I shifted my gaze back to Zhang Hongsheng's group, but for some reason, the atmosphere had changed.
Aunt Zhang was gesticulating wildly, seemingly shouting something, and her voice was punctuated by shrill tones that occasionally reached my ears.
She stamped her feet and appeared to be extremely agitated.
Several people around her were also gesturing and speaking in hushed tones.
Zhang Hongsheng stood facing them, his head bowed.
The middle-aged men who had been standing nearby seemed to be trying to calm the situation, but Aunt Zhang and the women beside her continued to argue, waving their arms and speaking emphatically.
Eventually, the middle-aged men shook their heads and returned to the woods, seemingly defeated in their attempts to mediate.
Zhang Hongsheng finally raised his head, and after a moment, Aunt Zhang and the women began to calm down.
I wasn't sure what was said, but it seemed to have a calming effect.
The snow-covered landscape stretched out before me, a vast expanse of white.
I stared at them for too long, and the glare from the snow began to make my eyes ache.
I had to cover my eyes and look away for a moment to rest them.
I recalled a documentary about explorers venturing into uncharted territories, which mentioned the phenomenon of snow blindness.
Apparently, prolonged exposure to the bright, reflective surface of snow can cause temporary blindness, headaches, and dizziness.
Some people might experience eye strain or discomfort when looking out at a snowy landscape, especially if they're not prepared for the glare.
This condition is sometimes referred to as snow blindness or photokeratitis.
During this time, I quickly thought about the current situation in my mind.
Aunt Zhang wasn't Zhang Hongsheng's mother?
She was fine just a moment ago, and now she's suddenly turning against her own son?
The way those women were acting, it seemed like Zhang Hongsheng had committed some heinous crime.
But what could he have done in such a short time to make them so angry?
After resting my eyes for a while, I felt a bit better.
I squinted and looked back at them, but I couldn't see anyone on the path in front of the woods.
I quickly scanned the woods and found that Aunt Zhang and the other women were gathered around the white-haired old man, bowing and speaking to him.
The white-haired old man stood still, with his hands behind his back, staring straight ahead without acknowledging the people around him.
I watched him for a while, and finally, he reacted.
He glanced at Aunt Zhang and whispered something in her ear.
Suddenly, Aunt Zhang straightened up, looking stunned.
The other women around her also stood up straight, and two of them even took a step back and walked away.
I was confused, and I looked at the people around Aunt Zhang, trying to understand what was happening.
It seemed like the white-haired old man's words had a significant impact on them.
I was extremely curious - what did the white-haired old man say to Aunt Zhang?
Just as I was wondering, Aunt Zhang suddenly stood up straight and then knelt down in front of the white-haired old man with a thud.
I was taken aback.
What was going on? The white-haired old man initially tried to help Aunt Zhang up, but she brushed him off twice.
He then stood up straight, spoke a few words to Aunt Zhang, and resumed his previous stance, looking straight ahead without paying attention to her.
After that, the people around Aunt Zhang dispersed, leaving her kneeling on the ground without anyone trying to help her up.
I quickly scanned the woods for Zhang Hongsheng, wondering how he would react to his mother kneeling in front of someone else.
As the son, he couldn't just ignore this situation.
I recalled that Old Jiang had addressed him as "Branch Secretary" earlier, which suggested that Zhang Hongsheng held a position of authority in the village.
Given his supposed status, I expected him to have some influence over the villagers.
But now, it seemed like the white-haired old man held some kind of power or authority that even Zhang Hongsheng couldn't ignore.
But the reality was clearly different.
I had spotted Zhang Hongsheng standing alone near the entrance of the woods, gazing silently in the direction of Aunt Zhang and the white-haired old man.
He didn't move or intervene, just stood there frozen.
Despite the distance, I could sense a deep sense of helplessness and despair emanating from his upright posture.
As I scanned the people in the woods, a strange feeling began to emerge.
This village was definitely not as simple as it seemed on the surface.
There was something hidden beneath.
After a while, Zhang Hongsheng finally walked forward and forcibly pulled Aunt Zhang up from the ground, dragging her aside.
She seemed dazed and didn't resist, her head tilted to one side, giving off a slightly unhinged impression.
Just as Aunt Zhang was pulled up, the white-haired old man, who had been standing still with his hands behind his back, suddenly moved.
He raised his hands high, and shouted something, and the people who had been scattered around began to gather around him.
Everyone gathered around the white-haired old man, raised their hands, and knelt down.
I watched the scene in front of me in utter disbelief... What was going on?
The entire woods, except for the white-haired old man who remained standing, had everyone, including Zhang Hongsheng, kneeling on the ground.
I furrowed my brow, finding the scene extremely bizarre and confusing.
I was completely baffled by what I was seeing.
Growing up, I had only seen people kneeling on TV or beggars on the street corner.
Seeing a group of people kneel down to one person like this was a first for me.
After the initial shock, I began to think carefully about the situation, trying to make sense of it.
However, despite my best efforts, I couldn't understand what was happening.
The white-haired old man stood still, while the villagers knelt around him in a circle.
I was at a loss for what to make of it.
The white-haired old man finally lowered his hands and gestured to the villagers, who then stood up.
But what happened next was even stranger...
The crowd turned around to face the direction the white-haired old man had been looking at earlier.
The white-haired old man walked to the front of the crowd, and I couldn't see what he was doing because the people behind him blocked my view.
However, after a short while, I noticed that some people in the crowd would turn their backs to the direction they were facing, and then turn back around again after a few seconds.
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in my head... I seemed to have a guess about what was happening.
Although it sounded far-fetched, it made perfect sense in the context of the current scene.
They... might be performing some kind of ritual or preparing for one?
A scene from a movie starring Lam Ching-ying popped into my mind.
I couldn't remember the title, but I recalled a specific plot point that was similar to what I was seeing.
In the movie, a coffin was about to be opened, and the Taoist priest played by Lam Ching-ying asked people with conflicting zodiac signs or attributes to turn their backs for a moment.
*Lam Ching-ying a famous Hongkong actor that famous acting in the chinese vampire movie
Watching the crowd in front of me, I became more and more convinced that my previous guess was correct.
The secret behind these people's actions was likely related to what they were doing now.
I'm not an atheist, and I devoutly believe in Christianity.
I believe that there are souls or other forms of life or non-life entities that exist in this world.
Although I'm confident that God watches over every believer, standing alone in this desolate place, watching these people perform strange rituals, I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine.
I instinctively glanced around me, and my heart skipped a beat.
Being alone in this place, surrounded by the unknown, was indeed a bit terrifying.
No matter how disgusting or ugly the walker may be, once people get used to them, they're just another obstacle to overcome.
But the fear that resides in one's heart can be overwhelming, and it can quickly consume a person's sanity.
Suppressing the growing sense of discomfort, I refocused my attention on the woods.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me that I had previously overlooked.
Old Jiang's notification to Zhang Hongsheng about Wang Waizui falling into the pit and getting bitten, and Zhang Hongsheng's group stopping here, suggested that this was the location of the pit.
If they were indeed performing some kind of ritual, then... the object of their worship... could it be the pit itself?
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