Luo Yu'an regretted it as soon as he dived into the "quilt" made of red silk threads.
She belatedly realized what these red lines were made of. Her body instantly stiffened like a stone, and she remained prone with her back hunched, not daring to move.
What made her feel even more stiff was that her hands and head seemed to touch another body in the red cocoon. The feeling of being close to a cold object was so vivid that she could hardly breathe and her heart almost stopped beating.
Before she could scare herself to death, the innermost layer of curtain had been pulled open, revealing the sunlight, making the surroundings bright.
Two old ladies came in holding incense sticks. They lit the incense sticks on the outermost layer, knelt down devoutly, prostrated themselves, and knocked their heads to the ground. Their tone was extremely worried and cautious, "Ujigami, you only slept for such a short time this time. Is it because of the sacrifice that you were unable to fully recover?"
After a period of silence, Luo Yu'an heard a voice coming from very close to her head.
“It certainly didn’t recover.”
The sound is like a secret flowing spring, soft and slow.
With this response, Luo Yu'an felt the god beside him move, as if he sat up, so he inevitably touched her as well. Luo Yu'an only felt the light sleeve brushing against his cheek, and his scalp tingled instantly, probably because of the psychological trauma he had from the white sleeves that night.
The god seemed to pause when he found a foreign object beside him, but then he stood up from the overlapping red silk threads as if nothing had happened. He sat in the middle, like a real god in the shrine, so that the two women outside did not dare to look up and look directly at him.
"It's all because of the negligence of the Qin family members who were responsible for the sacrifice this time. They will all receive the punishment they deserve."
"It is our fault that we failed to restore you to your full potential. Please punish us."
The two elderly ladies were shaking with remorse and self-blame. In the midst of his shock, Luo Yu'an heard their hoarse voices and thought they seemed to be crying.
"It's a minor punishment but a severe warning, and it won't happen again." The soft and slow voice sounded again, instantly dispelling the haze in people's hearts.
Regardless of the reaction of the two elderly women outside, Luo Yu'an had naturally relaxed. This was really a strange thing, because she was leaning on the back of a man-eating god, so she should be afraid no matter how she thought about it. But she seemed to be confused, and she didn't even hear the brief conversation that followed clearly. She only found that the two women retreated.
She still lay there motionless, but the god in front of her moved away, and a hand stretched out from her white sleeves. The hand was as pale as snow and as cold as frost, and it brushed away the red lines on her face.
A few nights ago, she was almost eaten by this god, but at that time his movements were very strange, but now, he looks more like a human being.
He looked like a boy of seventeen or eighteen, about the same age as her sister. Under his long black hair was an outstanding young face. He seemed to be a smiling statue that had been placed in a shrine for a thousand years, maintaining an unchanging appearance. The lingering smoke made his eyes look calm, and when he stared at her, it was as if he was staring at the world.
Luo Yu'an looked at him blankly, feeling that he saw many vague and chaotic things, but he didn't see a "human". Even though he had a human appearance, those eyes gave people a "non-human" feeling.
The statue on the platform came alive, sat beside her, and asked her in a gentle voice with a smile: "Why are you lying here?"
The red threads that had piled up into a ball automatically and consciously moved into his two wide, spread sleeves.
"I, I am..." Luo Yu'an climbed up and lowered his head awkwardly, not daring to look directly at this god who inexplicably exuded a majestic aura, "I seem to be... a sacrifice."
"I see." He spoke slowly and his tone was calm without any disturbance.
Luo Yu'an listened to these gentle words, and infinite hope surged in her heart. She begged, "If you are God, can you please let me leave safely?"
Ujigami still asked her with a smile: "Have you ever killed anyone?"
Luo Yu'an said without hiding anything, "Yes."
Ujigami: "Everyone has evil in their hearts, but 'evil' only gathers in the body after hurting others. No matter what the reason, killing someone is enough evil for me to consume. But you are a little different."
Luo Yu'an was confused: "I don't know." Before coming here, she had never thought that there would still be gods in this world.
The god smiled at her and shook his head slightly, not knowing what he meant. Luo Yu'an wanted to say something, but saw two old ladies coming again, bringing a group of people in white clothes, holding offerings and light red incense sticks.
No one dared to look directly at the clan god in the center of the shrine, and naturally no one saw Luo Yu'an hiding behind the clan god. For some reason, the clan god did not take the initiative to expose Luo Yu'an's existence. They replaced the offerings, lit the incense sticks, kowtowed to the clan god skillfully, and then retreated quickly and orderly.
The shrine was filled with smoke. The clan god, who was subconsciously used as a shield by Luo Yu'an, looked at the smoke, gathered his sleeves and walked out... floated out of the shrine. His hair was slightly spread out, as if being pulled by an invisible wind, and so were his sleeves, making people dare not get too close. Luo Yu'an was stunned for a moment, followed him not far away, and followed him around like a tail, "Are you... holding a ceremony?"
Ujigami replied kindly, "I just came out for a walk to get some fresh air. The smoke is a bit choking."
Luo Yu'an had never expected this answer and was stunned. Taking a walk? It was clearly done by floating, and the smoke... choked people? Although the smoke was indeed a bit choking, how could a god dislike the choking smoke
"Then, put out the cigarette?" She asked subconsciously as if she was facing her sister.
Ujigami: "No, the smoke is used to repel mosquitoes. If it is extinguished, there will be more mosquitoes at night."
When Luo Yu'an heard this answer, he was confused and dazed again. Repel...mosquitoes
Ujigami chuckled and said, "I was just kidding. That is a special incense. I have to light it every day as long as I am awake."
For a moment, Luo Yu'an felt that Shi Shen seemed like a slightly naughty old man, completely different from his overly young face and completely different from her previous imagination.
Her stomach suddenly growled twice, making a roar of hunger.
Ujigami sighed, "Yes, ordinary people need food every day."
Luo Yu'an lowered his head and said, "I stole your offerings before."
Ujigami: "It's nothing. It's a waste to leave those offerings there. I can't eat them."
Luo Yu'an asked quietly, "Can I get some more offerings to eat?"
Ujigami: “No.”
Luo Yu'an: "...?"
Ujigami: "As I remember, mortals should eat grains. It doesn't seem right to just eat those offerings." As he spoke, he raised one hand with a smile and let his sleeves hang in front of her, looking a bit bright and youthful.
Luo Yu'an was unable to react to what he meant for a moment, and he put his hands down and looked at his sleeves.
Ujigami: "Catch it."
Luo Yu'an tremblingly grasped the soft "killing weapon" and followed Shi Shen to the exit of the yard. Shi Shen floated out normally, and she was forced to follow him and walk out quickly. There were indeed many people guarding outside the yard, all of them with serious expressions, wearing ancient clothes that were completely different from modern customs, and with guns stuck on their waists. Seeing these people, Luo Yu'an became nervous and tightened her sleeves.
But she soon discovered that these people ignored her and Ujigami and looked away.
Luo Yu'an followed the footsteps of the clan god, looked back at the guards who were motionless like statues, walked to a courtyard outside, and saw the two old ladies who called themselves clan daughters. They were kneeling in front of many tablets with several young women, chanting some unknown song. They kowtowed while chanting, as if they were teaching some etiquette. The clan god led Luo Yu'an past them, and their expressions did not change at all.
They probably really couldn't see them.
It turned out that there were so many people in this large courtyard. When she came here before, she didn't see anyone and thought there were only the two old ladies. The courtyard during the day and the courtyard at night were like two different worlds.
"arrive."
Luo Yu'an saw a kitchen and a canteen that looked like a restaurant. Although the exterior was an ancient building, modern machines and equipment could still be seen inside. It was a bit confusing to walk in.
"People are enjoying their food here." Ujigami introduced it to her, like a thoughtful and polite host entertaining guests.
Luo Yu'an saw a lot of food placed on clean plates waiting for people to take them. She hadn't eaten a normal meal for several days, and the food was so fragrant that she couldn't help swallowing her saliva.
Shi Shen raised his hand with a smile, and Luo Yu'an took a disposable bowl and chopsticks and tried to get the food. She didn't dare to let go of her sleeves, for fear that her figure would be seen by the chefs cooking not far away.
Seeing that Luo Yu'an was still hesitant to take action, Shi Shen suggested, "Why not try this."
He pointed at a dish of duck meat with a rich sauce flavor, and Luo Yu'an obediently picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
Ujigami asked her in a gentle and slightly curious tone: "How is it? What does it taste like?"
Although it was delicious, Luo Yu'an didn't know what words to use to describe it, so he just described it dryly, "It's the taste of meat."
Ujigami sighed: "The taste of meat... doesn't sound very good."
Miraculously, Luo Yu'an instantly understood what he meant. Thinking of what she saw that night, she suddenly felt that the delicious meat in her mouth was a little disgusting, but she did not dare to spit it out and swallowed the meat in her mouth with strength.
But she didn't dare to eat meat anymore. Fortunately, Shishen didn't keep persuading her to eat meat. He looked at the food with interest, and from time to time suggested that she eat a certain kind, and then asked about the taste. It was as if he couldn't eat it himself, so he could only watch others eat, and then ask about the taste and imagine it himself.
After trying a small cat-shaped bread again at his suggestion, Luo Yu'an asked vaguely, "Can't you eat these?"
Ujigami: “No.”
Luo Yu'an wanted to ask what would happen if he ate it, but then he remembered the day when the shikigami bit him and ended up lying on the ground and vomiting, so he closed his mouth silently.
After eating, she grabbed Ujigami's sleeve and left. Seeing the corridor she came from, she couldn't help but look at it several times and asked, "Can I leave here?"
Still in the appearance of a peaceful exchange, Ujigami replied, "You will stay here for a while."
Luo Yu'an understood what he meant, and her eyes lit up. This was already countless times better than she had expected. The God had no intention of killing her. Perhaps after a while, she would be able to leave here safely. As long as she could leave alive, it would be fine. She had one more thing she had to do.
The clan god spent most of his time in the shrine, like a boring statue, while the two clan women came three times a day to burn incense, kowtow and pray. As for other people, they were not allowed to approach the shrine unless they had something to do, and they were not even allowed to enter the yard.
When two old ladies came to pray, Luo Yu'an hid behind the clan god. In fact, she was a little confused. As a god revered by everyone here, why didn't the clan god directly tell these people about her existence? Instead, she made it seem like she was secretly raising wild animals behind her family's back
After the two clan women leave, the clan god will come out of the shrine. He will go to the bush of red camellia and look at the flowers quietly with a smile.
Luo Yu'an walked closer to him and asked her questions. Shi Shen smiled and said nothing, so she didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Seeing that he was looking at the red camellia and seemed to like it very much, Luo Yu'an walked to the shrine, took out a piece of red paper from the ones wrapped around the incense sticks, and folded it skillfully with his fingers, and soon folded out a camellia.
Ujigami looked at the origami camellia that was brought to him and glanced at Luo Yu'an several times.
Feeling uneasy at the look, Luo Yu'an asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Ujigami picked up the paper camellia, pondered for a moment, and smiled, "I have never received such an offering."
Luo Yu'an: "It's not an offering, it's a gift for you." Although she felt a little ashamed, she wanted to please the god so that he would let her go as soon as possible.
Ujigami: “I see.”
However, no one dared to give gifts to a clan god. This was probably the courage of the ignorant.