Wooden Drum Room
The wooden drum house was on the west side of the stockade. It was a thatched hut built with six pillars.
The thatched cottage was filled with a sinister aura. There were a few wooden shelves in the room, and on each shelf was a two-meter-long log. Krito said that this was a wooden drum, made of red-haired trees cut down from the mountains.
There was a groove on the top of the wooden drum. The middle was hollowed out, and the two ends of the groove were dug into a semicircle. On each side is carved a drum tongue. It was an old wooden drum with a dark surface and mottled colors. It seemed to have blood stains and oil stains. The base color and wood grain of the new wooden drum could still be seen.
"What's the use of this wooden drum? Can you sound it?" I asked.
"This wooden drum is a divine artifact that can communicate with ghosts and gods. As long as you ring it, Shendameji, who lives in the sky, will know what happened in the lower world."
According to Ke Li Tuo, this wooden drum was the Wa Race's divine weapon, and it was no small matter. Almost every Wa village had a wooden drum house, and at least a pair of wooden drums were placed in the wooden drum house. The wooden drum was made from a whole section of a red-haired tree or a Chinese toon tree. There are male and female drums, and the sound quality is different when hitting. The female drum sound is crisp and high, while the male drum sound is slightly lower. Put it in the wooden drum room. The female drum is on the right, which is the main position. The male drum is on the left, which is the guest position. On New Year's Day, one person can knock, and there are also several people who can knock together. Wooden drums were closely related to the normal operation of village life. In the past, there were often armed fights between Wa villages in some places. The purpose was to hunt the heads of the other villages and send them to the wooden drum house for sacrificial activities. Wooden drums played a role in transmitting signals in the head-hunting activities. Whenever they heard the sound of wooden drums, each member in the village would immediately put down what they were doing and take unified action. The wooden drum played an important role in the activities of worshipping human heads to bless the harvest of grain. Theobe, the goddess of agriculture, lived in the wooden drum house, so every year after sowing, a singing and dancing ceremony would be held around the wooden drum house. He placed the ashes under the head, and the blood flowed into it. Every household grabbed a handful and sprinkled it into the field, and the grain grew very well.
I felt my hair stand on end upon hearing this. This was truly an appalling custom. I asked,"Then what about the heads that have been sacrificed?”
"Some of those heads were buried in the ground in front of the drum house, and some were sent to the Ghost Forest.”
"Are there still hunters?" I asked.
"Basically no, but it's possible. Many Wa villages in China don't even have wooden drum houses anymore, but we still have some here. The old man said that without the human head sacrificial drum and human head ghost, Mu Yiji didn't like it anymore. If the grain doesn't grow well, even ghosts can't control it.”
He left the wooden drum house and returned to the Khritos 'house. I didn't enter the wooden building, but looked at the swamp beside it.
This was a large swamp surrounded by steep mountains on the east, south, and west sides. It was probably formed by mountain floods. There were sparse small trees on the cliffs on the east and west sides, and on the north side of the opposite side was a red bare rock. The swamp was covered by water hyacinths, water peanuts, and unknown plants, revealing patches of black water. The setting sun was like blood, and countless spots of light flickered on the surface of the water. Upon closer inspection, the swamp water was actually very clear. One could see the seaweed and fish swimming in the water. On the side of the swamp near the wooden building was a paddy field. It was clear and watery, and groups of small carp were swimming in it.
The village was quiet at dusk, and there were no signs of life in the swamp. It was quiet and filled with a mysterious atmosphere. Suddenly, I saw the water grass more than twenty meters in front of me was pushed up by something, and then it returned to normal.
What was that? Was it a fish? If it was, it must be a big fish. My fishing addiction is back.
"Are there any big fish in the swamp?" I saw that even the water plants were standing up.”
"There are fish, but those things that lift up the seaweed are not fish. Most likely a crocodile or anaconda."
"Crocodile, anaconda?" I was shocked." There's such a thing in there?”
"Yes. Crocodiles were common and pythons were rare, but some people in the village had seen them before. I saw one when I was young. It was as thick as a pot.”
"Gong Guo thick? Bragging." Zhu 'er said," The Gong pot is at least 30 centimeters thick. Was there such a huge python? Wouldn't that swallow people?"
"Do you think you can't swallow it?" Zhao Yijing said," You guys don't know, right? The Burmese python is famous all over the world. I've seen people swallow half a pig, and its waist is much thicker than a human's.”
"There are a lot of strange things in there." Clitto said," There used to be a lot of crocodiles, but gradually, there were fewer. The old man in the village said that he was eaten by the divine python. Some people had seen this divine python before. It was snow-white and as thick as a bucket. Moba said that Mu Yiji had given him a dream and told him that the white python was a snake god that could protect the pond, paddy fields, and grain from drying all year round. Every year, the village would sacrifice pigs and chickens for it to enjoy. On a moonlit night, the white python would even make a 'Keke' sound like a wooden fish.”
Ke Ke Li Tuo said as he examined Zhu 'er's injuries. Her butt was red and swollen.
"That ghost snake is really vicious. Why is it biting me? It's really bad luck. Old Ke, how many days do you think it will take? You won't kill me, right?" Zhu 'er asked.
"I can't take it. I told you. But it would take a few days for it to heal. Hey, it seems that you can't walk for a while. Why don't you stay at my house for a few days? We'll go to Mengxiu to buy some goods and come to pick you up?”
"Are you joking?" Zhu 'er sneered," I don't want to go. But the few of you can do it? Without me present, who would acknowledge your business? Da Bao, why don't you make the decision? Do you dare?”He smiled at me.
"If you don't worry and believe me, I can do it!”
Zhu 'er burst out laughing and said,"To think that you can say such childish words." These days, I can't even trust my mother and father, and you want me to trust you…" He laughed out loud." Let me tell you, when it comes to money, it's one thing and two things; I'm in charge of this business. I have the final say. No one can replace me. If you really want to do business, you can only wait for me to recover from my injuries and be able to walk. Then, we'll go to Mengxiu together. There's no other choice. Old Ke, you'd better think of a way to quickly heal my injuries.”
Everyone talked for a while and could only do as he said.
"I'm afraid that the people from the Goldwater Stronghold will come looking for Kelitu. This is not a place to stay for long!" Zhao Yijing said worriedly.
"What are you afraid of? I think I'm making a fuss over nothing. How could the person behind us be from the Goldwater Stronghold? Perhaps he was just a passerby. Moreover, it had happened so many years ago that they might have forgotten about it. Why did he keep looking for Old Ke, waiting to take his brother's head? It's too outrageous. I don't believe it.”Zhu 'er said.
"You don't know, Manager Zhu. We really remember to hold grudges; we forget other things, but we will never forget this. But even if they come, we won't let them take my head so easily.”Ke Li Tuo said," Our Yishui Stronghold isn't a place where you can come and go as you please. After setting up the gate of the stronghold, they could hold out for a few days with gunpowder guns. I'll discuss it with my father and Moba.”
After Ke Li Tuo and Zhao Yi Jing left, Zhu 'er said,"If the people from the Goldwater Stronghold really come, I think those trenches and wooden fences can hold them off. If only I had a rifle. I'll find a place to guard and kill them when they climb over the railing. If one comes, I'll do one. If two come, I'll do a pair. Shoot a few of them to death and see if they still dare to climb.”
Seeing how he spoke so arrogantly, I asked,"Have you ever fired a gun?"
"What the hell are you talking about!" He said angrily," The number of times I shoot is more than the number of times you charge. How do you know? I'm an armed police officer who specializes in guarding prisoners. Tell me, have you ever fired a gun before? I've even beaten people up before! Have you ever hit someone?"
I really look down on his arrogant look. Is this guy bragging? "Have you ever shot anyone?"”I asked.
"I haven't shot anyone, but what's the difference between beating a tied up living person and killing someone? It was not interesting at all. "Let me tell you, young man, I've beaten up a living person before…" He was beaming with joy and was very proud.
He waited for me to ask so that he could continue to brag. But I didn't ask. "You don't believe it, do you?" he said. This matter was exciting. That day, I was on the night shift at the watchtower. In the middle of the night, I found a prisoner sneaking under the wall. I immediately got excited, knowing that I had really met an innocent ghost today. You don't know, but I've always wanted to f * ck someone for fun. He wanted to have a taste of beating up a living person. I was too excited to see this guy who was planning to escape. I quietly stuck the gun out of the window and aimed it at him. I was very careful and didn't move. I was even more careful than that guy. You don't know the prison rules. You can't shoot an escapee while he's inside the fence. I'm going to wait for my chance. If I make a noise or give a warning, he'll definitely run back. His chance had finally come. He threw a rope and hooked it to the top of the wall. Just as he was about to jump over the wall, I pulled the trigger. With a bang, his head exploded and he fell over the wall. After that, the leader asked me about the situation and asked me why I didn't sound the alarm. I said it was too late. When I found out, he was about to jump over the wall and successfully escaped from prison. I had to take emergency measures. For this, I even won an award and made a contribution.”
I listened and stared at him, feeling extremely disgusted. Was there really such a beast in this world that enjoyed the pain and blood of his own kind? Because of them, the world was so ugly and dirty. This was the mentality of a bloodthirsty beast, but it was even worse. Wild beasts killed their own kind for survival, and this kind of human-skinned beast's method harmed others and did not benefit itself. They were inferior to wild beasts.
I stared at him, trying to see how different his face was from ordinary people.
Seeing that I didn't say anything for a long time, he thought that I was afraid and said,"How is it, young man? Now you know how powerful I am, right? Do you know who I am now? You're still inexperienced compared to me. To live comfortably in this world, one had to be ruthless, thick-skinned, and black-hearted. You can't even protect a woman and let her run away with someone.”He burst into laughter.
I didn't say anything, considering whether I should ask him about it. I haven't forgotten what Shen Qiyou said and have been secretly paying attention to him. On the one hand, there was no evidence. On the other hand, if she laid her cards on the table with him, it would affect the business this time. He couldn't do without him. However, knowing that he was such a person, I couldn't bear the thought that Autumn Goose's death was most likely related to him.
When he was done laughing, I stared at him and asked coldly,"Aren't you afraid that I'll report you when I return to China?”
"What?" He was stunned for a moment before he laughed." Did you take the wrong medicine? Report me? Go report it. Kid, listen up. Since I dare to tell you, can I not be confident? It's been more than twenty years. Who can prove it? Do you think those officials will believe you with just a few words? Let me tell you, they can't be bothered to care about these bad debts. No one cares about things that are many times bigger than this. There had been too many wrongs in history. Who had the patience to care? Besides, if someone really cares, I won't admit it. I'll bite you back and say that you're slandering me. With just the two of us, who is the real Sun Wukong? Even Guan Yin Bodhisattva can't tell. How can their eyes be able to tell?”
"If they can't break it, it doesn't mean that I can't either. Let me ask you, you were the one who told Ma Shucai about the orchids, right?”
He was shocked and looked at my face carefully. My eyes and tone probably shocked him, but then he was so angry that his face turned red."You, you, you're bullshitting! Little bastard, who are you talking to!”
I jumped on him and grabbed his neck. He wanted to turn over and struggle up, but it was impossible."You're the bastard! Listen up, I'll ask you again, did you tell Ma Shucai about the orchid? If there's a single word that isn't true, I'll pinch you to death. Since I dare to pinch you to death, I have the confidence to do so. I told you that you were bitten to death by the golden bamboo darts. Zhao Yijing and the others will testify, don't you think so?”
I let go of his neck and pressed his hands against the bamboo building. I shouted,"Speak!"
He coughed violently and panted for a while before saying,"Little, little, little bastard…"
Anger rushed to my head, and my hands tightened around his fat neck. He struggled desperately and hit my ribs with his hands, but I didn't let go. His face turned red and he tried to pull my hand away, but how could he pull it away? His face gradually turned the color of a pig's liver, and his hands drooped weakly.
I let go of my hand and shouted,"Speak!"”
He panted heavily and gradually regained his expression. He looked at me with hatred, as if he wanted to eat me alive. He already knew that he was no match for me and was afraid that I would pinch him again, but he was unwilling and hesitated…
"You won't tell me, right? Alright!" I pretended to stretch out my hand to pinch my neck.
"I'll talk, I'll talk." He said with a sobbing tone," The orchid incident was actually done by your cousin Shi Tianlin. It has nothing to do with me. He was the one who told Ma Shucai…"
I let go of Zhu 'er after hearing this, but I couldn't make a sound for a long time. According to him, no one else knows my cousin's whereabouts, but he and cousin live in the same room, so he knows. The day our orchids were robbed, cousin disappeared. He didn't even take his afternoon nap. Usually, he would take an afternoon nap. It was very likely that he had gone to report the news.
Zhu 'er's words were flawless. Cousin did take a nap every day. If what he said was true, then this matter was most likely cousin's doing.
Just as she was thinking, Ke Li Tuo and Zhao Yi Jing returned. They said that they had already discussed her with Si Ren and Mo Ba. On the one hand, they had to keep the secret, and on the other hand, they had to be prepared to guard the stronghold. He would leave immediately after Zhu 'er recovered.
"How long will it take for my injuries to heal?”Zhu 'er asked dejectedly, still not recovering from what had just happened.
"A week at most. If you're tough, you'll be able to walk in four or five days.”said Clito.
Everyone chatted for a while before falling asleep.
Due to exhaustion, I soon fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, she was awakened by the fierce mountain wind. She looked at the hazy shadows of the mountains and trees under the moonlight outside the building and listened to the howling wind. Suddenly, I heard the sound of " Ke " mixed in with the wind. It was intermittent, obviously coming from the direction of the swamp…
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]