"Zhizhi, we're about to enter the mountains. Where are you taking me?"
Long Xiangling was so tired that she stopped and asked while gasping for breath.
Early this morning, Long Xiangzhi told her that Long Lichuan had hidden something in the mountains. Because it was dangerous in the mountains, she didn't dare to go alone to get it, so she begged Long Xiangling to accompany her.
Long Xiangling was worried that it would be dangerous for her to go into the mountains alone, so she went with her.
Unexpectedly, this walk would take most of the day! Adding to the difficult mountain path, Long Xiangling's calves began to tremble from walking so hard.
"Cousin, don't stop, hurry up and catch up!" Long Xiangzhi turned around and saw her stop, urging her, "We're almost there, take a good rest when we get there!"
Long Xiangling took two steps forward and pouted tiredly, "We're almost there, almost there! Zhizhi, you've said it over a dozen times! Do you know where Uncle hid the things? Did we take the wrong road?"
A hint of displeasure flashed in Long Xiangzhi's eyes. Her uncle and mother raised her cousin to be delicate and tender. She looked like she had never suffered much!
Unlike her! She had been despised by her mother since she was a child. All the good things in the house went to her brother, but she did all the hard work! If her father hadn't secretly saved some food for her, she would have starved to death long ago.
She still remembers clearly that one Spring Festival, her mother prepared a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner with meat, vegetables and glutinous rice.
But when she picked up her bowl and chopsticks to add more rice, her mother snatched her bowl away and said, "Why should a girl eat so well? Leave the white rice to your brother! It's New Year's Day, and we won't let you go hungry. You can have half an extra multi-grain cake today."
Another time, her clothes were too small and she really wanted a new one, but she knew that her mother would definitely not buy it for her.
So she collected firewood for the village chief for half a year and finally exchanged it for a piece of cloth.
Just as she was happily touching the fabric and imagining what kind of clothes she would make, the fabric was snatched away by her mother.
She said, "Why would a girl wear something so good? This fabric is perfect for making a shirt for your brother!"
Finally, she had no choice but to use her brother's unwanted old clothes and make the one that was so small that it couldn't fit her clothes bigger.
Such things happened so many times, from childhood to adulthood, that she couldn't even remember them all! To her mother, she was just a superfluous and money-losing item, a tool created solely for her younger brother.
She hates her mother, and hates her brother even more!
So, even though she knew they were human traffickers, she still brought them home...
But she didn't expect that this would also kill her father, the only person who loved her.
......
"I've been here many times with my father, how could I remember it wrong? Just hold on a little longer, it's not far ahead!" Long Xiangzhi comforted Long Xiangling, and the two continued to move up the mountain.
But this time, Long Xiangzhi really didn't lie to her. When they were near the top of the mountain, Long Xiangzhi finally stopped.
Long Xiangling followed her gaze and saw a cave entrance that was half a person's height. The entrance was hidden under weeds and it was hard to find if you didn't look carefully.
"This is it!" Long Xiangzhi pointed at the cave entrance and said, "Let's go in."
"Is there any wild animal in here?"
Long Xiangling looked at the cave entrance, feeling vaguely uneasy. She frowned and poked her head inside. It was pitch black inside, and she couldn't see a thing.
"Should we light a torch and then..."
Before Long Xiangling could finish her words, she suddenly heard a muffled "bang!" and at the same time, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head.
She turned her head in horror, only to see Long Xiangzhi holding a bowl-sized stone in both hands, staring at her with a sinister and terrifying look in his eyes.
"You..." Long Xiangling only said one word before her eyes went dark and she fainted.
Long Xiangzhi looked at Long Xiangling lying on the ground, and a disdainful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Hmph, a pampered flower is truly naive!" she murmured to herself. "But what a pity! Today I'm going to drain all the blood from your body. Even if I die, I'm afraid you'll become a mummy!"
As she spoke, she dragged Long Xiangling into the cave.
The cave was pitch black, and one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. However, Long Xiangzhi was obviously very familiar with this place. She moved through the darkness easily without any hesitation or confusion.
When they reached the depths of the cave, Long Xiangzhi let go of Long Xiangling, took out a match from his jacket pocket, and lit the candle on the stone wall.
As the candlelight lit up, the surrounding environment gradually became clearer.
This cave looks like it has existed for many years. The walls are engraved with all kinds of strange symbols and patterns, some of which are so mottled that their original appearance can no longer be seen.
At the innermost part of the cave is a stone platform built with stones, half a person's height and the size of a double bed. In the center is a concave semicircle, which looks about the size of a washbasin.
On the cave wall above the stone platform, there are carvings of three beast-faced people sitting cross-legged. They are called "beast-faced people" because their faces are carved to look like beasts, but their bodies retain human form.
As for what kind of animal it is, it is even more difficult to judge!
Each animal face is composed of the facial features of nearly a dozen different animals. One has rabbit ears, a dog's nose, and fox eyes; another looks like a fusion of a tiger's forehead, a monkey's mouth, and a goat's horns. In short, each one is incredibly bizarre and confusing.
Long Xiangzhi dragged Long Xiangling to the stone platform, carried her onto the platform, and respectfully bowed three times to the three statues on the cave wall.
The cave was completely silent, with only her voice echoing around. "Disciple Long Xiangzhi, today I offer the blood of the Dragon family to summon the Gu Mother! I pray for the protection of the Gu God, and may the glory of our clan last forever!"
After she finished speaking, she stood up and drew a dagger from her waist. Her sinister eyes glided over the blade.
"My dear cousin, please don't blame me for being cruel! If you want to blame someone, blame your parents! It was them who caused our family to be expelled from the clan and become homeless.
It's also because of your father's existence that my father had to feed the Gu with his blood! Why can your family live happily, while my father and I have to live in such pain?
Since the heavens are so unfair, I have no choice but to fight for it myself! Haha! Hahahaha!" Long Xiangzhi's laughter lingered in the cave with a chill, making people shudder.
......
On this day, the insects and animals in the forest were particularly active. If you observe carefully, you will find that they seem to be secretly flowing something.
Because Xiaohua has a blood relationship with Long Xiangling, she was the first to discover Long Xiangling's whereabouts and reported it back to Tang Zhan.
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