Chapter 109 Pregnancy
Qing Bai knew his decision was risky and fully understood Xiao Wu's skepticism. Therefore, he decided to reason with him, offering a sensible and objective reminder: "Even if we want to leave, we shouldn't go back the same way—there's a good chance that the kind-hearted ghost official is still waiting for us outside."
Oh no! Xiao Wu slapped his forehead, he almost forgot about the culprit who made them panic and go astray in a dilemma!
"So what do we do now..." Although this was a question, it was full of compromise. As soon as he said this, Xiao Wu was surprised by his subconscious retreat.
It was very strange. There was only one ghost official, but there were twelve evil gods and false gods occupying the giant locust tree. Why did she subconsciously fear the side that seemed to be weaker?
Qing Bai looked at the family who quickly packed up the incense table and offerings, then locked the door and prepared to set off for the Zhenwei Ancestral Hall... and a little black cat that suddenly appeared and scared away the Rat God and his entourage.
The imperial carriage's tour of the land is not just a procession of the deity with a large crowd of people following it. It is usually accompanied by opera performances, acrobatics, snacks, market openings and other activities. These vary from place to place. Although Juhuai is not a large place, it has many activities. Not only is there a full range of food, drink and entertainment, but after the fun, there is also a unique "Immortal Carriage Banquet" where the gods and the people can enjoy themselves together.
Yes, that's right. On this day, the 'god' of the giant locust tree not only travels around the area to bless the people, but also steps down from the altar to share a meal with the local believers, using practical actions to narrow the distance between him and the people at the dinner table, in every sense of the word.
I can only say that it is very local.
As for what they put into their mouths...it's hard to say.
Qing Bai recalled the manners of the 'gods' when they visited this household. The words 'appetizers' inexplicably crossed his mind. He whispered, "Let's go to the feast."
"???" Xiao Wu really wanted to touch Qing Bai's forehead to see if he'd been so overwhelmed and overexcited today that he'd fallen into a trap. Eating a feast? Whose feast? Were they sure they were there to eat, not be eaten?
Xiao Wu's hand didn't reach Qing Bai's forehead after all, mainly because she was a ghost and couldn't feel any temperature at all. It was definitely not because she was timid and afraid of the temporary pleasure of stroking Lingxi and then ending up in the crematorium... If she was really timid, would she be so willing to risk her life for a gentleman?
"Good!" An unexpected success, Xiao Wu's random thoughts actually gave her some courage. That blank-faced plate gnashed its teeth. So what if it was a Hongmen Banquet? Not to mention that within the giant locust tree, there was still the Nine-Year Master in a Schrödinger state. Even if he wasn't there, with her arsenal of magical weapons donated by various powerful figures, even if she couldn't win, couldn't she just lie low with Xiao Lingxi and wait for reinforcements?
Xiao Wu pulled out a soul-binding lock that had been hidden somewhere, and stuffed a handful of talismans of unknown purpose into Qing Bai's hand. "Let's go to the feast!"
Qing Bai held the talismans that seemed worthless because of their large number and the owner's overly generous and casual attitude. He suppressed the urge to open the talismans and compare them carefully with the freshly made house-guarding talisman above the family's door.
…
The giant locust tree is located in the crevices of several large mountains. The mountains are majestic and rolling, forming a semi-basin. The residents live in groups naturally and their houses are close to each other. There are many houses and people. Although the mountains are high and the land is far away, it looks like a prosperous place at first glance, especially on important days like the emperor's tour of the country when the whole family is out.
The long procession carrying the "god" was holding colorful paper lanterns. Although the light was dim, as the procession passed by, families who had received the "god's" inspection and talismans followed with flashlights. From a high vantage point, it looked like a long section had been forced to extend the procession, and as it swirled around, it looked like both a dragon and a snake.
The destination of this long line is said to be the Zhenwei Ancestral Hall, but in fact it is the grain drying ground in front of the ancestral hall. After all, no matter how much the people of Juhuai respect their ancestors, the family is harmonious, and the sons and grandsons are filial and virtuous, the superstructure is determined by the economic base. The ancestral hall, which is deserted on weekdays and only opens its doors to accept incense during festivals, cannot accommodate twelve large sedan chairs at once.
Although the ancestral hall cannot be entered, the twelve gods who seldom go out once a year cannot be wronged. The townspeople have cleaned up this huge threshing ground shared by the whole town a long time ago. Cleaning it up is just the basic thing. They also thoughtfully divided it into two parts, half for fun and the other for banquets. They also specially used bamboo poles and red cloth to enclose a 'god' rest area on the side closest to the ancestral hall for sedan chairs. Next to it is a temporary open-air stove that is busy preparing for the banquet.
With the lively sound of frying vegetables in hot oil, the rich aroma spread rapidly in all directions along with the smoke. The children who had been gathered in groups at the other end of the threshing ground to play wildly began to drool uncontrollably with their noses twitching like puppies. Toys and friends lost their appeal in an instant and they started clamoring to sit at the table for the feast. The adults had no choice but to sit down early and give the children some fried peanuts from the cold dishes prepared on the table to satisfy their cravings... It was so lively and vivid that it made the tributes and incense sticks piled up like a small mountain in front of the twelve sedan chairs seem a little tasteless.
I think the 'gods' also thought so, so the twelve sedan chairs were empty as soon as they landed. I don't know whether they went out to find food or to have fun with the people... or the two are not in conflict and can be done at the same time.
However, their smooth sailing brought hardship to Qing Bai Xiao Wu. Who would have known that the seats for the banquet with a hundred tables set up under the giant locust tree were arranged not by age or generation, nor by family unit, but by the zodiac sign of belief, and were even numbered in a mad way, leaving Qing Bai Xiao Wu, who wanted to take advantage of the situation, with no choice but to squat in the dark and watch.
Before his legs went numb, Qing Bai decided to cut his losses. Since they couldn't get to the table, they wouldn't eat. He simply changed his position and went to explore the ancestral hall while everyone was busy serving the dishes.
Although this place is crowded with people, the ancestral hall, as the destination of this imperial tour, holds extraordinary significance both geographically and symbolically. If Jiunian is truly in the Giant Locust Tree, then Qing Bai thinks he can only be in the ancestral hall; he certainly won't be at the banquet...
"What do you think of me like this?" Xiao Wu's crisp voice interrupted Qing Bai's thoughts. When he turned around, he saw a face with a long mouth, fangs, fan-shaped ears, pink and tender apple cheeks that were unusually plump and shiny... a pig face?
Qing Bai stepped back to create some distance. It turned out that Xiao Wu had at some point snatched up a plastic Zhu Bajie mask from a toy stall and was putting it on. The mask was child-sized, after all. Although Xiao Wu's face wasn't large, half of her chin was still exposed, making her look a little uneasy. But she was quite satisfied with herself. "If I had known earlier, I would have brought a spare head with me. I've been a respectable person for so long, it's hard to get used to this shameless behavior all of a sudden... Hey! Do you think I can even get into the Pig God's table like this?"
Xiao Wu looked very excited. Her large ears fluttered back and forth like fans as she moved. They looked quite elastic and of good quality. Qing Bai was silent for a few seconds. Unable to bear the urge to discourage her, he said tactfully, "Instead of trying so hard to get on the dinner table, why not try to get into the ancestral hall first? I've checked and it's unguarded there now, so it's much easier."
Xiao Wu: “…”
Xiao Wu really wanted to say that what you said about sneaking onto the dining table and what I said about sneaking onto the Pig God's table didn't seem to mean the same thing... But then she thought, if she really impulsively and bravely put on this crudely made Pigsy mask and took on the entire threshing ground alone, and if her identity was unfortunately exposed, wouldn't she end up at the dining table...
"You're right." Little Wu said with a serious face, very flexible. "How do you think we should go?"
What can I do? Of course, I go around.
They acted immediately, sneaking like thieves along the edge of the threshing ground towards the ancestral hall. Fortunately, this place lived up to its name of "Giant Locust Tree". There was a small locust tree every five steps and a big locust tree every ten steps, and the trees were connected to each other with no empty spaces. So under the cover of the shade of the trees and the darkness, the two of them safely bypassed the entertainment area and banquet area with the most people and the greatest risk of exposure.
After passing these two areas is the 'temporary parking lot' where the twelve sedan chairs are parked. This is even better. With the large red cloth covering them, the two of them don't even need to be sneaky. They just need to pass through or bypass the 'parking lot' and they can walk directly into the main gate of the ancestral hall quietly and openly.
The two decided to take a detour. Firstly, they had already come this far and it didn't matter if they took the last few steps. Secondly, the twelve gods were really weird. Although they had seen them leaving the sedan from a distance before, they still had to be safe.
However, halfway around, when victory was just within reach, Qing Bai suddenly stopped pursuing victory and tilted his head slightly as if he heard something.
Puzzled, Xiao Wu lowered his voice and asked, "What's wrong?"
Qing Bai: "There's someone inside."
Xiao Wu tightened his grip on the Soul-Catching Lock: "Are you sure... it's a human?"
Qing Bai nodded and then shook his head: "I remember the voice, it was the newlywed couple at the entrance of the town."
On the way here, Xiao Wu had already heard Qing Bai talk about what he had seen before, and he became even more nervous after hearing this: "Didn't the mouse get scared away by the cat and didn't have time to do anything to her? Why are they still here?"
Qing Bai was also puzzled: "Just take a look and you'll know."
After saying that, the hand that was lifting the red cloth was grabbed by Xiao Wu just after it was raised. Just when Qing Bai thought that Xiao Wu was going to stop him, he saw Xiao Wu suddenly took out a second mask from behind - a hairy face with a pointed chin, a monkey cheek, and a thunder god's mouth. There was a plastic ring on the forehead that shone with golden light even in the dark night... Since there was already Zhu Bajie, there would naturally be no shortage of Sun Wukong. This was very reasonable.
"Don't worry, put this on first, don't reveal our identities."
Qing Bai: "...Thank you."
The person who arranged the sedan chair parking area was very attentive. There were several layers of red cloth hanging inside and outside to serve as walls or curtains. It was not known what the sacred purpose was, but it made it convenient for the two of them to hide in the cloth and slowly approach and carefully eavesdrop.
Arriving early is worse than arriving at the right time. Just as they were about to locate the source of the sound, before they could even remove the last layer of red cloth blocking the way, they heard a young woman's voice softly and joyfully say, "I'm pregnant!"
Ah...this?
Xiao Wu instinctively glanced at Qing Bai, her pig-faced mask unable to conceal her bewilderment. Did that giant rat really not have time to do anything to her? She's pregnant just after she said she wanted a child? If it were that efficient, it would have to be either the Rat God or the Goddess of Mount Tai combined with the Goddess of Childbearing... Ugh, bah, bah, bah, just kid's talk, kid's talk, any offense, blow it away like the wind!
Qing Bai slowly tilted his head, he also wanted to know.
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