Chapter 9 The Mysterious Stone Tablet
1245 Words
After Qian Cang stepped out, he walked towards Shi Jingfu's house. On the way, he met some villagers and greeted them, but he did not ask about the death ritual again.
"Although I couldn't learn anything useful about the death ritual from Shi Xi, the fear she showed was definitely genuine. Shi Xi is very afraid of the death ritual. But as Yingyan said, if they are afraid, why not stop holding it? Their behavior is like being forced by drug traffickers to deal drugs; the consequence of not dealing drugs is death. However, this village has no one else but them. Is it truly a ghost?" In his thoughts, Qian Cang recalled the expressions on the faces of the two villagers who had died, which he could never forget.
"If there are ghosts, do Daoist priests and monks have any use?" At this thought, Qian Cang had already reached the door of Shi Jingfu's house. He pulled his thoughts back because Shi Haimin had a good relationship with Shi Jingfu, so he walked directly into Shi Jingfu's house. Inside, Qian Cang saw Shi Jingfu who was working.
"Hey, Hai Min, you're here, have a seat." Shi Jingfu stopped what he was doing and took out two stools.
"I'll make you some tea." Shi Jingfu was very happy about Qian Cangyi's arrival, which made Qian Cangyi feel particularly awkward. He didn't share Chapter 9 The Mysterious Stone Tablet Hai Min's memories and didn't know what the two went through in their childhood, so he didn't know what to say.
"No need to go to the trouble, I..." Qian Cangyi wanted to refuse, but Shi Jingfu's enthusiasm made it hard for him to stick to his decision.
Faced with this sturdy man, Qian Cangyi suddenly felt an impulse to tell him that he was merely an actor, but this thought was quickly dismissed.
"After saying it, will I be considered mentally ill by the other party? Or will I be seen as a traitor? Even if, hypothetically, Shi Jingfu believes that I am not Shi Haimin, what good will it do for me? What help will it bring in knowing the truth about this village, or the truth of the death festival? Nothing at all!" Qian Cangyi smiled self-deprecatingly at the crazy thoughts that popped into his mind.
This smile was noticed by Shi Jingfu.
"What are you laughing at? So happy." Shi Jingfu sat down on a stool.
"Oh, it’s nothing." Qian Cangyi was startled and quickly retracted his thoughts to deal with the situation in front of him.
Later, Shi Jingfu chatted a lot with Qian Cangyi, all about childhood anecdotes. For these, Qian Cangyi could only smile in response, neither daring to say too much nor refraining from speaking. However, Shi Jingfu noticed something and began to inquire about matters outside Qian Cangyi's village. In regards to these matters, Qian Cangyi was not being modest at all and could speak freely. Thus, the relationship between Qian Cangyi and Shi Jingfu gradually drew closer. At least for Qian Cangyi, it was no longer an awkward situation where he felt embarrassed during moments of trust.
Seeing the opportunity, Qian Cangyi began to inquire about the matter of the death festival.
"Jingfu, there is one thing I would like to ask you," Qian Cangyi said with a serious expression.
"Feel free to ask whatever you want!" Shi Jingfu smiled, easing the tense atmosphere.
"How much do you know about the death festival?" Qian Cang got straight to the point as soon as he opened the door, without any hesitation.
"The death festival... I'm not very sure either. The last time I participated was when I was 6 or 7 years old. I only remember that something incredible happened at that time, and I was very scared, just like you. I can't recall the rest clearly, and the adults wouldn't talk to me about it." Shi Jingfu shook his head, feeling a bit down.
"Incredible things? What exactly were those incredible things?" Qian Cang seized on the key point. For the villagers of Yuxi Village, many things could be considered incredible, such as the murder that happened today. But for Qian Cang, this level of explanation was far from sufficient.
"Ah, I’m not very clear either, but to be precise, there should have been many incredible things, right?" Shi Jingfu looked up at the sky. The blue sky and white clouds were refreshing, but for Shi Jingfu, it seemed like he was using the sky to recall something, using it as a medium to help him remember what happened twenty years ago.
Qian Cangyi quietly observed Shi Jingfu, trying to discern something unusual from his ordinary face.
After about ten seconds, Shi Jingfu withdrew his gaze, turned to Qian Cangyi, and said, "It seems like many people died that time. Everyone was hiding in their rooms, too scared to go out. The sky was dark, with no sun, and the entire Yuxi Village was shrouded in a sinister wind. I have no impression of what happened later. I'm sorry, but that's all I can remember; after all, it was too long ago. It seemed like the adults had agreed to stay silent, and I don't know anything more."
After listening to Shi Jingfu's account, the gloom in Qian Cangyi's heart deepened.
"Well, thank you. I'll head back now and we can chat again next time." Qian Cangyi stood up to bid farewell.
After Qian Cangyi left, the seriousness on Shi Jingfu's face did not dissipate; it seemed that past memories had stirred up some events he had always wanted to escape from.
On the way back to Shi Xijia, Qian Cangyi considered once again what exactly had happened during the death ritual twenty years ago, based on Shi Jingfu's words.
In Shi Jingfu's narrative, the scene was very much like the apocalyptic imagery described in films and dramas. At least for this village, it indeed had such a power. However, the question is whether such events occur every time there is a death ritual, or if they happen when the death ritual is not held? If it's the former, why not leave Yuxi Village, like Shi Haimin did? Wait, I remember that Shi Haimin did not want to return to Yuxi Village because of the fear of the death ritual; he even left his mother alone at home. But in the end, he still returned. This raises an interesting point: the death ritual seems to be irresistible to everyone in Yuxi Village, as if all the villagers are being manipulated by it. No matter how far they escape, they will return here every twenty years during this cycle. If it's the latter, why not hold the death ritual? If holding the death ritual has no effect, then why try not to hold it? If holding the death ritual has a significant impact on Yuxi Village, what exactly is that impact?
There were many questions in his mind, and Qian Cangyi did not have a definite answer; this further strengthened his resolve to investigate the place where the death ritual was held that afternoon.
After lunch, Hawkeye came to find Qian Cangyi, and the two of them headed towards the site of the death ritual.
After walking for about an hour, the two of them passed through the dense forest and arrived at the site of the death ritual halfway up the mountain. It is an open area
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