Chapter 2: Ah Hua Nu

  The next morning, at six o'clock, Master Duan came knocking on my door. I was still drowsy and thought of the strange face on the window last night, looked at the window and thought it was probably just an illusion.

  I opened the door to find Master Duan already packed and ready to go. I had wanted him to wait a bit longer so I could tidy up, but his attitude was resolute, insisting that I set out with him immediately. Although I felt annoyed in my heart, after all it's "guest follows host", and besides this was my first time going on a long trip to take care of things for Father, I didn't want to go back and be laughed at by the old man. So, I simply packed lightly and set out hastily.

  It was still that old Santana, this time I sat in the passenger seat and asked: "Driver Duan, where are we going this time?"

  "Go to the mountain." Master Duan said lightly, seemingly without any intention of chatting with me. I'm not a cheap skull, seeing his cold attitude, I didn't say anything else, leaning on the car seat, taking out my phone, listening to music while eating the bread bought from the boss's wife in the store.

  The car headed southwest, apparently heading into the mountains. At around 10 o'clock, the car had already reached a very remote mountainous area, and I didn't know what mountain it was. I asked Driver Duan, but he didn't answer either. All I knew was that there were no longer any asphalt roads here, only dirt roads, and as we moved forward, there was only one small path through the dense forest, which the car couldn't even enter.

  At this time, Driver Duan stopped the car, and I saw a sturdy middle-aged man standing at the edge of the mountain forest. He was wearing a white short jacket on top and dark blue coarse linen pants on the bottom, which seemed to be the attire of an ethnic minority. Driver Duan pointed at him and said to me: "He is a Miao person, named Da Zhao, meaning 'tiger' in the Miao language. Just follow him."

  I got off the bus with seven parts doubt and three parts anger, thinking that I was abandoned here? It is said that the ethnic minorities in southern Yunnan are fierce, looking at the man's robust figure, and seeing no one around, I really felt a little scared.

  Master Duan seemed to have seen through my thoughts and said directly: "Don't worry, follow him, it's not wrong, I'll pick you up here later."

  I nodded and didn't want to let Duan Shifu see my fear, so I got off the car and walked straight to the front of Miao Ren Daozhao who was wearing simple clothes.

  As soon as I arrived in front of him, he nodded at Master Duan and Master Duan understood, so he drove away.

  "Are you Fan Peixi?" As soon as Nada spoke, I immediately recognized his voice. Wasn't this the person who was speaking outside my door last night? That thick nasal tone I would never mistake. I nodded and he continued, "Follow me."

  Then I followed the Miao man into the small path in the forest. At first, there was still a road under my feet, but as I walked, I found that there was no road to speak of, and I was completely walking on weeds. If it weren't for Da Zhao leading the way for me, I would have gotten lost here long ago. My father had told me before that the mountains in southern Xinjiang were very dense and treacherous, and without a guide, venturing into the forest alone was no different from looking for death. At first, I didn't believe it, but today I have a deep feeling about it. Looking around, the scenery seemed to be the same everywhere. Moreover, the terrain was extremely unstable, with ups and downs all over the place. When I looked up to see the sun, the tree shadows were dappled, and I couldn't accurately tell which direction the sun was in.

  It was probably because I lacked exercise, and not having walked very far, I was already panting heavily. But Da Zhao didn't show any intention of stopping at all. Seeing me huffing and puffing, he simply said calmly: "There's still a long way to go, we can't rest now, otherwise we won't make it to the village before nightfall."

  "Before nightfall?" I almost fell to the ground when I heard this, it seemed that they were planning to walk for a whole day. However, I had no other choice, if I didn't keep up with Da Zhuo's pace, I would probably get lost in this mountain forest very soon.

  We walked for three whole hours and only rested at a small stream halfway through.

  As the sun was about to set, I could finally hear a faint human voice, so I asked Da Zhao, "Is it almost there?"

  Da Zhao nodded and continued walking. But as I walked, doubts arose in my mind. This Ah Jiaona actually lived in such a remote place. Although I also knew that many provinces in the south had small villages hidden in the mountains, they lived a life like a paradise on earth. Before, I even envied their way of life, but now thinking about it, where is it that they don't want to contact the outside world? It's just that this mountain road is so winding and long, it really blocks communication with the outside.

  My father said he came here to inspect many years ago, which I believe, but he said he was hijacked by a gang of robbers, and I'm a bit skeptical. If there are gangs of robbers in such deep mountains and forests, they must drink northwest wind every day, thinking that only the local mountain people can play the "I opened this road" robbery game in such a poor and remote place. I thought to myself, could it be that my father was hijacked by these mountain people back then, and then rescued by that so-called Ah Jia Na witch?

  As I was pondering, the scene in front of me suddenly became clear and a small village nestled between two mountains on a narrow plain appeared before my eyes. I glanced at my watch and it was almost four o'clock, nearly time for dinner, thinking that this place wouldn't even provide a meal.

  It's okay, Da Shuai said to me as we walked: "I'll take you to my home for a bite to eat first, and then go see Ah Ju Na Da Wu after you've eaten your fill."

  I was delighted and thought to myself that he had finally mentioned Ashuna. Throughout the journey, I had been wanting to ask him about Ashuna, but he had always remained silent, leaving me unable to find an opportunity. Now, I pretended to casually ask: "Dawan? Is Ashuna a witch?"

  As soon as the words fell, Da Zhao suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around to glare at me fiercely. I knew that I had unintentionally offended him, so I hastily changed my tone and said: "Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to disrespect her elderly self, nor do I understand your local customs here. I'm afraid that when I meet her later, I'll say something wrong, please instruct me more, instruct me more."

  Dazhao turned his head and said: "Ahshuona the great shaman is indeed a shaman, but absolutely not the kind of ignorant charlatan you Han people understand."

  I nodded hastily and continued to ask: "So, Ah-shu-na the great shaman has a high status in your village?"

  "Supreme."

  "Then your villagers also respect her very much, right?"

  "That's natural."

  "And her children, you all respect them too."

  "What are you talking nonsense about?" Da Zhao burst into anger again: "A Shu Na Dahu has never married, how can she have children!"

  I hastily smiled and said: "Dazhao big brother, don't get angry, I'm just a young kid from the Northeast, I don't understand anything, I misspoke, absolutely no disrespect to your Ahchuna was intended, please don't take offense."

  Dazhao no longer paid attention to me and continued walking. At this time, we had already entered the village, surrounded by typical Miao ethnic architecture, mostly wooden houses with a classic charm. The villagers were also dressed in traditional attire, especially the young Miao women, who wore many silver ornaments on their heads. If they were outside the mountains, they would definitely attract attention, but now in these mountains, my sportswear and jeans made me stand out like a sore thumb. Those Miao girls could tell at a glance that I was an outsider, and from time to time, groups of two or three girls walked by, looked at me, and smiled at each other. A place like this, if well-developed, would definitely become a famous tourist destination.

  However, I have no time to appreciate the village scenery now, because at this moment I am already trapped in a huge doubt. The words of Da Zhao just now are obviously inconsistent with what my father said. First and foremost is the so-called descendant of the lifesaver that my father mentioned, who is also the descendant of Ah Jia Nu. But since Ah Jia Nu was a great witch respected by everyone here, and she never married, where did her descendants come from? Secondly, I always feel that it's suspicious for Ah Jia Nu to entrust her so-called descendants to my father. As a great witch, Ah Jia Nu would not have to worry about food or clothing, especially in the Miao ethnic group which still attaches great importance to shaman culture today. A shaman is undoubtedly their spiritual leader. Such a person, even if she really had descendants, wouldn't need to entrust them to my father who was far away. In this village, it would be enough to entrust them to any household, and the other party would take care of them wholeheartedly.

  At this time, I had a ridiculous yet perfectly logical guess in my mind - could it be that my father had something to do with this Ah-Jiuna back then, causing her to become pregnant, and the descendants of Ah-Jiuna were actually my father's illegitimate children? If that was really the case, then it would make perfect sense for Ah-Jiuna to entrust her descendants to my father.

  So this is to say, I'm here to pick up my half-brother? This is too ridiculous! Although logically speaking, there's no flaw in this explanation, but based on what I know of my father, he would never do something like that.

  I was thinking, and before I knew it, I had already arrived at Dazhao's home. His house is no different from many other households in the surrounding area. When we walked into the room, the table was already set with food. Dazhao's wife is very pretty and a bit shy. Besides, he also has an eight-year-old son who looks exactly like Dazhao. I thought of simply exchanging pleasantries with them, but unfortunately, they don't speak Chinese, so I just ate directly with Dazhao. Originally, I thought there would be some special dishes, but when I looked, I was disappointed to find that they were all ordinary home-cooked meals. The only exception is the self-brewed rice wine, which tastes exceptionally good. This is normal, as the Miao people, although a minority ethnic group, have a very close relationship with the Han Chinese. The two ethnic groups had interactions as early as ancient times, when Chi You's Sanmiao Jiuli tribe and the Yanhuang clan competed for dominance. Later, cultural exchanges between the two ethnic groups became more frequent. Although I'm not particularly interested in history, I've learned a bit from what I've heard since childhood.

  After dinner, Da Zhao finally took me to see that mysterious Ashuna. At this time, the sky was already late, and I followed his lead in the village's small path, unable to distinguish the direction, walking for a while, and finally arrived at a secluded wooden house far away from the village.

  This wooden house is not particularly good compared to other houses in the village, but it's relatively large, consisting of five or six rooms. I followed Da Zhao and walked forward, even a few black-faced Miao people blocked our way, I saw Da Zhao simply said a few words to them in Miao language, those black-faced Miao people looked at me suspiciously before letting us pass.

  That Ah-jiu's residence was very old, the house seemed to have been around for some years. There were some strange wooden decorations hanging under the eaves, like wind chimes, swaying in the wind. Da-zhao asked me to stand at the door and wait for a while, he wanted to go inside and announce his presence. I waited outside for about the time it takes to smoke a cigarette before Da-zhao came out from inside and said to me: "Come on in."

  I hesitated for a moment and asked: "Aren't you going in?"

  Dazhao just shook his head and didn't say a word, so I had no choice but to go in myself.

  As soon as I walked into the house, I couldn't help but wrinkle my brow. Although this wooden house looked clean and simple from the outside, it had a kind of unpleasant smell inside, like something had gone moldy, and at the same time, it smelled like some herbs. After carefully distinguishing for a long time, I realized that this was the smell of old age. I suppose many people have also had this experience - when young people go to an elderly person's home as a guest, no matter how clean and tidy the house is, they can still smell a strange smell, which only the body of an elderly person can emit, it's a smell that comes out when one foot has already stepped into the coffin.

  I walked into this small wooden house, which was the smallest among the five or six houses in this row. The room was very dimly lit, with all the windows covered with thick cloth, and the only light source came from two candles, casting a faint glow. After I got used to the lighting inside, I noticed that there was a young and beautiful Miao girl sitting in the corner of the small house, wearing traditional Miao silver accessories, looking like she had dressed up for some occasion, with the silver decorations on her head making her look a bit top-heavy. I thought to myself, could this be Ah-chu-na? She looked too young, seemingly several years younger than me.

  I walked up to the Miao girl, she didn't say a word, nor did she look at me. I thought to myself, the people in this mountain are really not enthusiastic at all. Just as I was about to speak to her, a hoarse and aged voice suddenly rang out, saying: "Descendant of Ji Yun?"

  I don't know if it was the eerie atmosphere in this house or if the voice was really terrifying, but I was genuinely startled by that one sound. When I looked up, the source of the sound came from the southeast corner of the room, where there was no candlelight. As I walked closer to take a look, I found that there was a brown coarse curtain hanging there.

  I replied in response: "Yes, my father is Fan Jiyun, and you are Ah Shu Na?"

  The person behind the curtain responded with a "yes". After a while, I saw an old hand stretched out from behind the curtain, beckoning me to come over. The old hand was so thin and frail that it seemed to be swaying gently in the wind. Judging by her appearance, Ah-ch'üan must have been quite advanced in age. What surprised me was that at her age, living in such a remote mountainous area, she could still speak fluent Chinese.

  I walked forward, and didn't know what to say. All I could hear was the person behind the curtain saying: "Come closer."

  I moved forward two steps and felt I was already very close to him, but he said again: "A little closer."

  This time, I finally understood her meaning. It turned out that she wanted to caress my face. I know that blind people always like to use their hands to touch a person's face in order to remember a person's appearance. It seems that the Ah-jing inside the curtain is an old blind woman.

  Although I was very reluctant in my heart, after thinking about it, since Father had already said that Ah Shu Na was his lifesaver, and besides, I was a junior, so I shouldn't disobey him. I lowered my head, and put my face close to the withered old hand.

  When that old hand touched my cheek, I don't know why, but I immediately felt a chill run down my spine and didn't dare move. The dryness of that old hand was far worse than I had imagined. When the hand stroked my face, I only felt that it was like a skeleton, without any flesh sensation at all. Moreover, the palm was extremely hard and rough, and the lines on the palm were like sandpaper, scribbling randomly on my face.

  Gradually, I had a strange feeling that the old hand was not stroking my cheek, but rather using its index and middle fingers to draw something on my forehead to chin, it felt like...like ghostly writing!

  "Ghost-painting talismans have always been a Taoist trick for driving out evil spirits and calming ghosts, I've never heard of any Miao shaman playing with this sort of thing."

  Just as I was hesitating, the old hand had already stopped and withdrawn back into the curtain.

  After a while, Akane seemed somewhat dissatisfied and said from behind the curtain: "Your father should come in person."

  I thought to myself, could it be that this Ah Shu Na thinks my father sending me over is somewhat disrespectful and is picking a quarrel? I hastily said: "My father had a serious illness five years ago, now he's already over sixty years old, his body isn't as robust as before, so he entrusted me to come here."

  "Do you know I once saved your father's life?"

  "I know," I replied. "My father told me about this before I left. He has never forgotten that you rescued him from the bandits, it's just that he is not very mobile now, so he sent me instead, no disrespect intended."

  Although I couldn't see Ah-shu's expression, I could still clearly sense that she seemed somewhat surprised and said: "He told you this?"

  "What's wrong? Is something off?"

  She paused for a moment and said: "He has his own reasons for not saying, probably doesn't want you to get involved in the dispute either. This time, just complete your task."

  My heart skipped a beat as I thought to myself, "As expected, it didn't turn out as I had hoped." Along the way, I had repeatedly pondered my father's stories and felt that there were many parts that didn't add up. It seemed that there were indeed some other secrets hidden within that were difficult to speak of. However, the hypothesis that my father had an affair with Ah-Jiuan had already been ruled out by me, as it was clear from her aged appearance that she was even older than my father by many years.

  "What does 'in the midst of right and wrong' mean?"

  I didn't expect that Ah-shu-na and my father had the same personality, born to love selling official titles. Abruptly changing the subject, she said: "Your father and I also had some dealings decades ago, you are his descendant, this is our first meeting, so let me give you something."

  After finishing, the withered old hand stretched out from the curtain again. This time, the hand was holding a pendant. I took it over and said repeatedly: "I'm really sorry, I came empty-handed, as a junior, I still received your gift, I'm really ashamed."

  Unexpectedly, Ah Shu Na didn't even bat an eyelid at my utterly insincere words, ignoring me completely as if she hadn't heard what I said. She simply withdrew her hand and said: "Bu Jin, come over here."

  I was taken aback, turned my head to look back, and found that Ah-shu-na was calling the Miao girl sitting in the corner. The girl came over on hearing her name, stood up, and as she moved, the silver ornaments on her head jingled. As she approached, a thick but refreshing fragrance followed her.

  A Miao girl stood still beside me, and I had the opportunity to take a closer look at her appearance. Her skin was fair, with delicate features, a pair of eyes that were not very big, but pure as water, in short, her expression and demeanor all had a kind of rustic simplicity unique to mountain people. However, what surprised me was that as a southern minority girl, her height was almost the same as that of northern people. I am a standard northern person, tall and sturdy, but the girl was already shoulder-high to me.

  The Ah-jiu in the curtain said again: "This is my descendant. Bu Jin, you must remember him, and follow him from now on."

  The Miao girl nodded silently and quietly.

  I thought to myself, what kind of descendant is this, the deceptive measurement is too poor, at least it should be with that Dazhao to deceive me together. So I asked straightforwardly: "I heard you've never been married, so what's going on with this descendant?"

  She replied in a calm tone: "I don't have any blood relationship with Bo Jin, to be precise, she is my successor."

  "Transmit to people? Are you saying she's your apprentice?" I couldn't quite believe it, could it be that this young and beautiful Miao girl by my side would also become an old witch like Ah-shu-na in just a few years. As I thought about it, I sighed and thought what a pity it was for such a beauty to end up like that.

  Originally, I also wanted to ask Ajuna why she had entrusted this Miao girl to my father, but I was afraid that she would misunderstand and think that my father did not want to take in her descendant, so I didn't ask again. Ajuna also lost interest in continuing to chat with me, and I always had a feeling that Ajuna seemed to feel regretful because my father hadn't come, and there were some things that she seemed to want to say but not to me, but at the same time hoped that I could convey some information to my father. Probably due to my limited ability to understand, I really didn't feel like she had any hidden information that she wanted me to pass on to my father.

  Later, Da Shao took me back to his home. Ah Jiao asked me to take the girl named Bu Jin away early tomorrow morning. What surprised me was that as soon as I came out of Ah Jiao's room, Da Shao's attitude towards me changed dramatically, even with a hint of respect. On the way back to his house, every Miao person we met seemed to be wary of me, and some were even afraid of me. Several times, a few children rushed in front of me, curiously looking at me, but were all sternly chased away by Miao women.

  I felt strange, so I asked Da Zhao the reason why he was silent as usual. When I returned to his home, I was arranged in a small room. I took out the pendant that Ah Jiaona gave me and found it was an ancient cow-shaped pendant carved from peach wood, which should be an amulet. I didn't care much about it and put it on my neck. When I looked into the mirror in the room, I suddenly saw myself with a bloody face in the mirror, just like someone whose skin had been torn off.