Chapter 7 Seventy-seventh night Styx

According to legend, the hero Achilles in Greek mythology is the son of the Argonaut hero Peleus and the sea goddess Thetis.Most of the legendary heroes seem to be half-human and half-god hybrids. As the mother of God, the goddess of the ocean held her son upside down by his ankles and immersed his body in the water of the underworld (he did not drown), making this hero The whole body is invulnerable, but the heel being held is not soaked, so that he was shot to death by a bow and arrow in the Trojan War. Later, people often use Achilles' heel to describe some fatal injuries. I am not saying so much to give you the knowledge of Greek mythology, but the river that appears in this story is quite attractive. It is said that this magical river is formed by the tears of the dead in the world, and it is like A naughty child who often haunts the human world, including the previously mentioned Shuangjie Lake, which may also be its masterpiece. This river can only be seen at night, and it is said that it is difficult for ordinary living people to see this river. of the river.

The Styx River is also called Huangquan in China. The Naihe Bridge in ancient China may be supposed to be on it. In the myths and legends of various countries, there are legends about a black river that separates the underworld from the world. It seems that it is true. The words are true, and Styx, like the 13th card of death in the Tarot card, represents both death and rebirth. The letter in my hand was received in the morning. When I was wondering who sent it, I saw the familiar handwriting on the envelope. It was actually sent by Ji Yan. In addition to saying some pleasantries, the letter also told me a weird story he met recently.

"When I was writing this letter to you, I couldn't believe it. In the face of death, anyone is so humble and insignificant. The Styx River is also the river that my father and I are determined to find. Although this black and ominous river often means death, it still cannot stop the curiosity of adventurers for thousands of years. What Karius said is true, even the dead can gain a second life by immersing in the water of the Styx. But most of the explorers returned without success, and many even disappeared.According to the information left by his father, it is said that the last recorded appearance of the Styx River was near a small county in southwest China.

The one who left behind these precious materials was a famous adventurer twenty years ago who was also my father’s college friend. The two of them once set up a club because of their similar interests when they were in school, and they often organized their classmates to travel. We still keep in touch after graduation. But after his father got married, he received a letter and a package from this friend named Zhan Qixuan, and he never heard from him again. In the letter, Zhan Qixuan said that he had found traces of Styx, and actually sent some samples back.My father was very excited, but also worried about this friend.Sure enough, Zhan Qixuan never came back after that, and the samples he sent disappeared as soon as they met the sun after opening the package. There was only an empty bottle, as if evaporated, but his father often said that at that moment, he Indeed a black liquid was seen.

Finding Styx has always been my father's wish, and it has also become a last wish. I came out this time to fulfill his wish. Of course, I am also very interested in Styx.Due to the dangers of traveling, I managed to settle Li Duo in the city, and planned to spend a week there by myself. When I came to that small county town, I couldn’t help laughing. The original county town was so dilapidated that it was no different from a small fishing village—I forgot to mention that there was a river nearby, and most of the local residents depended on fishing for their livelihood.But luckily, we met an old friend.

That day I was going door-to-door with the news about Zhan Qixuan. I thought that to find Styx, of course, we must first find the person who finally discovered it, but most of the residents shook their heads. , and some middle-aged people still have uncontrollable anger and disgust on their faces. Think about it, too. It has been more than 20 years. How can people remember a hurried foreign tourist.In the photo, Zhan Qixuan was bookish and smiling very upright, but there was a small red spot on the white of the left eyeball. "Are you looking for my father?" A tall and tall young man suddenly came over. He was very strong, wearing a checkered yellow shirt, carrying a large travel bag on one shoulder, and a huge sun hat almost covering his entire face. He was wearing a pair of glasses, crossed his hands on his chest, and looked at me cynically. I looked at him and found that he was actually very similar to Zhan Qixuan in the photo.

The young man's name is Zhan Hui, and he claims that he is formally the son of Zhan Qixuan. During the conversation with him, I was amazed at his profound knowledge and very sophisticated and mature communication skills. I am not as good as myself. "Ji Yan, my father once said that Styx once appeared in this village, and many people died at that time, which is why the place is so dilapidated. However, the movement of Styx seems to be irregular, but one thing is certain, it Of course, it seems to depend on its mood, the plague in Europe, the global flu that killed more than 200,000 people, and even wars are all its masterpieces." Zhan Hui pursed his lips lightly, speaking eloquently And talk.

"Isn't that the River of Plague? What evidence do you have for saying that?" I never easily believe other people's arguments. Of course, it's a different matter if he has evidence. "Whether it's a few people or tens of thousands of people, the Styx is a river of death after all. It doesn't seem to have any restrictions, but one thing is certain, it will only appear where there is water. Without water, it has no attachments." Whether you believe it or not, in short, I will prove it to you." Zhan Hui didn't seem to be surprised or angry at my questioning, he seemed to explain to me very magnanimously and patiently, and pushed me from time to time. Pushing the glasses, I thought he would have a big fight with me.

"But, according to the legend, the river Styx not only represents death, but also rebirth?" I asked. "Yes, it does represent rebirth, but unfortunately no one really understood it, not even Zhan Qixuan at the time—my father." He sighed, and I knew that it had triggered his discomfort. "Let's find a place to live first. I believe that the Styx River should not be too far from here. There are water sources near here, and there are many lakes and rivers. Let's ask along the waters and see if we find anything." Zhan Hui It is indeed more careful than I thought.

I am not a person willing to obey others, but Zhan Hui is indeed more experienced than me, at least in the matter of finding Styx. Soon, we got news that something strange happened in a village along the river more than 30 miles away from here.However, there is no road transportation facility, so we have to walk there. Zhan Hui and I naturally rushed over. The village is not big, with at most twenty households. Most of them live a life that is just enough to meet food and clothing. It seems that the progress and development of society are always difficult to be reflected here. Of course, some From time to time, some of the top leaders would come here in famous cars to greet them considerately, and then put down several generations of rice for a few hundred yuan, and then reported these as political achievements. Poverty, the fish and shrimp caught from the nearby river were also taken away at a low price.

Although they live very hard, they are also ordinary and peaceful. The Chinese people are not afraid of suffering, but of chaos, not of being unable to survive, but of being unable to survive.It seems that there is some truth in what he said. However, recent events have disrupted their originally harmonious daily life.Residents in the village are divided into two parts, the men go out to fish every once in a while, and the women are in charge of family life.Take care of the elderly and children.Recently, the men who went out to fish always came back empty-handed, and they couldn’t catch a single fish in the originally rich river. If it was just an exception, it could be blamed on bad luck, but it has been like this for a long time, even in the village. Even the best fishermen in the village have nothing to gain. Everyone began to suspect that the water quality has changed. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to them who depend on water for their livelihood. hometown. "Where do you think Styx appeared?" I asked Zhan Hui. "Possibly, the river of death will not destroy the original ecological environment of the river, but it is said that it can bring death to animals, and this kind of death is so fast that it is too late to rot. Fertilizer." He said with his head held high.I was a little puzzled. "How do you know so clearly?" I asked him, Zhan Hui smiled. "Do you think my father will tell your father more, or will he leave me more information?" What he said was not without reason.The two of us had better find a resident to ask for a place to live, because it was getting late and we were less tired after walking more than 30 miles. We were entertained by an ordinary family of villagers. It seems that the place is not bad, but the family is obviously not full of vitality. The host looked at us. Although there was still a smile on his face, it was more like someone squeezed his cheeks from both sides. came out the same. The man's skin is smooth, but dark and shiny, like a piece of black satin. The muscles on his hands are well developed, and the palms are covered with long and thin dark red calluses, which may be caused by frequent pulling of the net.Not far from the backyard of his house is the river beach. Although a fishing boat over three meters long is old and black, it still exudes vitality like a strong old man who has been exercising regularly.The wind by the river was moist, and it was itchy on the face.There are four people in the family, a five-year-old boy and his parents, and the man's seventy-year-old mother. The people here are very hospitable and hospitable, so even on this day, they do their best to entertain us. The marinated fish is very tough, and the dinner is quite rich. Penglai noodles, salted fish, shrimp paste, pancakes and some We grow our own vegetables and home-brewed rice wine, but this makes us very guilty, because we probably ate the little food left by this kind-hearted villager, so we insist on keeping the money, and the middle-aged Chinese characters refuse to die It was still his wife—a pregnant woman with a bloated body and a healthy pink face covered her mouth with a smile and accepted it. The man complained a few words and sat down to drink with us. We only saw the old man once, and it seemed that his eyes were very serious. A woman helped him out, greeted us, and went in again. The little boy was very curious about us, staring at us with wide eyes, but he still refused. Approached us, just picked a fish and went outside to play. "I'm really sorry that I can't catch live fish. I wanted you to try the fresh fish here, which is our local delicacy. Although this river is not big, the fishery has always been abundant." The man took off his clothes. His long clothes were soaked in black, his upper body was bare, and he drank a glass of beige rice wine that looked like honey. His face became even redder, but he let out a long sigh. "How long has this been going on?" I asked. "It's been more than ten days, and the water quality hasn't changed much. We dived down to have a look. It's strange that there is no living thing underwater, let alone fish, and we can't see anything else. Everyone is about to give up. They are all planning to move out, but everyone has a certain river section here. When we go out, we can only fish, but tell us to go to that river." The middle-aged man shook his head in distress, "My mother is getting old. , his eyes are blind again, his body is getting older, his wife is about to give birth, and she wants money, but look at this hell." He patted his forehead with his palm in frustration, I saw that he was a little confused, and he was in a bad mood. Well, drinking rice wine is easy to get drunk. We helped his wife to help him into the room, and then helped to tidy up. This woman is very skillful in handling the housework, coaxing her son to sleep, and then calling her mother-in-law to lie down. We are all tired from watching up. "Sister-in-law, pay more attention to rest." Zhan Hui persuaded, the woman wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, rolled up her drooping hair, just smiled and remained silent. We were speechless all night, so we had no choice but to lie down in the outhouse. Whoever was on the bamboo bed couldn't fall asleep. Although we didn't talk to Zhan Hui, I knew that everyone was wondering whether there was Styx in this river. The weather was hot, and the outside room was quite cool. In the middle of the night, the river wind woke me up. I felt that something hit the back of my hand stretched out of the bed, so I opened my eyes and looked. A hunched figure walked slowly outside, stopping every step he took.I suddenly felt very familiar. When that person walked outside the house, he would suddenly turn his head back. The almost withered and dry face is like the land that has lost water, and there are gullies everywhere. The thin and dry lips are slightly opened, the eyes are closed, and the hands are holding the edge of the wall outside the house. I almost yelled, because it was clearly the blind mother-in-law. But suddenly there was a big hand on the mouth.I didn't shout out after all. The owner of the hand was Zhan Hui. He looked at the people outside the house, then bent his other hand and put his index finger on his lips to make a hissing motion. Zhan Hui's expression was very strange, as if he was very excited, with a strong sense of anticipation. I looked at the mother-in-law again, she had already walked out, could it be sleepwalking? Zhan Hui got up carefully from the bed, then put on his coat, and pulled me out, following her mother-in-law. The old man walked very steadily in front, I couldn't help but wonder, isn't she blind, even if we are in such a dark night, we may not be able to fall down. "I don't let you bark, not because I'm afraid of waking her up, but because I'm afraid of waking up the people sleeping inside." Zhan Hui said. "What's going on with her?" I asked in a low voice as I followed slowly, but Zhan Hui didn't answer me, but just continued walking. I don't know how long it took, but fortunately this is a very narrow stone-paved downward step, otherwise I was really afraid of losing it. I suddenly felt more moisture in the wind.The old man actually came to the river.Zhan Hui and I leaned into a pile of stones and watched carefully. The old man paused by the river, and then began to walk down. The river gradually submerged her, from her ankles to her neck, I couldn't bear to watch, could it be that the old man was drowned but we were indifferent?But just as I wanted to go there, Zhan Hui stopped me. When I pulled, the old man had been completely submerged by the river. "What do you mean? How can you bear it?" I asked him loudly.Zhan Hui just smiled, didn't speak, took my hand and walked back. Back at the house, he tiptoed into the inner room with his hands and came to the old man's room. I took a closer look and saw that the old man was lying on the bed. "What's going on here? Could it be the old man's soul?" After walking out of the room, I lit a cigarette and asked Zhan Hui. "It can be said that, or Styx is calling her. Maybe that scene will happen tomorrow, why don't we stay here for a few more days." Zhan Hui stopped talking, but yawned and went to sleep. Since we paid enough money, the middle-aged man's family didn't mind, but every night after midnight, we could see another old man walking out of the house and walking into the river for five consecutive days. The old man's body is also getting weaker and weaker. Today, she can't even get out of bed. The face of the middle-aged man is like a dark cloud that is about to rain. He often squats at the door of the house and smokes. "Tonight, let's go down the river." Zhan Hui suddenly made such an opinion.I was a little surprised. "Are you afraid?" He said jokingly, I am naturally not afraid, but I just think that the river is really weird. I don't know much about the Styx river, but Zhan Hui seems to have something to hide from me all the time. Zhan Qixuan always shook his head and said that this person was too purposeful and scheming. It seemed that his son was like this, but he was somewhat similar to his father. "Okay, but when are you going to go?" I asked him. "Just tonight, go down the river with that mother-in-law." His face moved mysteriously, like the hind legs of a frog whose head had been chopped off, perhaps he didn't even notice it. "Today is the 19th day of the lunar calendar. It is the day with the worst ebb tide. The river is calmer and much shallower, about ten meters. In summer, the temperature of the river varies greatly. Massage your calves before going into the water. Don't get cramps. It's so late. I'm afraid I'll find someone to save you." He said while taking out a set of swimming trunks, and then walked out of the door to smoke outside, because there are pregnant women, so it is naturally inconvenient to fill the already narrow room with bad air. . And I had to chat casually with the couple, but the child kept looking at me with very strange eyes, as if he had seen through everything. People in the village didn't have any special entertainment, and there was no TV, so they went to bed very early, and I also took a nap, fearing that I wouldn't have enough energy later, Zhan Hui said that he would wake me up, so I fell asleep without worry. Sure enough, someone pushed me awake in the middle of the night, and Zhan Hui excitedly dragged me out.The moonlight refracted a strange light through his glasses, but I didn't have time to think about it, so I followed him out. Not far away, I could vaguely see that familiar shadow.Like the previous few days, the old man walked into the river again.Zhan Hui and I followed immediately. Just in case, we put a strong rope around our waists—this was also prepared in Zhan Hui’s bag, and even included two miniature oxygen cylinders. "Why do you act like you knew we were going down the river in advance?" I asked him holding the rope. "It's all about being prepared. I often walk around and always keep some tools with me." He took off his clothes and prepared to go down the river. "Does the oxygen cylinder also count?" I couldn't help muttering. "Aren't you going to take off your eyes?" I asked him. "Well, my eyesight is very poor." He took out two headlamps, the kind used by miners. It is said that these lamps can illuminate a good distance in dark water. The river water is a little cold.But it was not deep. After searching for a long time, we finally saw that the mother-in-law was still walking towards the water. Her footsteps were as steady as the land, and she walked toward the depths without moving.We continued to dive, I thought the water was good, but Zhan Hui seemed to be better, always one more body than me. Almost to the bottom of the river, we saw it. Seven old people, including the one who was going down. The seventh man walked down slowly, squatted among the group of people, and began to cry.That sound was gradually sent to my ears along with the water flow.Just like the cry of a baby. Zhan Hui pointed to his own eyes with two fingers, and then pointed to the group of people, motioning for me to watch carefully. The seven people all looked the same, as if they were standing alone in front of six mirrors. Then, they stood up and began to disappear slowly, until only one remained. The old man actually started to walk towards the river slowly again, walking slowly as before, as if the surrounding river water had no effect on her. We also followed her. But a strange thing happened, almost every step she took, she was changing. Become younger. Old people, middle-aged people, young people, Zhan Hui and I seem to be watching a fast-rewinding life movie. Although the distance is not close and the light is weak, the change in the size of the old man is still obvious. As she approached the river, she began to turn into a little girl. I suddenly felt that she would change. Old man, no, it should be said that the little girl's hair began to fall off slowly, and strands of hair floated towards me, like black water plants, and her figure became shorter and shorter. When she left the river, she could only crawl. I saw a baby staggering out of the river, wailing and disappearing into the night on the other side of the river. "Is this the meaning that Styx represents both death and rebirth?" I poked my head out and let out a deep breath. Zhan Hui was in front of me, with his back to me and didn't speak. Impatiently, I clapped my hand on his shoulder and turned him over, only to find that his glasses had been washed away by the river. Those are not ordinary glasses. Maybe I should have guessed earlier that there is a kind of glasses that look like ordinary glasses on the surface, but can actually mask the different color effects behind them. There was an obvious red spot on the white part of Zhan Hui's left eye.He looked at me with a smile on his pale face. "What should I call you? Zhan Hui? Or Zhan Qixuan?" I asked him with a sneer, but actually my body was colder when I was soaked in the river water. "I know I can't hide it from you for a long time. You are very similar to your father. You are very careful, but you trust people too easily. This is a fatal weakness. Don't worry, I have no malice towards you. If I want to harm you, there are many opportunities. .” He laughed at my whole life, as if he had seen through a little fear in my heart.After speaking, he turned around and swam to the shore. The two of us took off our gear and sat on the edge of the river.The surroundings are quiet and infiltrating, and the cold air penetrates into the blood from the pores. In the hot summer, this kind of cold should not be there. "Twenty years ago, I searched for the Styx alone. Sure enough, I found a lot of unknown information. I learned that the Styx lives in other rivers and lakes like parasites, and I got a copy that I think contains the Styx. I sent the water samples to your father, but not long after, the plague broke out in the village next to the Styx River. The villagers knew about my research on the Styx River. half dead, and was thrown outside the village, leaving me to fend for myself. When I woke up, the first thing I was thirsty, but my legs were all broken, my hands were full of bruises, and my eyes were completely covered by swollen skin from the bloodshotness of the beating, so I almost used it. Move your jaw to the river. It was just an animal's intuition, and subconsciously walked towards the water source, but when I was immersed in the river, I remembered that there was still the Styx in the water. Then, as you can see, when I climbed out, I had turned into a baby, but I retained my own consciousness. This strange change made me unbelievable What happened next was very interesting. I walked with my family, crawled when I was tired, and could only do it at night. Finally, a family took me in, and I still had to pretend like a baby, trying to hide my wisdom, slowly I grew up until I was admitted to university—you have to know that it is much more difficult to enter university now than it was at that time. Even I, who was originally a talented student, had to work hard to learn those pedantic knowledge that was actually not needed at all. Four years later, I returned here again to search for Styx. "Zhan Qixuan narrated his past, no matter which part he said, his face was still as quiet as water. "Actually, this is also good for me. I can completely give up my previous identity and study this Styx. It seems that my guess is right. A dying person will find the Styx just like a thirsty person looking for water. Whether it is the soul or the body, it will return to when I was a baby, but I can retain my previous memories, but the old man is gone, I am afraid she has gone to a pregnant woman who is about to give birth." Zhan Qixuan said slowly. "This is reincarnation?" I couldn't help asking, "Isn't it said that this is the river of death? Why are we okay when we go down?" "As I said, only people who are about to die can feel the existence of Styx, and they will generally have two results, one is to completely become a baby, and the other is to be like me, but I guess this kind of situation is very rare, The river Styx does not bring death, but death will come to it." "What about the fish in the river? And some other creatures?" I asked. "I don't know, maybe it was taken to a certain place by the river Styx, or it might appear in another river. That's all I know." He stood up and began to pack his things. "Actually, the River Styx has no size. Whether it's a drop of rain or a big river, it may exist in it, just like the comparison between bacteria and the universe. I advise you not to understand it with the existing knowledge. Moreover, I It feels like it's about to leave here." Zhan Qixuan continued.I didn't answer, just stared at the blackened water in a daze. After we went back, we fell asleep again, but we were awakened by the couple's cries before dawn. The blind old man is dead. A new baby was born somewhere. Before I left, I looked at the pregnant woman, and I suddenly felt as if someone was watching the swollen belly. Maybe there was someone who was painfully expecting death, and at the same time was waiting for birth, waiting for the call of Styx. "Are you leaving like this?" The boy came over suddenly, still looking at the two of us with wide eyes. I reached out to touch his head, but he dodged nimbly. "Let's go, it's best, don't come back and disturb my life." On the boy's face was a weird disgust and auspiciousness that only adults can have, but it was only a flash, and immediately he piled up a cute and innocent smile, I went to play by myself. "Perhaps, you are not an exception." I said to Zhan Qixuan.He froze for a moment, looked at the boy, and sneered. "Maybe. In short, I will continue to chase until the secret of Styx is fully revealed." He suddenly said firmly. "I hope, but I have other things to deal with." I said goodbye to him briefly, and went back to pick up Li Duo. Maybe you will still feel a lot of confusion when you read this letter, but I am just telling you what I know. I am afraid that the twins of death and birth will always be a mystery that we cannot solve. I sincerely hope that one day Zhan Qixuan can really understand the essence of Styx. The letter is over, and there are some blessings from him and Li Duo at the back. I folded the letter and put it in the drawer. Maybe everyone is afraid of death, but have you ever thought that if you have a cute newborn baby, after you have memorized it? When you were busy, he suddenly turned his head to look at you with strange eyes. Did you feel a chill behind you?