. The sensation woke him up almost instantly.
He pulled his arm closer, letting the other person press against him, before speaking, his voice still slightly sleepy: "Don't you want to sleep by yourself?"
Achan buried her face in Bai Xiuming's chest, her voice muffled: "Don't make a fuss, I'm sleepy."
Bai Xiuming laughed lazily: "I didn't cause any trouble, you're the one who came to my room and bothered me."
Achan had a change of heart and decided to blame the nine-headed bird for everything: "It's all that bird's fault, squawking and squawking all night long."
After saying that, she reached behind her and found Bai Xiuming's hand. She lifted his hand and covered her ear with it, saying, "Quickly cover my ears, you're making so much noise that I can't sleep."
With her ears covered, she couldn't hear anything. Satisfied, Achan rubbed her cheek against Bai Xiuming's open collar and continued sleeping.
Seeing that she had fallen asleep again after a short while, Bai Xiuming almost laughed in anger. She really had taken full advantage of him.
He covered Ah Chan's ears with one hand, held her in his arms, and after a long time closed his eyes and fell asleep.
On the first night in the wilderness, apart from a little incident in the middle of the night, Achan slept quite well.
Whether Bai Xiuming slept well or not was none of her business.
After washing up early in the morning, Lie Xian came to invite them to his home for dinner.
During the meal, Achan asked about the baby crying last night, and as she had expected, it really was a nine-headed bird.
Lie Xian and Lie Xing had only been home for a short time and were unaware of the Nine-Headed Bird, so Lie Jiang explained the matter to A Chan.
"That nine-headed bird moved to the nearby woods in the last two months. A while ago, it even targeted the little children in the village. Fortunately, someone was watching it, so it didn't snatch the children away. But every night it keeps calling out above the village."
Achan asked, "So we just let it bark like that, and can't we chase it away? It doesn't seem like it'll give up easily."
“There’s no need to worry about that,” Liejiang smiled. “It’s just that the villagers have been too busy to deal with it lately. In a few days, the high priest will preside over the ancestral sacrifice, and then this nine-headed bird will not dare to linger nearby.”
Although the High Priestess was Liejiang's mother, Achan noticed that they all addressed each other as High Priestess, with great respect.
Not long after the high priest was mentioned, the high priest whom I had met yesterday actually came to Liexian's house in person.
The entire Lie family came out of the house to greet her. Lie Jiang stepped forward and said, "Mother, you look wonderful today. This new dress suits your complexion very well. I specially asked Xiao Xian to buy you a new hairpin, which I will bring to you later. I guarantee it will match your new dress."
The high priest was helped into the house by his son. He listened to him all the way, his face never faltering with a smile, and he kept praising him: "My son is so well-behaved and thoughtful."
The servants following behind all had blank faces. From childhood to adulthood, they had never been able to win their father's favor in front of their grandmother.
Achan suddenly realized that being completely fooled by Uncle Liejiang yesterday wasn't her fault at all. Even the High Priest couldn't escape Uncle Liejiang's words; he was truly amazing.
Once inside the house, the high priest was helped to the seat of honor by Liejiang, and then everyone else took their seats.
Liejiang then brought the high priest a cup of water. The high priest took a sip and said to Bai Xiuming, "It's about time. We can set off now."
Bai Xiuming stood up: "Okay."
The high priest then looked at Achan, his voice much gentler: "Miss Achan, please come along too."
Achan asked in confusion, "Where to?"
"I'm taking Young Master Bai to pay respects to an important person; it's not too far from here."
Achan's heart stirred. She knew that Bai Xiuming had come to pay respects to a friend of the Ming King, but she hadn't expected to find him so quickly.
“Okay, let’s go together then.” Achan agreed, unaware that the High Priest’s invitation did not carry the implication of asking a question.
Before leaving Lie Xian's house, A Chan asked him to pass on a message to Shen Huixue, saying that she and the high priest had gone out and that she would go to see her later.
After Lie Xian agreed, A Chan and Bai Xiuming left with the High Priest.
The destination was visible from outside the village. The high priest pointed to a grove of trees in the distance and said to them, "That great man used to live there, and now he is buried there."
Achan couldn't help but wonder, who was this person whom the High Priest addressed as "Master"?
Thinking this way, she asked the question.
The high priest looked at Achan and said to her, "You'll know when we get there."
Although the destination seemed very close and had always been within sight, when Achan actually headed there, she realized that things were not as simple as she had imagined.
They rode the deer kept in the village to their destination, and it took them more than half an hour to get there.
The high priest left the two deer outside the forest and led them into the woods.
Once inside, Achan realized that the seemingly lush forest in the distance was actually deathly still.
The trees here are lifeless, their branches are grayish-white, but their leaves are still emerald green, as if they have simply maintained their original appearance.
All around, not even the chirping of insects or the calls of birds could be heard.
The place was eerily quiet, with only the crunching sound of three people stepping on dry, fallen leaves.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the trees in front of them gradually thinned out, and a dilapidated altar came into view.
This altar has existed for countless years; some of the stone pillars standing in the middle have disappeared, while others are only fragments remaining.
Only a few stone slabs with engraved witch patterns remained on the ground, and the witch patterns on them were no longer visible.
The high priest stood before the broken altar, turned to Bai Xiuming, and said, "That lord's last breath dissipated here."
Bai Xiuming looked at the altar before him and frowned slightly: "Before he passed away, did he participate in a ritual?"
He had noticed as soon as he entered that the life force around the altar had been almost completely drained, and there wasn't even a single blade of grass growing in the forest.
If he died because of a ritual, what kind of ritual could have such a lasting impact?
The high priest also looked towards the altar: "I think so. I was young then and don't know what happened."
After saying that, she bent down and picked up a few stones from the surrounding area, piled them together, and then said to Achan in a natural tone, "Achan, go and break off three tree branches."
Achan looked around, broke off three branches from a nearby dead tree, and removed the forks from the branches before handing them to the high priest.
The high priest did not take it; instead, she had Achan hold it and insert the three branches into a circle made of pebbles.
After Achan finished doing all this, she brushed her hand across the tree branch, where red lights flickered and smoke rose from the branch.
Bai Xiuming watched the two busy at work without interfering, but when he looked at the High Priest, his eyes held a hint of doubt.
The high priest's attitude toward Achan was unusual.
With Achan's help, the High Priest straightened up. When she turned around, Bai Xiuming finally spoke up: "What is the High Priest doing?"
The high priest explained, "It's just a ritual for the dead."
"It's so simple, don't we need to prepare incense and candles?"
The high priest shook his head: "There's no need for such trouble. The sentiment is enough. This gentleman is magnanimous and open-minded; he won't mind."
The three people stood aside, waiting for the last bit of the branch to burn out, before the high priest spoke again: "They've arrived."
As soon as he finished speaking, fog suddenly rose in the altar. The fog turned from white to black, and then the black fog transformed into countless sharp knives. Some emerged from the ground, while others fell from the sky. They were silent but full of danger, like the gaping maw of a ferocious beast.
Achan then realized that the mist was not real, and that the altar might be recalling something that had happened in the past.
This scene reminded her of the legend.
It is said that there are eighteen levels of hell in the underworld. Those who commit serious crimes in the human world will fall into these hells after entering the underworld, where they will be tortured day and night until their sins are absolved.
The sight of the black mist reminded her of the legendary hell of knives.
Was this altar originally used to communicate with the underworld? What exactly did the person presiding over the ritual want to do? Achan was filled with questions.
Before she could even ask the high priest, a shadow suddenly materialized in the black mist. Upon seeing the shadow, Achan froze.
It was a fox, walking on blades, step by step. Blades from the ground pierced his claws, and swords from the sky rained down, embedding themselves in his body, yet he never stopped, walking steadily across.
That fox had nine tails.
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