【Good Leaf】Eclipse of the Crimson Moon

Chapter 25

【Flower sound】

Dianthus flowers.

Dragon tooth yellow flower.

Bellflower.

The wild goose is red.

Nadeshiko.

Spiraea.

Chao Yan, Xi Yan.

There are also reeds and awn flowers, although there is nothing to admire, but I especially love their appearance when they are sprouting, and they are all over the water and have a special style.

It is these weeds that make the autumn fields full of love.At that time, the ends of the tassels were reddened, and the color was very rich. When the morning dew was wet, how could there be a winner?

At the end of autumn, the colorful autumn flowers have withered.Until the end of winter, it seems to be covered with white hair, swaying in the wind blankly, only indulging in the past, very similar to a person's life. (Note)

The man looked back, and the woman in the complicated and gorgeous twelve singles (Note) took a step forward, slowly holding the hand he extended to her, standing side by side with him among the flowers soaked in the rich colors of late summer.

At that time, I vaguely felt that the man's face was somewhat familiar, but I couldn't think of where I had seen him.He was dressed in a plain white safari suit and a black hat (Note) on his head. When the wind lifted the hem of his overcoat, he looked tall and thin.

The scene in front of me dissipated into the chaotic flying leaves, and when I came back to my senses, all the images had been merged into the boundless darkness.An inexplicable sadness welled up in my heart, and my nerves were pulled into a dull pain.

Different from the depressive and terrifying ones of the past, this time the dream was very soft, but still shrouded in lingering melancholy.Just because I can vaguely remember a few episodes, the tangled sourness is more real, which is a feeling I have never experienced.All along, I only knew that there would be pain when the sword hurt the body. Although the feeling at this moment is different, it still makes me unable to ignore it.

Judging by their attire, the era in which those two lived seemed to be quite a long time ago.So this is not a prophetic dream.

Who is it?That person's name is like a phantom that has been circling in his mind, it clearly exists, but he still can't remember his name clearly.In the dream, it seemed that he had heard someone calling him, but the impression always blurred quickly when he was awake.

"elder brother?"

A soft but anxious voice rang in my ears, and when I opened my eyes, Ye's face appeared very close, which surprised me.

"Ye...? Why are you here..." The surrounding light is very dark, it seems that it is not dawn, it is probably early morning.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up, Ye stepped aside, still staring at me.

Since we started to practice, we have lived separately. Ye's room is next to mine, separated by a sliding door. We often run into each other's quilts and huddle together to play.But now that we have grown up, the number of times we sleep together has gradually decreased.The training schedule for the past six months has been very tight. When I came back, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep when I touched the pillow. Ye’s situation was similar to mine, so it had been a long time since he came to my side while sleeping.

"I seem to have heard your voice, so I came here to take a look." His expression was a little uneasy, and after a pause, he added: "Have you had a nightmare again?"

"Uh... no... compared to before, it's just an ordinary dream." After thinking about it for a while, he decided not to expand the situation.There is always a bad feeling in my heart, so I don't want Ye Duo to get involved in it.

"Is it... just now your voice sounded very sad..."

"Ah? What did I say?" I was a little surprised, I didn't want Ye to know...

"Uh... I wasn't very sober at the time, so I didn't hear clearly. Brother, don't you remember?" He looked at me apologetically, and I immediately smiled and touched the top of his head.

"It's okay, it's just a dream."

Ye has never doubted my words. I hope that at this moment he can forget everything that happened today as he did in the past, but he stared at me resolutely. Those gentle amber eyes revealed a clear and awe-inspiring light, as if to see through me.

"Really? Do you really have nothing to say to me?"

"En. Don't think too much." I nodded firmly.

I have always been good at hiding my heart, and I don't think there is anything wrong with not wanting Ye to know about that inexplicable dream.However, those perfunctory words that could be said casually in the past have become extremely heavy now.I couldn't figure out whether the suppressed emotion in my heart was regret or guilt, until Ye Dao said "good night" and left my room, he was still in a daze, and he couldn't remember how he answered at that time .

★★★

Time flies, spring, autumn, winter and summer have been ushered in and sent away for several years.

Yuejian is a closed town, although it has stepped into the modern society, it still maintains its own slow pace. Over the past few years, there are only a handful of newly built buildings and changed roads in the town.In contrast, Matsue and Izumo are on the other side of the strait. In my few trips to the island, I can experience great changes every time.Not only these, other places in Japan, and even the whole world, are undergoing changes.The number of human beings continued to increase, but the faith in the gods gradually disappeared. Only the places guarding the forbidden area and the sealed gate were thrown away and became existences like offerings.

The unknown world sleeps, in the deep darkness.The duty of the priests is to protect the sealing stone leading to Huangquan Hirazaka, so that this world will not fall into darkness. However, the passage to that world keeps growing like weeds.There are both natural and man-made reasons for the formation of the spiritual path.

There are passages connecting other worlds among the three famous spiritual sites in Japan. They can be regarded as natural spiritual paths that have existed since ancient times. Although they are large in scale, they are still stable, and they all have a large number of guardians.The spiritual ways in other places have been formed in a long history.

Plant and animal spirits occasionally turn into vengeful spirits, but compared with human spirits, they are much less harmful.It must be known that among all living beings, human beings have the highest probability of being spirited and are more destructive. This obviously illustrates a problem: among all creatures, human beings are the race with the deepest and endless malice.It is the mission of the clergy to purify or guide these evil spirits who cannot go back to the world, because they no longer have the good side of human nature, and only the infinitely enlarged hatred and hatred are left in their consciousness.

Once there is a gathering of evil spirits that cannot be dealt with somewhere, they will not devour the lives around them to expand their own power, and form a stronger spirit in the long run, and resonate with Huangquan, opening the channel, this is " Human beings are the cause of the spiritual path.Once the spiritual way is formed, it is difficult to close it, even if a seal is applied, the effect is very limited.In my opinion, Yuejian's spiritual way belongs to this category. Unfortunately, there are very few ancient documents preserved in Yuejian. It is impossible to test when the spirits in Dafeng Mountain began to gather.Since there is no way to know the cause of the beginning, there is no way to solve the original "root disaster". The Yuwu family can only continue to strengthen the seal according to the ancient precepts, praying that the door can be peaceful forever.

I don't appreciate this approach for two reasons.First of all, for a long time, countless people have been sacrificed in the official sacrifice and the dark sacrifice, and the townspeople have been imprisoned here because of the curse of this land.How long is this going to last?Even if he regards it as the duty of a priest, his heart cannot be calm.Ye and I have been educated by priests since we were young, so we should have understood our mission long ago, but I still can't imagine how painful it will be when that day actually comes.Second, according to the elders, the situation at the "Gate" has become more and more unstable in recent decades, so the interval between dark sacrifices has also been shortened. This situation has not happened in hundreds of years.The light of Crimson Moon became restless, implying greater ominousness, and no one knew what would happen next.Can Yuejian be forgiven by the gods for a long time by following the instructions of the ancestors?

If it continues like this, the seal will definitely collapse completely, and the Yuejianhui will disappear from the map.The elders of each family should have noticed it, but they dare not say it, because no one can come up with a corresponding countermeasure, and no one dares to bear the fate of the entire Yuejian.

I looked through all the files and ancient books I could find, hoping to find records of old events and disasters about Tsukimi, but the earliest ones were only in the Muromachi era (note), and before that, the government had delegated management to the locals The aristocrat ordered him to control himself, so that should be the predecessor of the Yuwu family.Are there no earlier volumes?If we can find the records of the origin of Yuejian Lingdao, we may be able to find and cut off the shackles of fate that have lasted for nearly a thousand years.

I still got nothing today and walked out of the secret library.In addition to the "Super Occupational Matters" that Ye and I are studying, there are many ancient books there, not only about spells, but also rich in historical materials, but unfortunately there is nothing I need.

I feel a little frustrated in my heart. Indeed, my grandfather is also a very talented priest, plus there are so many tribesmen and priests from the other four families.If there are clues, they should have been discovered long ago, and there is no need to wait until now. My thinking is still a bit naive.

Even though I have mastered all the spells recorded in the "Super Occupational Strategy" owned by the Asakura family, I can activate common spells without chanting the mantra, and I passed the priest's test not long ago... Even so , It's still not enough... My strength is still unable to turn the wheel of fate.

The bright light outside blinded me for a while, rubbing my sore back from curling up and reading books, I walked slowly around the atrium, and when I passed the ashram, I caught a glimpse of Ye still practicing inside.

He was so focused and meticulous in swinging the knife that he didn't realize that I was watching from the side.Sometimes the silhouette against the light is still and stable like a mountain, and sometimes it is as smooth and free as flowing clouds and flowing water. The arc light across the void is shining, and along the direction of the blade, little crystals fly out.

There are not a few magicians who use Japanese swords as a medium to eliminate spirits, but it surprised me that Ye would choose it.Because he has been very lazy and lazy since he was a child, and he feels a little unmotivated in everything he does, so now seeing him using this kind of martial arts based on physical skills, the contrast is not ordinary.However, thinking about it deeply, I can fully understand his mood.

Ye is very gentle, and this kind of affection is not stingy to give to everything around him, not only human beings, but he also likes small animals and nature.I hope that the will to protect all these will become the source of his strength and make his heart stronger.

Speaking of which, Ye has recently been practicing other schools of art besides the spirit removal art, which seems to be related to the puppet art.The incentive probably dates back to when he watched the main sacrifice and the dark sacrifice a few years ago, he was very resistant to using living sacrifices, but he also understood that the priests had no choice.Recently, when he was practicing, he heard about the puppet art, which is a very rare art that uses dolls instead of humans to bear disasters, but he was undoubtedly moved immediately.

The puppetry that can replace the sacrificial candidate is extraordinary, and it is also listed as a forbidden technique in Yuejian. Said that Yuejian can only have one puppeteer at a time.Even if Ye has mastered all the content of the technique, it cannot be used without "inheritance".The current puppeteer is the great priest of the Kiryu family. He devoted all his life to studying puppetry, but he failed to use it in the dark sacrifice. (Note)

Ye is still at the stage of getting a glimpse of the art of puppetry, but I always have a premonition that he will become the next puppeteer.

★★★

In the early winter when I was 12 years old, my grandfather invited our brothers to discuss matters.After entering the Japanese room, I immediately caught a glimpse of my mother, and immediately understood what they wanted to explain.

My mother mentioned to us before that in order to continue the blood and mission of the Asakang family, the heirs must marry the opposite sex with recognized ability.Considering the situation of me and Ye, and the upcoming festival, the parents may think that it is more appropriate to choose a fiancé for us earlier.

My heart sank, and I shuffled slowly into the room.

Are you kidding me, I don't need a fiancé or anything!Don't make such claims.Let me stay with an inexplicable woman every day, I will definitely go crazy.

I thought so, but I didn't express it.While listening to grandpa's long speech with his head down, he quietly looked to the side.What would Yeh think?

He didn't bow his head, but looked at the two people opposite him with his usual blank eyes, as if what the other party was talking about was not his business at all.Until Grandpa suddenly called his name:

"Ye, you can go to Mount Osor to meet her tomorrow, we have already arranged it."

"Wh...what? Who are you seeing?" He suddenly screamed and startled everyone in the room. I tried my best to cover my mouth so as not to laugh out loud. He was either wandering around or didn't understand what Grandpa meant. Bar…

"What who! Your candidate for the bride!" Grandpa raised his voice, with a serious expression on his face: "I just said that you must determine the fiancée as soon as possible for your reconciliation."

"Eh?!!!" Ye almost jumped up: "Do you want me to meet a girl I've never met before?!!!"

"If you don't go by yourself, who else can help you?"

"No..." Ye's voice turned into tears, and his mother laughed beside him:

"That child was recommended by your mother-in-law, so Ye, you must go and meet her, and greet her for us as well."

"Ugh..."

Ye's reaction was not without reason.There are not many people of the same age on this closed island. In addition, Ye and I are too busy practicing to attend public schools. The academic part is taught by tutors, and the opportunities to meet girls are few and far between.Ye was originally not good at getting along with the opposite sex, and this kind of scene must have troubled him a lot.

"Okay, your fiancé is also being selected, and the time to meet is scheduled for next month, is there no problem?"

"Ah? This..." I was immersed in my thoughts, but I didn't expect my grandfather to attack me suddenly, so I couldn't help being stunned for a moment.

"Oh…"

He responded vaguely, but his mind suddenly became a mess.

No, I don't want to see any fiancée.

I really want to say this clearly, but I can almost predict how stern my grandfather and mother will look at me, and then "Don't say such irresponsible words as a brother and head priest" Category.

So I didn't listen to what they said after that, and I don't know when I will be pardoned and return to my room.I fell into a half-sleep state in a daze, and seemed to hear Ye whispering in my ear calling me to get up and eat, but I suddenly felt a little angry, so I turned around and covered my head with the quilt and continued to sleep.

I didn't sleep well that day, and there were always chaotic shadows entangled in the dream, which made me fall into a state where I was conscious but my body was too heavy to move. Then, I saw the man in the hunting suit again.This time he stood alone by the water covered with autumn reeds, silent.

It was nearly eight o'clock when I opened my eyes, and the morning class was too early, thinking that I would be scolded, I jumped up hastily.While putting on my unlined clothes, I was depressed. For some reason, the servant did not come to wake me up. The head priest in charge of the studies would not forgive me for this.

Just as he was thinking about the voice of a servant greeting him from outside, the paper door was pulled open.The maid who came in bowed and said, "My lord, Lord Ye Ming asked me to tell you that since Lord Ye will be away for a few days, I would like to ask you to take a vacation during this period."

"what?"

It was only then that I remembered what happened yesterday, and my eyes moved to the sliding door in the middle of the room. Naturally, there was silence on the other side, Ye must have left.

Vacation.

Suddenly asked me to take a vacation, how should I take it?

I walked around the atrium a few times, and went to the library habitually.I have been busy practicing, and suddenly let me relax, so I don't know where to go, so I came back to study spells.

I have basically finished reading the books in there, and it is boring to take them out and read them again.So when I sat until my body started to go numb again, I stood up.

There are not many places to go in the town, except for the surrounding fields and residential areas, there are only a few streets left.People here have been farming for many years, and there are not many sideline jobs. Coupled with the closed geography, there are almost no recreational facilities, and even if there are, I don't have much interest.

I wandered around the town a few times aimlessly, and almost everyone I met would salute and greet me respectfully, but I didn't know them.I could vaguely hear whispers behind me, which made me a little uncomfortable.

I know that ordinary people respect the Yuwu Family as if they were gods, but that also separates me from them.Regardless of whether they are curious or in awe of me at the moment, it is doomed that I cannot integrate into the fact that they are, and it is not comfortable to be watched by everyone like this.

I stopped and thought for a moment, and then walked towards the local exhibition hall.There are also some ancient books over there, which are good to pass the time.

Even though he had made up his mind, he found it difficult to concentrate when he picked up the book.Staring at a line of ancient text for several minutes, after reading it a few times, I realized that I didn't know what I was reading.After walking to the corner with the book and working hard for nearly an hour, I finally gave up helplessly.

Although the eyes are staring at those flying and free and easy ancient prose, but the thoughts have long gone to nowhere.At the very end of all the jumbled thoughts, I found myself wondering what Ye was up to right now.

Although he and I are almost together except for the time of our respective cultivation, it is not that there are times when we are apart.The longest time was when I went to Izumo with my father for a practice. I didn’t see Ye for a week, but even then I didn’t feel as hard as I do now.

Ye you idiot, do you want to get married that much?

When these words came out angrily in my heart, I couldn't help laughing bitterly at myself.

Ye and I are not children anymore, in a few years we will be able to preside over the gods alone and bear the fate of Yuejian, but my elder brother is still brooding over this kind of thing...

It's okay, Ye will be back soon, and going to see the candidate doesn't mean that he has to immediately make an agreement with the other party, get married or something, no matter what, we have to wait until we are adults.

With this thought in mind, the first day passed in a muddle.Only then did I realize what it was like to "live the day like a year", and I only hoped that Ye would soon complete the mission assigned by his grandfather and return to Yuejian.

The situation did not improve at all in the next few days (note). I found that I could not calm down to do anything, and my emotions became more and more restless and uncontrollable.I have always been proud of my self-control, and I realized how immature I was. In order to avoid being seen by more people, I simply hid in the room and did not go out.

Those short four days were the longest four days of my life so far.

So when Ye Huan jumped on the quilt and grabbed me who was still sleeping with my head covered, I thought I was dreaming.After confirming the warm and real presence of the person in front of me, I immediately hugged him until the boy who was tightly held in my arms made an indistinct sound.

"...um...I...I can't breathe..."

I hurriedly let go of him, Ye Shu breathed a sigh of relief, and lay on his back beside me.His long coat was still dotted with unmelted sporadic snowflakes, but his face was flushed red due to lack of oxygen.

"Why didn't you call before you came back? I thought you would stay for a few more days..." Ye only contacted his family the night he arrived at Mt. Osore, which made me a little depressed.

"Hey...Sorry, it's snowed a lot at my mother-in-law's place recently, and the phone line is down..." He showed an apologetic expression: "I'll be right back after I finish it..."

"Oh...how is it?"

"Grandma is in good health."

I tapped his forehead: "I'm asking how you met!"

"Eh?" He was taken aback for a moment, then stammered: "See... meet... just... met..."

"So how is it? How does it feel?" I jumped up and pressed his shoulders, staring at his face and asked, "Is she pretty?"

"Uh..." Ye's face flushed suddenly, and she avoided my sight; "But...very cute..."

My heart sank suddenly, and the sudden coolness made me suddenly lose my enthusiasm for questioning. After letting go of his shoulders, I shifted my gaze to the other side of the room. It's even bigger.

"Then is she satisfied with you?" I asked lightly, Ye paused for a moment, then stood up and looked at me inexplicably: "What are you talking about... We only met once... She has been avoiding me since then."

"Do you feel sorry?"

Ye was stunned, and finally asked after a while, "Are you angry?"

"Why should I be angry?" He replied irritably, but in an extremely unfriendly tone, a few words emerged in his mind: Ask knowingly.

Ye seemed to think for a while, and then said leisurely: "The priest of Yuejian is considered an adult, and we are all just children..."

"So? So what? You're going to get married sooner or later, aren't you?"

I no longer know what I'm talking about, and the words that come out of my mouth are completely out of control.Even if we rationally feel that we have to stop here, otherwise Ye and I will lose our current "ordinary" and "peaceful" life, but we can't suppress the gushing emotions anyway.No, I have to get out of here... stay with him, I'm going to lose control...

"What about you, brother?" His voice came from behind, soft and thin, but as sharp as a sharp knife. "You too, right?"

I turned around to look at him, Ye's eyes went straight through the disguise I had been carefully maintaining all this time, and pierced my heart. For the first time, I knew that he also had such breathtaking eyes, that he was indeed my younger brother.

I chuckled: "No, I won't get married."

"Why?" He continued to ask, and I felt the throbbing that I had finally suppressed began to heat up again, my heart was beating fast, my brain was boiling from the inside to the outside, and the high temperature spread, and it could no longer be stopped.She ran back to him quickly and took him into her arms.Ye didn't struggle, and let my arms imprison him, he just pressed against my chest quietly, so close that I could hear the clear heartbeat and breathing, and the sound of flowers blooming in the silence.

"Will we...will be together forever?" I hesitated again and again, and finally chose a way that would not embarrass each other too much.

My voice is shaking.

That was my first taste of fear.I was afraid to hear his answer, and also afraid that he would shake off my hand.

After a long time, I felt Ye's arms gently go around behind me.

"As long as you wish, brother, we will always be together."

That night, I thought I must not be able to fall asleep, but in the second half of the night, I gradually fell into a trance.In stark contrast to my mood was the dream, which changed from light melancholy to full of deep hatred, with an ominous dark red floating in the darkness, which was undoubtedly a harbinger of disaster.

Things that are incomparable are like summer and winter.

night and day.

Rain and sunshine.

young and old.

People's laughter and anger.

black and white.

love and hate.

Although they are the same person, once their minds change, they are completely different from when they fell in love at the beginning.

Note: The first and last words of this chapter are all referenced from "Pillow Grass" written by Qing Shaonayan.

Note: Twelve singles, also known as women's room attire or Wuyi Tang clothes, were formal attire for aristocratic women in the Heian period.It is generally composed of 5-12 pieces of clothing.According to different seasons, identities and occasions of the wearer, the colors and patterns of the Twelve Singles have specific complex combinations.

Note: Black hat, a hat worn by men in the Heian period, is blue-black in color and has a tall tip.

Note: Muromachi period, about 1392-1573.The found information shows that the Kaiqi Kingdom had been established as early as before the Heian period, and it was after the Heian period that it joined the Japanese emperor's jurisdiction as a place of exile for sinners.In addition, one thing to add is that there are actually many shrines in the Oki Islands, and there are definitely more than three.

Note: Existence alone, some special spell holders can only have one within a certain time and geographical range, which is based on the particularity of the spell itself - the existence of the accuracy and balance of destruction is not allowed, such as a fortuneteller , puppeteer, etc.

Note: puppet art, the art of using dolls instead of people to endure disasters.However, it is not easy to be recognized if dolls are used instead in major ceremonies, and the success rate is very low.Moreover, this kind of human form with nothing inside will become the container "body" of evil spirits, which is very easy to attract spirits, and is an extremely dangerous spell.See Zero-Red Butterfly.In Red Butterfly, the puppeteer made a doll for the unconscious daughter that resembled the daughter's most important sister. As a result, the doll was possessed by an evil spirit, and finally possessed the daughter and strangled the father.

Note: Although the distance is not long, the traffic to Mt. Osor was very inconvenient at that time.