It has been five years in Daliang, which is a rare good year for the world's libertines.
A wrist-sharp knife costs five cents, and a bowl of rotten pork noodles costs three cents. If you go to sleep under a big tree next to an ancient tomb, you will not only meet a nocturnal fox, but also have a good night's sleep. By the way, you can also earn ten coins for free.
In this year, Wang Yuanying of Zhongshan in the Northern Dynasty led 60,000 armored troops southward. He first conquered Yinping and beheaded 25 generals. Then he came to Shouyang and defeated 30,000 Liang troops. Finally, he came to Zhongli City.
Wei Huaiwen, the famous general of Daliang, Zuowei General, ordered all the armies to fight with him, and built three more cities outside Zhongli City overnight.
The two armies fought fiercely for thirty-six days. Yuan Ying, who had exhausted all his means, looked at Wei Huaiwen who was sitting quietly under the umbrella fan in the city and gently waving his tail. He took out his piccolo and played a tune, leaving behind He said, "It looks like an enemy country." Then he led the cavalry back.
Then Wei Huaiwenti led his generals to pursue him, first defeating him in Nanxu, and then defeating Yuanying in Northern Henan. Only five of the 60,000 armored soldiers who returned north were left.
This year the Huaihe River surged, flooding three prefectures and sixteen counties. The imperial court withheld 50% of the military rations to be transported to the front line for disaster relief.
In this year, a dragon died in Yunmeng. Its blood fell like rain and condensed into jade. A wealthy businessman smuggled it into Jiankang, and a piece of it was worth ten thousand yuan.
Many years later, the libertines of those days had already lost their yang energy and became lonely ghosts.
But when they gathered to burn incense in the Chenghuang Temple, they would still smack their mouths and recall the smell of the fox prostitutes, talk about the taste of rotten meat noodles, and praise the good times in those years.
The long night is like a cover, covering the whole world. The outlines of the mountains and fields in the distance are constantly changing under the moonlight, and the mist is constantly changing under the bright moonlight. Sometimes it is condensed like a long snake exhaling, and sometimes it swings like a tiger sitting on its back.
A red light keeps swinging in the night.
Through layers of fog, we kept moving forward along the overgrown mountain road.
The bluestone slabs laid in the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China have gradually broken into several small pieces, and tough vegetation invades the space next to the stone slabs along the gaps.
The red light kept flipping up and down, and the four words "Du Lingsu Family" on it were indistinct in the fog.
"Sir, there are some lights in front of you, it should be a place to rest."
A servant boy carried a bamboo basket on his back, held a lantern in his right hand, and pointed forward. He has red lips and white teeth, a handsome appearance, and his black hair is tied into two boy buns.
There is also a young master wearing a light blue Sichuan brocade gown, with a hosta in his bun, carrying a black wooden box behind his back, and wearing thick boots that are slightly wet. The angry bluestone smiled.
"...Looking at the situation here, it should be a temple, but it's a pity..."
"What's a pity?" The servant boy's face changed slightly as he spoke, remembering Those weird stories I heard in the capital.
Dead wood gives birth to sperm, things grow old and become strange, old women become pregnant with ghosts, ghosts walk at night...
He looked at the young master next to him, and suddenly thought that he was the third son of his family.Young Master, something strange happened a few months ago. I couldn't help but subconsciously move to the side.
"Unfortunately, the protagonist in the story often walks alone. Even if he is accompanied by someone, he is either a Taoist master who hides in the city, a Buddhist monk who travels around, or a generous and heroic swordsman or a sentimental person. A chaste female ghost..."
Master Su smiled and said, "How could you lead a book boy with peach blossom eyes around?"
You really have plans for me. The little book boy felt a chill all over his body and hid to the side.
Who would take you out if not to save your ass?
Su Che glanced at the little book boy who looked slightly panicked.
The Guan clan with the surname Jia in Jiankang City is famous for not tabooing meat and vegetables, and is prone to floods and droughts. The little book boy was born with a good skin. If it were placed in his previous life, there would be no problem in being a second-tier or third-tier kid.
It’s a pity that I was born in Daliang, a place where demons are rampant and troubled times are not settled.
Not only can’t you live a good life with a monthly income, but you also have to be more careful when crossing the river with your butt covered.
There is no telling which day we will be able to sail large ships by dry land.
Taking him with me can be regarded as a support.
"Sir, there is a ruined temple ahead."
Following the road, a stone lantern covered with moss and a courtyard covered with rotten plaques and vines came into view.
Under the bright moonlight, the four big characters on the plaque can be vaguely seen.
Kulin Temple.
It is indeed an abandoned temple.
Through most of the ruined courtyard, you can see the fire burning inside. Just looking at it in this slightly damp and cold night can make people feel a little energetic.
"Young master, there are clouds in the world. Don't sit down when you are crossing the mountains. Don't enter the temples. It's not that far from Shanyin County now. Let's continue on our way."
The little book boy Thinking about the experiences I had learned about before going out, I suddenly thought about how my young master knew that there should be a ruined temple here.
"Master, do you know how to read Qi?"
"The emperor's ability to read Qi is recorded in "Zuo Zhuan" and "Zhao Jing". I have heard of it, but there is nothing wrong with it. Detailed study."
Su Che shook his head and walked through the half-shattered courtyard. The four heavenly kings on both sides had already returned to their true nature.
A muddy ground.
"Our family has been serving the Celestial Master for generations, so do you know the secret skills of the Celestial Master's Tao?"
"The talisman water cures diseases, the flying sword eliminates demons, the gong ginseng creates, and the breath Immortality. I yearn for it, but I have little chance to practice it."
"That's the monk. I heard that Qixia Temple..."
"Well," Su Che coughed. He said clearly: "This layman only participates in Happy Zen."
Su Che walked into the courtyard.
This place was originally supposed to be a place with palaces and pavilions facing each other, with round corners and railings, but now everything has turned into rotten wood and debris, except for the main hall in the center that still remains.
A tall stone incense stick directly in frontThe stove was already full of water, with little bits of duckweed floating in it.
The firelight was reflected from the remaining main hall.
"How did the young master know that this is a temple?"
"I just guessed it casually."
Su Che looked at the fire in front and said. .
"If you are a latecomer, you will be harassed when passing by this place."
After saying this, he led the hesitant book boy in.
Inside the temple, there was a flame, and there was a lot of hay spread on the ground. On the hay, seven or eight men, wearing raincoats, were sitting there, warming themselves by the fire.
When they saw someone coming outside, a hint of surprise turned on their faces, and they looked at each other a few times.
A dark-faced man should be the leader. He stood up from his seat, with his right hand in his left sleeve, but with a smile on his face.
"We are destined to meet each other. Anyone who disturbs us is just a passerby. Scholars, please come in and sit down."
Su Che nodded and left without seeing anyone else. When I arrived at the temple, I sat down beside the fire and stretched out my hands to warm myself by the fire.
"Scholar on his way?"
The black-faced man looked Su Che up and down, and then glanced at the lantern in the scholar's hand.
"Go to Guobei County."
Guobei County is adjacent to Shanyin County. Guobei is haunted and there are demons in Shanyin.
"Seeking relatives?"
The black-faced man narrowed his eyes and drilled another hole into his left sleeve with his right hand.
Su Che suddenly remembered a certain senior who had an affair with a fierce ghost.
"Collect the bill."
"It turns out he is a young man, but I don't know his surname."
The black-faced man looked more relaxed, but his right hand It is still tucked into the left sleeve.
"It turns out he is illiterate."
The little book boy muttered behind him, "Isn't there everything written on the lantern?"
"My surname is Su, and I live in Duling, Yongzhou."
This evil spirit is rampant, and it cries at night. There are only dead people in the world, so don't worry about it.
Su Che can empathize with these people's nervousness.
"Young Master Su seems to have a big business in his family." The black-faced man looked at Su Che: "We brothers are from Shanyin County. We have returned from collecting herbs in the mountains and are preparing to return to our hometown."
"You guys look like heroes at first sight." Suche glanced at the load behind them, which was full of vegetation.
When going into the mountains to collect herbs these days, besides luck, the most important thing is courage.
Who knows which wild ginseng there will be standing next to the wind patrolling the mountain? Who knows whether there will be a life-threatening female snake coiled next to the shouqi multiflorum to be harvested, or maybe there will be standing on top of the old shady tree. There are many innocent souls waiting to be killed. Opposite the mountain spring that quenches their thirst, there may be ghosts standing guard for the demons.
The black-faced man smiled and slowly took his right hand out of his left sleeve.
"Then please rest, sir."
The little book boy gently pulled Suche's sleeve from behind.
This group of herb collectors has questioned us, but we have not questioned them.
Who knows if they are really herb collectors.
Perhaps they are a group of ghosts who were eaten by the Demon King and are fishing for their master here.
Su Che ignored the worried book boy and sat quietly next to the fire, chatting with the dark-faced man. What they talked about was the customs, floods and droughts in Guobei County and Shanyin County.
The book boy then made up his mind. His young master looked like a fool who was rich and beautiful, but he still didn't stay still. He still knew how to make insinuations.
How do you say this in the world?
Yes, Pandao. My third young master, please always treat him well.
The book boy sat next to the fire, and the warm heat could not help but bake him. He was already sleepy, and for a while he fell into a trance.
He didn’t know how long he slept. When he woke up, except for the crackling sound in the fire, his young master was still chatting with the black-faced man.
"...Guobei is not as good as our Shanyin. Shanyin County has a rich cultural background. There was a champion in the previous dynasty. Now the family has fallen into decline. Now it has been turned into a restaurant. It’s called Zhuangyuanju…”
The dark-faced man sat beside the fire and told anecdotes about his hometown.
"Speaking of this, I remember a past event in Shanyin County."
The black-faced man was a little curious about what this young master knew.
"Kulin Temple was built in the Datong period of the previous dynasty, 236 years ago. In the early years of this dynasty, the world was in chaos, and Kulin Temple gradually fell into disuse for unknown reasons. "
But the book boy thought that his young master was really lying. He had already found out that this place was a temple, and he still told himself that he was just guessing.
"More than thirty years ago, a hunter discovered twenty-four husks of dendrobium salt in Kulin Temple and reported it to the government. After inspection in Guobei County, it was found to be illegal salt. This is The first incident happened at Kulin Temple. "
"More than ten years ago, a team of government officials secretly escorted captured Japanese pirates. The planned route was to go to Zhoucheng via Guobei. There was no news about him, but the team of people who responded followed the route and finally found four waistbands and two broken knives at Kulin Temple. They were finally convicted of being a Japanese pirate and were given sufficient compensation, but the matter was settled. ”
The black-faced man clenched his hands. He was obviously from Shanyin County, but he had never heard of this matter.
While he was speaking, as if to cater to the description of the young master in front of him, the closed doors and windows of the dilapidated palace suddenly started to creak.
There was a whining sound outside the window, but it was unclear whether it was the howling night wind or a ghost crying at night.
He was about to wake up his sleeping partner, but suddenly found that the wooden box that Master Su had been carrying behind his back was shaking slightly at the moment.
The black-faced man rubbed his eyes, but the wooden box kept shaking, and it became more and more obvious.
“Today is Gengshen Day. According to the book, todayThe Emperor of Sun and Heaven grants virtue, and Taiyin bestows milk. There is something magical about the moonlight, the plants and trees are inspired by it, and the birds and beasts turn into demons when they drink it. If you miss today, you will have to wait for another 60 days for the next Gengshen Day. "
Su Che looked out the window. The branches of the trees were shaking, the tiles were moving, and under the heavy night fog, something seemed to be dancing or singing.
He put the wooden box He placed it in front of his knees and touched it with his hands.
Inside the palace, the flames were already dyed a layer of blue.
The black-faced man took a deep breath, only his mouth and nose were visible. The room was filled with mist.
Why was it so cold all of a sudden?
He felt numb all over and couldn't muster any strength.
It was obviously a long summer night. The coldness had penetrated into his bones.
The ever-beating sound on the sword box on his knees could not make Su Che feel warm, but it also maintained his inner clarity.
At this moment, the door in the palace is already wide open.
The herb collector and book boy who were traveling with him have been suppressed. They cannot speak or see. They feel like they are weighed down by a huge boulder and cannot move. .
A green light and shadow, as big as a wheel, floated outside the door.
Su Che slowly read the inscription on the sword box.
" My sword has spirit, the hero of Shou Yang. Nurturing it with benevolence and righteousness, and equipping it with five weapons. Three talents form a tie, and five virtues serve as a front. The sun and moon hide the text and dance on the seven stars. The river controls the sea, and the dragon stalks. Zhenshan and locked mountains, hundreds of ghosts hide their shadows. Why is God not subdued? Who dares to act like that? "
Su Che looked at the sword box in his hand and called out softly.
"Please. ”
For a moment, the black-faced man felt as if the moonlight flashed before his eyes.
The box was silent.
Beyond the entrance of the palace, there was only a bright moon. Under the bright light, Yuyu clarified that the shadows of the trees were still there.
The black-faced man was stunned for a moment, and he vaguely understood what was happening.
His expression darkened and he clasped his hands in his hands.
“I dare to ask for your name. "
"Du Ling Suche," Mr. Jinyi smiled softly: "The new Shanyin County Lieutenant. "
"Congratulations to the county captain for slaying demons and ghosts. "
Slaying demons and ghosts? Su Che glanced outside and just shook his head.