piratefiction Chapter 31 Plague!
Chapter 31 Plague!
The sun had just risen, and the night fog had not yet been completely dispelled.
The hillside at the eastern end of Shanghe Village, where the whole village grows vegetables, is shrouded in an eerie silence.
Dew clings to the edges of the tattered vegetable leaves, which seem about to fall.
Old Liu squatted beside his own vegetable patch, his rough fingers stroking a cabbage leaf. Yesterday it was green and crisp, but overnight it was covered with tiny holes, the edges curled and yellowed, as if it had been gnawed by countless unseen mouths.
Turn the leaf over, and you'll see the underside swarming with tiny insects the size of rice grains. Their carapaces gleam with an ominous, oily black sheen, and the soft, rustling sounds of them gnawing are as dense as rain, sending chills down your spine.
"Damn it! What kind of plague has struck us?!"
"It was perfectly fine yesterday evening! One night! Just one night!"
Zhang Hong's wailing shattered the morning's tranquility. She collapsed onto the edge of the field, plunging her hands into her withered and fallen spinach bushes, mud accumulating under her fingernails.
Panic spread like wildfire.
The vegetable gardens of dozens of households on the hillside were all damaged.
The pest infestation came suddenly and fiercely, as if an unseen hand had spread a plague across the land.
Several old farmers gathered together, their deeply lined faces etched with worry. One of them lowered his voice and mentioned the toad spirit from a few days ago, saying that the bad luck of that filthy monster had probably not dissipated, which was why it had attracted these evil plague insects.
As Liu Laosi watched his vegetable garden, the source of his family's livelihood after months of hard work, being devoured, he thought of his wife's increasingly rosy cheeks—a result of the pure water bestowed by the Dragon God.
An absurd yet urgent thought struggled in his mind: If that person can exterminate demons and alleviate even death-causing diseases, what are these mere insects?
Liu Laosi shook his head violently, suppressing the thought.
The image of Wang Miaozhu lying paralyzed in the earth god temple, begging for mercy, is still vivid in my mind.
The chilling warning from Muramasa Ryo was still ringing in his ears.
He was already walking on thin ice in the village, encountering mostly evasive glances and whispers behind his back when he went out. If he were to get involved with the evil god again, he feared he would truly be expelled from the village.
Just as I was feeling lost, a warmth suddenly touched my chest.
Liu Laosi was taken aback, and his hand instinctively reached into his pocket. There, close to his body, was a pebble, which he had found by the bluestone by the stream the day after fetching clean water that night.
The stone was no bigger than an egg, with a slightly moist texture and subtle water-like patterns. For some reason, when I saw it, I felt I should keep it with me.
At this moment, the stone was radiating a warm, gentle warmth, not hot, but like a clear spring slowly seeping into his heart, gradually dissolving his anxiety and bewilderment.
Side hall of the Jiaoshen Temple in Shixi Village.
Lin Shi sat cross-legged in meditation.
The morning light streamed through the window, casting interplay of light and shadow on my face. At that moment, my senses, following the thread of Liu Laosi's faith, stretched like a spiderweb across the Qinghe River, touching the bleak scene in the vegetable garden on the opposite bank.
It wasn't just insect infestation; deeper still, a faint yet familiar damp and foul odor emanated from the toad spirit—the lingering poison of its demonic aura. Dead but not stiff, its filth was permeating the land.
"The time has come."
Lin Shi whispered, his voice barely audible in the quiet side hall.
Forced manifestations of divine intervention only provoke resistance, but when people are helpless, precise and beneficial blessings are bestowed through prayer, the situation is quite different.
The stone in Liu Laosi's arms was a token that had been subtly transformed by the spiritual energy of the water vein a few days ago, which could provide a sense of comfort and connection when his mind was in turmoil.
Now, it's time to water this seed that has already been planted.
Lin Shi closed his eyes and concentrated, and with a thought, he went straight for the dragon's clone.
At the bottom of the emerald pool, it was dark and silent, with only the chains outlining the massive shape of the body in the water.
The dragon slowly opened its cold, golden vertical pupils. A subtle yet clearly guiding spiritual energy rippled through the channel of faith, seeping into the Qinghe River and merging into the warm pebble in Liu Laosi's arms, seeping into his bewildered mind.
Liu Laosi, who was squatting by the field, trembled all over.
An image suddenly appeared in my mind:
Under the cover of night, three or five people faced the direction of the Bibo Pool in the vegetable garden, sprinkling water on the ground, lighting incense sticks, and praying devoutly. Immediately afterwards, a light rain began to fall, the raindrops as crystalline as stardust, landing on the insect-infested vegetable leaves. The shiny black insects curled up and fell off as if they had encountered boiling water.
The scene was so clear it didn't seem like a dream; every detail is etched in my memory.
Liu Laosi suddenly stood up, breathing rapidly, his chest heaving violently, and looked around. Zhang Hong was still sobbing, and the old farmers shook their heads and sighed, their own vegetable leaves turning into worm-eaten tatters.
Liu Laosi touched the increasingly warm and smooth stone in his arms, recalling his wife's increasingly strong breathing and the renewed light in her eyes. A mixture of despair, a gambling spirit, a desire to grasp a ray of light in the darkness, and a kind of resolute determination overwhelmed all his concerns.
Liu Laosi took a deep breath, the smell of soil and decaying leaves filling his chest, and walked towards Yang Hu, the son of the blacksmith Yang Qianchui, who was also frowning. A few days ago, Yang Hu had privately inquired about the story of the Flood Dragon God appearing and slaying the demon. Liu Laosi felt no disgust, only curiosity.
Liu Laosi then sought out the taciturn and dull Lu Cheng. His wife had murmured a few days earlier while doing laundry, "The water over at Shixi Village looks clearer."
Liu Laosi, Yang Hu, and Lu Cheng squatted beside the trunk of the old locust tree, their figures mostly obscured by the tree's shadow.
"Yang Hu".
"Brother Lu Cheng".
"This insect is strange; ordinary methods probably won't work. I've gained some insight, but I don't know if I should share it."
Liu Laosi's voice was dry and hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing, as he described the dream guidance he had just received not long ago.
"Fourth Uncle, you mean asking that person to bring rain to control the pests?"
Yang Hu's young face flickered with conflicting emotions, a mixture of fear and barely suppressed excitement dancing in his eyes.
"Will this work?"
"If it doesn't work, it could cause even bigger trouble!"
Lu Cheng rubbed his rough palms together, his knuckles turning white.
"My wife's illness improved after drinking that stream water."
"Given the current situation, is there any other way? Let's try; maybe there's a way out. If we don't try, this crop will be completely ruined, and the whole family will starve."
Liu Laosi's voice suddenly became steady, and his gaze swept over the two of them.
Silence spread through the three-person room, while Zhang Hong's suppressed sobs drifted in on the wind from afar.
"Alright! I'll trust Fourth Uncle this time!"
Yang Hu pondered for a while, then gritted his teeth.
Lu Cheng sighed heavily and nodded.
The night was as dark as ink, the crescent moon was hidden behind thin clouds, and the starlight was pitifully sparse.
The vegetable garden on the hillside was shrouded in a somber darkness, with only the chirping of insects growing more rampant. The rustling and gnawing sounds amplified in the still night, sending chills down one's spine.
Liu Laosi, along with Yang Hu and Lu Cheng, quietly crept to the edge of several families' vegetable gardens.
Yang Hu found a half-burnt incense stick from somewhere, and Lu Cheng brought over a basin of water.
There are no idols!
There is no memorial tablet!
Liu Laosi, Yang Hu, and Lu Cheng faced the direction of Shixi Village. In the darkness, the outline of distant mountains was faintly visible, as well as the deep pool at the foot of the mountains, where, according to legend, a dragon dwelled.
The incense stick was lit, and a scarlet dot flickered in the darkness, while the wisps of smoke, as thin as gossamer, were scattered by the night wind as soon as they rose.
Liu Laosi was the first to kneel down, his knees sinking into the cold earth. Yang Hu and Lu Cheng exchanged a glance and followed suit.
"Lord Rain God! Please open your eyes and look! The fields are afflicted by pests, and the harvest is doomed!"
"Let it rain! Let's drive away these damned insects!"
"If it truly works, we will remember your kindness for the rest of our lives."
Liu Laosi, Yang Hu, and Lu Cheng's prayers were so simple they were almost clumsy, even incoherent, and their voices trembled slightly. As soon as they were uttered, they were swallowed up by the night wind, leaving only the incense sticks burning persistently in the darkness.