Red County Divine Land.
Great Yan, the fifteenth year of Jianming.
Beimang Mountain.
This mountain stretches over hundreds of miles, with rivers cradling and trees standing in solemn rows, verdant as clouds.
Among the countless towering tomb mounds, packed with the soil of ages, who knows how many princes and generals, famed figures in Green History, are buried.
There are also layers upon layers of Burial Mounds, a result of centuries of wars and plagues, where white bones are piled high and ghostly fires are found everywhere.
Moreover, the forests of the mountain harbored fierce birds and beasts and were frequented by Mountain Spirits and Wild Ghosts.
Since ancient times, this place has been infamous, with the "White Bone Pool" at the foot of the mountain, "Wangren Town" within it, and "No Return Cliff" at its summit.
Even those rough and tumble types, bristling with reckless courage, wouldn't dare to stomp around the mountains on a whim; ordinary folks avoided the area altogether, dreading the mere thought of it.
However.
Nestled at the foot of Beimang Mountain, Ancient Locust Ridge's Daling Village was decidedly an anomaly.
At dusk, the setting sun sunk low, casting dim and indistinct shadows.
Within the central Wang Family ancestral hall in the village, a grand and weird "Corpse Sacrifice" ceremony was drawing to a close.
Amidst the bizarre and haunting sound of sorrowful music.
"Elders offer wine—!"
A fair-skinned youth, about fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in the imposing official uniform of a Dao General, was seated on a cinnabar red altar hung with a "Seated White Tiger Image."
He somewhat dazedly accepted the various fine wines offered up by the jade vessels of the Wang Family clan leader and the elders.
First, he scattered a portion of the wine on the ground to attract the Ghost Gods in the obscurity, then took a sip himself, and placed the rest on the altar beneath his feet.
Incense smoke curling, music and drums noisy, yellow silk fluttering, despite the crowd bustling around, there was a strange sense that lingered—somewhat like the Underworld.
After repeating this ritual nine times, the entire hall was filled with the rich scent of wine, and the fair and handsome youth's cheeks had flushed ever so slightly.
Below the altar.
The Wang Family clan leader, dressed in splendid ceremonial attire yet with a robust and fierce physique like a tiger or leopard, silently heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing that, though the youth's movements were slow, he nonetheless meticulously completed each ritual with due care.
'This boy may be naturally dim-witted, but at least he's obedient.
More than a decade has passed, and even though he is the main branch's primary heir of our ancestor, a prince, he poses no threat to me anymore.
Initially, I just wished to leave you to your own devices, but alas... It's your bad luck, I guess.'
A chilly light flickered in his eyes as he subtly signaled an elder overseeing the ceremony with a glance.
The latter understood, and the "Corpse Sacrifice" ceremony continued.
"Descendants pay homage to the ancestor, the prince! Bow once!"
Under the leadership of the clan leader, hundreds of male Wang Family members of all ages knelt in unison and paid great homage to the youth seated on the altar.
Of course, they were not worshiping the youth himself but rather the inaugural ancestor of the Daling Wang Family, "Prince Huchen," whom the youth was representing.
This youth was the "Corpse" in the "Corpse Sacrifice."
According to the ancient Yan Han custom of sacrifice—a sacrifice must have a "Corpse"!
Here, "Corpse" does not refer to an actual dead body, but rather, to someone who would act out the part of an ancestor or a god during the ritual.
The one playing the "Corpse" is usually a direct descendant of the deceased.
Once chosen as the "Corpse," he represents the ancestor or god during the ceremony, and even if a national sacrifice were being held, the ruler of the nation would also pay respects and offer wine to the "Corpse."
The idiom "to hold a position without fulfilling its duties" comes from this ancient "Corpse Sacrifice" ceremony and is also an example of enjoying the benefits without doing the work.
As the "Corpse Sacrifice" ended, night gradually enveloped the surroundings.
The many members of the Wang Family filed out successively, leaving only a young man holding a food container behind.
After presenting the sumptuous meal to the venerable "Corpse," he dared not utter another word, as if something terrifying awaited him just outside, and he hastily retreated.
His steps were light, and with just a few strides, he vanished outside the ancestral hall, clearly demonstrating his exceptional agility.
Left behind was the bewildered youth who had played the part of the Wang Family ancestor, now sitting alone on the altar, as still as a clay statue or carved wood in the flickering candlelight.
Not until he was sure the last footstep had completely faded into the darkness outside did Wang Yuan's formerly expressionless face suddenly collapse, his eyes regaining their agility as he frantically rubbed his own somewhat stiff cheeks, silently sighing in his heart:
'Fifteen years, do any of you know what I've been through all this time?
If I keep staying here, I'll be done in by this so-called blood kin sooner or later!'
Even though he was alone, he still didn't voice his inner thoughts aloud, for it had become instinctual for him to be extremely cautious.
Since birth, Wang Yuan, the transmigrator, had been fortunate enough not to experience the enigma of gestation.
However, an infant's body is far too frail, hardly a match for a soul that carries the burden of extensive memories through reincarnation.
Hence, for nearly fifteen years, from his infancy to adolescence, his consciousness would sometimes be alert and other times would sink into dormancy.
In those mostly dormant years, he was like a dim-witted child with the intelligence of a three or four-year-old, which became the inherent perception of all the Wang Family clan members, deeply entrenched and unquestioned.
But as he continued to grow, Wang Yuan's main consciousness became increasingly clear for longer periods.
During the "Corpse Sacrifice" ceremony that just took place, the discord between his soul and body from this life had completely dissipated, and his dim-witted state had vanished for good!
At this moment, Wang Yuan was more aware than ever of the imminent and grave danger he was in.
The source of his crisis was none other than the very clan of Daling Wang in Beimang Mountain, the ones who had just knelt before him in worship.
Speaking of the Daling Wang Family, one cannot but mention the Great Yan Dynasty in Red County Divine Land.