The old man's explanation was concise and to the point, but there were still many doubts for Chen Xian and the others.
From the reasons given by the old man, it can be seen that the gods of Meishan need sacrifices. Although I don’t know what the so-called sacrifices are, one thing is certain, using sacrifices to worship the gods... This caused a lot of pressure on the old man , and the god's demand for sacrifices is also increasing. According to the old man, if the god is not satisfied, everyone will die.
"Are you sure you're talking about a god?" Chen Xian couldn't help asking, his face full of doubts, "What kind of sacrifices does it want? Livestock? Living people? Or something else?"
The old man smoked silently, and he sighed for a long time before speaking.
"life."
In the old man's next narration, Chen Xian and the others had a general understanding of the god of Meishan.
Rather than saying that it is a god, it is better to say... it is an ancient life that imprisoned Meishan.
It all started when the old people and their ancestors settled in Meishan...
The first group of mountain people who settled in Meishan came to Meishan 400 years ago (about 400 years ago). Meishan at that time was not what it is today. To put it bluntly, being able to live in this remote and primitive mountain is no different from living in a fairyland.
After settling down in Meishan, after decades of reclamation by the mountain people, the ancient village of Meishan first saw its scale. You can see their farmland for planting crops for a few miles along the village... Due to the rich products of Meishan, except for the wild animals in the forest In addition to the animals that can be hunted by the mountain people, there is also a meandering stream in the back mountain, in which there are a large number of cold-water fish.
Relying on mountains to eat mountains, relying on water to eat water.
These mountain people in Meishan Ancient Village are considered to be all.
Without the intrusion of the outside world, without the invasion of war, living in this primitive jungle is like living in a paradise on earth. Unfortunately, this paradise-like life only lasted for less than a hundred years... It was a stormy day. At night, there was strong wind and heavy rain. From that night on, terrible thunderstorms began to ravage Meishan for several days, and a huge landslide occurred on the west peak of Meishan.
It wasn't until the wind stopped and the rain stopped that the mountain people began to go up the mountain to clean up the mess. At this time, everyone discovered... There is an ancient altar on the west peak of Meishan.
Like some kind of religious prayer altar.
"It's a pretty big square. The floor is paved with gold bricks, and there are oil lamps made of blue glass at the four corners. I don't know why... Those oil lamps have been buried in the ground for so many years and have not been extinguished." The old man said. He lowered his head and lit a cigarette again, speaking in a low voice, "There is an entrance in the middle of the square, like an ancient well... There is a spiral staircase inside, and the bottom is always shining with golden light."
According to the old man, those mountain people didn't recognize it as an altar at that time, they all thought it was a treasure place, until they entered the ancient well and went to a strange underground space...they met the god of Meishan.
"I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but I just heard from my ancestors that the god looks like a human, but the skin is dry and shriveled, like the kind of dried corpse that was soaked in a large In the pool…”
Soak in a big pool
Could it be that it is... taking a bath
Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay for a while, only to feel that the god in the old man's mouth sounded wrong, he didn't look like those fairy spirits in the sky, but like an abnormal life that had been sleeping underground for a long time.
"Has that thing communicated with your ancestors?" Lu Yisheng asked curiously.
"Communication?" The old man shook his head and said, "I don't know about this, but I know that since that day, those white fogs have appeared at the foot of Meishan. Those white fogs are not to say that people outside can't get in, people inside us Also don't go out, it's like a cage... We are all locked in this mountain."
When the white mist appeared, the mountain man who could communicate with the gods became the high priest of the ancient Meishan village, and as a matter of course became the village chief, controlling the lifeblood of the entire Meishan village... When he passed away, the mountain man again According to his last words, the newborns in the village were sent to the ancient well, and it is said that they were asked to meet the ancient god.
Six or seven children went there, and six or seven returned.
The seemingly terrifying god did not harm these children, but left a black pattern resembling a birthmark on one of the children, like a talisman map of some kind of religion.
The child with this pattern will be the new priest of Meishan Village.
"Those priests are not human, at least I don't think they are." The old man said, his brows were tightly frowned, "He can speak at the age of one, and he is so old-fashioned that he seems to understand everything, like a ghost in a legend."
"Maybe it is really possessed by a ghost." Chen Xian said.
"Who knows." The old man shook his head and sighed, "Actually, in Meishan, the only people who can enter and leave the white mist at will are these priests. Usually, if the village needs anything, they will go down the mountain to the town in person. purchase."
"Purchasing agent, this is..." Lu Yisheng muttered.
"The white mist should be made by that thing. The reason why it isolates Meishan from the world... What is it for?" Chen Xian couldn't help asking curiously, "Didn't you ask about it?"
"Who dares to ask?" The old man sneered, and seemed to be laughing at himself, his voice became deeper and deeper, "Someone once asked it why Meishan was isolated from the world, and some people disobeyed it before and didn't want to do it again So many living creatures came to worship it, and in the end, these people were all dead... They were torn apart by something like tree roots in the mountain, and the internal organs and water flowed everywhere, and the head was taken by the priest to the altar to be used as a tribute. "
Hearing this, Chen Xian couldn't help frowning, thinking what kind of god is this
Killing someone who doesn't go his way, and suppressing these innocent mountain people with thunder... Isn't this the act of a demon
"What kind of sacrifice does it usually ask you for?" Chen Xian asked.
"Animals." The old man said, raising his hand to gesture, "The bigger the better, give it a deer, it can be stable for several days, if you only give some rabbits and pheasants... Maybe you will ask for more the next day sacrifice."
"If you don't give it, you will die?" Chen Xian asked with a frown.
"Yes." The old man nodded.
At this time, Li Daosheng opened his mouth abruptly and asked in doubt.
"Has that god brought you any definite benefits?"
"Yes, indeed." The old man nodded, but he was obviously not very interested in talking about it, and his mood became a little depressed, "Since it appeared in Meishan, everyone's body in Meishan Village seems to have changed. It has become much stronger than before... You also know that there are all kinds of dangers in this deep mountain forest, miasma, poisonous insects, and poisonous snakes. It is very common to be poisoned by them, but after it appeared, we It seems that all poisons are invulnerable, and I won’t get sick.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Xian immediately became interested, looked at the old man curiously and asked.
"It's more than that?"
The old man took a deep look at Chen Xian and nodded, "We are becoming less and less like normal people."
As he spoke, the old man raised his hand and pressed his shoulder, seeming a little tired.
"There are many old books in our village, and I have read many stories from the outside world... If those stories are not made up, I think I should know what people outside are like." The old man smiled and said , "Weak and weak, just like those small animals in the mountains. Now that I am old, I can still lift a heavy stone pier with one hand. I accidentally fell from the top of the mountain and my head was flattened. I can eat some special herbs. can recover... ”
said the old man, looking up at the pale sky.
"I don't need to eat, drink, or even sleep. I don't think normal people should be like us. I once saw a word in a book. I think it is very appropriate to describe the people in our Meishan Village... Walking dead , what is the difference between our appearance and those ghosts in the book?"
After all, the old man's eyes seemed a little dry, he blinked lightly a few times, and the corners of his eyes gradually turned red.
"I once heard from my ancestors that the sky above our heads is azure blue, and when white clouds float by, it looks as beautiful as a painting... What color is the sky in your place?"