On top of the gravehill, the four of them looked around at the graves spread across the valleys and hollows.
"Let’s gather them up and cover them. We’ll leave a note to explain the situation."
Li Ang pondered for a moment and then said, "It gets dark quickly here. After covering the coffins, we’ll head to the back of the mountain."
According to Zhuo Wenbai, everything about Qi Shui Village originated from a lake behind the mountain that produced black fish. This lake was the site of the ceremony and the last place Li Ang and his party had not yet explored.
The group worked together to handle the coffins and then descended the gravehill.
At this time, the Qi Shui villagers had already stopped their farm work early and were gathering in the village. They changed out of their coarse brown clothes and put on ragged, old garments. Silent and orderly, they arranged candles, drums, lanterns, and other ceremonial props.
"Those clothes have been deliberately made to look old."
Ji Xingwang observed from a distance, "They were originally new but have been cut and tailored to look tattered and patched up."
Guan Anyan asked, "Is it to imitate an old legend?"
"Yes, that’s probably it."
Ji Xingwang said, "They’re dressing up like their ancestors who were fleeing at the time. It’s like some local folk dances, using collective performance to reenact events from ancient legends."
As Ji Xingwang spoke, a group of villagers carrying long, bundled fishnets slowly approached. It seemed the entire village had gathered, including the villagers Li Ang and the others had seen in the ancestral hall during the day.
Except for Zhuo Wenbai’s family.
"They must be packing to prepare to head up the mountain."
Ji Xingwang said quickly upon seeing this, "They will transform as soon as the sun sets; we need to reach the mountain before they do."
Li Ang stared at Qi Shui Village, counting the number of people present, and remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, he pulled out paper and a pen, drew a woman’s face, and showed it to the others. "Do you recognize this face?"
The other three were confused. Yu Yong glanced at it and said hesitantly, "This looks a bit like... Qihuai Lady?"
The brothers Yu Yong and Yu Yuan had specifically visited the reputedly highly efficacious Qihuai Niangniang Temple in Bingzhou City and had even drawn an unfortunate lot, leaving them with a deeply ingrained impression.
Realizing something, Li Ang said, "You investigate the mountaintop, and I’ll explore other places. If you encounter danger, launch the Communication Fireworks."
"What?! You’re going off on your own at this time?"
Even the usually calm and composed Ji Xingwang couldn’t help but question, "And where did you get this picture?"
"It’s a long story, and it’s better left unsaid."
Li Ang replied quickly, "I only have a guess right now. Oh, and if you encounter Yu Shusheng and the others, be sure to ask about the origins of the Qihuai Lady temples near Bingzhou."
With that, he pushed off from the ground and silently leaped into the dense forest. Updates are released by n0velfire.net
Ji Xingwang and the others wanted to ask more, but as the sun gradually set, a thick mist started to slowly spread from the woods, gradually obscuring their view. Meanwhile, in the distant village, the Qi Shui villagers had already started playing their drums and were heading up the mountain.
Yu Yong clenched his teeth and said, "They say there are ghosts in the mist. Is he looking to get himself killed? Or does he intend to escape alone?"
"Lu Xiu isn’t that kind of person..."
Guan Anyan defended him, but her brow furrowed unconsciously. Her instincts were exceptionally sharp. She felt that Lu wasn’t a bad person, yet she also had the faint feeling that he lacked a certain human quality, much like someone who had practiced an Evil Path Cultivation Technique.
"Alright, we can’t stop him if he wants to leave."
Ji Xingwang turned his gaze away and said solemnly, "Let’s go up the mountain. We have to reach the lake before the villagers."
「He reached Zhuo Wenbai’s home.」
Li Ang silently pushed open the door. Zhuo Wenbai, his wife, and their daughter were not there.
He opened his mouth and regurgitated a piece of fish meat—it was the black fish meat cooked by Zhuo Wenbai’s wife, which he had brought up from his stomach.
It was said that due to the presence of the Qi Shui God, people could catch black fish from the lake. Consequently, Qi Shui Village made an annual tribute to the deity. Those who ate the black fish flesh might then see the phantom of the Qi Shui God.
But just now, after Li Ang chewed on the black fish meat, the face he saw was that of Qihuai Lady.
"Qi Shui God... Qihuai Lady..."
He murmured to himself, retrieved the fish meat, and stepped out the door.
The tree shadows on the back mountain loomed, creating a mysterious and cold atmosphere.
Ji Xingwang and the others reached the back of the mountain first. They saw that the lake was indeed as Zhuo Wenbai had described: its shoreline was perfectly rounded without blemish, and the water was clean and clear.
Through the lingering twilight, they could see black fish swimming peacefully in the lake.
"There’s a stele here!"
Yu Yong immediately spotted a stele at the edge of the lakeshore, leaning at an angle. The stele was pillar-shaped. Its back was covered with moss and withered vines, but the front, angled downward, was relatively well-preserved. They could barely make out many crooked, curved engravings on it.
Ji Xingwang took a deep breath, immediately motioned for Yu Yong to step aside, and leaned in himself to take a closer look.
"Chewed script is the script of oracle bones from the Yin Shang period. It was so named because it was carved onto turtle shells and animal bones with a carving tool. This script belongs to the Golden Stone Study."
Guan Anyan explained to Yu Yong, "Brother Chu is a researcher of Chewed script."
Yu Yong nodded. The Golden Stone Study had existed even before the Pre-Sui Period. Some Sects, like the Supreme Mysterious Sect, had collected a large number of bamboo slips, oracle bones, Bronze Artifacts, and steles to study the texts on them. Through this research, they tried to restore the history of Ancient Times to acquire the power of ancient cultivators.
Legends say that in Ancient Times, there were no Cultivation Methods, and gods lived among men. The closer one’s bloodline was to the gods, the more powerful they were. For example, "In the Land of Flowers, one walks in the footsteps of the great, and Fu Xi was born by the Thunder Marsh."