While my master and I were wandering around the dilapidated house in the village, covered in spider webs, a small truck suddenly lost control on the straight road outside the village and plunged into the rice field, injuring many.
It would take a long time for the ambulance from the city to arrive, so the injured were first treated at Old Fan's clinic. Amidst the chaos, Grandma Shengyu suddenly started shaking violently, jumping and singing, and then claimed that I had offended the Tree God. She said that Ah Tong's death and the recent truck accident were warnings, and that a grand sacrifice must be made again. I had to personally kowtow and apologize to appease the Tree God's anger, otherwise the whole village would suffer.
At this point, those who believed her took her words as a divine command and immediately started preparing. Those who didn't see through her true colors, realizing she was spreading superstition to gather wealth and fame in the name of the gods. Unfortunately, the series of strange and tragic incidents had led over 80% of the villagers to support her, and those who opposed her didn't dare to speak up.
What was even more inconceivable was that the village officials personally led people to "arrest" me, demanding that I kowtow and apologize, and that I should bear the cost of this grand sacrifice. My attempts to argue were futile, and my master and I were forcibly dragged to the three large camphor trees, where hundreds of people had gathered. The scene was illuminated by candlelight, with incense smoke swirling and a steady stream of offerings being brought in, including whole cows, pigs, and sheep.
If I were to bear the cost of this grand sacrifice, I would be left destitute.
The majority glared at me with anger, but fortunately, no one threw eggs at me, as eggs were still quite valuable in the countryside. Eventually, my master and I were pushed in front of Grandma Shengyu. She narrowed her eyes, her face unable to hide her gloating, and that sinister smile sent chills down my spine.
"It's him, it's him! He wounded the Tree God and brought an outsider monster with him. All the bad things are his doing; he is the sinner!" Grandma Shengyu suddenly jumped up, pointed at me exaggeratedly and screamed loudly.
The crowd burst into an uproar, cursing and yelling. In the face of this chaos, I somehow found myself calming down. As the noise subsided slightly, I shouted above the din, "Listen to me, everyone! It's true that my family cut branches from the camphor trees. If the Tree God is indeed angry, then the punishment should fall on me. Why is it that I'm unharmed while others suffer?"
Some people began to come to their senses, nodding in agreement as I continued, "If these three large trees are the protectors of our village, they should ensure our safety. Why, then, would they bring harm and even death to the innocent? Only evil spirits cause harm; true gods would never hurt anyone."
Grandma Shengyu shrieked, "He's lying! All the misfortunes in our village are caused by the monster he brought. He's too tough to die, but he's harming others!"
I drowned out the clamor with a louder voice and said, 'All of this is because her son stole my chicken and I beat him up. She has been spreading rumors and harming people in retaliation for me. Can't you see that? That's the real reason, that's the truth!'
Shengyu Grandma shouted, "Strange things only started happening after he returned. That's the evidence! He came back looking like a dead man, that's the demon possessing him. Now the demon has awakened and left his body, starting to harm people!"
I hadn't expected the old witch to be so quick-witted and eloquent. I immediately retorted, "Nonsense! You keep saying it's the tree god's anger causing harm, so we need to sacrifice to the tree god. Now you're saying there's a demon on me. You're inconsistent, proving that everything you say is a lie. I am a grown man, a people's teacher, with no connection to ghosts or gods. It's you, the old witch, who's playing tricks, pretending to be possessed by a demon, and now you're trying to frame me. If you have the guts, ask your gods to show themselves to everyone. Are you brave enough to do that?"
Shengyu Grandma launched into a stream of foul language, claiming that my master's magic saving me was the best proof. Many people had heard my grandmother gossip about the demon fox on me.
My grandmother, like most of the elderly in the village, loved gossip, and she had vividly described to many friends how my master saved me. I never expected this to become Shengyu Grandma's evidence. I've always been good with words, and I'm not afraid of facing shrews or fierce women. In my argument with Shengyu Grandma, my strongest point was that her son stole my chicken and I punished him, so she was taking revenge.
This kind of argument and verbal abuse seemed like it would never end. The villagers gathered in layers, their eyes darting back and forth, seemingly convinced by my words, but then they would change their minds as soon as Shengyu Grandma spoke. They were unsure who to believe. However, one thing was certain: I was the first man in the village's history to argue with Shengyu Grandma and not be at a disadvantage. Even my mother and my master were unaware of my ability to stand up to her.
Afterward, my master commented, "If I had known you were such a good debater, I wouldn't have held back for so long. I would have confronted her at her house from the beginning!"
Come on, what's so impressive about arguing with a shrew?
As I was arguing with Shengyu Grandma, the sky grew dark, and it was overcast. Suddenly, a group of unwelcome guests pushed through the crowd and entered the scene. It was Fan Qiang leading a bunch of ruffians from the Butterfly Gang. It turned out that he had heard about the fierce argument between me and his mother, and it looked like a fight was about to break out, so he hurriedly brought a group of people to help.
My eyes suddenly lit up, an opportunity has come! I pointed at Fan Qiang and shouted loudly, "Fan Qiang, you are the leader of the Butterfly Gang (the leader of our village's branch) and a celebrity in the village. You dare to be a brave man. Let me make it clear here, did your mother use evil methods to kill Ah Tong
Fan Qiang was taken aback, and Sheng Yupo's face immediately changed drastically. Before she could speak, I shouted again, "You've made a blood oath. If you lie, the whole family will die a miserable death
Fan Qiang's face turned red, with veins bulging on his forehead. He had a strong sense of oath and loyalty, and had always had a big opinion of his mother, especially when Sheng Yupo killed Ah Tong, which made him irresponsible both inside and outside. He hated his mother to the extreme. But when he saw his mother's pale, frightened, and even desperate face, and her graying hair, his heart softened again. After all, it was his mother, how could he point his finger at her?
Hundreds of people were so tense they seemed to freeze in place. If Fan Qiang confessed that it was his mother who caused A Tong's death, that would be the decisive proof, rendering all other arguments moot. But would he speak up? I, too, was waiting anxiously.
Fan Qiang's face changed a few times, and he suddenly cursed loudly, "You bird hair, there are no immortals in this world. It's all you courtesans who keep pretending to be gods and playing tricks. Just light a bird hair fragrance, get out of here, get out of here
I spoke coldly, "You dare not speak, and not speaking is as good as admitting!"
Fan Qiang was furious: "I'll prove to you that there are no immortals, no magic in this world that can kill people!" With that, he picked up his knife and rushed towards the large camphor tree, raising his knife to chop.
Sheng Yu Po was terrified, and she hurriedly ran over to grab his arm, pleading: "Don't chop, you absolutely must not chop, there really are immortals."
Fan Qiang lifted his foot and kicked Sheng Yu Po in the abdomen. Sheng Yu Po stumbled backward, but she caught the knife with both hands and held it tightly, blood immediately dripping down. Sheng Yu Po screamed shrilly: "Don't chop, don't chop! You might as well kill me!"
Fan Qiang yanked at the knife, but it wouldn't come out, causing more blood to gush from Sheng Yu Po's hand. Enraged, Fan Qiang tossed the knife aside and strode to the first large camphor tree. He pulled down his shorts and relieved himself on the tree.
Sheng Yu Po, who had suddenly lost her strength while holding the knife, fell backwards. By the time she got up, Fan Qiang's urine had already cascaded onto the camphor tree. She immediately let out a terrible scream, a sound more horrifying and heart-wrenching than the loss of her own mother.
Fan Qiang laughed wildly and said, "Do you see that? Do you see that? This is the deity you worship. What can you do to me? Come and suck me up. Even a bullshit deity can't suck me up. There are no immortals or spells at all. It's all a scam
I couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for Fan Qiang. He was indeed a bad guy, but at least he hadn't lost all humanity. His actions were meant to prove to everyone, especially to the Butterfly Gang, that Sheng Yu Po couldn't harm anyone with her evil spells. He was trying to protect his mother!
The Butterfly Gang cheered and clapped. In their eyes, Fan Qiang was a hero. The myth of the Red Guards fainting while cutting down trees had been shattered. It proved that there were no gods, and it was they, the powerful ones, who were the real gods.
The villagers' faces were grim. The deities they worshipped had been publicly urinated on and cursed without any reaction. Didn't that make their prayers and offerings ridiculous?
I suddenly shivered, feeling a voice that could make the earth tremble roar. There was a blood mist that couldn't be seen and a smell of blood that couldn't be smelled, spreading like the feeling I had in my dream that night. But this feeling vanished in an instant.
My master looked at me with some panic, muttering, "This is bad, very bad. I was afraid this would happen. There's going to be a great disaster!"
Sheng Yu Po's hands were dripping with blood, but she seemed completely unaware, her soulless eyes screaming desperately, "It's over, it's over. You're all going to die."
Damn, these two mortal enemies suddenly have something in common. But besides me, there are no other listeners left. People quickly dispersed. Some couldn't bear the collapse of their spiritual pillar and left, some fled in fear of being implicated, and some simply didn't believe anymore and would never believe the words of charlatans and witches.
At that time, although I was somewhat shocked, I didn't take it too seriously. After all, it's just a tree. What could possibly go wrong? After such a commotion, Sheng Yu Po shouldn't have the face to spread her devilish words and harass me anymore, right?
My mother quickly pulled me back home, and my master and grandmother came with us. On the way, I felt something was increasingly off. A mist-like haze was gradually thickening, the smell of blood becoming stronger, and an invisible pressure made it hard to breathe. The dogs in the village started barking wildly, followed by pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks all becoming restless and noisy. The terror was like a huge claw grabbing and tightly squeezing me, making me suffocate.
I suddenly realized that the aura at that moment felt familiar. It was the same as when I dreamed of the blood mist, when I touched the first large camphor tree, and when I sensed the three demons on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It was that overbearing, violent, and arrogant demoniacal aura!
Could it be that the large camphor tree was not only not a god but actually a demon?
We had only been home for a few minutes when I heard a scream that was utterly heartbreaking.