My Years in the Folklore World

Chapter 367 Both true and illusory
Taiping Ancient Town.

Old street.

Jiang Xinghuo followed the route marked on the map and left the area where the Ghost Gate Laboratory was located.

He originally wanted to go to the ancestral hall to take another look.

But the roads in the ancient town are too complicated, like an intricate maze, and you will easily get lost if you are not careful.

I still have the map of the ancient town in my hand. If I didn’t have this map, I might be lost here forever.

"Is this intentional?"

Jiang Xinghuo was thoughtful, because according to normal thinking, the first thing to consider in a permanent human settlement is whether life is convenient.

If all places were like Taiping Ancient Town, with complicated roads inside, where one could easily get lost if not careful, wouldn't that add a lot of unnecessary trouble?
Unless there is a reason to do so, such as wanting to use the maze-like roads in this ancient town to trap some beings and prevent them from leaving.

Of course, it is not ruled out that the founder of Taiping Ancient Town was a master maze enthusiast who deliberately made the roads in the ancient town so complicated.

But Jiang Xinghuo thought that this possibility was unlikely. Perhaps this ancient town was built to trap certain beings.

Jiang Xinghuo pondered all these in his mind as he walked slowly on the old street of the ancient town.

Suddenly, a melodious sound of a bronze bell came from nowhere, and the originally noisy and quiet Taiping Ancient Town became lively after the melodious bell sound.

Time seemed to go back. The collapsed ruins of houses on both sides of the street began to be rebuilt at a speed visible to the naked eye. The blue brick road underfoot also lost the traces of the vicissitudes of time. Although it still looked very old, it clearly showed signs of careful maintenance.

What made Jiang Xinghuo even more horrified was yet to come. Dim lights were turned on in the newly built shops, and human figures were reflected in the windows, and voices of talking and playing could be heard.

At this moment, Jiang Xinghuo seemed to travel through time and space back to many years ago, when the ancient town of Taiping had not yet been destroyed.

"How could this be?"

Jiang Xinghuo couldn't help but whisper to himself, and at the same time he was ready to take action. If he encountered anything unclean, he would definitely not show any mercy.

At this moment, the door of the shop on the right suddenly opened, and a middle-aged man dressed in the clothes of the Republic of China came out of the house holding a little girl, followed by a gentle woman in a cheongsam.

The little girl had two pigtails and her rosy face was like an apple, making her look pretty and lovely.

"Uncle, are you here to watch the show too?"

The little girl lay on her father's shoulder and waved her little hand to greet Jiang Xinghuo, which was beyond Jiang Xinghuo's expectation.

Not an illusion!!
They can see themselves!!!
You can also communicate with yourself!
The shock in Jiang Xinghuo's heart was hard to describe in words. He could only force a smile, nodded, and said, "Yes, uncle is here to watch the show, too."

Going to the theater?

What show are you watching?

Jiang Xinghuo didn’t know at the moment, but he had no choice but to continue talking to see if he could get some valuable clues from it.

"Little brother, are you from outside?"

The middle-aged man in the long gown touched his daughter's little head, then looked at Jiang Xinghuo and smiled:

"This Nuo dance is a traditional program of our Taiping Ancient Town. Every year, many people come here to pray for peace of mind for themselves and their families."

When Jiang Xinghuo heard this, he thought quickly in his mind, nodded calmly, and said, "Sir, you have a good eye. I have also long admired the Nuo dance in our town, so I took this opportunity to come and see it in person."

The middle-aged man nodded and smiled: "Okay, then let's go together, since we are all going in the same direction."

Jiang Xinghuo did not refuse the middle-aged man's invitation. Anyway, things had developed to this point and he had no better solution, so he simply followed over to see what was going on.

At this time, the old streets of the ancient town became more and more lively. All the people in the town came out of their homes, and their clothes were very different.

There were people wearing the same Republic of China-style long gowns as the middle-aged man, and there were also modern people wearing clothes similar to his.

Jiang Xinghuo carefully observed in secret and found that there was nothing wrong with these people's every move. They looked like living human beings.

They have all the characteristics and habits of humans.

"What a hell..."

At this moment, the ancient town was clearly bustling with activity, but Jiang Xinghuo felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

This is the fear of the unknown, and it is also an innate instinct of human beings.

As the crowd surged forward, they soon arrived at the center of the ancient town. Jiang Xinghuo was not unfamiliar with this place, because the center of the ancient town was the ancestral hall.

However, the ancestral hall at this time was different from the one he had visited before, and it had not yet become the coffin shop it later became.

The hall was brightly lit and the incense was extremely strong. Standing outside the ancestral hall and looking inside, the smoke was so thick that it was impossible to see the rows of tablets at all.

At the entrance of the ancestral hall is the place where the Nuo masters dance, and there are already many people gathered around it.

Jiang Xinghuo didn't know the history of Nuo dance in this world, but in the real world, the history of Nuo dance was extremely long. It has always been said that a person with a mask is a god, and a person without a mask is a human.

It is said that anyone who can perform Nuo dance is a god walking on earth, able to communicate with the gods and convey the gods' orders.

Jiang Xinghuo stood in the crowd, feeling the warmth brought by the crowd, and watching everything around him coldly.

Soon, the Nuo dance began to be performed in front of everyone.

A dozen Nuo masters wearing colorful robes and wearing Nuo masks of different shapes began to dance Nuo dance in the open space.

Jiang Xinghuo sensed a familiar aura from these Nuo masters; it was the power of incense.

And as time went by, the incense on these Nuo masters increased, and finally it all disappeared with a bang! !
Jiang Xinghuo could see clearly that at least 70% of the incense sticks fell on the rows of tablets in the ancestral hall.

The remaining 30% enveloped the audience watching the show around them, like a sweet rain from heaven, seeping into everyone's bodies invisibly, even himself.

Jiang Xinghuo stretched out his hand and gathered the incense sticks falling towards him into his palm. He found that these incense sticks were no different from the incense sticks in the secular world.

Then the problem is coming.

What is the source of these incenses?
In other words, why are these Nuo masters able to attract such a huge number of worshippers?

The incense in the secular world is obtained by hunting down monsters and demons, and the incense will automatically separate from their corpses.

But these Nuo masters are obviously not monsters or demons, they are just ordinary human beings, and even the Nuo dance they perform is nothing surprising.

While Jiang Xinghuo was thinking about it, the Nuo masters started dancing the Nuo dance again, and the second wave of incense arrived.

Similarly, 70% is absorbed by the tablets in the ancestral hall, and the rest falls on the surrounding audience.

After the incense was divided among so many people, the amount each person received was pitifully small.

But it's better than nothing. Although it can't cure any serious illness, it can still ensure that you can sleep well tonight.

Of course, the premise is that these people really have the ability to sleep.

Time passed minute by minute. Jiang Xinghuo looked at the watch on his left wrist. The time showed 11 o'clock in the evening.

However, when the ancient town changed, Jiang Xinghuo also looked at the time. He remembered that it was around eight o'clock in the evening. In this way, nearly another hour passed.

This Nuo opera finally came to an end.

The people watching the show all around dispersed and went home, only Jiang Xinghuo stood there motionless.

He flew to the roof of the ancestral hall, looked down at the people in the town, and walked back to his home along the bluestone street.

There was nothing unusual about anything.

Jiang Xinghuo was not in a hurry. He just stood on the roof and waited quietly, while also counting the time on his watch.

Twelve o'clock at midnight.

It’s past midnight.

That inexplicable loud bell sound rang out again.

Jiang Xinghuo saw that the buildings had returned to their dilapidated state, with collapsed ruins, extinguished lights, and disappeared noise. The ancient town once again became dead and dark.

The only exception was the ancestral hall under his feet. The lights were still on, and Jiang Xinghuo even heard some strange noises coming from inside the hall.

There were sounds of clanging, accompanied by the sound of sawing wood, as if someone was doing carpentry work.

Jiang Xinghuo's heart moved, he turned over and jumped off the roof, standing outside the ancestral hall, looking thoughtful.

"Would you like to go in and take a look?"

Jiang Xinghuo was a little hesitant.

The anomalies in the ancient town have disappeared, but this ancestral hall has not been restored to its original state.

If I go in rashly, will I attract something unknown?
But if he didn't go in, Jiang Xinghuo would still feel unwilling, especially since he was already so close and just needed the finishing touch.

Think before and after.

Jiang Xinghuo decided to go in and take a look. Whether it was a human or a ghost, he had to see it with his own eyes.

Take a step back.

Even if I really can't escape the disaster, I must die with understanding. At least I must know how I died and who killed me!
After figuring this out, Jiang Xinghuo no longer hesitated and walked straight into the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall was brightly lit and filled with smoke. The sound of sawing wood came from the side.

He was a hunchbacked old man wearing a black suit, holding a small chain saw in his right hand, with cut wood and axes and chisels piled beside him.

The old man seemed not to notice Jiang Xinghuo coming in, and was still sitting there doing his carpentry work.

Jiang Xinghuo did not make any noise to disturb the old man. Instead, he sat on the chair next to him and waited for him.

Inside the huge ancestral hall, there are an old man and a young boy, and a pile of tablets. It is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop, with only the occasional knocking and sawing sounds.

After about an hour, the old man finally stopped working, and a brand new wooden coffin was placed not far in front of him.

At this time, the old man suddenly pointed behind him. Jiang Xinghuo looked in the direction of his finger and saw two buckets of wood paint appearing in the corner of the wall.

One black and one red.

Jiang Xinghuo hesitated for a moment, and saw that the old man wanted him to deliver the paint to him?
But which of the two buckets of paint should I give?

The ancients attached great importance to matters of life and death, and there were many taboos and rules. The coffin was the place where people would rest after death, so the color could not be used casually.

Generally speaking, black coffins are only used by people who died a sudden death. The so-called sudden death is an extremely tragic death. The black coffin can suppress the resentful and evil spirit in their bodies.

There is also a saying that black belongs to water in the five elements. Burying a person who died suddenly in a black coffin can wash away the resentment of the person, so that he can enter reincarnation early.

For the elderly who die of natural causes, red coffins are used, which is also a symbol of a happy funeral. Dragons and phoenixes are also painted on the coffin, hoping that the deceased will ascend to heaven soon.

In addition, there is a white coffin, which is usually used for people who died young.

However, according to folk legend, there is another type of coffin that is made of cast iron.

That kind of coffin is mostly used to bury unclean things to prevent them from escaping from the coffin.

Jiang Xinghuo looked at the two buckets of wood paint, then looked at the old man's appearance, and finally walked over to take the bucket of red paint and placed it next to the old man.

The old man stared at the red paint in the bucket in a daze. After a while, he said in a hoarse voice: "Why did you give me this bucket of red paint?"

Jiang Xinghuo pondered for a moment and said softly, "It's just for good luck. There is a rule in my hometown that the red pavilion symbolizes a happy funeral, and the deceased will be reincarnated soon."

"It seems that there are many similarities between our civilization trajectories. Even the course of history is similar. Moreover..."

The old man slowly turned his head and looked Jiang Xinghuo up and down with cloudy eyes.
"Looking at the clothes you're wearing, it seems that the new civilization you live in has also entered the technological age..."

Jiang Xinghuo knew that the old man had misunderstood something, so after thinking for a moment, he said frankly: "I am not a human from a new civilization, but from a distant exile."

"Exile?"

The old man frowned slightly, and then a blazing white lightning flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"Did that plan actually work!?"

"Is there new life being born in the exile zone?"

The old man's words were vague, but they confirmed Jiang Xinghuo's previous guess that the earth was indeed a fragment split from this world.

Just as he had learned in the lab, those researchers really did divide the world into two parts.

One part is the world in which the secular world exists, which is also the place represented by the game.

The other part is the present Earth.

Jiang Xinghuo did not explain in detail, but just nodded silently, and then briefly introduced the situation on Earth.

After hearing this, the old man sighed and said, "We have only developed the power of science and technology, but have not inherited the original power of this world. This may be a good thing for you. It may greatly delay the arrival of the end of civilization."

"The end of civilization?"

Jiang Xinghuo's heart moved.

"yes……"

The old man put down the tools in his hands and sighed: "The development of all things in the world has its own laws of operation. There is birth, prosperity, decline, and death. The same is true for humans. There is no eternal civilization, nor is there an eternal world."

"When everything reaches its limit, this world will be destroyed one day."

"We once wanted to save this era on the brink of destruction, but in the end we failed. Most of the countless lives in the secular world died under the collapse of the sky..."

(End of this chapter)