According to Feng Shui, placing a house in the Five Ghosts Forest will lead to the decline of future generations, the stagnation of livestock, the leakage of Yin energy, and the deficiency of Yang energy.
Judging from the layout of Ping'an Village, the woods surrounding their village were not naturally formed, but rather intentionally created.
Anyone with even a basic understanding of feng shui can see that there's something wrong here.
Miao Xiaoxian didn't seem to care about anything, nor did she notice the whispers among the monkeys. She took the lead and walked down the mountain: "Come with me. There are many traps in the woods here. Stay close to me and don't wander off."
As soon as we finished speaking, our group walked down a path through the woods.
"Hiss!"
As soon as we entered the woods, I heard sounds coming from within.
Looking to the side, the grassy area between the trees on both sides looked like a grand gathering of venomous snakes, with colorful snakes crawling everywhere and intertwined together.
Although the snakes were flicking their tongues at us, they were only moving around in the woods and didn't come out.
It seems my previous guess was correct. Miao Xiaoxian took us to bathe in a hot spring containing sulfur because the substances in that spring water can repel poisonous snakes and insects.
If nothing unexpected happens, there are a large number of venomous snakes in this area, which is intentional. If outsiders did not prepare a lot of snake repellent or go to the hot spring to bathe, they would probably be killed by the snakes before they even got to Ping'an Village.
There were no roads in the locust and willow grove, but Miao Xiaoxian seemed very familiar with the terrain. She led us through a long loop in the woods and finally brought us to the village.
This is a mountain stronghold built entirely of wood. It is circular in shape and surrounded by a three-meter-high wall, with the surface covered with yellow mud.
At this moment, the walls of the village were deserted, but the barking of dogs could be heard coming from inside.
Miao Xiaoxian stood outside the city gate, took out a horn-like object from her waist, and blew it with all her might.
"Waaah!"
As the horn sounded, the sound of drums beating echoed from inside the village.
Upon hearing the drumbeat, the monkey placed its hand on the hilt of the knife at its waist.
Immediately afterwards, the village gate in front slowly opened, and then a group of villagers dressed in traditional "oukian" clothes came out singing and dancing.
"Ouqian" is a Miao word that refers to Miao clothing, which mainly consists of children's clothing, casual wear, and formal wear. Although the clothes worn by these people are made of primitive materials, the colors are particularly bright, and they are quite different from the Miao clothing I have seen in the market. They have a lot of silver and shell ornaments, and they look very traditional.
After the villagers came out, they sang folk songs in a language I couldn't understand, and danced and sang around us.
The monkey looked at the group of strangers around him, his wariness deepening: "Young Master Duan, what exactly do these people want? They were so wary of us before, why are they suddenly being so enthusiastic now? And what do they mean by this, are they going to have a dance-off?"
"It doesn't look like a dance; it's more like some kind of ritual."
I shook my head slightly, equally confused: "Miao people mostly believe in animism, and their belief system is extremely complex and varies from tribe to tribe. One characteristic of Miao religion is that it has a large number of complicated religious rituals, mysticism, secret rites, secret rituals, legends, solar calendar, incantations, herbs, and so on."
It can be said that the various mysterious religious rituals that existed in early human history are basically all present in the traditional customs of the Miao people. In the Miao culture, these religious rituals serve only simple life purposes such as honoring ancestors, exorcising ghosts, worshipping heaven, and marriage.
The Miao people have many branches, and at least for now, judging from their clothing alone, I find it difficult to distinguish which branch they belong to! In addition, although Miao customs are complex, they have managed to form a system on their own under difficult living conditions. Their customary laws for maintaining order within the tribe are very complete, and solutions to various life conflicts can be found in Miao customary laws.
The unique culture and customs of the Miao people allowed them to pass down their traditions orally even without a written language, thus maintaining the stability of a small ethnic group for a long time. This is also why the ancient Miao people were able to live in seclusion in the mountains for a long time and still maintain their customs.
In short, the Miao people have their own unique charm, but it is also accompanied by danger. In addition to benevolent gods, there are also many evil spirits in the Miao people's beliefs. Many legends include stories of familial feuds and grievances, which bury the power of fear and hatred deep in their hearts.
Each branch of the Miao people has its own unique characteristics, customs, and culture. Some tribes are very kind, but others are quite dangerous!
At present, I can only roughly guess from their clothing that these people belong to a branch of the Miao ethnic group, but their clothing is quite different from the Miao costumes we usually see. Without any prior knowledge, it is difficult for me to analyze their behavior.
"I don't think it's that complicated. These people just want to find out about us."
Jiang Man paused for a moment: "Ping'an Village has always been in seclusion. Now that we have suddenly appeared, since they can no longer avoid us, they might as well meet us openly. This is a strategy of open confrontation!"
While we were talking, Miao Xiaoxian stepped forward and said something to an old man. Then the old man walked towards us from the crowd and said in not-so-fluent Chinese, "Friends from afar, welcome to Ping'an Village!"
I looked at the elderly man with a face full of wrinkles, who looked to be over eighty years old, and bowed slightly: "I didn't expect that someone of your age would still understand Chinese."
The old man laughed heartily: "Although I live in seclusion in the deep mountains, I am still Chinese."
When I heard the old man say that, I grinned and said, "You're right, I was being presumptuous!"
Miao Xiaoxian then said to me, "This is our clan leader."
"Greetings, Chieftain!"
I extended my hand to the clan chief: "Please forgive my unannounced visit."
The clan chief didn't extend his hand, but instead clasped his hands in a fist salute to me: "Young man, you're too kind. As the saying goes, guests are always welcome. Our Ping'an Village hasn't been as lively as it is today for decades. Your arrival has added a touch of life to our village!"
After speaking, the clan chief led us into the village.
As soon as we entered, many young men and women, holding wine glasses, came to greet us.
Just as I was about to refuse, Miao Xiaoxian suddenly spoke up: "This wine is called 'visiting wine,' which is a way for the Miao people to welcome guests. How much you can drink represents how popular you will be in the village. Conversely, if you don't drink, the villagers will think you don't respect us and will keep their distance from you!"
After listening to Miao Xiaoxian's explanation, I hesitated for a moment, then picked up the wine bowl in front of me and started pouring it down one after another, which drew cheers.
Although Ping'an Village is a rather mysterious place, judging from their customs, these villagers who live a peaceful life are quite simple and honest.
Since I want to get information about the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace out of them, I naturally have to get along with these people first.
Before Miao Xiaoxian took us into the mountains, she was willing to let us bathe in the hot springs, which at least shows that she didn't really want to kill us.
Since Ping'an Village has this rule, let's just make the best of it and drink to our hearts' content.
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