The old woman selling incense snorted and said, "What's so interesting about that?"
"This sacrifice is a grand celebration of the year's harvest, so how could it not be beautiful?"
The incense-selling old woman merely curled her lips coldly, her temper suddenly flaring: "Go away, go away, you're all ignorant girls." With that, she turned her head away and ignored us completely.
Having been rebuffed, I didn't dare ask any more questions and hurriedly left with Suxin.
Asking around among the nearby villagers, I finally found Liangjia Village. I realized my memory was getting worse and worse. There wasn't the fenced-off house at the village entrance, but a very simple teahouse. A few tables and chairs were set up under the shade of trees, where several farmers who had finished their afternoon meal sat. The waiter came up and asked, "Ladies, would you like a bowl of cool tea?"
“Okay.” I sat down, and Shen Suxin squatted down, picked up some soil from under her feet, frowned, stood up again, stomped her feet hard, and shook her head at me. The soil was firm, with no signs of being turned over.
The waiter came over with a teapot, pouring tea as he said, "You two young ladies look unfamiliar. Are you here to see the sacrificial ceremony?"
“That’s right,” Shen Suxin said. “I heard that the sacrificial rites here are very unique. We happened to be at the Guanyin Temple and came across one, so we came down to take a look.”
The waiter, intrigued, said, "To be honest, ladies, I run this teahouse for those who come to watch the sacrificial ceremony. It's truly unique. Legend has it that the Harvest Stone in the neighboring village used to be a tall, small mountain, but for some reason, it was gradually worn down into the shape of a large bowl. To prevent evil spirits from being envious of the harvest and causing trouble the following year, people use that bowl from the Harvest Stone to cook a pot of meat soup every year. It must be made with meat from five kinds of livestock: chicken, duck, fish, beef, mutton, and pork, and cooked together for three days and three nights. On the fourteenth of August, villagers from nearby areas bring their own bowls to fill with the soup and take it home, placing it at their doorsteps for the evil spirits to share. On the fifteenth, they take the leftover soup to the rice paddies and pour it away, signifying a year of good weather and abundant harvests. On the sixteenth, the last day, the villagers gather before the Harvest Stone to kneel and worship, thanking heaven for the bountiful harvest. Today happens to be the day for sharing the soup."
"So that's how it is. Thank you, Brother Er. May I ask how to get to Harvest Stone?"
"The two young ladies will arrive if they just follow this main road."
Along the way, many villagers carried bowls, their eyes slightly squinted, their faces filled with piety.
“Suxin, I’m sure that teahouse we just saw was Ziyu’s home.”
"But it doesn't make sense. Why did the house disappear overnight without a trace?"
"That is indeed strange, but you can smell your fingers that you just touched the soil. Don't they have a faint medicinal smell?"
Shen Suxin took a sniff: "Indeed, it even smells like ginseng from Changbai Mountain."
"Changbai Mountain ginseng?"
"Yes, I remember last year I was seriously injured and my vitality was greatly depleted. My father personally went to Changbai Mountain to find those ginsengs with spiritual properties, because genuine Changbai Mountain ginseng is very rare and has a very unique taste, so I still remember it to this day."
"Then how did the Ziyu family manage to obtain such rare and precious medicinal herbs?"
"Heaven knows." Shen Suxin rubbed her temples.
The Harvest Stone was indeed shaped like a large bowl, just as the waiter had described. Its formation wasn't particularly special; the area was perpetually damp, and moisture condensed on the rock's edge, forming droplets that eventually dripped down, eventually wearing away the stone. Shen Suxin and I leaped up a large locust tree to hide, as our attire was too conspicuous. The villagers knelt before the Harvest Stone, lining up to ladle out soup. An elderly man, seemingly the village chief, ladled the soup. The soup had turned a thick, white color, containing a few pieces of flesh, nothing special, but suddenly a nursery rhyme came to mind.
Real Bride, Fake Bride
The real bride doesn't sleep with her husband.
The Fake Bride: The Monster Hides
Real Bride, Fake Bride
The real bride boils water
Put in fake bride soup
The soup slowly dwindled, and more flesh and skin leaked out. I covered my mouth and gagged, as if the flesh and skin in the soup represented a tragically deceased girl.
6
It was late when we returned to the temple. The main hall was empty, and the chattering voices of the girls didn't come from the side rooms. Shen Suxin and I exchanged a strange glance; all the guest room lights were off, except for Master Huiqing's. I knocked, and Master Mingyue opened the door. Several girls sat on prayer cushions, their faces pale as if they had been frightened. Master Huiqing was striking his wooden fish, the sound disordered.
I awkwardly asked, "Master?"
The sound of the wooden fish stopped, followed by a long sigh: "It's good that you've returned, benefactors."
Shen Suxin asked quickly, "What happened?"
This question had a significant impact, as the girl with delicate eyebrows and narrow eyes, who had been covering her mouth and nose, burst into tears: "Another person has died! Someone else has died in the same room where Ziyu died!"
We exchanged a bewildered glance.
Where is the body?
"They're still in that room." The girls couldn't help but cry.
Shen Suxin and I walked out simultaneously. Ziyu originally lived in the west wing. Pushing open the door, we saw the three-foot-long white silk ribbon still hanging from the beam, and the body lying on the bed, pale-skinned, with a peaceful expression, as if she had just fallen asleep. Shen Suxin frowned: "Why would this girl commit suicide for no reason? She always boasted that the husband she was going to marry was a handsome young man she had grown up with. What reason would she have to kill herself?"
I laughed: "Or perhaps, it was murder."
Shen Suxin examined the corpse carefully and muttered to herself that it was strange.
What's strange about it?
"The deceased had no wounds on his body, but all his blood had drained out."
"How is this possible?" I suddenly felt a cold sweat break out on my back. Shen Suxin glanced at me uncomfortably and asked, "Where is Ziyu's body now?"
"icehouse."
The temperature in the ice cellar was very low, and I rubbed my hands together, almost jumping up and down. Ziyu's body was covered with a white sheet. Shen Suxin went up and uncovered it, looked at it for a long time, then turned back to me and shook her head: "She hanged herself."
As I approached, I saw the obvious ligature marks on her neck and shook my head: "No, it was murder. If it were hanging, there would only be ligature marks on half of the neck, but her neck has marks on almost the entire circumference."
"If Ziyu wanted to harm you, then who killed Ziyu? What was Ziyu's purpose in harming you? Who saved you? Was the same person who killed Ziyu and the other girl?" Suxin asked, as if she were asking me, but also as if she were asking herself. The cold of the ice cellar made it impossible to think, so I didn't answer her but simply pulled her out of the ice cellar.
7
That night, a woman with delicate eyebrows and eyes knocked on my door. She asked shyly, "Can I sleep with you? I used to live next door to Qingling, but I'm too scared to sleep alone anymore." She said, "My name is Hongxiang."
With my permission, Hongxiang hugged her pillow and crawled into my blanket. She was still very excited and trembling. It took me a long time to comfort her before she calmed down.
Are you familiar with Qingling?
“When I first arrived a few days ago, she was the first person I met, and since I lived next door to her, we became friends. Qingling has a very cheerful personality, and she often comforted other girls, asking why they suddenly had such thoughts about suicide.” Hongxiang sobbed softly.
"Hongxiang, think carefully, when was the last time you saw Qingling?"
"Hmm... It seems to be around noon when we were eating vegetarian food. I had arranged to listen to Master Huiqing chant sutras, but another girl named Axi dragged me outside the temple to pick osmanthus flowers, and I forgot my appointment with the master. When Axi and I came back, we heard from the monks in the temple that Qingling had committed suicide."
After all, encountering something like this wasn't a pleasant experience, and recalling it again would be another blow to her soul. With my comforting words, Hongxiang slowly fell asleep, her brow furrowed as if she had narrowly escaped a great fear. I got up and changed into my night clothes. Shen Suxin meowed twice outside the window. I blew out the light and went out. I firmly believed that a fox will eventually show its tail, and the darkness would conceal many transactions unless we discovered them during the transaction.
Su Xin and I lay prone on the largest banyan tree in the temple. While waiting passively was a foolish method, it was the most effective when all else failed. The banyan tree offered a great view, allowing us to see the entire temple. Until the wee hours of the morning, with only the faint scent of osmanthus blossoms in the night breeze, Shen Su Xin was almost asleep.
Suddenly, light footsteps echoed in the courtyard.
A grey figure stealthily crept along the wall towards the east wing. In the darkness, the figure seemed to be searching for someone. The sound of wind cutting through the air rang out. I couldn't help but admire the impressive lightness of the movement. A black shadow resembling a large bird swept across the courtyard and landed in front of the grey figure. Shen Suxin was about to jump down when I stopped her. Judging from that person's martial arts skills, he must possess considerable internal strength. If we made the slightest move, we would alert him.
They seemed to have disagreed, and then the dark figure grabbed the gray figure, who actually started fighting with the dark figure. The gray figure was no match for the dark figure and was grabbed after only two moves. The gray figure seemed very agitated and kept struggling. Suddenly, there was a creak, and Master Huiqing's door opened. The dark figure leaped several feet away and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Bright Moon".
"Yes, Master."
Why are you taking so long to fetch the bathwater?
"Here it comes."
The gray figure turned out to be Mingyue, while Master Huiqing was completely unaware that the man in black had been there, and calmly instructed his disciple to prepare bath water.
Shen Suxin and I were both quite surprised, so we went back to her room to discuss it further.
8
When I woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. Exhausted, I fell asleep in Suxin's room. Suxin came back with water to wash my face, and I suddenly remembered that Hongxiang was still sleeping in my room. I wondered if she was awake or not.
I pushed open the door. The blankets on the bed were still rolled up. I called softly, "Hongxiang, it's already high in the sky." The person on the bed didn't move at all; the air was eerily quiet, without a single breath or crawl. I suddenly threw off the blankets. Hongxiang lay there quietly, her face pale, as if she were asleep.
She had no wounds on her body, but all the blood in her body had drained away.
I searched the room carefully and finally found a small round hole in the window paper. There were some ashes on the ground, which I recognized as sleeping potion.
Hongxiang's death utterly terrified the fragile girls. They frantically packed their belongings, preparing to flee, and disappeared without a trace by noon. Mingyue stood quietly behind Master Huiqing, her expression serene. Last night, after Suxin and I returned to her room, someone must have sneaked into my room, intending to kill me. This deduction was based entirely on a sleeping potion; it wouldn't have been necessary to kill Hongxiang. But it would have been different for me; martial artists are always very alert. I secretly rejoiced that I had escaped, because if the one who wanted to harm me had been that man in black, I wouldn't have had any chance of winning.
Those girls who had lost their nerve wanted to leave, but some of them lived far away and needed to find a carriage.
Su Xin and I stopped the job.
In the nearby town, it was market day, and the market was bustling with activity. Vendors selling sugar figurines and handicrafts were dazzling. Finding a horse-drawn carriage in the market wasn't difficult; in the distance, I spotted a dark-skinned man squatting in a corner, and the man looked familiar. I pulled Suxin aside and explained.
Su Xin walked over and gave him a sum of money, saying, "I'll take this carriage. Tomorrow, we'll wait at the foot of Guanyin Mountain to deliver a few girls. Your carriage is too dirty. Take it home and wash it first. This money is enough for you to pull for half a month."
Upon seeing the silver ingot, the man nodded his thanks and said, "I'll take it home and wash the carriage again."
"What's your name? Where are you from? What should I do if you don't come tomorrow?"
The man smiled honestly: "Don't worry, young lady. My name is Liang Aniu, from Liangjia Village. I do honest business, so please rest assured."
The man drove the cart out of the market, and Su Xin and I followed behind. This Liang Aniu was Liang Ziyu's brother. I remember that before I got into the sedan chair, he served me a bowl of noodles that tasted very strange. After that, I fainted in the sedan chair, and why I ended up in the temple later became a mystery. The cart left the town, not heading towards Liangjia Village. After traveling about five or six miles, it stopped at the foot of a mountain. At the foot of the mountain was a small thatched house, with new grass and a new fence. Aniu drove the cart into the yard and called out to the house, "Father, Mother, I'm back."
Su Xin and I hid behind the house and listened quietly.
"Mother, I got a big job today. Look, this big ingot of silver will last me for several months."
"Sigh, these wealthy families are so generous."
Ziyu's father asked, "Aniu, have you found out where your sister is?"
Ah Niu sighed, "No, in my opinion, that girl Liu Ruyan can disappear into thin air. With such great ability, if she knew that her sister had lied to her, how could she possibly survive?"
"Alas, that girl's life is more precious than our Ziyu's; it's all fate." Ziyu's mother said, sobbing again.
9
When A-Niu saw me appear before him, he wailed as if he had seen a ghost. He knelt down in front of me with a thud and cried, "Miss Liu, you can kill me, but don't kill my parents. My mother is sick and won't live much longer. Please spare her." I reached out and helped him up, and smiled, "What nonsense are you talking about, Brother A-Niu? How could I kill my aunt and father? I only came here to find out the truth."
Ziyu Niang wasn't too surprised, she just sighed: "Miss, blame us if you want. We really couldn't bear to see Ziyu die, so we agreed to let her find a substitute."
Su Xin finally couldn't hold back any longer: "What exactly happened? Auntie, could you please explain it to me?"
Here's what happened.
Every August, a harvest celebration is held in the area. To outsiders, it's a unique ceremony that draws crowds. But they don't know that this annual ritual is the culmination of a family's blood and tears. In several nearby villages, the most beautiful unmarried girl is chosen each year as the sacrifice. She's carried to the Harvest Stone as if in a wedding procession, then killed and thrown into boiling water for three days and three nights. Gradually, some families, unwilling to part with their daughters, seek a replacement. This replacement must be beautiful and pure; otherwise, their own daughters must die. Ruyan's arrival excites the villagers. They believe that with such a celestial girl as a sacrifice, the following year will surely bring a bountiful harvest. Thus, Ziyu survives. Strangely, before the sedan chair reaches the Harvest Stone, a strong wind suddenly blows, the sand blinding everyone. When the wind subsides, the girl in the sedan chair is gone. The villagers return to search for Ziyu, but she too has vanished. They concluded that Ziyu's parents had hidden their daughter, so they drove them out of the village and razed their home to the ground. Of course, the one who ended up as soup was another poor girl.
Su Xin slammed her fist on the table in disbelief: "How can there be such ignorant and foolish priests? How can they treat human life so carelessly? Doesn't the imperial court care?"
Ah Niu said, "Miss, you don't know this, but it's because the imperial court doesn't allow such sacrifices that it has become a secret that we in our villages can't tell outsiders."
But who rescued me? How did Ziyu die, and what was her connection to Qingling Hongxiang?
I remembered a detail and asked, "Auntie, you have a medicinal herb called Changbai Mountain Ginseng. I wonder where you got it?"
“It was obtained by Ziyu from Master Huiqing of Guanyin Mountain. At that time, I was so sick that I was about to die. Thanks to this ginseng, my life was saved. Master Huiqing is truly a living Bodhisattva.”