There were noisy sounds outside the house, from far to near.
She Zishu's just-closed eyes opened again, not only because he heard something, but also because he sensed the existence of fire. People in the water town lit torches, one after another, more and more. Residents crowded the streets and the night grew brighter.
what happened? As soon as she turned over, she heard the old man walking out of the door and talking to the crowd. For some reason, everyone gathered in front of the house. It has never been so lively here. Some women were crying and could not speak clearly. When Zishu got dressed and walked out, everyone suddenly took a step forward, making it look even more crowded.
The old man was calming the woman's emotions, and Zishu recognized her as a widow from the village. Others told her that the widow's son ran out to play after lunch and did not come back as it was getting dark. She heard from other children in the village that they went downstream to play hide-and-seek, but everyone else went home before dinner. The widow remembered looking for him, and she saw her son alone by the river just after nightfall - heading towards the water at the intersection of the gloomy rivers. She was about to rush down like crazy, but she happened to be seen by a fellow villager who rarely came back from doing business at night. Several grown men pulled and pulled her down, and she cried and read her son's name. But people looked over and saw no one at all. Apart from the normal ups and downs of the river, there were no abnormal waves.
"We don't know where his son is..."
"He didn't come back with the other children. The children thought he was hiding and unwilling to come out. He would naturally go home when he was hungry."
"It's not entirely certain yet that he was—he fell into the river. We have to—"
"Miko-sama, miko-sama...save her! Save her son!"
The eyes of the crowd were brighter than their torches, kindled within by a hopeless anticipation. Shezi knew that her son was naughty due to lack of discipline from his father. Although he was not so friendly on his first day here and even chased his little bird all over the street... But after his mother said a few words, he apologized and saw that Zishu did not make things difficult again. On his own, he doesn't mess around much. He and his friends also caught fish for the birds - although it was too big.
"I will go," Zishu said, "I will go right away."
There was no emotion in what she said, but people could clearly see the perseverance on her face. Most of the time, she can be defined as sincere because her power can be used by others. After all, she did help. In this unreasonable arena, not everything is unreasonable at any time. Although there are no fixed conditions, if there really are no good rewards for good people, then there will only be bad people fighting Gu in the world.
Zishu ran very fast and no one could catch up with her. Many children were crying, and they were all woken up. Their mothers or elderly people stayed at home to comfort them. The older children may have known what was going on, so they stuck their heads out the window, or ran into the yard and waved to Zishu through the railings. She was like a gust of wind on fire, not giving much time for the children to nod in response.
The journey was not too short, compared to the speed required to save people - but she arrived in the blink of an eye. The water level is not high in winter, and there is a wide strip of gravel along the river bank, but further down, the depth is more than enough to drown a child. It was too cold nearby, unnaturally cold, and she knew very well that this was because the yin energy was too strong. The terrible legend of the water town is by no means groundless.
Bad, she smelled the child's scent. He should have been here before, but now he is gone. In the flowing water that was not turbulent but was fast enough, there were many shadows standing still in the center. There were pairs of faint eyes on the shadow, like will-o'-the-wisps. They faced Zishu across the water, and their sight seemed to come from the other end of Naihe Bridge.
"Hand over the kid."
Her voice was not loud, but it was enough to compete with the sound of water. The shadows were silent, and each moved slightly, but there was not much reaction. Most people would never be able to see them, but judging from their height, most of them were underage children. She didn't know whether she should do this, but that boy should just...
"Don't make me, I don't want to do this."
Zishu raised his hand, and half a circle of blazing fire surrounded her, with both ends of the arc-shaped wall of fire intercepting the river. The fire was so fierce that all the splashing water evaporated under the heat. These fires from hell can burn the lingering ghosts cleanly. But in this way, it also deprives them of all possibilities of reincarnation. This is too much like a private trial and is absolutely unfair. Zishu's heart was also full of contradictions, and she didn't want to solve the problem simply and crudely in this way. And by doing this, can the widow's son really be handed over? She didn't know whether the drowning child was completely dead in the time that passed.
As for robbing people from Huangquan Road... she really didn't have much confidence. If everything was burned clean, then the little boy would... This was really not a good idea. But other than that, she didn't have much choice.
Those shadows suddenly disappeared. They dived one after another and returned to the water. What a bunch of cunning water ghosts... Although he was reluctant, Zishu walked forward, step by step towards the deep water. Under the night, there seemed to be a moving, burning flame in the green water. She dived down and looked around in the darkness. There is nothing special - disturbed fish, swaying water plants, and dead branches and leaves stuck in the cracks of the rocks. But she knew that there were more than one human bones nearby. She could smell it even in the water - even though she didn't have to breathe.
She couldn't dive deeper, she didn't know why. Maybe she was too light, but this wasn't the sea, so how deep could it be, and how terrifying could the water pressure be? But there was an invisible barrier blocking her from below. She couldn't understand how an ordinary water ghost could be so capable? This way, she would have no way of finding the little boy's body.
What to do... what to do? She Zishu even thought, if that doesn't work, why not burn the river water in this area? Water from upstream will also fill in, so it needs to be blocked, but where should you start? The section where the Yin River just flows in? This was really a big project, but she couldn't think of any other way. The longer it takes, the more dangerous the child is.
A burst of melodious music came from the water, which was too weird. Zishu couldn't tell what kind of instrument it was and what kind of music it was. The sound was too hazy, so she went upstream again and raised her head above the river. Her long hair was gathered to the same side along the direction of the water flow, like jet-black water plants. The music was much clearer, but there was water in her ears, which made her feel visibly uncomfortable. Apart from this, besides the sound of crackling flames on the shore, there seemed to be something else.
She looked towards the shore and suddenly swam over in fear.
"Don't come here!"
Those little birds...how could those birds catch up here? She is so fast. And when they left the house, they were obviously still sleeping on the corner of the bed, right? One, two, three, four, no more and no less. They didn't dare to get close to the wall of fire, but just screamed in a distance, hoarse at the top of their lungs. She began to feel inexplicably anxious. Perhaps this was what people often call panic. For these waterfowl, their identity is equivalent to that of their mother. Think about it, that little boy's mother would be so heartbroken over his disappearance. Zishu was worried that he was the same, and even more worried that he was different.
It's not time for those birds to hit the water yet. Even adult birds cannot stay in such waters. Their downy hair cannot keep out water and may even absorb it, making them heavy and bloated. She didn't know if the birds were just trying to get closer to her, or if they were worried about her—or even trying to rescue her. She had no choice but to head to the shore. Those water ghosts didn't dare do anything to her, but the resistance of the water still existed.
The safe zone outside the flame is too far away, and the birds are gradually approaching here. Zishu couldn't keep up with their speed. She didn't know what kind of perseverance it took for these little beings to overcome the coldness of winter, but few people would do this, right? After all, it must have been difficult for the widow to jump into the river to save her son, but was blocked by so many strong men.
But tragedy happened before her eyes.
Those little waterbirds sank into the water one after another. They should have instinctive fear and instinctive survival. It was as if something was dragging them below, but Zishu wasn't sure. Because they are so weak, every flapping of their wings cannot stir up any splash. Their disappearance creates no more ripples than the river itself.
Until now, Zishu still cannot empathize with the mother who lost her son, but her heart is indeed empty. Not one survived, not one was left. Their weak, desperate screams would no longer sound, and just in the afternoon, they were still sleeping curled up next to themselves, breathing evenly.
She seemed to have lost something and gained something. Lose what you don’t want to lose, and get what you don’t want so much after you get it. She didn't seem to have a choice, and it seemed like this happened more than once.
Zishu climbed ashore in embarrassment, dragging his wet red clothes. Water makes the color of the fabric darker and more vibrant. She is still like a flower, like fire - a broken flower, a wet fire.
Before he had time to feel any deep pain, there was a gust of cold wind behind him. She turned around and saw a dark shadow following behind her. She smelled something familiar, but it wasn't the little boy. The shadow took a few steps closer. She raised her hand expressionlessly, and a burst of fire rose from the ground and burned out of thin air. The red fire turned blue in an instant, accompanied by a distorted scream. It quickly returns to red and then dissipates. The arc-shaped wall of fire is still burning, and other shadows will not come closer.
It was hard to say whether this was some kind of anger, but she felt nothing more.
"Ah, ah ah..."
She heard a familiar lament, as familiar as the breath just now. Zishu turned around, and the person he saw was an old woman with panic-stricken eyes. Her eyes were blank for a while, and she looked lost. The open fire cannot illuminate her eyes. These old eyes, like her old ears, died suddenly just now.
It's over.
All is lost.
That person is...
That person is——
Is it guilt or sin that fills my heart? She shouldn't have anything she shouldn't have. She was obviously here to help the child, but... the arc-shaped fire gradually weakened, weakening from several feet to one foot. There was a lively sound approaching behind Grandma, and the light of the torch became clearer. The villagers are coming.
"Sister Zishu..."
Behind grandma, a boy suddenly poked his head out timidly. He is still alive! This was indeed something to be thankful for, but Zishu couldn't be happy. She didn't know whether it was because she lost her "child" or because she killed her benefactor's "child". She really couldn't think of how humans should react at this moment.
Everything is ridiculously redundant.
