Chapter 45: Yunmeng Lake
Kong Xuan, who claims to be good at studying, does have weaknesses after all. The days pass by in a flash as he studies and practices questions more seriously than ever before. He has studied hard before, but this time he is determined to graduate on time, and the day of the final exam soon arrives.
On the day of the exam, Tan Chunying cooked a corn for Tan Xiao at home, following her childhood habit, and placed two eggs next to it. Tan Xiao got up earlier today, ate at home, and then went to the exam in high spirits.
Kong Xuan didn't understand, "What does this mean?"
Tan Xiao peeled the egg and said slowly, "This is a kind of witchcraft."
Kong Xuan didn't understand and stared at the egg: "The chicken is a yang bird, and corn is a cereal, but what kind of witchcraft is this together?" There are so many witchcrafts in the world, and even a great god cannot know them all.
"My corn looks like a one, and the egg looks like two zeros, which proves that I will get a perfect score in the exam." Tan Xiao swallowed the egg in one gulp, his cheeks bulging.
Kong Xuan suddenly realized and agreed very much, he just didn't see it at first glance.
The Chinese believe that similar shapes can have an impact. For example, making dolls can curse people, and making a perfect breakfast can certainly also get a perfect score on the exam. Academically speaking, this is called simulated witchcraft.
"I want one too." Kong Xuan said.
"Mom, is there any more food? Give me another portion." Tan Xiao guessed that Tan Chunying would not be surprised at how much he ate, but Tan Chunying did not cook so much breakfast today and only brought a pot of eggs.
"I only cooked one corn. You can have more eggs." Tan Chunying put down the eggs and went back to the kitchen, leaving an optimistic sentence, "Add two zeros and you will get a thousand points on the test."
Kong Xuan shook his head at her back: "How can the total score be 1,000 points?" Tan Chunying didn't understand even more than he did...
"Haven't you discovered the real problem yet? You're left with zero points." Tan Xiao looked at him sympathetically.
Kong Xuan: "...I don't want to eat anymore!"
He wants to get 75 points.
Tan Xiao brought some cookies and milk to Kong Xuan, and then they went to school together. It turned out that they were not the only ones who were superstitious. As soon as he saw Tan Xiao, Lin Yang clasped his hands together and said, "Master, save me."
——The final exam was held in random examination rooms for the entire grade, but they were in the same examination room because they were divided into large groups.
"Didn't you review? Let me save you." Tan Xiao put all the stationery in place.
"I have reviewed, but I don't know if God is blessing me. Do you have any spells for the exam?" Lin Yang obviously had not reviewed enough. Based on Tan Xiao's understanding of him, if he had reviewed seriously, he would not have thought of seeking help from metaphysics. He was just selectively superstitious.
But Tan Xiao really didn't know much about this, otherwise he wouldn't have asked Kong Xuan to bless him to get a high score. He thought for a while and said, "You shall not pass..."
Lin Yang: “…”
Lin Yang: "Ahhhhhhhh!! I'm going to fight you!"
"Hahahaha!" Tan Xiao dodged the attack, "There are still fifteen minutes, you'd better try to cram for it." He told Lin Yang with the mood of a person who has been through it, that this stuff really can't be superstitious, there is gain and loss.
After taking the last exam, everyone returned to their classes, listened to the teacher's remarks on some matters of concern, and then the winter vacation officially began.
Kong Xuan couldn't wait to follow Ji Huiming to the office and get his own old cell phone back.
Seeing his faintly happy expression, Ji Huiming reminded him, "Be careful next semester."
Kong Xuan nodded and thought, be careful when you graduate from this place!
Tan Xiao and Kong Xuan went home together, and Tan Xiao asked him how he did in the exam. Tan Xiao also saw Kong Xuan's efforts during this period. As long as he tried hard, even if he didn't achieve it in the end, it was not Kong Xuan's fault. It was really because of his weak foundation. Kong Xuan had tried his best to show the will of God.
Kong Xuan said without hesitation: "I think I can get 75 points for sure!" He didn't know if he could get 75 points or not, but he had the confidence anyway.
"I'm ready. If you get 75 points in the exam, I'll give it to you." Tan Xiao took down a newly bought No. 53 from the bookshelf.
Kong Xuan's face turned green.
"Hahaha, I was just kidding!" Kong Xuan's expression looked better after Tan Xiao finished speaking. He put the book in Kong Xuan's cabinet and said sincerely, "I will give you this kind of thing even if you don't have to get 75 points on the test. Work hard during the winter vacation."
Kong Xuan: “…………”
After teasing her twice in a row, Tan Xiao didn't dare to do it for the third time. "Seriously, if you really achieve this, I'll cook a table of dishes for you." Tan Xiao promised, "If you want a big feast for the whole class, I can."
Kong Xuan: "I can finish it by myself!"
Tan Xiao: This really shows that he likes to eat alone.
…
Although the results have not come out yet, it does not affect Tan Xiao from dealing with his winter vacation homework and the thing he has been thinking about, which is to go to Qiyunling for the sacrifice.
Tan Xiao contacted Panlongxiang in advance, reported to Tan Chunying, and said he was going to meet his classmates, and then went straight to Qiyunling. This time, Kong Xuan naturally went out with him in human form.
As soon as he got off the car, Tan Xiao was surprised to see that the pond at the entrance of the village was crowded with fishing enthusiasts. There were so many more people than last time that if you didn't know, you would think there was a fishing competition here.
Pan Jianjun, who came to pick him up, said leisurely, "This is all because you caught the silver carp king before. Now everyone in Nanchu, including the towns, knows that the fish here are big. That's great. My homestay business has improved a lot. Thank you, fishing king."
Fishing King? Tan Xiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Others didn't know, but Pan Jianjun didn't know what was going on?
"Is this your classmate?" Pan Jianjun looked curiously at Kong Xuan who was standing not far away. The last time their class came over, Pan Jianjun had only seen Kong Xuan from a distance, but his image was so outstanding that he was deeply impressed.
"Yes, he... come with me and take a look." Tan Xiao said vaguely.
"Oh, sure." Pan Jianjun took another look and saw that Tan Xiao was only carrying a backpack. It was okay for the offerings, but he didn't bring all the accessories. However, he himself didn't take over the altar and didn't understand the affairs of the spiritual master, so he couldn't say more.
The young fishing king and Pan Jianjun passed by the village together, hiding their achievements and fame.
When they arrived at his homestay, Tan Xiao saw a young man sitting at the gate, one hand in his pocket and the other eating sunflower seeds. He couldn't tell who he was until Pan Jianjun called out, "Lei Zijun."
Tan Xiao then realized that this was the young man he rescued from Hou Jiang last time.
"This is Tan Xiao, and his classmate." Pan Jianjun introduced them to him, but he didn't know the name of Tan Xiao's classmate, and Tan Xiao didn't introduce him either.
Tan Xiao nodded to Lei Zijun.
"Oh, hello, hello, uncle, are these two your relatives? They look quite young." Lei Zijun smiled foolishly, "Have you brothers come here for winter vacation? I'll take you two out to play."
Kong Xuan disdained to speak.
Before Tan Xiao could say anything, a hand appeared from behind Lei Zijun and tapped him on the back of his head. "Fuck you, this is the spiritual master I told you about. Hurry up and bow and serve him tea!"
Lei Zijun almost spat out melon seeds. He knew that a young spiritual master and Old Man Pan saved him, but he didn't expect him to be so young.
That incident still left a shadow in Lei Zijun's heart. He stayed in the hospital for several days and didn't dare to go near water when he returned.
Lei Yong urged Lei Zijun to perform the ceremony. Among the folks in Southern Chu, many wizards would exorcise evil spirits for only rice, meat or a small amount of compensation. Some would even charge nothing at all, and only require the rescued to come and pay a visit during festivals.
Lei Zijun knew that Tan Xiao was the one who saved him, so how could he dare to call him brother all the time? He bowed and offered him tea.
"It's okay, you're welcome. Where is Pan Daogong?" Tan Xiaolai's main purpose was to fulfill his promise.
"Dad is packing up. He said we can set off as soon as you come." Lei Yong said. Tan Xiao agreed to this, but they and Panlong Xiang will definitely go together. Especially when they communicated in advance, Tan Xiao asked Panlong Xiang to tell them to bring something with them.
"I'll go call my dad." Pan Jianjun walked to the back. Pan Longxiang was packing up the items needed for the sacrifice. "The little snake witch is here."
"Okay, I understand it clearly." Panlong Xiang stood up. What they were going to do today was a ceremony to commemorate the dead and pray for the salvation of souls. The theme was to comfort the dead souls, reduce their pain, and help them ascend to heaven or be reincarnated or be liberated as soon as possible. It all depended on the dead souls themselves.
So Panlongxiang prepared a lot of offerings and incense, candles, and paper money.
“By the way, I saw that the little snake wizard only prepared a schoolbag. Are the equipments of their spiritual masters so light? This is quite simple to prepare…” Pan Jianjun said as he helped Pan Longxiang move things out.
As they were talking, the two of them walked outside. Panlong Xiang saw clearly the person standing next to Tan Xiao and almost vomited.
"Cough! Cough cough!" Panlongxiang hit Pan Jianjun's head in a similar posture to Lei Yong. Even though the shape was different, anyone with eyes could tell that the great god's face had not changed. It was either a substitute or a possessed being.
The little snake wizard brought the clan leader god to his side, and they were going to offer sacrifices to the dead together!
Is this easy preparation? What else do you want?
"You, this, cough you..." Panlongxiang was speechless for a long time. He looked at Lei Zijun, afraid of scaring the boy. Lei Zijun was already weak after being possessed. He moved his lips and said, "You are too grand."
"No, no, then let's go to the beach?" Tan Xiaoxin said, what else can I do, force Kong Xuan to do his winter vacation homework at home?
Pan Jianjun looked at them playing dumb with a depressed look on his face. He still didn't understand why they hit him and why they described Tan Xiao as so solemn...
Lei Yong drove everyone to Shangmaotan. The beach looked even more desolate during the dry season. Several people set up the altar and offered chickens, fish, cakes and pastries according to the old custom of Qiyunling. The incense sticks were tied with red paper and built in the shape of an arch bridge in front of the altar.
Panlongxiang and Tan Xiao both put on robes, but Tan Xiao was still the main focus. Panlongxiang only played the horn and drums for him. The old man's voice echoed desolately over the Nanxi River: "Play the drums, burn incense, and offer sacrifices to the dead souls—"
Tan Xiao stepped on the Yu Step and performed the Wu Dance, "Tan Yue and meteors circled Jianzhang, and the fairy wind blew down the imperial incense burner..."
He lit the paper money and scattered it onto the beach. The flames looked like the blood and sweat that had once dripped here.
Kong Xuan tapped the wine on the altar with his fingertips and let it bounce onto the river. He was not wearing a robe and participated in the ceremony so naturally, only because Tan Xiao and Pan Longxiang didn't say anything, and Pan Jianjun and Lei Yong also kept their mouths shut.
Kong Xuan drank three cups of wine and said, "Accumulate merits and save the souls of the dead."
A cold wind suddenly blew up from the river, blowing the paper ashes high up. Lei Zijun, who was standing by, only felt that he could smell the faint smell of sheep. He couldn't help but ask, "Dad, do you smell the smell of sheep?"
But the sacrifice they prepared today clearly did not include any sheep.
Lei Yong shuddered. As the old saying goes, ghosts that die on the shore smell like paper ash, and ghosts that die in the water smell like sheep stench...
He pressed Lei Zijun's shoulder and said, "It's okay, it's okay. It's all thanks to our ancestors for blessing us."
Lei Zijun was stunned for a second before he realized what it meant. He felt a sense of fear in his heart, but as soon as he thought that he was the one who rescued him, the feeling of fear disappeared and he nodded vigorously.
The witch danced with incense and candles to offer sacrifices to the dead. Tan Xiao made the last move, withdrew his hands, and said to Lei Zijun: "Come here, burn your things too."
Lei Zijun quickly took two steps forward, lit up his photocopied transcripts, school activity certificates, test certificates, etc. on the incense sticks, and burned them for his seniors to see, so that they would feel more gratified.
Lei Zijun closed his eyes and silently said, "Please go with peace of mind, for I will inherit your courage and perseverance..."
He felt the wind blowing the burnt paper ashes onto his forehead, as if someone was gently stroking his head.
…
"Spirit witch, would you please stay for dinner?" Panlong Xiang asked politely after the ceremony. However, since Kong Xuan was watching him from the side, he was too embarrassed to call him "Snake witch" which was more joking.
Lei Yong didn't understand why, so he greeted him enthusiastically: "You must stay for dinner. I was busy going to the hospital last time, and then I knew you were also busy with your studies, so I was waiting to treat you to a meal today. Please give me a chance."
"Okay, it's not a big deal. Let's just have a meal at Uncle Pan's B&B." Tan Xiao also knew that if they didn't have a meal together, Lei Yong would definitely be worried about him. Besides, it was too late. If they didn't have a meal, they would have to go on the road hungry. So he turned around and asked Kong Xuan, "Is that okay?"
Panlongxiang couldn't help but eavesdrop secretly, and he really wanted to know how Tan Xiao got along with this great god in his family.
Kong Xuan had a blank expression on his face and did not look very happy. After all, Tan Xiao had agreed to go home early today and cook spicy hot pot for him, but Kong Xuan had never eaten it before.
"I never had the chance to eat the Yao specialties of Qiyunling before, such as pickled meat, dried beef brisket, etc...." Tan Xiao said, "There are also free-range high-mountain chickens here. I'll buy two when I leave and make soup for you when I go back. I've learned a new way to cook them."
Kong Xuan's ice and snow melted: "Okay."
Panlongxiang: “…”
After returning to Pan Jianjun's homestay, several people sat in the main room. Pan Jianjun went to cook, while the others sat at the table to eat snacks and chat, turning on the TV as background music.
"Oh, so you two are from Nanchu No. 1 Middle School, classmates?" Lei Yong was chatting with Tan Xiao and learned that he and Kong Xuan were classmates. He already thought that Kong Xuan was some kind of assistant of Tan Xiao. It was not strange for a wizard to have a few assistants or disciples, and it seemed reasonable to develop the relationship from classmates.
"That's right, No. 1 Middle School is a good school, and you have a lot of skills, so you will have a bright future in anything you do."
Panlong Xiang was confused because he couldn't figure out whether Tan Xiao was telling the truth or not...
Who is going to take his own sect master to school?
"…According to our news, the water level of Yunmeng Lake has continued to drop during the dry season, exposing part of the riverbed. Recently, some local residents discovered that there were large mysterious patterns on the dry riverbed, which sparked heated discussions."
Huh?
The originally lively TV news attracted everyone's attention with just one sentence, and then gradually became quiet. A large mysterious pattern appeared?
When I looked up, I saw a picture taken by a reporter with an aerial camera on TV. On the dry riverbed of Yunmengze, there were many mounds of earth. These mounds were of different shapes, but they were all in a square frame. They covered a large area, several hundred meters long and wide, like a giant seal, with some small blocks scattered around. It was hard to believe that such a scene was formed naturally.
"This image has attracted a lot of attention in a short period of time. Some people speculate that it is a relic of an ancient civilization, while others believe that it is an alien civilization. Some netizens even joked that it might be the QR code of the Dragon King?" The anchor read out the netizens' comments with a smile.
"Oh, this really looks a bit like a giant QR code?" There were other guests in the B&B who were also staying in the main room, and they all started talking about it.
"It looks like a crop circle. What is it called? Yunmeng Weird Picture?"
"Well, it's hard to say whether it's a relic of some large-scale sacrificial ceremony in ancient times. Isn't it said that there are dragons in Yunmeng Lake?"
The people of Chu have all heard of this statement to some extent. The story of the dragon clan in Yunmengze can be traced back to a long time ago, such as the story in "Liu Yi's Letter" where the scholar Liu Yi delivered a message for the dragon girl.
"That's right. Did you know that in the last century, several pieces of iron weighing several tons were fished out of there? It is said that the Japanese wanted to pull them back, but couldn't. This piece of iron is said to be used to suppress dragons." Someone said mysteriously.
Panlongxiang couldn't help but interrupt and said, "It's not a lump of iron, it's called a swallow-tail iron yoke."
He once had a book of Master Paijiao in his hand. Paijiao workers would go down the Nanxi River to the dock of Yunmengze to trade all year round. Even the cover of the booklet had a sentence clearly written on it: "Eight hundred miles of Yunmeng, the grace has spread to Chu, thousands of years of true teaching, the great way leads to heaven."
Tan Xiao nodded. He also flipped through the booklet and saw the relevant records.
It is said that dragons fear iron and like swallows. The role of this swallow-tail iron yoke is similar to that of the iron turtle in Nanxi River, which is a kind of talisman. However, because Yunmeng Lake is much larger than Nanxi River, the iron yoke is also made bigger and more numerous.
"Oh, the old people still know more. Anyway, that's what it means. The old people used to say there was a dragon in there, so this picture must have something to do with it." A guest at the B&B said confidently, "During the flood, the body of a dragon washed ashore there. I have a relative who lives there, and he said many old people have seen it!"
The story of the swallowtail iron shackle seems too old, but the incident at the end of the last century when someone saw the remains of a dragon washed out by the Yunmeng Lake flood is a well-known urban anomaly.
When the legend of Yunmengze was mentioned, most of the Chu people present could not stop talking about it.
Some younger people also retorted, "It must be some large underwater creature."
"A large underwater creature? It's still a dragon."
“…It could also be a water monster!”
Tan Xiao looked at the unusually regular image and began to doubt it. Could it be some unnatural relic? After all, Yunmengze was indeed not simple. With Hou Jiang's level, he could only escape because of the fierce competition in Yunmengze.
He looked at Kong Xuan, who glanced at it and said, "It doesn't look like a rune, but it may be encrypted."
The news anchor said after a video clip: "But in fact, according to the reporter's investigation, this so-called mysterious pattern is neither an ancient civilization nor an alien civilization. This area is relatively close to the center of Yunmeng Lake, and it is impossible for civilization to survive. In fact, it is a low dam built by fishermen in the past for fishing. It can only be seen when the water is very low. It is man-made and uses machinery, so it is very regular and smooth..."
Was it built by fishermen? There hasn't been such a dry season for a long time, so I haven't seen it before? Tan Xiao was digesting this answer when he heard the host say:
"…The above is the professional answer our reporter received after consulting the ancient history and folklore experts from the 404 Office of Chu Province."
Tan Xiao: “…………”
Good you...
Pan Jianjun brought all the dishes up at once. Tan Xiao looked at Pan Longxiang speechlessly and said, "Forget it, forget it. Let's eat."
Kong Xuan saw Tan Xiao was speechless, as if he was looking at some Q-version character he saw on his phone . He thought it was interesting and sat closer to him and said, "Do you want to go with me to find out what's going on?"
"Why should I go? I haven't finished my winter vacation homework yet." Tan Xiao said depressedly, "and the news just now hurt my feelings. I almost believed it." These are all good programs edited by the 404 Office, the whole thing is "Walking Science". This also shows that no matter what the Zedi phenomenon represents, the 404 Office has already taken over the matter.
Kong Xuan muttered: "It's vacation time, and all you do is do your homework..."
Tan Xiao moved his chair away and said, "I don't care. I'll finish my homework before I get a part-time job..."
Before he finished his words, Kong Xuan grabbed the chair and pulled it towards himself, easily moving it back along with Tan Xiao who was sitting on the chair.
Tan Xiao: "..."
Kong Xuan leaned his elbow against the back of his chair: "There are also topics to write about in Yunmeng Lake! Do you know what Yunmeng means in ancient Chu language?"
"I know. In ancient Chu language, 'ze' means dream, so Yunmeng originally meant cloud and swamp, and then another word was added to make it Yunmengze." Tan Xiao thought that there should be a back and forth, "Well, then what do you think, is Yunmengze the largest freshwater lake in my country? What kind of climate does it belong to?"
Kong Xuan: “…………”
Forget it, I don’t really want to go to Yunmengze.
