yready #600 - Chapter 600
#600 - Chapter 600
"Qin Yi, shut your mouth," Zhao Gang thundered, rising abruptly. His burly frame seemed enormous in the flickering lamplight. His voice, laced with undeniable anger, made the flames dance on the wall.
"Brother Gang, aren't you also disgusted by the elders?" Qin Yi retorted, his youthful face etched with stubbornness.
"Being disgusted doesn't give you the right to hang someone! How is that any different from what the elders do, you brat!" Zhao Gang roared, his thick eyebrows furrowed, his eyes blazing with anger and disappointment.
Qin Yi shrank back, muttering something unintelligible before finally lowering his head. His slumped shoulders suggested he finally understood Zhao Gang's point. A heavy atmosphere settled over the assembly hall, making even the fog outside seem more sinister.
"I have a suggestion," Qian Jin said suddenly, his voice quiet but clear, reaching every ear. His dark face looked even more somber in the dim light.
"What suggestion, Qian Jin?" Gao Zhijie turned, a flicker of curiosity in his cloudy eyes.
"Continuing like this will lead nowhere. It would be best to choose someone by vote. What do you think, Elder Gao?" Qian Jin's tone was unusually calm, as if discussing something utterly ordinary.
"Huh?! Are you kidding me? Choosing someone like that, so casually!" Zhao Gang exclaimed, his rough hands clenching into fists.
"What's so casual about it! How else are you going to get so many people to agree other than by voting!?" Qian Jin's voice rose sharply, a hint of urgency in his eyes.
"We should discuss it together and reach a consensus!" Zhao Gang said, his voice tinged with reluctance.
"Brother Gang, I understand how you feel..." Wang Lina said softly, her delicate face filled with worry.
"But, choosing someone to execute by voting..." Chen Xiang stammered, her slender hands twisting together.
"...Brother, what do you think?" Gao Mei asked Qin Ming cautiously, her pale face filled with expectation.
"...I agree with Qian Jin's suggestion," Qin Ming said slowly after a long silence. His voice was soft, but it fell like a boulder into a calm lake.
"...Even Qin Ming..." Wang Lina said in disbelief.
"Let's do it that way," Gao Zhijie said, and a murmur immediately rippled through the assembly hall. The cold wind howled outside, as if lamenting the fate to come.
"...Hua Lu, is there anything to write with?" Gao Zhijie asked, turning to Hua Lu. His wrinkled face was unreadable.
"...Yes, there is," Hua Lu replied softly, a hint of sorrow in her gentle eyes.
With Elder Gao's decision, everyone seemed to silently accept this cruel arrangement. It was indeed a traditional practice from ancient times, and even if they were unwilling, they had to obey. Deep within the assembly hall stood the storage area, containing not only wine bottles and cups, but also some stationery. At Elder Gao's signal, Hua Lu rose and walked towards the storage area, retrieving fresh paper and an ancient inkstone, and began to write. The oil lamp flickered with her movements, casting shifting shadows on the wall, as if witnessing this inevitable choice.
"...Tang Yin," Xia Hui whispered, her bright eyes gleaming with unease in the dim light.
"What is it?" Tang Yin turned, noticing the thoughtful expression on Xia Hui's face.
"Wine and writing materials are prepared, which means what's happening now is all within someone's expectations, right?" Xia Hui's voice was soft, but it struck like a sharp sword at the heart of the matter. Her slender fingers unconsciously rubbed the wooden table in front of her, as if seeking some kind of security.
Tang Yin's gaze fell on the stationery Hua Lu was using. "...Indeed, this paper doesn't seem to be decades old, and the ink isn't moldy." His tone was cautious, his eyes gleaming with insight.
"This whole thing is a man-made farce, isn't it?" Xia Hui's voice trembled slightly, her delicate face filled with anxiety and suspicion.
Hua Lu stopped writing and looked up. The lamplight danced on her gentle face. "...This building is a shrine where the spirit of the Thousand Bright Gods manifests. The elders of the four Hundred Abundance Village families come here to make offerings during the biannual mountain festival." Her voice was soft, with an unspeakable sadness.
"Many sacred wines, writing utensils, ropes, scythes," Hua Lu continued, her gaze sweeping over the various items displayed in the assembly hall. "They are said to be offerings passed down from ancient times, unchanged."
Xia Hui was silent for a moment, her face growing even paler. "..." She opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something but unable to. "In other words, it wasn't just prepared for this time... So, the four elder families always knew these things would actually be used?"
"I-I don't know," Qian Jin said hastily, waving his hands. His dark face was etched with panic. The sound of the wind outside suddenly grew louder, causing the wooden window frames to creak.
"...In the short time, less than a year, that I've been married into the Chen family, I haven't heard about these things either, but this kind of thing... Ah, so that's how it is," Chen Xiang said, her head lowered, her slender hands clenched tightly together, knuckles white from the strain.
"Is that so?" Tang Yin asked thoughtfully, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room, as if searching for some clue.
"Actually, for a moment there, I also had that feeling, but, I've never heard of this kind of thing~" Tong Xiaoliang gave a somewhat artificial smile, his narrow eyes narrowed into slits.
"...Even if there really is some secret, they wouldn't tell you, would they?" Qian Jin scoffed, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Uncle, you're not exactly in a position to say that~" Tong Xiaoliang's voice still carried a smile, but his tone already contained a veiled threat.
"This is really complicated," Tang Yin sighed. He could feel the tense atmosphere permeating the air.
"...I didn't know the offerings would actually be used," Hua Lu said softly, a hint of confusion in her gentle eyes. "Perhaps there's something only the Qin family knows, or... only some of the elders know."
"...Bullshit! Stop lying! Aren't you the head of the Hua family yourself!!" Qin Yi suddenly exploded, leaping to his feet. His young face was twisted with anger, his finger trembling as he pointed at Hua Lu. This sudden outburst plunged the entire room into deathly silence, as if even the howling wind outside had stopped. The oil lamp flame flickered uneasily in this tense atmosphere, casting wavering shadows on the wall, as if foretelling a greater storm to come.
"Ah..." Hua Lu was startled by Qin Yi's sudden accusation and took a step back, dropping the pen in her hand, which made a crisp sound on the wooden floor.
"A'Yi! Don't interfere with her writing!" Gao Zhijie shouted sternly, his cloudy eyes now blazing with a terrifying light.
"What, you old geezer! Wanna fight!!" Qin Yi flipped over the table in front of him, the wooden surface crashing heavily to the ground, causing the oil lamp to shake violently. His young face was flushed red with anger, veins throbbing on his forehead.
"Qin Yi... calm down," Zhao Gang said, placing a hand on Qin Yi's shoulder, his voice steady and strong.
"Brother Gang, have even you become a coward!!" Qin Yi shook off Zhao Gang's hand, his eyes flashing with angry fire.
"Elder Gao, to be honest, I understand Qin Yi's feelings," Zhao Gang said, taking a deep breath and turning to Gao Zhijie. The lamplight cast a huge shadow on his burly frame. "Xia Hui is right, the elders knew this kind of thing would happen a long time ago, that's why they're hypocritically making offerings here."
"Hua Lu, do you really know nothing? You'd better not keep hiding things," Zhao Gang said, his gaze fixed sharply on Hua Lu, as if trying to see through her heart.
"...I..." Hua Lu said, lowering her head, her slender fingers twisting together unconsciously. A look of pain appeared on her gentle face. "I just have a premonition." She paused, her voice suddenly becoming ethereal, "The gods are about to be revived."
Suddenly, a chaotic noise broke the tense atmosphere. Everyone's eyes turned to the source of the sound - Wang Lina and Gao Mei.
"--Impossible..." Wang Lina staggered backward, knocking over the chair behind her. Her delicate face was etched with terror. "Because, no, but, as expected... the gods--" Her voice trembled, as if wanting to say something but unable to.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Gao Mei suddenly burst into a fit of mad laughter, the sound shrill and bizarre, echoing in the assembly hall.
This sudden change left everyone stunned. Gao Zhijie's face instantly turned pale. "Xiao Mei!" he shouted, rushing to his granddaughter's side.
"...Sister Mei, could it be..." Qin Yi's anger instantly dissipated, replaced by deep worry on his face.
"...Wasn't she cured?" Chen Xiang covered her mouth, her voice filled with panic.
"Xiao Mei, pull yourself together~!" Tong Xiaoliang tried to step forward, but Gao Zhijie stopped him with a stern shout.
"Get out of the way, Xiao Liang! Damn it, Qian Jin! Do you know what to do!" Gao Zhijie hugged his laughing granddaughter tightly, his weathered face filled with anxiety and pain.
"...I said it a long time ago! Mental illnesses like this can't be cured in a place like this!" Qian Jin clenched his fists, his tone tinged with self-blame.
"...Let me!" Hua Lu suddenly stepped forward, her eyes becoming unusually firm.
"Don't touch my granddaughter!!" Gao Zhijie roared, protecting Gao Mei in his arms like a protective tiger. The wind howled outside, and the fog seemed to deepen, enveloping the entire assembly hall in an eerie atmosphere.
"...Xiao Mei! Calm down, calm down... I'm here!" Gao Zhijie said, his voice choked with sobs, gently stroking his granddaughter's back, trying to calm her mad laughter. The oil lamp flame flickered uneasily in this chaos, casting distorted shadows on the wall, as if witnessing all these unbelievable developments.
Tang Yin stood there, his mind racing. His sharp eyes surveyed the chaotic scene before him, trying to make sense of the situation. The heavy night had quietly descended, and the lamplight cast swaying shadows on the wall, adding a touch of unreality to the eerie atmosphere.
The gods - this word, like a key, not only caused Wang Lina to lose her composure earlier, but now even Gao Mei had fallen into this abnormal state. Tang Yin's pupils constricted slightly, a bold idea forming in his mind. Could the gods enshrined here not be the legendary Wolf God, nor the Thousand Bright Gods, but Old Wolf Master?
Just as this thought appeared, the hunched old man suddenly let out a strange laugh: "Heh, hahahaha, ha..." Old Wolf Master's laughter echoed in the empty assembly hall, making one's hair stand on end. "The wolf is coming!" he suddenly shouted, a hint of madness flashing in his cloudy eyes.
"--Old man! Stop talking nonsense now!" Zhao Gang shouted sternly, his burly frame blocking Old Wolf Master, as if to prevent this madness from continuing to spread.
"Zhao Gang, don't be so rough!" Chen Xiang said hastily, stepping forward to dissuade him, her delicate face filled with anxiety.
"Namu Qianming Daikengen, Namu Qianming Daikengen!" Granny Rong knelt on the ground, constantly chanting scriptures, her old voice trembling slightly.
Tang Yin watched this hellish scene before him, the assembly hall filled with mad laughter, anxious shouts, and devout prayers. The oil lamp flame flickered uneasily in this chaos, as if trembling at this madness as well.
After a long time, Gao Mei finally calmed down. Her pale face still carried a hint of confusion, her eyes staring blankly around. "...I... what happened? Did I faint from anemia?" Her voice was weak and confused.
"...Rest for a while," Gao Zhijie said softly, comforting his granddaughter, his wrinkled face filled with worry.
"Grandpa..." Gao Mei whispered, nestling in her grandfather's arms like a lost child.
Wang Lina had also returned to normal. "Sorry, I'm fine," her expression returning to its usual calmness, as if her earlier loss of control had never happened.
Tang Yin's gaze swept across everyone's faces, a nameless chill rising in his heart. These people showed panic when faced with the changes in their relatives and acquaintances, but why were they able to accept the absurd ritual of the Yellow Springs Feast so calmly?
He could understand the fear brought by monsters, and he could understand the terror of curses, but hanging one's own mother, watching the person one loved being executed, this hellish madness had taken root and spread wantonly in this land. To uncover the truth of all this, how many more of these hells would he have to witness?
"...It's finished," Hua Lu's voice interrupted Tang Yin's thoughts. The paper in her hand neatly listed the names of each participant, like a solemn joint statement.
"...Prepare to restart the feast," Gao Zhijie said in a steady and authoritative voice. The climax of the night was about to arrive, the shadow of death looming over everyone's heads.
"Vote in order, starting from the upper seat," Gao Zhijie looked around. "Hua Lu, you are responsible for recording who votes for whom. Wang Lina and Qin Ming, you watch Hua Lu."
"I understand," Wang Lina replied softly.
"...I understand," Qin Ming nodded, a complex look flashing in his deep eyes.
"So, we're not voting for Miss Xia Hui and Mr. Tang Yin this time, is that right?" Hua Lu asked cautiously.
"That's my intention, others can decide for themselves." Gao Zhijie's tone left no room for doubt.
"Exactly. It's up to you all to judge their statements just now, and vote if you agree." Qian Jin added, his dark face revealing no emotion. The thick fog outside the window seemed to deepen, completely isolating the assembly hall from the outside world, as if it had become an independent hell.