5 A festival of bunched hair

Facing Zhou Fan's deliberate inquiry, Skinny Monkey scratched his own scalp, and after tilting his head for a while, he said, "Ah Fan, your question is quite profound. I don't know the name of our country… Oh, wait, I think I heard my father mention it."

Zhou Fan quickly said, "Really? Then think carefully."

This was very important to Zhou Fan. Even though he had encountered many strange things yesterday, what if this was really a certain dynasty in China?

Skinny Monkey frowned and pondered. With his sparse eyebrows, his brow ridge protruded when he furrowed his brow, making him look truly emaciated.

Zhou Fan just watched silently as Skinny Monkey suddenly slapped his hand and said, "Ah Fan, I remember now. It seems to be called the Wei Kingdom."

"The Wei Kingdom?"

Zhou Fan nodded. His meager knowledge of history remembered that there were three kingdoms called Wei in history. The first was the Wei Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the second was the Wei Kingdom established by Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the third was the Northern Wei during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, which seemed to be a minority ethnic regime.

As for whether there were any others, Zhou Fan couldn't be sure, and he couldn't be sure if this Wei Kingdom was one of the three he was thinking of. He needed to ask again to be sure.

"Skinny Monkey…"

Zhou Fan was about to ask for more details when Skinny Monkey suddenly looked at the round altar and changed the subject, "Ah Fan, the hair-binding ceremony is about to begin. Are you afraid?"

Zhou Fan was puzzled. "Just binding hair, why should I be afraid?"

Skinny Monkey's cheekbones trembled slightly, and he forced a smile. "Ah Fan is right, just binding hair, I'm not afraid either."

Zhou Fan could tell that Skinny Monkey was nervous, and his doubts grew even stronger. Since last night, his parents had been speaking strangely about this hair-binding ceremony. Now, with what Skinny Monkey said, could there be something strange about this ceremony?

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of drums beating echoed.

Skinny Monkey urgently said, "It's about to start, Ah Fan, we can talk after the ceremony. I'll go back to my parents' side first. You quickly go find Uncle Yi and the others. Good luck."

After Skinny Monkey finished speaking, he quickly walked into the crowd.

Zhou Fan's words were completely blocked, and he couldn't ask anymore. He wondered why Skinny Monkey wished him good luck.

Zhou Fan didn't continue to dwell on it. He would soon find out what was unique about this hair-binding ceremony, so there was no need to rush.

Zhou Fan looked around and walked back to where he was just now, seeing Zhou Yimou and his wife standing there waiting for him.

Guifeng waved to Zhou Fan. "It's a good thing you're back. If you hadn't come back, I would have gone to find you."

Seeing Zhou Fan return, Zhou Yimou said, "Since you're back, let's move forward."

The crowd gathered around the round altar, but at this moment, the noise of conversation had mostly ceased, replaced only by the rustling of whispers.

The villagers saw Zhou Fan and the others and automatically made way for them.

Zhou Fan and the others quickly arrived at the edge of the round altar. Zhou Fan looked around and saw that nearby were parents leading their own children, all of whom were around the same age as Zhou Fan, about fifteen years old, evidently preparing for the hair-binding ceremony.

These peers included both boys and girls, all of whom had nervous expressions on their faces.

Although it was called a hair-binding ceremony, girls at the age of fifteen did not have their hair bound; instead, it was called the Ji Ji ceremony. However, due to the patriarchal society, both boys and girls participated in this ceremony, hence the collective term "hair-binding ceremony."

Zhou Fan saw Skinny Monkey not far away.

Skinny Monkey stood beside his parents, and his legs were trembling slightly.

The parents of the children preparing for the ceremony looked very solemn.

Only Zhou Fan, who was unaware of the situation, appeared relatively calm.

The tense atmosphere spread throughout the venue, making Zhou Fan feel uneasy as well.

Just then, the venue suddenly fell silent.

Almost everyone in front of Zhou Fan knelt down, and the person standing in front turned to look back and also knelt down.

Zhou Fan noticed this and tried to turn his head to look, but Guifeng pulled his hand.

"Kneel down quickly," Guifeng whispered.

Zhou Fan quickly followed suit and knelt down like Zhou Yimou and his wife.

Even though he had knelt down, Zhou Fan still raised his gaze to look sideways.

He quickly saw three people walking towards the round altar.

The middle-aged man walking at the front had long black beard, and he was short and fat. He had a flattering smile as he led the way for the other two.

The two behind him were two elderly men with white beards. One was shorter and the other taller, both of them looking ordinary.

The three of them soon climbed up the steps onto the round altar, facing the kneeling crowd below.

One of the elderly men slowly said, "Let them all stand up. The ceremony is about to begin, and we must not delay any longer."

The middle-aged man nodded lightly and shouted, "Everyone, please stand up. The hair-binding ceremony is starting now."

The middle-aged man's voice naturally couldn't be heard by everyone, but those in front heard and stood up, and those who couldn't hear naturally followed suit.

Even though everyone stood up, no one dared to speak loudly, patiently waiting instead.

Zhou Fan was near the front, and he saw the middle-aged man bowing to the two elderly men and saying, "I entrust this ceremony to you two."

The two elderly men nodded expressionlessly without saying a word.

The middle-aged man smiled and walked down the circular altar steps.

Seeing this, Zhou Fan turned to ask Guifeng beside him, "Mom, who are the three people on the stage?"

Guifeng glanced around, then whispered, "Ah Fan, the one walking down is the village chief, Luo Liutian. The two old men are the village's spiritual masters."

Zhou Fan blinked. He understood the village chief, similar to a village head in modern society, but what about the spiritual masters?

Zhou Fan was about to ask for more details when Zhou Yimou turned to look at him and said in a deep voice, "Don't talk, just watch carefully."

Zhou Fan dared not ask further and looked up.

At this time, the two old men on the round altar had separated, with one standing at the easternmost side and the other at the westernmost side.

The old men looked down at Luo Liutian and said, "Bring the items up."

Luo Liutian nodded quickly and waved his hand, shouting loudly to the back, "Bring the items up."

The crowd behind Luo Lietian parted to make way, and four burly men carried a large vat towards the circular altar, two on each side, with the vat suspended between two crossed poles.

The vat, bound with thick ropes, emitted creaking sounds as the poles strained under its weight, as though they might snap at any moment.

The four men were muscular, their bronze-like skin glistening with sweat, panting as they advanced. It was evident the load was heavy, requiring all four of them to carry it together.

The black clay vat stood about half a person's height, sealed at the mouth with animal hide.

Zhao Fan also noticed a yellow talisman affixed to the surface of the vat, though due to his angle, he couldn't see if there was another one on the opposite side.

Had it not been for last night's events, Zhao Fan might have dismissed the talisman without a second thought. However, after witnessing the peculiar light talisman, he regarded this yellow paper talisman with caution.

Zhao Fan dared not stare directly at the yellow talisman on the vat's surface, uncertain if something strange might occur.

With a clang, the vat was placed in the center of the circular altar.