Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 1: Transformed into a Sheep
Ren Yuan found himself turned into a sheep again, a black goat tied to a barn.

At first, he was filled with sorrow, but when he saw the cattle and horses next door working hard every day while he only had to eat grass leisurely, he secretly rejoiced.

Suddenly one day, the owner dragged it out of the sheepfold, put it on the table, tied up its four hooves, and skinned it alive with a sharp knife.

Ren Yuan's skin and flesh were torn apart, blood was dripping, and he screamed miserably. When the pain reached its extreme, he even spoke in human language:

"Someone save me!"

~~
"Ah!" Ren Yuan suddenly woke up and sat up.

"Yuan, are you having a nightmare again?" The cousin who came to wake him up in the morning was no longer surprised.

Ren Yuan hummed, looking at the blue cloth dustpan on the bed and his cousin who was wearing a gauze scarf and wide-sleeved robe beside him. He felt as if he had stepped from one dream into another.

My cousin asked with concern, "Do you remember anything?"

"No, it's just a nightmare." Ren Yuan shook his head and turned over to get out of bed. However, he forgot that the beds in this era were less than a foot high, and his heels hit the floor directly.

Although he had been here for several days, he still felt a little uncomfortable.

And the nightmare that kept repeating over and over again only exacerbated his discomfort.

Fortunately, his cousin has been with him these days, patiently teaching him various common sense and etiquette in daily life, otherwise he wouldn't even know how to dress himself.

Thinking of this, Ren Yuan looked at his cousin gratefully. But his cousin covered his mouth with his sleeve and started coughing violently, his shoulders twitching and his face turning red from coughing.

His cousin treated him very well. Although he was the eldest son of Xiejiazhuang, he was not arrogant at all. Unfortunately, he had a serious tuberculosis...

Ren Yuan quickly patted his cousin's back to help him cough up the phlegm. After a while, his cousin finally calmed down and held his shoulders and said:
"Master Ma is here, go practice martial arts now. My brother's body is failing, so I can only place my hope on you."

Ren Yuangang had a nightmare, his hands and feet were weak, and he didn't want to move. Hearing this, he had no choice but to put on his short-sleeved trousers, put on his leather shoes under the corridor, and went to the yard.

It was already dawn, and leaden clouds were floating on the horizon, covering the morning glow.

Ren Yuan had practiced martial arts for two years. Although the memory in his brain had disappeared, the muscle memory was still there. The village martial artist Master Ma helped him get started, and he was able to practice on his own. His punches and kicks gradually became more powerful, and heat surged in his body, as if an arrow was on a string and had to be shot.

"Look at the brick!" Master Ma threw a brick at him. Without thinking, Ren Yuan punched out, and with a bang, the brick shattered on the spot!
"Great!" My cousin cheered happily and then coughed again.

"Azhi, why are you so excited?" The silver-haired old lady of the Xie family walked out of the main room accompanied by the third young master Xie Ke.

The old lady is the grandmother of my cousin and Xie Ke, and the grandmother of Ren Yuan.

After the two of them greeted each other, the old lady gave her cousin a lecture. "A Yuan has just recovered from a serious illness, don't rush him to move."

He also kindly asked Ren Yuan how he felt today and whether he was feeling better.

Ren Yuan answered respectfully, and the old lady told them to wash their hands and eat.

From beginning to end, the fourteen-year-old third young master Xie Ke had a stern face and did not speak a word. He was holding a bird cage in his hand, looking as old as if he was forty years old.

After the two entered the hall, Ren Yuan asked quietly, "Has the Third Brother always been like this?"

But the cousin seemed reluctant to talk about his younger brother. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Don't worry about him. Just stay away from him."

~~
Breakfast was eaten in the living room. The whole family sat on the floor according to their seniority, with a small food table in front of each person, eating their meals separately.

In addition to the old lady and the three younger generations, also present was Ren Yuan's uncle, Xie Deng, the owner of Xiejia Manor.

The old man and my aunt have passed away, and my uncle has taken a concubine, but the concubine's status is very low and she can only serve like the maids.

Although Xiejiazhuang is located in a mountainous area, my cousin said that their family is from the Xie family of Chenjun, a top aristocratic family, so they must observe etiquette everywhere. When eating, they must kneel and sit upright, quietly, except for the coughing that my cousin tried his best to suppress, there was no other movement.

People eat two meals a day these days, and wealthy families like theirs are no exception, except that breakfast is more substantial.

The staple food is soba and steamed cakes, as well as glutinous rice porridge. Accompanied by fried egg pancakes, pickled fish, preserved meat, and a few pickled vegetables. It's not delicious, but it's rich and filling.

My uncle looked solemn and had a poor appetite. He put down his chopsticks early and took the porcelain cup offered by his concubine to rinse his mouth. Looking at the leaden clouds outside the door, he sighed and said, "This year's locust plague is beyond imagination."

It was then that Ren Yuan realized that the dark clouds covering the sky were actually a swarm of locusts!

The third young master also stopped eating and asked, "Do you know where the locusts flew to?"

When Ren Yuan heard that his cousin was so rude to his father, he felt relieved.

But the uncle did not take it as an offense and replied, "He has already entered our Xianxiang. This morning I heard that the northern part of the village had suffered a disaster, and he was about to come to the southern part of our village."

"I heard that the locust plague this year is very serious. Wherever they go, there is not a blade of grass left. All the children in other villages have been eaten. Cough cough..." My cousin had also finished eating and took the opportunity to cough a few times while talking.

Ren Yuan wanted to ask his cousin, how can locusts eat people? But as an outsider, it was not easy for him to interrupt. So he held back and continued to eat.

Then I heard my cousin say, "We can't delay any longer. We have to offer sacrifices to the gods right away."

My uncle replied, "It's already been prepared, and we'll start the ceremony today."

Then he said to him and Ren Yuan, "You should also follow me."

~~
After dinner, Ren Yuan, with the help of his maid, changed into a wide-sleeved robe, put on a soap towel, and went to the corridor to wait.

After a while, my uncle and Xie Ke came out dressed in the same way.

The cousin was not in a position to go out, so he patiently told Ren Yuandao: "Don't talk nonsense during the sacrifice. If Baoerye hears you, he will punish you."

Then he lowered his voice and said, "I heard that someone said something bad about Baoerye and turned into a livestock that night."

Ren Yuan knew that Baoerye was the community god of the southern part of the village. The people in the southern part of the village worshiped him as Baoerye and wore amulets obtained from the community temple.

Although he also wore one, the idea that "saying bad things about the community god will turn you into a livestock" was more like a trick used by a rural shrine to scare people.

However, Ren Yuansu kept his distance from ghosts and gods, and he kept having nightmares, so he agreed honestly.

The three of them all got on the sedan chair, with Master Ma leading the way, and a group of more than ten people left the farm.

This was the first time Ren Yuan came out, and he realized how luxurious Xiejia Manor was. The huge manor was backed by mountains and faced the water, with a white and pink courtyard wall more than two meters high. Outside the grand gate was a suspension bridge, and the bridge head was connected to a beautiful tree-lined avenue.

There are gurgling waters on both sides of the road, and endless rice fields. When the breeze blows, the rice waves bring waves of rice fragrance, which is refreshing.

However, the farmers who were not working in the fields should have gone to prepare for the sacrifice to the gods.

At the end of the tree-lined avenue was a large community temple. The open space in front of the temple was already crowded with men, women, old and young. Not only people from Xiejia Village, but people from half of the township had come. At a glance, there were tens of thousands of people.

Seeing the arrival of the sedan chair of Master Xie, the common people hurriedly prostrated themselves in the dust. Ren Yuan looked at them, all of them were ragged and skinny, and suddenly he felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles.

The heads of each village also came forward respectfully to greet Master Xie. Although Xie Deng was only a branch of the Xie family, he was still a member of the noble family that they had to look up to.

Xie Deng got down from the sedan chair and said amiably, "Please get up. Floods, droughts, and locust plagues are inevitable. With Baoerye protecting us, we will definitely be able to get through this."

Everyone then stood up and watched Master Xie and several village heads go in to invite the gods.

The Sheshen Temple was quite large, and in the main hall was a statue of a fierce god with red hair and a ghost face. Xie Deng offered three animals as sacrifices on behalf of the villagers, knelt down and explained his intention, and the witch in the temple began to cast the divination blocks. After three consecutive "holy cups" were one positive and one negative, the old witch announced: "The gods agree to go on tour!"

Then the old witch put on colorful robes, put on a mask similar to the one of the community god, held a staff in her hand, and after a crazy burst of inviting the god to possess her, she got on the sedan chair carried by sixteen people.

A dozen fairy children, playing music, led the way, followed by dozens of believers holding incense tables and candlesticks, and carrying three kinds of sacrificial animals as offerings, surrounding the large sedan chair and marching out of the community temple in a mighty procession.

Xie Deng led the people to follow closely, all the way to the south of Jiuqu Bridge. The Jiuqu River under the bridge is the north-south dividing line of the township. People in the north believe in the river god, while people in the south worship the community god.

The people in the community temple placed an altar at the bridgehead. After everyone knelt down and offered sacrifices, the old witch ordered Mr. Xie to lead the people to retreat to a distance and wait for news.

He burned incense, waved his staff, and chanted something towards the sky.

Ren Yuan followed behind his uncle and watched from afar the old witch waving her fangs and waving her claws at the air. He thought it was quite funny, but seeing that everyone was so nervous, he had no choice but to keep a solemn expression.

But after waiting for a long time, the old witch still didn't come back, so his uncle and several village heads started chatting under the shade of a tree.

"Alas, life is unbearable." A village head named Liu sighed and said, "After the court banned copper coins, the government now only uses iron coins, and now they want to collect taxes in rice, silk and cloth, which is almost like robbery."

"Yes, the common people have already had to sell their children, and now there's a locust plague. How can they pay taxes? Are we going to survive?" The others nodded in agreement. They had the duty to help the government collect taxes, so naturally they were under tremendous pressure.

"You are right," Master Xie said to comfort the crowd, "but the Northern Dynasty had a great turmoil in the six towns two years ago, and Guanlong also followed suit last year. It was indeed a godsend opportunity for the Northern Expedition. But the court has no money, so it can only come up with this expedient measure of 'wasting copper and replacing it with iron'. We must work together now and put the overall situation first."

After a pause, he continued, "As for this year's autumn crops, I will go to the county tomorrow to report a locust plague and see if we can exempt some of them for everyone."

"That's great." The villagers were waiting for him to say this, and they thanked him profusely, "Thanks to the blessing of the community god and the compassion of the owner, we can live like this."

Master Xie waved his hand and said modestly: "Our Xie family believes in 'protecting the people as if they were our own children'. This is what we should do for the people."

"How kind and righteous!" the village heads quickly echoed.

At this time, Master Xie subconsciously stretched his waist, and Liu Lizheng immediately asked smartly: "Sit for a while?"

"Okay." Master Xie nodded.

Liu Lizheng quickly called a few young and strong people over and ordered, "Set up seats."

Several people immediately lay on the ground with their backs straight.

Master Xie sat on the back of a commoner very naturally, and several village heads followed suit.

The person sitting takes it as a matter of course, and the person being sat on also feels emotionally stable.

Ren Yuan was stunned and only came to his senses after his uncle called him twice.

"Let's get to know each other." Master Xie ordered him to bow to the village chiefs and introduced them:
"This is my nephew. Two years ago, my brother-in-law's family was struck by plague, and he was the only child left. I couldn't bear to see my old mother sad, so I brought him back to the farm to raise him. A while ago, I informed my family in Beijing and had him included in the family tree. From now on, he is my second son."

Everyone hurriedly greeted the second young master. While Ren Yuan mechanically replied, he suddenly realized that it was no wonder that there were only the eldest and third young masters in the manor. It turned out that the position of the second young master was reserved for him.

This is too particular.

~~
After chatting for a while, the old witch finally came back.

Master Xie stood up and asked, "How was the talk?"

The old witch took off her scary mask, revealing a still scary chicken-skinned face, and said in a sharp voice: "Master Baoer said that the locust god has made an offer."

As he spoke, he stretched out his skinny left hand that looked like a chicken claw, turned it over and said, "Five pairs of boys and girls."

"So many?" The village chief frowned and said, "During the previous locust plague, we only needed two pairs at most."

"Before was before, this time it is Marshal Heng who comes, leading an army of blood locusts." The witch said as she spread out her right hand, revealing a majestic locust with a large body, sharp teeth and blood-red eyes, which made everyone shudder.

“Put it away quickly, don’t let it attract its own kind!” Manor Master Xie shouted hurriedly.

"This kind of blood locusts not only eats crops, but also spares no living things. Not to mention cattle and sheep, many people have lost their way in the midst of flying locusts, and have turned into bones in the blink of an eye." The old witch raised her hand, and the locusts flapped their wings and flew towards Xiejiazhuang.

"Send the child to the temple tomorrow to bathe and fast, and offer him to the locust god seven days later, so that he can be saved from the plague of blood locusts!" she announced without any doubt.

~~
After sending the gods to the gate of the community temple, Master Xie sighed and told the village heads, "Let's follow the old rules."

After saying that, he followed him into the temple.

"Hey." The village chiefs nodded in agreement, turned around and shouted to the people, "Hurry back to the village and draw lots from house to house."

The people dispersed like a tide, and those who had children were all in panic, and the atmosphere was extremely depressing.

Ren Yuan thought, isn't this what happened to Ximen Bao? It's a pity that there is no Ximen Bao here, so we can't throw all these evil spirits into the river...

While waiting for his uncle to come out, he asked the third young master beside him in a deep voice: "Brother, what are the old rules?"

Xie Ke didn't want to pay attention to him, but in front of so many people, he had to answer: "Draw lots. But don't worry, you are over the age limit."

After a pause, he continued, "Even if you are of the right age, you will definitely not be picked."

Ren Yuan was speechless again. But he knew that he couldn't be impulsive given his status, and he couldn't let his uncle lose face in public. That would not only be useless, but would also bring trouble to himself.

I should go back and ask my cousin what role my uncle played in this.

At this time, Master Ma came out and said, "The owner of the manor will stay in the temple for a while, please go back first."

~~
On the way back, Ren Yuan asked to go and watch the lottery. The third young master looked unhappy, but Ren Yuan used his status as his elder brother to pressure him, so he had no choice but to let the sedan bearer get off the boulevard and turn to the nearest village.

Without the dense shade of the trees, the view before my eyes was completely different. Looking around, I saw a village full of low, dilapidated thatched houses, muddy and dirty streets, stinking canals, and mosquitoes and flies circling everywhere...

The third young master covered his nose and urged them to return quickly, but Ren Yuan ordered the sedan bearers to put down the sedan and walk to the center of the street where the crowd gathered.

The lottery has already begun, and every family with a child under ten years old must participate.

The people waiting were worried and anxious, and those who were drawing lots were so nervous that they didn't even dare to breathe, staring at the headman's hand.

If the drawn lot is white, the whole family will immediately become ecstatic and feel relieved.

But there was one family who unfortunately drew a red ticket. The whole family was heartbroken and the mother even cried bitterly while holding her six-year-old daughter.

Ren Yuan couldn't stand it any longer, but he was powerless. He was about to leave sadly when he saw a young man with a red birthmark on his face. He cursed, "Damn Baoerye, you only bring trouble to my family!"

The villagers looked at him in horror and quickly distanced themselves from the boy. His mother also tried to cover his mouth...

Ren Yuan didn't understand why these people were so cautious? Could the community gods really hear them if they cursed in private?

But they watched helplessly as the young man screamed, curled up in pain, thick white hair grew on his face and hands, horns grew on his head, and finally he fell to the ground, turning into a goat on all fours!

Ren Yuan was so tired of watching that he rubbed his eyes and twisted his arms, but the scene in front of him remained the same - the boy had turned into a sheep.

There was a red spot on the sheep's face, the same shape as the boy's birthmark. There was also a talisman from the community temple hanging around the sheep's neck...

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(End of this chapter)