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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
I nodded at her, and she said, "Come home with me. I'll get you some water to drink. You look so thin; you must be starving."
I followed the old woman as she walked toward the village, and behind us, a group of people began to murmur again.
"Old Wu is pretending to be nice again. Last time she lost a water jug, and she still hasn't learned her lesson."
"She probably wants someone to go up the mountain and inquire about her son. It's been over ten years since he died, and she still hasn't given up. I think she's gone mad."
"Having a child late in life, and since no one has seen the body, how could she possibly believe her son is dead?"
I didn't listen closely to the rest of their conversation. After we got home, the old woman poured me a bowl of cool tea. The bowl was an old-fashioned dish used for eating millet, and it had a chip on the rim.
I drank four or five bowls of cool tea in quick succession, noticing a faint sweetness in the tea. This village was far removed from normal human habitation, and living in such a mountainous area made me curious about how there could be sugar in the cool tea. I felt it wasn't appropriate to ask too much, so I simply said, "Grandma, your tea is so sweet! I haven't had such delicious water in a long time."
The old woman replied, "My son used to love sweet things, so we planted some sugarcane and beets in our backyard. When they ripen, we squeeze out some sugar to keep for summer when we make cool tea, just in case my son suddenly comes back and finds no cool tea to drink."
Thus, I began chatting with her.
Her surname was Wu, and everyone in the village called her Grandma Wu. She would turn seventy during the New Year. People in the mountains have poor diets and age quickly, and since Grandma Wu was somewhat hunched over, she looked even older.
Grandma Wu told me that this village was called Shanquan Village, which means a village before entering the mountains. There were many similar villages nearby, all surrounding a large mountain known as Funiu Mountain. It was said that Laozi passed through here on his way to Kunlun before achieving enlightenment and encountered a well-cultivated Azure Bull that he took as his steed to ride out of the mountain pass. Later on, someone established a sect here due to the presence of Daoist teachings on the mountain, renaming it Azure Cloud Mountain. The Daoist Sect on Azure Cloud Mountain became known as Azure Cloud Sect.
There were several villages near Azure Cloud Mountain where children or teenagers would go up the mountain each year to take an examination for entry into the Entrance to the Dao. However, among the dozens of villages around Azure Cloud Mountain, it was already considered good if three or five individuals could enter each year; most would either choose to work within the Daoist Sect fetching water or cooking or return home covered in dirt.
Those who were selected for Entrance to the Dao as Azure Cloud Disciples would have their families rewarded with considerable wealth and food from Azure Cloud Sect and would be given opportunities to make a living outside of the mountains. If they chose not to leave, they would be granted several acres of fertile land, with any farming issues addressed by the sect.
Thus, people from nearby villages dreamed of having their children enter Entrance to the Dao; it was a matter of great pride for families—akin to students getting accepted into prestigious universities like Tsinghua or Peking University.
However, the only difference was that entry into Entrance to the Dao depended solely on talent; children with exceptional potential could enter without any tests while those born ordinary could never gain entry no matter how hard they tried. At best, they might stay within the Daoist Sect earning some money to support their families.
Twelve years ago, Grandma Wu's son Wang Hai was one of those fortunate ones—the only child from Shanquan Village selected for Entrance to the Dao that year. At that time, Wang Hai was only fifteen years old; now he should be twenty-seven.
For so many years, her son had entered the Azure Cloud Sect and had not been heard from since, not even a letter.
"Grandma Wu said, 'I have gone up the mountain several times, but the disciples guarding the mountain won't let me in. The Azure Cloud Mountain is so vast, with countless disciples living in different peaks and palaces; it's impossible to find anyone. I've heard that once someone learns significant skills in cultivation, they can meditate for years without coming down. The people in the mountain don’t understand this. The disciples guarding the mountain told me that even if someone dies, as long as it’s not due to a sect conflict, they will notify the deceased's relatives one by one. But no one has contacted me. I also heard that some people never come down from the mountain in their entire lives; their relatives from the secular world disturb their cultivation mindset. I can understand that. However, my husband and I had our son late in life, and we were strict with him. Hai might be upset with us and chose not to contact me. But my husband has been dead for seven years now, and before he passed away, he kept asking for Hai to come back and burn some paper money for him. I am nearing my end as well and just want to see him one more time.'
Listening to Grandma Wu, her thoughts were clear and coherent, not merely the result of excessive longing for her son. She understood my intentions; she was pleased to hear that I wanted to pay respects at the Entrance to the Dao, as if she were about to receive news of her son.
I said, 'Grandma Wu, I am a bit older and may not be selected. Besides, I don't understand the entry rules of the Daoist Sect; please don't hold too much hope.'
'It's alright,' Grandma Wu replied. 'I believe you can be chosen by the Daoist Sect. Just send me a letter when you can.'
Grandma Wu prepared many corn buns for me and even fried a few eggs. It had been months since I had eaten anything made by a person, and I felt quite touched. That evening, after bathing with well water behind Grandma Wu's house, I carefully shaved off the stubble on my face with the Fish Intestine Sword. Seeing that it was already late autumn approaching winter, Grandma Wu found some thick clothes for me to wear since I was still inadequately dressed.
The wardrobe in Grandma Wu's home was built by her and her late husband. I couldn't fit into her son Wang Hai's old clothes, so she could only give me a new cotton coat she had exchanged for rice. As she rummaged through the wardrobe, she pulled out an exquisitely crafted old bellyband and said, 'This was Hai's; I've kept it all these years.'
This made me think of my own mother, who also liked to keep the bellybands I wore when I was young. I wondered if she had felt like Grandma Wu during the long times I was away from home.
The next morning when I left, Grandma Wu packed several buns for me and walked with me far from the village before returning home. I took out two bottles of Ointment obtained from Medicine King's Cave and handed them to Grandma Wu. 'Grandma,' I said, 'this is my family's special Ointment; it can cure many ailments and detoxify. If you feel unwell at all, just take a little.'
'Is there such an effective medicine?' Grandma Wu asked in surprise.
I nodded and replied, 'But you mustn't tell anyone about this medicine; otherwise, it could bring danger to both you and me.'
I now understood the principle behind "No One Is Guilty, But Having Something Precious Is a Crime." Grandma Wu nodded in understanding. She seemed hesitant as I prepared to leave but waved goodbye instead. I reassured her, 'Don't worry; I'll help you find out about Wang Hai's whereabouts; I'll make sure of it.'
After bidding farewell to Grandma Wu, I followed her directions and arrived at the entrance of Azure Cloud Mountain around noon. There was already a crowd gathered at the gate—young people full of vitality—and some were accompanied by well-dressed middle-aged individuals who looked like bodyguards escorting them.
In front of the mountain gate stood a temporary tea house. I approached a young man there and asked, 'Excuse me, is this currently the recruitment period for disciples at Azure Cloud Sect? Why are there so many people?'
The shop assistant replied, 'You’ve come at just the right time! This is the last recruitment before winter for Azure Cloud Sect. They have already recruited several times this year because the quality of disciples recruited last spring was rather average. Some Daoists even had to go into the secular world to find better candidates. This recruitment will last three days; it’s already the final chance this year—if you come any later, you might have to wait until spring next year. Come in for some tea; perhaps the Daoists inside are taking their afternoon nap! By the way, are you here for business with the Daoist Sect?'
'I’m here to participate in the disciple selection,' I replied briefly before walking towards the group of youths at the mountain gate."
The shop assistant was momentarily taken aback by my words, then replied, "It's true that in a big forest, there are all kinds of birds. A person over thirty wants to join the sect; he might be older than the Daoist priest. I'm twenty-seven this year—can I give it a try too?"
"What? That uncle in the old cotton jacket wants to become a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect?" A Fat Boy burst into laughter, pointing at me from behind.
A group of chatting youths turned to look at me after hearing the Fat Boy's comment, and they began to chatter among themselves.
"His hair is more than just a few strands gray. Isn't wearing that cotton outfit too eye-catching? The Daoist Sect's selection isn't a talent show; even if it were, the judges would surely give him low marks! Haha."
"There are plenty of oddballs around; what's one more? There's always a few weirdos showing up for the entrance selection."
"But he's really something else! During the Entrance to the Dao selection, who doesn't dress up nicely? He actually thinks he's practicing asceticism. Look at those straw sandals he's wearing—he's not afraid of getting his feet hurt on these mountains, nor is he worried about freezing them off."
The straw sandals on my feet were made by Grandma Wu overnight. Since her shoes didn't fit me, she had no time to make me a pair with multiple layers. Seeing the thick calluses on my soles, she made me a larger pair of straw sandals and placed an old shoe sole underneath for extra comfort.
"Hey, look at him! He looks like Huang the Cripple!"
"Shh! That's really disrespectful. What's wrong with Huang the Cripple? Just because he limps doesn't mean it's that severe. A hundred-plus-pound guy like him can definitely carry it and walk!"
The group of youths erupted into laughter, nearly doubling over in amusement at their own jokes.
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