Obscuris Labyrinth

The days Zhao Yuxuan had spent in the Dong village had passed like a gurgling stream. At this moment, after shuttling through the bustling crowd for about twenty minutes, he finally arrived at a very lively place.

Looking around, he saw that the place was already surrounded by a sea of people. The crowd seemed to be divided into two sides by an invisible line. On one side stood the energetic young Dong women, dressed in their characteristic colorful clothes, looking like a group of lively butterflies. On the other side were the young Dong men, all with straight postures and exuding a unique ethnic charm. In the middle sat several elderly people with kind faces and calm and wise looks in their eyes. Judging from their posture, they should be playing important roles such as judges.

Just then, a Dong girl who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old caught his eye. Although she was not particularly beautiful, her eyes were full of lively radiance. She was singing a duet with a man opposite her. The girl's voice was like the clear chirping of a lark in the mountains, loud and penetrating. However, on this large dam, the drums and gongs were beating thunderously, and people's laughter, shouts, and cheers were intertwined, creating a deafening din. No wonder Zhao Yuxuan hadn't heard the singing from here before when he was nearby.

Having stayed in the Dong village for a long time, Zhao Yuxuan knew in his heart that singing duets was one of the very important ways for men and women to socialize and fall in love in the Dong village. Moreover, this ethnic - characteristic way of singing duets was also extremely popular among ethnic minorities such as the Yao, Zhuang, Dong, and Yi. However, he also knew that the lyrics of these duets were often full of strong emotions. For the Han people, some of the expressions were too straightforward and mushy to sing.

At this instant, Zhao Yuxuan saw clearly the man singing with the girl and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The man was black and thin, his face wrinkled like withered bark, and he had a scraggly beard on his chin. Judging from his weather - beaten face, he must be at least fifty years old. Zhao Yuxuan couldn't help but be surprised. He really couldn't imagine that a man of such an age would come to sing a duet with a young girl.

Just at this time, he heard the girl sing clearly:

"You, uncle, are so strange,

Your beard grows like a goat's.

I, the girl, am looking for a lover,

Please go aside and take a rest."

After hearing this, the old man coughed twice, cleared his throat, and then sang loudly:

"Coming here again to see the lovely girl,

I'm a single man without a wife.

The girl says I'm old but I'm not,

I'm really wronged a great deal.

My beard grew early,

You mistake brown rice cake for cornbread.

Buy a razor to shave it off,

And I'll still be a young lad.

My home has a cold bed and a cold stove,

If the girl is willing to come with me,

You can beat me or ride on me as you like."

As soon as he sang this, the people around burst into laughter. The girl's face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple. She tightly shut her mouth and stopped singing the duet with the old man, with a hint of shame and annoyance in her eyes.

Just then, suddenly a man's loud shout was heard in the crowd: "It's not nice. Neither of you sings well. Let Lin Yaxuan come out. We want to hear Lin Yaxuan sing."

As soon as the words fell, from the group of girls over there, a beautiful and charming woman walked out slowly. It was Lin Yaxuan. She was like a lily blooming in a flower bed, fresh and refined. Only to hear her sing softly:

"Opposite uncle, don't be complacent,

The girl doesn't want to be close to you.

Listen to my song and you answer it,

Let's see if you're clever or not."

After singing this, she paused for a moment and then continued:

"Uncle, uncle, listen carefully.

What can go uphill without feet?

What can run in the river without feet?

What can walk in the fields without feet?

What can crawl on the ground without feet?"

When Zhao Yuxuan heard this, he immediately understood that Lin Yaxuan was going to be tough. You know, this kind of riddle - like duet is called "Pan Ge" in Dong people's custom. This "Pan Ge" is not easy. What it tests is not only whether the singer has a beautiful voice, but more importantly, a person's wisdom and ability to respond on the spot. Moreover, according to Dong people's rules, if the other party can't answer, they are not qualified to continue the duet. This can also be regarded as a clever way for Dong girls to reject men they don't like.

As soon as Lin Yaxuan sang this, the black - and - thin old man immediately became stammering. His already wrinkled face turned even redder at this time. Amid the laughter of the crowd, he could only slink away in disgrace.

Zhao Yuxuan stood aside and was also secretly guessing the riddles in his heart. He thought that what could run in the river without feet should be a wooden boat. After all, a wooden boat can sail on the river quickly without feet. What can walk in the fields without feet, he felt that eel was more appropriate. Eels can move freely in the fields. What can crawl on the ground without feet must be a snake. The winding movement of a snake is like crawling on the ground. It was just that the first one, what can go uphill without feet, was a bit difficult to guess. However, wind and rain have no feet and can also go uphill. He just wasn't sure if this answer was correct.

Lin Yaxuan was still singing slowly. Although some men on the men's side summoned up the courage to take up the challenge, they were left speechless by Lin Yaxuan after just a few rounds and were defeated. Seeing this scene, the girls on their side all showed proud smiles, full of pride and joy.

Just at this moment, a man's sonorous voice rang out like a large bell:

"I start to sing the 'Pan Ge',

As many as you want.

Sing across the mountain to the girl,

If you want to sing 'Pan Ge', let's sing.

Advise the girl across the water not to hesitate,

Be straightforward without being wordy.

Sing a string of songs along with the wind,

You sing 'Pan Ge' and I'll answer,

I start to sing the 'Pan Ge',

As many as you want."

Following this powerful voice, Zhao Yuxuan looked over curiously and found that the singer was Zhao Qiang, whom he had just met. It was really unexpected. He was not only strong and handsome, with a burly figure, but also had such a magnetic good voice.

At this time, he heard someone beside him say with a surprised tone: "Ah, it's Zhao Qiang, the son of the chieftain of Er Cang village. I heard that he won a big prize in the fighting competition held by the Han people this time. He is a hero of our Dong people. I wonder how well he can sing?"

Then someone else echoed: "I'm from Er Cang village. Zhao Qiang has been amazing since he was a child. He is good - looking and can learn everything quickly. He is also very good at singing. None of the young men in our village can sing better than him."

There was also someone smiling and saying: "Great. One is the granddaughter of Wizard Li Yuexuan, and the other is the son of Chieftain La Gu. Both are good - looking. They are really a perfect match. I think the two families are about to have a happy event."

For some reason, when Zhao Yuxuan heard these words, he felt extremely uncomfortable in his heart. In his opinion, although Zhao Qiang was also quite excellent, he just thought that Zhao Qiang really didn't deserve Lin Yaxuan. Absolutely not.

At this time, Lin Yaxuan sang:

"What is knocked with a stick when it comes out?

What grows taller section by section when it comes out?

What comes out in the middle?

What is beaten with a connecting rod when it comes out?"

After hearing this, Zhao Qiang immediately showed a confident expression on his face and answered without hesitation:

"Sesame is knocked with a stick when it comes out.

Sorghum grows taller section by section when it comes out.

Corn comes out in the middle.

Soybeans are beaten with a connecting rod when it comes out."

After answering this, it was Zhao Qiang's turn to ask a question. He thought for a while and then sang:

"What grows moss when it comes out?

What crosses the river without taking off its shoes?

What crosses the river sideways?

What has the Eight - Trigram pattern on its back?"

Lin Yaxuan almost answered without thinking:

"Snails grow moss when they come out.

Ducks cross the river without taking off their shoes.

Crabs cross the river sideways.

Turtles have the Eight - Trigram pattern on their backs."

In this way, the two of them asked and answered back and forth, and before they knew it, more than half an hour had passed. As time went by, Zhao Qiang gradually began to be no match for Lin Yaxuan. He often had to think for a long time before he could sing the next line, and his singing became slower and slower. In the end, he really couldn't think of an answer and had to admit defeat. However, although he lost, he still won rounds of applause from the people around him. After all, he had persisted for so long and his performance was quite good.

Zhao Yuxuan actually admired Zhao Qiang in his heart. He thought to himself that in this half an hour or so, Zhao Qiang had guessed at least a hundred riddles correctly. If it were himself, he could never do it. However, what he didn't know was that actually, "Pan Ge" also had certain patterns. Many riddles were quite familiar to those who often sang "Pan Ge", and some riddles were closely related to the living habits of the Dong people. For those who hadn't lived here for a long time, some answers to the riddles, even for a very intelligent person, were impossible to guess.

After Zhao Qiang admitted defeat, the other young men, on the one hand, thought that compared with Lin Yaxuan, they were really far behind and felt unworthy of her; on the other hand, they had just seen that Zhao Qiang had been defeated, and if they went to sing a duet with her again, they would surely lose face too. So the men's side suddenly became quiet. Lin Yaxuan, seeing this situation, tactfully withdrew, and let another girl sing. As soon as she withdrew, a man immediately took over, and the scene became lively again.

The awards would be given out later in the evening. Zhao Yuxuan's eyes had been searching for Lin Yaxuan's figure in the crowd. He saw that she was slowly retreating into the crowd. Zhao Yuxuan knew in his heart that she had already proven her strength through the duet, and her self - confidence had been greatly enhanced. She had no intention of winning an award. So, Zhao Yuxuan squeezed out of the group of men with difficulty, walked around quickly, and just in time to see Lin Yaxuan looking around, as if she was looking for something else interesting to see. Seeing this, Zhao Yuxuan quickly walked up to her, with a bright smile on his face, and clasped his fists and made a bow, saying with a grin: "Congratulations, congratulations. Congratulations, senior sister. Your voice has dominated the singing world."

When Lin Yaxuan saw that it was him, she immediately remembered what had happened in the morning and tightly shut her mouth, not saying a word anymore.