There was a long silence on the way back. This terrifying atmosphere filled the air, entangled them, and wandered back and forth between the three of them, only increasing. It was getting darker and darker, and the shapes of all the scenery gradually faded away, leaving only blurry outlines, which added to the weirdness. Originally they were all hungry, but now, a feeling close to fear filled them. This feeling was similar to "full emptiness", and no one could describe it more specifically.
"Do you think it's time?" Bai Ya asked.
"Probably." Qi Huan was not sure.
No one had any objections to meeting the old man anymore. After all, after such an afternoon, it was touching to see another living person. Fortunately, nothing more dramatic happened. They came back safely and did not fall into a maze like a ghost beating a wall. It is easy to get lost in the dense forest, but the three of them did not go deep enough. Otherwise, when the sun cannot peek out from the canopy, getting lost will become inevitable. They also had an unwritten rule when they came back: not to smell, touch, or get close to anything, even creatures they knew well.
Occasionally there was a rustling sound, and Qi Huan turned around frequently. He finally discovered that it was Jun Aoyan who had sent it.
She was always scratching the side of her neck.
"Stop moving." He advised her. "It has finally healed and the injury has not worsened. Don't tear it to pieces again, otherwise there will be nothing you can do."
"I know...but it's a little itchy. I can't control my hands."
Bai Ya didn't look back: "It's normal. The wound is itchy as it grows."
In short, Qi Huan advised her not to hurt her again. Moreover, the rustling sound of skin rubbing against each other in the dark night makes one's hair stand on end. When the three returned to the village, the villagers had already rested. There was only light in the windows of three or five houses, but these were gradually extinguished. They observed for a long time to make sure there were no ugly monsters patrolling nearby, and then they got closer.
They were not stupid and had no intention of staying where they had been nearly discovered that morning. They just picked a high position and looked there from a distance. They kept waiting and waiting. Bai Ya felt that Hai hour had passed long ago, and he didn't see a single person.
"You were tricked by that old man, right?" He yawned lazily.
"Ah-huh...wait a minute." Qi Huan also yawned contagiously, "Don't be so impatient."
Aoyan was also very sleepy. She kept rubbing her eyes and asked the two of them how long they would have to wait. Qi Huan didn't know how to answer, but he just didn't want to give up easily. After all, he still didn't understand the origin of this old villager with abnormal behavior. At this moment, a shadow enveloped him. Bai Ya immediately turned around and was surprised to see a figure wearing a robe. Jun Aoyan reacted immediately and raised his knife. Just when they were about to attack instead of defend, the man stretched out his skinny hand and took off his hood.
It was the old man during the day.
The two relaxed slightly, but still held on to their weapons. Qi Huan calmed down earlier than them, because he noticed the old human hands first. But before he could say anything, the old man revealed his identity.
"You scared us to death." Qi Huan smoothed his chest, "These two people are going to make trouble for you. We have really been convicted of murder. Ah, can you hear me? You - okay ——”
Qi Huan raised his voice slightly, not daring to be too loud, but his tone was so long that Bai Ya wanted to slap him.
"I can hear you." The old man stroked his beard and said simply, "Although I am very old, my eyes, ears and nose are still intact. It's a pity that my teeth..."
As he spoke, the old man took out a piece of something from his arms and handed it to them. Bai Ya took it and opened it, and found several gray-brown flatbreads wrapped in clean cloth. Although it didn't look good, the two people on the left and right still stretched out their hands and each took one and held it in their hands. They were really hungry. This thing, which was as hard as a stone when pinched, could actually stimulate people's appetite.
"This is made in the village, don't worry, it's edible." The old man explained, "I guess you were hungry too, so I went to prepare a few, so you came later..."
"You took the trouble..."
Although Qi Huan said this, he never dared to say it, and so did everyone else. Moreover, he also noticed the way the old man's mouth looked when he spoke. Although his lips were dry and he said there was something wrong with his teeth, it was not that he had lost all his teeth - he clearly found that the old man's teeth were sharp, thin and dense, like two rows of small brushes. Although the moonlight was faint, he must have seen it right.
"There's something wrong with you." Bai Ya said bluntly, "You seem to be going against this village, but we have no reason to believe you because of this. Please tell us what your purpose is."
There is no such thing as respecting the elderly and caring for the young at this critical moment. The old man didn't mind, he smiled, his eyes full of kindness.
"Lao Chan is different from those people...but he is the same as you. Lao Chan, he came from the outside world."
"The outside world?" Jun Aoyan repeated.
"I can tell from your accents that our hometowns are exactly the same..."
"What? Are you also what they call a foreigner? Which group of people are you from and why are you here? They say that foreigners are greedy for the treasures here, but is this really the case? Are you the same?"
Bai Ya rattled down a lot of questions, and Qi Huan and Ao Yan felt dizzy. But the old man was very calm and explained the cause and effect to him unhurriedly.
"No, the old man has been here a long time ago... At that time, I was a sailor on a cargo ship, and the caravans I traveled with were traveling between the two countries. The old man had a crush on a young fisherman in this village. We fell in love with each other. As soon as we went back and forth, we fell in love with each other, so I quit my job and stayed. At that time, Jiutian Kingdom was still our subordinate state. But not long ago - alas, it’s not that close anymore. About ten years ago, Like the people here, I have forgotten the name of this country. My wife left a few years ago, and at that time there were still fleets coming to explore the island one after another. However, almost all of them were slaughtered by the Yasha. "
"Yaksha?"
The three of them said in unison. They had indeed heard the name of this monster and had some understanding of the description in the book. But when they saw it in front of them, no one could immediately connect the two. But when the old man mentioned this, the three of them quickly realized that these monsters were indeed very consistent with Yasha's characteristics.
Yaksha are often called quick ghosts in their hometown, they are agile and powerful. There are different opinions about their appearance. Some say they have wings, some say they have animal heads, and some say they are ever-changing and colorful. This sounds mysterious and mysterious, but it is not false, it is just that they look different. But the records of speed and power are uniform and true.
As a huge ethnic group, they have never seen the way Yasha lives on this island, let alone any book that says so. Moreover, compared to ordinary cognition, Yaksha's intelligence and organizational skills are not so good, and his rigorous social nature also makes them incredible.
"There are different opinions about the origin of Yaksha. It's just that the Yaksha here is different from what you know... They are intelligent, a collective, a whole. The Yaksha I knew when I was a child were not so - so smart."
"You mean like bees or ants?" Qi Huan thought about it, "All Yaksha work in an orderly manner, obeying the orders of some kind of...bigger king behind them? Is it the so-called Poseidon? When these loose people work in a certain If you unite under a larger command, you will become smarter and more difficult to deal with."
"The old man feels... they are more like condensed in the invisible, communicating in unknown ways. Eighty percent of it is the power given to them by Lord Poseidon. The exchange of thoughts passes through Poseidon, making their dialogue mysterious and mysterious. But Lord Poseidon never No one has seen it, and those who have seen it have never come back. More specifically, I don’t know yet.”
"There is no proof, isn't that just a wild guess?" Bai Ya frowned, "What kind of envoy you are talking about, could it be..."
"It's them."
"Just this thing?"
"Young people, please don't underestimate these monsters..." The old man suddenly fell silent for a moment, then asked, "How did you know that they are the envoys of God?"
Bai Ya didn't give in and told them all about the shipwreck they encountered when they came and what they saw on the deserted island. The old man's complexion gradually became serious, and finally looked gray and bloodless.
"Uh... isn't this another offense to the Poseidon?" Qi Huan asked carefully, "Then, we can't just ignore death. After all, they are two children, and they will definitely die if they drift on the sea. . And the previous shipwreck was probably also caused by the so-called Poseidon, right?"
The old man's expression was complicated, and he had thousands of words on his lips. In the end, he shook his head and let out a heavy sigh. It is not difficult for them to understand that although the old man is technically a "foreigner", it is normal for him to be assimilated into the local customs and beliefs after living here for decades. What's more, it's rare for him to communicate with them. It's really not easy, and he shouldn't raise higher requirements.
"If it's a shipwreck... it's true." The old man twirled his beard with trembling hands, "Every ninety-nine and eighty-one days, strange things will appear on the distant sea. It's just that the shore is safe, but the distant seascape will change. It was strange. The angels said that it was a sign of the anger of Poseidon, and a pair of boys and girls needed to be sacrificed."
"No, don't you have any brains?" Bai Ya couldn't stand listening anymore, "No one thought about where those children went?"
Where can I go? He's dead anyway.
His voice was indeed a bit high, so Qi Huan immediately pressed his shoulders and put his other hand to his mouth and gave a firm "shhh". Jun Aoyan wanted to say something more, but she was afraid of waking up the others, so she stopped talking. The old man shook his head silently. He does not argue with them in this regard. At the same time, the three of them also realized that the old man was not thinking entirely from their perspective. He had lived here for so many years and had been influenced by the local environment subtly. Not reporting them to the so-called divine messenger has already given them enough face.
"They must have gone to Lord Poseidon." The old man said firmly, "Lord Poseidon is real. The old man feels that Haiyaksha is not necessarily an envoy of God... maybe he just received a gift from Lord Poseidon. Everyone knows, Most of the time, they are a little domineering, which is not what a god envoy should do. But everyone knows that Poseidon must exist, and we just rely on Yaksha to establish a connection with Poseidon."
Jun Aoyan felt a headache: "Didn't you also say that no one has ever seen Lord Poseidon's true face?"
"There are eight gods in the Nine Heavens Kingdom." The old man stated seriously, "The Lord Poseidon calms the seas in all directions, the Dragon God guards the bottomless abyss; the Bird God lives high in the distant mountains, the Python God lurks in the shadows; the God of War resides in the Temple of War. The gods of incense and songs each guard their own territory, protecting the peace and joy of the people of the two countries. All gods are visible and tangible, and Lord Poseidon must be so."
Bai Ya lowered his head, stretched out his two palms, and compared them with one, two, three, and four.
"One less?"
Recommended: The Witch Doctor Awakens to read on your mobile phone.
