【Good Leaf】Eclipse of the Crimson Moon

【Qi Ke】

The gloom covers the pale sunlight of early winter, and the unfathomable dense forest is like a foreign world with a door opened, gradually engulfing me who entered it.

The more I walked along the path, the darker the surrounding scenery became. It was difficult to recall the bright side just now, and this was only the scene less than half an hour after I entered the Xishan forbidden area.After walking for another 10 minutes or so, the field of vision has narrowed to a range of about ten meters, and the surrounding scenery is also enveloped in a darker atmosphere than the evening after sunset. It is this mismatch between common sense and reality that makes people palpitate coordination.

The electronic watch on my wrist clearly showed that the current time was indeed just after noon, and although the sky was not clear when I entered the forest, it was not so gloomy, as if a shower was brewing.But now when I look up and try my best, I can't see any brightness above my head that can be called the sky. What I can see is only the grayness that blends with the layer upon layer of treetops.As I keep moving forward, I can only look forward to seeing the long-lost sky in the open land not far away.

Anxiety accumulated in my heart, getting thicker and clearer.I have to admit, this exploration was quite different from what I imagined.Aside from the worrisome weather conditions, the forest itself has its own treacherous side.

There was an injury on the leg, but the excitement driven by the eager desire weakened the pain caused by the injury, and continued to move forward at a trot speed, and it must have been two or three kilometers.However, during this journey, the only sound in the strangely quiet forest is the sound of my own breathing, the rustling of grass blades and the faint chirping of insects.

He raised his head many times and tried to find the shadow of the bird, but all failed.

Ancient Shinto believes that humans and gods live in different worlds, and not only humans are forbidden to enter the residence of gods, but even flying birds are not allowed to reside there.Therefore, the shrines all build torii gates on the periphery for birds to build their nests, so that they will not go deep into the forbidden area.

If this is really the residence of the gods, does it strongly prove the correctness of that statement?

He shook his head and smiled wryly again.Is it better to stop this unrealistic fantasy and think about your own situation?

There are no birds and beasts that are common in the general forest. It may be due to various reasons such as water source, food, air, etc. Another situation is that there are minerals and magnetic fields that are not good for living things underground here.No matter which one of the above, it has raised a warning to the severe situation I am facing.

In this kind of forest, once lost, the consequences are unimaginable.

I took out the compass in the backpack and confirmed that this part of my thinking was correct.During the few steps, the pointer kept shaking and it was impossible to confirm the direction. This is indeed an area with an abnormal magnetic field, so it is no wonder that people often get lost and disappear here.Fortunately, I have already heard the rumors of "Shen Yin", and I have made another preparation.

First of all, we must ensure that we never leave this path.Secondly, in order to correspond to the forked roads, I prepared a sufficient length of light-colored paper tape.As long as it is tied to roadside plants or stones, it can be used as a good reminder.If nothing else, I'll recycle them on the way back.

He settled down again and confirmed his direction.Although the light became weaker, it was still enough to see the feet clearly.I decided to keep going for a while.It's not too late to go back.

So we separated the more lush branches and moved forward, and the path that was not very spacious and smooth gradually became narrower and steeper, and we had already penetrated into the interior of Dafeng Mountain before we knew it, but now we had to rely on the light of a flashlight to continue moving forward.

Trekking carefully in the well-known forest, the speed gradually slowed down, and it was necessary to stop from time to time to make marks to ensure the direction of progress.There are more forks, and markings must be made frequently to ensure that they can be seen within a few meters of sight.Use paper tape to go around the low-hanging branches on the side of the road and knot it, or surround it on the protruding rocks beside the road, choose as much as possible to mark the eye-catching position, and then start exploring from the fork on the left.After walking for about 10 minutes each time, judge whether to continue.The mountain roads almost narrowed as they went to the back, and finally disappeared in the depths of the dense forest. I followed the marked original route back.

After advancing like this for about an hour, the surrounding scenery still hasn't changed much. The combination of giant trees and bushes blocks the view.I was also a little tired and stopped to rest a few times.I haven't found anything more noteworthy in the middle, which makes me a little frustrated.

Is this really just a barren hill?Is what I'm looking for after all just a delusion?

When it took nearly 10 minutes to walk to the end of the path in front of me, it was about two o'clock in the afternoon.There are still no man-made buildings or relics along the way, and I wonder if I should go back the same way.The mountains in winter get dark very early, and the already very dark road conditions will get worse towards the evening, and I have to leave here before then.

Turning around and going back the same way, the footsteps inevitably became heavier.After walking for almost a long time, a greater ominous feeling gradually rose in my heart.

Because there are more forks and the surroundings are dark, I have left marks at each intersection, and the complicated road sections have also been marked at intervals.But now there is no sign on this one-way street.

There's only one way back, and I can't be mistaken.Then why haven't I seen the previous fork after walking for so long?

Take it easy... there will be no problem.Perhaps it was because of the slow speed that my senses were wrong, but as long as I searched carefully, I could definitely find the mark.Repeatedly telling myself to lower my body and pay more attention to the vegetation on the side of the road.Estimated according to distance and time, the last fork in the road before should be nearby.

After walking for a while, I finally came to a small piece of open land with a road.However, the scene in front of me completely stunned me.

Around the small open space that can only accommodate a few people, together with the path I walked on, there are five forks in total, like a low-lying multi-legged creature lying in front of me.

No road signs were seen, and all intersections were unmarked.And the worst part is that I have no memory of ever being here before.

There is a fork in the road, but it is only divided into left and right. What is going on in this situation?No matter how hard I think, I can't figure out what went wrong.When did memory and reality begin to intertwine and diverge?

It has been heard that pedestrians in the mountains sometimes see illusions created by gods or other unidentified people, and are led from the labyrinthine sideways to remote animal paths, and eventually get lost.Is this what you mean?

I stood in the middle of the road and hesitated for a long time.Waiting is meaningless. In this deep mountain, you can't pass on your plight to anyone, and you still have to act on your own.After confirming that there is no meaning of going back the same way, I had to choose a way to continue walking.So, which one should you choose?

★★★

The flashing numbers on the watch showed that it was almost [-] o'clock in the evening, and I was still spinning around in this dark and boundless jungle.

I've been lost for a while, and the result of repeated trips in the maze-like mountain road is that I can never return to the way I came from. In addition, the sky is so dark that I can't see my fingers, and the situation is finally developing in the worst direction.

I was exhausted but had no choice but to continue to look for me with mechanical steps, because no one would come to look for me if I waited in place.No one knows that I'm here, even if someone knows, the possibility of finding me is very small, after all, I don't even know where I am.In this shadowy forest, there is not much difference between day and night, and all the common sense that I know to rely on the sun to identify directions is useless.So the plan to save my strength until dawn doesn't inspire me much.It was also because of this that his heart was filled with an unfathomable chill, and he almost lost the ability to think calmly.

This world, shrouded in darkness from noon to night, has long been separated from the daily life I know.At that time, I never expected that all this was just the beginning of a long nightmare.

Barely swallowing a little food, leaning against the root of an uncle tree on the side of the road worriedly, all the exhaustion accumulated all day came to him, his arms were so weak that he didn't even have the strength to unscrew the lid of the kettle.Curl up your body and lean against the intertwined depressions, you can slightly resist the bleak wind blowing through the forest at night.

The light of the flashlight had become dim before, and it seemed that the battery was about to run out.It was impossible to go on tonight.No matter how much you want to leave here, you must save your energy and wait until tomorrow. I hope that after dawn, the clouds and mists shrouded in the mountains will dissipate and let me see a ray of sunlight.

Packed his backpack and got up again, the beam of the flashlight fell on the huge tree behind him.At least a hundred years of time have accumulated on the trunk that few people can hug. The thick aerial roots not only hang down from the branches, but also cling to the trunk in a tangled manner, so it is quite convenient to climb.

Trees are undoubtedly a place that gives people a sense of security. Even if you don’t climb very high, you can avoid some unknown threats. The above is what common sense tells me.However, there is no way to deal with the abnormal and weird part of this forest, and I can only pray that the night passes safely.

I finally found a relatively safe thick tree branch for me to shelter in. It should not be too easy to fall if I lean on the innermost side. I am destined to spend this night in this curled up position.

★★★

The cold air of the night seeps out, enveloping the body, the fingers and legs are already so cold that they almost lose consciousness, and the head is so painful that it is about to split open.I fixed the backpack on the side of the breezy branch to slightly block the biting mountain wind, but I still couldn't stop shaking.

After countless chaotic thoughts flashed through my mind, I finally suppressed my fear and irritability, and forced myself to take a good rest.However, even though his body was exhausted to the limit and his eyes were so sore that he could barely open them, he couldn't calm down and fall asleep.So I fell into a trance for a long time of being extremely sleepy but restless and tossing and turning.

The wind weakened, and one or two inexplicable noises came from the middle of the deadly silent forest. It was about midnight when I opened my eyes in a daze.

The rain did not fall, and it was impossible to see the starry sky in the forest.However, there were a few bright lights floating at the end of what should be a total darkness, which surprised me so much that I lost my sleepiness.

Rubbing his eyes vigorously, he confirmed that it was indeed not a hallucination.Flickering like sparks, but there it is, and it's moving slowly.

That is not starlight, nor wildfire in the mountains, it is indeed the light of torches!

Is there someone out there? !

With ecstasy in my heart, I quickly slid down the tree, took out the flashlight and ran towards the place where the light was shining.During the gallop, I didn't care about choosing a path, and just ran blindly in the direction closest to the light spot. I tripped over the stones and branches lying in front of me several times, and even had several cuts on my bare arms and cheeks. son.But at this moment, fatigue and pain can't distract me. I can only see those few spots of light that symbolize all the hope at this moment. It will disappear suddenly, and then it will be even more difficult for me to find my way back from this deep mountain.

Stepping on the bushes in different shades, he has completely deviated from the direction he came from, and is desperately moving forward.Although the slowly moving bright spot disappeared from the field of vision for a while, it reappeared after a while, probably blocked by the scenery?The most gratifying thing is that there are no insurmountable obstacles on the road ahead, so after a while of sprinting, I was delighted to find that the light became clearer and clearer, and the road surface changed from thorns to grass, and I couldn't help but speed up.

The field of vision gradually brightened, and the outlines of trees could gradually be seen in the darkness where he could not see his fingers.Then, as if the curtain was opened, an open night sky suddenly appeared in front of me——

The mountains in front of him spread out towards an open valley, and a huge full moon hung high in the dark sky that finally reappeared.

The light wheel of dim crimson brilliance pressed the outline of the distant mountain, it was so huge that it was daunting, and the dense and deep tree shadows could not cover it.In the ruby-like round wheel, the dark and mottled shadows are exceptionally clear, like the blood jade's intimidating soul, and also like dark red ink smears in the water, in the slowly floating crimson shadows, grabbing straight the eye of the beholder, and even the soul.

The sky, which was so close that it seemed about to fall, swayed in this breathtakingly beautiful scene.The crimson moon stared at me at a distance that seemed to be within reach, and so did I, staring at it.

This is... a scene I had seen in my dream, but it was so real in front of my eyes.I still can't believe that the moon has such a huge and terrifying figure, but it really shines on the whole valley.

Going forward, the trees blocking the line of sight are gradually thinning out, and you can see a row of light spots in front of you extending into the valley, where there is a large building lying quietly, and the range stretches to the endless darkness behind middle.

When I got closer, I realized that it was not the moving torches I saw before, but stone lanterns on both sides of the road.The glow of the burning red candle in the middle flickered, and the remaining length indicated that it had not been lit for a long time.And the light spot I saw has disappeared, probably entered the building when I was attracted by the red moon, right?

I am indescribably excited, it seems that my luck is still very good to be here, although the atmosphere here is really weird and uncomfortable...

Stepping on the flat stone road made me feel relieved, and I walked forward while looking at the surrounding scenery.There will be a tall torii at intervals along the way, which looks darker and more solemn in the night.After walking about a few hundred meters, a majestic courtyard gate appeared in front of him.

Under the sad crimson moonlight, the color and overall picture of the building cannot be seen clearly, but the traces of weathering and mottled by the incomparable vicissitudes are vividly visible.I am not good at architecture, I only know that this kind of gate is very classical, but I don't know when and where it came from.

When I stepped through the door, I don't know if it was caused by the night wind, my body shivered violently, and the muscles all over my body throbbed, I stopped and looked around again.

The surface of the wall has been severely corroded. Looking at the distant wall along the light of the flashlight, it seems that many places are still collapsed and damaged.Judging from the road with torii gates and the outline of the gate top, this is not a private house.So is this the legendary site of offering sacrifices to the gods?Why are there still people... are they the priests of Tsukimi?Thinking of this, I can't help but feel a chill in my heart.

I am regarded as "ominous" by the priests, if I appear in this kind of place alone, I really don't want to imagine how I will be treated if I am found out.Still, proceed with caution.Finding a place where no one will find out to spend the night, and going out tomorrow along the road outside the shrine would be the wisest thing to do.

I dodged into the shadows of the building, moving carefully against the wall, trying not to make too much noise.There are also towering giant trees everywhere in the deserted shrine, but now only the black outlines can be seen.The ground shrouded in dark red moonlight shimmered sporadically.Following the lighted stone lanterns, I soon came to the inner courtyard.It is bigger than I imagined, and it feels several times larger than Kokubun Shrine. It seems that it must have been a very famous shrine in the past.He hesitated whether to stop here and find a safe corner to live in, but his body couldn't help but want to move on.

Most of the doors and windows of the deserted side halls were crooked and toppled, opening darker openings one by one, which reminded me of the scene I saw in the hall of sacrificial objects of Kokubun Shrine. He suddenly braced himself on the wooden pillars of the verandah to stabilize his figure.

There was a distant and sharp creaking sound from the aged and rotten wood. I was startled, and quickly moved my arms away, crouched and dodged into the shadows inside the doorway, and looked nervously at the yard.However, after a while, there was still no movement around.Her heartbeat hadn't completely calmed down yet, and her close-fitting shirt was soaked in cold sweat, but her mind became exceptionally clear.

The purpose of my coming here is to find the place that appeared in my dream, right?Now that the goal is in sight, there is no reason to back down like this.Since it is easier to be discovered during the day, it is better to find out now.

The flames in the stone lanterns fluttered and stretched all the way to the depths of the backyard.Try to hide your body in the shadow of the tall trees on the side of the road and move forward. After passing through another small forest, there are suddenly more light spots flickering in front of you.Those rays of light are obviously different from candlelight, they are bigger and brighter, they should be several torches.I held my breath and approached cautiously.

When the firelight was very close to me, I realized that they were not fixed on the brackets or walls, but were held by many people in black cloaks.He quickly lowered his body and let the dense grass cover him. He secretly rejoiced that it was correct to lower his voice and move forward. There were more than a dozen silent people gathered here.

The black figures stood roughly in a circle around the clearing, and when I looked beyond them into the middle of the clearing, I was so excited that I almost screamed out.

Under the crimson moon, four tall torii gates in the open space stand impressively.Slightly different from what I saw in my dream, there is no sign of a huge stone.

For a moment, I almost forgot the situation I was in, clutching my chest full of turbulence and throbbing, I widened my eyes and scanned everything in my field of vision, wishing to imprint them deeply in my consciousness.His eyes were moist, but his heart was still full of confusion.

When I saw this scene, I thought I would naturally remember everything I lost, but I was still at a loss, but the tears couldn't stop falling.

Silently staring at the extremely familiar but unfamiliar scene, I forgot to think for a while, until a crisp bell broke the deathly silence, and my attention was shifted to the direction of the sound.

Holding torches in their hands like statues, the immobile figures all turned their heads and looked in the same direction, as if they were greeting someone respectfully.Sure enough, after a while, all the people took a step back, half-kneeled down humbly, lowered their heads, and still held the torches aside.

The echo of the bell was infinitely prolonged by the quiet mountain forest, ethereal and eerie, it rang one after another, gradually approaching.After trying to look around for a long time, I finally saw a row of light-colored figures emerging from the darkness.The swaying skirt danced slightly, like an elf, and I was stunned for a moment.

Those were a few priestesses dancing gently with Kagura bells (note) in their hands. Their jet-black long hair scattered over plain white contrasted sharply with the bright scarlet hakama.What is most concerning is that their faces are all wearing masks without facial features, which look very strange under the moonlight.

Several priestesses stopped when they approached the torii gate in the open space.There was a distance of about 50 meters from the torii gate to my hiding place. Only then did I notice that there was a boy in a white kimono standing among them. His face turned out to be familiar to me...

It's Nishimura!I remember it was indeed in the next class...but I heard that he had transferred a week ago.

How could he appear here at such a time?

Even the dullest person would have doubts about the situation in front of him, but I felt the unprecedented ominousness gradually gathering and hovering in my heart, and I was so depressed that I could hardly breathe.

Nishimura's eyes fell blankly on nowhere, and the expression on his face was more hollow than calm.In the few encounters I've had with him, I've had the impression that he would never show that face... he was a very lively and outgoing teenager who was making noise and jokes all the time .

why exactly...

Before the doubts in my heart were solved, my attention was once again attracted by the development in the middle of the field.

As the bells rang in unison, the priestesses backed away, leaving only Nishimura standing by the torii gate.And faint footsteps came from the darkness behind, and another figure emerged from the darkness.

Staring fixedly at that person, the heavy shadow covering his whole body gradually faded from bottom to top as he walked forward, and the crimson light slowly and carefully outlined more details, but I suddenly felt a convulsion in my heart.

The long hair like a waterfall of silk hangs behind him, and the tall and slender body is wrapped in a crimson kimono that is exactly the same as the moonlight. The rich and pure color like blood makes my eyes sting.Gorgeous shredded patterns gather at the hem and long cuffs. If I hadn't noticed the belt style, I would have mistaken him for a woman.

But it was indeed a long-haired boy, as could be confirmed from his walking posture and figure.

When he saw his face clearly, he was stunned again.

Under the long bangs that exposed the forehead, the boy's face could not be seen clearly. An unusually ferocious ghost face covered the face. The shadows formed by the protruding horns and exaggerated cheekbones and the pale skin formed by the mask I was so horrified by the comparison that my heart missed a few beats——

Note: Kagura bells are commonly used sacrificial utensils when shrine maidens perform Kagura dances and sacrificial ceremonies. Most of them are shaped like a string of bells with a 2-meter-long five-color hanging belt at the end.