Chapter 6: King Wen's Drum

Chapter 6: King Wen's Drum

The rooster's crow heralds the dawn.

As the village comes alive with the sound of roosters, the horizon reveals the boundary between night and day. The dark qi sinks, and the yang qi rises, bringing the village to life with the sounds of people.

“You lazy brat, what are you doing?”

“Hurry up and feed the pigs, and then get ready for the fields…”

Li Yan hadn’t slept all night, standing guard with his knife in the courtyard. Listening to the neighbors scolding their children, he gently pushed open the wooden door.

Creak~

The old door hinges made a grating sound.

As Li Yan stepped out and looked up, his eyes widened in shock.

The plaque hanging above, inscribed with “Hundred Battles Indomitable,” had lost much of its lacquer. The edges were visibly rotten, and a crack had even appeared on the right side.

Li Yan didn’t understand the principle behind the plaque’s ability to ward off evil, but he suspected it had something to do with the imperial court.

However, it was clear that after one night, the plaque had suffered significant damage. It might not last another night.

And the “Blind Third Elder Wolf” had only been temporarily driven back.

What should he do?

As Li Yan pondered this, his grandfather, Li Gui, emerged from the house, leaning on a cane.

The old man was about to take a few puffs from his pipe but stopped when he saw Li Yan, disheveled and holding a knife at the door. He immediately scolded, “You brat, you’re practicing your knife skills so much that you forget to eat and dress properly?”

“Don’t just stand there, you’ll scare people in the morning. I’ll go make breakfast for you.”

With that, he shuffled off to the kitchen.

He was old and hadn’t heard the commotion last night.

Li Yan opened his mouth to stop him but quickly changed his mind. He hurried inside, put on his clothes, and prepared to leave.

Farmers’ clothing was simple, mostly made of coarse black cloth. With the weather getting warmer, they wore only a single layer.

The trousers were usually loose and shapeless, making movement difficult unless they were tied at the legs.

After dressing, he rushed out of the house and headed toward the village entrance.

He knew the “Blind Third Elder Wolf’s” body had been hung on the big locust tree at the village entrance, but he hadn’t bothered to look. Last night, however, something strange had happened.

Before leaving, he glanced back at the kitchen, where smoke was rising from the chimney, and clenched his fist.

Grandfather was still at home, so he couldn’t leave.

No matter what, he had to find a way to deal with the wolf.

The warm sun rose, casting its light over the yellow wheat fields and blue skies. Villagers carried their hoes, creating a peaceful rural scene.

It was a stark contrast to the eerie atmosphere of the previous night.

The “Blind Third Elder Wolf’s” body still hung from the big locust tree at the village entrance. It had been battered by mischievous children and was now in a sorry state. Passersby laughed and poked it with their hoes.

Li Yan didn’t rush over but paused to sniff the air.

He was upwind, about fifty meters away, but the distinctive stench of the “Blind Third Elder Wolf” was nowhere to be found.

It seemed like just an ordinary wolf carcass.

Furrowing his brow, Li Yan approached for a closer look but found nothing unusual.

Just then, a man walked by and tsked, “What a waste, I said it should have been eaten. Now it’s just going to rot here.”

Li Yan was speechless, unsure how to respond.

The man was named Li Shuanzhu, a bachelor known for his insatiable appetite and foul mouth. He was generally disliked for his tendency to argue and make trouble.

If anyone had eaten the wolf, it would likely have been him.

Li Shuanzhu, oblivious to his unpopularity, continued, “Widow Wang said it was bad luck and wanted to burn it for a ritual. I don’t see what the fuss is about…”

Li Yan was startled and quickly asked, “What else did she say?”

“What else could she say?”

Li Shuanzhu shook his head, “Her house smells like a latrine, and she’s always mumbling about spirits. What a waste…”

With that, he carried his hoe and walked away.

Li Yan thought for a moment, then decided to visit Widow Wang.

He soon arrived at her old, dilapidated house. The gate was closed, and the mud walls were overgrown with weeds and cluttered with debris, covered in dust.

Most villagers were already in the fields, so the area was deserted, giving the place a deserted, eerie feel.

Li Yan frowned as he approached.

The only strange places in the village were the village earth shrine and Widow Wang’s house. The stench of the wolf and the foul odor from her house were a torment to his sensitive nose.

Moreover, a widow’s door was often the source of gossip, so he rarely came here out of curiosity.

But now he had no choice.

The “Blind Third Elder Wolf” needed to be dealt with, and Widow Wang might know something.

Creak~

Just as he was about to knock, the wooden door suddenly opened, and Widow Wang, disheveled and pale, poked her head out.

She cautiously looked behind Li Yan, her eyes full of suspicion, before she whispered, “Come in, the divine one wants to see you.”

Li Yan was taken aback.

Widow Wang knew he was coming!

And… divine one?

Li Yan raised his guard, his face expressionless, and gently gripped the hilt of his knife as he stepped into the courtyard.

As soon as he entered, a pungent smell hit him.

Li Yan’s sense of smell was far superior to that of an ordinary person, and this was a torment. He quickly held his breath and frowned as he looked around.

The courtyard was filled with rotting wood and pickling jars. The contents of the jars had decayed, covered in white foam, and swarmed by flies.

The smell was almost as bad as a latrine.

Li Yan couldn’t help but cover his nose. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes widened in surprise.

The jars, though seemingly random, were arranged in the positions of the Eight Trigrams Formation: Kai, Xiu, Sheng, Shang, Du, Jing, Si, and Jing.

He had some knowledge of martial arts and formations.

Was there more to this than met the eye?

Before he could think further, Widow Wang opened the door and motioned for him to follow.

The way she opened the door was peculiar, pulling it open from the side and hanging a curtain to block the light, as if afraid of the wind.

Good grief, even a woman in confinement didn’t take such precautions…

Li Yan’s curiosity grew as he followed her inside.

Surprisingly, the smell inside was not as strong as outside, but the room was dim and stifling, and the scent of incense and blood was overwhelming.

Li Yan’s attention was drawn to the setup inside.

Against the wall was a square ancestral offering table, with four plates of steamed buns, three plates of fruits, a roasted chicken, fatty meat, and a wine jar.

Three incense sticks burned in the incense burner, and the candles on either side flickered dimly.

Behind the offerings stood a wooden tablet, with a red paper inscribed with “Hu Sangoo’s Position,” and a couplet on either side:

Cultivating in the deep mountains, nurturing virtue and wisdom, emerging from the ancient cave to spread fame across the seas.

Master of the Horsebound Spirit?

Li Yan was momentarily stunned as memories from his past life flooded back.

In his previous life, he had studied various antiques and had some knowledge of folklore.

This practice originated from the primitive shamanic religion, particularly prevalent in Northeast China, where there were household spirits and Masters of the Horsebound Spirit. In the Guanzhong region, it was relatively rare.

Upon reflection, Widow Wang had been bought by her husband from a human trafficker, and he vaguely remembered someone mentioning that she was from Northeast China.

But what truly captured his attention was the area in front of the offering table.

The ground was marked with sacred red sticks and encircled by a red rope. A neatly dressed, clean-faced little girl lay on the ground, her eyes closed and her eyelids twitching.

More bizarrely, the areas corresponding to certain acupoints on her head, shoulders, and arms were trembling, like the surface of a drum.

What was happening here?

The sight was surreal, but after the events of the previous night, Li Yan’s understanding of the world had been shaken. He knew that this world was not as simple as it seemed and that there were other forces at play.

Widow Wang didn’t explain further but lifted a large piece of sacred red cloth from a nearby shelf, revealing a drum.

The drumskin was painted with the Eight Trigrams, and behind it were eight strings, four facing north and four facing south. Some hex coins hung from it, jingling when picked up.

The handle of the drumstick was adorned with a colorful crimson tassel.

King Wen’s Drum, King Wu’s Whip?

Li Yan’s eyes narrowed, intrigued.

This world might be more than just folklore…

Widow Wang, holding the drum and whip, seemed to transform. She swayed her shoulders, shook her head, and began to strike the drum while circling the red rope on the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The drumbeat was rhythmic, and Widow Wang’s demeanor changed from timid to solemn. She began to chant:

“When the sun sets in the west, the sky turns dark, and every household locks their doors. Travelers seek inns, birds return to the forests, and tigers to their dens. Birds find their nests, and tigers find their peace…”

As she chanted, her accent changed.

Li Yan had seen this before in his past life.

The scene was familiar, but his heightened sense of smell revealed something different.

He could detect that with each drumbeat, the incense-laden stench in the air seemed to find a purpose, converging toward the center with the rhythm…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end