tkworld #529 - The Legend of the Hidden Mist Village
#529 - The Legend of the Hidden Mist Village
Wang Lina tilted her head slightly, her long hair fluttering gently in the breeze. Her eyes sparkled with complex emotions as she softly asked, "To you, is this kind of thing foolish?"
Tang Yin was caught off guard by her sudden question. He subconsciously scratched the back of his head, trying to hide his inner unease. "Could you elaborate a little?" he asked cautiously, afraid that his words might offend this mysterious girl.
Wang Lina sighed softly, her gaze drifting towards the distant mountains. "...Oh well, haven't given up yet? Let's put that aside for now and talk about the danger we're facing." Her tone carried a hint of helplessness, yet also revealed an undeniable firmness.
Tang Yin keenly noticed that Wang Lina seemed to be hiding something. His mind raced, trying to analyze the reason behind this concealment. Was it because the matter was too complex to explain, or because it contained some kind of fatal danger?
"...The banquet, you mean? Yes, we do need to discuss it." Tang Yin followed Wang Lina's lead and shifted his attention, but he remained vigilant about her concealment.
He looked around. This cemetery had a wide view and was far from the village, making it a good place to talk in private. There was no need to worry about being eavesdropped on, nor to be concerned about possible surveillance.
Tang Yin took a deep breath and began to sort out Wang Lina's previous explanations. His gaze fell on a mottled tombstone in the distance, as if the entire secret of this mysterious village was engraved there.
"First of all, Baifeng Village has a unique legend," Tang Yin said slowly, his voice low and magnetic. "Although other places have similar legends, let's assume that the legend of Baifeng Village is unique for now."
Wang Lina nodded, signaling him to continue.
"The object of worship for the people of Baifeng Village is called the [Thousand Brightness God], and the name of this mountain is Thousand Brightness Mountain," Tang Yin's eyes flashed with a hint of thought. "This should be a mountain worship that personifies the mountain god."
"Long ago, the Thousand Brightness God sent five kinds of wild beasts as guardians of mankind," Tang Yin continued, his voice tinged with curiosity. "Of course, the Thousand Brightness God also has a cruel side that symbolizes nature. Anyone who violates the rules of the mountain will be subjected to merciless punishment."
Wang Lina's expression became serious, and she added, "The executor of the punishment is the [Wolf], one of the guardian beasts, the hunting guardian god."
Tang Yin nodded and continued to organize his thoughts: "However, the other guardian beasts are companions of humans. The [Snake] is the guardian beast that predicts the weather and the harvest, guiding humans in farming and politics. The [Ape] is the guardian beast that avoids the wolf's gaze, gives fire to humans, and imparts various important knowledge."
"And the [Crow]," Wang Lina took over, "it is the guardian beast that eliminates the corpses of the [Netherworld People], the enemies of the Thousand Brightness God."
"Finally, there's the [Spider]," Tang Yin added, "the guardian beast that protects human sleep and dreams from the attacks of the [Netherworld People]."
Speaking of this, Tang Yin frowned and fell into contemplation. "However, what exactly does [Netherworld People] mean?" he muttered to himself. "According to my speculation, it should be related to pollution, death, and the land of the Yellow Springs. For them, the Netherworld People are the dead who have returned to the human world from the land of the Yellow Springs for some reason, an ominous existence..."
Night fell quietly, and the mist around the cemetery became denser. Tang Yin and Wang Lina stood on this mysterious land, as if they were in a world beyond reality. In the distance, the faint sound of a wolf howl came, which could not help but remind people of that mysterious executor of punishment.
...
Wang Lina took a deep breath and began to narrate slowly, "The opposition between the Thousand Brightness God and the animal and human camp against the Netherworld People camp is the background of this legend." Her voice was low and magnetic, as if telling an ancient myth.
Tang Yin listened carefully, his eyes sometimes falling on Wang Lina's delicate profile, and sometimes sweeping across the surrounding dim village. The moonlight shone through the thin mist, giving the entire village a silvery halo, setting off an eerie and mysterious atmosphere.
"Moreover," Wang Lina continued, "the rulers of Baifeng Village created a doctrine of faith in the Thousand Brightness God based on this structure, making the five guardian beasts headed by the wolf and the Thousand Brightness God the objects of faith for the villagers."
Tang Yin nodded thoughtfully, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes. "But," he asked softly, "what's different about the legend of Mist Hidden Village?"
Wang Lina's eyes suddenly became complicated. She bit her lower lip lightly, as if weighing her words. "This legend took an important turn in Mist Hidden Village," she said slowly, her voice with a hint of imperceptible tremor, "One day, humans, along with the snake, ape, crow, and spider, murdered the wolf."
Tang Yin gasped, he didn't expect that such a cruel side was hidden in this seemingly peaceful legend.
"After the threat of the wolf disappeared, the human village developed further," Wang Lina continued to explain, "The four elder families who inherited the blood of the guardian beasts were born at that time."
Tang Yin's gaze swept over several conspicuous mansions in the village, and he secretly guessed that those were the so-called "four elder families."
"However, the story is not over yet," Wang Lina's voice suddenly became low, with a hint of warning, "The wolf, who was murdered by humans and his companions, joined the [Netherworld People] camp and became a symbol of disaster in order to take revenge on humans."
Tang Yin felt a chill, and couldn't help shivering. He looked around, as if looking for the vengeful wolf that might be hiding in the shadows.
"The Godly River is the sphere of influence of the Netherworld People, and it is also the exit for the wolf and the twilight mist to return to the human world," Wang Lina pointed to the winding river on the edge of the village, "After returning to the human world, the wolf will kill the villagers, and then appear in the image of the victimized villagers. At night, the wolf will return to its nature and sacrifice the villagers with cruel methods."
Tang Yin's heart beat faster, and he suddenly realized that he might be in a dangerous situation. "Then," he asked cautiously, "how do the people of Mist Hidden Village deal with this threat?"
A trace of sadness flashed in Wang Lina's eyes, "The people of Mist Hidden Village who live near the Godly River must stop the wolf's invasion and imitate the ritual of the wolf-slaying banquet at that time through a ceremony called the [Netherworld Banquet] created by the Thousand Brightness God."
"During the [Banquet], one person is allowed to be executed per day," Wang Lina's voice was low and heavy, "Since ancient times, patricide has always been the taboo of taboos. In order to avoid the tragedy of patricide, the four guardian beasts of snake, ape, crow, and spider will help humans find out the identity of the wolf in the form of blessing."
Tang Yin felt a chill, and he couldn't imagine that such a ritual was still continuing in modern society.
"Just like the killing banquet on the night of betrayal," Wang Lina's voice became a little ethereal, as if telling a distant dream, "Humans drink and talk happily, and then choose a person to hang."
After saying this, Wang Lina breathed a sigh of relief, as if unloading a heavy burden. "That's about it." she said softly, her eyes drifting into the distance.
Tang Yin was silent for a moment, digesting this information. "...Is that so?" he muttered to himself, frowning.
He roughly understood. In other words, humans betrayed the wolf god, and this grievance has never been resolved. Behind this seemingly peaceful village, there is such a cruel and complex history hidden.
Tang Yin frowned, his eyes flashing with thoughtful light. Countless questions emerged in his mind, like a tangled mess, in urgent need of sorting out. He took a deep breath and decided to confide in Wang Lina.
"Wang Lina," Tang Yin lowered his voice, his expression serious, "I'll only tell you this, I seem to have seen the wolf god."
Hearing this, surprise, fear, and disbelief flashed across Wang Lina's pretty face in an instant. Her eyes widened, and her voice also raised a few notches due to surprise: "...No way, where?"
Tang Yin scratched his head a little awkwardly, his eyes shifting, "That, I saw it through the crack in the toilet door." He did not mention the chillingly realistic dream, deciding to keep it secret for the time being.
"...A human body and a wolf's head, that kind of feeling." Tang Yin added, recalling the terrifying scene, and couldn't help shivering.
Wang Lina's expression became even more shocked, her voice almost turning into a whisper: "...No way..."
Tang Yin saw Wang Lina's reaction and felt even more uneasy. He asked eagerly, "Ah~ I mean, I didn't see it wrong, did I?"
Wang Lina took a deep breath, as if trying to calm her emotions. "...Um, um, the image of the wolf god when worshiping the Thousand Brightness God is a human body with a wolf face, and the statues in Baifeng Village are also like this." Her voice still carried a hint of tremor.
Tang Yin nodded, a trace of realization flashing in his eyes. Suddenly, he remembered another detail from that night. "By the way, I also heard a woman screaming at the time. I believe that the [Wolf God] I saw was the murderer who killed Xia Hui." His voice was low and serious, "Is this the blood sacrifice? However, if the wolf god's purpose is to kill and disguise, why not dispose of her body..."
Wang Lina's expression suddenly became a little guilty, "Sorry, I forgot to say that the rules of the Thousand Brightness God are very cruel. As long as you violate the rules, you will be punished."
Tang Yin recalled the previous conversation, "The three things you mentioned earlier?"
Wang Lina nodded to confirm, "Yes, those three things. Complete the pre-banquet preparations, that is, wash your body, stay in your room alone, and sleep until dawn. She violated these three rules, so she was polluted and died."
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Tang Yin was thoughtful. He felt that pollution should not mean damaging the corpse, there must be other more important meanings. This thought swirled in his mind, but he did not say it out.
Suddenly, Tang Yin thought of another question, his eyes became sharp, "Speaking of which, you didn't tell me any rules yesterday, and just let me hide in the toilet, didn't you want to kill me?"
Wang Lina was startled by this question, and quickly waved her hands to deny it, "No, no, of course not!" A trace of guilt and embarrassment appeared on her face, "...That, to be honest, I thought that outsiders would definitely not survive."
She paused for a moment, as if weighing her words, "However, I still tried my best. Telling you might be a way to survive... I hate seeing people die without helping them..."
Hearing this, Tang Yin felt a mixture of emotions. He said with a wry smile, "And then I really survived."
Wang Lina lowered her head, her long hair covering half of her face, her voice with a hint of apology: "Um... Tang Yin, I'm sorry, actually I was also very surprised."
The corners of Tang Yin's mouth turned up slightly, with a hint of self-deprecating smile: "Unfortunately, I wasn't minced into meat sauce."
Wang Lina suddenly raised her head, a trace of panic and worry flashing in her eyes: "Don't joke, Tang Yin, it's really... great that you could survive." Her voice trembled slightly, as if trying to hide the fluctuations in her heart.
Tang Yin looked into Wang Lina's eyes, his mood complicated. He could feel the sincerity in the girl's words, and believed that she had indeed tried her best. However, a sense of inexplicable crisis still lingered in his mind.
He took a deep breath and decided to continue exploring the truth: "...Um, in that case, was the scream at the time Xia Hui's dying cry? Or did it come from other victims?"
Wang Lina's expression instantly became confused, "Uh, I don't know..." Her eyes were a little erratic, as if avoiding something.
Tang Yin narrowed his eyes, his tone becoming sharp: "For example... if the scream at the time was made by you, then you now are the wolf pretending."
Wang Lina's face turned pale instantly, but quickly returned to calm. She replied softly, "Who knows. But, I am definitely not the wolf."
Tang Yin sneered: "Everyone would say that."
Wang Lina was silent for a moment, and sighed softly: "You're right..."
A tense atmosphere permeated the air, and Tang Yin felt that the situation was more complicated than he thought. He decided to change the subject and continue to ask about the questions that lingered in his mind.
"First question." Tang Yin's tone became serious.
Wang Lina seemed relieved and nodded slightly: "Please."
Tang Yin stared at the distant mountains and slowly opened his mouth: "The basis for there being two wolf gods is that pattern?"
Without waiting for Wang Lina to answer, he continued: "That pattern painted on the huge standing rock, the crooked rhombus and vortex, there are indeed two of those patterns."
A trace of surprise flashed in Wang Lina's eyes, as if she didn't expect Tang Yin to notice this detail. She hesitated for a moment and replied: "...Those are the marks of the wolf gods returning to the human world from the Yellow Springs. Since there are two marks, then there are two wolf gods."
Tang Yin keenly captured the uncertainty in Wang Lina's words: "Is this a guess?"
Wang Lina nodded lightly: "Um, but, it should be right... Every year during the mountain festival, there are parades of people playing the guardian beasts. The number of wolf god players is also announced in this way."
Tang Yin knew that he must remain clear-headed and vigilant. Because in this world full of mysteries, a wrong judgment could mean the end of life. And that mysterious wolf god seemed to be watching them in the dark, waiting for the appearance of the next sacrifice.