Bone-Returning Seed (Ten)
On the day we crossed the sinkhole, everyone got up very early.
Feng Qiao started a fire to cook, Lin Zhong went to the stable to prepare the horses, and I took Huai Xu to the house to wash and dress.
Shenyang Cave is a sacred site for the Dong people. Before crossing the sinkhole, a Nuo altar is set up to worship the mountain god. As descendants of the Liao people, we cannot be careless in our attire when participating in the sacrificial ceremony.
I wrapped a blue headscarf around Huai Xu's head, and then wrapped a cyan headscarf around myself. I also took out an embroidered skirt that I had treasured for many years from the closet.
Seeing this, Huai Xu asked me, "Godmother, haven't you always been reluctant to wear this embroidered apron?"
"If you don't put them on now, you won't be able to wear them anymore." I pinched the soft flesh around my waist and frowned. "I mean my waist, it's so tight."
Huai Xu walked over with a smile and helped me tie the ribbon: "Godmother, why don't you change into something else? This dress is so pretty, you can wear it after you lose some weight."
“No.” I sucked in my stomach and glared at her. “This dress was sewn by my mother. She was the first woman to walk through the Shenyang Cave sinkhole. I’m going to wear it today for good luck.”
Huai Xu likes sweets, so Feng Qiao cooked some sweet porridge. I was worried that it would be bad luck to tear my skirt, so I only took a couple of bites and then put it down.
After paying homage to Erlang Shen, everything was ready. People from Yanziping, Raobang, passing caravans of merchants, and villagers from nearby Xidong villages came to see us off. I bid farewell to everyone, and the four of us, on three horses, headed towards Shenyang Cave.
On the way into the mountains, we met Luo Erying again. She was with a large group of people and was waving at us from the roadside.
"Sister Huaixu! Aunt Qing!"
I reined in my horse, and Luo Erying ran over, eagerly pulling me off the horse: "Aunt Qing, I'll take you to see someone." As she spoke, she led me to a woman from the Liao ethnic group.
“Aunt Qing, this is my good sister’s grandmother—the leader of Luxi Village, Axi. Grandma Axi, she is Qingcheng.”
Today I am dressed in my official robes, and the woman before me is both an elder and a leader, so I greet her with a single fist salute: "Chief Axi."
Chief Axi was visibly excited and hugged me tightly, saying, "You are Amoduoyi's daughter! Thank the mountain god, Duoyi's child has grown so big!"
I quickly called Huai Xu to my side: "Aunt Xi, this is Qingcheng's adopted daughter. Huai Xu, quickly greet her!"
“Grandma Axi”.
"What a spirited little girl." Axi held Huaixu's hand, looking her over closely, nodding, and said to me, "Qingcheng, this child looks just like your mother, small head, long legs, wrists that go past her crotch, she'll definitely be able to cross the Tiankeng!"
“Auntie Xi is right.” I put my arm around Huai Xu’s shoulder and laughed, “Huai Xu is just as brave as my mother!”
“Qingcheng, you are the same. You, your mother, and your daughter are all as brave as mountain eagles.” Axi pointed to the crowd behind her and said, “These are all my family.”
“My husband is also Han Chinese. Back then, my father strongly opposed our marriage. We eloped to Shimenfan, but were caught by our tribesmen and brought back to Luxi. Unexpectedly, it happened to coincide with Sister Duoyi crossing the Tiankeng. The rule that Han and Nanguang Liao people do not intermarry was broken from then on.”
“My father released me from the water dungeon and agreed to let my husband marry into the family. Thirty-two years have passed, and now I have such a big family.”
Axi's family calls me "Sister Qingcheng!"
"Aunt Qing!"
Axi walked towards my horse. In the Liao custom, an elder leads the horse for a younger person, representing the most sincere blessings. She handed me the reins and helped Huaixu and me onto the horse: "The mountain eagles soar, their freedom is boundless. Go forth, children!"
The Nuo altar was set up on the side of the gentler slope near the sinkhole, and the most important ritual object of the Liao people—the bronze drum—was placed in the altar. The sacrificial ceremony had not yet begun, but behind the altar there was a temporary stage where the Nuo opera of Erlang of Guankou opening the Lidui and locking the evil dragon was being performed. The Dong people from the surrounding area gathered here to watch and cheer.
To the left front of the Nuo altar are the seats for the altar master and the host, while the important guests are opposite them.
Looking from afar, I saw that all the leaders of the five tribes of Nanguang were present; only Abu, the leader of the Mahu tribe, had come; Wei Ji, Shi Yu, Zhou Hong of the Changning Army, and Guo Chengye of the Patrol Inspectorate were already seated. Just then, Wei Ji looked over, and he stood up, gesturing to me from a distance.
Today, Elder Amo will serve as the presiding master of the altar. Since Huai Xu crossed the sinkhole, I will become the host of the altar. Luo Erying and Huai Xu are sworn brothers, and they will also be with us.
I gave Elder Amo a single-fist salute. He was wearing a peach wood Nuo mask and remained silent, pointing to the seat next to him, indicating that I should sit down.
As midday approached, sunlight streamed in from my right front, so bright it was hard to open my eyes. I lowered my head and carefully examined the embroidery on my apron.
The Liao people revere green and bamboo, and my mother was no exception. Her green skirt was covered in embroidered bamboo leaf patterns, and also adorned with eighteen embroidered rabbits. She probably thought I would get married at eighteen, just like her. Now, if I calculate it, she embroidered twelve fewer rabbits, or perhaps even more…
Lost in thought, Elder Amo suddenly asked, "Are you a rabbit?"
"Hmm?" I turned to look at him. His expression was hidden behind the blue and red mask, but I could tell that his gaze was also fixed on my embroidered apron.
He then said, "The rabbit and the dog are a compatible pair, and the pig and sheep are also auspicious; the rabbit clashes with the rooster, and the dragon and rat are inauspicious."
"My adopted daughter is also a rabbit, just like me."
"I wasn't talking about her!"
"Uh." I understand now, "My future son-in-law was born in the Year of the Ox."
Elder Amo remained silent for a while, then looked up at the sky, stood up with his cane, and said loudly, "Yuzhong has arrived, please invite the Mountain King!" After speaking, he strode into the Nuo altar and picked up the drumsticks.
The bronze drums sounded, and the horns resounded. A Nuo master wearing a Mountain King mask ascended the altar, holding thorns in his left hand and an axe in his right, and performed a fierce and wild Nuo dance. As the music ended, another Nuo master, playing the Yellow Demon, entered the stage carrying a rooster. The Mountain King fought with the Yellow Demon, seized the rooster, and cleaved its neck with an axe, dripping the rooster's blood into the sacrificial vessel on the offering table.
Elder Amo reappeared, took the sacrificial vessel from the Mountain King, walked to Huai Xu, and used a peach branch to dip into the juice in the vessel to draw blood talismans on her cheeks. With the final stroke, Elder Amo ascended the Nuo altar, raised his palms to the sky, and solemnly announced: "Chong Nuo!"
The villagers surrounding the sinkhole clapped their hands in response: "Let's fight the ghost! Let's worship the gods! Let's fight the ghost! Let's worship the gods!"
"Chong Nuo" is the most important part of the Nuo ritual. It means that Huai Xu walks through the sinkhole with the permission of the mountain god. If successful, he can beat the bronze drum and enter the next stage - "Fulfilling the vow".
The end of the iron chain faced the Nuo altar. Lin Zhong stood up and said to Huai Xu, "You look at the tip of my nose and walk this way. Don't worry about anything that flies in the sky or walks on the ground. Remember, you can only look at the tip of my nose."
Huai Xu replied, "I know!"
Next, Feng Qiao, Luo Erying, and I were to accompany Huai Xu to the starting point of the iron chain on the opposite side. Suddenly, I remembered what Feng Qiao had said to me by the Yuejiang River, and I felt uneasy. I couldn't help but look at Wei Ji, only to see that he was already walking towards us with Shi Yu.
Huai Xu and the other two called out, "Lord Wei, Shi Yu!"
Wei Ji stepped forward and took his hand: "Shi Yu and I will go with you."
Luo Erying was arm in arm with Huai Xu, Shi Yu was next to Feng Qiao, and Wei Ji and I lagged behind them.
"Thank you, Lord Wei."
"You're too kind, Qing Niangzi."
I said softly, "Please keep an eye on things for me, sir."
Wei Ji nodded: "Understood."
There was no wind at that time, and the rusty iron chain resembled a hibernating giant snake, lurking in the mountains, waters, and blue sky.
I helped Huai Xu up the last stone step, and Huai Xu hugged me and said, "Godmother, what is your wish? Let me go over there and I'll make one for you."
“Your wish is my wish,” I said with a smile, gently patting his back. “Remember your Uncle Lin’s instructions. Go!”
Lin Zhong stood with his elbows bent at the other end of the iron chain, while Huai Xu opened his arms and walked forward. The two were like swords drawn from their sheaths, except that one was still and the other was still moving.
I watched Huai Xu's retreating figure anxiously, never before had time seemed to stretch on so slowly.
Huai Xu walked step by step to the middle of the iron chain, and his pace visibly slowed down.
Luo Erying stood close to me and whispered, "Aunt Qing, it seems... has it slowed down a bit?"
"It's okay," I explained, covering my mouth. If I hadn't covered it, I felt like my heart would jump out of my throat. "The first half is a bit downhill, so it's faster; the second half is uphill, so the stride is smaller, and it looks slower."
At that moment, a cry of an eagle seemed to come from a high place. I was startled and looked in the direction of the sound, but I saw nothing.
Luo Erying asked nervously, "Aunt Qing, what are you looking at?"
I became even more nervous and asked, "Yingzi, did you hear something?"
"No, no." Luo Erying shook her head frantically. "Aunt Qing, are you alright?"
Shi Yu suddenly exclaimed, "An eagle! It's an eagle!"
I looked in the direction he was pointing, and sure enough, there was a moving black dot on the horizon. Looking closer, the eagle, the size of an ink dot, gradually enlarged into a ball. With two clear cries, the ink ball spread in the air and split into two!
Two eagles raced and circled in the air, emitting high-pitched cries, and were gliding close to the sinkhole.
Luo Erying said with a sob in her voice, "Aunt Qing, look to the east!"
I shuddered, suppressing my fear, and looked towards the eastern sky, where I saw two more, even larger eagles screeching as they flapped their wings and flew in.
The villagers above the sinkhole shouted loudly, "The mountain god has appeared! The mountain god has appeared!"
"Honestly, what's all the noise about!" Luo Erying stamped her foot in frustration. "These eagles are usually hard to spot, why are they all showing up today!"
Shi Yu said, "The first two eagles that flew over were male, and the two that followed were female. These two pairs of eagles are fighting for the hilltop, and it will probably take a long time!"
Four eagles flapped their wings above the sinkhole, chasing each other, their talons occasionally tangling together, emitting sharp cries.
Lin Zhong remained motionless, while Huai Xu continued to move steadily along the iron chain, with a distance of about two zhang between them.
Just then, two eagles raced to the top of Huai Xu's head, flapping their wings and pecking at each other. Their talons also clasped together, and the two eagles seemed to have broken wings, tangled together, and plummeted straight down!
The crowd around the sinkhole gasped in surprise. Feng Qiao, who had been silent ever since Huai Xu stepped onto the iron chain, suddenly rushed out without warning...
"Feng Qiao!" I tried to step forward to stop him, but my legs were too weak to move. Fortunately, Wei Ji and Shi Yu were quick-witted and intercepted him in time.
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