Chapter 86 Cherry Blossom Viewing 4: The Masked Man
The old woman gave you a meaningful look, tapped her cane, and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
"Are the things she said believable?" Xiao Dong asked you quietly, stunned.
"This is so weird, it's like an NPC grandma coming to our door to give us some pointers," Xiaomei muttered to herself.
"I don't know," you said, but the old woman's words did give you a lot of insight.
Shiromuku, the bride's dress.
In Japanese legends, there is a "sacred object" that can suppress the "evil spirits" brought by a newly "entering" daughter.
You secretly watch the bride on the stage, impeccably dressed in her gown, and ponder her intentions.
It certainly wasn't the one she was wearing.
That can only be in—
You look at the mansion hidden among the flowers in the mountains.
"Since escaping is not an option, we have no choice but to take the risk."
You crawled through the shadows among the scattered debris on the ground until you finally found a huge pile of fallen leaves where you could hide, then kept your eyes fixed on a few little devils not far away.
Playing with them isn't entirely without its benefits; at least you discover that their attire is quite magical.
"Xiao Dong, Xiao Mei, hide well." You whispered to them. It's safer for you to do this carefully by yourself than for everyone to do it together. But you're still a little nervous that you're holding everyone's safety in your hands.
Xiaomei nodded, clenching her fist in encouragement. Then, biting her lip, she whispered, "Are you really sure you can do this? What if we get found out..."
"No." You lowered your voice, unsure whether you were saying it to her or to yourself.
The plan is simple, but if it is discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable.
The hissing sounds of the little devils in front of me were like dry leaves scraping against stones, sounding both harsh and eerie.
They haven't found you yet, and are laughing and joking along the path outside the temple, whether patrolling or playing, occasionally poking at the weeds by the roadside with their lanterns.
You hold your breath, your heart pounding like a drum in your ears, sweat dripping down your forehead and into your neck.
"Stay calm, these little brats can't do anything but shout." You kept repeating to yourself, your fingers quietly reaching for the short knife at your waist.
This knife was originally meant for self-defense, but now it's your only weapon.
Get one or two ghosts closer, then quickly subdue them and change into their costumes.
Finally, the opportunity came.
You throw a stone into the bushes on the side.
Two little devils immediately went there.
You dart out from your hiding place the moment they turn their backs to you.
The blade reflected a sliver of moonlight as it rapidly approached the nearest imp.
With a gentle tap of the hilt, it emitted a muffled thud, and its entire body slumped limply to the ground.
"Quick!" you gesture to Xiaodong and Xiaomei. They rush forward and help subdue the other little devil quickly.
The whole process took only a few seconds, and the noise didn't alert the other patrolling kids.
You secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but the tension in your heart had not completely dissipated.
Time is of the essence, so you start stripping the little devil of his clothes.
Their attire was peculiar, likely made of coarse linen and moldy cotton, and reeked of dirt and stench.
"It's disgusting..." you muttered under your breath as you quickly changed into the clothes.
When your fingers touch the fabric, you feel an eerie coolness, as if it were not ordinary clothing, but a layer of cold skin.
The moment the clothes were put on, the three of you shrank, turning into comical little devils.
As you look at them, you can feel the chill emanating from their clothes eroding your body temperature, making you shiver involuntarily.
"We can't wear these clothes too often, I'm afraid they'll assimilate us," Xiaomei said cautiously.
You nodded, pointing to the masked figures: "They are our targets."
You take a deep breath and try to imitate the little devil's posture, walking forward slowly and blankly, yet with a bouncy, skipping gait.
"Stay calm," you tell yourself.
They crossed the path and swaggered to the entrance of the mansion.
Several masked figures were moving offerings and setting up the venue. They were completely unaware of your approach, treating you as mere imps, and even waved you away with a hint of disgust, urging you not to enter the mansion.
"Great, we weren't discovered." Xiaomei chuckled. If you wag your finger at her, she'll immediately fall silent.
Choose one that's easy to get close to...
There was a masked man who looked somewhat tired.
Strangely enough, when they're not dressed as ghosts, these masked people look almost identical to you, but now you can see quite a few vivid moments.
Taking advantage of the moment when the masked woman, who looked like she was having a hard time, turned around to move something, you suddenly struck out and chopped her on the back of the neck with a hand chop. The masked woman fell down without even uttering a sound.
Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei immediately rushed over to help, dragging the fallen masked man into the shadows.
You quickly took off her robe and mask and put them on yourself again.
As you expected, the quality of the clothes was acceptable this time, but the moment you put on the mask, you felt a faint smell of blood coming from the tip of your nose.
The masked person whose clothes were stripped off—it's hard to say whether she's human or not. She only has a human body, but there's not a single good piece of flesh on her body; she's just a bloody mess clumped together on her torso.
"Are you alright?" Xiao Dong asked in a low voice, looking at your slightly trembling hands.
"It's alright." You slowed your breathing. "Okay, let's sneak in as quickly as possible and find that white kimono."
Soon, with your cover, Xiaodong and Xiaomei also put on the masked man's clothes.
The three of you spent a long time in the corner imitating the other masked people. You straightened your chest, trying to make yourself look like a real masked person, and walked straight to the main hall of the mansion.
As you approach the main hall, you can feel a strong, chilling aura emanating from it.
The hall was dimly lit, and the white candlelight in the corner flickered as if it might go out at any moment.
For now, things are fine; no one has noticed.
Just as you were about to continue walking forward, a cold voice came from behind you: "Where are you from?"
The three of you froze, quickly turned around, and saw a tall, masked man standing behind you, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes gleaming coldly beneath the fox mask.
"I'm their supervisor, here to help—Miss pack her things," you said confidently, without any fear.
The masked man stared at you for a moment, seemingly assessing your credibility.
After a moment, she nodded: "Although we are working for Miss, we are short-handed. Take your people and go help organize those white cloths first."
She pointed to a corner of the main hall.
"But Miss..."
"Stop talking nonsense and figure out who your master is." The masked man waved his hand impatiently.
"Yes." You had no choice but to nod in agreement, and even with your mask on, you led Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei in the direction he pointed.
Upon reaching the corner, you see a neatly stacked pile of white cloths. The texture of these wedding fabrics is very similar to the white robes worn by the masked man.
Looking around, no one seemed to notice you, so you secretly hid a piece of fabric in your sleeve.
You pretend to be busy with your hands, but you're actually thinking about something:
These masked men may not be as loyal as you think.
Judging from the bride's presence and the overall layout of the venue, the bride should have been the absolute ruler here.
But it seems that, to these masked people, the bride is not yet their master.
Who is that? The groom?
However, if the groom has more authority and say than the bride—which may be the case in some real-world situations—then the bride will not stand outside and take charge.
Who controls these masked figures? Or are they merely the maintainers of certain rituals, busy but ineffective tools?
In that case, this could be an opportunity.
Why not put on a good show?
You turn to Xiaomei and Xiaodong: "You two hide well. After I've made a mess of things, seize the opportunity to go deeper into the mansion."
Xiaomei and Xiaodong have learned to stop asking unnecessary questions and simply nod and do as you say.
You were all alone. You looked up and around and saw a string of white paper lanterns hanging in the courtyard, like rows of upside-down fruits.
They hung swaying precariously on long bamboo poles, while several masked figures nearby whispered amongst themselves, their attention completely elsewhere.
You grab the bamboo pole used to hang the white cloth, tilt it slightly, and strike it upwards. Instantly, a pale blue flame flickers and licks the bottom edge of the paper lantern.
"Crack!" A slight burning sound rang out, and the flames quickly climbed up, casting blue light on the surrounding walls.
You quickly withdrew your hand, pretending to be nonchalant as you took a few steps back, while the flames began to spread at an incredible speed.
Strings of paper lanterns were lit one after another, their blue light dancing throughout the courtyard, igniting all the decorations and fabrics tied to the eaves.
Almost simultaneously, all the masked figures noticed the anomaly.
When they looked up and saw the flames, their orderly ranks immediately broke apart.
Someone tried to take down the burning lantern with a long bamboo pole, but the blue flame seemed to have its own will and kept climbing higher.
Some imps took advantage of the chaos to squeeze into the mansion from the outside. The masked man had no time to pay attention to them, so they pushed to the front, making strange squeaking noises and creating a mess.
You listened to their panic and felt a secret joy in your heart.
"Now!" With a sudden thought, you rushed into the inner hall, which was originally under heavy guard, while everyone's attention was focused on the argument.
Behind you, the blue flames illuminated the entire courtyard, making it appear like a ghostly realm.
The masked figures stood under the blazing lanterns, rows of them, each with a different build but all wearing the same mask. Seeing that the fire was getting out of control, they silently froze in place.
Soon, they were like paper figures rolled up by the heat, and were thrown into the flames with a whoosh.
The small patch of blue flame was covered by countless bodies, and after struggling for a while, it was unable to be extinguished, leaving only a strange fragrance, whether it was the fragrance of candles or the oily fragrance emanating from under the skin of the masked man after he turned to ashes.
More masked figures raised their heads in unison, repeatedly chanting into the firelight, "The wedding must continue."
The fires in other areas were burning more and more fiercely, while the masked men were fighting them off faster and faster.
Ashes swirled around you, and you quickly tore off the clothes from the masked man to ward off any thoughts that might tempt you to join the sacrifice.
Your heart pounded like a drum, your legs moved like the wind, and all you could hear was a cacophony of noise and screams. You didn't have time to look back; Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei ran off in different directions, while you, after several minutes of reckless running, stared intently at the carved wooden door in front of you.
You're sure the white kimono is hiding behind the door.
Upon reaching the door, you push it open, only to be met with utter darkness. The room is dark, filled with a strong, cloying fragrance, like the sweet smell of decaying flower petals.
A chill ran down your spine, but you forced yourself to step inside. The door slammed shut behind you, shutting out the chaos outside.
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