Chapter 60: Shaman Dance (again)

Chapter 60: Shamanic Trance

The sun slowly dipped toward the west, and a village gradually emerged before them along the road, its houses of varying heights scattered in a haphazard array.

"Look, this is the hamlet I was telling you about," Li Zhi said with a smile, pointing at the vast expanse of black roof tiles before striding boldly inside.

"Follow me. I have a fellow townsman here, and we can stay at his place for free."

Watching his receding figure, Li Huowang gave a slight wave of his hand, and the two donkey carts rolled inward as well.

Stepping onto the dirt path between the houses, Li Huowang and the others cast curious glances at the quiet surroundings.

Yet, strangely enough, not a single soul was to be seen, neither in the fields nor in the courtyards.

"What's going on? Where are the villagers?" Li Huowang wondered to himself in puzzlement.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Li Zhi poked his head out from around a corner ahead, his weathered face practically glowing with excitement.

"Hey!! Hurry over here, there's a spectacle! Looks like a father-in-law is creeping on his daughter-in-law!! Her face is all scratched up, it's a real thrill!"

"Creeping? What does that mean?" No one answered Li Huowang's question; he turned to see the others looking deeply awkward, while Bai Lingmiao hung her head, her cheeks flushed crimson with shame.

"Senior Brother Li, let's not go gawking. That's a private family matter."

Li Huowang shot her a puzzled glance before turning and striding briskly toward Li Zhi.

Rounding the corner, the view suddenly opened up, revealing men, women, and children in peasant garb packed three layers deep around a doorway, while Li Zhi stood at the edge of the crowd, standing on his tiptoes and leaning on someone's shoulder to crane his neck for a better look.

So it turned out the entire village had flocked over to watch the drama.

"What does 'creeping' mean?" Li Huowang asked as he walked up to Li Zhi.

"A father-in-law sneaking into his daughter-in-law's bed. Don't tell me they call it something else in your parts? Where are you from anyway?" Li Zhi asked, eyeing Li Huowang up and down with a look of surprise.

Hearing the explanation, Li Huowang was left speechless, finally understanding why Bai Lingmiao had reacted that way.

"Ahhh~!!" A woman's piercing shriek erupted from the center of the crowd, causing the onlookers to buzz and abruptly stumble back in a wide circle.

Through the gap they left behind, Li Huowang caught sight of a rather bizarre scene within.

A completely naked woman was coiled atop an Eight Immortals table, her limbs twisted at the joints like a serpent, screaming and trembling all the while.

"Oh no, damn it, looks like it's not a father-in-law affair, but someone possessed by a spirit," Li Zhi slapped his hands together in frustration and began shoving his way into the throng.

"Excuse me, make way, please. I'm a shaman, make way—hiss, whose damn foot is stepping on mine?!"

Witnessing this, Li Huowang, who had been about to turn away, halted in his tracks. "Is he planning to start his exorcism using his own methods?"

After finally squeezing through the crowd, Li Zhi looked left and right, then waved at Li Huowang. "Daoist Master, come on over! Why are you standing so far away?"

Li Huowang pondered for a moment before pushing his way into the crowd as well.

This fellow seemed a bit unreliable, which made it a perfect opportunity to gauge his true capabilities.

If he was only good for petty tricks, there was no point in having him help solve their problems, lest Danyangzi devour him just as he had the Buddha.

Reaching the center of the crowd, he could see more clearly that the bizarrely behaving woman on the Eight Immortals table was profoundly wrong.

Her beautiful phoenix eyes lacked any trace of pupils, and her eyelids seemed to be layered five folds deep.

Standing nearby were an old man and a young one, both with their faces scratched raw, looking very much like the aggrieved parties.

"Daoist Master, what do you say we do about this? You take the lead, or shall I?" Li Zhi whispered, leaning close to his ear.

"How about we tackle it together? You can ask for a higher fee afterward, and we'll split it down the middle, so we don't break the rules of the shamanic trade."

"No need. I'm not skilled in exorcisms, so you'd better handle it," Li Huowang flatly refused, for he truly had no idea how.

Hearing Li Huowang's reply, Li Zhi looked astonished. "Are you pulling my leg? You can't even drive out evil spirits? Are you some sort of fake Daoist?"

"Just get on with it. Look, that woman is about to snap her own bones," Li Huowang said, pointing at the woman on the table.

The woman, who had been coiled up just moments ago, had now bitten through her own lip, blood dripping down her chin, while her joints cracked and popped with every twisted contortion.

"It seems the common folk aren't as far removed from these things as I imagined; they just lump it all under the term 'spirit possession,'" Li Huowang mused silently.

"What if Li Zhi hadn't happened to be here today? What would they do then?" he thought, watching Li Zhi negotiate with the aggrieved family nearby.

Looking at the worn farming tools in the room, the bare feet caked in yellow mud, and the bitter expressions on the faces of the old and young, the answer to that question was as simple as it was cruel.

Dealing with such matters was probably like a poor man falling ill: endure the minor ailments, bear the major ones, and if you can't bear them, just lie down and wait for the end.

"Cough, cough~!" A clearing of the throat silenced the buzzing murmurs of the surrounding crowd.

"Dong~!" As Li Zhi lightly tapped the old drum at his waist with a small stick, a tremor ran through the hearts of everyone present.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!" "Summoning~~ the~~ spirits~~ now~~!"

This booming, high-pitched cry, full of vigorous breath, drowned out every other sound in the vicinity.

Li Huowang turned his head to look outside; the red glow in the sky was fading, and the silent, pitch-black night was fast approaching.

"The sun sets behind the western hills~ the sky turns dark, alas~~! The dragon returns to the sea, the tiger to the mountain~ The dragon brings rain to the sea~ the tiger seeks sleep in the mountain~ ai, ai~..."

As Li Zhi chanted words that matched the rhythm of his drum, the secondary shaman, who had been entirely unnoticed until now, began to tremble, the red veil on her head and the colorful cloth strips on her body quivering in tandem.

"Seven-star glazed tiles above, eight-sided purple-gold bricks below. Feet tread the earth, head touches the sky. Striding in continuous circles, standing firm upon the camp. Burning incense and beating the drum to invite the old immortals, ai~..."

Beating his drum, Li Zhi pulled out several incense sticks, lit them, and planted them in a circle around the woman on the Eight Immortals table.

The disheveled woman bared her teeth like a wild beast, ready to lunge, but upon touching the white smoke, she let out a howl and shrank back.

The white smoke drifting from the incense tips did not dissipate; instead, it swirled slowly around the room, and soon the interior grew hazy. Li Huowang's eye twitched, an inexplicable irritation rising within him. Glancing at the perfectly normal surroundings, he frowned slightly, pinched the back of his neck, and took two steps back.

"Hic~!" The woman beneath the red veil made her first movement, beginning to hiccup, while a rustling sound emanated from beneath the fabric.

The onlooking crowd was visibly frightened and scattered even further than before, with some of the more timid souls scurrying home before the sky turned completely black.

Hearing the hiccups, Li Zhi glanced back before continuing to beat his drum and sing.

"Oh, old immortal~ I know you have arrived, make no fuss and cause no row. You bring majesty and much killing intent, but leave the majesty and killing intent behind~"

"The room is small, the corners many, bumping and bruising would be a pity. Meeting a gentleman is easy to handle, but meeting a petty man brings only quarrels~ ai~~"

(End of Chapter)