Early the next morning, Da Lei took off his shoes, went barefoot, and took advantage of the hazy sky to come to the open space that Xiao Hai said. I saw a huge earthen wall standing alone in the open space www.biquge.info about ten meters high, two meters wide, and three meters thick. It was densely covered with small white flowers, the same as the one I saw in my tomb before!

A large open space, standing coldly against the wall, is really strange to look at.

Da Lei walked over, stretched out his hand and dragged a small white flower in his pocket, only to see that after the white flower was pulled down, there was a thumb-sized hole in the wall, and a bunch of skulls of rice gushed out of it, crackling and falling to the ground.

Then the hole shrank smaller and smaller, and finally disappeared, and after a while, a new young green shoot appeared, and there were some white spots in the front of the green shoot. It seems that it will not be long before a new manbai will grow.

It's weird.

Da Lei took two steps back, he really didn't think there was anything sacred in this place, the huge open space stood alone with a large earthen wall, like a tombstone, how to look at it.

"Who are you?"

Suddenly, there was a child's voice behind him.

"Ahh Da Lei was startled, turned around, and saw a baby who was just up to his chest with a small face and glared at him angrily.

This milk baby..... It's really beautiful.

In the early morning, she was dressed in red, but the appearance of twelve or thirteen years old was lovely, a pair of big eyes were watery, although full of hostility and vigilance, but in the dry yellow desert, like a rainbow on the horizon, with the freshness of a mountain stream and a clear spring, it flowed straight and spread.

Da Lei was a little obsessed.

"I came from out of town, got lost, and came to the village to live temporarily." After a long time, Da Lei replied.

"The one who's been in a coma for a long time? Out-of-towners can't come here and no one tells you? ”

The tone of the little milk baby was very bad, and even a little aggressive, Da Lei couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking that he really poured eight generations of blood mold to come to this ghost place, who is rare! Anyway, I'm an adult myself, and this doll doesn't understand any politeness. But he thought about it again, it was not right for him to trespass on other people's forbidden places, and the sixth said that their beliefs were very heavy, so let him be more careful and don't go where he shouldn't go.

But no one really told him he couldn't come here.

"No one really told me." Da Lei squatted down, stared into her unreal beautiful eyes and said, "My brother is injured and wants to pick flowers for him to put on his face." Uncle apologizes to you, I'm sorry, I won't come in the future. ”

The milk baby stared at him for a while, lowered his eyes, looked at the manbai flower that came out of Da Lei's pocket, and said, "One flower is not enough." Then she ran around Da Lei to the big earthen wall, tiptoed and picked Duomanbai, ran over and handed it to him, and said, "Your calf is also injured, you should put it on it." ”

Da Lei was stunned for a moment, lowered his head and saw that his pants were torn, he lifted his trouser leg in surprise, and sure enough, there was a not deep but long wound on his calf, and the blood was dry. It seems that I accidentally scraped it last night, and I didn't pay attention to it.

"How do you know I'm hurt?"

"I'm sensitive to the smell of blood."

"Huh?" Da Lei heard it for the first time, and he couldn't laugh or cry. Then he thought of something and asked, ".... By the way, why didn't you go to the festival? ”

The little guy was stunned for a moment, and then said, "The child won't let me go." ”

"But Ganu is gone."

The baby held her mouth and didn't speak.

Da Lei only felt funny when he looked at her like that: "What? Did you escape? ”

"Hmm. Sneaking out. After a pause, she instructed with some anxiety: "You can't tell others." ”

"Okay, I promise you. What is your name? ”

"Senua."

The gray sky gradually dissipated, revealing the earthy yellow of the day after day, and the huge sun was above it, like a hanging furnace, crackling and falling flames.

The day festival was over, and those people kept their heads down, silent along the way, but their steps were surprisingly neat, like a hundred ghosts walking in the daytime.

Da Lei leaned against the door, looking at their strange appearance, he couldn't help but turn around and ask Xiao Hai: "Are these people like this after every day sacrifice?" ”

"Which one?"

Xiao Hai had medicine on his face, and he didn't dare to speak loudly, it sounded like his voice was like a hard squeeze out of his throat.

"It's like a zombie."

"I didn't pay attention." Xiao Hai estimated that the time was almost up, and took off the manbai on his face, he touched it with his hand, his face was very smooth, and it seemed that there was nothing wrong.

"That's right, brother." Xiao Hai grabbed a handful of sassy rice and stuffed it into his mouth, and said in a woo-wow-woo-wow: "You weren't discovered when you went to Cai Manbai, right?" ”

"Don't worry, it's not dawn, they're all in the patriarch's house. Besides, if I take off my shoes, I won't be found. But you kid too, why didn't you tell me that place was forbidden. ”

"Who knew you'd go! Normally we would go to the patriarch's house to get the manbai. ”

"You've never been there?"

"Nope." Xiao Hai shook his head.

"What about the well in front of the patriarch's house? Have you ever touched it? ”

"Alas...."Xiao Hai sighed, hesitated for a while, and said: "When I woke up, you were still in a coma, and you didn't understand anything at that time, and one night when you were bored, you walked around, and you came to the door of the patriarch's house, and then ......"

"And then what?"

Xiao Hai looked embarrassed: "I think there is something wrong with that well." He stretched his neck and looked around, pulled Da Lei closer to the house, and said in a low voice: "There is a sound at the bottom of the well!" ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Da Lei only felt that the backbone of his back was numb like an electric shock.

"People here usually don't go out when it's dark, including Lao Liu, and the whole village is like an uninhabited ruin. Although it was night, the night was not dark, and the moon was round and big, just like the Mid-Autumn Festival. I was bored, so I walked around, and when I was far away, I heard someone singing, and the voice was high and thin. Brother, do you remember the singing we heard in our tent that night when we got lost in the Taklamakan Desert? ”

Da Lei nodded, and the song was like a jagged tooth, hissing and hissing as a prelude to a series of strange events for them.

"That's the voice!" Xiao Hai was a little excited, he held Da Lei's hand tightly and said: "At the beginning, I still felt a little that this song was so familiar, and when I thought about it, my scalp was numb!" I wonder who is singing. But the sound of this song came from far and near, I don't know where it came from, so I could only continue to walk blindly, but I didn't expect the sound to get louder and closer, and I took a closer look at myself to walk to the door of the patriarch's house, and on the edge of the well, there was a woman sitting! ”

Da Lei shuddered.

"I was still some distance away from her, and I didn't see what she looked like. But I'm sure, it's a woman. Skinny and small, she kept singing with her back to me, her voice was like her nails scratching the blackboard repeatedly, and it was sharp and thin! I slowly approached her, wondering who was doing the trick, and it turned out..."

"The result?"

She suddenly stopped singing. The scariest thing was that she turned her back to me and started giggling, louder and louder, and finally... Finally she jumped. ”

"Jumped?!"

"Well, I rushed over to reach out and pull her, but there was a black rumbling in the well, and I couldn't see anything clearly, as if she disappeared as soon as she jumped in, and I didn't see the sound of falling to the ground."

"The sixth man said that this well is very deep."

"I waited at the well for a long time, but I didn't hear a sound, and it was really like she had disappeared. Then I gave up, and as soon as I turned around, I saw the patriarch standing behind me and staring straight at me. Startling me, I told him that someone had jumped off, but he didn't believe it, and kept repeating to me that I was too tired and hallucinating. Finally, his tone was a little wary: 'Don't touch that well again.' '”

"Does the sixth know about this?"

Xiaohai nodded: "He doesn't believe it either, saying that I slept for too long and my head was occasionally not awake." But since then, I will not go to any place where they have faith and sacred signs, on the one hand, who knows what they will encounter. On the other hand, the place with manbai is more noble and sacred to them, and if they accidentally go there and get caught, they are afraid that they will be driven out of the village, which is deserted, and driving out is equivalent to death. ”

Da Lei nodded, what Xiao Hai said made sense, he was lucky today, and he met a milk baby.

But that well...

Da Lei was a little hesitant, he couldn't help but want to take a look.

When Xiao Hai talked about the woman who sang, he couldn't bear it anymore, that singing.... Drifting into their tent in the distance and starting all hellish nightmares, there must be some connection in the dark.

But what Xiaohai said is also right, if he is found again, he will definitely be driven out, and he will undoubtedly be sent to death.

"By the way, since we can't touch the well, what do we do when we need to drink water?"

"Whoa." Xiao Hai stretched out his finger and pointed to the broken jar in the corner of the house, and said, "Khan Meng is responsible for fetching water for us, and he will send water once a day." Water is scarce here, so we are very cautious when using it. ”

"What does it mean to be every hour?"

"Oh yes!" Xiao Hai patted his head and said, "You don't know yet." Pick a manbai flower, and it takes a full ten days after it leaves the rhizome to completely wither. On the fifth day, the manbai will turn blood-red, and the 'five days' will be called 'degrees'. By the 10th day, the blood-red manbai will dry up to the thickness of paper, and when touched lightly, it will turn into a powder, which will be dissolved in water and drunk, and it is said to strengthen the body. These 'ten days' became 'Chen'. Thirty-six 'Chen' plus one 'degree' is one year. ”

I see, this is how people here distinguish time.

Xiao Hai pointed to the shriveled Manbai on the table, which was already red and black.

"See? Ten days have passed, and tonight Khan Meng will bring water, and there will be only one bucket for each household. ”

Da Lei didn't pay much attention to it before, but as soon as Xiao Hai said that he found out, he walked over curiously, reached out and touched Manbai, and sure enough, it had turned into powder.

Xiao Hai got up and scooped half a bowl of water from the tank, put the powder in it, and handed it to Da Lei: "Brother, drink and see." ”

Da Lei looked at the black liquid in the bowl, frowned, raised his head and drank it.

I don't feel anything.

"When is Khan Meng going to fetch water?"

"This time is more special, the people in their clan go to fetch water by themselves during the day, because we are outsiders and can't touch the well, so Khan Meng will generally go at night, and after beating the first bucket, he will first carry it to knock on the door of the sixth man, and then return to hit the second bucket and send it to us."

It's really hard for him......

"Then let him save some effort tonight, when he hits the second bucket, he won't work him, and we'll get it back ourselves."

In the evening.

Da Lei heard the knock on the opposite side, so he got up and stuck to the crack of the door, and saw a hunchbacked figure at the door of the old sixth, estimating that it was sweaty.

Khan Meng handed the sixth man a bucket, and the sixth said in a low voice thank you, took the bucket into the house, and returned it after a while.

The bucket was empty, but it was still hard to carry it, and he walked slowly, like a turtle.

Da Lei pondered that the time was almost up, turned around and gave Xiao Hai a look, and the two of them pushed the door and walked out.

It's really cool at night in the desert.

Da Lei chased after him in a few steps, and Khan Meng was a little surprised to see him.

Da Lei explained: "I can't sleep at night, just waiting for you to deliver water, and I'll just bring it back after a while, so you don't have to run again." ”

Khan Meng squinted at him, didn't speak, but knocked on the bucket in his hand.

Da Lei was stunned for a moment, and then reacted: "I'll return this bucket to you tomorrow morning." ”

Khan Meng nodded, ignoring him.

This old guy is arrogant enough.

Xiao Hai said that Khan Meng was only about fifty years old, but he had old age spots on his face, his eyes were so small that he couldn't seem to open them, but the bags under his eyes were surprisingly big.

Xiao Hai chased after him from behind, and Da Lei turned around and whispered to him dissatisfiedly: "This old man doesn't speak, like a dumb man." ”

"Shhhhh Xiao Hai lowered his voice: "He's just dumb." ”

Khan Meng stopped, turned his head and looked at the two of them with a blank expression.

Xiao Hai smiled awkwardly: "My brother just woke up not long ago, and he doesn't know a lot of things. ”

Khan Meng turned his head and continued walking.

Xiao Hai pointed to the back of the sweaty man, and his voice was lowered a little lower: "The old guy's ears are smart!" ”

After walking for a long time to reach the well, Khan Meng skillfully tied the rope to the bucket and threw it down, and after a while he heard a "plop" sound.

This well is really deep enough.

Khan Meng pulled the rope with some difficulty, looking at his old and curved back, Da Lei couldn't bear it, regardless of Xiao Hai's objections, he walked over and pulled out the rope, and said to Khan Meng: "Let's work together to save effort." ”

The expected Khan Meng's face was angry, and Da Lei hurriedly explained: "I know that this well is your holy place, and outsiders can't touch it, so you see, I didn't touch it." All I touched was this rope. ”

Khan Meng looked down, and sure enough, Da Lei was still a long way from the edge of the well.

Da Lei didn't stop in his hand, and continued to say: "My brother and I have caused you a lot of trouble here, and I have to let you deliver water at night, and I don't feel good in my heart." ”

Khanmeng's face softened a little, and he didn't stop Da Lei anymore.

Da Lei breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, thinking to himself, how could this well be deeper than he imagined, and he didn't pull it up for so long a day. He glanced down at the well, it was so dark that he couldn't see anything clearly.

It's just that for some reason, the bottom of this black well actually gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

At the end, Da Lei's arms were sore, and he dragged the bucket up.

I used to say polite words to Khan Meng, but after this dragging, Da Lei was sincerely grateful to Khan Meng from the bottom of his heart, he is also a lot older, and it is not easy to fetch water alone.

Xiao Hai took the bucket in Da Lei's hand, and the two of them thanked Khan Meng and went back.

"Strange." On the way, Xiao Hai muttered: "Why do I think this bucket is heavier than before." ”

Then he stumbled under his feet, fell to the ground without walking steadily, the bucket also overturned, the water in it flowed on the ground in a hurry, and a round object also rolled out of the bucket, grunted on the ground and turned to Da Lei's feet and stopped.

Through the moonlight, Da Lei clearly saw that it was a human head.

The facial features were a little swollen by the blisters.

But he still recognized.

That's the head of the fifth master.

Under the moonlight, the five masters' eyes had been soaked white, and his open mouth was straight at Da Lei, like a dead fish with something to say.