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Ling was also wearing a down jacket that was longer than her knees, bright red, very festive, and long white cotton socks that also reached her knees.
Don’t think that wearing socks will make you cold. It’s not cold at all. Cotton socks are warmer than cotton pants.
It seems that you want grace rather than warmth, but in fact, you want both.
Chise was also wearing a cotton coat, with an orange-yellow tint that slightly tilted towards red, which was particularly eye-catching against her long black hair. She looked like a porcelain doll.
This was not their first time at Tsukimine Shrine, as they had stayed there for several days before when filming. Ling also came here once a week.
But today's shrine is a little different from usual, with various stalls everywhere.
What is different from the summer festival is that there are no activities like catching goldfish, and no one would be willing to catch goldfish or throw rings in the cold wind on such a cold day.
Instead, there are many handmade products for sale, including straw weaving, bamboo carvings, and wood carvings. Most of the people who come to set up stalls are nearby residents.
Of course, there are also red bean rice cakes and glutinous rice balls, which are essential in winter.
"It's so lively. I didn't know Tsukimine Shrine is so big." The surrounding crowd was bustling with people.
I didn’t feel the emptiness before, I just felt it was quiet. I had to climb Yuefeng Mountain for a while before I could see the torii gate on the top of the mountain.
Now looking at the busy crowds of people, I feel that this place is really big. There is also a pond behind the mountain, reflecting the crescent moon in the sky. This is probably the origin of the name of Tsukimine Shrine.
A place with people feels alive. In the past, this was also a popular shrine, right?
Sakura arrived ten minutes later.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"Were you stopped by passers-by and asked for an autograph?"
"Eh? How did Ling know?"
That’s true. I met a lot of people along the way, all of whom were fans of “Cardcaptor”.
"Here, a mask."
Sakura took it, but didn't put it on right away.
"This mask seems a bit scary."
"Scary, isn't it?"
Ling also took off her mask and looked at it. It was a fox mask, but not in a cartoon style, but with a shrine-like feel, similar to the kind of fox fairy. The texture was very heavy, and no one knew what it was made of.
“You didn’t buy this mask, did you?”
"Yeah, I got it from the shrine. Grandpa Miyabi said it's okay."
It was found in the shrine's warehouse. The chief priest said it was an old item and no longer in use. The Tsukimine Shrine used to worship the Inari God, but later the shrine was abandoned for some unknown reason.
I think there are some disputes and conflicts with the Inari shrines. This is a common thing. Even if they are all Shinto, they may not have friendly relations. Currently, only Yoyogi Hachimangu Shrine in Tokyo has an altar for the Inari god.
This happened several decades ago, before the Hyuga priests were appointed as priests, and the related ritual vessels were abandoned.
Sakura looked at the mask in her hand. Sure enough, it was a ritual tool. It wasn't a fox mask. It was the fox spirit in the ritual.
"It doesn't matter, it's just a mask anyway." Ling also took a closer look. Even from the perspective of faith and luck, there was nothing strange on the mask.
"Well, Ling also said it's okay, so it's okay." Tomoyo said and put the mask back on.
Quite good looking.
Sakura thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. Ling also said that it was okay, so she probably wouldn't dare to object if the Inari God came in person.
Chapter 231 God's Arrival
There are mask stalls at temple fairs.
There are all kinds of masks, such as cats, rabbits, raccoons, and of course foxes.
So the sight of three girls wearing masks didn’t seem strange. On the contrary, there were many people wearing masks here, including many children of similar age. Ling was afraid of getting separated from Tomoyo and Sakura.
It will be troublesome to broadcast a missing person search at that time.
[Sakura Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidoji from Tokyo, your friend Rei Oshima is also waiting for you at the mountain gate torii. Please gather at the mountain gate after hearing the announcement. ]
I wonder if the tourists who come here to pilgrimage will think that this is a specially organized event? I am afraid that the mountain gate will become a fan meeting.
It's bound to be troublesome.
"So let's hold hands and don't get separated."
"That's what you say, but how do we hold hands?" Zhishi said.
Ling looked at herself, with a paper bowl of red bean rice cake in her left hand and a candy apple in her right hand. Sakura was in much the same situation.
It's indeed impossible to hold hands.
Chise didn't take any snacks, but she was busy taking pictures with her cell phone.
The cell phone is really great. Just as Lingye said before, it is very convenient to take photos and videos. It is even better than Lingye described. You don't need to print the photos you take, and you can watch the videos at any time without using a projector. The clarity is not inferior to that of professional cameras.
That was something Chise couldn't let go of.
Ling also discovered one thing: she couldn't eat while wearing a mask.
Well, this is a matter of course. After thinking about it, Ling also moved the mask to the side and put it on the side of her face.
That's all. A bite of red bean rice cake, sweet and sticky, very satisfying!
The three of them walked around and stopped, looking at a lot of things, but basically didn't buy anything. Temple fairs are like this, you enjoy the fun of shopping, if you buy a lot of things, it will be troublesome to shop.
There were fewer people on the road, and the area behind the shrine was no longer the temple fair area. There was a lake, and at the edge of the woods there was a wooden sign that said "No entry for unauthorized persons".
"Is it okay to keep going?"
"Well, it's okay. This place is only open during festivals. But I'm a 'person of interest'."
That seems to be the case.
This is the Moon Viewing Lake on Yuefeng Mountain.
It was not a big lake, or more accurately described as a pond, surrounded by dense trees, and the edge could be seen at a glance. The lake was very clear under the moonlight, and the bottom of the lake could be seen in bright places.
Since there was no one around, Tomoyo and Sakura followed Reiya's example and wore the masks sideways, exposing their faces. Wearing a mask was not comfortable, so the air was much fresher.
Sakura stared at the lake for a moment.
“I can’t see any fish.”
It’s a pity that there are no fish in such a clear lake with such good water quality.
"The weather is too cold, and the fish are afraid of the cold. They reduce their activities and stop looking for food, just like hibernating. They don't come to the surface so we can't see them. Now they are hiding in the water plants at the bottom of the river, or under the rocks on the riverbed, and they are all gathered there."
If it is spring, there should be a lot of fish and shrimp here. You can bring some fish food to feed them.
"Ling also knows a lot."
She didn't understand much, she just "saw" it. The moonlight reflected on the water, sparkling. The dormant life in the shadows at the bottom of the lake, in clusters and pieces, also became the scenery in the lake.
"Would it be more beautiful if it was a full moon?"
There is a moon in the water behind the shrine at the top of the mountain. It has been a holy place for moon-viewing since ancient times, so it was named "Moon Peak".
For thousands of years, shrine maidens and believers have prayed under the moon, to the Tsukuyomi and to Okuninushi.
Pray for good weather and a good harvest. They don't ask for enough food and clothing, but only hope that this land can give them enough food to barely fill their stomachs, so that generations can survive. Even after hundreds of years, it seems that people's prayers can still be heard.
What a humble wish. But even in the days when the gods relied on faith to condense their divinity and sat high in the kingdom of God to enjoy worship, did anyone really listen?
Tsukuyomi, Okuninushi, did they really bless the dead?
Ling also stood on the edge of the lakeside boardwalk and gazed at the center of the lake. Originally, she just brought Tomoyo and Sakura to watch the moon. The Hyuga priest told her that the lake behind the shrine was very beautiful under the moonlight.
Ling had no plans to do anything extra.
Perhaps it was the influence of the environment at this moment, the ancient faith that had been permeating the surroundings for a long time was reluctant to dissipate. She suddenly took a step forward.
"Eh? Reiya!"
Chiyo, who was using the professional night scene mode of her mobile phone camera to take pictures of the moonlit lake, had no time to hold her back. At this step, Ling had already stepped into the lake.
No, her foot was not immersed in the water, but stepped on the water surface. Then the other foot also stepped into the lake, and walked towards the center of the lake step by step.
The lake was ripple-free, as if it were a solid crystal surface. Under the gaze of Tomoyo and Sakura, Ling walked on the water like a water spirit, and walked to the center of the lake.
The lake was like a mirror, calm and peaceful. The moonlight shone down, as if the light of the whole world was gathered here, and the center of the lake became brighter and brighter. There were glimmers of fireflies in the lake, and they emerged from the water, blue and white, one by one. Of course, there were no fireflies in the beginning of spring, and Tomoyo and Sakura didn't know what they were. It was mysterious and dreamy, just like the scenery in a dream.
Ling didn't wear a miko costume, nor did she have a coin or a Kagura bell. She didn't prepare anything.
It doesn't matter, she doesn't need it. She just wants to sing a song and dance.
The shrine maiden dances to please the gods. But she has no gods to please, nor does she dance for the gods, so now she is not dancing as a shrine maiden. She just wants to respond to the people who have prayed and made wishes here for thousands of years, on behalf of those gods who have never responded.
Those fireflies in the lake under the moonlight are not ghosts, nor are they evil spirits. They are not bad things. They are simply what people once believed, and they have stubbornly believed for hundreds of years.
What she wanted to do was to let these obsessions that were still gathered here return to their original place.
Standing on the waves in the middle of the lake, Lingye waved to Sakura and Tomoyo.
"Are we going there too?"
Sakura was a little unsure. People who fall into the water will drown. This has been common knowledge for her for ten years since she was born. Although she can swim, she doesn't want to fall into the cold lake water in the temperature close to zero degrees.
Tomoyo seemed to have no scruples, as her trust in Reiya had long since made her have no doubts. She took a step forward and stepped onto the water. The gentle water was still gentle, but it carried her weight. It didn't feel like hard crystal, but like a soft water cushion.
She actually stood on the water, just like Ling!
Seeing this, Sakura no longer hesitated and jumped into the lake. However, the water felt different from what she expected, causing her to stumble and kneel on the water. However, she did not fall into the water, and her clothes were not soaked at all.
"So fun!"
Stepping on the water, the two walked to Lingye with curiosity and caution.
"how did you do that?"
How was it done? Ling Ye couldn't answer. With the moonlight, the lake water, and faith, this place is already on the edge of reality and dreams, so some rules can be changed.
Sing, what song should I sing?
Ling didn't think about it too much, nor did she need to think too much. The notes and melodies came out naturally.
The language that does not belong to humans can perhaps be traced back to the oldest, the original language and writing. It does not refer to the "ancient" of humans alone, but to the sound of nature, the sound of the earth, long before the emergence of humans, apes, and dinosaurs. It is no different from the sound of wind, rain, thunder, and the natural sounds of nature.
People can lie to others but cannot lie to themselves, so this language that comes from the heart and is inspired by feelings does not contain falsehood or lies.
As she listened, Chishi began to sing along. She thought it would be difficult, with a strange language she had never heard of and a melody she was not familiar with. But after she started singing, she found that it was unexpectedly simple.