People are dying on the pillar, and there is no misery at the beginning

Chapter 73 - I'll Steal Your Tribute Crazily
……

Narrow Mist.

Towns down the mountain.

evening.

The originally bustling town became a little quiet at this moment, and the people living here began to pack their things and go home, ending the day's work.

I don't know when it started, or maybe it has always existed. There is such a legend in the town.

……

"It is said that in the distant Heian period, the residents of this town lived and worked in peace and contentment."

"Until one day, it was attacked by a "big monster" that suddenly appeared and slaughtered the entire city."

"At the critical moment, "Master Shenming" led several other warriors to carry out a sleepless crusade against the big monster for several years."

"And the current residents have nothing to do with the people at that time. In fact, they are all people who immigrated from various places later."

"It is precisely because of the blessing of the gods that this town has been safe and sound for nearly a hundred years."

The man in charge of the "narration" walked in front of his two younger brothers, talking with his hands behind his back.

"Of course, there are also legends that there are many treasures buried in Sawu Mountain, and it seems that a little bit is enough to last a lifetime..."

"Eh...Really?" The boy who played the big monster just now sighed in amazement, clutching his brother's clothes tightly, and walked on the side of the road: "Brother knows so many stories like this!"

"The legend is definitely not true. Have you ever seen a monster?"

The man with the yellow chicken feather wig in his hand rubbed the boy's head, and said indifferently: "It's all made up later, to scare the children."

"You can't say that, Erlang." The elder brother in charge walked in the front and shook his head lightly at the man with the yellow wig: "Be in awe of the gods."

"Tch!" Erlang curled his lips with a yellow wig, holding a blade of grass in his mouth, and looked at his elder brother disdainfully with his arms folded:
"The big brother who takes us to steal food every time is the most unworthy of saying this!"

"No, no, it's a gift from the gods..."

"As long as we are grateful, Lord God will not blame us..."

"Gifts? Then why don't we dig out the treasures in the mountains with a grateful heart..."

"Okay! Let's go steal the tribute quickly!" The boy holding the hem of the elder brother's clothes pursed his lips while listening to the conversation between the two elder brothers, and shook the elder brother's clothes.

"It's not a tribute...it's an offering of food..."

"That's not the same as a tribute..."

"Shh!! Keep your voice down..."

"Yes... quietly past..."

……

……

Narrow Mist.

Time passed slowly, the sun gradually slanted westward, and the outline of the moon could already be vaguely seen in the sky.

Dusk is gradually coming to an end, and the deep blue night is slowly falling.

The three brothers walked slowly along the bluestone steps of the shrine at the foot of Sagiri Mountain.

The shrine of Sagiri Mountain is located halfway up the mountain and a little higher.

The path leading to the shrine is filled with white mist, and there are many notes tied to the Shimenawa on both sides of the steps along the way.

The two sections of Shimenawa are connected with several red torii gates at intervals.

"Brother, why can't you go faster."

The boy grabbed his elder brother's clothes, lowered his head, and said in a puzzled tone: "I'm so hungry..."

"Don't worry, wait until night, when all the people in the shrine are gone."

"That's right, although the witch will come back once in a long time, we must be careful!"

"Erlang is right."

……

"By the way, after getting the food, remember to eat outside the torii..."

"I know, I know…"

……

The three brothers leaned on the other side of the bluestone steps and watched as some people in black clothes came down from the mountain and left.

After hiding aside and waiting for those people to leave, the three brothers reappeared and started running towards the mountainside!

"Rush! This time the wine is mine!" Erlang, holding a yellow chicken feather, rushed to the front, running fast.

"Be careful! Don't fall!" The eldest brother hugged Saburo and followed Erlang, and the three quickly ran along the steps towards the shrine.

As the three of them got deeper and deeper, the surrounding fog became thicker and thicker.

Soon, the three came to the shrine and stepped into the last torii gate.

Several people entered the main hall of the shrine, bypassed the shimenawa rope hanging in the middle, and went straight to the table where the offerings were placed.

After receiving the enshrined food and wine, the three brothers chose to leave from the mountain road on the other side of the shrine instead of taking the bluestone steps.

The whole set of movements is done in one go.

……

mountainside.

The three brothers were lying on the rocks, holding fruits, pasta and wine in their hands, eating with gusto.

"Hey, big brother."

Erlang took a sip of his wine, sat up, looked at the sky covered by thick fog and couldn't see clearly, and said abruptly:

"Didn't you say... there are treasures buried in this mountain?"

The eldest brother raised his head, looked at his younger brother with a frown, picked up the fruit in his hand and was about to throw it over:

"What are you going to do?!"

"Stop your despicable thoughts!"

"It's a trivial matter to steal the offerings! If you want..."

"No! It's not me!" Erlang said in a low voice, with a tense expression on his face, he subconsciously raised his arm to cover his head, and pointed his other hand down the mountain not far away: "Look at the two people over there!"

"What..." The elder brother raised his eyebrows, still holding a fruit in his hand, subconsciously looked in the direction the younger brother pointed.

In the direction Erlang pointed.

There are two vague figures, waving the tools in their hands one after another.

The eldest brother narrowed his eyes, gently covered Sanlang's mouth, sat up and looked carefully.

"...That's... 臿!?" He cried out after seeing the tools in the hands of several people clearly.

(臿: Stone farm tools similar to shovels)

"Hmm!!" Saburo, whose mouth was covered, looked at the two people who were wielding shovels in the fog not far away, and shouted in surprise.

"...Does anyone really think this legend is true..."

The eldest brother narrowed his eyes and looked at the two who were constantly wielding the shovel, and said in a deep voice: "...Aren't you afraid of being beaten to death by that witch?"

"What should we do, brother, should we stop them in the past?"

Erlang took a sip of wine cautiously, turned his eyes sharply, and looked at his elder brother, his face was already slightly red.

"...Hi! If we stop these two guys this time, maybe that priestess will let us stay in the shrine!"

"Idiot! We don't have anything in our hands, those two guys at least have something!" The elder brother cast a sharp glance at Erlang, and reprimanded him in a low voice.

"...I see."

However, Erlang, who was already slightly drunk and his mind was a little unclear, didn't care about these things anymore.

He jumped off the rock at once, holding the unfinished wine in his hand, and ran in the direction of those two under the horrified eyes of his elder brother!
"Hey!! Those two bastards! What are you doing?!"

Erlang's yelling sound resounded through the mountainside of Sawu Mountain at night.

(End of this chapter)