Chapter 256 Jinjiang
First, they traveled a long distance on the highway to the southwest, and before they could catch their breath, they encountered the incident at the Shadow Puppet Museum. Everyone was exhausted by the crises they encountered.
Even though Yan Shixun briefly told everyone the whole story on the way to the village, asking them not to sleep too much tonight and to be alert to the dangers around them. But when everyone saw such a leisurely farmyard, they still breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed their tense hearts.
With Lu Xingxing taking the lead and walking first towards the room that had been cleaned up on the second floor, everyone else also looked at Yan Shixun eagerly.
After Yan Shixun nodded slightly, smiles suddenly appeared on everyone's faces. They cheered a little and went upstairs together to see the room they would stay in tonight.
"It's still a while before dinner, I'm going to go to sleep first."
Lu Xingxing didn’t even look at it. She was so tired that she pushed open the door of the first room on the second floor and walked in.
When he threw himself into the bed, he also specifically told An Nanyuan who was looking over: "Don't call me before dinner. I can't even open my eyes now."
An Nanyuan nodded, looked at Lu Xingxing with sympathy, and agreed immediately.
This unfortunate child got injured at a time when there was no treatment available.
An Nanyuan was planning that after choosing a room, he would go downstairs to talk to Zhang Wubing to see if he could buy a chicken from Uncle Bai San to stew it to replenish the blood of this unfortunate child Lu Xingxing.
Originally, because there were not enough rooms, the director team said three people per room when booking accommodation.
After all, Baizhihu shadow puppetry has been in decline for many years, and the village has been in a slump in recent years. No tourists come here to visit anymore, so the few accommodation hotels that originally existed have all closed down, and only private houses can be booked.
Uncle Bai's house in the village has a lot of vacant rooms.
But even so, if we calculate based on the normal number of people in the program crew, it is not enough and we can only squeeze together.
Now, however, each person has a room and there are still a lot of rooms left.
Zhao Zhen held the door and looked at the facilities inside. The sounds of fireworks in the village were isolated outside the glass, making the room without lights on seem extremely lonely.
He was stunned for a long time, missing the lively time when everyone gathered in the same room to chat and laugh with each other during every recording of the show.
I don't know where the other people went, whether they successfully joined the Taoist priests, and whether they are in danger...
"What are you standing here for? If you don't want to leave, move over to the side."
The young master kicked Zhao Zhen's calf in displeasure. He crossed his arms, raised his delicate chin and asked, "Don't you know how big you are? The whole corridor is so narrow and you occupy it all. How can I walk?"
Zhao Zhen suddenly came to his senses and moved aside.
The young master snorted and then continued walking forward.
Although Uncle Bai's house is spacious, it is not like the villas in many wealthy rural areas. It is simply a house with many rooms to prevent wind and sand and keep warm at night.
There is no advantage other than practicality.
The structure of the entire second floor is also very simple. There is a half-meter-wide corridor in front of a row of rooms. On the other side of the corridor is a whole row of windows that have been blocked by wind and sand, making it difficult to see outside clearly.
The first room on the second floor was the toilet. Lu Xingxing was so tired that she didn't care about the smell of the toilet and fell asleep in the room next to the toilet.
But the young master is not that unsophisticated.
When he walked up the narrow iron stairs, he rolled his eyes at the foul smell of the toilet and almost turned around and left.
An Nanyuan had no choice but to coax the young master to come and comfort him, saying, isn’t this better than a dry toilet?
——They only gave me two stone slabs, and when I squatted down I was worried that I would fall into the pit.
Song Ci almost vomited because of An Nanyuan's description. He pushed him away angrily and walked inside, where he met Zhao Zhen who was blocking the road.
But Annanyuan's "comfort" really worked. Compared with the horrible dry toilet, Song Ci also accepted this toilet with a pinch of his nose.
However, he still wanted to choose a good room, one that did not smell like a toilet.
When passing by Zhao Zhen, Song Ci hesitated for a moment, then turned around and asked him, "Are you worried about other people?"
Zhao Zhen nodded: "Although Brother Yan also said that they will reunite with the Taoist priests and nothing will happen, but... I feel uneasy without Brother Yan by their side."
Song Ci stared at Zhao Zhen for a few seconds, then sneered, waved his hand, turned around and continued walking forward: "Then you are worrying for nothing. From what I know about Zhang Dabing, we are the ones in danger."
"Whether the ghost is dead or not is up to Brother Yan. But whether there is a ghost or not depends on Zhang Dabing's expression."
Zhao Zhen looked up in surprise when he heard that. He looked at the young master's slender back and slowly smiled. His previous worries gradually eased.
"Young Master." He suddenly called out to Song Ci.
Song Ci turned sideways in confusion, only to hear Zhao Zhen say with a smile: "It's not good to have a room too close to the inside. If you want to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you'll have to run for a long time."
As he spoke, Zhao Zhen slightly turned sideways and gave up the room whose door he had pushed open.
He stretched out his palm and measured the length of the corridors on both sides to show it to Song Ci.
"Why don't you stay in this room? It's right in the middle."
Song Ci: “…………”
The young master uttered a single word expressionlessly: "Get lost!"
Were you infected by that idiot Lu Xingxing?
Zhao Zhen laughed softly, and then his laughter grew louder and louder, feeling extremely happy, without any trace of the worry he had just shown.
The others came over to look at them curiously, then shook their heads and went to choose a room.
"It's better to get closer to the inside."
Nantian said, "Except for Xingxing, I guess no one can sleep next to the toilet, so let's go inside."
"Then the stars won't be near people, right or left?"
An Nanyuan said worriedly: "If something really happened at night and he was injured, it would be difficult for him to take care of himself."
"Is it okay?"
Nantian was a little hesitant, but was defeated by the stench of the toilet: "He is just too tired now, so he is not picky. With his personality, when he wakes up and finds that there is a toilet next to him, he will definitely be the first to jump up and ask to change rooms. Don't worry, no one wants to sleep next to a manure pit."
An Nanyuan: "...Be more polite. We have to have dinner soon."
Even though Yan Shixun told everyone that this was not reality but a shadow play, the environment was completely consistent with reality and still made everyone unable to react to this fact. Their brains still habitually regarded this as reality.
They didn't realize that neither smell nor food were things that should exist in shadow plays.
This is like another reality.
Yan Shixun realized this, but rather than being on guard, he was more confused about how the person who was manipulating all this behind the scenes had achieved the current situation.
This is simply not something that ordinary ghosts and evil spirits can do.
As many folk tales and legends have mentioned, there is a heaven in a pot and a world in a painting. There are also many descriptions of them in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. Taoism also has the concept of blessed heaven and cave.
Now "Futian Cave" has become what modern people think is the imagination of the ancients, but in the past, people who had achieved success in practicing Taoism, gods and ghosts, were indeed able to create a world of their own.
The most famous of these is the legend of Kunlun Mountain and Changbai Mountain, which are the dojo of immortals.
Although many people only listen to these legends as simple stories, those who are truly in this field know that these are not stories, but reality.
——Many truths that ordinary people are unwilling to believe are hidden in the novels and rumors that have been passed down. The real world is hidden in nursery rhymes.
But since it goes beyond the common sense of ordinary people, even if it is the truth, it will only be regarded as a wild imagination.
Yan Shixun was also very clear about this, and he had encountered similar situations many times over the years.
But this time's shadow play still exceeded Yan Shixun's previous understanding.
The spaces opened up by powerful beings are not the real world. Even the most powerful beings, as long as they observe carefully, can always find the differences from reality and wake up from it.
It was like a fake Binhai University that had been rebuilt by ghosts.
That’s because heaven and earth do not recognize those falsehoods. Under the great way, the universe remains the same.
But now, no matter how Yan Shixun looked, he could not find anything wrong with the surrounding environment.
The peaceful village, the smell of firewood from the burning stoves, and the simple aroma of crops after simple seasoning.
These smells are tangled together and drift in the biting cold winter wind, making people unconsciously feel warm and want to let down their guard.
The noisy laughter of children came from outside the yard, mixed with the occasional barking of dogs. The rays of setting sun gradually fell below the horizon, and the mountains were hidden in the rising mist.
This place is no different from any other peaceful village.
Yan Shixun stood at the door. The more cautious he was, trying to find something wrong, the more he could only see the most normal scene. It seemed that all his suspicions were just nervousness.
But Yan Shixun never forgot that this was a shadow play without a curtain or stage. It was far more dangerous than the theater he had seen in the lake and the village by the lake.
They exist in the shadow play, but they can't even touch the edge of the stage, and they don't even know what kind of person they are dealing with.
If there were some incongruity in it, Yan Shixun would feel more normal, but the current situation...
Yan Shixun turned his head to look at Ye Li beside him: "If it were you, could you expand the shadow play to such a realistic level?"
Ye Li raised his eyebrows: "It seems that Shi Xun, you don't know Fengdu well enough."
"My Fengdu is different from the underworld, which is a necessary place in heaven and earth. Fengdu came into being only after I was born."
Ye Li said calmly, "The moment I became a ghost god, a new Fengdu rose from the ground, accommodating 100,000 soldiers, standing above tens of millions of evil ghosts, judging the sins of the world."
"Shi Xun, you asked me if I could expand the shadow play..."
Ye Li chuckled: "I have reconstructed the entire ghost town and propped up the collapsed avenue. It is naturally easy for me to create a small world in the painting of Huzhongtian."
"However, Shi Xun, you didn't ask the right question."
Hearing this, Yan Shixun looked at Ye Li in surprise, asking him with his eyes why he said that.
"That's what you should ask."
Ye Li raised his eyelashes and looked at the village in front of him: "Why does the world recognize its existence?"
“Even if we construct 110,000 spaces, there is only one reality. The avenue only exists in reality. But here, it has become another reality recognized by heaven and earth.”
Ye Li's voice became increasingly gloomy: "I couldn't do this a thousand years ago. Even if I want to do this now, the only way is to overthrow the existing way of heaven and earth and establish a new way."
"You mean..."
Yan Shixun understood their current situation from Ye Li's words and frowned deeply: "Can the existence we are looking for even become a great way?"
Ye Li did not answer, but laughed softly.
"Shi Xun, what do you think the Dao is? Is it something tangible?"
"No, the Great Dao is invisible. It suddenly realizes the truth in the repetitive cycle of life and death, and then is born in heaven and earth. Only when the yin and yang cycle smoothly can the Great Dao run normally, the sun and the moon."
"However, once there is a problem with the cycle between life and death, the Tai Chi will stop circulating, life and death will be unbalanced, yin and yang will be reversed, and the Great Dao will be in crisis."
Ye Li looked into Yan Shixun's eyes and asked him softly, "When he was in Nanming Mountain, Nan He was able to grasp a corner of the Great Dao and was even one step away from becoming a true ghost god. That's why."
"——After thousands of sacrifices, he realized the truth of death. Therefore, the avenue fell on him."
"But although the Great Dao is not kind, it has its own ideas. It refuses to acknowledge Nan Heye, so it asks you and me for help. When the living are not paying attention, they have been guided by heaven and earth to the chessboard set up, to perform the tasks set for them. It is precisely because of this that Zhang Wubing rushed to Nanming Mountain on the most dangerous and critical day of the Winter Solstice Festival in Nanming Mountain."
"This is... the self-rescue of the Great Dao."
Yan Shixun's eyes widened slightly. He looked at Ye Li and was stunned for a moment by the huge amount of information.
Ye Li did not urge him, but just waited patiently for Yan Shixun to process and understand everything he said.
He believed Yan Shixun could do it.
If any Taoist priest was standing here, Ye Li's words would help them to make rapid progress in their Taoist practice and attain enlightenment.
The person who heard these words was Yan Shixun.
The only evil ghost that has successfully survived in the history of heaven and earth is the last ray of hope left for itself by the Great Dao, so it is naturally favored by the Great Dao.
For Yan Shixun, understanding the world is a piece of cake.
"So, you suspect that the person behind this is borrowing your power, comprehending death, and gaining the recognition of heaven and earth?"
Yan Shixun gradually reacted.
A smile appeared in Ye Li's eyes.
His beloved ghost hunter lived up to his expectations and soon realized where the real danger lay.
Ye Li nodded first, but then shook his head gently and said, "However, Shi Xun, you are wrong about one thing."
"What I suspect is not that thing has comprehended death, but... life."
Because of the special nature of shadow puppetry, the first thing Ye Li suspected after seeing his own image a thousand years ago was not that the current Lord of Fengdu wields the power of death.
Rather, it is the power of the warriors thousands of years ago who fought to save their lives and guarded the city until the very last moment.
Just like if the power of Ye Li was lent to any living person other than Yan Shixun, the other person's soul would have problems because he could not withstand the ghost energy.
The power of death cannot help life, and conversely, life cannot control death.
Although Ye Li is the only remaining god under the Great Dao, he is different from the gods such as Fu Lu Shou who are more respected by ordinary people.
In the universe, he only controls death, and he occupies half of the Tai Chi Yin and Yang.
But they don't control the life of their other half.
Although after the collapse of the Great Dao, there were several attempts to let the Lord of Fengdu take over the Great Dao, prop up the collapsed underworld, and become a new place for reincarnation of life and death.
But Ye Li just turned a cold eye to it.
If he had not seen Jing Xiaobao about to hurt Yan Shixun at Jing Mansion, Ye Li would not have accepted the responsibility of shouldering the heavy responsibility of the Great Dao in order to break free from Jing Xiaobao's ghost energy and build a world to protect Yan Shixun.
But even so, Yeli will not become the new avenue, or be above the avenue.
——Fengdu belongs only to the darkness after the sun sets.
However, shadow puppetry is different.
This is an inheritance that tests the craftsman's skills and patience. It requires the craftsman to spend several weeks to make a seemingly inconspicuous shadow puppet figure.
During the entire process of tanning and leather making, the craftsmen pour their heart and soul into it, which is equivalent to giving the shadow puppet a life soul, allowing it to walk and move in the world of shadows instead of real people.
Corresponding to the death ceremony of the master in Nanming Mountain, every time a shadow puppet is made and every time a shadow puppet show is performed, the process of "life" is repeated.
Thousands of repetitions are enough to give new life to shadow puppets.
Add to that the power of the general from thousands of years ago...
Ye Li's narrow eyes darkened.
"I was a completely different person a thousand years ago than I am now. Even my powers and the ways I follow are very different."
Ye Li said: "I don't know why that image has been passed down, and even because of the true form of the ghost, the power at that time was sealed in the statue. However, since the thing behind the scenes has concealed its existence through the statue."
“It’s hard to find it.”
Yan Shixun pondered, raised his hand to cover his lips, and fell into thought.
Although he knew that the current situation was very tricky, he did not expect it to be so difficult to handle.
However, this does explain why they exist in shadow puppet shows.
Because to the world in the shadow play, they are just human beings, with the same identity as they have in the real world, so even if the two are swapped, neither world will notice anything.
Not to mention, in shadow play, a new world and a new avenue are about to be born.
Yan Shixun thought of this and rubbed his temples with a headache, but he was also glad that Zhang Wubing changed the shooting location this time and discovered this matter when he arrived at Baizhi Lake.
Now the Tao in shadow play has not yet been truly born, so there is still a chance to save everything.
Once the new world appears, the existence behind the scenes who controls all the shadow puppets will gain the great way of heaven and earth and become the new "God".
By that time, I'm afraid that even Yeli would not be able to resolve the matter smoothly without affecting any life.
"So, Zhang Dabing has done something great this time?"
Yan Shixun looked into the yard with a helpless look in his eyes. He wanted to pull Zhang Wubing over to ask him why he noticed this place. After all, the transportation here was blocked and it had been deserted for many years, so it was indeed inconspicuous.
But Zhang Wubing was not in the yard.
Yan Shixun looked around and realized that the little fool had actually run into the kitchen and stared at Uncle Bai cooking.
Uncle Bai, a warm but simple villager, felt uncomfortable when being looked at by Zhang Wubing. He even stopped cooking noodles. He looked up and asked Zhang Wubing what he needed, as if he couldn't wait to let Zhang Wubing leave.
Zhang Wubing swallowed his saliva due to the steaming aroma. He quickly waved his hand to tell Uncle Bai not to care about him and just take a look.
Uncle Bai: “…………”
What I want is for you to stop looking at me! And the look in your eyes is like a hungry wolf staring at meat, how can I not care?
When Uncle Bai was frozen by Zhang Wubing's gaze, he saw Yan Shixun walking towards him from the yard through the open kitchen window.
Uncle Bai was immediately overjoyed, thinking that the other party was going to take Zhang Wubing away.
Unexpectedly, Yan Shixun just glanced at Zhang Wubing, who was scratching his head greedily beside him, and started chatting with Uncle Bai, asking about the situation in the village.
“Are you asking those who make shadow puppets?”
Uncle Bai shook his head. He had no intention of hiding anything. He said to Yan Shixun openly, "They died a long time ago."
"Look, the family next door is the first to die in the village decades ago. Starting from their family, many people in the village died. What's more strange is that they specifically chose those who had learned shadow play to die. As time went on, of course, children from various families did not want to be sent to learn shadow play."
"Besides, shadow puppetry is not something that can be learned in one day. All the masters have died, and the remaining apprentices have either died or run away. Even if someone wants to learn, there is no one to teach them."
"Now, only Master Bai is left. Plus, Master Bai's attitude is that he looks down on outsiders and doesn't want to teach people outside the village... People in the village don't want to learn, and those who have learned have died. Master Bai is also unwilling to teach people from other villages. After a long time, isn't it going to be like this?"
Uncle Bai sighed, "So when you came here before, I advised you not to hold your hopes too high. But if you really want to learn about Southwestern shadow puppetry, I can't stop you."
Zhang Wubing knew that Uncle Bai was talking about the director crew who had come to see Master Bai before.
The director team came several times but didn't see anyone. When they came back, they told Zhang Wubing that even the people in the village advised them to give up and not to fantasize about seeing the real person. They also said that it was a good thing that Baizhihu shadow puppetry had declined.
Now it seems that the person who said this to the director team was Uncle Bai.
Zhang Wubing couldn't help but ask in surprise: "If there are deaths, is it because of illness or water problems? How could someone die just because of learning shadow puppetry? It's impossible, right?"
"Well, nothing is impossible."
Uncle Bai sighed, and continued to boil water in his hands. He chatted with the two people while busy in the hot mist. It was obvious that he was used to doing this kind of thing, and he should be the one who cooked at home.
Although Uncle Bai didn't say it, Yan Shixun had already learned a lot of information just from the other party's actions.
He calmly moved his eyes away from Uncle Bai's hand and looked at the first floor of the small building.
The house was so clean and tidy that it was almost bare, with nothing except the necessary daily necessities. The colors were also dark, which suited Uncle Bai's age and preferences.
There were no bright colors or personal items from other family members.
Yan Shixun immediately made a judgment in his heart.
——This is a family consisting of only Uncle Bai San, with no other family members.
Yan Shixun had traveled to many villages and towns and knew that in such places, family was extremely important.
As long as the family conditions are good, parents will generally arrange a marriage for their children, regardless of whether the children are healthy or mentally sound, or whether the children are alive or dead.
There are many families who buy other people's corpses or ashes to use as ghost marriages for their own dead children. The deeper you go into the mountains and villages, the more likely you are to see them.
Under such circumstances, Uncle Bai, who lives alone, seems a little weird.
And looking at the size of this yard and building...if Uncle Bai's house didn't have enough rooms, the director crew wouldn't have chosen here as their accommodation.
A person living alone in a courtyard with more than a dozen rooms?
Yan Shixun looked at Uncle Bai and felt confused.
After all, this is not the kind of wealthy village where people would renovate their old houses to show their grandeur and development. Along the way, every household is a normal village house, and there is no spare money to build more rooms than the actual number of family members.
With the decline of Baizhihu shadow puppetry and the death of those shadow puppet craftsmen, the village has gradually become deserted and has returned to its farming life, which is completely different from the heyday of shadow puppetry.
Yan Shixun thought so, but his face showed no extra emotion. He just asked, "Such a big yard, are you cleaning it up by yourself, Uncle Bai?"
Uncle Bai nodded and said as a matter of course: "It's just me, so of course I'll clean it up by myself."
"It's actually pretty good to live alone. You can eat whatever you want, which is pretty good."
Uncle Bai smiled and sighed, with a hint of melancholy on his face: "Over the years... I've gotten used to it."
Yan Shixun keenly grasped the time in Uncle Bai's words and asked, "What about before that? Was it Uncle Bai's parents or his wife who cleaned up before that?"
As expected, Uncle Bai continued speaking according to the pre-set instructions given by Yan Shixun. He did not notice anything wrong and was tricked by Yan Shixun without any expression.
"My wife used to do it, and later it was me."
Uncle Bai smiled and said, "At first I couldn't even light a fire or boil water, but later I gradually learned a little bit. But there was nothing I could do, I had to eat."
"Uncle Bai, don't be too sad."
Yan Shixun did not interrupt Uncle Bai's thoughts, and continued to ask Uncle Bai according to his guess: "Can I go and burn some incense for Aunt?"
Uncle Bai waved his hand, and the flour on his hand fell down. "No, no, you are guests, why are you so polite? Besides, there is no custom in the village to put the tablets at home. If you want to pay tribute and burn paper, you have to go to the ancestral tombs on the mountain."
"But I don't usually go to such trouble. I'll just cook a few good dishes and go to the lake to cook. It'll be like meeting my old lady."
While Uncle Bai was speaking, Yan Shixun had been observing the changes in his facial expression to judge whether what he said was true or false, and what his attitude was towards it.
Although he didn't ask directly in order to avoid alerting the enemy, just by guiding him indirectly, Yan Shixun had already gained a general understanding of the situation in Uncle Bai's home and the village.
He also learned that more than 20 years ago, death swept through the entire village like a disease, taking away many villagers and all of Uncle Bai's family members. Even his youngest son was not spared.
Yan Shixun's expression always showed corresponding emotional reactions according to what Uncle Bai said. Crying, laughing, sadness and happiness all flashed on Yan Shixun's face like a mask.
His brain remained calm and his thoughts worked rapidly. He quickly broke down and understood the information in Uncle Bai's words in real time and pieced together many fragmented truths.
However, Zhang Wubing, the little fool who ran over eagerly waiting for food because his stomach was growling with hunger, was really shocked by Uncle Bai's experience.
Although Zhang Wubing is the third generation of a wealthy family, his family has always had a clean family tradition. His parents love and respect each other, and they have fulfilled their parental responsibilities to him. Even if you compare them to everyone else, they are the best parents.
Therefore, Zhang Wubing has never felt the troubles brought by family.
The only thing that bothered him was Zhang's father's overly strict control of him.
But even so, Zhang Wubing knew very well that it was because his father was afraid of losing him that he always wanted to prevent him from realizing his dream and only wanted him to be a rich third-generation who lived a life of idleness and waiting to die.
Therefore, Zhang Wubing's impression of his family is always warm.
But he didn't expect that Uncle Bai's family would be so miserable. In less than a year, more than a dozen people in Uncle Bai's family died, and only Uncle Bai was left.
Since then, Uncle Bai has lived alone until now.
"Then you are amazing."
Zhang Wubing sniffed, and his eyes were filled with tears, not knowing whether his eyes were stung by the hot steam or if he was already moved by Uncle Bai's story.
Yan Shixun glanced at Zhang Wubing speechlessly, wondering if this little fool's emotions were too rich.
No matter how tragic the story sounds, the reality is that this is not reality, but a shadow play.
Zhang Wubing sympathized with the wrong person.
Besides, there was such a large-scale death, and the ebony statue suppressed the evil spirits...
Yan Shixun combined the words of Ye Li and Uncle Bai San and gradually began to piece together what had happened in the village, and therefore became full of suspicion towards Uncle Bai San.
If it is confirmed that the death at that time was not caused by illness or other external factors, then it is more likely to be the revenge of ghosts.
If this is true, then it is the cause and effect between the ghosts and those who died in the village that year.
There was no need for him to interfere.
However, Yan Shixun couldn't remind Zhang Wubing in front of Uncle Bai. What's more, the little fool's eyes were filled with tears and he rolled up his sleeves to help Uncle Bai knead the dough, so it was even more difficult for him to remind him.
So Yan Shixun simply changed his plan temporarily.
——Since Zhang Wubing cannot be driven away from here, it would be better to let him play some other role.
For example, he could delay Uncle Bai and take this opportunity to go to the village and nearby areas to check the situation, thus avoiding possible interference from Uncle Bai.
Thinking of this, Yan Shixun pretended to be bored and wanted to wander around before dinner. He asked Uncle Bai about the dinner time, and then asked where the home of the first dead villager was, saying that he wanted to go and see.
Uncle Bai pointed at the wall next to the yard, looking calm as if he had seen many storms.
Yan Shixun thanked him and remembered something before leaving.
He asked, "Uncle Bai, is Baizhi Lake the lake in front? I heard that this lake is very famous. I plan to visit it."
Unexpectedly, Uncle Bai asked him in surprise: "Baizhi Lake?"
Uncle Bai thought hard for a long time, but still shook his head in confusion and said, "I have lived in the village all my life, since I was born, and I have never heard of the Baizhi Lake. Are you mistaken, sir?"
"There is a lake in the village, but it has no name, so everyone just calls it a lake."
No White Paper Lake?
Yan Shixun was also shocked.
Even the shadow puppetry is named after Baizhi Lake. No one outside knows the name of this village, nor does they know that many people in this village have the surname Bai, but they all know that this place is called "Baizhi Lake".
The natives of the village said they didn’t know such an iconic name?
Yan Shixun just nodded and turned away without showing his surprise.
When passing by Yeli, Yan Shixun looked at the other person with a smile, and Yeli blinked at him knowingly, showing perfect tacit understanding.
Yan Shixun was worried about leaving everyone in a place where he couldn't take care of them. In addition, he was suspicious that Uncle Bai didn't know about Baizhi Lake, so while he was investigating the situation in the village, Ye Li stayed to look after everyone.
Fortunately, the ruins of the home of the first shadow puppet master who died were right nearby, not too far away.
Yan Shixun whispered to Ye Li, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon," and then he stretched out his long legs and went to the yard next door.
In the kitchen, Uncle Bai calmly raised his head in the steaming steam, looking at Yan Shixun's leaving back. After a long time, he lowered his head again and busied himself with the dough in his hands, as if nothing had happened.
When Yan Shixun turned a corner after going out of the door, he saw the dilapidated yard next to Uncle Bai's house.
Unlike Uncle Bai's house, which is tidy and full of life, this yard has been abandoned for a long time. Even the roof and beams have collapsed due to rain and weathering, turning into a pile of broken bricks and stones covered with weeds and moss.
Yan Shixun stood in front of the gate and looked up, and could still see the former glory of this family.
The tall gate and eaves, the exquisite patterns carved on the gate, the once majestic but now broken stone lions in front of the gate... It seems that the first shadow puppet master who died not only had a high status in the village, but also had considerable savings.
The red spring couplets on both sides of the door had long since faded to white. At first glance, they looked like funeral couplets, and the words on them were already blurred.
Yan Shixun looked at the door for a long time before he found a place to step out from the ruins.
Just as he was about to step over the rotten threshold and go in, he suddenly heard a voice coming from behind.
"Eh? Mr. Yan, why are you here?"
The familiar male voice contained only pure curiosity and friendliness, without any malice.
Yan Shixun turned around and saw that it was Zheng Shumu whom he had met before.
He looked at Yan Shixun strangely, then pointed to the yard next to him and said, "Mr. Yan, maybe you went to the wrong place? Uncle Bai's house is next door."
Yan Shixun did not say that he came to see the first shadow puppet master to die. He just smiled politely and explained that it was still some time before dinner time and it was not completely dark yet, so he wanted to take in the scenery in the village.
"Oh, yes, Mr. Yan came from another city, so he rarely sees this kind of village environment."
Zheng Shumu suddenly realized, and then smiled embarrassedly: "This is the scenery we are used to seeing. When it rains and the road is difficult to walk on, we call it an unlucky place. I didn't expect Mr. Yan to be interested in it, so I ignored it."
"Is Uncle Bai cooking? He's the only one at home, and he can't leave to entertain so many of you."
Zheng Shumu warmly invited Yan Shixun, "Mr. Yan, if you don't mind, I'll accompany you to visit the village. I've lived here for a long time, and I know every tree and blade of grass."
When Zheng Shumu saw the surprise on Yan Shixun's face, he smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Yan, I know how many stones there are in the village."
Yan Shixun smiled and nodded, and had to temporarily give up exploring the ruins and instead go with Zheng Shumu.
After the two walked for a distance, the sound of stones rolling suddenly could be heard in the silent ruins.
“Snap!”
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