Water Buffalo in the Mountains

  Luckily, I have had a few years of experience dealing with the Miao people and know that when they show their fierce side, no matter if they're wielding a knife or a gun, you absolutely cannot back down. If you do, they'll completely lose respect for you.

  "Alone?"

  Fake Huang Rihua's eyes slanted, and a cold laugh sprayed out from his nose. He took big strides and walked to the front of the car in just a few steps. Although this Miao person looked like Huang Rihua, his physique was somewhat similar to "Terminator" Schwarzenegger, with two fists as big as sandbags.

  Looking at the Miao people with fierce eyes, I still felt a little scared in my heart and retreated several steps. At that time, I was thinking that if I could return safely this time, I would first ask Master to teach me some martial arts skills before worrying about his ghost-catching abilities.

  However, the Miao tribe's Han didn't even get to walk in front of me before being stopped by Master.

  Don't look at my master's thin and dry appearance, but wherever he goes, the Miao people stop in their tracks, neither advancing nor retreating. Their hawk-like eyes stare at my master, I don't know what they're thinking.

  "Please tell the High Priest that a friend of his has come to visit, and his name is Xiao Tian Shi."

  "Xiao Tian Shi?" Miao Ren muttered, suddenly furrowing his brow into a "川" shape, with an inexplicable meaning flickering in his eyes.

  Then the Miao people dispersed and went back, while the master walked silently back to the car.

  。

  "These Miao people are too unreasonable, they even dared to hit me after taking my cigarettes." Dog Root stumbled back, cursing non-stop with his mouth, but his body was still shaking uncontrollably.

  My master smiled and said that the location of Shuǐ Niú Bǎ has always been kept secret from outsiders, and those few Miao people not killing Gǒu Gēn Zi before was already giving face.

  "You're teasing me again, old man. It's just a broken hut, even if it's a bit bigger in scale, they wouldn't dare kill people, would they?" Dog Root said disbelievingly.

  "Shuiniubao is the ancestral land of the Hua Miao people, where they worship their ancestors and the great god. Even if it's just a casual visit from other branches of the Miao people, you, as a Han Chinese, shouldn't be here at all. The path into the mountains is guarded by mountain spirits, and there are also spells and poisonous traps set up by the elderly. You say you stumbled in by mistake? That's still possible. But if you say you came specifically to visit, that's just asking for death."

  "Don't look at your robust body, even if you're thrown to the mountain demons to be torn apart, it's just a matter of one meal. Many people go missing in the mountains every year, and they won't miss a fatty like you."

  The dog is still stubborn and wants to argue, but in the end, the Miao people will still put him back in his place, won't they?

  The master said that's because the Hua Miao people are generally more friendly to the Han Chinese, if it were the Hei Miao people, as soon as they heard you speaking Han language, you would have been fed to the mountain ghosts long ago.

  "How can Miao people still be divided into different families?" I was stunned by what I heard about Hei Miao and Hua Miao.

  The master explained that the Miao people are divided into three ethnic groups: Black Miao, Flowery Miao and White Miao. They are all descendants of the Chiyou tribe, with similar customs but also differences. The Miao people mentioned here refer to the ancient Sanmiao, which is not the same as the modern-day Miao ethnic group.

  Among them, the Bai people have the largest population, the most diverse religious beliefs, and the loosest structure. The current Miao, She, and Bai ethnic groups all originated from the ancient Bai Miao tribe and are also related to many other ethnic groups.

  The Hua Miao and Hei Miao have smaller populations, they live deep in the mountains, are self-sufficient, and have inherited most of the ancient Miao people's witchcraft and sorcery. All three branches of the Miao acknowledge themselves as descendants of Chi You, but the Hua Miao worship Benma Dashi, with Chi You being worshipped only as an ancestor, while the Hei Miao regard Chi You as the highest deity to be revered and do not recognize the Hua Miao's Benma Dashi.

  My master is enthusiastically explaining the concept of San Miao to me, when suddenly I heard a series of loud knocks, and the car door was knocked again.

  。

  It was that young Miao kid who knocked on the door. I rolled down the window and saw him say reluctantly, "Follow me into the village."

  After listening to the story all night, I was relieved by the rude behavior of the Miao boy in front of me. Since we have already been approved to enter the mountain village, it's better for me to be honest and still hope that they will save our lives.

  The gate of Miao Village is built between two mountains, with a depth of dozens of meters, all made of thick and heavy bluestone blocks, the stone surface is covered with moss, looking quite old.

  The stone wall is about seven or eight meters high, with battlements on top and people carrying torches patrolling back and forth. Above the main gate hangs a stone plaque carved with strange patterns.

  The dog root child whispered in my ear: "The Miao people of Shuizhuping really turned the village into a bandit's lair."

  I also find it puzzling that in a peaceful era, Shuikouba is showing such a tense and battle-ready state. What are they defending against?

  The heavy wooden door was pushed open by four Miao people, revealing a narrow slit that could only accommodate two people shoulder to shoulder. We followed the leading child into the doorway, and the scene before us made me involuntarily take a deep breath of cold air, it was truly magnificent.

  What is known as the Water Buffalo Dam was originally a huge mountain basin. The surrounding mountains formed a natural defense for the Miao village, and the only gap was this wall behind us.

  How big is the village? It's too dark now, I couldn't see clearly, anyway, it's a place where you can't see the edge at a glance, and it's probably not a problem to accommodate several thousand households. What kind of village is this? It's simply a country in the mountains.

  We three followed the Miao boy into the village, walking on a stone-paved road flanked by rows of stilted houses, some with traditional wooden structures and others with tiled roofs. Whether it was because they heard our footsteps or smelled the scent of outsiders on us, the dogs in the Miao village were startled awake, one barking, then hundreds barking, soon filling the mountainside with a cacophony of dog howls, interspersed with curses from people who had been awakened.

  "My god, there must be over ten thousand people here." Dog Root exclaimed in a low voice.

  "There are at least 30,000 people, and the total population of Huamiao is over a million. One-fifth of them live in Shuiniupai." The master corrected.

  "How did you know so much?" The Miao boy stared at my master with wide eyes.

  。

  "Haha, I don't just know how many people are in the village, but I also know you're a young master of the Meng Zhou family. What's your relationship with Meng Zhou Wu Huan?" Master said with a smile.

  "The clan leader is my grandfather, and the one who led the team earlier was my father, Mong Zhoushan. My name is Mong Zhouchuan." The Miao boy said with his head held high and a proud tone.

  "Hey, you're still a second-generation official." Dog Root heard Meng Zhouchuan's words and playfully raised his thumb at him.

  Meng Zhou didn't bother with Gou Genzi, but instead took an interest in my master: "I didn't expect that you, an old man, would be so familiar with our village. No wonder the High Priest was willing to meet with you."

  "Fifty years ago I came to your village, at that time your grandfather was only a few years older than you, didn't expect to meet again and already become the tribe leader." Master replied with a smile.

  "Fifty years ago?" Meng Zhouchuan repeated with a puzzled expression, and under the light of the torch in his hand, I saw his face suddenly change color, then he turned back without saying another word, no longer speaking to us.

  As soon as I heard that Master and the head of Miao Village were old acquaintances, my heart suddenly burst into bloom, and I hurriedly crowded around Master to curry favor with him.

  "Master, if you had told me earlier that you knew their clan leader, things wouldn't have gotten out of hand like they did. With this relationship in place, it seems my chances of driving out the evil spirit are almost guaranteed."

  Who would have thought that the master shook his head and said that the matter of driving out the evil spirit had to be found by the great priest, the words of the clan leader were not effective, and because of the things back then, Wu Huan might not want to see him again, so just now only reported the name of the great priest.

  I asked the high priest again who it was, could it be that he was more effective than the tribal elder?

  The master said that the sacrificial ceremony in Miao Village is only responsible for holding festivals, and generally does not interfere with the daily affairs of Miao Village. However, Shuiniupai is different, the great priestess is the sister of the tribal chief Wu Huan, and also an old acquaintance of his, so her words carry weight.

  "We came here looking for the High Priest, it seems I'm saved." I almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Who knows, Master didn't say a word, just let out a long sigh, full of stories.

  My heart suddenly thudded, it seems that driving out the evil spirit is not going to be easy.

  You can click "Add Bookmark" at the top to record this (Water Buffalo Dam in 010 Group of Mountains) record, and you will see it next time you open the bookshelf! Please recommend this book to your friends (QQ, blog, WeChat, etc.), thank you for your support!!