Cthulhu

1

Yancheng is five or six thousand miles away from the capital, and is close to the northwest border. It is famous for its bitter cold. Snow has already fallen before winter begins, and everything you look around is covered in white snow.

Less than twenty miles out of Yancheng, at the foot of Jiuqiao Village, a gray-haired woman was standing in the middle of the snow, holding a rooster in her hand and mumbling something.

After an unknown amount of time, the cock that was still struggling desperately in the mother-in-law's hand suddenly stiffened, and drops of blood slowly seeped out from the corners of the mouth, falling on the snow to form strange lines.

A cold wind blew, carrying broken snow, and the woods in the distance were dark and dark. Several people who were waiting for the ceremony to end shivered.

Pan Cheng, who was responsible for carrying the wedding sedan, couldn't help but rub his arms and lowered his voice to the people around him.

"Didn't we agree that Shen Miaozhu will be responsible for today's sacrifice? Why did we change to such a strange woman?"

"Keep your voice down," Shi Jun, who was also responsible for carrying the sedan, pulled him aside. "This is Chama who was specially invited by Li Zheng from outside. He can communicate with ghosts and gods and has great powers. Don't talk nonsense."

"Chama?" Pan Cheng was stunned.

"Chama" is a Qiangwu language, which means a person who can communicate with ghosts and gods.

Qiangwu is a country close to the Dacheng border. It fought a war with Dacheng twenty years ago. After the defeat, the imperial court split. The remaining tribes moved north as a whole and rarely appeared near Yancheng.

Although Qiangwu was destroyed, because the two sides were too close, many customs from the opposite side were still passed down, such as water sacrifices in July and the Hundred Flowers Ghost Festival.

The "Kama" woman who can understand ghost language is one of the things left by the old Qiangwu in the past.

On weekdays in the village, if a child cries at night, his parents will threaten him, saying that if you don't sleep, Madam Chama will recruit little ghosts to eat you.

"That's not right," Pan Cheng suddenly realized and his heart skipped a beat, "Didn't Qiangwu worship the fierce god in the past? Why did Li Zheng invite a Chama to preside over the sacrifice of the mountain god?"

"So..." Shi Jun smiled bitterly, and the expression on his face was self-evident.

So today's sacrifice is not dedicated to the mountain god at all.

A chill rose behind him, and Pan Cheng subconsciously looked at the small sedan not far away that he and Shi Jun carried down the mountain by hand. The curtain covering it was blown up by the wind, revealing the handsome young man inside.

The young man was wearing a wedding dress, his eyes were closed, and his outline still showed a little childishness. He seemed not to know the situation he was about to face, and he just fell asleep in the wedding sedan.

The ceremony went very quickly. For a moment, Mrs. Khama stopped moving and stood there muttering something.

The old man who had been standing by the side waved to Pan Cheng and motioned for the two of them to come over and carry the sedan.

The old man's name is Xing Fulin, and he is the leader of Jiuqiao Village.

Regardless of his sympathy for the young man, Pan Cheng quickly nodded in agreement, half-knelt on the ground, and Shi Jun and he carried the wedding sedan carried by them on their shoulders.