The next morning, smoke rose from the roofs of every house. The housewives were busy preparing breakfast for the family at the stove. After hastily finishing the simple meal, the women of Woxi Village gathered in twos and threes in the creek. It's time for "Morning Talk around the Creek" while doing laundry. Every time we chatted, we inevitably mentioned what happened five years ago. We did this every day but never tired of it.
Five years ago, in the twelfth lunar month of winter, Woxi Village.
Rural life in winter is more peaceful than in previous seasons. No cicadas chirping, no sowing, no labor, no harvest. As usual, children were playing in the snow during the day, and adults were at home feeding poultry and smoking pipes. The day was compressed by the cold, and the sun couldn't wait to fall as soon as it rose.
Because of the cold, every household got into bed early. Maybe it was because the sun had just hidden, or maybe it was midnight, but the villagers invariably heard rustling sounds coming from the wasteland that was once a cemetery not far from the village. The villagers who were superstitious about cows, ghosts, and snakes were all like ostriches. They tied their heads in quilts, closed their eyes tightly, and looked at their noses, but their noses were suffocated. They just let themselves go, not knowing whether they were fast asleep or fainting due to lack of oxygen.
Some brave people peeked through the cracks in the doors and windows. In the white village covered by the cold, only the wasteland was particularly conspicuously glowing with a sticky red light. There was a sweet smell in the air, maybe it was the smell of red light, maybe it was nervousness that kicked over the urine bucket.
A few black, maybe dark red shadows are vaguely visible in the wasteland. His footwork was ghostly and erratic. Wherever they went, the soil surged and branches flew. When everything calmed down, a house appeared on the wasteland, but these figures seemed to disappear out of thin air.
It was not until noon the next day that the chickens in the village crow slightly. At this time when the yang energy is at its strongest, every household bravely goes to the wasteland to find out what is going on. The villagers were stunned by the houses that appeared out of thin air in the wasteland. The snow around the house was flat and there were no traces of trampling.
People wanted to get closer to see the details, but they found a black knife stuck in front of the door. No one dared to take a step closer. Today's courage was a little weak as the Yang Qi declined, so they had no choice but to give up. They were all shocked. returned home. The rustling sound was still the same that night, and the same the next night. It was noon again on the third day, and every household boldly went out to investigate, and found that the house had been slightly repaired, and it seemed that some trivial things had been added to it. But the snow is still flat and the black knife is still standing. This made the villagers of Woxi Village thrilling, but also inexplicable.
One night, the disturbing sound disappeared and was replaced by the sound of hunting wind. And through the crack in the door, I could see that the speed of those black shadows became extremely fast, with a trace of white mixed in between, as if there was something urgent. generally. And just when the son and the ugly changed, the wasteland suddenly became quiet. The villagers held their breath nervously because they thought their heartbeats were too noisy.
After relaxing for a moment, and just when my mood had just returned to calm, I heard a baby crying outside the window, which was particularly harsh in this cold winter night, as if this was the only sound left in the whole world.
After only half a stick of incense, it finally returned to calm. However, the villagers who had experienced ups and downs in mood were unable to fall asleep. They curled up in bed, shivering, and stared at the dark night outside the window. I feel that the period before dawn is very painful.
The sky has just turned pale, and people in every household no longer seem to want to suffer this kind of torture. The brave ones decide to fight to the death no matter what monsters and monsters are, leaving their mother-in-law and children alone, so they pick up the guy one after another and rush out of the house with a fierce look. He bared his teeth and roared as he rushed out the door, but a moment later there was suddenly no sound, and the family members' hearts were in their throats.
The time for one stick of incense has passed, and the time for two sticks of incense has passed. Some women who could not bear it rushed out of the door and ran towards the wasteland, only to find that the men seemed to be possessed by evil spirits. They all dropped their tools and gathered around the house in a daze.
The woman looked aside from the crowd and saw a young girl standing in front of the house. She was only 20 years old, with willow eyebrows and clear eyes, white teeth and starry eyes. Her skin was like cream. If it was powdered, it would be too white, and if it was red, it would be too red. She was dressed in white clothes, with a purple sachet hanging on her waist. Her black hair was tied into a bun with a blue hairpin inserted diagonally on it. There were some broken hair just enough to make her ears faintly visible, as if a clever fairy had fallen into the mortal world. .
But those starry eyes were dim, just looking down at the tight cotton package in his arms. After taking a closer look, the package looked like a baby. The cry yesterday must have been from this child. However, the girl seemed unaware of the crowd and just stood in front of the door blankly, as if time had stopped around her.
The woman who understood the reason turned around and saw her man staring at the girl intently. She couldn't help but feel annoyed. She pinched the man's ears and yelled, "You old man, I think you are. Okay, maybe this woman is a goblin, so go home!" As soon as these words came out, others looked at each other in disbelief. They felt like their ears were being twisted, so they quickly picked up their tools and came back dejectedly. Home.
It was also because of the women's jealousy and prejudice that the people in the village were slowly indoctrinated into the idea that the mother and son were aliens.
However, the mother and son stayed behind closed doors all year round, and there was nothing special about them. This made the people in the village relax, and slowly restored the village's former vitality.
It's just that the villagers hide far away from their houses. Although they feel like ordinary people when they come into contact occasionally, they are afraid of them and run away in a hurry every time they say hello.
It's just that the village chief is much more enthusiastic than everyone else and often brings food to the mother and son. And the swaddled baby slowly grew up in this small village. He was Wu Fan. At this age, it was time for fun. However, the children in the village were also influenced by their parents when they saw him. When they went home with him, they were scolded. As time went by, they no longer wanted to play. Wu Fan dared to play with him, but Wu Fan didn't care.
When I was playing alone, I really liked listening to the sound of Lang Lang reading and Wu Hao who often told stories at the entrance of the village. And Wu Hao was not as alienated as others towards Wu Fan. Instead, he liked this quiet child very much.
Although Wu Hao's parents also stopped him and even picked up a broom to beat him, Wu Hao didn't take it seriously and always felt that Wu Fan and him were destined.
But in fact, Wu Fan believed in the lies that he himself did not believe, and he also thought Wu Fan was quite cute. After repeated contact, he gradually became friends, and occasionally called himself Wu Hao and Wu Fan. Discuss.
Although he was competing with a child of several years old, Wu Hao felt that Wu Fan's strength was on par with his own, and he was already a teenager after all. In order to enter those legendary sects, Wu Hao had to do it every day. A little exercise on the body, although it was slightly better every time, it also won a series of complaints.
Besides, because Wu Fan had a friend, he would tell his mother about everyday things every time he went home. Only at this moment did the woman have a smile on her face, and she felt a little relieved. And every time after listening to Wu Hao's nonsense, he would pester his mother when he got home and ask her to tell him stories, but he would fall asleep every time he couldn't finish listening.
Whenever Wufan was sleeping, the woman would take off the purple sachet and put it next to Wufan's pillow. Wufan would sleep more soundly when he felt his mother's fragrance.
The cool and comfortable season of autumn feels very short. The cold winter has come quietly, and people's clothes have become very clumsy. At this time, Wufan is heating the stove. Although it does not feel very cold, the dry air It still made him uncomfortable.
But the woman's clothes were as thin as before. Wu Fan wrinkled his nose and asked, "Mom, aren't you cold?" The woman smiled lightly and nodded as an answer.
Wu Fan couldn't help but murmured: "Mom, you are so awesome. If I have to wear so little, wouldn't I be freezing?" After all, he was a young Wu Fan. He forgot about this in the blink of an eye. When he saw the snowflakes flying outside, he went out happily. Made a snowman.
Snowflakes are flying outside, and the season is still the same, but those past events, as if they were just yesterday, will never happen again. The four seasons are still changing, things are right and people are not right and wrong; spring swallows are picking up old wood in front of the hall, but there is no young monk knocking on the empty door.
Although the winter season is quiet, it makes people feel boring and quiet. The adults in every household are huddled in the house all day long, except for the occasional sound of children playing in the village. Day after day, the second year suddenly comes. spring.
The snow melted, everything was full of life, and every household began to open the door to relieve the body that had been depressed for a long time. But in the early morning of this day, as soon as the smoke rose in the village, they heard the sound of breaking through the window. The villagers opened their doors one after another, walked to the yard and looked around. When they saw the person coming, everyone felt sad from the bottom of their hearts. A feeling of adoration, admiration, and ecstasy emerged.
In the sky, I saw a scoop-shaped object about two feet square, emerald green, carrying several figures. Looking closely, I saw two young men in their twenties, dressed in very otherworldly ways.
Wearing a white robe, there are green patterns like swimming dragons on the white robes all over the body, and there is a green pattern like a gourd on the chest, which looks like a jade character if you look closely. Both of them are The left hand holds a fist behind the waist, while the right hand holds the sword finger and places it in front of the abdomen.
Their expressions were very arrogant, but their eyes looked respectfully at an old man in front of them. The old man was eight feet tall, with an upright and generous posture. His white robe was no different from that of the young people, except that the pattern on his chest seemed a little different.
He has silver temples, white eyebrows, and a long beard. He feels quite old, but his face is red, his eyes are bright, and his eyes are kind but exuding a sense of majesty, which makes people feel awe. This person is Master Yunlang of the Yuhu Sect who is responsible for recruiting disciples.
Master Yunlang waved his right hand, and saw a flash of green light in the sky, and the three figures slowly landed on the ground. But the scoop-shaped object seemed to be deflated, getting smaller and smaller, and turned into a gourd-shaped jade pendant, which fell into the hands of the real person.
This wonderful sight makes the villagers amazed every time. Master Yunlang looked at the dense crowd around him, smiled slightly, and said, "I believe everyone remembers the routine of absorbing new blood every five years.
Although your Woxi Village is located deep in the mountains, it also has outstanding people. I hope it can bring us surprises this time. Without further ado, let the children aged ten to fifteen years old gather at the entrance of the village for me to conduct the entrance qualification test. Only those with strong bodies and smart minds can meet the requirements. The children who passed the test went back to prepare their luggage and set off for the Yuhu Sect at noon tomorrow for the initiation ceremony. "
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere suddenly became lively. Every household had qualified children, all dressed up neatly. They all gathered at the entrance of the village for just a cup of tea. This was the first time Wu Fan saw such a lively crowd. The scene also squeezed into the crowd and watched with interest.
