After dawn, the village stirred. Before A'li and I could get any rest, we were summoned by people sent by the village chief to his doorstep. The big狸猫s were gathered, discussing animatedly.
"What's happening so early in the morning?"
"I heard something big happened."
"It seems the village chief has called us."
Someone must have spread the word, for the 狸猫s had arrived at the village chief's house early. The chief stood before them, his expression grave. Once the crowd quieted down, he spoke, "Today, we need to select thirty men and thirty women to prepare the sacrificial items. The rest will continue repairing the houses. Is anyone willing to step forward?"
Silence fell for five minutes, yet no one moved. I guessed that no one was willing to put their heart into such a pointless ritual, as no one wanted to exert themselves for the mountain god again. However, in the next moment.
A burly man emerged from the crowd, exclaiming, "I will!"
This burly man was Datou, responsible for the village's protection. With his lead, thirty men and thirty women from the 狸猫s gradually stepped forward.
"Very good. Those who have stepped forward, please remain. The rest may disperse." The village chief took out a stack of knotted grass and handed it to the 狸猫s in front, instructing them to distribute it.
He then said, "Men and women, form two lines and follow me inside."
A'li and I had been called to wait in the back mountain earlier. After a while, we saw a formidable procession approaching. In the dim light of the night, I vaguely saw two dark spots moving at the front of the group. As they drew closer, I realized it was the village chief and the elder. A doubt crept into my mind, "Are they really that small?"
"Hurry up and follow!" the elder called out.
I snapped back to reality from my reverie and quickly followed the procession.
The elder led us to Jingxin Lake. He squatted down and fumbled along the lakeside, finally finding a stone platform half a foot high. He then took out a red gem from his embrace and placed it in the center of the platform. The red gem shot a red line directly towards the opposite side of the lake. Instantly, the lake's surface churned, and then it parted in two, revealing a set of grayish-blue steps.
The elder addressed everyone, "Everyone, follow me."
With that, he led us down the steps to the bottom of the water. We walked through the long watery path before us and arrived at a cave. Entering from there, we saw a peculiar sight.
The cave's ceiling had an opening, a heavenly eye. Directly beneath the heavenly eye was a pool of living water. Lotus leaves floated in the pool, resembling a small viewing pond.
The cave walls were covered with stone grottoes of various sizes, each containing a dark pottery jar.
As everyone marveled, the elder clasped his hands in reverence, bowed solemnly, and respectfully addressed the front, "Esteemed ancestors, we disturb you today for a matter of grave importance to the survival of the 狸猫s."
As soon as he finished speaking, five white-bearded old 狸猫s emerged from the darkness. The leading old 狸猫 held a red-knobbed cane, from which hung five colorful cloth bags.
The crowd looked closely and suddenly cried out in surprise, "Fifth Generation Elders!"
"Sixth Generation Elders, we are aware of your intentions. Please explain your thoughts to us in detail," one of the Fifth Generation Elders said.
"Yes." Thus, the Sixth Generation Elders explained the entire matter, from beginning to end, to the Fifth Generation Elders.
After hearing the whole process, the Fifth Generation Elders did not ask many questions. The leading elder asked casually, "How many years has it been since we made our last decision?"
"150 years," the Sixth Generation Elder replied.
The Sixth Generation Elder took a deep breath, a flicker of light appearing in his cloudy eyes. Then, he slowly spoke, "150 years. Chang Ye has occupied this place for a full 150 years. It should be time, shouldn't it?"
The one among the Fifth Generation Elders who seemed unremarkable, referred to by the leader as Chang Ye, counted on his fingers and then said, "It is indeed time."
What secrets were these old men hiding? Were there other interests involved?
As I was pondering, they seemed to notice me. Their eyes showed surprise, and then they asked, "And who is this?"
The village chief replied, "This young lady came to the village with A'li a few days ago."
Elder Chang Ye stroked his white beard, walked two steps forward, and sniffed, as if confirming his thoughts. He then slowly said, "Are you human?"
Everyone was greatly surprised, as no one had ever heard of humans before.
The leader of the Fifth Generation Elders looked at me, and in a daze, his childhood experiences and youthful encounters flashed through his mind.
He walked forward and slowly recounted his wondrous experience to everyone. "Speaking of which, I also had a connection with humans. It was probably when I was young. The 狸猫 village was even larger than it is now, it could be considered a great village. One day, a wandering master came to the 狸猫 village. Seeing that it was quiet, secluded, and the people were simple, he often came to the village to preach. Everyone found it novel and often went to listen to his explanations of Buddhist teachings.
One time, I was punished by my mother for doing something wrong. I was young and hot-headed, and in a fit of anger, I ran out of the house. I happened to meet the master on the way.
The master saw me alone, his face kind, and he pulled me over, saying, 'You have a connection with me.'
He then began to tell me about his experiences. He said that besides the otherworldly realms, there was another mysterious world – the human world.
In the human world lived humans. Humans are extremely intelligent animals. They not only understand astronomy and geography but also know the past and future. They can create heavens and earth, and create antiquity and establish modernity. They have a common title – humans.
After that, he took out a painting from his sleeve and spread it out for me to see."
Saying this, he took out a small bottle from his back and poured the painting out. As the scroll landed in his palm, it instantly returned to its original size. He then tossed it into the air, fixing it in mid-air. It slowly unrolled, revealing the picture within. To everyone's astonished gaze, I slowly looked and saw that the painting was of an empress.
The person in the painting sat upright on a dragon throne, wearing a crown and a yellow robe embroidered with dragons. Her face was round, her eyes sharp, and even in the painting, she exuded a majestic and solemn imperial aura.
Looking at the bottom left corner, a clear inscription read, "Tian Shou First Year." Tian Shou First Year? Wasn't that when Wu Zetian declared herself empress?
The Fifth Generation Elder continued, "The master said that the person in the painting is the unparalleled, eternal first empress of heaven and earth. He had the good fortune to meet her once and painted her. Later, as he traveled, he felt a connection with me and gave me this painting, entrusting me to give it to the first person I met. It seems that person is you."
Saying this, he took out a palm-sized brocade pouch, put the painting back in, shrinking it down, and placed it in the pouch. He then slowly said, "Now, you are the first person I have met, so I will give you this painting."
Everything happened too suddenly. I hadn't even prepared myself, nor had I spoken a word. He gently blew, and the brocade pouch floated over and landed in my hand.
After a moment of surprise, I reacted and quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Elder. Thank you, Elder."
However, what followed was even more unexpected. They were going to hold a vote.
The Fifth Generation Elder cleared his throat and said to the 狸猫s before him, "Next is the voting session. Those who support overthrowing the mountain god, stand on the left. Those who oppose, stand on the right."
The 狸猫s immediately became agitated, and various arguments arose. "Although the mountain god isn't very good to us, without him, we lose our protection."
"The mountain god burns, kills, and plunders. He is capricious and loves to cause trouble. I've had enough. We must fight."
"I still have my family, old and young. What will happen to them if there's a fight?"
Finally, after heated debate, the 狸猫s made their choice. Most of the 狸猫s supported fighting, while a small portion opposed it. Those who opposed would stay in the village to provide logistical support, while those who supported would participate in the battle.
Once everything was decided, the leader of the Fifth Generation Elders said, "Alright, since most people agree to fight, let us rise up and resist. As for the combat strategy, it will be decided by the Sixth Generation Elder and the village chief."
With that, they slowly turned and walked back into the darkness. The Sixth Generation Elder turned to everyone and said, "Since resistance has been decided, let Miss Muye tell us the specific combat strategy."
Everyone was slightly stunned and whispered in confusion, "Why her?"
"Can she do it?"
Seeing everyone arguing, the village chief spoke, "Quiet, everyone, quiet! Let's hear what Miss Muye has to say."
Hearing the village chief's words, everyone finally calmed down.
I walked out from the group of 狸猫s and stood at the forefront. Everyone looked at me with expectant eyes. Although I was a bit nervous, I mustered my courage and said, "I am honored that the village chief and the elders trust me. I will now share my thoughts with everyone. As the saying goes, know yourself and your enemy, and you shall win a hundred battles. Therefore, to defeat your enemy, you must first understand him.
The mountain god of South Mountain's greatest enemy is the Golden Roc to the west. The Golden Roc has long wanted to occupy South Mountain. Therefore, we can use the conflict between the Golden Roc and the mountain god to defeat him. However, someone needs to go and mediate for the Golden Roc to cooperate with us. I wonder who is willing to go."
At this point, everyone began to discuss again, "I heard the Golden Roc is even more cruel than the mountain god. I don't dare to go."
"I don't dare to go either. I heard they love to eat 狸猫s the most."
"Who would dare to go?"
After a period of discussion, no one dared to step forward. At this critical moment, A'li volunteered, "I'll go. I can do it."
Hearing A'li speak, everyone quieted down and turned their gaze to him. I also wanted to use this opportunity to change everyone's impression of A'li, to let everyone know that he is a brave 狸猫.
So I said, "Alright, then A'li will go. Everyone, go back and prepare. As soon as A'li gets a reply from the Golden Roc and sets the date for battle, we will all attack the summit of South Mountain and drive away the mountain god."
Hearing this, all the 狸猫s cheered excitedly, shouting, "Good! Good! Good!"
If they could drive away the mountain god, they would no longer be oppressed by anyone, and they would live good lives. Thinking of this, the 狸猫s joined hands and cheered.
The village chief said to everyone, "Alright, alright. Let's all go back and wait for A'li's news."
The 狸猫s replied in unison, "Yes," and one by one, they turned and left Guiyue Cave. The few of us also walked out of Guiyue Cave with everyone and went to the village chief's house.
Upon arriving at the village chief's house, he closed the door and led A'li and me to the inner room. He asked A'li, "A'li, when do you plan to go?"
A'li replied without hesitation, "I'll go now."
"Now?"
"Yes, I want to help everyone as soon as possible."
I shook my head and thought for him, "No, no. If you go out now, you'll definitely be suspected by the black bears. I think it would be better if you go tomorrow."
The village chief thought my words had some merit and also persuaded him, "Then listen to Miss Muye and go tomorrow."
Since Muye and the village chief said so, A'li couldn't say much more and had to agree, responding with a "Okay."
"Then you two will stay here tonight."
I still felt it wasn't appropriate and told him, "No, if A'li leaves from here tomorrow and doesn't return, and the black bears see it, they will cause trouble for you again. A'li and I will go back to sleep."
"That's fine too. It's getting late, you should go back."
"Okay."
After bidding farewell to the village chief, we walked out of his house and headed forward. I then remembered to ask A'li about his home, "A'li, where is your home?"
"My home is in the village."
"I mean your house."
He smiled awkwardly, "After my parents passed away, the house was destroyed. I've been lodging with others, so I don't have a house."
I was surprised, "Ah! Then won't we have to sleep in the woods tonight?"
He chuckled, "That's not necessary. We can sleep in the cellar."
"The cellar again."
Although I was very helpless, it seemed there was nowhere else to go but the woods. There was no choice but to go to the cellar.
So, I followed him to the cellar and found a corner to make do for the night.
The next morning, a strong ray of light penetrated from the cellar entrance. I slightly opened my eyes and found the cellar wide open. A'li was nowhere to be seen. Only a green leaf was left on me.
I picked up the leaf and saw written on it: "I will definitely complete the mission. I've already washed two sweet potatoes for you, remember to eat them."
My heart warmed, and I smiled slightly, "I didn't expect this kid to be so thoughtful."
Then, I looked down and saw the two washed raw sweet potatoes and unceremoniously began to gnaw on them.
A'li, carrying a basket, walked towards the mountain. He circled through the woods, picked a few fruits, and then slowly walked westward. A noisy buzzing sound constantly came from the sky. He knew the black bears were hovering in the sky, so he had to be careful.
Then, he gradually walked westward. A black bear spotted him moving west and quickly flew down from the sky. It flew in front of him and flapped its wings vigorously, making a noisy buzzing sound to warn him not to go further west.
A'li pretended to suddenly realize what he was doing and turned away. When the buzzing sound faded, he turned back and ran westward.
Seeing this, the black bears in the sky flew down one after another, intending to drive him back. A'li immediately transformed into a short and fat 狸猫, abandoned his basket, and ran forward.
The black bears chased him from behind. With a dive, one was about to sting him into a hornet's nest. A'li quickly curled up and rolled forward.
The black bears simultaneously bared their stingers and sprayed their tail spines at him. A'li casually picked up a withered leaf, transformed it into an oil-paper umbrella, carried it on his shoulder, and ran while turning the umbrella to block the black bears' attacks.
Soon, the entire umbrella was pierced with large holes. A'li quickly discarded the umbrella, sucked in a breath, turned into a ball, and spat it towards them. Instantly, his entire body flew out like a deflated balloon.