Traveling back to ancient times to determine the zodiac

After Xiao Xing sent the beasts away, he turned to the crowd and said, "Uncle Zhi, fellow warriors, the Nian beast has been handed over to the twelve zodiac animals for care. Now we can return to Hongmeng without any worries."

"Oh Yeah! That's great! We can go back to Tianju Cave!" Hong'er and Lan'er shouted excitedly.

The others were also shouting excitedly: "That's great, we can finally go back and reunite with our families!"

At that moment, everyone went down the Shuchu Mountain and returned to the camp. They packed up quickly, called the big eagle, took Qiu Hedong's relics, sang the victory song, and returned triumphantly to Hongmeng.

After more than ten days on the road, the group finally returned to the Hongmeng territory.

Ping, Ling (Ling had recovered from his injury after several months of recuperation), Gui, Laozhu, Laozhang, etc., who stayed behind in Tianju Cave, all thought that Qiu would lead the others to go out to fight and would return victoriously in a month at most. However, they did not expect that after waiting for six months, they still had not returned. Ping was very anxious. Every day, he went to the Rat-Catching Hill with Ling and Gui to look into the distance. On this morning, Ping, Ling and Gui were standing on the Rat-Catching Hill as usual, looking eagerly, when they suddenly found that there were crowds of people and noisy voices in the south. Ping looked carefully and couldn't help but shouting excitedly: "Ling, Gui, look, the cave master and others are back!"

"Great, the cave master and the others are finally back!" Ling shouted excitedly.

"Ping, Ling, hurry up, let's go back and tell the people in the cave the good news." Gui ran down the hill dancing with joy.

Ping Heling also came down from the mouse-catching post, and the three of them ran towards Tianju Cave together. After a while, the three of them returned to Tianju Cave and shouted to the gatekeepers, such as Lao Zhu, Lao Zhang, and Lao Song, in the cave: "Everyone in the cave, listen: The cave master and his friends are back. Come with us to welcome them."

The news was like thunder, and the whole cave was filled with joy. Lao Zhu, Lao Song, Li Hemei and others were ecstatic, shouting and rushing to greet them.

Xiaoxing led Zhi, Chen, Yue, Zhong, Shugen, Yezi, Heizi, Feng, Yun... more than 500 people, and marched towards Zhuoshugang. The closer they got to their hometown, the more excited they became, and the faster they walked. As soon as they arrived at Zhuoshugang, they heard a lot of noise in front of them. There were thousands of people coming to greet them.

The relatives were overjoyed to see each other. Lan'er shouted, "Dad, Dad," and ran to Ling's side first.

Ling looked at her lovingly and asked excitedly, "Lan'er, you're back. Daddy was so worried. Are you okay?"

"Dad, I have Brother Chen to take care of me. I'm fine." Lan'er replied, shaking Ling's hand.

Over there, Zhong's wife Xiang'er immediately rushed to Zhong, hugged him and cried with joy: "Zhong, you are finally back. I missed you so much!"

"Xiang'er, I miss you and the children, too. Don't cry! Everything is over." Zhong comforted his wife.

Ping looked at the leading Xiao Xing and Zhi and asked anxiously, "Xing, Zhi, where is the cave master? Why can't I see the cave master?"

Zhi immediately told Pingdao: "Ping, Cave Master Qiu is dead. Now Xing has become the new cave master."

"Ah? Master Qiu is dead? How could he die?" Ping asked in disbelief.

Before Xiaoxing could answer, Li came over and asked, "Xing, Uncle Zhi, where is my husband Dong? Why can't I see him?"

Seeing the two asking, Xiao Xing ordered Chen and Yue to take out Qiu Hedong's relics and hold them in their hands. Xiao Xing pointed at Qiu Hedong's relics and replied sadly: "Uncle Ping, Sister Li, Master Qiu and Brother Dong, as well as some of their brothers, unfortunately died in the battle against the Nian Beast. These two relics belong to Master Qiu and Brother Dong respectively."

"Dong, how come my Dong is gone?" Li was so distraught that she almost fell down. Tao and Lianhua beside her hurriedly supported her.

"Xing," Ping just said it, then felt something was wrong, and quickly changed his words: "Cave Master, how is the situation this time? Was the Nian beast eliminated?"

"Uncle Ping, the story of the expedition is a long one, let's go back to the cave and talk about it first." Xiaoxing said.

"Well, okay. Let's go back to the cave first." Ping nodded and replied.

So everyone went back to Tianju Cave. The three cave doors had already been opened, and Xiaoxing led everyone into the cave. Everyone gathered at the venue, relatives met, and told each other about the pain of separation.

Ping said to Xiaoxing: "Master, now that everyone has returned to the cave, please tell us in detail about the expedition!"

"Uncle Ping is right," Xiao Xing nodded. Then he called Zhi, Chen, Yue, Zhong, Feng, Yun, Lei, Shugen, Yezi, Heizi and ten others to go up to the high platform of the venue.

Ping then waved to the noisy crowd and said loudly: "Dear cave dwellers, please be quiet. Now Xingdong will mainly talk about the conquest of the year. Everyone line up and listen."

When everyone heard this, they immediately quieted down and stood in an orderly manner. Everyone looked at the stage, waiting for Xiaoxing to speak.

Xiao Xing waved to everyone and began to speak: "My fellow warriors, my fellow people, when we went out to fight the Nian Beast, we thought we could wipe it out when we reached Tianshan. But the Nian Beast got the news early and escaped in advance riding the Horse King, leading the Sheep King, Monkey King, Chicken King, Dog King, and Pig King. We followed the horse's tracks and came to the Horse King's flat grassland. The Horse King ran with the Nian Beast like the wind, and we chased him for several days but could not catch up. In the end, I proposed a plan to lasso the Horse King, and finally captured him."

When Ping Heling and others in the audience heard this, they couldn't help but applaud and cheer.

After Xiao Xing finished speaking, Chen couldn't help but continue, "The Horse King surrendered, and the Nian Beast fled to its Upside-Down Mountain with the Sheep King. So we traveled thousands of miles and came to the Sheep King's Upside-Down Mountain. There is no road to the Upside-Down Mountain, only a sky bridge connecting it to the flat-topped mountain next to it, so we could only attack from the sky bridge. During the attack, Huo and He unfortunately fell off the sky bridge and died. At the critical moment, it was Xing who came up with the idea of ​​tying a safety rope to tie people to the bridge to prevent them from falling. Then Dong Ge and the Sheep King fought and defeated the Sheep King."

Hearing this, the audience burst into warm applause again.

Yue then continued, "The Sheep King surrendered, and the Nian Beast fled with the Monkey King to its cave on the cliff of the Flower-Fruit Mountain. When we chased to the cave on the cliff, we found that the cave was dozens of feet high and impossible to climb. We used the method of building wooden ladders and chiseling stone steps, but ultimately failed. During this attack, the cave master unfortunately fell from a height and was seriously injured. In desperation, we prayed to Bai Ling and got a hint: we must collect blood vines to succeed. We collected blood vines and irrigated them with pig blood, and they grew slowly. When the cave master saw the report, he said that he was about to die and wanted to irrigate them with his blood. His last words before his death were: whoever defeats the Nian Beast will succeed as the cave master. The blood vines got the cave master's blood, and in less than half a day, they grew to the position of the cliff cave. Only then were we able to climb up the cliff and defeat the Monkey King."

When the people in the audience heard the cause of Qiu's death, they couldn't help but sigh and feel sad.

Zhong Jianyue finished speaking and continued, "The Monkey King surrendered, and the Nian Beast fled to its Bird King Island with the Chicken King. The Bird King Island is surrounded by water. We first attacked by swimming, and then by paddling bamboo rafts. Unexpectedly, we were defeated by the chickens, ducks, and geese. During the attack, Brother Dao unfortunately drowned. In desperation, Xing asked Bai Ling again and got a hint: we need to ask Dapeng for help. Finally, with the help of Dapeng, we defeated the Chicken King and broke through the Bird King Island."

After hearing this, the audience burst into thunderous applause again.

Feng then went on to say, "The Chicken King surrendered, and the Nian Beast fled to the Beehive Mountain Confusion Cave of the Dog King. We chased all the way to the Beehive Mountain doghouse, but we didn't expect that the Confusion Cave had a cave inside a cave, and once we entered it, we would get lost. Brother Dong and Brother Xi were trapped for a day, and Heng and Ha went crazy because of being trapped. Fortunately, Uncle Zhi entered the cave to rescue us, and we were able to escape. Later, we used the markings on the cave entrance, and although we were no longer lost, we attacked repeatedly but to no avail. In desperation, Xing asked Bai Ling for help again, and fortunately got a hint: To break into the doghouse, you must ask the bandicoot. So we asked the bandicoot, and only then did we break into the doghouse and capture the Dog King."

Ping Heling and others were so fascinated by what they heard that they stopped talking and began to applaud enthusiastically again.

Yun Jianfeng finished speaking and continued, "The Dog King surrendered, and the Nian Beast fled to its muddy swamp with the Pig King. We kept chasing and came to the swamp. Unexpectedly, the pig nest was filled with poisonous gas and muddy. We attacked the Pig King and were defeated. Dozens of people were injured, and Hai died from his injuries. We were helpless and begged Bai Ling again. Fortunately, he instructed us to go to the north to ask the Ice God for help. After we asked the Ice God, it suddenly snowed heavily and froze the mud. We attacked the Pig King again, but we were still defeated, but no one was injured. In the end, it was Xing Xian who came up with the plan of throwing melons to capture the king, and finally defeated the Pig King."

After hearing this, the audience burst into applause again.

Impatient Lei did not wait for the applause to die down before continuing: "After the Pig King surrendered, the Nian Beast fled alone to the throat of Shuchu Mountain. We took advantage of the victory to pursue it and rushed to the foot of Shuchu Mountain, where the Nian Beast occupied the top of the mountain. We attacked several times but were defeated by the Nian Beast. Dong Ge was unwilling to give up, so he attacked with Xi Ge, Qian Ge, and Lu Ge, but they were knocked off the cliff by the Nian Beast. Xi Ge was seriously injured and unconscious. Dong Ge, Qian Ge, and Lu Ge died of their injuries. Later, Xing suggested using firecrackers to attack, but the Nian Beast was afraid of firecrackers and finally fled into a throat cave that it could enter but not exit."

"It turns out that Dong was defeated and fell to death by the Nian beast. Alas--" Pinghe and the others sighed when they heard this.

At this time, Zhi took over and said, "Because it was Xing who led his people to defeat the Nian Beast in the end, I followed the cave master's will and handed over the cave master's jade ring to Xing. Xing will succeed the position of cave master and become our new cave master. Please applaud and congratulate the new cave master."

Upon hearing this, Ping immediately nodded and said, "Since it was Xing who defeated the Nian beast, the position of the cave master naturally belongs to him. Let's applaud the new cave master." After saying this, he took the lead in applauding.

Ling Hegui, Lao Song, Lao Zhu... and everyone else followed suit and applauded to congratulate the new cave master.

After the applause died down, Ping asked Xiaoxing, "Master, the Nian beast has been driven into the throat of the earth. What if it escapes again?"

Xiao Xing answered in a clear voice, "What Uncle Ping is worried about is exactly what we are worried about. Although the throat of the earth is a bottomless pit that can be entered but not exited, in order to prevent the Nian beast from coming back, Shugen, Yelu and others carved three stone statues to guard the entrance of the cave. But I was still worried, so I designated the captured Rat King, Ox King, Tiger King, Cat King, Rabbit King, Dragon King, Snake King, Horse King, Sheep King, Monkey King, Chicken King, Dog King, and Pig King as the twelve zodiac signs, and they took turns guarding the entrance of the cave one year a year. After everything was arranged, we returned home."

"The cave master used the thirteen beast kings to guard the Nian beast. Now the Nian beast will never come out. Wonderful, really wonderful!" Ping gave Xiaoxing a thumbs up, and after praising him, he continued: "The cave master and the warriors traveled thousands of miles, experienced many hardships, and overcame all difficulties to finally eliminate the Nian beast. You have made a great contribution to mankind, and you have worked hard. I lead all the residents in the cave to pay tribute to you! And thank you from the bottom of my heart!" After Ping finished speaking, Heling, Gui, Laosong, Laozhu, Laozhang... and others bowed deeply to the people on the stage.

Xiao Xing hurriedly thanked him, "Uncle Ping, what have we done? We should thank those warriors who died in the battle. They are the real heroes."

"The cave master is right." Ping nodded and said, "From the time the Nian beast came in January to the time it was destroyed in December, more than 20 people died, including the former cave master. These people should be remembered forever."

"Based on my hunting experience of more than fifty years, among those who died, Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong made the greatest contributions and are the most worthy of commemoration." Zhi followed.

"Uncle Zhi, Uncle Ping, in order to commemorate my mother and the masters of Xia, Qiu and Dong, I decided to divide the year into four seasons: January to March is spring; February to June is summer; July to September is autumn; and October to December is winter. What do you think?" Xiaoxing suggested.

"The cave owner's move to divide the year into four seasons is a great idea. We certainly agree." Zhiheping clapped his hands in agreement.

Just because of Xiaoxing's suggestion, the year has been divided into four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter, until today.

After the story of the expedition was told, Xiao Xing ordered people to bury Qiu Hedong's relics under the tombs of the previous cave owners. After everything was over, it was already evening. A blazing bonfire had already been lit in Tianju Cave, and dinner was already prepared. After dinner, everyone went to the venue to sing and dance as usual.

After dinner, Hong'er took a bath, then changed into her white mink skirt, and came to the venue. Xiaoxing saw her and pulled her to the center of the venue. Xiaoxing looked at Hong'er, and saw that she had long black hair draped over her shoulders, and her pretty face looked particularly rosy and tender against the white mink skirt and the firelight. He looked at her for a long time, and he felt like he was in a trance.

"Brother Xing, don't you recognize me? Why are you looking at me all the time?" Hong'er smiled unconsciously.

Xiaoxing put his arms around Hong'er's neck, stared into her eyes and answered: "Hong'er, now the Nian beast has been destroyed. I want to tell you something solemnly: I love you, marry me!"

"What?" Hong'er pretended not to hear and asked again, "What did you say?"

"Hong'er, I love you, please marry me!" Xiaoxing shouted again loudly.

"Brother Xing, I love you too! I am willing to marry you." Hong'er nodded shyly.

When Xiaoxing heard this, he excitedly hugged her in his arms.

Chen, Lan'er and others nearby saw it and applauded and congratulated Xiaoxing.

Xiao Xing successfully proposed and let Hong Er go. He then said, "Hong Er, to celebrate the victory of the New Year's Eve, please sing another song for everyone!"

"Okay, Brother Xing." Hong Er heard it and sang again: "When dark clouds cover the sky, we call for the wind.

When evil beasts invade us, we must fight back.

After the storm, there is a rainbow.

After the battle, the sky was clear.

You have tigers and poisonous snakes, and I have swords, spears, and halberds.

You have cunning monkeys and cunning dogs, but I have ingenious plans and strategies.

The vicious and terrifying Emperor Nian was finally defeated and sent to the underground.

The brave and wise man will win in the end.

Civilization will defeat barbarism, and evil will defeat justice.

Only with peace and freedom can the world be more beautiful.”

This song of victory echoed in the cave, then floated out of the cave and spread far, far away...

Complete book.