EBE Chapter 127 Mo Yuan's Memories
Chapter 127 Mo Yuan's Memories
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Xue gradually regained consciousness.
In an instant, she found herself in an old-fashioned village, surrounded by thatched huts and stone paths that seemed long gone.
This village seems to be a Miao ethnic minority village, but it also seems not to be.
Is she entering someone else's memories?
The air was filled with the smell of cooking smoke, and the calls of poultry and the laughter of children could be heard in the distance.
Ah Jing's voice echoed in my mind. She spoke casually, as if telling someone else's story, her voice clear and ethereal.
“A year ago, I was regarded as the chosen one by Peach Blossom Village and was fortunate enough to marry the mountain god worshipped by Peach Blossom Village.”
As the voice echoed in my mind, the scene before me changed.
"My hands and feet were bound with red ropes, I was dressed in a wedding gown, stuffed into a bridal sedan chair, and became the chosen 'Falling Flower Cave Maiden'."
Amidst the sounds of gongs and drums, the body was locked inside the stone cave.
As an observer, Lu Xue watched these scenes that had actually happened.
"To become the Flower Cave Maiden, one must be locked up for seven days without food or water. If the person is still alive, the villagers will believe that it is a manifestation of the mountain god."
The voice in my head turned sarcastic.
“At first, they would pretend to pray at the entrance of the cave, asking the mountain god for wealth, children, and marriage.”
“They are not worshipping gods, but clearly their own desires.”
"Of course, the mountain god grants all requests."
"But only I know that what the mountain god gives you may be given to you but not to enjoy."
"By the way, you still don't know what my real name is, do you?"
"My name is Mo Li, or rather, my current name is Mo Yuan."
"My sister and I were picked up from the baby tower by our grandmother."
"After Grandma died, it was just me and my twin sister who depended on each other for survival."
"So, the two of us became girls in Peach Blossom Village without any relatives."
“The village chief took pity on us and took us in, raising us as his own daughters.”
Mentioning the village chief, the voice in my mind inexplicably becomes agitated, carrying a hint of anger.
"He is the closest person to us in this village besides Grandma."
“We grew up together, stumbling and struggling, until we were eighteen. Then famine and floods began to occur in the village.”
After several days of torrential rain, the water in Peach Blossom Creek has overflowed onto land, flooding fields and submerging half of the village.
The crops were destroyed, and some villagers starved to death or drowned.
Everyone says this is the mountain god's anger.
After pondering for a long time in the ancestral hall, the village chief finally proposed to select the girl from Luohua Cave.
They arranged for the mountain god to marry a wife to ward off bad luck and appease his anger.
After much deliberation, the final choice was between me and my twin sister.
They threatened me with my younger sister, saying that if I didn't become the Flower Cave Maiden, she would be killed.
At that time, people from other places who came to visit the area were also invited to participate.
Peach Blossom Village held a grand banquet, slaughtering several fat pigs, along with chickens, ducks, and geese, for a continuous feast that lasted three days and three nights.
Aunt Mo, the matchmaker in the village, made five sets of bright red wedding dresses overnight.
The Flower Cave Maiden selected five women.
A red veil, red embroidered shoes, and a bright red wedding dress.
On the day of the wedding, the whole village came out of their homes and stood on both sides of the road, escorting the wedding sedan chair all the way to the mountainside.
The whole way was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and firecrackers; everyone was celebrating the successful landing.
The bridal sedan chair was carried into the cave at the top of the mountain.
The village chief, being the highest-ranking person in the village, naturally carried the brides into the stone cave himself.
As she closed the cave door, Lu Xue saw through the body that the village chief's face was full of satisfied smiles.
"Stay obediently in the cave and let the mountain god protect our Peach Blossom Village from disaster and calamity."
"Don't even think about running away, your sister is still in my hands."
These were the last words the village chief spoke before he left.
It was cold inside the cave, the stone bed was hard, and the red rope binding my hands and feet hurt terribly.
The girls beside him struggled in the cave, but it was all in vain.
For a moment, only the girls' desperate cries could be heard in the cave.
The piercing cry permeated Lu Xue's entire body. Lu Xue frowned, wanting to do something, but unable to do anything.
A gust of wind blew in, extinguishing the candlelight in the cave and also lifting the red veil.
Lu Xue felt a chill that seeped into her bones.
There was no light inside the cave.
In the past few days, Lu Xue has learned the reason why the brides were able to survive. Without water or food, when they could no longer bear it, they would cut their hands to bleed and then drink the blood to quench their thirst.
Lu Xue didn't know how many days she had been inside, but she endured it all until her body was about to give out.
Footsteps echoed outside.
Immediately afterwards, the stone door was opened, and blinding light gradually jumped into the cave from the entrance.
All five brides lay dying on the stone bed.
From then on, we became true women of the Fallen Flower Cave.
The women of Luohua Cave can only live in the stone cave for their entire lives. The villagers are afraid that we will run away, so they suggest breaking our legs.
Finally, the village chief took charge and had the village blacksmith forge a pair of iron chains to lock our legs.
At the time, we still held onto a sliver of hope that if we could just get through those seven days, we would survive.
But then, the nightmare began.
The first man to enter the cave wore a silver mask, and then one man after another entered the cave.
They were all wearing the same silver masks. Although Lu Xue couldn't see their faces, she could feel their malicious gazes.
Lu Xue felt nauseous and almost vomited.
Unfortunately, she was just a wisp of consciousness and couldn't do anything about it.
She was merely an observer, only able to watch as the villagers treated the brides.
In one instance, she tried to pry the men's hands off, but instead passed right through their bodies.
The space was filled with lewd, obscene, disgusting, and greasy laughter.
"You know what, the village chief's suggestion is really good. These outsiders are so naive, they were easily tricked into coming here."
"Let's starve them for a few days, then they won't have the strength to resist. After that, we can give them some food and they can play with us again, right?"
"The taste of a virgin is truly delicious!"
"Mo Li, Mo Li, you never expected you would become so despicable."
A man squatted down and slapped Mo Li's face with his palm.
Mo Li's fingernails were already digging into the wall, her eyes filled with resentment.
These men will all die, and she will destroy the village along with them.
They all deserve to die!!!
The women's shrill screams gradually weakened.
Several more bloody handprints appeared on the wall.
As dawn broke, Mo Yuan's voice suddenly disappeared from my mind.
Lu Xue called out to Mo Yuan, but received no response.
The group of men had left before dawn, and the stone gate remained tightly shut.
Lu Xue tried moving her fingers and was surprised to find that she could actually touch a physical object, but she couldn't make any large movements with her body.
As soon as she moved, Lu Xue gasped in pain.
It felt like being ripped apart alive, the kind of pain that leaves you bleeding profusely.
His clothes were disheveled, and he collapsed weakly to the ground.
She clutched her head with both hands, letting out a shrill and painful sob.
He habitually bit his lip, which was already covered in wounds. His mouth was filled with a metallic taste, and he let the bright red blood flow down from the corner of his mouth.
These were emotions stemming from Mo Yuan, and Lu Xue could only let this body harm itself in a self-destructive manner.
Before sunset, someone arrived at the cave entrance carrying melons, fruits, and food in a bamboo basket, along with five new wedding dresses.
As soon as the stone door opened, Lu Xue blurted out the name of the person who had come in.
"Mo Qing?"
The girl in front of the stone gate, backlit, paused for a moment, then tilted her head to look at Lu Xue.
No, now she is Mo Yuan.
The girl looked somewhat bewildered.
Mo Qing's eyes were large but lifeless, and her face was pale, lacking a healthy rosy glow.
She carried the basket and walked towards Mo Yuan, taking out new clothes and covering him with them, her movements clumsy and slow.
"This is what the village chief asked me to bring."
After speaking, she sat down in front of the stone gate, unconsciously fiddling with her fingers.
His gaze never fell upon her; his back view appeared inexplicably lonely, overlapping with the silhouette of her sitting by the Peach Blossom Stream.
The village chief arranged for Mo Qing, the village's simpleton, to bring me food every day.
She's a very good girl, but she has some intellectual disabilities.
Every day after she brought me my meal, she would sit at the entrance of the cave, chatting away about the lively things happening in the village.
She doesn't understand anything; she probably doesn't know why I'm locked up here, but she still comes to bring me clothes and food every day.
She would even bring medicine up the mountain, and after doing all that, she would obediently sit in front of the stone gate.
Even if the village chief didn't order her to come, she would still arrive on time.
In another space, Mo Yuan lowered his head slightly, a gentle smile curving his lips, and his voice became soft and melodious.
Lu Xue's mind was filled with questions. How could Mo Qing be in Mo Yuan's memories? And she seemed to be a fool.
Before she could ask Mo Qing, she saw Mo Yuan, having changed her clothes, slowly leave with a basket.
That night, the village chief moved the other four brides to another location.
Lu Xue was the only one left in the cave.
The next day, when new villagers came up the mountain, he put his hands together in front of the cave entrance and knelt down in devout worship.
The black smoke from the burning cheap incense and candles kept seeping into the hole, choking Lu Xue and making her eyes water.
"Mountain god, mountain god, please grant my wish and let me become rich! If possible, it would be even better if I could have a wife."
His wish really came true.
As a result, more and more people came to the entrance of the stone cave to worship and make wishes.
"Mountain God, Mountain God, please let my daughter-in-law give birth to a big, healthy boy."
"Mountain God, Mountain God, I beg you..."
Many people came, making wishes one after another, burning incense, candles, and paper money in large quantities.
Lu Xue was inside Mo Yuan's body, listening to their prayers for wealth, children, and marriage amidst the choking black smoke.
All the villagers who came to pray to the mountain god had their wishes fulfilled.
The news of the mountain god's miraculous appearance spread throughout the village.
The stone cave on the mountaintop suddenly became the most bustling place in the entire Peach Blossom Village.
They brought fruit, cooked chicken, duck, and fish, and piled them up at the cave entrance. Then they lit incense, candles, and paper money, kowtowing and making wishes.
"Mountain God, Mountain God, please grant your wish."
People are greedy; they only know how to ask the mountain god for things.
She was told the latest news about the village every day by Mo Qing, who brought her meals.
During the few days that the villagers came to pay their respects, those men finally stopped coming, and Lu Xue breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
Mo Yuan can finally stop suffering.
As dawn broke, a father and son from Peach Blossom Village eagerly climbed the mountain to pray.
Lu Xue was still wearing her bright red wedding dress, sitting upright by the stone bed. She saw Uncle Mo dragging a disdainful-looking young man, holding incense, kneeling down, and closing his eyes to pray.
"Mountain God, Mountain God, please show your power and protect my whole family, especially my son, who is the pillar of our family!"
The boy was forced to kneel by his father's shoulders. He imitated his father by holding incense and chanting, and then secretly looked up at Lu Xue when his father wasn't paying attention.
Even when she met the eyes of the legendary Fallen Flower Cave Maiden, she showed no fear, a look of amazement flashing in her eyes, and a sly smile appeared on her face.
After the two men finished their prayers, the father and son left one after the other. As Lu Xue watched the boy's retreating figure, she spoke her first words.
"Those who blaspheme against the gods will surely be punished by heaven."
These are the words of Mo Yuan himself.
In the evening, Mo Qing delivered dinner to Lu Xue. No sooner had she left than the young man secretly opened the stone door.
Inside the cave, candlelight flickered, casting shimmering light on Lu Xue's red wedding dress.
He stood at the entrance of the cave and peered inside, his face full of curiosity when he saw the iron chain on Lu Xue's ankle.
"Are you the girl chosen from the village's Fallen Flower Cave?"
"Not bad looking at all. Does that mean the mountain god will grant any wish I make?"
"Then I want to make a wish to take you away. Do you think the mountain god can grant my wish?"
He didn't believe in ghosts or gods at all, and entering this place was just an accident. If this was a dream, it wouldn't be bad to have a beautiful woman with him.
The person in front of him remained silent, and he even tried to reach out and pull on the iron chain on Lu Xue's ankle.
However, it didn't work out in the end, as the village chief arrived in time to stop it.
"Stop! What are you doing? You can't be disrespectful to the woman from Falling Flower Cave."
Under the village chief's stern reprimand, he pouted, stood up and left with an indifferent expression.
The moment he stepped out of the cave, Mo Yuan spoke to his back for the second time: "The mountain god will grant your wish."
The boy turned around, his eyes full of excitement. He glanced back at Lu Xue before being pushed away by the village chief.
From that day on, the boy seemed to have found something new and interesting. He would always sneak up the mountain in the evening when everyone had left to chat with Lu Xue.
He did most of the talking, while Lu Xue chose to remain silent.
He asked Mo Yuan, "Aren't you afraid at night living alone in this cave?"
From the day she was chosen as the Flower Cave Maiden and locked in the stone cave, the villagers only knew to make wishes to the mountain god, ask the Flower Cave Maiden for things, and beg the mountain god to grant their requests.
No one will ask Mo Yuan if he is afraid.
Lu Xue also learned his name—Yuan Qi, which wasn't surnamed Mo. Could it be...?
Yuan Qi didn't receive a response from Mo Yuan, and he didn't care.
He squatted down on his own, touched the iron chain on Mo Yuan's ankle, and looked up at her.
The flickering candlelight shone into Yuan Qi's eyes.
"Being chained up must hurt a lot, but I'll get you out of here."
The iron chains the village chief made for Mo Yuan were so tight and heavy that they chafed her ankles raw, and no one ever asked her if it hurt.
Mo Yuan felt a lump in his throat as he heard him say something else.
"How about I secretly take you away?"
The memory abruptly ended there. Lu Xue pulled herself out of Mo Yuan's memories, her eyes red-rimmed, her hands clenching and unclenching in anger.
Just thinking about the villagers' faces made Lu Xue's stomach churn. She gagged and turned pale, but her tone remained resolute.
"Even if you hadn't told me all this, I would still have taken you out."
“You shouldn’t have come. Once you’re in, you’ll never be able to get out.”
"Besides, I was already dead. I was tortured by them for 351 days, and I committed suicide."
“You can’t take me away. Many groups of people have come before, but without exception, they all died.”
“There were two people who told me they would take me away, just like you. The first one didn’t keep his promise and I killed him. The second one I refused.”