The village chief, Grandpa San, had served as the village chief for over a decade, doing many good deeds for the community.
He led efforts in building roads and houses, and mediating disputes among neighbors.
He was generally the one to handle these matters.
His prestige and standing in the village were quite high.
Because the yellow weasels had approached him repeatedly and issued an ultimatum.
And the feng shui master from the neighboring village was useless.
Grandpa San was at a loss. To protect the village, he had no choice but to agree.
Finally, he selected Uncle Liu from the village.
He was a grown man, unmarried,
and had no immediate family. He was also intellectually disabled.
Most of the villagers agreed.
After all, it wasn't their own family member being sacrificed. They could get some money and ensure their own safety.
Uncle Liu's siblings were also looking to exploit him and didn't care about his life or death.
Thus, Uncle Liu became the sacrifice.
Upon hearing this, I could also sense a hint of helplessness in Grandpa San.
To save the village.
Perhaps, this was the best method he could devise.
As for Uncle Er and the others, they showed no signs of sorrow.
Knowing full well they were sending their own brother to his death in the mountains, they were still cheerfully munching on sunflower seeds and handing out red envelopes.
They even felt it was only right.
I sighed, unsure of what to say at this point.
I could only follow them tonight and see if I could help.
If the situation could be resolved, it would be.
If not, I would try to resolve it, at least to save Uncle Liu's life.
If I truly couldn't deal with it, then I would have to think of other methods.
This is what I thought.
At this moment, the sky began to darken.
The villagers responsible for delivering food brought over the meals.
Grandpa San addressed the ten of us present, saying:
"Everyone, after this meal, we will escort Liu to get married."
Uncle Liu, upon hearing "get married," kept chuckling.
He clapped his hands incessantly and danced with joy.
The helpers and those playing gongs and drums sighed and shook their heads in resignation.
I had already eaten and didn't touch the food.
We all quickly ate our fill at Uncle Liu's house.
Around eight in the evening.
The village chief checked the time and announced:
"The auspicious hour has arrived, let's set off the firecrackers and clear the path..."
As soon as he finished speaking, two helpers ignited firecrackers at the doorway.
The "pīlī pāpā" sound of firecrackers filled the air.
However, no one from the village came out to watch.
Uncle Liu was also adorned with a large red flower.
The village chief assigned me the task of carrying a shoulder pole.
On the pole were various male and female clothes, as well as cotton quilts.
These were all gifts of appeasement to be offered to the yellow weasels.
There were five or six of us carrying shoulder poles like me.
We were all from the village.
In addition to us, there was a band playing gongs and drums.
They were all middle-aged men in their forties and fifties.
Each of them had a red cloth tied to their right hand.
Leading the way were the village chief, Uncle Er, Aunt Four, and Uncle Wu.
Grandpa San, the village chief, held a red banner.
It read "Welcoming the Bride."
Uncle Er and the others each held a large yellow chicken.
Only Uncle Liu was dressed in a red groom's outfit, adorned with a large red flower, and holding three incense sticks.
He was laughing and seemed incredibly happy.
I stood among the crowd, just carrying my pole, paying attention to my surroundings.
We followed behind the band playing gongs and drums.
We walked out of the village and towards the forest behind the mountain.
Every so often, we had to set off firecrackers.
The explosions sent birds flying in all directions with rustling sounds.
The further we went into the mountains, the more oppressive the atmosphere became.
The feeling was not one of Yin energy or corpse qi.
Amidst the oppression, there was a strange foul odor.
It should be demonic energy...
We proceeded by the light of our flashlights, feeling our way.
We walked for about an hour in the mountains and arrived before a cave.
As soon as we got there, Uncle Liu plopped down on the ground.
Exhausted, he started crying and complaining that marrying a wife wasn't fun and that he wanted to go home.
But once we reached this place, the village chief and the others had no intention of letting Uncle Liu return.
They continuously tried to pacify him.
At the same time, the village chief said to everyone:
"According to the old immortal, this should be the immortal's dwelling.
Thank you all for your hard work. Place the appeasement gifts in their designated spots.
Take a short break.
Xiao Zhang, you play a tune.
Once the immortal accepts the offerings, we will return."
Everyone nodded.
As for me, I took out the eye-opening eye drops.
And secretly activated the冥途.
Through my celestial eyes, I discovered that this mountain cave was indeed a bit different.
Under my celestial eyes, waves of green mist were emanating.
And this mist was the demonic energy...
The village chief was right, this cave was the lair of that old demon.
Upon hearing the village chief, the gong and drum players began to play the suona and other instruments again.
Suddenly, bursts of music filled the air.
The village chief then walked towards the cave entrance.
He cupped his hands towards the inside of the cave and shouted in a drawn-out voice:
"Auspicious day, the sixth son of the Qin family, Qin Dashi, has come to seek marriage..."
His voice was long, echoing through the mountains.
Following the village chief's declaration,
I clearly saw a surge of demonic energy rush out.
With a "huhu" sound, it swept towards us.
In addition to this, a gust of demonic wind swept through the forest.
It caused the surrounding trees to rustle incessantly.
Seeing this spectacle, the villagers nearby looked terrified and fearful.
The yellow chickens in the arms of Uncle Er and the others began to "gegege" cry incessantly, extremely agitated.
But that wasn't all, from the dark mountain cave.
At this moment, a large yellow weasel darted out.
The weasel was covered in yellow fur, its whiskers already white.
In the moonlit mountain forest, it stood out remarkably.
As soon as it appeared, it stood at the entrance of the cave.
It stretched its head and stood upright on its hind legs like a human.
Opening its mouth, it spoke human words, saying:
"Honored villagers, thank you for your hard work in escorting the bride.
I, an old woman, am marrying off my daughter, a day of great fortune.
Inside the cave, fine food and wine have been prepared.
All my esteemed villagers, please enter the cave to enjoy..."