This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 114 - 113. Shenzhu Village

Chapter 114: 113. Shenzhu Village

Dubian Qiansui stood at the brink of the unfathomable abyss of the mountain; she was just one step away from plummeting into it.

Her legs gave out, and she sat down on the ground, her face, blued from the cold, etched with the expression of one who had narrowly escaped death.

Under her hands, there seemed to be something soft.

Dubian Qiansui instinctively picked up the soft object in her hand and, by the light of the moon, saw it clearly.

It was a small ragdoll, covered in random patches, with a mouth made of red thread.

Under the chilling moonlight, the ragdoll’s eyes seemed to be staring at her, but this did not make Dubian Qiansui feel the slightest bit eerie; instead, it evoked a heartfelt sense of familiarity.

She had an inkling that it was this ragdoll that had saved her.

At that moment, a calm voice came from behind Dubian Qiansui:

"I told you, she’s an amulet."

Dubian Qiansui turned around in astonishment, just in time to see the youth emerging from the little woods behind her:

"Brother Beichuan?" Dubian Qiansui was somewhat startled.

Brother Beichuan nodded and approached from behind.

He first took Kelian from Dubian Qiansui’s hands, then glanced briefly at the mountain abyss before them.

Falling from here meant certain death. Dubian Qiansui was lucky, Brother Beichuan had found her just as she was leaning towards this direction.

But the distance was really too great, and in his urgency, all Brother Beichuan could do was to throw Nishijou Kurenai toward her.

Fortunately, Nishijou Kurenai had been effective, stopping Dubian Qiansui from moving forward any further.

However—

Brother Beichuan saw it.

Bathed in the moonlight, sinister outlines of buildings emerged below in the chasm.

There lay a cluster of wooden structures, a village that at a rough count, should house three to four hundred people.

Shenzhu Village?

He had not expected it to be hidden in such a place!

A jolt went through Brother Beichuan’s heart.

He wouldn’t have found the location of Shenzhu Village if he hadn’t come looking for Dubian Qiansui and walked along the Shenzhu River upstream.

But now was not the time to venture into Shenzhu Village.

Brother Beichuan helped Dubian Qiansui to her feet and asked, "Can you walk?"

Dubian Qiansui’s face flushed red, but the shock she had just experienced and waking from a half-asleep, half-awake state, left her completely drained and limp all over: "Brother, Brother Beichuan... I can’t stand up."

"Let me carry you then." Brother Beichuan straightaway lifted Dubian Qiansui from the ground, decisively parted the shrubbery, and headed downward.

Brother Beichuan’s movements were gentle and incredibly smooth.

And his calm expression seemed to have a stabilizing effect; Dubian Qiansui’s initially frantic heart also settled down greatly under his composure.

"Miss Qiansui, do you remember how you came here by yourself?" he asked. "To be frank, this place is about a kilometer away from the campsite. Not even a habit of sleepwalking would make this likely."

"Eh?" Dubian Qiansui had no idea how she had walked so far in such a drowsy state. She stammered, "I, I don’t know what happened... I only remember that it seemed like I saw a procession of people... The person in the lead was holding a ghostly blue torch."

"A ghostly blue torch?"

"It seemed like a dream... I don’t know how to describe it... that flame, it was drawing me in, and by the time I realized it, I was already caught up in the tumultuous stream of people."

Beichuan Si paused at the foot of the temple and then continued to ask, "Can you tell me the details of what happened?"

Perhaps Dubian Qiansui and Hirasaka Hikari were almost the same; both were attracted by the ghostly blue flames, ’anchored fire,’ but exactly where they were lured to and what form it took, Beichuan Si wanted to know.

"The details... I only remember... everyone’s face was very solemn, heads lowered, not a single person spoke, everyone walked in silence," Dubian Qiansui recalled the dream she’d just had and continued:

"After walking for some time, I saw a dilapidated Shrine Torii, and it seemed that once you stepped through it, you could never return. On the path beside the Shrine Torii, the Shimenawa ropes stretched out into a continuity... the ancient shrine, twinkling with lights... and then Brother Beichuan, you came over... Oh right, Brother Beichuan also brought Miss Amulet."

Upon hearing this, Nishijou Kurenai scratched Beichuan Si’s face with delight, thankfully Dubian Qiansui hadn’t noticed her.

"I understand," Beichuan Si shrugged off Kelian’s antics and nodded.

Intense longing leaves behind images from long ago, and both Hirasaka Hikari and Dubian Qiansui were attracted by such phenomena, ultimately vanishing without a trace.

As for why others weren’t attracted, Beichuan Si couldn’t say; he could only temporarily classify Hirasaka Hikari and Dubian Qiansui among those with a strong spiritual sense as an explanation.

But... the priest holding the ghostly blue flame in the night, all the people silently flowing towards the mountains... what kind of custom was this? Or a ritual?

When Beichuan Si carried Dubian Qiansui back to the campsite, dawn was already breaking.

Dubian Mayi, who had been in despair, saw Beichuan Si emerge from the bushes and ran straight over, hugging Dubian Qiansui tightly as she got down from Beichuan Si’s back.

"Qiansui!"

As he secured Dubian Qiansui in his arms, this outwardly boisterous man’s body went limp, and he almost cried publicly.

"Daddy..."

Tears also brimmed in the corners of Dubian Qiansui’s eyes as she hugged Dubian Mayi’s neck tightly.

They say a daughter is her father’s past-life lover.

What father wouldn’t be pained for his daughter?

The campers at the campsite all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this scene.

Perhaps some people found this puzzling; after all, in modern society, everyone keeps to themselves and stays out of each other’s business unless it’s their own concern.

But the reality is just that, campers help each other out when there’s trouble, which in itself is a cherished camping spirit and quite normal in the eyes of camping enthusiasts.

The bonfire was misty, and the sky gradually brightened.

...

Beichuan Si declined the reward offered by Dubian Mayi.

After all, there was something more important for him to do.

He went back alone to the edge of the cliff in the early morning light.

From here, he could vaguely see the entirety of Shenzhu Village.

The Shenzhu River wound upward from below, and one could vaguely make out the irrigation ditches along its sides.

The entire village retained a relatively intact appearance with no sign it had ever been ravaged by mudflows.

This was indeed strange.

Beichuan Si took a sip of water.

What he needed to do next was head to the vicinity of Shenzhu Village to investigate the situation.

After tucking the water bottle back into his backpack, Beichuan Si casually picked up a wooden stick and felt his way along the edge of the cliff.

If there were signs of life, naturally there would be a path to Shenzhu Village.

But the path underfoot was covered with weeds, and one misstep could send someone plummeting down the cliff, hence the use of a stick to test whether the path ahead was solid.

And so, step by step, Beichuan Si made his way toward Shenzhu Village.