Walking on the path in the forest shrouded in darkness, the girl looked at the dim lights of the shrine in the distance and could still hear some faint cries.
If Nuo was herself in the previous life, she might have run away in fear, she thought in her heart, and then continued to move forward.
Thanks to her special talent, she can perceive certain truths without being blinded by strange appearances.
When she reached the side entrance of the shrine, she stopped temporarily and took a look inside. It turned out that a woman was kneeling in the temple crying, and there was a body covered with black cloth beside her.
Seeing such a scene, the girl also had some speculations in her heart. Maybe this woman was so sad because her relatives had passed away.
The old witch who was in the shrine at the moment also came over and looked at the girl at the steps of the shrine.
"Are you awake? Is there something wrong?" Her voice was kind.
"Well, I'm hungry." The girl replied slightly embarrassed.
"Haha, what a simple child." Grandma Gro asked the girl to wait for a while, then went to another yard at the back and got a cloth bag with some rice in it, including two green-skinned fruits and a
Taro.
"Let's make do with it tonight. Tomorrow we can go to the market in the valley to have a look." Grandma Ge Luo handed the bag to the girl, then turned around and went back.
Not long after, a slight sound came from the shrine, which seemed to be the sound made by several pieces of copper colliding with each other. In the dark night, it brought a touch of agility and silence, soothing the sad cry.
After taking the things, Lorraine Hill also went back to make dinner. First, he washed the rice, then put it into a pot to steam, and then put in the chopped taro.
Then she walked out and sat in the yard for a while. After all, steaming rice also takes some time.
The valley is very quiet at night, and there are few crops in it. Only near the shrine, because the terrain is higher and can get some sunlight, there is still a forest and grass.
The girl looked at the sky above her head, which was flanked by mountain walls from both sides. The faint stars in it flickered and disappeared.
Although it is very barren here, the starry sky is much clearer than where I stayed before.
With the slightly fat Daiju pillow behind him, Lorraine Hill sat on the cold stone mill in the yard, looking up at the stars, feeling a touch of nostalgia, as if he had returned to a long time ago.
Just like that, she closed her eyes and felt the breeze blowing slowly from her side, bringing the unique freshness of the night.
——————
The next morning, after eating something simple, Lorraine Hill came to the shrine.
The woman from last night has long since left, and the hall has become quiet again. Granny Gro is holding a broom and sweeping the open space in front of the shrine, letting the leaves that fall at night return to the grass beside it.
"Get up, Jia Lan." The old man said hello, speaking softly and slowly.
Lorraine Hill nodded, then picked up the broom and swept aside the remaining fallen leaves.
After the two of them finished doing this little thing, they walked to the back of the shrine together. Surrounded by bright woods, there were simple tree stump tables and chairs.
"Let's sit down for a while first, and then I'll tell you about some daily situations." The old man and the girl sat on a small wooden stake next to the big tree stump.
"First of all, the reason why I invited your support is because recently I feel that many things are beyond my ability." The old man began to talk.
"You must have seen the local scene along the way. There are few people and the land is barren."
Lorraine Hill nodded, the scene along the way was indeed as the old man said.
"You may be curious why all the villages and settlements are concentrated in mountain cols, canyons, and some remote and narrow places."
"That's because every year in the middle of the month, the dragon veins will be particularly active, and at that time, the power of the Nine Netherworld will be permeated on the earth and wilderness, and all kinds of monsters and monsters will come out to move around. And the open places are very
It is difficult to resist. The more open the sky is, the easier it is to be attacked by those flying ghosts."
"The earth and rocks will be much better. Although some ghosts can pass through, some ancient methods can still be engraved with practical incantations to prevent those ghosts from easily passing through."
"Here, those days in the middle of the month will be difficult days. Everyone will gather together to resist the impact of the outside world. Only when the power of the Nine Netherworlds surging in the dragon's veins gradually dissipates can we go out and do activities again."
The witch briefly introduced the local people's daily schedule and the significance of doing so.
At this time, Lorraine Hill also gradually understood why the wilderness outside was so barren, even with few roads. This was also because anything built would be destroyed by various wandering ghosts in the middle of the month.
, it would be better not to build it.
"The reason why I asked you to come here is because I hope to help the people here to resist the attacks of various ghosts."
After some explanation, the old man finally told what the girl wanted to accomplish.
"Okay, I understand." Lorraine Hill nodded. It wouldn't be difficult if we just eliminated those monsters.
Seeing the girl nodding, the old man's expression seemed to relax a little. It seemed that he was under a lot of pressure on weekdays.
"That's it for now. I'll take you to the market below the valley later to buy some daily necessities. Although this place is barren, some daily necessities are still available."
——————
In the line of sky above our heads, the sun is hanging in the sky, and a little sunlight shines into the earth in the valley, making people feel warm.
Lorraine Hill followed Granny Gro, walking in this simple city.
Its total length is only two to three hundred meters, and most of them are occupied by local people setting up stalls and buying and selling things.
Compared with the outside world, the clothing here is very simple, and they are basically all black linen. The unchanging black linen is scattered all over the field of vision, forming clothes, baggage, windshielding cloth, etc.
People mostly wrap their bodies in black linen clothes like this and wear them more tightly.
The people of the Chi clan have pale skin and are intolerant to the sun. If they are exposed to the sun for a long time, it will cause damage to the skin, so they all like to dress like this, not only in black, but also with black hoods on their heads.
The only good thing is that the face is exposed after all, not completely covered, which makes the city a little more popular, instead of making it look like the place of Hades.
"How do you sell this piece of cloth?" The old man stopped in front of a stall and looked at the rolled black linen cloth on the wooden frame in front of him. It felt slightly rough and dry.
"Twenty silver rings, Miko." The stall owner stood up when he saw Granny Grotto and answered respectfully.
"Okay." Granny Grotto didn't bargain, she took out a handful of silver rings from her arms and put them on the shopkeeper's plate.
"Here, you gave me 5 silver rings too much." The shop owner took a quick look and felt that the gift was too much.
"It's nothing, just accept it. It's not easy to spin cloth. Besides, the children also need something good to eat." Granny Ge Luo looked at the two thin children behind the stall owner, with a bit of kindness in her eyes.
"Thank you, Grandma Gloria. Thank you, Miko." The woman bowed and saluted with gratitude, and then gave her a small roll of thread.
Seeing that the miko wanted to pick up the roll of black cloth, the girl next to her quickly stepped forward and picked it up in advance.
Although Granny Grotto was not that frail, the girl was still a little uncomfortable having an old man do this in front of her, so she picked up the roll of cloth first.
"Thank you for your hard work. When I get back, I will help you make some clothes." Granny Gro said.
"No, I have quite a few clothes, so I won't be short of them for the time being." The girl shook her head.
"I know, but those are your own clothes. This place is in a remote place. If it gets damaged, it won't be good if you don't have to change it on weekdays."
"Sometimes you can't care so much during a fight. There will always be times when you get dirty or damaged. It's better to wear durable and cheap clothes so that you won't feel bad." Granny Gro explained.
After that, the two of them continued to walk to the other side of the market and bought rabbit meat as an extra meal tonight.
In this barren land, only a few hares can survive. Other cattle and sheep, etc., are not enough for people to eat, let alone their turn.
After returning to the shrine, Granny Gro took the girl to the backyard to fetch a few buckets of water, and then started to prepare today's lunch. During the period, the girl offered to help, so it turned into the mother-in-law choosing vegetables, preparing the dishes, and adding seasonings, while the girl was on the side.
Cut vegetables and make a fire.
Finally, after everything was done, the two of them sat around the small stove in the house, looking at the boiling soup in the small pottery pot in the middle, including light red rabbit meat, green vegetable leaves, and light yellow potato slices.
It keeps churning, emitting a delicious fragrance and heat.
The two birds were also standing on the wooden frame nearby. There was a stone plate in front of them, with some food in it. They occasionally pecked at it, then turned their heads and looked curiously at the pot and the two birds on the side.
people.
"I haven't eaten like this for a long time."
Grandma Grotto seemed to be sighing. Today she was wearing the same black linen clothes as the residents here, not the witch's gorgeous clothes that the girl saw yesterday.
"How do you usually eat?" The girl was also a little curious.
"Usually it's much easier to eat just one. Sometimes I don't dare to make too much for fear that I won't finish it and it will go bad."
"Have you always been alone?"
"It wasn't a long time ago. There were a few children helping at the shrine, and it was quite lively at that time." There was a bit of nostalgia in the old man's eyes.
"It's a pity that some of them got married later, and some of them died, so I was the only one left." Although he said this, there was not much sadness in the old man's voice, and he seemed to have taken it lightly.
"I don't know if this shrine can be passed down in the future. This is the only thing I am still concerned about."
The two of them picked up the vegetables with chopsticks, mixed with the rice, ate slowly, and then talked about the situation in the shrine.
The dragon veins under this land are different from the outside world. They are very mixed and chaotic, and most of them are polluted. The witches in the shrine cannot control the direction of the dragon veins in the entire state like other areas in the outside world.
"...So, the only thing I can do is to keep the few small branches from them, protect them from pollution, and nourish those lands, so that the people who rely on these lands can survive.
Come down." The old man said slowly.
"Hasn't the dynasty considered a permanent solution to the problem? It is said that the red phoenix of the past still exists in the world." The girl asked curiously. According to past records, the red phoenix is the witch who created the dragon vein and should be able to intervene and repair it.
That's right.
"Lord Chifeng, one of the Five Virtues, did come here hundreds of years ago, and he was accompanied by several immortals at that time."
"It's a pity that it's not just a problem with the dragon's veins, but also a problem with the cave." The old man shook his head.
"In the past, the cave heaven of Yama Palace was located in this mountain. However, during that war, the cave sky collapsed and exploded, and various gaps in time and space were twisted in it, forming a messy and intricate shape."
"Even if Lord Chifeng came in person, he could only solve part of the pollution and distortion of the dragon veins, but could not do all the work."
"It would be great if the other one of the five virtues, Lord Huangniao, is still here. It is said that he is the one who can change and influence the Cave Heaven Paradise."
"It is a pity that Lord Chifeng returned to the west because of the death of Yellow Bird."
“It is sad that only one of the five phoenix virtues is left.”
As Lorraine Hill listened to the old man's narration, a scene that was both familiar and unfamiliar suddenly came to mind. It was a scene of five girls playing under a tall sycamore tree. The girl in green clothes was agile and light, and the girl in white clothes was quiet.
As for softness, the girl in black is dignified and impatient, the girl in red is cheerful and strong, and the girl in yellow is good at all kinds of whimsical ideas.
The scene appeared quickly in this picture, but when the girl thought about it carefully, it disappeared like a mist and disappeared.
Are all the Phoenixes of Five Virtues witches? Otherwise, why would I suddenly see those scenes in my memory? Such thoughts came to the girl's mind.
It seems that we still have to practice the Necromantic Sequence as soon as possible to retrieve the obscure and missing memories in the soul. The things that the girl can remember at the moment are still in the early days of the joint war between Clanscia and Frost.
However, one of the important pieces of information also allowed her to understand her true origin. That was one of the cornerstones of the God's Throne Plan within the 'Primal Heart' faction in the Twilight Era, the Pure Wind of Change.
Inferred from this, Keti is most likely the bright red flame, Croati.
It’s just that I don’t know where the other two are now. If we really want to talk about relatives, these four souls who are also the cornerstones of the throne are the closest to them.
After all, we have been together for hundreds or thousands of years, and that kind of soul blending and intimacy is unimaginable to outsiders.
After withdrawing the thoughts in her mind, the girl continued to eat. At this time, the vegetables in the pot were gradually eliminated.
"If two people eat, their appetite will indeed be better." Granny Ge Luo put down the bowl and chopsticks, with a bit of satisfaction in her words.
After that, there was simple tidying up, and in the afternoon, Granny Grotto helped the girl roughly cut out a black cloth coat.
"Put this on the outside of your body so that the clothes inside won't get dirty. I'll help you make a few pieces for you to wear in the middle." The mother-in-law helped the girl take care of her clothes and fastened her waist and collar.
"Tomorrow I would like to trouble you to go to a village in the north. It is said that there was a ferocious monster there recently, which caused many casualties to the people in the village. In addition, if you see some ghosts on the road, please take care of them." Ge
Grandma Luo explained the recent tasks.
"If you encounter a problem that cannot be solved, don't act recklessly. After all, your own survival is the most important thing."
"It is not shameful to run away. Only those who persist in living and achieve their goals are worthy of respect." Grandma Grotto gave her final warning, as if she had had a special experience when she was young.
"Finally, put this on."
Before leaving, Granny Grotto put a wooden mask into the girl's hands. The mask looked as ferocious as an evil ghost.
"Sometimes, you are more vicious than evil spirits, and then those ignorant people will fear and respect you."