Chapter 277 Sacrifice Ceremony
"Madam, I think you still have charm." Recalling the contrast between the female conspirator before and after, Sun Hang couldn't help but ridiculed, "It's a pity that a beautiful lady like me can do something deceitful."
The female spy was stunned for a moment, and then her whole body started to tremble. She didn't know whether it was because of shyness or fear.
However, Sun Hang's ridicule is not a lie with his eyes closed - the Zhou family's courtyard can be said to be the most luxurious building on this street. One can imagine the financial resources of the Zhou family back then.
Even in quarantine areas, the rich will live a much better life than the poor - although money cannot buy freedom, it can buy many privileges that are beyond the reach of ordinary people.
For example, various conveniences, such as superior status, and the priority of choosing a mate for future generations.
The eldest young master of the Zhou family, who was born into a wealthy family, would definitely not find a crooked woman to be his wife. The woman in front of him, who looked just like Sadako, was probably one of the top beauties in this town during her lifetime.
It's unfair to the average person, but that's the reality.
Reality is never fair.
It's a pity that in the face of the wave of invading monsters, whether it is the Zhou family with rich clothes and fine food, or the ordinary people with simple food and clothing, the final outcome is the same... This is also reality.
Money can make a millstone work, but when a wheel that is countless times larger than the millstone rolls over, no amount of money will help.
"Can you tell me what happened before and after this town was abandoned?" Sun Hang asked, "And how did the mayor get here?"
"I...don't...don't remember..." the female ghost trembled.
“Is it because I don’t remember, or I don’t dare to say it?”
"...don't remember."
Sun Hang always felt that the other party was not telling the truth, but since he had said it first, he naturally couldn't use torture to extract a confession - at least not now.
"Then tell me about your child."
It was okay if Sun Hang didn't say this, but when he said it, the other party started crying again, and the resentful cries echoed in the yard, which sounded very scary.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot that you just lost them." Sun Hang scratched his head, "But don't be too sad. For you, shouldn't real death be relief?"
"Woooooooo..."
Compared with the two little girls, this female spy is obviously much more difficult to communicate with.
Not only is its mood unstable, it even seems to be unclear in its sanity. Even the questions it is willing to answer are fragmented, just like the Riddler.
Sun Hang can only speculate on the "context" based on these fragmented contents, but with extremely limited information, as long as the direction of the speculation is slightly biased, the final conclusion may be very different...
After speculating for a long time, it is better not to speculate.
"Alas." Sun Hang sighed. At this time, another crisp bang came from the street outside.
"Bang!"
"The sky is dry and things are dry, be careful of fire!"
"Bang!"
Although the profession of watchman has long been eliminated by the times, Sun Hang still knows this familiar line.
Hearing this sentence means that it is Xu time, which is also called "the first watch", which means banging a clapper.
Sun Hang took out his phone and glanced at it. The time displayed on the phone was two and three o'clock in the afternoon.
The time represented by Xu Shi, converted to modern timekeeping standards, should be from 19:00 to 21:00 in the evening.
Sun Hang didn't know whether there was a problem with the timekeeping function of the mobile phone, or whether the time flow rate in this place was abnormal... But according to his own perception, the time flow rate displayed on the mobile phone was correct. After counting with his fingers, from Since I entered Maoyun Town, less than two hours have passed.
Just when Sun Hang was struggling with what he should find as a time reference, two more bangs suddenly sounded on the street.
"Bang! Bang!"
"At the second watch of Hai hour, close the doors and windows to prevent theft and theft!"
"Bang! Bang!"
"Ah?" Sun Hang was a little speechless. A few seconds ago it was Xu Shi (19:00-21:00), why did it suddenly become Haishi (21:00-23:00) now?
Isn’t this person doing the job too unprofessional?
Or is it that this guy is not actually a professional watchman at all, but just a mentally ill person who fantasizes about being a watchman, taking his clapper to the streets and banging randomly when he has nothing to do?
Wouldn't it be embarrassing if I was frightened by it just now?
Perhaps, he should run out now and have a good argument with this mental patient?
"Bang! Bang bang!"
"At the third watch of the clock, no illness, no disaster, no harm!"
"Bang! Bang bang!"
"Is it over yet?" Sun Hang stood up.
As if in response to Sun Hang, the echo of the previous banging sound had not completely dissipated, and the next one sounded again.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"It's the fourth watch of the ugly season, it's freezing cold, be careful of slippery roads!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Sun Hang couldn't help but laughed in anger. He suddenly turned his head, looked at the female spy floating not far away, and asked: "What are you going to shout at the fifth watch?"
"Bang bang! Bang bang bang!"
"It's five o'clock in the morning, go to bed early and get up early, take care of yourself!"
"Bang bang! Bang bang bang!"
After the last bang, the street outside suddenly became lively - voices, footsteps, the sound of wooden wheels running over bluestone slabs... This burst of noisy movement and the previous silence were almost seamlessly switched.
Sun Hang quickly walked to the door of the courtyard and pushed the door open with force.
He saw many townspeople coming and going on the street, and it was actually more lively than when he first arrived in Maoyun Town. "It's going to be dawn soon..." The female spy slowly floated over and said faintly.
"It's almost dawn? Are you kidding me?" Sun Hang said so, but he still subconsciously turned his head to the east.
A streak of fish belly white flashed on the distant horizon, as if the sun had quietly poked its head out while Yong Ye was not paying attention, but was quickly pressed down by Yong Ye.
"What a dawn, it makes me so lonely." Sun Hang complained.
"Today... is... an important day..." the female spy continued, "once every month..."
"It's a sacrificial ceremony once a month, right?" Sun Hang interrupted, "I'll finish it for you. It's really hard to listen to you."
"...Yes."
"Will the sacrificial ceremony begin at dawn?"
"Yes."
"Where is it held?"
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"On...the...stage...in...the town..."
"Where is the stage?" After asking, Sun Hang suddenly patted his head and pointed outside, "You, lead the way and work."
The female ghost glanced at Sun Hang with its non-existent eyes, and then cautiously floated past Sun Hang.
"So you can leave this yard. I thought you were some kind of earthbound spirit." Sun Hang muttered.
"...can leave...the yard, but...everyone...can't...leave Maoyun Town..."
"What will happen if we leave? Will we die?" Sun Hang asked curiously.
"...can't...leave." The female spy repeated what she just said.
"Forget it, I won't ask you anymore." Sun Hang was a little discouraged, "Just take me to the stage quickly."
The female spy led Sun Hang forward along the street. The townspeople she met along the way also gathered together and rushed in the same direction. Their steps were quick and their expressions were nervous. Sun Hang guessed that these people were probably going there too. Participate in the so-called "Sacrifice Ceremony".
According to the little girl, the mayor will bless the "meat" during the sacrificial ceremony, turning it into food that the townspeople can "enjoy" - and the food that received the blessing at the last sacrificial ceremony, It will soon exceed its "use by" date.
For the townspeople, whether they can get food today will determine the "quality of life" in the next month - even though everything they eat will leak out of the big hole, they can still have something to chew in their mouths , it’s better than just swallowing saliva.
What's more, Sun Hang guessed that this feeling of hunger is most likely not a physiological reaction, but a spiritual and cognitive concept. For them, even if the food does not actually fall into their stomachs, as long as there is the process of eating, hunger will The feeling may really be relieved.
The female ghost led Sun Hang over a stone bridge. The street in front suddenly became narrower, and the number of townspeople gathered from all directions only increased - the flow of people suddenly became crowded, and soon When the young townspeople passed by Sun Hang, Sun Hang could even smell a rotten smell emanating from them.
Not all the townspeople are dressed like normal humans - some, like the shopkeeper, are a walking black shadow that can barely be seen as a human; some have yellow talismans all over their bodies, just like the shopkeepers. Just like the thousand-year-old zombies in old movies; there are also people who are naked and covered with festering scabies, but they cover their heads with a wooden barrel so that others cannot see its appearance.
To sum it up in eight words, it would be "a group of demons dance wildly, and a hundred ghosts walk at night."
Oh, no, it shouldn’t be a hundred ghosts walking at night, it should be a hundred ghosts walking day and night.
Sun Hang looked up at the dark night and the full moon still hanging in the sky - it was said that he was traveling at night, but there was nothing wrong with it.
"How far is it?" Sun Hang asked the female spy.
"Just in front of..."
The stage of Maoyun Town was set up in a small square in the center of the town. At this time, the square was already full of townspeople who came to participate in the sacrificial ceremony. Sun Hang and the female spy of the Zhou family could only find a place in the corner of the square. He stood still in an inconspicuous place - fortunately, Sun Hang's eyesight was still good. Even though he was nearly a hundred meters away, he could still see clearly what was on the stage.
A "host" is doing a strange dance on the stage... The reason why he is called "host" or by any other name is because this person's clothes are so mixed that Sun Hang can't see it at all. There is no way out of this person's origin.
This "host" is wearing a washed white Taoist robe, but on his bald head, there are six round ring scars. Not only that, but also on his face. Wearing a Nuo opera mask with a green face and fangs.
The host's right hand holds a feather fan that often appears in the hands of Zhuge Kongming in Three Kingdoms-themed films and TV dramas. His left hand has orchid fingers, and a gleaming scalpel between his index finger and thumb.
It has a pair of clogs under its feet, and along with its weird dancing posture, the clogs keep making "pop! pop!" stamping sounds, as if they are accompaniment to its dance.
"What is this? Combining the strengths of hundreds of schools of thought?" Sun Hang really had a hard time commenting on the host's dress. "It feels like this guy's understanding of trends has been centuries ahead of the people on earth."
The dance continued, and the townspeople in the audience watched it with gusto - Sun Hang was not sure whether they were interested in the dance or the food that would be blessed next.
But he did see some people with long saliva hanging from the corners of their mouths, looking at the host eagerly.
This guy can't possibly want to eat the host, right?
"Who is that dancing on the stage? The mayor?" Although in Sun Hang's mind, the old woman who gave him the bait and banknotes was the most likely existence, this did not prevent him from asking now. .
"No...it's not..." the female spy whispered, "The mayor...will not show up at...the sacrificial ceremony. The one on the stage...is...in charge of...the sacrificial ceremony..."
"Since the mayor won't show up, how did he send the blessing?" Sun Hang impatiently interrupted the stammering female ghost, "Does the blessing come from the sky?"
What subspace blessing? Sun Hang slandered, if this was really the case, then this town would be too disloyal.
"Wait...wait...will..."
Before the female spy could finish speaking, a greasy voice suddenly came from the side.
"Hey, isn't this the little widow of the Zhou family? Who is the man next to you? Is it your new mistress? She doesn't look like she has much flesh. Didn't I tell you that if you can't bear it? If you are lonely, you can come to me, my brother!”
Sun Hang followed the sound and saw an upside-down man "standing" beside him at some point - he was supporting the ground with two hands, his legs were raised up to the sky, and the head hanging under his shoulders was making a very uncomfortable gesture. His posture was twisted, and he looked at the female spy and Sun Hang with frivolous eyes.
"No, buddy..." Sun Hang squatted down and brought his eyes to the other person's level. "I think you are really hungry, right? Don't you even let go of a ball of rotten hair?"
"You don't know, the little daughter-in-law of the Zhou family was called Run when she was young!" The upside-down man smacked his lips, "Oh no, you must know. If you didn't know, you wouldn't find it." Come on, this little widow... Who are you? Why have I never seen you in this town? You, you are an outsider? How funny that you have found an outsider as your concubine? ! ”
"Brother, let me ask you something. Why are you standing on your head all the time? Aren't you tired?" Sun Hang asked.
"You are stupid, stand on your head, won't the food you eat won't leak out of the hole?" As it said, it opened its mouth, and an unbearable stench wafted out of its mouth.
Sun Hang saw that there was a large piece of rotten meat covered with maggots stuffed in his throat... This piece of rotten meat was even still squirming.
(End of chapter)