frightfiction Chapter 64 Clean Body
Chapter 64 Clean Body
Upon entering the Cimu Hall, Yan Xun felt a sudden darkness envelop him—the light inside the Cimu Hall was even dimmer, until Yan Yu, carrying a lantern, walked over from behind, which slightly dispelled the darkness.
The air was filled with a faint scent of incense, mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus.
Osmanthus fragrans……?
Yan Xun looked around. It wasn't the season for osmanthus trees to bloom, and there were no osmanthus trees planted in Wusheng Village.
When Yan Yu got closer, he realized that the faint scent of osmanthus was coming from the other person; it was so strong that it seemed to be masking something.
Yan Yu, holding a lantern in one hand, looked at Yan Xun and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Stand here and don't move."
"I can smell the osmanthus," Yan Xun said. "It doesn't seem to be the season for osmanthus to bloom now."
“It’s the incense I wear,” Yan Yu said.
He looked at the main hall of the Cimu Hall, where only incense and candles were still burning, and lotus-shaped lamps were placed on the ground. "We will be holding a sacrifice in a few days."
"The person in charge of the sacrifice must purify themselves beforehand."
"An unclean body cannot participate in the sacrifice."
As Yan Yu spoke, he nodded to Yan Xun, "You can also participate in the sacrificial ceremony then."
"...What do you mean by 'impure body'...?" Yan Xun pondered the meaning behind Yan Yu's words, wondering if he had misunderstood.
Yan Yu seemed to see his confusion and nodded, "After I get married, I will no longer be able to participate in sacrificial activities."
"The village will choose a new Baikan at that time."
Yan Xun: "……………………"
I rely on!
No, is this what "impure body" means?
Isn't that way too old-fashioned and feudal?
He was about to say that this was too old-fashioned when he saw Yan Yu looking at him, "Can't you participate in the sacrificial ceremony?"
"If it doesn't work..."
Yan Yu looked at Yan Xun with a half-smile, "I'm afraid I need to tell your parents."
Although he was smiling as he spoke, it was clear that he didn't like the answer.
"I think your mind is pretty dirty too," Yan Xun said righteously. "You can guess so much from what I've said without me even saying a word."
Yan Yu didn't reply, "Of course it's good that you can participate."
"It also saves me the trouble of tattling."
At this moment, he acted more like a distant cousin, starting to chat with Yan Xun about youthful topics, "Do you have someone you like?"
Yan Xun didn't really know if this character existed in the movie, so he answered according to his own answer, "No."
"Not interested."
Yan Yu nodded. "Indeed."
"At your age, you should prioritize your studies."
"Branding iron, you're quite humorous," Yan Xun almost laughed out loud. "Using the 'admonition to study' trope in a horror movie?"
Do they really think they're acting out a rebellious teenage brother coming to the village to participate in a reality show?
...Could it be that this was the original plan of the Yan family's parents?
These thoughts raced through Yan Xun's mind, and then he seized the opportunity to ask, "What about your marriage prospect?"
"Isn't she from the village?"
"I completely forgot to ask you to introduce your sister-in-law today."
He acted like a carefree, simple-minded city cousin.
"It's not the time to meet," Yan Yu said softly. "It's not that I don't want you to meet."
"It's just not the right time."
He thought for a moment, then said to Yan Xun, "He's not exactly from the village."
“He had grown up outside the village... and only met me when he reached marriageable age.”
Yan Yu seemed unwilling to say too much. Holding the lantern in his hand, he said to Yan Xun in the ancient courtyard, "Let's go back and rest first."
"I'll go take a look inside the main hall."
Yan Xun glanced at the side room, which was only lit by candlelight, and thought that if he went in, he would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den.
So he started making excuses, "I haven't washed up yet."
"I've been to so many places today, I feel like I'm covered in dust." He looked at Yan Yu's wet hair. "I'm going to take a shower first, where's the bathroom?"
The Cimu Hall is not large, and its several rooms can be seen from one end to the other at a glance.
As he spoke, he glanced at the other rooms in the Cimu Hall a few more times... Yan Yu stepped forward slightly and blocked his observation.
Realizing that her actions were somewhat deliberate, Yan Yu quickly said, "There is no bathroom in the Cimu Hall."
"And your hair?"
"I fetched some water and did a quick wash," Yan Yu explained. "Those who make offerings must keep their bodies clean."
Just as Yan Xun was about to unleash his rebellious teenage skills, he heard Yan Yu say again, "Let me think of a way."
"Go to my room and wait there."
Yan Yu, carrying a lantern, saw that Yan Xun was still standing in place, so he asked again, "Why aren't you going in?"
This time, his voice was lower, and the rustling of leaves in the wind suddenly filled the courtyard... Realizing that if he didn't move, this guy in front of him would lose his human skin, Yan Xun could only take a step back. "Why are you being so fierce?"
"Can't I go in?"
Hearing Yan Xun say that, Yan Yu softened his tone, "It's not that I'm being mean to you."
"But the nights at Cimu Hall are inherently dangerous..." He stopped there, his expression showing some regret, as if he felt he had inadvertently revealed something he shouldn't have.
He then said to Yan Xun, "You should go in first."
"It gets more dangerous here as night falls."
Yan Xun still believed this statement.
He glanced at the main hall of the Compassionate Mother's Hall, and whether it was his imagination or not, he felt that the children around the statue of the Compassionate Mother seemed to have changed their posture and were curiously looking at this uninvited guest in the Compassionate Mother's Hall.
Seeing this, Yan Xun didn't delay and simply went to Yan Yu's room.
Upon entering his room, the scent of osmanthus incense grew even stronger.
There was a wooden basin and a towel on the dresser, presumably where Yan Yu had just washed himself.
On the other side of the dresser, two candles were lit for illumination, but perhaps the room was really too dark. Even with two candles, Yan Xun still felt that the area at the foot of the bed was extremely dark, and he couldn't see anything that was crouching at the foot of the bed.
"Please sit down for a while," Yan Yu said.
Once inside the house, he extinguished the candle in the lantern and hung it up to the side.
He walked to the chest of drawers, took the wooden basin and towel, and said, "I'll get you some water to wash yourself."
Yan Xun grabbed his arm.
Yan Yu looked puzzled.
"...You want me to use this?" Yan Xun looked at the wooden basin and towel that the other person was holding in his arms.
"Huh?" Yan Yu didn't understand what he meant.
Yan Xun felt as if the sky had fallen.
"...Isn't there any other towel?" he couldn't help but ask. "Are we really going to have to make do with one?"
If they were college roommates, Yan Xun wouldn't have said anything.
But Yan Yu doesn't seem like a human being at all!
What's that towel? A burial item? ???