The next day, we continued to press on towards the destination marked on the map. After another day of travel, we finally arrived at what was called Shui Wan Gou (Water Bend Ravine).
This place had a very long river, its course bending like a crescent moon. Towering mountains flanked both sides, trapping the river in between them. No wonder it was called Shui Wan Gou.
After passing through Shui Wan Gou, we entered a dense forest. I asked Jiang Yue if this was indeed the right place.
She replied, "This is it."
"Is it possible that your classmates went to a different location?"
"Impossible. I pinpointed this map after extensive research. The margin of error is no more than two kilometers. As long as it’s within this range, we’ll definitely find that village."
Fatty sidled up and said, "Miss Jiang, a two-kilometer error? Do you know how vast two kilometers is in these mountains?"
Jiang Yue stated, "I know what you're getting at, but don't worry, that village is definitely around here."
Fatty shook his head in resignation and said to me, "Brother Xiang, it's getting late. Let's find a place to rest. Didn't that inn owner say there were many wild beasts here? Once it gets dark, it might become problematic."
I nodded, "When we came during the day, wasn't there a cave over there? I thought that cave looked good. It's only about half an hour's walk back. How about we stay there tonight?"
"Deal!"
After discussing it, we returned to Shui Wan Gou and found the cave we had spotted earlier.
The cave wasn't large, just enough for the three of us to move around inside. To prevent any wild beasts from entering, we built a bonfire at the entrance and loaded the hunting rifle.
After a simple meal, we prepared to rest. Just like the previous night, we took turns keeping watch.
Fatty was in good spirits and took the first watch. Jiang Yue and I began to rest.
After a day of walking, I was utterly exhausted. As soon as I lay down, sleepiness overwhelmed me, and I drifted off in no time.
I don't know how long I slept before Fatty woke me up by shaking me.
"What is it?" I asked groggily, looking at him.
Fatty made a "shushing" gesture at me and then said, "Brother Xiang, listen."
I was a bit puzzled. What was this fatty trying to make me listen to in the middle of the night?
Concentrating, I soon heard a "dong dong dong" sound. The rhythm was distinct, and after a moment, I recognized it as the sound of drums.
"Why would there be drums?" I asked.
Fatty shook his head. "I don't know. It started at midnight. At first, I thought I was hearing things. But the drumming continued for about ten minutes before I woke you up."
I sat up, glanced at Jiang Yue who was fast asleep, and then thought, "Let's go out and take a look."
Fatty nodded. We both left the cave. Outside, the sound was even clearer, coming from the other side of the mountain.
Someone drumming in the dead of night was baffling. I couldn't resist investigating.
However, it wasn't feasible for both of us to go and leave Jiang Yue alone. So, I told Fatty to wake her up. We then extinguished the bonfire and headed directly towards the source of the sound.
We didn't say much on the way, all three of us moving quickly, fearing that if the drumming stopped, we would be at a loss.
After nearly forty minutes of climbing, we finally crossed the small mountain and then saw the glow of many torches in the distance.
"There are people," Fatty whispered. "Could this be that village you were talking about?"
"Very likely," I said, glancing at Jiang Yue. "Let's not make any noise and go check it out."
Jiang Yue nodded and followed behind us.
Soon, we crept closer to the source of the torchlight, hiding in the bushes. I noticed about fifty to sixty people not far away, each holding a torch.
They were standing in an open space, facing a pile of stone statues – the same pile of statues from the photograph.
"What are they doing?" Fatty whispered.
I shook my head, unsure for a moment.
It was Jiang Yue who said, "They seem to be performing a ritual..."
"A ritual? Sacrificing what?"
She pointed to the distance. "Do you see those wooden stakes in front of the stone statue pile? Those are probably for placing offerings."
I was quite perplexed. What kind of ritual required this in the middle of the night?
Soon, the drumming stopped. An old man, dressed in a black cloth robe and adorned with a large collection of necklaces, emerged from the other side. He held a cane and walked to the front of the stone statue pile.
Standing there, he began mumbling something. Due to the distance, we couldn't hear him clearly.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
As soon as the old man finished his incantation, the others raised their torches and shouted three times, startling us.
Before long, two girls in white clothing were brought forward. These girls appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, and one of them was crying incessantly.
They were led to the front of the stone statues and then tied to the wooden stakes.
I was stunned. Fatty asked, "Are they going to perform human sacrifices?"
I wasn't entirely sure, so I didn't answer Fatty.
Jiang Yue exclaimed, "This is too cruel! We can't let them do this!"
Afraid she would act rashly, I quickly said, "Let's watch first."
After the two girls were tied up, a man suddenly rushed out from the crowd. He knelt before the old man and spoke in a local dialect, "Great Priest! Please release Xiao Fang! She's my only sister..."
Since the local dialect wasn't too difficult to understand, and combined with the man's expressions and demeanor, I could pretty much grasp what he was saying.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Your sister is a saint chosen by the gods!" the old man said angrily. "Do you know what an honor it is to be chosen by the gods?"
"But she's only eighteen this year..."
The old man, unwilling to waste more words, beckoned, and two burly men dragged the man away.
One of the girls tied to the stake, seeing her brother being pulled away, cried out, "Don't grab my brother!"
Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to her cries.
Jiang Yue, unable to bear it any longer, stood up to go forward. I grabbed her back suddenly, "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to stop them!"
"How can you stop them alone? Didn't you see that the girl's brother couldn't do anything? With this kind of ritual happening now, if you go up, you'll likely just be offering yourself," I said.
Fatty chimed in, nodding, "Exactly. If you charge in, they might just take you as an offering."
Jiang Yue gritted her teeth, a look of unwilling frustration on her face.
I advised, "This is their territory. Don't forget about your classmate... If we get exposed and captured, we'll all be in trouble."