Chapter 149
Chapter 149
Perhaps Hui Moqiong was simply too good at sweet-talking people. The proprietress was so delighted that she soon brought us a complimentary fruit platter, arriving just in time to overhear us discussing the Great Lamas.
“They’ve been doing this for many years now. Every year around this time, these Great Lamas gather at Niuhu Mountain to perform rituals and keep our region safe,” the proprietress said.
Curious, I asked, “Niuhu Mountain? Is that the name of the mountain behind the prison? It really does look like both an ox and a tiger.”
I deliberately steered the conversation in that direction.
The proprietress lowered her voice mysteriously. “What it looks like isn’t the important part. What matters is the strange sound that comes from the mountain. No one can tell whether it’s an ox bellowing or a tiger roaring, but whenever that sound appears, people nearby are bound to die — and never just one or two.
“I heard from the elders in my family that it means the Mountain God is angry. A living person has to be offered as a Sacrifice to appease it, or a terrible disaster will descend upon us. That’s how one generation after another survived in the old days. Then one year, an Ascetic Monk climbed Niuhu Mountain and established the Temple there. Only then was the Mountain God finally subdued.”
So there was another story behind all this.
I asked, “What does that Ascetic Monk have to do with these Great Lamas?”
“They say the Ascetic Monk came from the Tibetan Region.” The proprietress did not seem too sure herself. “He was the one who invited these Great Lamas here to help.”
At this point, she lowered her voice even further, and even her expression changed. “They don’t come all this way for free, you know. The prison pays them very handsomely every year.”
Great Lamas from the Tibetan Region… That lined up. They were probably Dalai Lamas.
But… had they really traveled thousands of kilometers to such a remote place just for that payment?
If they truly had the skills, couldn’t they make money anywhere?
Besides, after my previous clash with that Great Lama, I was certain his methods were anything but clean.
Another group of customers entered the restaurant, and the owner called for the proprietress.
She answered, then turned back to us with a smile. “You’ve come at just the right time. Once all the preparations are complete this afternoon and the ceremony begins tonight, you should be able to witness the miraculous sight of an auspicious sign descending from the heavens. Now that’s something truly spectacular!”
With that, the proprietress hurried off to work.
“An auspicious sign descending from the heavens?” Hui Moqiong sneered. “More like something nasty is about to happen.”
Liu Junyan rose to his feet. “Moqiong, send your people out to keep watch. Don’t do anything to startle the Snake just yet. Let’s wait and see.”
Hui Moqiong nodded.
He usually acted carefree and playful, but when it came time to get things done, he was extremely reliable.
Li Qingying had also grown accustomed to assisting him, and the two worked seamlessly together.
What none of us expected was for the little town to suddenly become bustling that afternoon. Nearly every small restaurant along the street was packed, with new groups of customers arriving one after another.
Only a small portion of them were relatives of death row inmates. Most were unaffiliated visitors like us, and their purpose for coming here was unclear.
For some reason, that filled me with unease.
Liu Junyan was meditating, his fingers ceaselessly rolling the Prayer Beads in his hand.
He had once told me that whenever he felt lost or uneasy, he would meditate.
It seemed this trip would be even more dangerous than we’d imagined.
At dusk, Li Qingying returned. She quietly said to me, “The people who arrived this afternoon don’t seem to be here for the prison. It feels more like they’re…”
“Here for the ceremony, or for the Temple on Niuhu Mountain, right?” I guessed.
Li Qingying nodded, then glanced toward Liu Junyan, who was still meditating. “Xiao Jiu, I have a feeling Seventh Master and the others didn’t come here for any Ancient Ferocious Beast Formation, either.”
I asked in surprise, “What makes you think that?”
Li Qingying sounded uncertain. “I followed Hui Moqiong around the area a few times this afternoon. It didn’t feel like he was studying the formation. It seemed more like he was searching for something.”
Searching for something?
What could possibly be here that was important enough for Liu Junyan and the others to make a special trip — and to act so cautiously about it?
They hadn’t even told Li Qingying or me before they were absolutely certain.
As the thought crossed my mind, my eyes widened.
Could it be…?
I grabbed Li Qingying’s hand. Startled, she asked, “Xiao Jiu, what’s wrong?”
“Sister Qingying, did you look into the identities of those people who arrived this afternoon?” I asked.
“They’re difficult to investigate,” Li Qingying replied. “But Hui Moqiong seemed to recognize some of them. I doubt any of them have simple backgrounds.”
Just as I’d thought.
That was enough to tell me my guess was almost certainly correct.
I clutched Li Qingying’s hand and murmured, “Let’s wait a little longer. Once tonight is over, everything will become clear.”
Li Qingying was thoroughly confused, but she didn’t press me for an explanation.
Night fell quickly. Hui Moqiong brought back takeout for dinner.
At around eight o’clock, the faint sound of chanting drifted from the Niuhu Mountain side of the prison.
The ritual had begun.
The instant the chanting started, Hui Moqiong rose and went out into the courtyard. He stared unblinkingly toward Niuhu Mountain, his tall figure rigid and utterly motionless.
Liu Junyan sat in the Main Hall, his expression calm, but the Prayer Beads in his hand spun faster and faster.
Time passed, minute by minute. Close to eleven, a commotion suddenly erupted outside. It seemed as though everyone in town had come out, all of them excitedly discussing something.
Li Qingying and I went to stand behind Hui Moqiong, our gazes fixed on Niuhu Mountain.
Soon, the strange sound came again-part bull’s bellow, part tiger’s roar. The ground began to tremble with it.
At the prison, the chanting suddenly grew several times louder, penetrating every corner of the town.
“Look! Above the prison!” Li Qingying cried in a hushed voice.
We saw it. All of us did.
A red glow slowly gathered in midair above the prison, its bloodred light hazy through the mist.
It reminded me of the scene I’d once witnessed on Niuhu Mountain. Back then, it had vanished in the blink of an eye.
This time, however, the red light remained. The roars from the foot of Niuhu Mountain shook the heavens, and the entire town felt as though it were on the verge of an earthquake.
The proprietress had said that whenever those roars appeared, someone nearby would die.
When strange signs appeared in the heavens, great disaster was sure to follow. That had been an immutable truth since ancient times.
Yet the townspeople weren’t afraid at all. They had even come to regard it as a spectacle, and many outsiders had rushed here for a chance to witness it themselves.
And all of this was thanks to the ritual performed by that group of Great Lama clerics.
Gong…
Just then, the Bronze Bell rang out from the Temple on Niuhu Mountain.
As its peal sounded, someone outside shouted, “The Temple’s Bronze Bell is ringing! Hurry, make a wish and receive its blessing!”
The Bronze Bell’s reverberations were still echoing in our ears when a beam of golden light suddenly flared at the foot of Niuhu Mountain. Like a golden Dragon undergoing Awakening, it coiled above the mountain in an instant.
A soul-shaking Dragon roar crashed over us like a violent storm. The ground heaved violently beneath our feet, nearly knocking us over.
Hui Moqiong turned and shouted to Liu Junyan, “Seventh Master, the fox has finally shown its tail!”