In many cases, belief or reverence is engraved in the bones, like an instinctive reaction such as fear.

So when talking about the lotus totem, Liu Nansheng unconsciously slowed down his speech, and his attitude became heavy.

"The term saint is also the tradition of Liuzhen, the gods we believe in here need the purest girl to worship, this is the supreme glory, the saint is the highest status in our village. When newborn babies are baptized, the high priest will measure their chances with the gods, which is not as simple as us rough men being baptized, it is much more strict. The origins, families, inheritances, and even ancestors of those girls who have offended the gods will be carefully listed and evaluated, and there are too many requirements....... Details that you don't even think of will be grounds for the gods to refuse. This must be the purest and most perfect soul to be qualified to serve God, and this is only the first review. ”

When Gu Qi and Liu Mu's eyes met, neither of them said much, but they seemed to be communicating something silently.

Liu Nansheng swallowed half of his cigarette and continued to talk to himself.

"Each high priest will only elect twelve girls, and there will be twelve, and there will be twelve....... If you believe in reincarnation, it may be better explained. No matter how many years the Wu clan has aged, the inheritance left behind will not be severed for no reason, whether it is the worship of the gods or the ritual of praying to the gods. This is what the high priest told us, and some people have thought about resisting, but what is the use, who can be freed from fate...... It is destined that there will be saints who will become sacrifices, and there is no way to do it, no way. ”

Liu Mu was extremely sensitive to the number "twelve", and before Liu Nansheng could speak, he couldn't help but think of something more far-reaching, so he quickly asked directly.

"So, is this what your clan calls the Twelve Concubines?"

"Yes, the twelve concubines, the twelve concubines......"

Liu Nansheng's lips touched and responded. When he said these words, he behaved very hard, I don't know whether he was lamenting the past that had been excavated from his years, or because the mysterious and mysterious secrecy had left a huge shadow on him, so that he usually didn't want to mention it, but now he had to mention it, and it seemed that he was suffering from some kind of mental torture.

"Didn't I say a flower totem, only twelve concubines are eligible for such a totem. But unlike other newborns, the totems of the twelve concubines are not carved from birth, but until the age of twelve, when the girls are first grown, the high priest will set the flowers for them. These flowers are fixed, and the twelve concubines of the past generations have been given twelve kinds of flowers, which correspond to their position and corresponding sacrifices in the prayer ceremony, and the holy women are tattooed with lotus flowers. ”

"What do you say?" Gu Qi raised his eyebrows.

You can think of this as a selection, or a hint from the gods. Because many things are predestined at the moment of birth, but they can't be immediately distinguished, and all of them are about chance. The girls who were chosen as the twelve concubines were qualified to serve the gods, so they were eligible to be sent to the temple of the dragon maidens to grow up in the shadow of the gods day and night. From the moment they were chosen, this was their destined fate. ”

When Liu Nansheng said this, Gu Qi and Liu Mu were already speechless. If the two of them didn't know much about the traditions of the Wu clan before, after listening carefully to these unbelievable legends at this time, in addition to the extremely strong shock, only a sense of fear suddenly arose in their hearts.

For no other reason, it all overlapped with the only part of their cognition.

Liu Mu is a member of the Bai family, although there is a reason for the treasure of the bereaved king, except for the head of the Bai family, no one has a chance to snoop. But when Liu Mu was a teenager, he overheard those magical songs, and unexpectedly guided him to learn some fur.

In addition, Bai Yicong's disappearance.

Liu Mu still remembers that in the winter of last year, his cousin went to Wucheng mysteriously, and Bai Yi never explained his itinerary too much at that time, and after he came back, he never mentioned that experience. Of course, Liu Mu doesn't think that his relationship with Bai Yicong is close enough to talk about everything, and his cousin will deliberately use excuses such as "amnesia" in third-rate Korean dramas to prevaricate him.

But if everything is true, with Bai Yi's ability, who will make a fool of him to the extent of planting a big heel?

This has always been a doubt in Liu Mu's heart, but because he couldn't ask, he never asked.

It wasn't until He Manzhou appeared that Bai Yicong gradually began to investigate the Tianwentang Museum, or rather, investigate He Sheng, that Liu Mu gradually sorted out some clues.

The Bai family has great influence in the antique market in Z City, but when it comes to personal relationships, it is the Liu Group that is superior, especially Liu Mu, the eldest young master who adheres to the principle of "multiple friends and multiple roads", and is a person who is close to the antique industry. Therefore, when sorting out the information about the Tianwentang Museum, Rao Shibai was indispensable to use the "know-it-all" Liu Mu, and it was at that time that Liu Mu realized that the trip to Wucheng was far more complicated than he imagined.

If it was just a vague thought at first, then when he got the document bag in the Bai family's old mansion, those broken thoughts were instantly integrated, and everything had a clearer judgment.

In the previous month, Liu Mu must not have guessed what Bai Yicong wanted to do when he went to Wucheng again, and even on the night after the auction, he teased his cousin with jokes such as picking up girls, and called He Manzhou "little sister-in-law" one by one. Now that I think about it, how could Bai Yicong, who has a clear purpose, do all kinds of useless work just because of a smile from the Pomeranian?

What he wants to investigate is clearly the treasure of the relict king, or rather, the Guloulan Wu clan.

Under the dim light, Liu Mu's face could be called dull, and the well-defined face restrained the usual frivolity, and it appeared sharper than usual. And the trade-off or confrontation is always mutual, Gu Qi's beautiful and cold eyes are hidden under the long eyelashes, and many unspeakable emotions have precipitated into a deep one.

Compared with Liu Mu, Gu Qi's concerns are obviously deeper and more direct.

She was a member of the research team that selected the topic of Miao Jiang, and before He Sheng disappeared, basically all the internal information and even the verbal opinions of the teachers were shared between the two of them. Probably because of the difference in personality, although He Sheng is a famous professor at Z University, he never sticks to the rules, and has been conducting fieldwork for decades. Gu Qi, on the other hand, focuses more on data integration and theoretical analysis, and she once felt that her doctoral direction should choose the direction of criticism or criticism, which is more suitable for her personality.

So in Miao Jiang's topic selection, the disagreement between her and He Sheng became inevitable.

"Small period, it's strange to say, I went to Miao Village this time and met an ancient temple, the totem in the temple is very interesting. It was painted on the rock wall of the ancient temple with special paint, but many of the walls have gradually fallen off with age. The broken bricks were almost unrecognizable under the washaway of age, and I studied them for a long time by the light of a flashlight before I could see some clues in the boulders on the ground. ”

At that time, Gu Qi listened very carefully, she put down the information she had sorted out halfway and joined the discussion with the teacher.

"What have you researched, teacher, are you the ones you brought back this time?"

"Not only these, but also the written materials are my analysis of the local customs and customs, as well as the explanation of the sacrificial culture of Miaojiang, but what really makes me feel amazing is the totem in the temple that I found by chance. He Sheng's tone paused slightly, and he continued with more interest, "The paintings on the broken stones are very messy, and I looked at them for a long time before I could tell the ancient guards in armor, there were men with spears and shields, tangled and twisted flower branches, and climbing spiders, and in the center of the mural was the image of the goddess - it was an extremely beautiful woman, with a two-color lotus flower that was in full bloom or budding at her feet. ”

"What kind of god is that, do you recognize it, teacher?"

"Yes, I have been studying sacrificial civilization for decades, and I can't say that my head is the Tao, and my eyesight is very extraordinary. I can say that there has never been such a totem in the existing records, and there is not even a similar element. Each tribe that believes in a totemic civilization has a unique culture, and if you can follow the clues of the photos, you may find amazing discoveries. ”

For any information that is not recorded in the classics, Gu Zhi has always been quite harsh, and it is also a subconscious thing to arouse suspicion.

Such doubts come almost immediately, even if the object is one's own teacher.

"So, what about the photos, Sensei?"

"Photo...... I clearly remember that I took all the pictures, but I don't know what's going on, after returning to Z City, all those pictures are gone, and the few ones I added to the Miaojiang topic selection information page are the ones I added. ”

I have also seen the newly added information, and there is nothing too special, although there are some text analyses attached, but those are more of He Sheng's unilateral inferences and analysis, and cannot be used as a direct basis.

"Teacher, you have worked too hard during this time, and many times the more you subconsciously identify something, the more your thoughts will continue to deviate with the psychological suggestion, but in fact nothing substantive happens. ”

He Sheng didn't say anything more at that time, and Gu Qi later recalled that his expression at that time was clearly very cautious, as if he was hiding the dark color of the coming storm.

But in the end, Lao He just sighed low and followed Gu Qi's words.

"Maybe, maybe I'm mistaken. ”

......

While Liu Mu and Gu Qi were silent, Liu Nansheng, who was a member of the Wu clan, recalled those who could be called secret in the Wu clan, but felt that the fear suppressed in his chest had intensified, and his tone had become quite heavy.

"The twelve concubines were destined to be sacrificed to the sacrificial sacrifice, and they were born for a grand death, but the saints were different, the saints were the only ones who were qualified to communicate with the gods, and they were recognized by the gods, which was the meaning of the existence of the sacrifice. ”

Speaking of this, Liu Nansheng's tone paused slightly, and under the dim yellow light, his expression was obscure.

"Young man, when you first entered the door, didn't you mention that ballad, that is, the music specially used for sacrifice in our Liuzhen, which will be recited by the twelve concubines during the summer and annual sacrifices. The saint dances in front of the temple with a mask, and in the process, the deity transmits her instructions to the saint, foreshadowing the events of the following year. ”

Liu Nansheng didn't say it directly, but Liu Mu grasped the key point in an instant.

"Uncle Liu, so you've been in trouble in Liuzhen recently, is it because of the upcoming New Year's Festival?"