Первая книга из серии «Мастер озорства» Кто я

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Section 221: The Truth Behind the Truth (11)

"I've told you all to read more books, but you just won't listen."

The old man, uttering these seemingly random words, slowly walked towards the tunnel we had just emerged from—which was the cliff top at this end. We, his children, not understanding why, followed him. Standing a short distance from death, yet with a panoramic view of the entire Mihua Cave, the old man sighed softly, “This place has quite a history! You are truly blessed by your ancestors to be alive!”

The old man sighed deeply, then sat cross-legged on the ground and began to tell us about the history of the land beneath our feet.

The ancient Dian Kingdom has long been considered a cradle of civilization, its origins coinciding with the period around the time Qin Shi Huang unified China. At that time, much of southern China was still undeveloped and uncivilized, and the local inhabitants were known as "Dian Yue," also called "Bai Yue." Historical records attest to this.

Xishuangbanna was not originally clearly defined within the borders of the ancient Dian Kingdom. The name Xishuangbanna came about in 1570 (the fourth year of the Longqing reign of the Ming Dynasty) when the Xuanwei Si (the highest administrative official in the area) divided its jurisdiction into twelve "Banna" (in the Dai language, "twelve," "Xishuang," and "Banna" mean one thousand mu, i.e., one Banna, a unit for collecting taxes and corvée labor). Thus, the Dai name "Xishuangbanna" came into being. "Mengbalanaxi" was its ancient name.

The Naniso people you refer to are a branch of the ancient "Baiyue" people. Before we get to that, I need to tell you about the evolutionary history of the "Dai" ethnic group.

Records of the ancestors of the Dai people can be found in Han Dynasty historical texts such as the *Records of the Grand Historian* and the *Book of Han*, dating back to the 1st century AD. They were referred to as "Dian Yue," "Shan," "Shan," "Liao," or "Jiu Liao." During the Tang and Song Dynasties, they were called "Jin Chi," "Hei Chi," "Hua Man," and "Bai Yi," among other names. During the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, they were called "Bai Yi," "Bai Yi," and "Bo Yi," among other names. Subgroups of the Dai people include "Dai Na," "Dai Ya," and "Dai Beng," among others. Due to the somewhat general nature of the classification, there are numerous names. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, based on the wishes of the Dai people themselves, they were officially named the Dai ethnic group, meaning people who love freedom and peace.

However, the other branch of the "Baiyue" people, sharing the same sky and land, the Naniso people, have a completely opposite temperament to the "Dai," just like their name suggests—Naniso in ancient times meant "mad and warlike." Historical records about this people are scarce. They are brave and skilled in warfare, meticulous in their thinking, and an extremely dangerous people, somewhat similar to the bloodthirsty Romans of old. The only difference is that the Romans emphasized "attack," while the Naniso people, as you have experienced, emphasize "defense."

Section 222: The Truth Behind the Truth (12)

At this point, we all looked down at the distant view below the cliff.

"But those mechanisms..." I listened for a while but couldn't get to the point, and I was getting a little impatient. I was about to get straight to the point when the old man stopped me with a gesture. He hadn't finished speaking.

"If you remember correctly, then that so-called black water is the saliva of the beasts," the old man said, using a strange term.

"What the heck?" I asked, indicating that I didn't understand.

"Since ancient times, there has been a saying that there are divine beasts in the world, such as Bai Ze, Kui, Phoenix, Qilin, Yiwu, Xiezhi, Huafang, Taotie, Hundun, etc. The Naniso people worship these things."

"Huh? That's not right. There are time markings everywhere. Aren't they worshipping time?" The old man was obviously bragging. I know a little about the Ten Divine Beasts, and I haven't seen many of them along the way. Instead, there are time markings all over the world.

"On the surface, I'm your girlfriend, but don't you secretly want to go makeup-free?" Ye Min's weak interjection perfectly and sharply resolved my question: "OK, OK," I replied, embarrassed, and immediately changed the subject.

"So the so-called 'gathering beast saliva' is the saliva of these monsters... no, divine beasts?" That's ridiculous.

"That's just a name, like Kukulkan, which is actually a kind of strange snake."

"Those black liquids are a mixture of substances, including water, some minerals, and fat lost from animal or even human skeletons."

"So those are the things on the dead bodies?" I felt a churning in my stomach and almost threw up.

The old man didn't answer my question directly, which was taken as an admission. He continued, "In the past, the main buildings of the Naniso tribe were surrounded by moats, which were filled with this kind of thing."

"As for the mechanical bridge you mentioned, it's probably the Luofeng Bridge." The old man frowned.

Within the ancient Naniso tribe, there was a saying called "Bad Phoenix," which roughly meant that if a woman in a tribe gave birth to triplets, all of them girls, it was considered a bad omen. The Naniso people believed that the appearance of a Bad Phoenix was a sign that the gods had not bestowed upon them brave male offspring, and it was seen as a very bad omen. Therefore, almost every tribal settlement had a bridge called the "Phoenix Bridge," used to respond to the gods, or as a test for new life.

Section 223: The Truth Behind the Truth (13)

In essence, it is a very ancient and inhumane form of ritual.

In the Naniso tribe, women held a lowly status, so the Phoenix Bridge was usually built beneath the Dragon-Suppressing Altar (an altar where the Naniso people would hold sacrifices before each war), symbolizing the inequality between men and women. The Phoenix Bridge was equipped with mechanisms for sacrificial purposes. It was just a simple lifting mechanism, but you've complicated it.

Testing new life? Using such disgusting saliva to flood the bridge? How inhumane is this? My mind is full of questions, waiting for answers.

The old man continued speaking slowly and deliberately, his voice echoing through the woods.

The ritual for the cursed phoenix is extremely complex and absurd. If a cursed phoenix appears in a household, all the men and women of that household must walk across a bridge, the men at one end and the women at the other, for an hour. The rest of the tribe, led by the chief, surrounds the bridge, constantly worshipping and begging for divine forgiveness. The mechanism on the bridge is used to activate the dragon-blocking whiskers. At the very top of the dragon-blocking whiskers are placed the three small swaddling clothes containing the "cursed phoenix."

So that thing is called "Dragon Beard"... worshipping it, shouting wildly, and even offering human sacrifices—isn't that just like those things among cannibalistic tribes? My scalp is tingling. People used to be so afraid to climb those pillars, but we're risking our lives to escape. Heaven knows how many lonely souls are on top of those pillars!

The old man went on to explain, but in short, the three baby girls were placed atop the pillars. Their parents on the bridge activated the mechanism (Yunnan dialect: open), and amidst the shouts of the Naniso savages, young and old, they watched as the pillars carrying the infants slowly rose, just as we had done before, passing over the ground above and reaching the top of the Dragon-Suppressing Altar. The ceremony was then complete. If the baby girls reached the top safely, the entire tribe would accept them, but raise them as males. When they grew up, they would have to fight like other men. However, if the baby girls died during the process of the Dragon-Suppressing Altar reaching the sky…

The black water we were immersed in was entirely due to its age and the overflow of black water. Currently, the entire underground passageway beneath the building is filled with this disgusting liquid, which is euphemistically called "beast saliva." When we triggered the mechanism, we also disrupted its flow, causing it to gush out wildly.

The old man told us that the hair in the river was indeed hair, but not the hair of a female corpse as I had imagined. Long before the Naniso tribe dominated the world, they knew how to keep a certain kind of rare and exotic beast (the exact species is now lost to history; it is known to have a long body, large ears, sharp teeth, and the ability to travel hundreds of miles a day, with a howling bark and very long mane and back hair). They kept and worshipped these creatures, and on important tribal days, they would perform sacrificial rites. They would bury their remains in cracks in the walls, leaving only the long hair on their mane and back, and paint images of beautiful young women in the cracks to convey a spirit of worship and longing. Over time, this naturally accumulated into a mountain.

Section 224: Epilogue (1)

It turns out those disgusting and terrifying hairs weren't female corpses at all, but some unknown monsters... To be honest, knowing this isn't comforting at all. What's the difference between a dead body and a monster corpse?!

"So those fingers in the wall aren't real?" I was sure I saw it clearly, and the strange creatures the old man described didn't sound like monkeys at all.

“Those fingers aren’t real,” Ye Min reminded me. As we climbed, the “fingers” had fallen into the water from the wall above us due to the vibrations.

I had just thought of that too, and seeing the old man nod, I didn't ask any further questions.

The old man is incredibly learned; I never expected him to be so profound. "But since this is Naniso territory, why are there buildings unique to the Dai people here?"

Yes, I was referring to that strange bamboo house.

I thought this was a huge loophole, and I wondered how the old man would explain it. But to my surprise, he gave me a strange look and then asked, "Are you sure that's really a Dai bamboo house?"

I was stunned!

end

"Do you remember what you laughed at me about when we were eating in Wen County on the third day?" Ye Min said, then stretched out her hand and slowly opened her clenched fist right in front of my eyes.

In her palm was an old coin, which, under the slanting sunlight, reflected a faint bluish-green hue.

end

"By the way, our conversation has been revolving around your mother the whole time. Why didn't you mention the child she was holding hands with inside the Tenglong Wall?" With everything finally clear, as the old man led us along the mountain path, I couldn't help but quietly ask about the "ghost child" I'd only met once. Actually, I'd wanted to ask at the sacrificial altar, but it wasn't convenient in front of the old man, and Ye Min hadn't said a word about him either, so there must be something else going on. Now that I was a little further away from the old man, I quietly voiced my question to her.

At first, I thought the child might be her and She Tong's child or something... But when I asked Ye Min, she actually asked me back with a mocking look.

"child?"

"Yes, child," I said matter-of-factly, pretending not to notice her expression.

"That's just a rather large voodoo doll. Our ritual... requires a lot of materials and props, as you can see. All of these things are contained inside that voodoo doll," Ye Min said casually.

Section 225: Epilogue (2)

Voodoo doll? I know a little about these things. The only difference is the size. Thinking back for a while... it seems so. I only really "formally" looked at "him" in the Tenglong Wall along the way. It was just a fleeting glimpse, not even a very detailed one. I didn't see "him" do anything else along the way... No wonder... But other people's voodoo dolls are used to harm people. I didn't expect Ye Min to use them to store props. No wonder she used such a large one.

"Why did you let your mother lead you by the hand..." I was somewhat interested and wanted to hear her continue. I had originally planned to go on about how terrifying things were, but I stopped myself as soon as the words were on the tip of my tongue. Terrification was exactly the effect she wanted.

Ye Min followed behind Su Yan without turning her head and replied, "Do you think I'd be stupid enough to put those things in your car?"

I stood there, speechless.

Three years later.

How have you been lately?

Autumn paints the whole world a dazzling yellow, and the slowly falling leaves, like countless sorrowful, deep eyes, record one silent story after another. I sit by the glass window, looking at Ye Min, and exchange pleasantries.

The detention center was deathly silent.

"I'm fine. How are Mother and Su Yan now?" Ye Min asked calmly. The monotonous and tedious prison life had only deepened the resilient and indifferent heart of the woman before her.

I forced a smile: "Su Yan is living with your aunt now, they are both doing well...you don't need to worry too much."

"Oh? Is that so?" Ye Min asked back, her lukewarm tone making me feel uncomfortable.

silence.

"So, I've been fooled again?" Ye Min asked, her tone turning icy.

I quickly explained, "No! It's not like that. You know, the old man is quite old, and his health is already failing. Plus, he has a Gu curse in his body. If we let them live together, it won't have the effect you or I want. It will only harm them!"

During that "family reunion" catastrophe three years ago, the old man certainly did a great job, but as his son, how could I just stand by and watch him act recklessly, disregarding his own safety? Reunions and visits are perfectly reasonable, but…

"Oh." Ye Min lowered her head, no longer looking at me. The air froze in silence once again.

I didn't know what to say to comfort my sister. It was truly unfair that we hadn't kept our promise to her, given that she was sentenced to seven years in prison… Thinking this, my thoughts drifted back to three years ago.

Section 226: Epilogue (3)

"What do we do now?" I asked, gripping the steering wheel as we got back into the X5. The ending was unexpected, but thankfully we left that awful place unharmed and solved all the mysteries. However, of the six people who originally traveled together, only half remained. How should we handle this?

"This..." The old man was also a little troubled. Of course, I could understand.

"I'm going to turn myself in," Ye Min said calmly, sitting in the back of the car.

The old man and I were both speechless.

Despite Su Yan's strong objections, Ye Min made a condition: "I am willing to take full responsibility. After I go in, you can take them over and take good care of them for me."

As she spoke, I suddenly felt her figure grow incredibly tall, carrying an indescribable and awe-inspiring power. This power overwhelmed the old man, leaving him no choice but to comply.

"I promise you." The old man said with a serious expression.

"If you lie to me again..."

"Please rest assured."

...

We did agree to that at the time, but we couldn't ignore other factors.

I decided to say something; the atmosphere was too heavy, but I couldn't think of a good topic for the moment. During a pause in my thoughts, I noticed that Ye Min was looking down, fiddling with something in her hands.

"What are you playing?" I finally asked. Even something trivial and unimportant was better than an awkward silence.

Ye Min didn't answer me. She stopped fiddling with her things, clenched her fists, and looked up at me again.

And there it was again, that wistful look in his eyes.

"Do you remember..." she asked me slowly.

"Remember what?"

"That road trip..."

"Yes, I remember. How so?"

"Do you remember what you laughed at me about when we were eating in Wen County on the third day?" Ye Min said, then stretched out her hand and slowly opened her clenched fist right in front of my eyes.

In her palm was an old coin, which, under the slanting sunlight, reflected a faint bluish-green hue.

Through the thick glass, Ye Min looked at me with a smile.