Volume 5, Chapter 10: Dancing Water Spirit Latter Part (1/2)

(So fishy)

It seems Maomao had snorted subconsciously. The old doctor and Kokuyou were both nodding. Only Chouus eyes were sparkling.

Thats so cool, how do you walk on water? the boy asked.

About that, you see, you can keep going by taking a step forward on the water before your other foot sinks.

So cool!!

Dont get tricked, Maomao knocked Chouus head and narrowed her eyes at Kokuyou. She had thought that he was harmless, but it turns out he also has that side of him.

Can you really do that?

As if is what I wanted to say, but. The old man looked outside, stroking his beard. He had a slightly complicated expression. When I was a child, I had seen such a thing before.

Walking and dancing on the water? Maomao asked, her head tilted. Chouu copied her, and for some reason, Kokuyou also assumed the same posture.

(Hes quite noisy, this guy)

She thought as she looked at the old man.

Yeah. It was before I left the village. It was originally the priestess duty to serve the snake god though.

The old man was a distant relative of the village chief. It seems they picked women from the chiefs family to be priestesses. However, the old man had just said that the shrine has been neglected for several decades just a moment ago.  And speaking of why-

Its because there werent any girls left due to the palace lady hunts for the inner palace.

She could only nod in understanding.

And so, he said that the shrine was neglected since the customs from oral tradition was lost. That was just around that time the previous village chief took over. The previous village chief wasnt religious so the management of the shine died out. What was once a single village split up into three just like the forest. Or rather, could it be said that the village split because the priestess who tied them together was gone?

And now, for forms sake, the old man, who returned to the village, came to live in the small hut as the caretaker.

Did the former priestess not return to the village after her work was over? she asked.

Haha. She was a good-natured girl. Why does she need to come back to the village after all that?

(Thats a given.)

She recalled Shaoran whom she had been close to in the inner palace. Her parents had sold her to reduce the number of mouths to feed. The girl also understood the reality that there would be no place for her to go if she went back. So after quitting from the inner palace, she went to look for work with her own power.

If the former priestess was a girl who could think, she would probably look for a better way of life to what she had before. Its similar to the inner palace, being a stepping stone in a way for women to improve their lives.

Before the previous village chief died, people had grief over that. If you have to complain about that, youll definitely need a doctor to look after you.

Hahaha. Thats so laughable So there are people like that around

As Kokuyou was laughing as if he found something amusing about that, the old man poked his head.

Maomao gazed outside. Theres no boat, so how do you get to the other side? Wouldnt it be bad if you cant see the condition of the shrine?

When Maomao asked, the old man drew a circle on the long table for her.

The Guardian doesnt seem to like boats. Theres even a designated area for fishing. Though you cant see it from here, theres a bridge on the other side of the island. You can go take a look if youre curious. Go do some weeding for me since youre already here to pick medicinal herbs.

Why do I even have to weed?

You just entered a sacred place, isnt that a bargain? Come on, Kokuyou. You take them there.

Ehhh You have it rough, huh Kokuyou said as he got the grass sickles ready.

If would have been fine to ignore it, but Chouus eyes were shining in wonder. She thought that even if this brats been throwing tantrums and crawling on the floor recently, he was turning out as she expected.

There are tobacco leaves growing close to the shrine. You cant touch the leaves, but if there are seeds you can pick some.

Maomao scowled at the shrewd old man as she held onto the grass sickle.

They circled over to the other side of the lake. Despite being called a lake, with the waters murky, it might be better to call it a swamp if it was a little smaller. Leaves resembling lotus floated on the surface of the water in various places.

Chouu had been scared of the smallpox scars, but he expressed his pointless adaptation ability and completely warmed up to Kokuyou. Before she knew it, Kokuyou was giving him a piggyback, but unlike the manservants, he was swaying a little dangerously.

Look, its over there.

As Kokuyou pointed out, there was certainly a bridge connecting the other side of the small island. It wasnt particularly unusual; logs thrown into the water as pillars.

(Will this bridge be okay?)

Maomao looked at the bridge doubtfully. She wasnt meaning to insult stone bridges, but it looked pretty old. Itll be troubling if it broke when shes halfway on the bridge.

Hahaha, its okay. Its surprisingly unbreakable

Kokuyou let Chouu down from his shoulders and went to stand on the bridge. He jumped on it. It certainly didnt look as bad as it looked.

Ah Together with a stupid sound, Kokuyou lost his footing and fell into the lake.

What are you doing, big bro? Chouu stretched his hand out and pulled Kokuyou up.

Hahaha, sorry, sorry. Kokuyou mussed his head with a wet hand. It might have been hard for him to gauge distance due to his eyepatch.

He took off his outer garment and wrung it. There were patches of scars all over his thin body. Since its rude to stare, Maomao crouched down and studied the bridge. When she tried knocking it, there was the sound of hard, dense wood.

It seems, this bridge was made more than thirty years ago Kokuyou said, slinging his wet garment over his shoulders. The bridge had been built considerably high above the water. It should be fine even if the water level rises.

Its made from something that wont rot, huh.

Yeah, it looks like its been made from wood from the south. Its probable that this bridge, was a lot more splendid that it looks now. Its made quite nicely, but that would cost a lot of money, right Kokuyou said. He walked towards the small island.

Maomao followed him. Though she felt a little out of sorts. As there was the shine, the island was quite high above the water, just like the bridge. The stone steps that led to the shrine had stains of high water levels.

At the top of the steps, there was a small shrine surrounded by clumps of thickly overgrown weeds. She found large leaves amid that these are the tobacco leaves, Maomao thought. There were flower-like things at the ends, but no seeds yet. Itll need a little more time.

(That old fart.)

Ill get some seeds after this and go home, Maomao snorted.

She looked around the lake. The forest that had once been one had been divided into three. She could see a village on the side.

(How strange.)

She got the actual reason for the sense of discomfort she had a moment ago.

It was the position of the island and the bridge. The place with the bridge was right in the centre. Its positioned the furthest from any of the villages. Moreover, it started from a place furthest from the island.

(Is it because theres some meaning to it?)

Even though it would be best if the bridge crossed over from a place closest to the island. Otherwise, it should be in a place that would be easy for everyone. It was also far from the hut that old man lived in; she couldnt really think of an advantage.

Maomao looked at the shrine with her head tilted. As it had been neglected for many years, it was quite rundown. Only the warding ropes surrounding it were brand new. Even though it was to worship snakes, there were leaves that repelled snakes growing around it what an eccentric old man, Maomao thought.

Kokuyou had started to mow the grass as he hummed, so Maomao reluctantly also went to assist.

Chouu didnt seem like he had any intention to help from the start. He picked up a stone and drew on the floor.

Do you know? Kokuyou, who stopped humming, spoke to her as if he was grumbling to himself.

bout what?

About the priestess person of this village

As if I would know, Maomao shook her head.

The old man told me about it. The girls used to be slaves.

Kokuyou continued in a voice that only Maomao could hear. It seems this place used to be a place where the rivers flood often. Until they could control the flooding properly, the fields would be washed away every year and houses would be submerged by the flood.

And speaking of what futile thing they did to manage the natural disaster in the ancient times

They bought slaves to be human sacrifices. Of course, its when they have money to spare, otherwise, they would pick a girl from the village but

The priestess was a sacrifice in name.

However, one day, a priestess with the power to communicate with the god appeared.

It was said that this priestess walked and danced on the water.

The villagers were shocked; they worshipped her. And she married into the village chiefs family.

That was how the priestess lineage began.

(The old man, he really opened his heart to this guy, huh.)

It was something that Maomao had never heard before. The old man probably knew about this story because he had a connection to the priestess lineage.