Wang Congshan took a step forward and said softly, "Calling it a plan isn't quite accurate, it's more like... prevention.

You just said that the Fujimura family has been making Noh masks in Yuezumi Village for generations, using trees watered with Kikizumi spring water to make Noh masks.

And the Fujimura family's backyard has a tunnel leading directly outside the village.

In any case, the Fujimura family's status in the village is quite special, and they know more of the truth than others.

Where did you get this key?"

Ogasawara Masayuki was silent for a moment, then replied, "I found it in the Fujimura family's house after I returned to Yuezumi Village."

Wang Congshan pressed, "Specific location?"

"..."

Ogasawara Masayuki said, "On the table in the living room."

"Impossible."

Wang Congshan shook her head and said, "Whether it's the In'en Festival secretly held by the Hiratsuka family, or the hallucinogenic Noh masks made by Fujimura Shuhei,

these are things that absolutely cannot be revealed to outsiders.

The Fujimura family even has a secret room specifically for that.

The secret passage in the backyard, whether it was dug by Fujimura Shuhei himself, his ancestors, or with the help of the Hiratsuka family, needs to be strictly kept secret.

How could they put the key on the living room table, when there are many foreign tourists, many people and mixed eyes, during the Yuezumi Festival when everyone is out and the house is empty?

If I'm not mistaken, you've been carrying this key with you since that disaster, right?

Because you escaped to the outside of the village through the tunnel, you were covered in mud after you escaped."

Wang Congshan said calmly, as if she couldn't feel Ogasawara Masayuki's emotional fluctuations, "If I were to guess,

your mother, Fujimura Masumi, learned a part of the truth about Yuezumi Village in some way.

Maybe it was from the tragedy of her younger brother and sister-in-law, the Matsuoka family,

maybe it was from her husband, Fujimura Shuhei's words.

In any case, she knew the secret of the Yuezumi Festival.

As a wife and mother, she certainly didn't want her family to be in danger.

But the villagers of Yuezumi Village are born with a curse.

Just like you, as a survivor who luckily escaped, will still return to the ruins of Yuezumi Village,

and your children will also embark on this path.

The villagers of Yuezumi Village cannot leave here at will, right?

Since they can't leave, they can only live here.

Two people are culled every four years, and there is a high probability that they will be members of the Hiratsuka family and tourists from outside the village.

For the other villagers of Yuezumi Village, the probability of death is not very high.

But who can say for sure?

Under some strong sense of anxiety, Fujimura Masumi made a decision, which is... to exchange your identities."

Wang Congshan tilted her head and said calmly, "On the day of the Yuezumi Festival, all villagers, tourists, and Hiratsuka family members will wear Noh masks.

If they don't speak, they won't recognize each other.

Just in case,

Fujimura Masumi used the key to open the secret passage and let you stay in the tunnel—maybe she gave you Kikizumi spring wine, sleeping pills, or tricked you into going outside the village through the tunnel.

In short, she put you in a safe place, and then took Fujimura Ryosuke to participate in the Yuezumi Festival.

Next is the so-called 'truth'.

The Mezashii of the Hiratsuka family appeared and selected Fujimura Masumi and Fujimura Ryosuke to perform the In'en Festival.

Fujimura Masumi killed her nephew, who was also her adopted son, Fujimura Ryosuke.

When she woke up in the metal coffin filled with Kikizumi spring water, the emotion rising in her heart was not only regret, but also comfort—she protected her biological son, which is you.

The emotion of comfort overwhelmed the regret and resentment, which caused the entire In'en Festival to collapse.

The requirements for sealing Yomi were not met, so that the resentment of the Gates of Yomi surged out, wiping out the entire Yuezumi Village.

Only you woke up in the tunnel, and escaped from Yuezumi Village along the tunnel."

"..."

Ogasawara Masayuki's body trembled slightly, and he said hoarsely, "You... are wrong."

Wang Congshan frowned,

but she heard Li Ang sighing beside her, and said, "The previous ones are all right, but you ignored a key issue."

"Huh?"

Wang Congshan was stunned when she heard this, "What?"

"Fujimura Masumi may not have no feelings for Fujimura Ryosuke."

Li Ang said calmly, "The Mezashii's standard for selecting participants in the In'en Festival is that there is a strong emotional bond between the two.

If Fujimura Masumi really hated, disliked Fujimura Ryosuke,

and was willing to use the life of her nephew, Fujimura Ryosuke, to protect her biological son,

then the Mezashii would not have chosen her at all.

But the result was that the Mezashii chose Fujimura Masumi and Fujimura Ryosuke, and did not change until after the In'en Festival began.

We also said it before in the Hiratsuka mansion,

the Hiratsuka family is not stupid, it is very likely that they will take off their masks to confirm the identities of the participants before the In'en Festival begins.

But they still continued to perform the In'en Festival according to the standards of Fujimura Masumi and Fujimura Ryosuke.

There are two possibilities,

First, Fujimura Masumi did exchange the identities of the two sons, but even she herself could not tell, or was unwilling to tell, which of the two was her biological son. So even if the Hiratsuka family found out, they would think it met the standards and didn't need to cancel it.

Second, the Hiratsuka family discovered the exchange of identities, but the In'en Festival was too urgent, and Fujimura Yoichi couldn't be found in a short time, so they had to bite the bullet and continue the festival, using the statement that Fujimura Masumi also cherished Fujimura Ryosuke to comfort themselves."

Li Ang paused, glanced at the silent Ogasawara Masayuki, and said calmly, "The final result is obvious, the entire Yuezumi Village was wiped out.

Proving that there was a mistake in the In'en Festival.

And in these two possibilities,

the first possibility is basically consistent with your guess, Fujimura Masumi did not know the answer to the exchange of identities, and after waking up her memory, she recognized that she had killed Fujimura Ryosuke, so comfort outweighed regret.

The second possibility is that Fujimura Masumi knew the answer to the exchange of identities—proving that she did cherish Fujimura Ryosuke, but the degree of love was not as strong as for her biological son."

Li Ang said lightly, "So, if it is the second possibility, combined with the final failure of the In'en Festival,

the answer is obvious.

Fujimura Masumi's prevention effect worked. She knew that she had successfully protected her biological son,

but at the same time, a strong hatred and anger overwhelmed other emotions after the In'en Festival was completed.

This hatred was directed at the distorted Yuezumi Village that shouldn't exist in the world, at the Hiratsuka family who had been deceiving others for generations, and even at her husband, Fujimura Shuhei, who knew all the answers but still did nothing.

She uttered a strong curse in the Kikizumi spring water, calling for the resentment of Yomi to surge up."

Li Ang glanced at Ogasawara Masayuki and said, "But in addition to the curse, she retained the last trace of sanity, as you said,

Although she was in a state of being neither alive nor dead, she still instinctively protected her family.

The Fujimura family is the safest isolated island in the entire village.

Fujimura Ryosuke's soul is safely staying in the Fujimura family.

Although Fujimura Shuhei lost his sanity, he can still safely stay by the Kikizumi well.

And you, after entering this strange zone between Yomi and the present world for several years, can still retain your sanity.

All of this may come from the instincts of your deeply conflicted mother."