The matter of the female ghost of the walking marriage was temporarily resolved, but we couldn't stay with the Mosuo any longer. Early the next morning, I was awakened by the chubby man, urging me to pack up.
It was still early and a little cold as I drowsily emerged from the tent. The village was already bustling, with Dabar standing at the entrance and speaking a few words to the chubby man as he walked over.
I yawned, unable to understand what Dabar was saying, so I turned to look at the villagers around me. To my surprise, the same people who had been friendly and hospitable to me just a few days ago were now looking at me with cold indifference. Women with children kept their distance, while men and elders wore grim expressions. It was as if I were a pathogen they were trying to avoid.
Sensing something amiss, I couldn't help but ask the chubby man, "Why are these villagers looking at me as if I were a monster or something?"
The chubby man seemed to understand and touched the divine stick at my waist, whispering, "This stick is a tool for exorcising ghosts in the Dabar religion, and Dabar has confined the female ghost inside it. So, at this moment, this stick is like carrying the ghost with you. Naturally, people are wary."
I suddenly realized the mention of the female ghost reignited the fear that had been fading. I couldn't decide how to handle the divine stick. It wasn't in my nature to casually discard it, as I had no idea if the ghost inside might come out. I was at a loss, but I resolved to address this issue once I returned to Shanghai, perhaps seeking a solution at a Buddhist temple.
While I pondered the situation, the chubby man added, "The villagers are heading to town for a market. We can catch a ride with them."
Between sentences, he pointed to two tractors in the distance, each pulling two large iron frames with wheels tied underneath them. At that time, in the countryside, there were only ox carts and tractors. If anyone could see a car, they would be excited for a really long time.
"Before we leave, Daba said that we could have a divination. Daba's divination is quite accurate, and there aren't many opportunities to experience it. Several researchers are very interested. You should come and have a look too..."
Fatty Cui finished speaking and went to greet everyone. I walked towards Daba, but saw Daba sitting at the gate, smoking with his wide-brimmed hat on, his long knife hanging from his waist, holding some wooden pieces in his right hand. Seeing me from a distance, his eyes were as sharp as a knife, nodding slightly at me, but not saying anything.
After about ten minutes, everyone had finished packing, put their luggage on the tractor, and then gathered around. Daba stood up, closed his eyes and chanted with the wooden pieces in his hand, while Fatty whispered to me, "Daba is casting a spell. This is called wood piece divination, and he has cast a spell on each piece of wood. Some pieces are new and some are old, with each piece having a new side. After chanting the spell, he will toss the pieces. If there are more new sides facing up, it's a good omen, otherwise, it's a bad omen."
I nodded without fully understanding. I used to think divinations were nonsense. Can they really predict my future? But since I saw Daba subdue the female ghost, I had no doubt about his abilities. Therefore, I had some extra expectations for this divination.
After chanting the spell for a while, Daba suddenly stood still and then tossed the wooden pieces. I immediately stood up and stared at the ground in the distance.
However, the result of the divination surprised both Fatty and me!
Daba used a total of seventeen wooden pieces, and at that moment, all the pieces had landed, but to our surprise, not a single piece had a new side facing outwards. In other words, the result of this divination was the worst omen of all!
Fatty's expression sank, and he, along with me and several other researchers, turned pale. Everyone had experienced the fight with the female ghost last night, and had witnessed Daba's skills. The dangerous outcome of the divination was unexpected, but no one dared not to believe it!
"No way..."
I muttered under my breath. I couldn't help swallowing hard. At that moment, Daba went over and picked up the wooden pieces from the ground one by one. Fatty quickly went over to talk, and from afar, I saw Daba shaking his head like a rattle drum, looking very serious.
After a long conversation with Fatty, Daba and he walked back to me. When he saw me, he said, "Daba said that the divination indicated trouble on our way back, so I asked him to do it again. He said he can use animal bones for a more accurate divination."
"Animal bones?"
I was completely clueless about Daba's teachings, and Fatty didn't have time to explain to me and hurried off. The rest of us had to wait by the tractor, but the wait was nearly an hour, and the divination took place in Daba's house.
From the outside, Daba's house looked no different from that of an ordinary Mosuo ethnic people, but the interior was completely different, with sun-moon flags hanging on the walls and a pile of things like cow horns, sheep heads, and bells on the table. Fatty didn't let me go inside, so I could only stand at the door and peek inside, vaguely seeing several sticks similar to the shaman sticks around my waist laying in the corner.
In no time, several villagers came out carrying a large offering plate, and Daba changed into some more formal clothes. With one hand holding a large piece of animal bone and the other holding a bundle of what looked like fluffy grass, he walked up to the offering plate and first placed the animal bone on it, then bowed to the four sides, and began to recite incantations. At this point, Fatty stood next to me, and without his translation and Daba's expertise, I was truly in the dark about the situation.
"Fatty, what's he doing?"
I asked in amazement.
"Daba is paying respects to the gods," Fatty said in a low voice.
The time for chanting passed quickly as we waited anxiously, and then I saw Daba press the fluffy grass in his hand onto the surface of the animal bone. As he chanted, he set the grass on fire. It burned quickly, but the black smoke didn't rise much. After a few seconds, it burned out completely, and then a gust of wind blew, dispersing the ashes. Fatty pulled me over, and at that moment, Daba was also carefully examining the part of the animal bone that had been burned.
"The shoulder blade bone must be used. After it is air-dried, the seams on the surface will fade. Daba's teaching believes that these seams can guide a mysterious force. When the burned fluffy grass and incantations are used, it will stimulate this force, and the seams will extend. If there are more and longer seams facing upward, it represents a good omen. If there are more seams facing downward, it represents a bad omen. Up is the heavens and gods, down is the earth and ghosts. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Fatty briefly explained, and I nodded repeatedly. At that moment, Daba had straightened up, and I had a chance to take a look. Sure enough, there were visible cracks in the blackened area, but most of them were facing downwards, and the cracks were long and obvious!
"Oh damn."
Fatty and I almost cursed at the same time. The wooden piece divination was bad, and this bone divination was also bad. Doesn't that mean that this trip back is extremely dangerous, with a possibility of life-threatening situations?
"Fatty, can we trust this divination?"
At that time, I had seen very few storms, and the matter of the female ghost made me firmly believe in Daba's abilities. Seeing the divination results at that moment made me even more anxious. The fat man also furrowed his brow and talked to Daba for a while. When he came back, he was holding ten small cloth bags.
"Daba gave me these protective talismans. He said carrying them might keep us safe. But these things are not cheap. I left behind my pair of sunglasses."
The fat man's sunglasses were brought back from Europe by his uncle and he was very proud of them at that time. He had been showing off with them for quite a while. He treasured them a lot, but today, he traded them for ten protective talismans.
"We owe you for this. When we get back to Shanghai, I'll find a way to get you another pair."
I took the talismans from him and tucked them into my chest. Half an hour later, with an uneasy heart, we all sat on a tractor and left the village. As we left, I looked back at the Mosuo tribe's village. Amidst the mist, it seemed like a marvelous fairyland untouched by dust.