Chapter 86: Chapter 69: Leaving Black Mountain Village

Kou Yushan rang the gong, gathering all the villagers outside the village chief’s house to explain the situation.

Sang Que hadn’t slept all night, and her mood was worsened by the failure to disrupt the sacrificial ritual in the morning, so she stayed in Yan Daozi’s courtyard to wash her face with cold water from the water tank and calm herself down.

Xia Chan was also by her side, sticking to her like a little tail.

Previously, Xia Chan used to hide from Yan Daozi, always digging into dirt pits and getting filthy, so after Sang Que finished washing, she also wiped her clean and helped her into a fresh set of coarse cloth clothes.

Finding something to do can ease her irritation; otherwise, she will keep focusing on that ticking sound, making her increasingly want to chop something with a knife.

Xia Chan was well-behaved, sitting on a chair holding the compressed biscuit Sang Que gave her, letting Sang Que wipe her face, hands, and neck.

She was the same age as Sang Que, yet a head shorter and excessively skinny.

“Haha~ itchy~ haha~”

Xia Chan shrank her body, her hair draped down her back like hands pushing against Sang Que’s hand holding the towel. Sang Que felt a suppressing power making the Yin Child’s aura retract inward.

“Can your hair entangle those Evil Spirits?” Sang Que put down the towel and asked.

Xia Chan nodded while licking the crumbs at the corners of her mouth, “It can. The hanged ghosts in the woods are afraid of Little Chan. Little Chan even took down a few.”

Sang Que realized that beings like Xia Chan, born with the ability to deal with Evil Spirits, surely could see the suicide ropes and other dark entities in the woods, so even while hiding outside for so long, she hadn’t been harmed by Evil Spirits.

The second time she came to Black Mountain Village and ran into the Witch Temple, the hair tangled outside the broken house must have been Xia Chan’s.

After finishing a piece of compressed biscuit, Xia Chan drooped her head in dejection, muttering lifelessly, “Little Chan isn’t full. Little Chan is still hungry…”

Sang Que took out a piece of chocolate and handed it to her, “You can’t eat too much of that cake, but if you drink more water afterward, you’ll feel full. Have this to satisfy your craving first.”

Seeing the chocolate, Xia Chan’s eyes lit up as she immediately lifted her head. “Little Chan loves eating this. You’re like Little Chan’s mother, treating Little Chan well. Little Chan wants to treat you well too.”

Holding the chocolate, Xia Chan couldn’t bear to eat it all at once, taking small bites and savoring it in her mouth.

Sang Que wiped away the biscuit crumbs from the corner of her mouth, “Though you were born before me, your stature is small, and your mind is still little. It’s better if I act as your elder sister. If you wish, you can call me sister.”

“Sister?”

Xia Chan seemed not to fully understand the meaning of those two words, but as she repeated them, she smiled, innocent and carefree.

“Sister!”

“Mm.”

“Sister?”

“Mm…”

“Sister hehe~”

“Okay, stop calling me that. Little Chan, can you keep your hair from moving around so much, just like your sister’s hair?” Sang Que asked.

Xia Chan furrowed her brows, looking seriously at her hair, then at Sang Que’s, tilting her head from side to side. After a while, her hair tips hung down, no longer sticking up and flailing around.

“You’re so smart. Do remember, unless in danger and needing to defend yourself, don’t let your hair move around, especially not in front of others.”

Little Chan immediately raised her hand to make a shushing gesture, whispering very softly, “Mother says the same, to hush—”

“Our Little Chan is so smart and capable, you deserve a reward!”

Sang Que handed another piece of jerky to Xia Chan, her tone mimicking how Sang Wan coaxed her when she was young.

Xia Chan exclaimed, “Sister is so nice!”

Meow~

Xuan Yu, having been off somewhere early in the morning, came back from outside at this moment. Seeing the jerky in Xia Chan’s hand, it ran up to Sang Que’s feet, rubbing against them and meowing incessantly.

Sang Que also gave a piece to Xuan Yu, quickly tidying up her belongings, placing the iron sword and other items onto the courtyard’s Black Donkey cart. The cart had a small cabin, suitable for carrying people and luggage.

The last time the Black Donkey saw her, it kicked up a fuss, but this time it was well-behaved.

With Xia Chan and Xuan Yu aboard, Sang Que tried driving the Black Donkey cart to the Witch Temple, retrieving the glutinous rice, vermillion, soul lamp, and Corpse Mud Jar hidden there.

The village was in uproar, dogs barking, roosters crowing, each household echoing with cries and clamor.

Some had already packed, ready to flee with their families, while others cried in their yards, asking what they would do if they couldn’t return later.

Passing by Shouhou’s house, Sang Que saw usually cheery Shouhou weeping and kneeling at his mother’s feet, kowtowing with such force, his emotion nearing collapse.

“Mom, I’m begging you, come with me. You won’t be a burden, really. Without you, I don’t have a home. You’re my only family left, I’m begging you, please!”

Shouhou’s mother is usually muddle-headed, but now her eyes are rare and clear. She sits at the door leaning on a wooden stick, unmoved by Shouhou’s blood-covered pleas.

The old woman suddenly looks up at Sang Que, causing Sang Que’s heart to shrink.

Drive!

Sang Que lightly flicks the whip, urging the Black Donkey to speed up towards the village entrance.

Passing by the Li Family, who had provoked the Earth Ghost, Sang Que hears puppies howling. Li Guwu is placing two children into a bamboo basket; two identical infants, one crying loudly and the other chuckling while holding a rattle, laughing eerily, making Sang Que’s heart uneasy.

Across at the He Family, Old Man He hunches over, sitting beside the memorial tablet of He Youniang. He Baosheng is leading Qin Fangru, He Shouhui, and He Shou’an in kneeling to bid farewell.

It seems Old Man He doesn’t plan to leave either.

Many households have elders choosing to stay; they find it hard to leave their homeland, or they hold onto a sliver of hope, planning to spend the night at the Witch Temple to seek the Witch Lady’s protection.

After tonight, if village life can resume, they would have guarded the home for their descendants.

If not, their descendants can settle elsewhere, free from the burden of their old arms and legs.

The village head, Du Enfu, also lives alone. Initially planning to stay, he was persuaded by Liu Tianyou to leave together.

After all, Du Enfu is familiar to the County Magistrate. With so many people seeking refuge in Tangyuan County, only he can explain the situation to the magistrate; otherwise, everyone will be treated as vagrants and not allowed into the county seat.

Outside the village, under the roadside big tree, Kou Yushan stands waiting for the villagers to gather, carrying a simple bundle and holding two black dogs from the village.

Kou Yushan also carries his Hunting Bow, with two large bamboo tubes and a rooster hanging from his waist.

Sang Que parks the donkey cart beside Kou Yushan, jumps down, and hands him the whip, “If we squeeze in, this cart can carry some children and pregnant women.”

When Xia Chan saw Sang Que wasn’t riding anymore, she hurriedly jumped down too, clinging tightly to Sang Que, “Sister, don’t leave, wait for Little Chan.”

Approaching noon, the sun grows increasingly harsh. Sang Que takes down two bamboo hats from the donkey cart, placing one on Xia Chan’s head.

She then draws the machete from behind her waist and returns it to Kou Yushan.

“I can use Yan Daozi’s iron sword. There’s also a bag of glutinous rice and some fine vermillion on the cart; you distribute them. I’ll head towards Tangyuan County and check the situation first.”

Kou Yushan doesn’t refuse Sang Que’s kindness, pointing towards the road ahead, “Just follow this road northeast without taking any small paths. If quick, you’ll see the city walls of Tangyuan County in about three hours.”

Sang Que rolls up her sleeve and glances at the compass on her bracelet. With so many people from the village, various issues would surely arise along the way. She’s now anxious and not suited to travel with this group.

Xia Chan tugs at Sang Que’s sleeve, then turns to look at Kou Yushan. Kou Yushan smiles and says, “Little Chan, go ahead, I’ll follow you soon.”

“Don’t deceive me, deceivers become fools!” Little Chan fiercely warns Kou Yushan before reluctantly following Sang Que.

Sang Que hugs Xuan Yu, Xia Chan tugs her sleeve, and for both it’s their first time leaving Black Mountain Village, curiously scanning their surroundings as they walk under the shaded path.

At first, everything seems fresh, but over time, it loses its charm, leaving only the fatigue of the journey.

Considering Xia Chan’s strength, Sang Que moves intermittently, carrying a bamboo tube with water and replenishing hydration as needed.

August noon’s sunlight is scorching, and their coarse clothes aren’t cool, so traveling at this time is quite uncomfortable.

However, Xia Chan doesn’t find it uncomfortable at all. She’s cheerfully moving along, sometimes picking flowers, sometimes chasing Xuan Yu up trees, and even catching a few crickets on the roadside, almost eating them.

Sang Que stops Xia Chan from eating, but doesn’t manage to stop Xuan Yu, watching helplessly as Xuan Yu swallows one of Xia Chan’s almost-squashed crickets.

These two little wanderers truly dare to eat anything, causing Sang Que a headache. She can only shake the Dao Bell to calm her mind, drawing Yan Daozi’s iron sword, swinging as she walks, practicing the sword moves she learned before, cutting wild grasses along the roadside to vent.

With these two lively souls, the escape journey turns into the feel of a countryside trip. Xia Chan and Xuan Yu become good friends, competing to hold Xuan Yu, and when Sang Que isn’t watching, they use her hair to secretly catch insects to feed Xuan Yu.

Sang Que coughs loudly each time, watching Xia Chan flinch and quickly discard the insects in panic.

Very few travelers are on the road; at each fork Sang Que gazes afar, her sight passing through the fields to glimpse village outlines.

Sang Que and her companions walk for about two hours, and soon Kou Yushan’s larger group rushes up. The old village head drives the donkey cart, carrying the village’s children.

With more people, Xia Chan shrinks near Sang Que, not daring to run around, like a frightened little deer.

After walking for another half an hour, they pass a patch of forest. The sky suddenly darkens, a fierce wind arises, and rolling clouds approach, like a sudden passing storm, giving an ominous feeling.

“Yushan!”

The old village head urgently calls Kou Yushan over. After consulting, Kou Yushan leads everyone into the higher terrain of the west forest, deciding to find a place to wait out this passing storm before resuming the journey.

Rainstorms, are when Water Ghosts claim lives!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep