10 Sumeng is too... (1/2)
”Hello Mister!” Yuan Xuelan waved as he walked toward a lively table, ”I have a bottle, but my sister here doesn't drink, so is it ok if I drink with you guys?”
The man's eyes brightened at the sight of alcohol and quickly pulled Yuan Xuelan and his beautiful female companion to the table, everyone was quick to make room for them and assault them with questions.
”Where are you from?”
”You two must be from a very rich family, right? There's just something different about the wealthy, ah so handsome and beautiful.”
”Are you passing by? Where are you headed?”
”Are you two married? No? Oh I see!”
Yuan Xuelan laughed and endured their questions with a smile. He made sure to keep everyone's bowls full and even ordered several more bottles to the table. When they were red in the face and called him brother, he asked, ”I see that everyone in this town is in such high spirits. Is there something joyful happening soon? A festival perhaps?”
The locals exchanged looks, their gleeful grins showed no signs of disappearing, ”Oh is there a festival?” One of the older uncles stroked his chin.
”I don't think so,” someone else responded.
”No, but shouldn't we have a festival?”
”Brother, when's the next festival?”
And thus the group bickered on in this manner, which was, unfortunately, no use to Yuan Xuelan, ”Erm, how about…strange occurrences? Did anything like that happen lately?” Again the crowd looked at him with blank smiling faces, Yuan Xuelan was starting to think it was a bit disconcerting.
”Strange occurrences?” they asked.
”Yes, like untimely deaths, odd sightings or disappearances maybe…?” Chen Anyue tried to supply. The villagers looked at each other in thought.
”I don't think so.”
”Yeah, there hasn't been any of that in Zu Village in ages.”
”Strange! Let me tell you what's strange, is that ugly old Tu Fan getting a wife, that's what's odd!”
”Hey, don't say that about your cousin.”
”If you're talking about disappearances well actually…my dog Baozi didn't come home last night. I'm terribly worried about him, so if you see him please let me know. He's small but very round with white fur. ”
One of the older uncles shook his head, ”Nothing much goes on here in Zu village, you see. Nothing bad. We're protected by the Lake.”
Yuan Xuelan's interest was instantly peaked, ”The lake?” he asked, leaning in closer to the old uncle.
”Legend has it that in the mountain, a beautiful goddess met a handsome mortal that lived there. Under the guise of performing her divine duties, she would descend from the Heavens to meet her mortal lover by the mountain lake.
”She saw him frequently, perhaps even too frequently because it wasn't long until the Heavens found out and they were punished for their transgressions. Caste away from her divine powers and body, the goddess was forced to live a mortal's life but even more cruel, her lover was turned into a frog. But these two never asked for much and didn't even complain even under such circumstances, living peacefully on the mountainside together.
”However one day, a swarm of demons invaded the mountain, threatening to descend upon the village below. Once, she was a goddess that looked over this region, so she couldn't just ignore the threat. But at that point, she was only a normal mortal. After a brutal battle, her lover found her at the lake where they used to meet, fatally wounded with a fractured soul.
”When she died, he harvested all the little fragments of her soul that he could find before hiding it at the bottom of the lake, with his little frog body, he nurtured and cared for her broken soul. Slowly, over the passing of time, it would heal and regain its vibrancy until one day she could reincarnate again.
”It's believed that her soul is reaching completion, and her power overflowing with good blessing that is now affecting Zu Village.