Cannibalism

The old man's clothes were disheveled by the sea wind. He knelt on the rocks with concave edges and corners, covered his mouth and wept with joy, tears streaming down his face.

"Woooo..."

His skin was dry and wrinkled, and the wrinkles on his lips and neck tightened and slackened with crying. He lay on the ground for a long time, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and said comfortingly: "Hey, I have been alone for many years, and I have never understood life and death. After comprehending the destiny, until now, I, Lin Poran, finally understand that it is my destiny to live to such an age, to come to the border of the East China Sea, climb to the top of the mountain, and reunite with the gods!"

With drooping black eyes, the iron-eater crawled over and grabbed the old man's sleeve.

The old man stood up tremblingly from the ground. With just this movement, Xie Sheng could hear the bones all over his body creaking several times.

He sighed: "Oh, I'm old, I can't walk anymore."

The old man named Lin Boran put the thin finger bones on the iron-eating beast's shoulders, propped up the weak body bones, and smiled at the iron-eating beast: "A Chai never walks for a long time on weekdays. Carrying me from far away to the East China Sea, it must be very hard, right? A Chai, now that I have eaten up all the bamboo I carry with me, what should I do? I am afraid you will have to make do with me and eat the rotten leaves on the roadside for a few months .”

Xie Sheng stepped forward and helped the old man ride the iron beast: "Elder Lin doesn't need to worry about such a small matter. You wait here for a while, and I will go to the Tianyanshan granary to get you some food for the road."

For some reason, the old man's thoughts were much clearer than before. His voice was hoarse and vicissitudes, and he analyzed: "The two of us have to walk a hundred and eight thousand miles back to Shu, and it is already very difficult for A Chai to carry me on his back." , it probably won't be able to carry anything else. Young man, don't bother you. I intend to set off for home now."

As soon as Lin Poran finished speaking, Xie Sheng saw the iron-eating beast Yong Chuan shaking his head at him.

Seeing that the man and beast on the other side declined his kindness, Xie Sheng had no choice but to say: "In that case, I will send Mr. Lin down the mountain."

Xie Sheng was leading the way. Hearing the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, he couldn't help but think of the kite head enchantment that he saw under the sky just now.

Although he tended to believe the words of the Iris Flower Spirit, he still had some doubts in his heart these days whether the so-called "Iris Flower God" was real.Both the Yuanshou Flower Spirit and Yuanshou Village are very different from the mountain gods of the mountain villages he has seen before.For example, sacrificing human animals is an ancient way of sacrifice. Many villages banned the term "human animal" nearly 100 years ago, but Yuanshou Village has preserved it for the first time.

However, these doubts were all shattered in the spectacle of Mirage.

On the surface of the East China Sea, the mirage can only reflect the scene of the God Realm.These god realms are scattered all over the world, and few people visit them.

The kite head enchantment was actually one of them.

Xie Sheng became more curious about this divine flower.He looked at the old man who was slowly shaking on the iron-eating beast, and asked, "Old Lin, what did he look like the last time you saw a god here?"

"The last time... was probably 90 years ago." Mr. Lin looked at a large area of ​​low acacia trees, his eyes far away, "When I saw him that time, the sea was full of golden light and the sky was clear. Immortals Sleeping peacefully under the tree, using the heaven and the earth as a pillow mat, and the grass and trees as his clothes. The blue ocean waves rolled in his white jade-like texture, as if an arm from the East China Sea was stretched out to bathe him." Said, Mr. Lin He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was recalling the sacred situation at that time. "At that time, I was still young, so I didn't understand why my parents knelt down and worshiped devoutly. It wasn't until later that I realized what an astonishing sight it was that day."

Using vegetation as clothes?

Xie Sheng felt that he wanted to laugh, but the old man's serious appearance prevented him from laughing.

I don't know if Mr. Lin would be disappointed if he knew that this fairy was actually a piranha that didn't know how to dress.

"Young man." Lin Poran called him.

"What's the matter?" Xie Sheng quickly responded, "Say it."

Lin Laoci asked kindly, "Young man, do you have any gods you believe in?"

Xie Sheng thought about the gods he met with their family, and shook his head: "The younger generation has gods to respect, but no gods to believe in."

Mr. Lin found it strange: "I see you haunt the coast of the East China Sea. You must be a disciple of the nearby fairy mountain sect, right? Then you have seen the gods with your own eyes, right?"

"You guessed pretty close."

Elder Lin stopped asking any more questions. He looked at the winding mountain road downhill and said, "As long as it's not a monster."

The shoulders of the iron-eater below him suddenly paused.

Xie Sheng was stunned: "...Why? Nowadays, both humans and demons are indispensable groups in the world of spiritual consciousness. Humans have good and evil, and demons also have good and evil. As long as the evil people and evil demons are eliminated, the world can live in peace and harmony forever. .You should treat them as equals."

"What is indispensable to the world of spiritual consciousness..." Elder Lin frowned, apparently unable to agree with Xie Sheng's point of view, "I don't understand what young people think today. In short, in the eyes of people of our age, transvestites will always have different paths Demons eat people, demons harm people, and demons do all kinds of evil. But all the merchant ships that disappeared in the East China Sea were the result of the bloodthirsty nature of monsters. Even if you can live in harmony now, I can’t let me forget the incompatibility between humans and monsters back then. The situation, their ugly face has been lingering in my mind. How can the hatred engraved in the bone marrow be erased?"

Hearing this, Xie Sheng stopped talking.

He sent Mr. Lin and the Iron Eater to the foot of Kongwang Mountain, and waved goodbye to them.

Under the sky shrouded in clouds and mist, the iron-eating beast crawled forward with Elder Lin on its back.

His movements were obviously very slow, but the surrounding scenery passed by as if he was in a speeding carriage.

Mr. Lin touched the black and white hair on the back of the iron-eating beast, sighed, and said, "Oh, A Chai, you are actually an iron-eating beast, right?"

The iron-eating beast hurriedly stopped.

Old Lin smiled: "I didn't suspect you to be a monster just because I saw you travel thousands of miles every day."

The iron eater opened its mouth, revealing a row of sharp teeth that didn't match its cute appearance.

"Do you know why I named you A Chai?" Elder Lin touched the ear of Iron Eater, "Because the second time I saw you, I saw you standing up and helping me chop firewood in the backyard." .”

The iron-eating beast remained motionless, standing there quietly waiting for the old man to speak.

Lin Poran said: "Even if I am confused, I should understand that those chubby bamboo bears in the bamboo forest can't chop firewood at all, only the iron-eating monster can. So from then on, I know you are a monster."

"Then why do you still agree with me to stay?" Seeing that his identity had been exposed, the iron-eating beast Yong Chuan said directly, "In my impression, you hate monsters very much."

Lin Lao frowned, pursed his lips and smiled: "No reason, there are always exceptions to everything. People's hearts are always so strange."

He patted the iron-eater's butt, and the iron-eater continued to carry him along the avenue.

The surrounding scenery changed in a blink of an eye.

And for Lin Poran, who is already old, time travels so quickly.

90 years ago.

East China Sea hole looks at the side of the mountain.

Lin Poran has no parents or servants by his side.When he was young, he stood on the sandy land on the coast, and the waves rushed in and rushed away.

"Father! Mother!"

He yelled to the distant ship whose body was half submerged in the sea: "Father! Mother!"

No one answered.

The ship gradually sank to the bottom of the sea, and the sea monster killed his parents and hundreds of people on the ship.The blood water soaked the sea surface into a dazzling color, dizzying layers of red waves.

At this time, a fairy mountain came down on the sea, and the golden light shone for a while, and the sun bloomed for nine days.

From a distance, he saw a handsome fairy appearing on the fairy mountain. The fairy dressed in sparkling blood and became more beautiful and coquettish.

I don't know who around said: "Shocked to heaven."

Lin Poran knelt down, kowtowed, and begged the gods to save his parents, and prayed that he could meet them again.

Many days later, the monster exorcist brought back the two sea monsters that were hanged.

Sea-monsters are a kind of monster race with chaotic faces. They lie dormant under the sea and rarely show their strange faces.

When they landed, the two sea monsters turned into human figures, and their faces turned into the appearance of food—the two parents of Lin Poran.

When Lin Poran saw the hanged sea monster, it was as if he saw his parents who died in vain in the mouth of the sea monster.

He recalled the wish he made to the gods, knelt down with a plop, and cried, "Father, mother. I finally see you again."

……

The iron-eating beast asked: "Just now you said that people's hearts are strange, what is so strange?"

Mr. Lin shook his head: "I'm afraid he likes to be stubborn and escape from reality."

The iron-eating beast was puzzled and tilted its head to look at him.

Old Lin said: "It was like this in the past, it's like this now, and it must be like this in the future. Don't look at these birds and beasts who were kind and innocent at first, but once they become humans, they will become like this. It's a pity that I am no longer a human. When I get old, I’m afraid I’ll never see the future again.”

"My heart is what I say." The iron-eating beast's voice was clear, "Before today, I have never spoken to you."

Elder Lin smiled, but did not answer.

That night, the iron-eating beast Yong Chuan came to Tianyan Mountain to look for Xie Sheng.

Xie Sheng was practicing spells in the back mountain. Seeing that it was the iron-eating beast pretending to be immature during the day, he laughed: "Why are you back?"

"He's gone, dying." Yong Chuan lowered his eyes, "I buried his body and had nowhere to go. After much deliberation, I decided to come looking for you."

Xie Sheng was not surprised when he heard the news of the old man's death. On the contrary, he found it difficult to understand Yong Chuan's decision: "Go back to your hometown in Shu and stay here. I'm afraid you won't be used to it. There are no fresh bamboo shoots in Tianyan Mountain."

"It's okay." The Iron Eater shook his head, "Instead of going back and sitting in an empty room to add to the sadness, it's better to spend time here."

Tianyan Mountain is a bit hot and humid tonight, and the surrounding cicadas are intermittently singing from the woods, stopping and ringing for a while.

Right now, it is the time when the cicadas are singing and desolate, and it is rare to be quiet.

"You are very thoughtful, and you know that Tianyan Mountain is willing to help others." Xie Sheng sighed, "Unfortunately, I am planning to meet someone right now, and I will come back tomorrow morning. You go to my tenth brother Xie Nan first, he must still be there now I read the classics hard, but I didn't fall asleep."

Yong Chuan rolled his eyes and guessed: "Going out at night and returning early is for... a tryst with a beautiful woman?"

Xie Sheng was noncommittal, he put a bony index finger on his lips, and raised the corners of his mouth.

"Keep it a secret for me."