Rebirth 1958: My Home is in Nanluoguxiang

After Wang Lei had petted the cats and dogs in the store, he said to Wu Xie with an unsatisfied look, "Yesterday I read a post about a town called Heihe in the northwest mountains. A magnitude 4 earthquake struck the town yesterday. Although no one was hurt, the houses were badly damaged. I watched the video and found that many of the houses were old buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Tian Nai, you know, there are usually some valuable things buried in the corners or underground of these old houses..."

As he spoke, he opened the video on his phone and showed it to Wu Xie.

Wu Xie watched for a while and found that the buildings in the video were indeed as Wang Lei said, with many old houses left over from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

"You don't mean to..."

"Yes, I just want to shovel some land, naive, why don't we go together!"

"Don't go, don't go!"

Wu Xie was unwilling to go at all. The cats and dogs in the store were his dearest ones, and he couldn't bear to leave them behind and go on a long journey.

Wang Lei was prepared. He just smiled and said, "Tian Nai, I know you are running out of money. If you have no money and the landlord asks for rent, and the matter is brought to your grandfather, hehe..."

Wu Xie's face fell when he heard this: "I don't want to be like this, but..."

Of course, he didn't want to go home in disgrace, so he followed his family's arrangements and went to work in a research institute.

Wang Lei waved his hand and said, "No problem, I'll leave the store to Wang Meng. You and I will go and shovel the land. If we can get one or two big items, we can sell them and your store will be revived!"

Wu Xie was silent for a long time, and finally nodded resignedly.

In the early morning, just after the sun broke, Wu Xie and Wang Lei boarded a flight to the northwest, dragging suitcases filled with equipment. The small cabin was filled with a dull atmosphere, mixed with people's low conversations and the sound of suitcase wheels. Wang Lei fell asleep as soon as he sat down, snoring one after another, attracting the attention of the surrounding passengers. Wu Xie leaned against the window, looking at the city gradually receding outside the window, with mixed feelings in his heart, looking forward to the upcoming adventure, but also worried about the unknown danger.

After several hours of flight, they finally arrived at the nearest city to Heihe Town. As soon as they left the airport, a dry and slightly dusty wind blew in their faces, which was completely different from the warmth of Yanjing. The two had no time to rest, so they quickly rented an off-road vehicle and headed towards Heihe Town along the winding mountain road.

The closer we got to Heihe Town, the more rugged and difficult the road became, and the more desolate the scenery on both sides became. The mountains in the distance were rolling, like a giant beast sleeping on the earth, silent and mysterious. Wu Xie held the steering wheel tightly, staring at the front intently, avoiding the big potholes and falling rocks on the road from time to time. Wang Lei looked around excitedly in the passenger seat, muttering to himself: "We will definitely dig up treasures this time, maybe we can find a priceless antique, then we will make a fortune!"

After an unknown amount of time, Heihe Town finally appeared before their eyes. This was a typical northwest town, with houses mostly built of adobe and stone, scattered on the hillside. The streets of the town were not wide, with bumpy dirt roads, and occasionally a few skinny dogs wandered by the roadside.

Wu Xie and Wang Lei parked the car in the center of the town, got out of the car, and stretched. Their arrival immediately attracted the attention of some villagers, most of whom were dark-skinned, with a simple and curious look in their eyes. Wu Xie walked up and politely asked an old man about the location of the market. The old man enthusiastically pointed in the direction and said in a dialect with a strong accent: "Go straight ahead and turn a corner and you'll be there."

The two followed the direction pointed by the old man and soon found the market. The market was very lively, with a variety of stalls, some selling agricultural products, some selling daily necessities, and some selling handicrafts. Wu Xie and Wang Lei walked through the market, observing the surrounding environment while looking for clues related to antiques.

Suddenly, Wang Lei's eyes lit up and he walked quickly to a stall. There were some old porcelain and jade wares on the stall. Although they looked a bit worn out, Wang Lei, with his years of experience, could tell at a glance that some of them were extraordinary. He picked up a blue and white porcelain bowl and looked at it carefully. He saw that the bowl was painted with exquisite patterns, with smooth lines and bright colors. Although there was a small crack on the rim of the bowl, it did not affect its value.

"Boss, how much is this bowl?" Wang Lei asked casually.

The stall owner was a middle-aged man. He looked at Wang Lei, held up three fingers and said, "Three thousand yuan, no bargaining."

Wang Lei was secretly delighted, as he knew that this price was far lower than the actual value of the porcelain. However, he still calmly bargained with the stall owner, and after a fierce exchange, he finally closed the deal at 2,000 yuan.

Afterwards, they successively obtained several valuable jade pendants and porcelains at the market. Although Wu Xie did not know as much about antiques as Wang Lei, he gradually saw the ins and outs of these objects after Wang Lei's explanation. He could not help but sigh that this seemingly inconspicuous town really hid many treasures.

While chatting with a stall owner selling antiques, Wu Xie casually asked, "Brother, I heard that some strange things happened in the town recently. Someone went into the mountains at night. What's going on?"

The stall owner's face changed slightly, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes. He quickly said, "There's nothing strange, just some people going to the mountains to collect herbs." After that, he no longer paid attention to Wu Xie and was busy greeting other customers.

Wu Xie and Wang Lei looked at each other and saw doubt in each other's eyes. They knew that the stall owner must be hiding something. It seems that the secrets of this town are far more than just these antiques. The two decided to go to the mountains tonight to find out the truth behind it.

The night was like thick ink, pouring down without warning, quickly covering the entire Heihe Town. The town, which was quite lively during the day, was now shrouded in dead silence, with only the occasional barking of dogs breaking the depressing tranquility. Wu Xie and Wang Lei simply ate some dry food and began to prepare for tonight's action.

They put on light clothes, took flashlights, daggers and other necessary tools, and carefully walked out of the temporary inn. The moonlight was like water, sprinkled on the road ahead of the two people, casting two long shadows. Along the way, they tried their best to avoid the villagers' houses and walked quietly towards the entrance to the mountain that they had inquired about during the day.

When they were almost at the mountain pass, Wang Lei suddenly pulled Wu Xie and said in a low voice, "Tian Zhen, listen." Wu Xie stopped and pricked up his ears. He could vaguely hear a low chanting sound, as if it came from the depths of a distant valley. The sound was full of an indescribable weirdness and mystery. The two looked at each other, and a trace of nervousness and excitement flashed in their eyes. They quickened their pace and walked towards the source of the sound.

The further they went into the mountains, the clearer the strange chanting became, mixed with some strange musical instruments, sometimes sharp, sometimes low, creepy. In the moonlight, they saw an open space in front of them, with a blazing fire burning in the open space, and the firelight illuminated the surroundings red. A group of people were dancing around the fire and performing some kind of ritual.

Wu Xie and Wang Lei hid behind a big tree and watched carefully. They were all wearing black robes and strange masks, so their faces could not be seen clearly. Their movements were neat and mechanical, and they were mumbling something, as if they were praying to some mysterious power. In the middle of the crowd, there was a high platform made of stones, and a person was tied on the platform. It was the female college student they had seen in the town during the day.

The female college student struggled desperately, shouting for help, but her voice was soon drowned out by the strange chanting around her. Anger surged in Wu Xie's heart. He clenched his fists and was about to rush out, but was held back by Wang Lei. Wang Lei whispered, "Don't be impulsive. There are too many of them. We have to think of a way."

The two hid behind the tree, nervously thinking about countermeasures. Wu Xie carefully observed the surrounding terrain and found a path on one side of the open space, which looked like another passage leading to the mountain. He suddenly had an idea and said to Wang Lei: "Fatty, let's do this..." The two discussed in a low voice and formulated a rescue plan.

According to the plan, Wang Lei first attracted the attention of those people from the front, while Wu Xie went around to the other side of the open space and quietly approached the platform from the path to rescue the female college student. Wang Lei took a deep breath and suddenly rushed out from behind the tree, shouting: "What are you doing! Let go of that girl!"

Those people were startled by Wang Lei's sudden appearance, and the chanting stopped abruptly. They turned their heads and looked at Wang Lei with fierce eyes. Wang Lei was not afraid at all, waving the flashlight in his hand, pretending to attack. Seeing this, those people immediately surrounded Wang Lei.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wu Xie quickly ran along the path to the platform. He carefully avoided the sight of those people and came to the bottom of the platform. When the female college student saw Wu Xie, her eyes were full of hope. She whispered, "Hurry up and save me!" Wu Xie nodded, took out a dagger, and began to cut the rope tied to the female college student.

At this moment, a sharp-eyed man in black robes spotted Wu Xie. He screamed, pointed at Wu Xie and shouted, "Someone is saving the sacrifice!" When those people heard the shout, some of them immediately rushed towards Wu Xie. Wu Xie's heart tightened and he quickened his movements. Finally, the rope was cut, and Wu Xie pulled the female college student and turned around and ran.

However, they didn't run far before they were caught up by those people. Wu Xie and the female college student stood back to back, facing a group of vicious black-robed men in front of them, their hearts filled with despair. At this critical moment, Wang Lei suddenly rushed out from behind, waving a wooden stick in his hand, and beat those people by surprise.

"Hurry up!" Wang Lei shouted. Wu Xie and the female college student did not hesitate and ran down the mountain desperately. Wang Lei stayed behind to cover the retreat and fought fiercely with those people. Since most of the black-robed people were thin, Wang Lei was burly and agile, so he was not at a disadvantage for a while.

But there were too many black-robed men, and Wang Lei gradually became overwhelmed. Just when he was about to give up, Wu Xie suddenly stopped, picked up a stone on the ground, and threw it at the black-robed men. The stone hit the head of a black-robed man, and the man screamed and fell to the ground.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wang Lei knocked down several black-robed men with a club, then turned and ran towards Wu Xie and the female college student. The three of them desperately fled in the forest, and the black-robed men behind them chased them closely. After running for an unknown amount of time, they finally got rid of those black-robed men.

The three of them stopped, breathing heavily. Wu Xie looked at the female college student and asked, "Are you okay?" The female college student shook her head, her eyes full of gratitude: "Thank you for saving me. My name is Lin Xiao. I came here to travel. I didn't expect to encounter such a thing."

Wang Lei wiped the sweat from his face and said, "Don't thank me yet. We are not safe yet. What are these people doing? Why do they want to sacrifice you?" Lin Xiao shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

Wu Xie frowned, thought for a while and said, "It seems that the secret of this town is more complicated than we thought. I just saw them offering sacrifices to an evil god. Maybe this is related to something in the mountain." Wang Lei's eyes lit up when he heard it: "Could it be that there is some treasure in the mountain? That's why they are doing these sacrifices, hoping to monopolize the treasure?"

Wu Xie rolled his eyes at him and said, "It's already this late, and you're still thinking about your baby. However, their behavior is indeed very suspicious. We have to find a place to hide and think carefully about what to do next."

So, the three of them found a secluded place in the forest and hid there. They sat together and began to discuss the next action. At this time, the night was getting deeper, and all kinds of strange noises came from the forest from time to time, as if countless pairs of eyes were watching them in the dark. And the secret they were about to uncover might be more mysterious and dangerous than this dark forest.