Perhaps because she is Zhang Chen's girlfriend and fiancée, the food Tian Yueling cooked was particularly sumptuous. It wasn't a full banquet, but it almost couldn't fit on the table.
I took out the bacon and dried fish that were meant to be eaten during the holidays.
At the dinner table, Tian Yueling mentioned the ceremony intentionally or unintentionally: "In three days, the fifth longevity ceremony will be held. You should come with us."
Of course Yu Qing would not refuse: "Okay."
Seeing her so obedient, Tian Yueling nodded with satisfaction: "Go back to your room and sleep after dinner. Don't go out at night. Wild wolves from the mountains may occasionally run down."
"Wild wolves are very ferocious. Several villagers were bitten to death by them before." After saying this, Zhang Guangze went to get another bowl of rice.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me recently. I used to be full after eating two bowls of rice, but now I have to eat five bowls of the same size to feel full.
Maybe it's because of too many bloodlettings that my body has become weak.
"Got it. Thank you, uncle and aunt, for the reminder."
Yu Qing and Zhang Chen looked at each other, then stood up at the same time and returned to their room.
Zhang Chen: "Mom and Dad, I'm full."
When Zhang Guangze and Tian Yueling saw them enter the same room, they were looking forward to holding their grandson happily.
…
"Although our village is close to the mountains, there have never been any wild animals there. After I came back, I did hear that several people were bitten to death."
Zhang Chen spoke as he sat on the bed, giving the only chair in the room to Yu Qing.
"Have you seen a corpse?" Yu Qing sat on the chair with his legs crossed, his eyebrows showing a nonchalant look, and tapped with a brush in his right hand.
Dongdong——
Zhang Chen shook his head. "No, they didn't. The ones who died were some of my collateral relatives. The wives the villagers married were all people they knew from other places, and I didn't see any of their relatives come to the funeral."
The people of Fengwu Village belong to the same clan, so it is naturally impossible for them to marry people from the same village. All the married women are either from Yuncheng or from other provinces.
When Zhang Chen returned home that day, he only saw a few coffins. He went to watch the burial process, but he did not see the corpse with his own eyes, so it was difficult to judge whether it was killed by wild animals.
"It doesn't have to be a beast." She looked out the window at the thick gray-blue mass. "Maybe it's something else."
Zhang Chen was on the verge of tears. "Hey, what's going on? The village has changed dramatically since I came back. First, the villagers started raising sheep, and then there was this so-called longevity ritual."
"How much do you know about the details of the longevity ceremony?" Yu Qing asked.
Zhang Chen: "I'm not exactly sure, but I heard from the villagers that lying in a coffin can cure all diseases, even terminal illnesses. But there's a price to pay, which is to sacrifice blood to the gods."
"Everyone who participates in the longevity ceremony can take a sheep home. The villagers say that the sheep is a blessing bestowed by the gods. However, I have never slept in one. The three times I was responsible for closing and prying open the coffin."
Of course Zhang Chen didn't believe in such a weird thing, and even some people who returned home years ago didn't believe it. But they couldn't resist, and if the consequences were serious, they would be locked up in the ancestral hall.
Being locked up in the ancestral hall is not a very scary thing. Every child has been forced to kneel before the ancestors when they were naughty. However, there is something obviously wrong with the ancestral hall recently.
There was always a chilling, eerie atmosphere inside, and it made one feel uncomfortable the moment one got close. It was an indescribable feeling, as if the air was surrounding them and pinching their throats.
Zhang Chen suddenly remembered something and his expression faded. "I remember now. All the people who were locked up in the ancestral hall haven't come out, and no one brought them food. So they..."
Yu Qing thought for a moment and said, "There might be something inside the ancestral hall."
“…”!!!
…
…
Midnight.
Zhang Chen curled up in the quilt and could vaguely hear slight noises downstairs, as if someone had gone out under the cover of night.
I don’t know if Sister Yang will be in danger when she goes to the ancestral hall, but she said it’s okay, so it should be fine.
On the other side, Yu Qing was walking on the bluestone road and could see the Zhang Clan Ancestral Hall in front of him.
It was late at night and the whole village was quiet. There was not a single light on, only the bright moonlight in the sky. The lanterns hanging in front of the ancestral hall had disappeared.
Yu Qing climbed over the wall and entered the ancestral hall. The courtyard was clean and spotless. The middle door was half open, and white light poured out from inside.
"This amount of blood isn't enough. How about holding a sacrifice and selecting some villagers?"
"No," the old man asked in a muffled voice, "Are the sheep all fattened up?"
"It's almost time, but I'm afraid we won't make it in time. In three days, another longevity ceremony will be held. If we don't have enough supplies, the gods might punish us."
"Let's think of another way. First, pick out a few fat sheep."
"Okay, then I'll prepare a few lists first. If they're not enough, I won't be caught off guard."
"That's great, you can do whatever you want..."
The sound of two men talking gradually came towards the door. The door was opened, and the yard was empty without any trace. They continued talking and walked away.
Yu Qing, hiding in the darkness, watched the two people walking away. One of them she had seen during the day was the elder who collected ceramic bowls, and the other was the clan leader.
The two men left without closing the middle door. It was unclear whether they were too confident in the villagers or had some unknown confidence.
Yu Qing felt a cool breeze blowing over, bringing with it a smell of blood.
Entering from the middle door, you still don’t reach the place where the memorial tablets are placed. There should have been other things inside, but they have all been moved away.
White candles were hung from thick ropes above the sky, and they were lit. There were also many candles on the ground, with almost no place to stand, and the room was brightly lit.
Candles of different sizes are placed in a random pattern, and in the middle is a huge coffin made of banyan tree, which is very yin.
Yu Qing stepped over a few candles and walked to the coffin. With a "dong dong" sound, the brush knocked twice on the coffin, but there was no special movement from inside.
She placed the brush on the coffin lid and prepared to pry it open...
"Who's in there?"
Along with the heavy voice filled with anger, footsteps were heard outside the door. It was the clan leader and the elder who had returned.
The clan leader narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw the stranger appear. "Who are you? Why did you sneak into our Zhang clan ancestral hall in the middle of the night?"
He looked at the person standing in front of the coffin. The other person seemed to be shrouded in fog, and he could not see clearly or tell whether it was a man or a woman.
I saw that person gradually turning around, his face still unclear, as if blurred.
"Can't even the gods recognize you?" A cold voice sounded.
The cold wind blew, making the clothes rustle. The clan leader and the elders took a few steps back at the same time, feeling a chill spreading to the soles of their feet.
This voice was different from the ones they had heard before, but it gave people a similar terrifying feeling, exuding endless pressure that made people want to surrender.
The clan leader glanced at the people around him, then knelt on the ground and said, "Lord God, I wonder what important matter has brought you here so suddenly?"
The weirdness revealed everywhere made him believe that the person in front of him was a god.
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