amaotonovel Chapter 11 Zhongyuan Chapter Sacrifice 1
Chapter 11 Zhongyuan Chapter Sacrifice 1
Guli Town has long been abandoned, and the road leading into the town is overgrown with weeds because no one has walked on it for many years.
From a distance, this place appears to be nothing but a desolate wasteland.
Only by walking through this vast expanse of weeds can one see the archway standing at the entrance of the town.
Wei Lanxiang stood under the archway, staring at the three characters "Guli Town" on it for a very long time.
A scene came to mind.
"Father, I want the fish lantern that hangs on the archway."
"Oh dear, Lan'er, those fish lanterns aren't for playing with."
"What is that for?"
"That's to celebrate someone from our town passing the imperial examination and becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). Have you heard of the saying 'a carp leaping over the dragon gate'?"
Wei Lanxiang's lips curled up slightly. Of course, she knew that the saying "a carp leaping over the dragon gate" meant that for a country person to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi was truly a great thing, like the smoke rising from the ancestors' graves.
She remembered that the scholar's surname was Zhang, and he was already in his forties when he passed the exam.
He never returned after passing the exam; his wife and children were all left in the town and died in that disaster.
It's unclear whether this Mr. Zhang later happily remarried or regretted not taking his wife and children away sooner.
He got promoted, made a fortune, and had a wife—he got it all at once!
Wei Lanxiang walked into the town carrying a basket on her back.
Ten years have passed. I don't know if it's because of the fire back then or because of the bloodshed, but there aren't many tall weeds in the town anymore, and everywhere there are dark ruins.
Some passersby who accidentally wandered into this place said they could hear loud crying at night, and so the place gradually became a haunted place that no one dared to approach.
Wei Lanxiang passed by Li's Grain Shop on the street and set up their half-burnt signboard.
Uncle Li and her father were close friends, and one of the children she took with her back then was the second son of the Li family.
What was Erhuzi's real name again?
Wei Lanxiang thought about it all the way home, but she still couldn't remember Erhuzi's name even when she got to her own doorstep.
The Shen family was a wealthy household in town, running the largest herbal medicine shop in town, and they lived a prosperous and peaceful life.
The Shen family house is divided into two households, east and west, separated by a low wall with a door in between.
When she was little, she would go through this door every day to play with her cousin.
That beautiful young girl, as lovely as a flower, also turned to dust along with the Shen family mansion.
She walked up the stone steps and entered the ruins of the Shen residence.
Over the past few years, she has tidied up a part of the place every time she comes, and now the East Mansion looks much cleaner.
The tables and chairs that were half burned, the collapsed screen, the swing set in the backyard, and the artificial hill and pond in the parents' yard—these are all that the Shen family now owns.
She remembers every inch of this land and every building here perfectly.
Perhaps because she recalled it so many times, she even felt that she was a child born and raised here.
In her past life, she was an orphan who never experienced fatherly or motherly love. After graduating, she devoted herself to her work and remained single until her death.
Therefore, she cherished the short five years of this life.
She felt like she was living in a dream, pampered by her parents, kind to her brothers, and harmonious with her relatives.
She carefully guarded her secret, wanting to protect her family, but it was destroyed before she could fully develop her abilities.
Everything vanished like a bubble.
Twelve tombstones stood in front of the artificial hill, and Wei Lanxiang knelt before them, burning paper money.
The firelight reflected on her face, and her moist eyes glistened with tears.
Pain! A feeling that pierces the heart.
That was a memory that, even after ten years, still caused her excruciating pain.
"Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, I'm preparing to leave Qingmu County. I don't know when I'll be able to come and pay my respects to you again."
If one day I avenge you all, I will surely return to comfort your souls in heaven.
Wei Lanxiang kowtowed three times.
She was just a lonely soul who had transmigrated from another world. Having enjoyed five years of kinship with the Shen family, she was naturally obligated to seek justice for them.
After burning the yellow paper, Wei Lanxiang put on the ritual robes, wore a mask, and held a copper bell to summon the soul in the town.
She used to be a staunch atheist, and in her view, these exorcism rituals were feudal dregs.
Even though she knows that death is the end of life, she still comes every year to perform a ritual, hoping that the souls of her fellow villagers can be successfully reincarnated.