Chapter 5: Entering the Forest
With salty tears, Zhang Lisheng finished an entire can of ginseng chicken soup, feeling much better in spirit. The mysterious magical power within his flesh and blood naturally began to flourish with the digestion of the nutrient-rich food in his stomach
I also want to seek for myself, and I will attend the class in a few days
As he looked at the centipede, which had grown to over seventy centimeters, resembling a grass snake, Zhang Lisheng's expression changed. He steadied his mind and began to chant a spell. The centipede, amidst the hissing and rustling sounds, moved as if it were an extension of his own body, perfectly under his control, embodying the form of a shamanic creature.
Are you still attending school today
"Father, Father, oh, Father..." Zhang Lisheng felt as if he had been drained of countless lifeblood by venomous insects, his strength instantly taken away, collapsing to the ground, weeping uncontrollably to the point of losing self-control, and before he knew it, he had fallen into a deep sleep
In the period immediately following the successful Red Revolution, the audacity of the people was matched by the vastness of their production; during this unique historical era when human determination triumphed over nature, many mountain villages in western Sichuan set fire to the mountains to create fields, transforming forests into arable land, while large animals were driven deep into the mountains, and Guo Wo Village was no exception
It has happened, it has happened, it actually happened, I, I have become a 'sorcerer'!
Zhang Lisheng watched as the girl's silhouette disappeared along the village path, then foolishly closed the wooden door. He opened the clay jar he held against his chest, and a wave of hot, rich fragrance surged up to his nose
Unfortunately, the joy lasted only a moment. He blurted out, "Father, Father, I have succeeded, ah, ah..." As he instinctively wanted to share his success with Zhang Daowu, he suddenly remembered that his father had already passed away, and in the ancient house, he was left all alone.
He woke up to the dim light of dawn, and outside the door came the sound of knocking, "Bang bang bang..." along with anxious shouts: "Shan Chongzi, Zhang Lisheng, how are you? Open the door, why aren't you opening the door?"
As he opened the latch and was about to step out, he suddenly remembered that he had transformed the centipede Qinghong into a witch insect. According to ancient legend, it should be nourished on his person. He let out a few hissing sounds to summon Qinghong, allowing it to crawl up his leg and hide within his clothing, coiling around his waist and abdomen.
As Zhang Lisheng entered the jungle, he felt a sudden darkness envelop him. After groping his way for a few steps, his eyes gradually adjusted to the dimness of the forest, revealing a wild world that was starkly different from the civilized one.
Although in order to prevent excessive blood loss leading to death, the centipedes raised by Zhang Lisheng are not of an exotic species, but rather ordinary insects, and even if ordinary venomous insects are transformed into witch insects by the new witch, they do not possess any remarkable power
The method of preparing the stewed ginseng chicken from Miaowei is quite simple. It involves taking a home-raised, aged native chicken, force-feeding it with strong liquor to empty its stomach, and then suffocating it. The chicken is then stewed slowly with wild ginseng, lard, clear water, and various seasonings over low heat. The flavor is incredibly fragrant and enticing, while also being highly nourishing
It's nothing, I just fell in the yard. Yesterday's matters were all thanks to Uncle Lie's help, thank you for your family's support
There are also some early-rising backpackers from bustling cities, or group travelers, who emerge from the farmers' guesthouses, breathing in the cool air of the mountain village, exclaiming with excitement.
Seeing the plainly dressed village boy pass by, some people actually regarded Zhang Lisheng as part of the scenery, striking various poses to take photos as mementos
Thus, she and the descendants of Fuxi, the "shaman," took on the role of educating humanity in place of their mother. Therefore, in ancient times, the term "shaman" referred to one who communicated with the divine, commanded spirits, divined fortunes and misfortunes, discerned good from evil, and governed the world and its people, embodying immense power.
Nüwa created humans from clay and, in conjunction with her brother Fuxi, gave birth to the concept of 'shamanism'
After Pangu, the goddess Huaxu fished in the great lake, stepping into the footprints of the thunder god from beyond the heavens, and became pregnant, giving birth to the siblings Fuxi and Nuwa, who had human heads and serpent bodies
"It is me, Tao Lulu, please open the door," said the person outside loudly
Nüwa used 36,500 stones to mend the sky, and also beheaded the god Ao, who supported the heavens with his four legs on Mount Tai. Ultimately, she resolved the catastrophe of the collapse of the Nine Provinces, but her essence was exhausted, turning her into dust
We are all fellow villagers, so please don't stand on ceremony. The dark-skinned girl Tao Lulu shook her head and raised a mud-colored earthenware jar, saying: Here is the old ginseng chicken soup that my aunt stewed, and she asked me to bring it to you to help nourish your body
With this thought in mind, he stepped out of the wooden door of the ancient house, closed the door behind him, and walked thoughtfully towards the village outskirts
Zhang Lisheng stood up in a daze from the ground of the courtyard, not forgetting to hiss a few times, driving his witch insects into hiding in the shadows, and hoarsely shouted, "Who is it? Who is outside the door?"
He wiped his hands on the clean part of his school uniform with force, enduring the heat as he grabbed a plump hen from the kiln pot and began to chew on it vigorously. After only a few bites, he suddenly recalled Tao Lulu's earlier words that tore apart his own lies: "Do not lie in the courtyard any longer, or you will get sick." Tears welled up and fell into the kiln pot.
However, with the rise of environmental awareness over a decade ago, returning farmland to forest has become one of the fundamental governance principles of the Sichuan West government. Most mountain villages within the province have gradually returned to their former appearance. Although the destroyed original forests cannot be restored to their former state in a short period, apart from certain designated scenic spots, recklessly venturing into the jungles outside the mountain villages has become an exceptionally dangerous act
In Chinese mythology, the primordial deity Pangu wielded a giant axe to separate chaos and create the heavens and the earth. After his death, his breath transformed into spring winds and clouds; his voice became thunder; his eyes solidified into the sun and the moon; his beard and hair turned into stars; his body became mountains; his blood flowed into rivers; his tendons formed roads; his flesh transformed into plains; his bones and marrow became underground minerals; and his skin and body hair became vegetation.
Returning to the courtyard, Zhang Lisheng took off his dirty school uniform, drew two buckets of well water from the ancient well, washed off the mud and grime from his body with cold water and soap, changed into clean clothes, and then planned to head to the county town
This feeling is, in fact, an illusory strength, yet it is intoxicating like a drug, ensnaring anyone who comes into contact with it. Zhang Lisheng suddenly changed his mind, realizing that finding Amu, who had been lost for over a decade, would undoubtedly be a process that could not be accomplished overnight. The most important thing for him should be to thoroughly understand the changes that occurred after becoming a shaman.
I won't be able to attend for the next few days. Your father said that my mother is still alive, and I must go find her. Though he spoke these words, Zhang Lisheng still gratefully accepted the earthen jar from the girl's hands
But the witch insect bent down, and from the pores of Zhang Lisheng's abdomen, strands of witch power naturally seeped out to nourish the insect's body. Suddenly, he felt a jolt of energy, and his mood lightened considerably, giving rise to an unconscious feeling of having everything under control
Father said he would go look for Uncle, but you still need to focus on your studies. Only by going to university and leaving this mountain village will you have a future. You should take a couple of days to rest, but make sure to keep up with your classes.
"Alright, you eat the chicken, get a good sleep, and don't lie in the yard anymore, or you'll get sick. I'm off to class." The girl nodded, feeling at a loss for words. The sky had already brightened, so she turned and left.
It was only later that the human race became self-reliant, with the emergence of the Three Sovereigns: Suiren, Shennong, and the Yellow Emperor, as well as the Five Emperors: Taihao, Yandi, Shaohao, Yao, and Shun, eight remarkable leaders endowed with the talents to govern the heavens and the earth and the power to tear apart stars and split the sun. They drove the shamanic descendants to the remote lands of Jiuli, which gradually led to the transformation of shamanism into a culture unique to the barbarian regions in the history of Huaguo.
It is difficult for those who have not experienced it to imagine that in just a distance of a few meters, everything can change so completely, and this wondrous possibility may be precisely the reason why those adventurous travelers who seek thrills tirelessly continue to take risks
At this moment, an inexplicable sorrow seized the young man's heart, crushing it in an instant
As they stepped onto the cool stone path, many villagers who had just set out to work in the early morning encountered Zhang Lisheng, who appeared dazed. They expressed their sympathy with a sigh, saying: "Mountain worm... sigh, what a sin..." Everything was left unspoken.
After calming his emotions, he walked into the old house and set down the jar. In the side room where he lived, he took out more than 200 coins he had saved previously, along with a few changes of clothes.
Zhang Lisheng staggered to the door, slowly lifting the heavy bolt one by one. He opened the door and, taking advantage of the misty sunlight that shone through the mountains in the early morning, he looked at a girl outside who was of similar age to him, with dark skin but exceptionally delicate features, and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I heard about your situation from my father, so I came to see you," the girl Taolulu said sympathetically in a low voice. "Are you alright? Why are you covered in mud?"
Therefore, it can be said that 'witchcraft' originally pertains to the path of the bloodline inheritance of ancient deities in the Huaxia civilization, and is by no means the chaotic and malevolent practices of ignorant individuals.
However, since Zhang Lisheng has become a 'shaman', his inherent nature has naturally become much stronger, and he quickly no longer wallows in self-pity, freeing himself from his sorrowful feelings
It wasn't me who was hit by the car, so why should I recuperate
Later, the Water God Gonggong and the Fire Spirit Zhuanxu contended for the throne. Gonggong, unable to prevail, struck his head against Mount Buzhou, causing the Pillar of Heaven to break and collapse, the Nine Provinces to fracture, the heavens to tilt to the northwest, the earth to sink to the southeast, floods to overflow, and great fires to spread
Transforming ordinary insects into sorcerous insects through spells and witchcraft can only be achieved by the means of the 'sorcerer'
However, how did this suddenly become so inexplicable! Although I had a premonition after waking up from the hospital, when the moment arrived, Zhang Lisheng was still unexpectedly delighted
In order to save the people, Nuwa traveled across the seas and traversed the mountains, borrowing the divine fire of the sun to refine 36,501 pieces of five-colored giant stones from the five-colored soil of Mount Tiantai to mend the sky
Zhang Lisheng had not eaten anything for most of the day, having only consumed two tea eggs. He had also bled and fed the poisonous insects twice, and was already feeling extremely hungry. At this moment, upon catching the aroma wafting from the kiln, he could no longer hold back.
Regardless of the villagers or the travelers from outside in the mountain village, Zhang Lisheng paid them no mind. He quickly walked out of the village and arrived at the rural highway, surveying the surroundings which were devoid of any people, and then quietly turned into the thicket by the roadside