Knife splashing

Chapter 6: King Wen's Drumming

When the rooster sings, the world becomes white.

Accompanied by the crowing of roosters in the village, the boundary between night and day appeared in the sky, the yin energy sank, the yang energy rose, and human voices gradually appeared in the village.

"Why are you so lazy, kid?"

"Go feed the pigs quickly, we have to go to the fields later..."

Li Yan did not sleep all night. He stood guard in the yard with a knife in his hand, listening to the voice of neighbors scolding their children in the distance, and then he gently pushed open the wooden door.

crunch~
The old door bolt made a teeth-grinding sound.

Li Yan went out and looked up, his eyes full of horror.

The plaque "Mighty in a Hundred Battles" hanging above has lost a lot of paint, and the corners are obviously decayed, and there is even a crack on the right side.

Li Yan was not sure what the principle was behind this treasure's ability to suppress evil, perhaps it was related to the imperial court.

But he could see that after one night, the plaque had suffered considerable damage, and it might become ineffective if it lasted another night.

And that "blind third brother" was obviously only forced to retreat temporarily.

What should I do?
Just as Li Yan was thinking about countermeasures, Grandpa Li Gui came out of the room with a cane.

The old man was about to take a few puffs from his pipe, but when he saw that he was standing outside the door in disheveled clothes and holding a knife, he immediately scolded him, "You kid, you practiced swordplay so hard that you don't even eat, why don't you wear your clothes properly?"

"Don't stand at the door. You're scaring people so early in the morning. I'll go get you some food."

After saying that, he walked towards the kitchen on crutches.

He is old and didn't hear anything last night.

Li Yan opened his mouth and wanted to stop her, but he had no mind to cook at the moment. He hurried into the house and put on his clothes.

Farmers' clothes are not that particular to begin with, and are mostly made of coarse black cloth. Now that the weather is getting warmer, they only wear light clothing.

But these pants are usually too big, have no style, and are straight-legged, which makes it very inconvenient to move around without wearing leggings.

After putting on his clothes, he went out and hurried towards the village entrance.

He also knew that the body of "Blind Old Third" was hung on the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, but he was too lazy to go and take a look. He never expected that something unexpected would happen last night.

Before leaving, he turned his head and looked at the smoke rising outside the kitchen, and clenched his fists.

Grandpa is still at home and he can't leave.

No matter what that thing is, we must find a way to solve it!
At this time, the warm sun is rising, the yellow earth and wheat fields, the blue sky and white clouds, and the people carrying hoes coming and going, present a leisurely rural pastoral scenery.

It’s completely different from the weirdness of last night.

The body of "Blind Old Third" was hanging on the big locust tree at the entrance of the village. It was smashed to pieces by naughty children yesterday. Now, idle men passing by were laughing and hitting it with hoes.

Li Yan did not rush to get closer, but sniffed in the air.

He was now in the upwind position, only fifty meters away, but he could not smell the unique fishy smell of "Blind Old Third" at all.

It seemed like just an ordinary wolf corpse.

Li Yan frowned slightly and took a closer look, but also found nothing strange.

At this moment, a man passed by and sighed, "What a pity! I told you it's gone bad if you hang it here for a few days."

Li Yan was speechless and didn't know what to say.

The man's name is Li Shuanzhu. He is a bachelor and is always unruly. Not only is he greedy, he is also known for his bad mouth, likes to argue, and is not liked by others.

If he ate this, he would be the unlucky one last night.

Li Shuanzhu didn't realize that he was annoying, and said to himself: "Widow Wang also said that this thing is unlucky and wants to burn it for a ritual. I don't think it's a big deal..."

Li Yan was shocked when he heard this and asked quickly, "What else did she say?"

"What can she say seriously?"

Li Shuanzhu shook his head. "The house stinks like a toilet, and he keeps talking nonsense all day long. What a pity..."

After saying this, he picked up his hoe and walked away.

Li Yan didn't care. He looked at the village thoughtfully, and then walked towards Widow Wang's house without saying a word.

Soon, they arrived near Widow Wang's home.

This is an old courtyard with a closed gate. The adobe walls are overgrown with weeds, and there are a lot of miscellaneous items piled up there, covered in dust.

At this moment, most of the people have left, so there are not many people around, and it looks like an abandoned old house.

As soon as Li Yan approached, he frowned.

The only strange place in the village, apart from the land temple, was the widow Wang's house, but the fishy and stinky smell was a torture to his nose.

In addition, there are many gossips about widows, and they are afraid that the villagers will talk about them, so even if they are curious, they seldom come here.

But now he has no choice. The "blind third brother" must be dealt with, and Widow Wang may know something...

squeak~
Just as he was about to raise his foot, the wooden door suddenly opened, and Widow Wang, with disheveled hair and a pale face, stuck her head out.

She first looked behind Li Yan carefully, her eyes full of vigilance, and then she said in a trembling voice: "Come in, the immortal wants to see you."

Li Yan was a little surprised when he heard this.

Widow Wang actually knew that I was coming!
And...immortals?
Li Yan was alert in his heart, but his face was expressionless. He gently pressed the hilt of the knife and strode into the courtyard.

As soon as you enter, a foul smell hits you in the face.

Li Yan's sense of smell was far superior to that of ordinary people, but this time he was in trouble. He immediately held his breath, frowned and looked around.

I saw a circle of rotten wood piled up in the corners of the courtyard, as well as a pickle jar with some kind of rotten liquid inside. There was a layer of white foam floating in the air, and there were swarms of flies flying around.

The smell of this place is comparable to that of a toilet.

Li Yan couldn't help it and covered his nose directly. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes fixed and he found something strange.

These jars containing filthy things may seem messy, but they are carefully placed according to the eight directions of opening, resting, birth, injury, stopping, scenery, death and shock.

He practiced martial arts and swordsmanship, and had some knowledge of this thing.

Is there some hidden story behind this arrangement?
Without waiting for him to think more, Widow Wang gently opened the door and motioned for him to follow.

The way of opening the door is also very strange. A crack is opened from the side, and a cloth curtain is hung to block the light, as if to prevent the wind from blowing in.

Wow, even the confinement period is not so strict...

Li Yan's doubts grew stronger and stronger, and he followed him into the house.

Unexpectedly, the smell in the house was not as strong as in the yard, but the light was dim and very stuffy, and the fishy smell of incense became stronger.

Li Yan's eyes were immediately attracted by the furnishings in the house.

In the middle of the wall there was a square altar table, on which were placed four plates of steamed buns, three plates of fruits, as well as roast chicken, fatty meat and jars of wine.

There were three incense sticks in the incense burner, and dim candlelight on both sides.

Behind the tribute, there is a wooden plaque with red paper in the middle, which reads the position of Hu Sangu, and there are small couplets on both sides:
He cultivated his mind and character in the deep mountains, and became famous throughout the world after he left the ancient cave.

A spirit medium?
Li Yan was slightly stunned, and many faded memories came to his mind.

In his previous life, he collected various antiques and also dabbled in folk customs.

This thing originated from primitive shamanism and is more popular in the Northeast, where there are guardian gods and horse-riding gods. In the Guanzhong area, it is relatively rare.

Thinking about it carefully, Widow Wang was bought by her husband from a human trafficker, and she vaguely heard from someone that she was from the Northeast.

But what attracted him more was the area in front of the altar.

The ground there was filled with red wooden sticks and surrounded by a red rope. A neatly dressed, clean-looking little girl was lying on the ground.

His eyes were closed, as if he was unconscious, and his eyelids kept trembling.

What's even more strange is that from the head to the shoulders and even the arms, the skin in some areas where the acupoints are located is trembling slightly, like the surface of a drum.

What is this doing?
Everything in front of him made Li Yan feel a little absurd.

But starting from last night, many of his perceptions had been overturned. He realized that this world was not simple and that there was another kind of power.

Widow Wang did not explain much to him, but lifted a large piece of red cloth on the shelf next to the altar, and there was a drum inside.

There is the Eight Diagrams painted on the drum skin, and there are eight strings at the back, four facing north and four facing south. There are also some copper coins hanging on them, which make a jingling sound when picked up.

Under the handle of the drumstick is a colorful red cloth strip.

King Wen's drum, King Wu's whip?
Li Yan narrowed his eyes and became interested.

This world may not be as simple as folk customs...

After Widow Wang picked up the drum and whip, she seemed like a different person. She shook her shoulders, her head, and while beating the drums and whips, she spun around the red rope on the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The drums roared rhythmically, and Widow Wang's temperament gradually changed. She changed from being timid to solemn and began to chant:
"When the sun sets in the west and the sky darkens, every household bolts its doors. Gentlemen on the road rush to the inn, birds fly to the forests and tigers return to the mountains. Birds run to the forests and there is no place for them to stay, tigers need to return to the mountains to find safety..."

As the lyrics are sung, the accent changes.

Li Yan had seen this scene in his previous life.

The scene remained the same, but his unusual sense of smell made him notice something different.

He could smell the fishy stench of incense in the surrounding space as the drum beats vibrated, as if it had found its home.

Beating to the rhythm, they continue to converge towards the center...

(End of this chapter)