paranoianovel Chapter 26 Marking Blood Food!
Chapter 26 Marking Blood Food!
The sun rises!
Dispel the darkness of the night.
The morning light was like fine gold dust.
Old Liu sat hunched over on a low stool in front of the stove, rubbing the rough earthenware bowl in his hand until it shone. The rim of the bowl still retained an almost imperceptible coolness from the clean water that had been in it the night before.
He hadn't slept all night; his eyes were bloodshot, his cheekbones were high, and he had a stubble on his chin.
A faint rustling sound came from the inner room, followed by a low but clear cough from his wife, Zhou Xia.
Liu Laosi suddenly looked up, held his breath, and listened intently.
It was no longer that heart-wrenching, agonizing wail that seemed to rip out all the insides, but a clear sound with phlegm, yet much smoother.
Liu Laosi quietly got up and peered inside through the edge of the curtain.
The rising sunlight streamed through the window, making it easy to see the outline of his wife, Zhou Xia, lying on her side. Although she was still heartbreakingly thin, the ashen pallor that had shrouded her face for days had faded, and her eyes seemed to move slightly beneath her tightly closed eyelids.
His brows were no longer furrowed as before, but relaxed slightly, and the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch, as if he were having a dream that was no longer painful.
"She's alive?"
Liu Laosi took two steps back, leaned against the cold earthen wall, and slowly slid down to sit on the ground. He covered his face with his rough hands, and tears welled up uncontrollably between his fingers.
A surge of immense relief and lingering fear coursed through my chest.
Liu Laosi dared not think too deeply about what would have happened if he had backed down last night.
As dawn broke, Liu Laosi mustered his strength and borrowed half a ladle of millet from his neighbor. He cooked a pot of thin porridge and, holding the bowl, tentatively called to his wife. To his surprise, she responded groggily and even managed to open her eyes, though they were unfocused and weak. This was the first time in several days that she had done so!
Liu Laosi almost burst into tears of joy. He carefully fed his wife a few sips of rice porridge, and seeing that she swallowed slowly but smoothly, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
News of Zhou Xia's improved condition gradually spread.
"Oh dear, fourth brother! Your husband seems to be able to speak again? I vaguely heard him cough this morning, and I thought I misheard! Yesterday, Granny Wang passed by and said she was afraid he wouldn't make it!"
Zhang's wife's eyes scanned Liu Laosi's face several times.
"Perhaps...perhaps the King of Hell hasn't taken her yet, she's just tough and survived."
Liu Laosi's heart tightened, and he could only force a wooden smile onto his face.
"That's truly a blessing from heaven!"
"What method did you use? I heard you went to the stream last night?"
As Zhang's wife spoke, her eyes held a hint of inquiry, and she lowered her voice.
Liu Laosi's back stiffened instantly. He mumbled a few vague words to brush it off and fled back to his own yard. He closed the door, leaned against it, his heart still pounding wildly.
"As expected, someone saw us!"
Liu Laosi was terrified and at a loss, his mind blank, not knowing how to handle the situation.
The news spread silently but quickly throughout the village.
"Fourth brother, you don't look well last night, did you? Did you stumble upon something or get some kind of stroke of luck?"
An elderly widower, living alone and leaning on a cane, "just happened" to come and ask for a bowl of hot water, but his cloudy eyes kept glancing meaningfully at Liu Laosi's face.
"Fourth Uncle, everyone's saying your aunt was saved by that thing on the other side of the river, is that true? What does it look like? Is it scary?"
The blacksmith's son, a boy of about half-grown age, was sent to return the wood-chopping knife he had borrowed earlier. He lingered at the gate for a long time before finally asking in a low voice.
Liu Laosi felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. Like a frightened rabbit, he responded to all probing with silence, shaking his head, and an even more hunched back.
The rumor that Liu Laosi's wife, who was on the verge of death, was brought back to life by "that thing" from Shixi Village spread far and wide in Shanghe Village.
Lu Liang, the village chief of Shanghe Village, sat with a gloomy face in the main room of his brick house, a bowl of strong tea beside him long since gone cold. He had lost face completely because of the incident by the river a few days ago, especially his son Lu Liang, who had been the ringleader and had left in disgrace, greatly damaging his prestige. He was seething with anger.
More importantly, people in the village began to whisper about the dragon god.
This is not a good thing.
"Has Old Liu's illness really improved?"
Lu Liang looked at Wang Miaozhu, who was standing at the lower end with his hands hanging down, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.
Wang Miaozhu was wearing an old Taoist robe that had been washed until it was faded and the cuffs were worn and the threads were showing. His thin face was sunken, but his eyes were unusually lively, and at this moment they were flashing with a light mixed with jealousy, vigilance and a trace of fear.
For nearly twenty years, he had served the sparsely incense-burning, mottled clay statue of the local earth god at the village entrance, and had witnessed many supernatural powers. But everything the dragon god had shown by the river that day, and the changes that had befallen Liu Laosi's family, were like a sharp thorn piercing his heart.
I'm currently living off the offerings from the village!
If the people of Shanghe Village all believe in the Jiao Shen (a mythical dragon god) and not in the local earth god they serve, won't they starve to death?
"village head!"
"Absolutely true. I happened to pass by this morning and caught a glimpse. The woman was sitting in her courtyard, and her complexion had improved; she was no longer as deathly pale as she had been a few days ago. Liu Laosi himself, though looking frightened, also seemed to have survived a calamity."
Wang Miaozhu's voice was dry, carrying a deliberately suppressed sinister tone.
"Village chief, this is no ordinary matter! The woman is terminally ill, and medicine is ineffective. How can it be explained simply by her 'tough luck'?"
"It must be the work of evil spirits!"
Wang Miaozhu paused, made up his mind, lowered his voice even further, and spoke with an inciteful and persuasive tone.
"Oh? In your opinion, what kind of evil spirit is it?"
Lü Liang tapped his fingers on the table.
"That dragon god of Shixi Village just displayed its ferocity the day before yesterday, intimidating all directions, and then it turned around and saved Liu Laosi's family? How can there be such a merciful demon in the world?"
"In my humble opinion, this is not a rescue, but a marking!"
A glint flashed in Wang Miaozhu's eyes. He took half a step forward, almost whispering in Lü Liang's ear, and uttered words filled with cold malice.
"mark?"
Lü Liang raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly!"
The temple keeper spoke with absolute certainty, his face displaying a look of terror.
"Ancient books record that mountain demons and monsters who practice evil magic often lure people with small benefits, such as curing diseases or giving money. When the recipients are relaxed and sincerely grateful, the demons secretly plant a mark on them."
"They see it as blood, a medicinal ingredient! They may appear normal on ordinary days, even radiant, but this is merely a temporary illusion of being nourished by demonic power. Once the time is right, they will seize the essence, blood, and soul to aid in the user's cultivation!"
"Liu Laosi's wife was the first medicinal ingredient chosen by that demon god! Her improved condition is a sign that the demon seal has begun to draw life force from her! The dark aura appearing on her forehead and the flickering light in her eyes are clear evidence of this."
Wang Miaozhu took a breath, noticing Lü Liang's increasingly serious expression, and continued to add fuel to the fire. His explanation cleverly incorporated many rural tales and legends, twisting the treatment into a more terrifying act of captivity, precisely striking at the deepest fears of ordinary people regarding unknown forces—it was sure to attract Lü Liang's attention.
Lu Liang felt a chill run down his spine, but immediately realized this was a good opportunity.
The villagers have been talking about how their son, Lü Pangkun, was so frightened by the dragon god that he wet himself. They are very angry, and some of them are secretly resentful of him.
This is a great opportunity.
By completely nailing Shixi Village and that dragon god to the pillar of evil, not only can the previous day's failure be explained, but the people's hearts can also be united and one's prestige consolidated.
Lu Liang's eyes darted around a few times, and an idea popped into his head.