Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 141 Mars
The sun gradually set in the west, gradually turning into blood-red sunset, dyeing the sky and mountains red.

The bustling market in the mountains is gradually dissipating.

The crowd began to walk towards the bonfire square not far away. The night bonfire was about to be lit, and people had to go in advance to grab a favorable position.

Ouyang Xue, wearing a little white dress, stood in the mountains with a smile on her face.

Her clean white dress also formed a sharp contrast with the simple and rustic clothes of the villagers around her.

The girl standing in the sunset is spotless and has skin so white that you can't even see the blood.

People were coming and going around, and Ouyang Xue stood in the crowd with a smile, like a proud and beautiful white crane, elegantly standing alone among the wriggling rats.

Ran Qing was stunned for a moment and subconsciously took half a step back.

He calmly put his right hand into the canvas bag behind him.

But Ouyang Xue just came to say hello to him, chatted briefly for a few words and then left without staying.

After watching Ouyang Xue leave, Mo Li asked curiously, "Is this the Ouyang Xue you were talking about? She looks like a completely ordinary person. How could you mistake her for a witch?"

Mo Li was extremely confused.

Ran Qing was silent for a few seconds and shook his head: "I don't know either..."

That morning when Ouyang Xue touched his shoulder, Ran Qing felt the chill for only a moment.

Later, when Ran Qing touched Ouyang Xue again, he no longer had this feeling.

But he felt uneasy and subconsciously wanted to stay away from this girl.

Looking at the sky, Ran Qing said, "It's almost time, we should leave."

As it gets darker, many vendors in the market have started to pack up their stalls.

But more people also walked towards the square where the bonfire party was held, wanting to see the torches.

Mo Li glared quickly: "We haven't seen the bonfire of the Torch Festival yet, maybe we will see other people from the left path later."

Ran Qing rolled his eyes: "When it gets dark later, it will be pitch black here and you won't be able to see anything."

He began to doubt whether what Mo Li said about her knowing other people in the underworld was true or not.

After arriving at the mountain, the girl was busy watching the fun and had no intention of looking for anyone.

But since he was already there, Ran Qing finally fulfilled the girl's request and went to watch the bonfire party.

When they brought Little Cotton to the bonfire square, the small square with simple tiled floor was already full of people and there was no place to stand.

He and Mo Li could only stand on the small hill beside the square. The hill had been trampled bare, and the weeds and shrubs that had just grown this year were now all trampled. Mo Li stood on it, and his white pants, already stained with yellow mud, were immediately stained with plant juice.

Ran Qing saw it but didn't remind her.

After all, it's useless to remind people, because the juice of this plant cannot be washed off once it gets on clothes.

The sky gradually darkened, and soon night fell, covering the mountains.

Mo Li stood in the crowd, looking up at the bonfire square below, and asked, "Why hasn't it started yet? How long do we have to wait?"

A kind person nearby replied, "There's still about an hour left. In previous years, the fire was not lit until eight o'clock."

Ran Qing stood in the crowd, looking at the dark mountains under the pitch-black sky.

The hills surrounding the small square were already full of people.

There were no street lights in the mountains, but the lights of flashlights flickered among the crowd, barely enough to provide light.

By seven o'clock, the crowd had become a bit crowded.

As the time for ignition drew closer, the people who had occupied their seats were reluctant to move, but standing was too tiring, so they all sat down on the bare hill.

Mo Li finally remembered her business at this time and began to help Ran Qing find acquaintances in the crowd.

But in the pitch-black forest, visibility was almost zero, and even Ran Qingzouyin had difficulty seeing clearly in the distance, let alone Mo Li.

She looked for a long time, but found nothing.

Ran Qing had long given up hope, so he was not disappointed.

At eight o'clock, a drum sound suddenly came from the distant mountains.

The originally restless crowd suddenly quieted down, and everyone turned their heads to look over there.

“…Start the fire!”

"Fire is coming!"

Suddenly, a little fire lit up in the dark mountains.

Then, a group, a cluster, a long string... the endless flames gathered in a line from the distant mountains and forests and came towards here.

The singing voices of men and women echoed in the mountains and forests.

They sang in ancient tunes, chanted spells that outsiders could not understand, and walked towards this side holding torches.

Those were Yi people from nearby villages, carrying torches in the dark. The crowd made way for them, and the long line of torches swam towards the six large vats in the bonfire square.

Mo Li asked curiously, "What are they singing?"

The girl asked Ran Qing.

Ran Qing shook his head: "That's Yi language, I don't understand it."

Mo Li said with a grin, "I heard that the Torch Festival is a festival for praying for blessings and exorcising ghosts. Do you think we'll see any supernatural phenomena later?"

Ran Qing was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked at the huge crowds that covered the mountains and plains.

There are probably tens of thousands of people gathered here tonight...

What supernatural phenomena is happening here...

Ran Qing was still thinking, but the group of Yi men and women holding torches had already entered the bonfire square.

As they threw torch after torch into the vat, huge flames rose from the vat.

Six large vats were scattered across the square, and six balls of flame shot up into the sky.

The Yi people gathered around the big vat and began to hold hands, singing and dancing loudly.

Some people on the hill also came down to join in the fun, dancing hand in hand with the Yi people.

But more people just stood on the mountain without moving.

Only Ran Qing in the crowd stared blankly at the rising flames below the mountain, and fell into a momentary trance.

At the moment when huge flames rose from the six large vats at the same time, he could clearly see sparks flying out of the vats and landing on everyone on the hill.

A spark fell on everyone's head.

But even Mo Li and Xiaomianhua had no reaction to the falling Mars, as if they didn't see it at all.

Ran Qing touched his forehead in surprise, and the spark landed precisely between his eyebrows.

A faint cold feeling spread from the center of Ran Qing's eyebrows to his entire body.

His body shook, and he suddenly felt much more relaxed, as if he had been freed from some kind of restraint.

Ran Qing suddenly realized something and turned his head abruptly.

The next second, his pupils suddenly constricted.

Among the crowd behind him, a tall, strange monster with long, thin limbs, lifted its long, thin legs and slowly retreated in the huge crowd.

In the crowded dark night, a slender monster about four or five meters tall stepped on its slender legs, constantly trampling and retreating in the crowd... The scene was thrilling and terrifying.

This monster is clearly the one that used to dig into Ran Qing's stomach every night!

Ran Qing looked into the monster's eyes and seemed to see the resentment and hatred in the monster's eyes.

This monster was driven back by Mars?
Can the Torch Festival really bring blessings and ward off evil?
Ran Qing was surprised for a moment.

——Yes, only for a moment.

Because the next second, he clearly saw his mother's figure appear beside him.

Just like the evilness of the tall monster, the mother with a kind smile was also slowly retreating in the crowd.

She was gradually moving away from Ran Qing.

As his mother walked away, Ran Qing clearly felt that a certain warm aura in his body was fading away.

He seemed cold and lonely again.

An inexplicable panic and despair surged in my heart.

Ran Qing hurriedly chased in the direction where his mother disappeared, pushing through the crowded crowd and crossing the rugged earthen ridges.

His only sight was his mother, and he just wanted to catch up with her.

But when Ran Qing pushed through the crowd and rushed to the wilderness at the edge of the crowd, his body suddenly froze.

At the edge of the crowded crowd at the Torch Festival, dark, strange figures holding torches were shaking and dancing wildly in the shadows.

These strange black shadows actually formed a circle, surrounding all the living people participating in the bonfire party in the center.

As they waved the torches in their hands, sparks flew into the crowd one after another.

But no one in the forest could see these dark shadows.

When Ran Qing rushed out of the crowd, he saw this group of black shadows howling fiercely and angrily at him.

Ran Qing couldn't understand the sound of their roars.

That's not any human language.

But the fierce and angry tone was clearly an accusation.

They don't seem to welcome... ghost walkers?!
(End of this chapter)