Chapter 185 Echo
Pipa didn't know if she was running away.
They just stumbled and kept moving in what they thought was the right direction.
—That's right, that's just his own opinion.
By the time Pipa realized that she seemed to have lost her way in the night, the entire area within sight was surrounded by scattered lights.
The moon had somehow disappeared into the clouds.
These scattered lights, which would normally be the most comforting to a lost soul, now seemed to transform into death warrants, encircling him from all directions.
If this continues, we'll probably be discovered sooner or later.
The terrain of this village is relatively flat, and these are the only places where people can hide.
Pipa tried his best to suppress his rapid breathing. His body was already soaked in cold sweat. Fear made his brain work at high speed, but not in the direction of solving the problem.
He couldn't help but wonder if those people genuinely didn't know where he was hiding, or if they were simply enjoying the thrill of teasing their prey.
How did I happen to overhear that mysterious declaration from before at that exact moment?
And also...
Thinking of this, Pipa couldn't help but lower her eyes to look at the dog that had been following her all the way.
Without the moonlight, he could no longer penetrate the nearby darkness to see the strange dog face that was mismatched with its makeup.
On the contrary, I felt the warm, humid air clinging to me even more clearly because of this.
As the loquat grew breathless from exhaustion and running, the dog's breathing also seemed to become heavier, and it drooled noticeably more.
This can be seen from the wet, sticky sensation that Pipa felt when the other person licked her arm.
The dog followed him obediently, never uttering a word, simply following silently and never betraying itself to anyone else around it.
In such a perilous time, it seems at first glance that it can be trusted temporarily.
But upon closer examination, it becomes clear that this is the strangest thing in itself.
—Because the loquat is not its owner.
Even their few previous interactions were limited to the loquat catching a glimpse of the village chief from afar when passing by his yard, and quickly looking away due to her innate dislike of canine eyes.
In other words, they had absolutely no relationship whatsoever.
On the contrary, among the crowd that seemed to be possessed, searching everywhere in the night with torches in hand, was the village chief's family, who were the true owners of the dog.
Not to mention, the worship ceremony itself was jointly presided over by the old village chief and the village preacher.
So what could possibly have caused this dog, which should have obeyed the old village chief, to act in a way that resembled betraying its master?
Currently, there are only two possibilities that Pipa can think of.
The first possibility is that the dog was actually deliberately disguising itself, including its silent following behind, which was actually instructed by its owner beforehand... and all of this was just a trick to catch a turtle in a jar.
Once the game is over, the dog will immediately make noise to report its location to everyone else in the village at the owner's command.
At that point, the exhausted loquat would be in a completely passive situation... and perhaps the crazy villagers would even get extra pleasure from his terrified and helpless reaction.
Just as previously predicted, they will 'enjoy the wailing and weeping' of the sacrifice after capturing it.
The second possibility is that the dog's actions so far, including following the loquat and remaining silent when called, are entirely of its own volition.
In other words, the other party did all this to achieve some kind of self-interest. For this, they were even willing to betray their master…
A dog that can betray even its owner, with whom it lives day and night.
Whatever the reason.
Pipa didn't believe that the other party could harbor any good intentions towards someone as unfamiliar as him.
The ominous feeling was especially pronounced whenever the loquat rested somewhere and the dog would come over and sniff and lick it.
Pipa thought that the group's goal might be to capture a prey as a sacrifice to their so-called gods.
The dog in front of him, however, is very likely trying to eat him to fill its stomach... As for why it hasn't made a move yet, perhaps it's waiting for him to completely exhaust himself.
Because he is a living, breathing person.
Even the smallest nine-year-old child seems to have a fighting chance against a medium-sized dog.
In particular, the fact that humans walk upright can also intimidate animals, causing them to misjudge the size of their opponents.
In conclusion, either possibility is unfavorable for loquat.
At this stage, Pipa is more inclined to the second guess. If she calms down a bit and tries to look back at the whole process from the beginning, she will find that the chance of her appearing here is too high.
Being alone at home, guided by the sound of drums, the Lantern Festival's delayed return, and wavering emotions... it can be said to be the result of the combined effect of all of the above factors, none of which can be missing.
What if he just doesn't want to go out tonight?
It should be noted that before this, Pipa had never gone out alone at night.
Could it be that those devout madmen actually owe their gods a sacrifice?
Even assuming there truly was a mastermind who knew exactly what was going on and predicted he would sneak out tonight to become a sacrificial offering in the ritual, it's rather absurd that the final step of the plan would involve a dog.
After all, human actions are still traceable, but a dog—especially an ordinary guard dog like this—without professional training, would probably find it difficult to execute overly complex commands precisely.
Thinking of this, Pipa was no longer as nervous as before.
If his judgment is correct, the dog is following him purely out of selfishness; it wants to eat alone...
So at least at this moment, when a group of people are holding torches and making a big show of pursuing their 'most devout offering', I will not be betrayed.
Pipa felt somewhat relieved.
He quickly calculated his next move in his mind.
Although it is unknown how long this massive search will last, he cannot stay in the place where he is currently hiding for long.
He remembered that in previous years, when the worship ceremony was held, his father never returned home before dawn.
Usually, it's noon the next day before I drag my tired body home and then fall asleep immediately.
So theoretically, as long as she isn't discovered to have gone out tonight, no one should pursue the matter... When the sun comes out and it's bright, the loquat will naturally be able to find her way home.
"rhubarb."
Pipa called out in a low voice, remembering that was how the village chief was addressed at home.
The yellow dog continued panting heavily, offering no reply, but its licking of the loquat's forearm suddenly stopped, as if waiting for the child to continue.
"Ancestral hall, please take me to the ancestral hall."
Pipa asked tentatively.
He had once seen this dog, ordered by its family, deliver something to the ancestral hall. The village chief's wife tied a bamboo basket containing the item to the dog's back, and the yellow dog, having received its command, trotted off happily, as if it knew the way well.
Pipa didn't really want to go to the ancestral hall.
He once discovered a rather hidden cave on a small slope behind the ancestral hall, hidden among bushes and concealed by rocks.
At that time, Pipa came down from the mountain and happened to pass by. He originally wanted to pick up the fallen bamboo shoots, but unexpectedly made such a discovery.
Later, I peeked inside and saw that it was pitch black, just big enough for one person to pass through.
Pipa didn't go very deep. She stayed alone for a while, but she felt a bit eerie and as if she was being watched.
It was as if he wasn't the only one in that dark cave.
At that moment, Pipa thought of some terrifying scenes in ghost stories, which made her feel uneasy, so she left in a hurry after a short while.
As I was leaving, I tripped over something and scraped my elbow and knee.
The echo that it produced startled me; I thought it was a ghost talking.
He scrambled out of the house, and was exposed to the sun all the way until the eerie chill at his doorstep finally subsided, at which point he finally came to his senses.
I remembered that I was originally going to pick up the fallen bamboo shoots, but because of this commotion, I completely forgot about it and ended up going home empty-handed.
He was filled with extreme regret, blaming himself for being too curious and neglecting his important business.
At the time, Pipa was worried that she might be blamed for it.
Unexpectedly, when his mother saw him like this, she rushed over and looked him up and down with heartache. Only after confirming that Pipa had just fallen and had not been bullied did she breathe a sigh of relief.
She took his hand and led him to the well to fetch water to clean his wound, then carefully applied medicine.
What would my mother do if someone bullied me?
Pipa didn't understand why her mother was so nervous at the time. After the misunderstanding was cleared up, she asked out of curiosity.
At that moment, the woman was bending down, gently applying ointment to the loquat.
It was made with herbs, supposedly my mother's secret recipe, and even Pipa's father didn't know she had such skills.
Pipa was just asking casually, but her mother suddenly gasped for breath upon hearing it, and even the way she was applying medicine to her hands stopped abruptly.
[Mother? Did I say something wrong?]
Seeing this, Pipa couldn't help but feel worried, even more worried that she might have said something wrong and upset her mother.
A moment later, her mother's weak voice was heard: "How could that be? If asking such a question is wrong, then what are those people? Right, they're not even human..."
The woman's sudden muttering startled Pipa, who couldn't help but whisper, "Mother."
Upon hearing this, the woman raised her head and looked at the loquat again, her face displaying the familiar smile that her mother always wore.
Look at me, I was so engrossed in my own thoughts.
The woman smiled slightly and continued to apply the herbal ointment evenly to the loquat's wound, as if nothing had happened.
Pipa noticed that the other person's fingertips were trembling slightly, as if their most secret thoughts had been touched, and they tried to hide them but to little avail.
Neither of them spoke after that.
Pipa didn't know what her mother was thinking, but she vaguely guessed that it was related to the other person's origins.
That was a memory that Pipa never dared to touch on her own initiative, unless her mother wanted to talk about it.
Even when her mother brought it up, Pipa mostly just listened, neither agreeing nor asking any questions... She seemed no different from a pebble in the yard, a blade of grass on the eaves, or a short loquat tree in the corner.
Because the loquat was well aware of the awkwardness of its identity, it felt that it was not qualified.
—I'm even more afraid of tarnishing that precious memory.
Only after his mother finished applying all the ointment, packed her things, and stood up to go inside, did she turn back and say, "If that day ever comes, I will let those people know that the hardest thing in the world is a cure for regret."
Pipa was stunned. This was the first time he had ever heard his mother speak such resolute words in such a gentle tone.
Especially...
My mother was still smiling slightly then. The setting sun cast a swaying shadow of the trees onto half of her face, making it appear half-lit and half-dim.
Pipa's attention was completely focused on her mother's unexpected remarks. When she looked at the half of her face bathed in the soft glow of the sunset, she couldn't help but wonder if she had misheard.
After all, Mother is such a gentle person...
So tender was she willing to treat her own child, with dirty blood, so kindly.
Later, the two talked for a while. Pipa said that she had accidentally fallen on the hillside behind the ancestral hall, which made her look so disheveled, and she had also lost the bamboo shoots she had dug up in the forest.
When the matter was brought up, Pipa was somewhat cautious, fearing that his mother would scold him for going to a place he shouldn't have gone, so he didn't mention the cave.
Unexpectedly, my mother, who had been smiling just a moment ago, frowned immediately upon hearing the words "ancestral hall": "What are you going there for?"
【I……】
Loquat stammered: "I just thought it was getting late, so I wanted to take a shortcut. And..."
—And he didn’t even go into the ancestral hall; he just passed by the slope behind it without getting any closer.
Pipa explained the situation truthfully, but her mother's expression still wasn't very pleasant.
The mother looked at the bewildered child for a long while, then sighed before softening her tone and pressing the child's shoulder earnestly, saying, "Loquat, remember this: the ancestral hall is forbidden territory. You can't even get close."
"Why...why?" Pipa asked instinctively.
There was something else he didn't say: he saw the village chief's big yellow dog going to the ancestral hall, and the village chief and the village's chanting master... and he didn't see them missing any limbs.
【because……】
As her mother spoke, she paused for some reason. Pipa followed her gaze and saw that it was in the direction of the village ancestral hall, as dusk settled in.
It shrouds everything that is clearly visible in the daytime in a haze, making one unable to help but doubt one's own eyes and everything that the eyes see.
Pipa didn't see her mother's expression, only heard her mother's somewhat dry voice: "There are ghosts there... so many wronged souls."
By the time he turned around, his mother's face was completely hidden in the shadow of the eaves and could no longer be seen.
A gentle breeze blew by, and the loquat seemed to hear again the mournful echoes coming from the depths of that dark cave, like whispers or weeping.
After that, Pipa never went near the ancestral hall again, nor did she ever go to the cave on the back slope again.
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