Chapter 2 Chapter Two

The torrential rain poured down, weaving the dense forest into a thick rain curtain, and the strong wind seemed to tear the surrounding of this rain curtain again, pounding wildly in the forest, the rotten grass and mud on the ground rolled painfully under the whipping of the rainstorm, The already pathless jungle has become even more ferocious. Unknowingly, everyone has been chasing in the rainstorm for half an hour. Zhuo Wangsun stopped in his footsteps, shook his sleeves, and the water droplets on the sleeves instantly shattered into a light curtain, and Bu Xiaoluan poked his head out from under his sleeves, his eyes were misty, as if he had already taken a nap.Zhuo Wangsun shook his head to signal her not to come out.Xiangsi raised her hand to wipe the rainwater from her forehead, panting, "How long are we going to chase her?"

Zhuo Wangsun said: "It's not chasing, but following her pointing to enter the mandala formation." Xiangsi was surprised: "The array of mandala? Where is it?" Zhuo Wangsun smiled lightly and said, "It's right under your feet." Acacia was startled, and could no longer speak. There was a raging fire not far away. Through the rain curtain, hundreds of figures could be vaguely seen ahead.They formed a circle under a mound, shouting and shouting, and there seemed to be a person in the middle who was dancing a weird dance. A few steps forward, the rain curtain in the sky seems to be cut off at the end of the valley, the sky is forcibly separated into Yin and Yang by invisible things, and the violent wind and rain are raging behind one step away. It is already a clear sky!

The Milky Way hangs silently upside down above the head, and the starlight coats the vast forest sea with waves of silver waves. Wonderful scene - I don't know whether I have just escaped from the illusion or have entered another illusion. As the wind died down, the shouts of that group of people became more and more obvious, and it was right in my ears.Hundreds of torches shone like daylight, and the ground under their feet was covered with a thin layer of white light. The mound in the middle was surrounded by many unnamed herbs to form a high platform, and a circle of red stones was built outside. , a pile of three, build finished characters.

In the midst of the mound stood a man.His figure was very tall, even more like a giant compared to the local natives.The man was covered with green juice, his teeth were stained black, and he wore a mask made of pheasant feathers and animal skin on his forehead.The eyes of the mask are sunken into deep holes, each of which protrudes an arm as thin as a baby's fetus, and two huge animal horns hang from the ear holes next to it, winding and winding, the whole body is crystal clear. The native held a bone scepter as high as a person, and kept spinning in the center of the mound. Sometimes he jumped high, and sometimes he grabbed the ground with his head. The pheasant feathers on his forehead danced in the air, making people dazzled.The other two natives knelt at his feet, looking like a couple of young men and women, also covered in grass juice, holding two handfuls of dirt in their hands, moaning mournfully.The others gathered around the mound, dancing and dancing, as if they were singing some kind of incantation loudly.

Their eyes are fixed on the feet of the dancers.The soil there was slightly raised, and it was clear that something was buried. The dancer suddenly screamed and screamed, and suddenly there was a sound of stomping on the ground, and the surrounding natives all knelt down, and the men and women among them threw themselves on the bump under the dancer's feet, using both hands, and kept digging. Their movements were violent, but they were very careful, almost brushing away the dirt with their fingers, as if they were afraid of hurting the sleeping thing inside. Following the ups and downs of the natives, the short and long spells, and the twenty fingers quickly digging down, the mound slowly took on a creepy shape—a withered head, torso, and limbs Gradually, it became apparent that it was a person!

The pale green fingers of the two natives kept stroking the human-shaped bag, and they whimpered, as if they were crying.The native in the middle paused suddenly, stopped dancing, held a glutton-shaped clay pot with both hands, raised it above his head, and then slowly leaned down, a cloud of turbid black air flowed from the clay pot in his hand. It flows out slowly, gradually enveloping the soil bag completely.When his head was about to touch the human-shaped bulge, a thick black juice poured out of the clay pot, hitting the top of the human-shaped soil bag, and soon the surrounding area of ​​the soil bag was filled with black mucus, mixed with the soil, making it look even more Unbelievably filthy.

The two natives who were kneeling in front of the soil bag also stopped stroking, knelt stiffly on the ground, and kowtowed unceasingly.Under the impact of the liquid, the dirt gradually protruded, and under the dust and liquid, there was a face with white beard and hair! The native in the middle straightened up abruptly and let out a long howl. The two natives on the ground seemed to go mad suddenly. They picked up a kind of thorny branch from their side and beat the old man desperately.The natives watching around seemed to be more excited, holding hands and dancing around the mound. After a while, the old man in the soil was covered with blood all over his body. Xiangsi couldn't bear to watch it any longer, closed his eyes and said: "This man is already dead, why do they still torture his body like this, what kind of deep hatred is there, they are so cruel ?”

Zhuo Wangsun said: "They are not enemies, but relatives." "Dear one?" Xiangsi was taken aback, as if she suddenly understood something: "Could it be that they are holding a special funeral?" Zhuo Wangsun shook his head and said, "No." Xiangsi asked in surprise, "What is that?" Zhuo Wangsun said: "Call the soul." Xiangsi looked back in disbelief, the two people who frantically beat the corpse, the muscles on their faces were twisted violently under the sticky green concoction, and there was really no hatred in their expressions, only inexplicable expectation and joy , Are they really welcoming the return of their relatives in a peculiar way?

With a crisp sound of ping, the dancing native slammed the pot on top of the old man on the ground. The old man's head tilted, and a stream of thick black blood trickled down from his forehead.The relatives beside him and the natives around him suddenly fell silent, knelt down in the mud, trembling all over. After an unknown amount of time, the surrounding area was terribly quiet, and the night was soaking through the ground like running water.The moisture in the forest seems to have been condensed by the ubiquitous chill, silently lurking behind everyone. Suddenly, Xiangsi felt that the blood in her whole body froze in an instant - she clearly heard a whole moan from the old man's throat.

The corpse that seemed to have been buried in dust for an unknown number of years actually let out a moan! Xiangsi bit her lip hard to keep herself from screaming. The hands of the corpse wrapped in the shroud on the chest seemed to move, and then the whole body struggled in pain. The black mucus on his forehead and face was torn into countless threads, barely maintaining his body and the soil, he saw It looks like a giant chrysalis that is shedding its cocoon, struggling and wriggling in the endless night. The vast wild forest in the night seems to be suffocated by this strange scene, and the moonlight shines down, and all the dust must appear, tragically and silently.

The corpse let out a shrill cry, finally broke free from the mucus, and sat up. He seemed to have not adapted to the surrounding environment, and looked at everyone blankly. The two natives waiting nearby were ecstatic, took out a blood-red blanket, and wrapped him up completely, and two strong men came out from the surrounding natives, lifted him up with a bamboo chair, and everyone cheered again , Some young men and women are still dancing with torches in their hands, picking up loess from the ground from time to time, and throwing themselves at each other, but the other party is thrown on the head and face by the soil, but they don't feel disobedient at all. Shoot back at the opponent. After making a fuss for a while, the singing gradually died down. The dancers among them raised their arms and everyone fell silent. He led the crowd to bow to the south for a few times, then turned around and walked into the depths of the forest. Everyone was laughing. While following behind him, he disappeared in an instant. The cold moon was silent, and the jungle returned to the gloomy and coldness just now. Xiangsi was stunned for a long time, unable to believe that the scene just now was real. Qianli Zishi jumped up, picked up a handful of dust from the place where the corpse had been lying just now, put it on his nose and sniffed it carefully. Xiao Yan said: "What's so special about this soil?" Qianli Zishi shook his head and said: "It should be ordinary soil, but..." Qianli Zishi paused, his expression a little dignified: "The days when these soils are buried in the ground are at least two years or more." Xiaoyan's expression sank: "In other words, the person just now was buried two years ago." He glanced at Yang Yizhi and said, "Since President Yang has lived in the Mandala Sect for a while, do you know The origin of this strange art?" Yang Yizhi said calmly: "Your Highness already knew that there is no magic technique in the world that can revive a person who has been dead for two years, so why bother to ask?" Xiaoyan smiled and said, "Could it be that leader Yang is going to tell me that it was done by divine power?" Yang Yizhi said in a deep voice: "If human beings can do the strange arts of the world, how can you not know it with His Highness's knowledge?" Xiaoyan smiled and didn't answer, as if he had acquiesced. Xiangsi looked at everyone and murmured, "So, what should we do now?" Zhuo Wangsun hugged Bu Xiaoluan, looked into the depths of the jungle and said, "Go with them." Xiangsi said in surprise: "But these—" She shook her head: "Maybe they are not human at all." Zhuo Wangsun said: "No matter what they are, they are the only way to find out the truth." Beyond the jungle is a village. There is not a single house in the dense bushes. If it weren't for the waterways dotted with stones and the sparks that were still burning in the fire pits, it would be impossible to tell that this is a place where hundreds of people live. village. It was only when I got to the front that I realized that the houses here were all built underground, and the soil was dug into a hole. The hole was a wooden door with a flap, covered with thick moss, and it was hard to find without looking carefully. This place seems to be the land of gentlemen, many wooden doors of cave houses are opened casually, and there is no light inside. It seems that the villagers have already slept peacefully, and they are not even the slightest alert to the arrival of these uninvited guests. The starlight is scattered in the quiet village, the blue sky is extremely high, and the Milky Way is like a brocade stretched in the breeze, blowing over everyone's heads. It seems that this is an ordinary village, but thinking of the group of weirdos dancing wildly on the mound just now, and the corpses struggling in the thick black slime, the boundless tranquility is like the gloomy moonlight seeping into the slightest chill . Bu Xiaoluan snuggled into Zhuo Wangsun's arms, buried her hair deeply in his chest, her delicate body seemed to tremble a little in the night wind.Xiangsi passed a piece of clothing from the side, and Zhuo Wangsun wrapped it around Bu Xiaoluan.Xiaoluan suddenly raised her head and asked timidly, "How long do we have to go?" Zhuo Wangsun lowered his head, his eyes rested on her temples wetted by Yelu, her pale skin was almost transparent under the starlight, like a flower quietly blooming in the moonlit night.Zhuo Wangsun looked at her silently. For some reason, whenever he saw this girl who was as thin as a paper man in front of him, his unfathomable eyes would show unconcealable affection: "No, we will go to her immediately." Find someone to stay." He raised his head, and his eyes pointed at a cave house under a giant tree. There was still a little light under the wooden door with a small gap, which was particularly eye-catching in the quiet village. When he came to the door, Qianli Zishi took a step forward and lowered himself to knock on the door. The door opened in response, and it was a young woman who opened the door.She poked her head out first, her skin was dark, but her complexion was extremely rosy, her thick black hair seemed to have just been washed, and it was scattered behind her head.She was wearing a linen gown, holding a torch in one hand, and leaning on the door railing in front of her chest with the other. Her slender eyes were slightly red and swollen, and she looked at everyone suspiciously. Xiangsi was a little embarrassed, and said softly: "This girl, lost in the night, can you rest at the house for a while?" The young woman raised her head in confusion, with a hint of panic in her eyes. Xiangsi thought she didn't hear, and took a step forward.The young woman screamed suddenly, threw the torch in her face, and ran down the stairs in a staggered manner. Acacia flashed aside.Yang Yizhi gently raised his hand behind her and took the torch. At this time, the lights in the village were lit one after another, and in an instant, hundreds of people holding torches, bamboo knives and spears appeared in the center of the village and surrounded the group of people.While waving their weapons, they shouted loudly and pressed forward step by step.Hundreds of spears dangled in front of the eyes, and the sharpened spear tips were dyed green, no doubt tempered in the poison.Xiangsi backed away involuntarily, Zhuo Wangsun patted her on the shoulder lightly, signaling her not to move. Suddenly the crowd fell silent, and the natives quickly moved aside to make way for a path. A strong man walked slowly out from behind the crowd. He was almost completely naked, and every inch of his skin was covered with red tattoos. Xiangsi remembers that this is the priest who danced on the mound just now, now that he has taken off all his weird outfits, his appearance looks funny and hideous.After walking a few steps, he suddenly raised his hand, waved at Zhuo Wangsun and his party, and spit out a bunch of indistinguishable syllables. But none of the people surrounded in the center moved. The man did the same thing twice more.Suddenly his cheeks bulged, his throat kept snoring, his hands were raised above his head, and he couldn't stop shaking like crazy. Bu Xiaoluan looked at them curiously in Zhuo Wangsun's arms, and couldn't help laughing out loud. However, Xiangsi couldn't laugh at all, because she saw that the natives had raised the poisoned bamboo spears high, and might throw them at them at any time. Although most of the people present were first-class masters, it was inevitable that no one would be injured if hundreds of spears were fired at once.What's more, if you always enter the land where these natives have lived for generations, if you want to kill them wantonly because of this, you will always feel unbearable.When she was hesitating, the man shouted strangely, and all the natives held spears, and when they backed up, the bamboo spears were about to be released in an instant. With a flash of blue light, the long knife on Qianli Zishi's back has been unsheathed.Xiangsi secretly sighed, her long sleeves moved slightly, and there were already a few points of light on her fingers, Zhuo Wangsun just gently turned Bu Xiaoluan's head to the inside. Yang Yizhi suddenly took a step forward, and the torch in his hand quickly drew a strange arc in the air. The natives stopped their actions immediately and looked at Yang Yizhi in astonishment. The headman took two steps forward and gestured to Yang Yizhi. The two whispered a few words, as if they were talking about something.Suddenly the man waved his hands, and all the natives immediately put down their spears, sat on the ground together, and slapped the ground with their hands alternately. Yang Yizhi turned his head and said: "There is no danger, they are welcoming guests." Xiangsi looked at Yang Yizhi in surprise, Xiaoyan's smile showed a bit of indifference, but Zhuo Wangsun was expressionless, as if all this had been expected by him. In the light of the fire, the young woman came out of the underground cave just now with a shy face, followed by a young man. Xiangsi stared at them, her face gradually paled. A thin old man crawled out slowly.His hair was still dripping water, his face was covered with needle-like blood holes, and it was swollen high, it was almost difficult to open his eyes, and a blood-red blanket was wrapped around his stooped and short body. That person was the dead body that had struggled out of the mound just now. Zhuo Wangsun smiled and said: "The uninvited guest disturbed me in the middle of the night, and I ask Leader Yang to apologize on his behalf." The old man moved his throat and coughed violently. The young woman and young man beside him immediately went up and gently helped him beat his back, with respectful and concerned expressions, as if they were a dutiful couple.However, Xiangsi felt shuddering all over when she thought about how violently they beat his body with thorny branches just now. The old man coughed for a moment, and said: "Thank you, young master. The old man just woke up, and his body feels a little unwell. I hope I can include the impoliteness." His voice was as jerky as a rusty iron knife slicing through tiles. I don't know if it was because he didn't know Chinese for too long or because he didn't know the human voice.Acacia couldn't help frowning. The old man's eyes were like lightning, he swept Xiangsi's face, and hissed with a laugh: "What questions does this girl have?" Xiangsi was stunned for a moment, then murmured: "I..." She concealed the panic in her heart, and forced a smile: "I just want to ask the old man about his longevity?" The old man smiled and said, "I don't know if the girl is asking about my past life or this life?" Xiangsi said: "Past life? This life?" The old man smiled and said: "If I remember correctly, I was seventy-eight years old when I died two years ago. If you are asking about this life - I was just born from the soil, less than an hour ago." Unexpectedly, the old man said so frankly that Acacia fell silent. Of course, she didn't believe in the nonsense of resurrection from the dead. Maybe there is really a kind of magic in the world that can make people wake up after two years of suspended animation. Turtle's Breathing Divine Art is like this, but it can't be buried deep in the ground. Zhuo Wangsun said with a smile: "There is a country of Wuhu in China. People live in caves and eat soil. They are buried when they die. Their hearts are immortal. They die at the age of 120 and are resurrected. The old people can be resurrected at the age of two, which is far better than the ancients." The old man seemed very happy, and laughed and said: "You guys have come from afar, and you should be the guests of your clan. Let Qianjun lead a few villagers to hunt some mountain food and wild game, and Qian Yi cooks some side dishes to clean up the dust for you. .” Zhuo Wangsun didn't thank him too much, and they went down to the cave together.After entering the house, I found that this kind of underground cave house is not as dark and damp as imagined. The whole house is covered with thick dry soil, which is fine and soft, much more comfortable than ordinary carpets.There are also several passages on the earthen wall, and a bronze mirror is installed on the upper and lower sides, which can reflect the light and scenery on the ground into the cavern, which can also be regarded as a unique window.The bridal chamber is a bit narrow, but the furniture in it is made of clay, which is extremely low and exquisite, as if a hall has been shrunk down, but it doesn't feel cramped.Several people sat on the ground in front of the earthen table. During the chat, several people learned that the old man had lived in the jungle for generations, and since he could remember, the family could be "resurrected" after death.After a person dies, the relatives will wrap the body tightly in soil, bury it in a high place on the mound, and sprinkle water on the mound every day to pay homage. Two years later, the priest in the village will wake it up with a unique ceremony.And after this person is resurrected, he will gradually return to the form of a teenager, eat, eat and marry again, until he dies again.Therefore, people in the village have no concept of age at all. The so-called old age is just different stages in their life cycle. Xiangsi suddenly thought of something, and said, "Then the two we saw just now are not your son and daughter-in-law?" The old man laughed and said, "I really want to have a son, but it's impossible." His face was a bit cloudy and uncertain: "My great-grandfather comprehended the mystery of immortality by a special chance, and became the most famous son in the history of the whole family. However, from that moment on, we all lost the ability to continue the descendants." He sighed softly: "As for those two people, according to the genealogy, they are my great-great-grandfather and great-grandmother." Bu Xiaoluan suddenly interjected, "If you can't have children, why do you want to get married?" The old man was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Maybe it's just because we are all lonely." The meaning seemed a bit bleak. Bu Xiaoluan asked again: "Then what about your wife? You should also have a wife, right?" The old man's voice sank: "There was one many years ago, but she died and was buried in Furong Lake in the north of the village." Bu Xiaoluan said: "Then why don't you bury her and resurrect her?" Zhuo Wangsun said in a deep voice, "Xiao Luan—" The old man looked mournful, shook his head and said: "I can't survive. She..." He suddenly coughed again, and his bent body almost shrank into a ball. Xiangsi said apologetically: "Xiao Luan is still young, I have offended you..." The old man said softly, "It was a long time ago." There was a sudden noise outside the door, and many villagers burst into tears outside the door. The old man's expression changed, he hurriedly said excuse me, and left the room.Through the "small window" on the wall of the burrow, several people saw a man lying on the ground covered in blood, twitching uncontrollably.The priest tried hard to plug his wound with herbs, but it was in vain, because the man was almost split open with a sharp knife, leaving only his hands, feet and most of his body.He actually crawled back to the village with such a broken body. The old man separated from the crowd, came to this man, bent down to check his wound, suddenly, the old man uttered a mournful cry, kneeled deeply on the ground, his body trembled violently, and coughed continuously.The surrounding natives also knelt down with him, sobbing softly. The man in the pool of blood stretched out a remaining arm and held the old man's wrist, his lips twitched, as if he was talking about something.The old man burst into tears, and was about to pass out a few times.The priest took two steps on his knees and whispered something in the old man's ear, as if asking for instructions.The old man showed an extremely painful expression on his face. He looked at the wounded, then at the priest and the villagers. He stretched out his hands and clutched his chest tightly, gasping for breath, as if he was forcing himself to stay awake. Although they couldn't hear their conversation, everyone had already guessed more than half, because only one kind of pain can torture a person like this—that is, he is facing an extremely difficult choice. The head of the wounded in a pool of blood was tilted, as if to encourage the old man. The old man let out a heavy sigh, paused for a while in the air, and finally waved his hand downwards. The priest knelt down three times to the old man and the wounded, took out a bottle of light red liquid, and handed it to the old man. The old man's hand was trembling, but he still took it. All the natives knelt down on the ground, buried their faces in the dust, and waited quietly. The old man turned his face away, and the liquid in the bottle poured from his hand. The wounded let out an extremely shrill scream, and a thick smelly smoke rose from the ground. After a while, there was only a puddle of blood left in the place where the wounded was.The old man let out a groan and fell to the ground in a faint.Several villagers immediately went to help him up.The priest sprinkled some powder on the pool of blood, and a burst of fire burst out, and the blood on the ground was reduced to ashes in a short while. Xiangsi held on to the window lattice tightly, her face was extremely pale, she whispered: "Why, why is this happening?" Yang Yizhi sighed slightly: "That's Qian Jun, and Qian Yi is also dead, but he couldn't crawl back." Xiangsi was startled and said, "You mean this is the relative of the old man?" Yang Yizhi said: "Exactly." Xiangsi hissed, "But they were still here just now! How could they be dead already?" Yang Yizhi shook his head and said, "I don't know, it seems that we encountered wild animals while hunting for us." Xiangsi shook her head and said, "You mean they died because of us?" Before Yang Yizhi answered, Xiaoyan sneered slightly and said, "Although I am not as familiar with their dialect as the leader, I also heard Qian Jun repeatedly mentioning '倥Du Mu' before his death. As far as I know '倥Du Mu' It's definitely not the meaning of the beast." Yang Yizhi was silent for a moment, then said: "It's not true." Xiaoyan smiled and said, "Then I don't know if President Yang accidentally misheard, or deliberately avoided it?" Yang Yizhi turned around and looked out the window, without answering any more. Zhuo Wangsun said: "Leader Yang refuses to say, so I can only ask His Highness what the phrase '倥Du Mu' means." Xiaoyan sighed, and said: "For the people of the Qianjun tribe, the term 'Dumu Du' is indeed the most terrifying taboo. Its meaning... I hope I have misunderstood it. Just translated literally, it refers to 'Corpse'." Xiangsi couldn't help trembling, and said: "You mean they met on the way out, encountered a 'remnant corpse'?" Xiaoyan looked a little heavy: "That's true, but this is not the most serious." Xiangsi couldn't help trembling all over, said: "Is there something more terrible?" Xiao Yan said: "I don't know if Miss Acacia has thought about it, since this tribe has already comprehended the profound meaning of immortality, why did the village chief have to bear the pain to kill Yan Jun?" Xiangsi murmured: "Maybe he was hurt too badly, the village chief couldn't bear to see him in such pain, so he had no choice but to kill him." Xiao Yan shook his head and said: "Although Qian Jun was seriously injured, he never moaned from the beginning to the end, but the moment the liquid medicine touched his body, he screamed in pain, which only proves that he was melted by the liquid medicine. The pain of suffering is far worse than the pain of physical separation." Xiangsi was stunned, as if thinking of something, said: "They are very afraid of Yan Jun's body, although their clansmen can be resurrected, but Yan Jun's body is already mutilated, there is no possibility of him surviving..." Xiao Yan said: "They are indeed afraid of Qian Jun's remnant body, even the last bit of blood will be burned to ashes. But it's not because he can't be resurrected." Xiangsi said, "Why is that?" Xiao Yan said in a deep voice: "Because every part of Qian Jun's body can be reborn!"