Chapter 47: Witchcraft and poison

Perhaps it was the beauty of the scenery that stimulated me, as I almost ran all the way down the mountain to the Yueyan Miao village. Once I got down the mountain and crossed the small flat valley, I arrived at the Yueyan Miao village.

Fanfan and Tuan Tuan were very happy. They were so happy to see their village that they picked up the pace. The strangest thing was Tuan Tuan’s grandmother. She was so slow, but she was able to keep up with us.

The road down the mountain was fast, and in just a few minutes we reached the small valley. It was such a beautiful valley, with layers of green grass like a carpet, making you want to roll around on it. The sweet smell of the grass mixed with the fragrance of flowers was refreshing.

Although it is early spring, there are already many wildflowers blooming here. Not far from the lawn is Yueyan Lake. Standing here, you can see the ancient dam by the lake. The traces of artificial excavation have been washed by the years, containing an indescribable sense of vicissitudes.

On the other side of the lake, there is an extended lawn. Between the lawn and the lake, there is a pavilion made of bamboo and wood, sitting by the water. The pavilion is surrounded by light white gauze, which blows in the wind, making it seem like a dream.

“This is the pavilion that Snow’s favorite, she also participated in it, built by hand.” Tuan Tuan said proudly to me.

Ling Ruxue? Is she a strange woman? Both Ruyue and Tuan Tuan admire her so much! I don’t know much about women, but I’ve read a lot of books, especially in college, and I’ve met many women. I think it’s difficult for women to form a relationship of admiration and being admired, unless there is a big difference in status.

But this Ling Ruxue, I suddenly became a little curious about her…

I can’t describe the beauty of the scenery along the way. This place has brought me so many surprises. I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the village that I overlooked something. It was only after Tuan Tuan’s reminder that I discovered that there was a maple forest on the hillside opposite the lake. It’s still early spring, and it’s not the season for red maple leaves. No wonder I didn’t notice it.

I was thinking, if it were autumn, what a beautiful sight it would be by the lake. It would probably not be inferior to Jiuzhaigou, right?

With a heart full of admiration, I walked along the way. When I reached the fields, people started to appear along the way, busy with their work. After all, early spring is a busy time for farmers.

People greeted me warmly, and they would also respectfully greet Grandma Tuan. As for me, they generally looked at me curiously, but there was nothing suspicious about their eyes.

I guess there are many masterful Miao healers in this village, and a kid like me is not worth their vigilance.

But when Tuan Tuan introduced me as a guest of Grandma Lingqing, people looked at me differently. They started to look at me with some kindness. I was curious and asked in a low voice, “Is Grandma Lingqing very important in your village? I don’t know the status of the Miao village, but I know that the great witch is very important. Is Grandma Lingqing the great witch?”

Tuan Tuan laughed and said, “I don’t know anything else, but the great witch and the chief of our village are both men. Ling Qing is a witch, and the men inherit the witch, and the women inherit the witch. This is the rule of our village. Well, the status of a witch is equivalent to that of a saint.

The word “holy woman” made me dizzy. I really wanted to imagine a group of highly educated people accepting the idea of a holy woman, but fortunately they didn’t call her a holy woman, just a “witch,” which is the most powerful woman in the village who uses witchcraft.

As for witchcraft? I am even more curious. In fact, many Taoist traditions come from the great witches of the legendary era, but whether that era even existed is debatable. After all, even the existence of the Xia Dynasty was not recognized by the world, and the traditions of that era have almost been lost.

My master once mentioned in passing that Taoism is actually a branch of the ancient shamanic tradition, but Taoism has inherited more and has developed to a certain extent, so in the history of our country, Taoism has been able to shine and overcome some primitive shamanism.

But in fact, the influence on the world is more profound. For example, the various strange arts of Southeast Asia belong to witchcraft, and in the West, there is also witchcraft.

However, I have never seen real witchcraft. I am very curious about it. I never thought that there would be an ancient and primitive witchcraft tradition in the Yueyan Miao village.

We soon arrived at the foot of the mountain where the village was located. Standing there, looking up at the layers of stilt houses from the bottom up, and the ancient cobblestone road mixed in, I had a feeling of looking up at a fairyland.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to meet someone,” said Tuan Tuan enthusiastically.

“Who? Can I meet my friends first?” I was still a little worried about Su Rou and Qin Huai.

“Well, you will see them, but you have to get rid of the parasite first, don’t you?” Tuan Tuan said calmly.

Speaking of this, I just remembered that there was still a parasite in the flesh and blood in my shoulder, because Sixth Sister had paralyzed it with medicine, so I had almost forgotten its existence these few days.

The guest follows the host. After all, I am a guest in this village, so I shouldn’t deliberately demand anything. Can I always see Su Rou and Qin Huai if they are here? Thinking about this, I followed Tuan Tuan. As for Fan Fan, she and Tuan Tuan’s grandmother turned to another road halfway through, saying that they would go home first.

The road to the mountain is winding and twisting, and I don’t feel tired at all while walking and looking around. I find that this village is actually very lively, not as simple as I imagined it to be. Because there are many small streets between the buildings, and there are also some small shops on these small streets, selling snacks, cigarettes, etc. There are also small restaurants and tea houses, and the business is actually quite good.

Yes, the people in the entire village have all received an education, so how could modern trends not have reached this village?

“Isn’t our village great? Even though we live deep in the mountains, there are more than 5,000 people in our village. Basically, after people go out, they will come back.” Tuan Tuan said happily.

“Why would they come back? The outside world is a colorful place! Don’t they miss the beauty here?” I asked casually. After all, many things cannot be judged by oneself. Like me, I would rather find a place like this and spend my life with my family and friends, but not everyone is like that.

Tuan Tuan’s expression suddenly became a little gloomy, but in the end, she didn’t say anything.

I felt something was fishy, but how could I ask too many questions about other people’s villages?

The place where Tuan Tuan wanted to take me to meet someone lived at the very top of the village. That area was the holy land of the entire village, and only very important people in the village could live there.

I guessed that Tuan Tuan was taking me to see an old lady. After all, Sixth Sister had said that the parasite on my shoulder was not simple, and she was not sure whether she could remove it.

Who else could be that experienced person but an old lady?

The village is even bigger than I thought. It’s like looking at something in the distance, it’s a completely different experience from being in it. I didn’t expect that it would take almost forty minutes to walk up to the top of the village along this easy-to-walk cobblestone road.

When I finally reached the holy place of the village, I realized that it was a small platform, like someone had chopped a path to the top of the mountain. Due to the higher altitude, the mountain wind was blowing fiercely, blowing my hair and clothes whistling.

Standing on the edge of this platform, I saw the scenery below me become spectacular. The layers of stilted roofs were in turn lined up, spectacular, and the shadows of the people also looked very small. In such a place, as long as a man stands, he will inevitably feel a kind of pride that “will be at the top of the mountain, overlooking the mountains.”

She pushed me, who was standing on the edge of the platform, and said, “Let’s go there.”

Following where she pointed, I discovered that there were a few stilt houses scattered on the platform, and there was also a large building, presumably a temple or ancestral hall. The stilt house that Tuan Tuan pointed at was the smallest of the stilt houses, but as I looked at it, I couldn’t get rid of a familiar and intimate feeling.

Yes, it is the smallest, and the stilt houses on this platform are all relatively large, but it is the smallest. But isn’t it just like a small bamboo house? Except that it is larger, it is clearly a completely bamboo house.

Why doesn’t this stilted house make me feel at home?

That was a period of time that I miss the most, so when I looked at it, my footsteps couldn’t help but quicken. It was as if I just had to get close to it, push open the door, and the lazy, shriveled figure of my master would appear before my eyes.

At this time, Tuan Tuan shouted, “Ru Yue, Cheng Yi is here. Come and meet him.”

Ruyue is here? I was a little surprised. This girl has a high status in the village, but I had only taken a few steps when a figure rushed towards me. Before I could see who it was, the figure was already on top of me.