Chapter 22: Please Avoid the God’s Name

Chapter 22: Please Avoid the Name of the Deity

Although relevant searches had already indicated that Bee Ant Village was nestled in a mountain valley so remote it couldn't be found on maps, and Teacher Ju had pre-emptively warned everyone to prepare mentally.

But when a group of college students, who had grown up in cities, had just endured over ten hours in a sleeper train, without even a chance to rest their feet or catch their breath, they were then crammed into two pre-rented minibuses, bouncing for two hours on a bumpy road through the woods...

After this ordeal, even the most excited students could no longer laugh or joke.

In the cramped cabin, mingling with the smell of inferior leather and gasoline, there was silence and fatigue among everyone.

Yi Fengchu, squeezed by the window, headphones in his ears, thought expressionlessly: Finally, it's quiet.

Through the dust-covered glass, Yi Fengchu could vaguely see rows of trees swiftly passing by, left behind by the car, forming an endless green sea on both sides, with mountains undulating like waves.

It was said that Bee Ant Village had recently been connected by a cement road. Originally, there were sand piles left from construction, but now, after several rains, only a small part remained, wet and mixed with mud, forming a gently sloping mound higher than the ankles.

Occasionally, a solitary cement pole could be seen slanted by the roadside, with black cables hanging down, wrapped around the middle of the pole, marking the unfinished electrical work.

A classmate sighed at the primitive environment outside the window: "Thank goodness we came prepared with power banks... Otherwise, I don't know how we would have gotten through these two days."

Yi Fengchu, bored, leaned back in his seat, rubbing his fingertips against the back of his phone, grateful that it didn't need charging and could function normally without relying on any existing energy source on Earth.

"Xiao Yi seems unusually listless today."

For some reason, the attention of a few classmates suddenly shifted from the scenery outside to Yi Fengchu by the window, and they casually asked out of concern.

Yi Fengchu generally maintained a distant attitude towards those around him, keeping his relationship with classmates at a basic level. However, since Teacher Ju started calling him "Xiao Yi," the other students gradually grew bold enough to follow suit.

Hearing his name called, Yi Fengchu slightly lifted his eyelids and glanced at the person beside him—

At first glance, the lines of fate within the car were densely intertwined, mingled with black spots that had eroded out, creating a chaotic blend of black and white.

As the students moved, these spots trembled, like flies spiraling in the air without any pattern, causing Yi Fengchu to feel a headache and dizziness.

So he immediately withdrew his gaze, unwilling to look further, and closed his eyes to rest, his voice somewhat listless: "...I have a bit of a headache."

A classmate nodded understandingly: "It's not surprising. After all the commotion on this journey, who wouldn't feel uncomfortable? We're lucky here; at least no one got carsick. But in the other car, two people threw up..."

Using the excuse of needing to rest due to feeling unwell, Yi Fengchu was able to reach the destination quietly and peacefully.

The final stretch was a gravel road paved with jagged stones. To avoid flat tires, the two minivans stopped a few hundred meters from the village on a concrete road. The group had to carry their luggage and walk the rest of the way to Fengyi Village.

Stepping out of the car, breathing in the fresh mountain air that seemed to carry the scent of grass and trees, the students, who had been somewhat listless during the journey, gradually regained their energy and looked around with renewed interest.

Yi Fengchu maintained a cold expression, gradually falling to the back of the group, walking quietly on his own.

In the distance, they saw an elderly man approaching, his back slightly hunched, his face etched with the marks of time. He greeted them warmly and led them toward the village entrance.

Notably, where his left ear should have been, there was only a flat scar, as if it had been cleanly sliced off with a blade.

Despite his disability, the one-eared elder was robust and walked briskly, leading the group with a cheerful smile. Every wrinkle on his face seemed to radiate joy, and he paid no mind to the occasional curious glances from the students at his missing ear.

Speaking in heavily accented, broken Mandarin, he introduced himself as the village chief of Fengyi Village and mentioned that the village, located in a remote area, hadn't seen so many visitors in a long time. He invited them to stay for a few more days to enjoy the scenic views surrounded by mountains and water on three sides...

Teacher Ju engaged him in conversation, asking, "Is Lin Lu—Professor Lin still here after her recent visit to your village? Why couldn't I reach her on the phone several times?"

Yi Fengchu, lingering at the edge of the group, clearly saw the one-eared elder turn his head away, seemingly reluctant to address the question.

"Ha ha, in these deep mountains, the signal is bound to be poor."

The village chief chuckled in response, "And Professor Lin is a very busy person. She carries around equipment we can't understand, tapping here and there, looking around, and before you know it, she disappears into the woods... How would we know her situation?"

Conducting field research in such a place, occasionally reaching areas with weak signals where timely communication with the outside world is impossible, is quite normal. Therefore, Teacher Ju did not press further.

Thus, the topic was lightly brushed aside, and the group continued on their way, chatting and laughing as the outlines of the houses in Bee-Ant Village, hidden behind mountain mists and tree branches, gradually became clearer.

Bee-Ant Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides, built on a flat area at the foot of the hills. Due to limited contact with the outside world, the local buildings retain a rugged charm of the countryside.

Aged wooden beams and railings, irregularly shaped gray stone walls, and small huts constructed from thick tree trunks tied together... These were scenes the students had never seen before.

Seeing visitors from the outside world enter the village, the villagers were unusually proactive and hospitable, stepping out from under their eaves to greet them, vying to help carry their luggage.

—"Welcome to Bee-Ant Village!"

Enthusiastic voices surged like waves, one after another, bright smiles blooming on the weathered faces of the villagers.

The group of students couldn't help but be taken aback by their warmth, feeling lost and helpless as they were sandwiched between the villagers and ushered toward the only tall, beautiful two-story self-built villa in the village.

"This was newly built by our big boss a couple of years ago. Doesn't it look sturdy and modern?"

The village chief introduced it with no small amount of pride, "The big boss moved to the city, so this house has been left idle, used only to host distinguished... guests!"

Yifengchu walked at the back, carrying his luggage. Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side, trying to snatch his backpack.

Gripping the straps tightly, Yifengchu looked up, and the villager who had extended his hand met his cold gaze. The overly eager smile on his face froze, and he felt an inexplicable chill, quickly retreating.

Noticing that Yifengchu wasn't easy to deal with, the surrounding villagers exchanged glances and no one dared to approach him again, attempting to forcibly "help" with the luggage.

Inside the villa, there were several empty rooms upstairs and downstairs. After a brief discussion, the group chose four spacious and relatively clean bedrooms, planning to take turns sleeping on the floor, which could barely accommodate all nineteen people, including the students and teachers.

After tidying up with his roommate, Yi Fengchu settled his luggage and set out alone with his phone to familiarize himself with the village’s terrain and roads.

On the way, he happened upon two elderly women sitting on bamboo stools at their courtyard gates, chatting away briskly.

Yi Fengchu took the initiative to approach them and chatted for a few moments. Once the atmosphere warmed up, he casually brought up Professor Lin Lu's situation.

"..."

The previously chatty old women suddenly fell silent for a moment. Their weathered, cloudy eyes glanced at each other, and one of them stammered, "Professor Lin seemed to... go up the mountain with a local guide yesterday?"

"Then it suddenly rained, making the path down slippery and difficult. They might have spent the night on the mountain and haven't come down yet."

This account didn't align with what the village chief had said.

If what the old women said was true, then Professor Lin must have found a guide in the village, which would have required asking around. How could it be that "no one knows where Professor Lin went," as the village chief claimed?

Lying about such a simple matter already indicated that something was amiss with the villagers...

Yi Fengchu silently noted this discrepancy and then asked, "I wonder about the origin of the name Bee-Ant Village? The last character is so obscure that we couldn't even read it on our first encounter."

Seemingly relieved that the topic had shifted, the two old women visibly relaxed, and their conversation flowed once more:

"Legend has it that the character 'ant' was once interchangeable with the character for 'moth.'"

"In these mountains, we often see gray and white moths. Some can grow larger than a palm, and during rainy days, they densely perch on tree trunks, looking from afar like moths with human faces."

At this point, the old woman's hoarse voice deepened, like gravel rubbing against the ear: "This frightened the ancestors who lived in the mountains, and they attributed this phenomenon to divine power... Since then, we have been worshipping the Moth God, regarding moths as the servants and eyes of the deity."

"Our village is named after this."

Yi Fengchu asked, "The original Chinese character for 'moth' has existed since ancient times. Why not just use this more common character?"

"About that, you youngsters wouldn't get it, because you've never experienced the awe of the divine."

The old woman's eyes welled up with emotion. Yi Fengchu narrowed his gaze, sensing what seemed like a fleeting trace of badly hidden envy in her eyes.

She shook her head slowly. "How can the name of a deity be spoken so casually? In the past, people used an obscure character precisely to 'avoid the taboo.'"

—Indeed, he had never felt reverence for gods. He only knew that the offspring of gods were quite tasty.

Yi Fengchu mused idly before casually asking, "So, does the village still have any temples, tablets, or statues of the Moth God? If it's okay, I'd like to know more about this deity."

"Shoo! Get out of here!"

The old woman’s face clouded over at his words, her wrinkles furrowing like tree bark as she waved him off irritably. "What era do you think this is?"

"Our village may have just gotten road access, but young people have long been interacting with outsiders, bringing back all sorts of strange things. We have money now, sturdy houses stand tall, and there’s talk of 'anti-feudalism' and 'literacy campaigns'... Nobody buys into that superstitious stuff anymore."

Seeing the old woman’s impatient frown and her clear disinterest in further conversation, Yi Fengchu had no choice but to continue moseying around.

He keenly sensed that wherever he went, hidden stares leaked out from the seemingly closed doors and windows of every household, covertly observing his every move.

Pretending not to notice, Yi Fengchu behaved like an ordinary traveler, casually glancing around until the mental picture of the village took shape in his mind. Then, he turned back toward the lodging.

The detour had taken him farther than expected. On his way back, he passed through a quiet, secluded path flanked by endless stretches of shadowy woods.

Suddenly, Yi Fengchu faintly heard someone eerily calling his name from behind.

"Yi..."

Before he could turn around, the voice abruptly twisted into a shrill, bone-chilling scream that echoed through the mountains, startling countless birds from their perches:

"Yi—Yi Feng... AHHHH—!"

Reacting a beat too late, Yi Fengchu turned to look—only to find a scorched, ash-like blob of something blackened and sticky on the ground, like a perfect circle of darkness.

"Heh..." His phone let out a soft chuckle, repeating the old woman’s earlier words. "How can the name of a deity be spoken so casually?"