Chapter 78: A small episode

Before, I only knew about the Leishan Miao Village, but I didn’t know about the Eighteen Ancestral Villages. It was only from the conversation just now that I learned that there are eighteen such villages, and the Leishan Miao Village is only one of them.

After I and my master apologized to the great Da Xing, we were blindfolded and then helped onto the horses.

The Great Da Xing also explained to me and my master that, apart from the Broken Soul Ladder, there are other secret passages in the village. This is a rule passed down from our ancestors, and it is absolutely forbidden for anyone outside the village to know about it.

My master and I understood this. After all, not to mention the eighteen ancestral villages, even the Miao village of Leishan is a village with a large population, unlike the Snake Gate, which only has one person left, Ding, and the rules are relatively casual. So, what is there to not understand about these practices?

My master and I could not see anything, so we just got on the horse. I didn’t know where I was exactly when I was riding on the horse. After a while, I could hear the sound of rain, and I could feel the raindrops falling on my body. After a while, I couldn’t hear the sound of rain at all, and I didn’t feel the raindrops falling.

On the horse, I could also feel the terrain sometimes bumpy and sometimes smooth… I just guessed that perhaps this Leishan Miao village also had underground secret passages similar to Snake Gate, but I didn’t know what precautions were taken. They definitely couldn’t be as easy as Xiaoding to be honest about some secrets in front of me and my master.

To be honest, my master and I didn’t really want to know.

Because I was blindfolded, I didn’t know how long I had been sitting on the horse. I couldn’t stand the friction on my thighs any longer, and I couldn’t stay on the horse for another minute. I was about to ask to get off, and just then the horse stopped.

I was helped off the horse, and the black cloth covering my eyes was removed. The sudden glare of the sunlight made it difficult to open my eyes, and it took a long time to adjust to the sudden brightness.

I found that my master and I had been brought to the side of a huge mountain slope. I don’t know if it was because of the altitude or because it had just rained, but there was always a faint mist hovering around the side of the mountain slope… After my eyes had adjusted, I discovered that this huge green mountain slope was actually a huge cemetery, densely covered with tombs.

“This…” I didn’t understand why we were brought here for a moment, and at this time, the Da Xing Da Wu came to me and my master and said, “Those who died in the town were also people from our village, and they will eventually return to their ancestral graves. I’m sorry, but before I take you into the village, I still have to let them rest in peace.

“The dead are the most important. This is only right.” Master said with a hint of sadness. At this time, we had already seen the bodies being transported up the mountain. They were carried on simple wooden carts pulled by dozens of horses. The bodies were piled on these carts.

My master and I were outsiders after all, and we were not allowed to participate in the funeral ceremony. We could only wait on the side.

It was already noon from the sky, and in a hurry, the funeral ceremony was only briefly presided over by the Da Xing Da Wu, and then handed over to several other Da Wu and their subordinates.

Afterwards, the Da Xing Da Wu called Ah Mao Dou, and a man carrying a strong son, and led me and my master to the other side of the hill… On the other side, in the seemingly lush forest, there was a hidden trail. The Da Xing Da Wu was now leading us on this trail, which should be the road to the village.

After walking for less than five minutes, Ah Maodou stopped and said to Daxing Dahu, somewhat puzzled: “Daxing Dahu, this is just going to the secret village. Is this appropriate?”

My master and I naturally didn’t know what a secret village was, but we didn’t want to ask, so the Great Shaman just kept walking, glancing at Ah Maodou and saying, “Are you afraid to go to the secret village?”

“A little nervous. After all, the secret village is a place where only the great shaman is qualified to go and live. I have been in the village for so many years, but I have never been up there a few times. However, great shaman, I don’t care about myself, but taking them to the secret village, this…” Ah Maodou glanced at me and my master while talking, and his expression hesitated a little, but in the end he said it, showing his loyalty to the village.

This made me and Master a bit embarrassed, but Da Xing Da Wu smiled at me and Master, meaning that I and Master didn’t have to worry about it, and then suddenly stopped, facing Ah Mao Dou directly, and suddenly raised his hand and slapped Ah Mao Dou in the face.

My master and I were stunned. If he was doing this to us for treating Ah Maodou like this, wouldn’t that make us very…

At this time, not only did my master and I freeze, but also the person carrying the unconscious Qiangzi, and even Ah Maodou himself froze. He covered his face with his hands, his face full of disbelief, and it took him a long time to say a few words: “Great Shaman, this… why?”

The Da Xing Da Wu simply ignored Ah Mao Dou, but looked at the embarrassed me and Master and said, “It’s none of your business. You’re just being embarrassed. I’m going to deal with this kid here. His heart may not be in the village anymore.”

What does this mean? My master and I looked at each other, but we stepped back.

Another Hmong tried to say something, but when he saw the stern look on the face of the Da Xing Da Wu, he also stood aside, leaving Sun Qiang. When Ah Mao Dou heard the Da Xing Da Wu say this, he immediately became agitated. He immediately knelt on the ground and said in a loud voice, “Da Wu, you can scold me, beat me, and not give me any reason, but you can’t say that my heart is not in the village. Isn’t this saying that I have betrayed the village?”

As he spoke, he also spoke a string of Miao language, but unfortunately, neither I nor my master could understand what he was saying.

As he listened to these words, the originally serious face of the Da Xing Da Wu gradually became softer, and there was a sad light in his eyes. While Ah Mao Dou was still excitedly talking, he suddenly interrupted Ah Mao Dou and said, “Ah Mao Dou, you lost your parents at a young age, and you can almost be said to be a child I raised. It is because of this that I brought you here to ask questions. It is also because of this that I would say that your heart is not in the village, rather than directly saying that you have betrayed the village.”

When the Great Shaman said that Ah Maodou was almost like a child he had raised himself, Ah Maodou suddenly knelt down and cried. He looked very emotional, but when the Great Shaman changed the subject, Ah Maodou began to argue urgently again.

“Ah Maodou, from beginning to end, who let you take the lead in bringing them (me and my master) into the town? What was your purpose in doing so? And as a member of the village, don’t you understand the taboos of the village? What do you mean by shouting my and Darong’s names in the town?” Da Xing Da Wu’s words were more severe than the last, and he asked Ah Maodou question after question. I and my master couldn’t help but frown.

We remembered that when Ah Maodou asked me and Master to go down the mountain to the town, was that not what the Great Shaman wanted?

Faced with the questioning of the Great Shaman, Ah Maodou was silent. The Great Shaman looked at Ah Maodou and said, “Do you admit it?” After saying this, the Great Shaman himself sighed, and this sigh carried endless heartache.

Amo Dou was once again agitated, and suddenly he knelt and hugged the legs of the Great Shaman, saying in an even more unstable tone, “No, Great Shaman, it’s definitely not like that… I was just thinking that I have been relying on the Great Shaman’s favor for so many years, and I have been too proud and too fond of making my own decisions. I suddenly realized my mistake… and I have never been disloyal to the village. If the Great Shaman doesn’t believe me…”

While he was talking, Ah Maodou suddenly let go of the legs of the Great Shaman of Daxing, then pulled out a sharp dagger from his waist, and without hesitation, stabbed it into his chest, shouting, “I am willing to die to show my resolve.”

The knife pierced into Ah Maodou’s chest, and bright red blood flowed from Ah Maodou’s chest, instantly staining the front of his shirt. But at this time, Ah Maodou’s wrist was firmly grasped by Daxing the Great Shaman. He was still stubbornly trying to stab into his chest, but how much strength did Daxing the Great Shaman have? He struggled a few times, but he was never able to get in.

“Forget it!” The Da Xing Da Wu’s eyes revealed a hint of distress, and then he twisted Ah Maodou’s wrist, and the sharp dagger fell to the ground.

The Miao man carrying Qiangzi quickly said to the Da Xing Da Wu, “Da Wu, Ah Maodou should not have betrayed the village. He must be young and doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong.”

Amo Dou said in a choked voice, “Apart from our ancestral village, who else knows the curse of the witch family? So, when I got to the town, I felt no hesitation… I thought you would be happy when I brought them down the mountain… Didn’t Darong often mention that he had an older brother named Chen Chengyi? I…”

“But you have ultimately broken the rules. You will receive your punishment from the Great Shaman for going to the secret village. Ah Maodou, don’t blame me for being heartless. You are my foster child, and I hope you will become a talented person more than anyone else.” The Great Shaman Da Xing sighed.

Amoudou lowered his head and couldn’t see his expression clearly. He only saw him nodding and sobbing with sadness.

Looking at this scene, I actually felt that I should sympathize with Ah Maodou, but my heart was strangely calm. I understood this emotion as meaning that I should not interfere with the affairs of other villages.

But the master said, “Old Mu, since the dust has settled, let’s not make things difficult for him.”

The Da Xing Da Wu also nodded and said, “That’s good. Let’s go. Let’s talk about it at the secret village first.”

In the meantime, we continued walking on this hidden path, and Ah Maodou’s matter was simply ignored like a small episode.