Archivos extraños 2 - Lo bizarro y lo real

Capítulo 2

She said, "You don't know, you don't know, and most importantly, you don't know: 'These four tea leaves are for the girl's beloved guest. Among these four tea leaves, two are 'twin lotus flowers,' and two are 'phoenixes soaring together.' Did you hear that clearly? Remember it!"

He said he heard it clearly and he remembered it.

When they got home, she really did pour him a cup of sweet flower tea. He counted them; there were four petals: two "twin lotus flowers" and two "phoenixes soaring together."

She stood before him, saying nothing, gazing at him tenderly; he returned her gaze with equal affection, slowly savoring each bite…

Gradually, the village woman noticed her daughter's worries and told the village elder about it.

The village elder thought Yang Hong was a good young man, but since it concerned his daughter's future, he had to be careful. That day, he specifically called Yang Hong over and asked, "Are you willing to be a son-in-law?"

"willing."

Do you know anything about Xiaoyu's background and personality?

"Know."

You must be true to her for the rest of your life!

"If I change my mind, I'll die 'eating black'!"

Yang Hong knew that the locals feared Gu more than poisonous snakes and wild beasts, so he swore an oath by "eating black."

The village elder nodded in satisfaction, about to make a promise, when he suddenly remembered something: "There's another important matter; let's see if you dare to agree?"

"What's up?"

“You still need to learn some martial arts,” Zhai Lun said. “I have no sons, so you, the only son-in-law who has come into my family, are my natural sons. According to custom, you must defeat the fiercest hunting dog in the village on the ‘Dog King Festival’ in order to be supported by the whole village and inherit the position of village chief in the future.”

"I don't covet the position of village chief."

The village elder's expression suddenly changed: "If you're afraid of death, don't even think about becoming my son-in-law. My Su family has been a family of upright men for generations!"

“I really don’t covet the position of village chief, nor do I covet money,” Yang Hong said. “I only want Xiaoyu. I’m willing to do anything for her!”

Seeing his sincere expression, the village elder paused for a moment and then asked, "Are you afraid to go dog fighting?"

"Since I'm willing to become a son-in-law of the Su family, I'm a member of the Su family, and naturally I can't disgrace the Su family; I'm willing to risk my life for it!"

"That's more like a man! I wasn't wrong about you." The village chief's face relaxed. "I won't let you go to your death in vain. I will pass on all my martial arts skills to you. As long as you study diligently and practice hard, you'll definitely win in dogfights!"

The next morning, Yang Hong got up early to work as usual, but was stopped by the village elder: "From today onwards, you don't need to work anymore, just focus on practicing martial arts!"

After washing his face, Yang Hong followed the village elder to the main room and knelt before the incense-filled shrine. Above the shrine, on a large vermilion paper, the six large, dark characters "Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, Teacher" solemnly read, with the ancestral tablets of the Su family arranged in order. After paying respects to the ancestors, the village elder took out a greasy, gleaming cloth towel and rough, blackened leggings, and solemnly handed them to Yang Hong, saying, "These are two heirlooms from my family. Take them; you'll see their usefulness later."

Along the Xiaoqing River, the grass was lush and green, and the willow branches swayed gently. The village elder told Yang Hong to put on his leg wraps and follow him to practice his kung fu. The elder first demonstrated the movements. He held a cloth handkerchief in his hand and flung it out with lightning speed, as if a dark cloud had flown in from the sky, instantly blinding Yang Hong.

“Dog fighting is not like fighting humans,” the village elder flicked his wrist, retracting his handkerchief, and said to Yang Hong, “First, you need to confuse the dog’s eyes so it can’t see clearly, then you can make your move…”

As Zhai Lun spoke, he did another somersault, rolling from one end to the other. Yang Hong rushed over, but Zhai Lun suddenly jumped up and gently squatted down in front of Yang Hong. Just as Yang Hong was about to stop, Zhai Lun kicked him, his other foot bracing against a nearby tree stump. Caught off guard, Yang Hong fell to the ground; but Zhai Lun, like a fish out of water, caught him just before he hit the ground. Once Yang Hong had regained his footing, Zhai Lun swung his hand at him. Yang Hong dodged to the side, but Zhai Lun took the opportunity to throw him down, then lifted him up again and threw him onto the grass.

Yang Hong was deeply impressed that the village elder was still so skilled at his age.

After practicing for two hours, performing various moves, Yang Hong's head, face, hands, and feet were scraped and bleeding; fortunately, his leg wraps protected his knees, preventing any serious injuries.

"How are you doing? Can you handle it?" The village elder stopped what he was doing and asked with concern.

"It's alright." Yang Hong was panting heavily and wincing in pain, but he still managed to answer.

"In dog fighting, you need to be fast, fierce, and accurate." After demonstrating a few moves, the village elder said to Yang Hong, "Once you beat the vicious dog, three or five people can handle it."

After Yang Hong diligently practiced his skills under the guidance of the village elder for a month, the elder left him to train alone. Every morning, Yang Hong would arrive at the riverbank and return home at nightfall; day after day, his skills gradually improved.

Xiaoyu was always concerned about Yang Hong, so every day she would go to the riverbank to bring him food and tea. Whenever she saw his scarred body and sweat-soaked face, she would say with heartache, "Rest for a while, your health is important!" Then she would take out her embroidered handkerchief to wipe his sweat and brush off the dust. He would hold Xiaoyu's hand and say confidently, "I will definitely win the dogfight, you just wait and see!"

Every few days, the village elder would go and give Yang Hong pointers. Seeing that he was hardworking and had made great progress in his skills, he was very pleased and encouraged him to continue practicing so that he could become a great talent.

Su Zimin was completely unaware of all this. He never imagined that his uncle would take a liking to this farmhand from out of town and even plan to take him in as a son-in-law; therefore, he didn't care about Yang Hong at all. Even when he vaguely heard some rumors, he still didn't believe them. One day, he went to find the village elder, but he couldn't find him at the bamboo shoot field or at his house. Just as he was wondering about this, the village woman returned from the fields and told him: the village elder had gone to the riverbank early in the morning, and was probably with Yang Hong.

"What are they doing on the riverbank?" Zimin asked.

“You’ll see when you get there,” the old woman replied.

When Zimin arrived at the riverbank, he saw the village elder intently sparring with Yang Hong, so focused that he didn't even notice anyone else arriving. Zimin realized that the relationship between Zhaihua and the young farmhand was no ordinary one, and thus believed that the rumors were not unfounded. To see for himself, Zimin decided not to disturb the village elder and watched from the sidelines.

After peeking for a while, I saw Yang Hong flipping, rolling, squatting, kicking, and stomping.

The dog leaps, flips, braces, and chops were all executed with masterful skill. Zimin understood: all of this was for winning the dogfight at the "Dog King Festival," so he could rightfully inherit the position of village chief. A sour feeling welled up inside him, a mixture of jealousy and resentment churning within him. "No! I can't let them succeed!" he cried out in his heart.

03. The big grey dog showed him its gleaming white teeth.

The "big day" for dogfighting.

The perpetually silent cobblestone path seemed unusually quiet today. Even as thick fog shrouded the mountains and forests, figures could be seen moving about in the sea of mist—those were scouting ahead. As the morning fog dissipated, more and more people hurried along the path, calling out to each other and laughing excitedly as they headed towards Wuli Cliff in the heart of Qinglong Mountain.

In a spacious open area at the foot of Wuli Cliff, a grand "Dog King Festival" was to be held today. As the mountain villagers thronged towards Wuli Cliff, Su Zimin hadn't yet left his house. He told Caihua to close the gate, then took a tightly covered bamboo basket from the woodpile behind the house. Tearing off the cover, a highly venomous snake, its tongue flicking, poked its head out of the basket. His vicious gray dog, seeing this, lunged at the snake.

"Don't rush—"

The citizen patted the big gray dog on the head and said, "You've come in handy."

He took the snake out of the bamboo basket, gave it a shake, and the venomous snake stopped moving. He grabbed the snake's head, squeezed out the venom, and then patted the big gray dog's head to make it open its mouth, smearing the venom onto its sharp teeth.

Just then, Pi Caihua saw this and asked in surprise, "What's going on here?"

The commoner glared at him: "Don't ask questions about things that don't concern you!"

"Woo!" The sound of a cow horn drifted from afar. The little black dog had already run off with a group of mischievous children. "Let's go too—" Su Zimin said to Caihua, then led the big gray dog and walked towards Wuli Cliff with the last of the mountain villagers to arrive.

The Wuli Cliff area is characterized by towering cliffs, ancient trees reaching for the sky, and deep, weed-covered ground marked with rows and patches of animal tracks, proving that although uninhabited, it is teeming with life. The ancestors of Qingzhu Village chose this place to hold their "Dog King Festival" for a profound reason. Legend has it that the ancestors of the dozen or so villages in the Qinglong Mountains were all descendants of dogs. Only by defeating the dogs could one receive ancestral blessings and become the chief of the first village. Whenever a successor to the chief was to be chosen, the "Dog King Festival" would be held at Wuli Cliff. Villagers from all the villages would devoutly descend from their remote mountain homes along narrow paths, arriving here with reverence for their ancestors and worship of the gods.

The fog dissipated, and the sun, like a red lantern, hung on the bald, withered old pine tree atop the mountain. The air was filled with the earthy, moist scent of spring, mingled with the fragrance of fresh grass. In the Little Green River, moss stretched into long braids on the pebbles, drifting gently with the current, and the calamus grass had become exceptionally tender.

Several gleaming hunting dogs were gnawing on bones in the center of the arena, while a large, burly gray dog, as thick as a calf, stood to the side, its eyes blazing with fury at Yang Hong in the crowd—its owner had pointed him out, telling it: this man is today's prey! People say this gray dog is intelligent; it will wag its tail if Su Zimin laughs. Wherever Su Zimin's gaze falls, its gaze follows; when Su Zimin's gaze moves from Yang Hong to the platform, its gaze also falls on the two sticks of incense on the platform.

"Bang—bang—bang—"

After three heavy, resonant gunshots, the shaman on the platform cried out "Oh!" and pulled up the half-burnt incense stick, throwing it into the center of the open space below. The mountain people naturally retreated to the side. The shaman then picked up a large bowl of old wine and poured it towards the verdant mountains behind him; he closed his eyes and meditated for a moment, then shouted to the heavens, "May the gods protect us!" His deep voice instantly enlivened the entire atmosphere.

The suona horns began to play, the gongs and drums sounded, and a dense barrage of fire-like sounds reverberated.

The suona horns played three long and two short notes, while the gongs and drums became more frequent and gripping.

With a shout of "Get out of the way!", Yang Hong flipped into the field.

When the big gray dog saw the prey-like person approaching, it barked twice with a simple but very sensitive howl, and the hunting dog, which was gnawing on a bone, raised its head alertly.

"Awooo!" The big gray dog howled again, and the hunting dogs quickly scattered, surrounding Yang Hongtuan.

After standing still among the pack of hunting dogs, Yang Hong did not rush to attack, but kept his eyes fixed on their movements.

"Awooo—" the big grey dog howled again. The hunting dogs lined up in a fan formation, their front legs tucked in, their hind legs tucked in, their heads pressed to the ground, their backs like taut bows. The big grey dog stood behind them, observing Yang Hong's movements.

Yang Hong quickly realized that the big gray dog was the leader of the pack and needed to be subdued first to intimidate the rest. He suddenly threw out a cloth towel, and before the dogs could react, Yang Hong had already leaped behind them and kicked the big gray dog before it could react.

This kick is powerful and fierce; the wind arrives before the foot does, and the sound is awe-inspiring.

The big gray dog was kicked to the ground, but it was not injured. It quickly stood up and darted behind Yang Hong like lightning. The pack of dogs turned around and surrounded Yang Hong from both sides.

The yellow-haired dog seized the opportunity and pounced like a hungry tiger, leaping in from the side.

Yang Hong did a somersault and rolled from one end to the other.

The yellow-haired dog chased after him closely, and he suddenly struck, punching it until it howled; then he did a somersault and landed on his feet.

When the pack of dogs were all frightened, the big gray dog barked wildly to encourage them. It took the lead and leaped up, charging straight at Yang Hong's chest.

Yang Hong jumped to the side, took the opportunity to pull off the cloth towel from his waist, and with a flick of his wrist, wrapped it around the big gray dog's eyes.

"Great!" The mountain people exclaimed in unison, their shouts echoing like thunder across the mountains.

The oil-stained cloth that the village elder passed down to him was indeed extraordinary. It bore the blood and sweat of his ancestors, the pungent, wild air, and the power to intimidate a pack of dogs.

After a few exchanges, Yang Hong was covered in a fine sweat. The dogs, surprisingly calmed by the attack, formed a "lynx formation," waiting for their chance to counterattack.

In the crowd, Xiaoyu dared not breathe, her eyes constantly following Yang Hong's movements.

"Watch out!" she cried out.

It turned out that the big gray dog had broken free of Luo Bu's handkerchief and silently crept up behind Yang Hong, intending to launch a sneak attack.

Yang Hong quickly jumped to the side.

The big grey dog leaped over, tearing a piece of Yang Hong's shirt.

The big gray dog got the better of the dog, and the yellow-haired dog tried to chase and bite it; but Yang Hong was faster and beat him to the punch, breaking the yellow-haired dog's front leg with a "crack".

"Woof—" the yellow-haired dog whimpered and limped away to the side.

The pack of dogs stopped attacking and retreated.

The big gray dog howled, and the pack of dogs gathered again, their eyes glaring at Yang Hong with predatory intent.

The entire place was filled with the stench of blood.

Nine dogs confronted Yang Hong, the power of nine dogs clashing with the power of one man, neither daring to make a rash move.

The air froze. A crow flew hastily across the lawn, letting out a few pitiful cries in terror before disappearing into the old woods.

Yang Hong threw off his clothes, revealing himself only in a close-fitting jacket. His tall, upright figure shone with a radiant light in the April sun. He spat into his palm, cracked his knuckles, and stepped closer to the pack of dogs.

"Awooo—Awooo!"

The big gray dog howled fiercely. It was the offspring of a wolf and a female hunting dog, possessing both the wolf's ferocity and the hunting dog's agility. "As long as you catch your prey, I will reward you!" its owner often said and did, which is why it grew so fat and strong and never gave up its prey easily.

Yang Hong stared intently at the big gray dog, determined to subdue it and render it immobile. Just as he was about to kick it, he slipped and fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the pack of dogs rushed over, following the big gray dog.

"Thump—" The heavy sound of Yang Hong falling to the ground shook the earth and startled the village elders.

"Oh no!" he heard Xiaoyu exclaim. "Oh no!" he thought to himself, gripping the musket tightly, but his face remained unusually calm.

The village elder's mind was in turmoil, filled with conflicting emotions; even his breath seemed to change. He was terrified that Yang Hong would be bitten to death by that greyhound. No, he had to save him!

His hands began to spasm, and his wrinkled face twitched. Fortunately, he had brought his flint and steel flare with him today, and he slowly picked up the flare...

Yang Hong fell to the ground, feeling dizzy.

Several dogs were tugging at his feet. The yellow dog limped up and bit one of his sleeves.

The big grey dog bared its white teeth at him, confident of its prey's capture. It was ready to tear his chest apart the moment he moved. But now, it wasn't in a hurry to bite; it wanted to slowly break its prey's will.

A sinister smile crept across Su Zimin's face. He knew perfectly well:

If the big gray dog bites Yang Hong, Yang Hong will surely die, and no one can save him.

Xiaoyu turned pale with fright and burst into tears. The villagers watching held their breath, unable to bear witnessing this tragedy, and a commotion arose in the crowd.