【Xue Xiao】Desolate City Crossing

At noon, Xiao Xingchen sat down in a small wooden house in the west of Xifu Town, and the person who entertained him was Li Yong, the big man who took Taotao away last night.

Xue Yang couldn't enter the house because of ghosts, so he sat on the ground outside under the eaves, listening to the movement in the house with his ears up.

A burly man named Li Yong was a carpenter in the town. In his thirties, he was mighty and strong. He found a clean porcelain bowl and served Xiao Xingchen a bowl of water. He patted the sawdust on his body that would never be cleaned, and said carelessly:

"Prince Immortal, my daughter-in-law was frightened last night and she was still resting in the back room. She was afraid of strangers, so she told me everything and didn't like to open her mouth in front of others. I know everything she knows. Asking, asking me is the same as asking her."

Xiao Xingchen nodded, and asked gently: "Is Taotao still okay? If you have a health problem, you must not hide it. I came from a Taoist school, and I am proficient in medicine. If I feel unwell, I can help to treat it."

"Thank you Xianchang, but she's fine!" Li Yong raised his chin towards the closed back room, "I'm just sad and cried all night."

Listen carefully, there is indeed a woman's suppressed sobbing sound from behind the door, intermittently.

Since the second baby of the Yue family died, incidents of deaths have occurred one after another, and last night the family was almost wiped out.

Mrs. Yue's trembling figure appeared in front of Xiao Xingchen's eyes. In contrast, Mrs. Yue really didn't look sad at all. When she mentioned her missing son, she was more resentful and fearful.

Sitting opposite Xiao Xingchen, Li Yong couldn't help being curious, and leaned forward to inquire: "Immortal Elder, the Yue family died last night, is it haunted?"

"That's right, I and my friends are investigating this matter."

"Taotao said it was Xiaojie, because she is the only one in the Yue family who likes children and is good to children. Although she just secretly brought some snacks and toys to Xiaojie, and let him rest when he kneels, but this The children all remember... because it was Xiaojie, so many people were killed, but Taotao was not hurt."

"Who is Xiaojie?"

Li Yong rubbed his rough and powerful hands, was unexpectedly silent for a moment, took a deep look in the direction of Taotao's resting room, and then opened the conversation.

"A 12-year-old boy from the Yue family, whose name is Yue Wenjie, Taotao calls him Xiaojie."

"The Yue family said that it was Xiaojie who strangled the two babies. Taotao didn't believe it, and I didn't believe it either. In that Yue house, besides Taotao, Xiaojie was the one who loved the twins the most. When the baby died , No one saw that Xiaojie strangled the baby, this was all said by Mrs. Yue and the old woman beside Mrs. Yue."

Xiao Xingchen interrupted: "Xiaojie is 12 years old, he should already be able to tell right from wrong, if he was wronged, didn't he justify himself?"

"This is what Taotao can't figure out the most," Li Yong frowned, his voice suddenly became louder, and his thick fingers tapped on the wooden table, making a dull sound.

"Xiaojie himself admitted that he was against his mother and strangled the baby on impulse."

"Taotao asked him secretly more than once, every time he didn't speak, and was forced to be anxious, so he cried and begged Taotao not to ask again."

"Peach just doesn't believe it. Xiaojie likes his two younger sisters the most, and he has never been timid to resist Mrs. Yue. How could he do such a thing."

"On the contrary, it's Mrs. Yue's family. She doesn't look like a child's mother at all. She beat and scolded Xiaojie since she was a child, and she was even more indifferent to the two babies. The children grew up on Taotao's goat's milk since birth. Taotao, Xiaojie, Mrs. Yue, and even the entire Yue house, no one cares about the lives of those two babies."

Xiao Xingchen was extremely puzzled, "Others are fine, why does Mrs. Yue treat her own child like this?"

"Hi!" Li Yong sighed heavily, shook his head and sighed, "It's not that the husband and wife have a bad relationship, and they vent their anger on the children!"

"The previous generation of the Yue family, that is, when Mrs. Yue and Master Yue were alive, the Yue family was still in good shape. In addition to the pawn shop, there was also an antique shop. The business was very good. When they passed away, the family property would be left to the only one. After my son and daughter-in-law, more and more things happened outside the family."

"This young Yue Patriarch is not restrained by his elders, and he has money in his hands, so he started eating, drinking, whoring, gambling and doing everything. The family has not seen him all year round, and he doesn't know where to go for entertainment."

"This Mrs. Yue... is not clean, she always recruits people at home."

Speaking of this, the big man lowered his voice, and Xiao Xingchen expressed embarrassment that he understood.

"The servants of Yue's family changed again and again, because Mrs. Yue didn't want to be too ostentatious, and the ones left behind were masters who would do things as long as they were paid, and shut up when they were paid. This town is not big, and the Yue family The monthly rate is the highest, so there are many people who are willing to stay and work in his house. If Taotao hadn't always been quiet and cooked well, she would have been replaced long ago."

"By the way, the body found in the well is one of Mrs. Yue's lovers. Taotao wants me to tell you and another fairy elder in black. I'm really sorry that I didn't dare to stand up and tell the truth before."

"There used to be a servant who said something bad about Mrs. Yue outside, and was beaten to death by Mrs. Yue not long after in the name of stealing property."

Xiao Xingchen frowned, Mrs. Yue's behavior really became more and more unbearable the more she heard it.

This is the fifth day of Xiao Xingchen's return to the world. He hasn't sorted out his own mood yet, and he really doesn't want to hear about the right and wrong misfortunes, but when he thinks of the inexplicable death of two babies, the boy Xiaojie has suffered injustice , life and death were uncertain, he had to endure the pain in his heart and continue to investigate.

He found that he had begun to deviate from his original intention of tracking down the murderer of the Yue family. In his heart, the incident of the Yue family being wiped out gradually had a greater impact than the encounter between the twins and the boy Xiaojie.

"Xiaojie is missing, does Taotao know what's going on?"

"It's more ominous than good." Li Yong shook his head, "Xiaojie has been under the strict control of Mrs. Yue, and he can hardly go out, and he has no relatives and friends outside. Mrs. Yue said that he killed the second baby and fled in fear of crime. Taotao was determined." I don't believe it. On the first day Xiaojie disappeared, she sneaked into Mrs. Yue's inner room and saw a large puddle of blood on the ground. Mrs. Yue was only scratched on her arm, so it is impossible for her to shed so much blood."

"The next day, the bloodstains were cleaned up, and people began to die from Yuejia."

Li Yong continued to talk eloquently, and most of the rest were his and Tao Tao's guesses, as well as rumors from the neighbors, so they should not be taken seriously.

Xiao Xingchen kept reminding himself to be vigilant, even if it was what Li Yong said before, he didn't immediately believe it all.

The lesson from ten years ago is still in his heart. He dare not trust other people's words any more. He firmly believes that seeing is believing. So far, the only thing he has relied on to judge the facts is the words of different people.At first, it was Zichen's message, then the six souls who died in the courtyard and the onlookers' speeches, and then Mrs. Yue, Xue Yang, the tomb robber, Li Yong, Taotao, and each of these people said different things.

Who should I trust?Who should not trust?

Is it because Mrs. Yue is unkind to her mother, or is Xiaojie born evil?

Xiao Xingchen couldn't come to a conclusion, so he took out the small fish jade ornament given to him by the grave robber and asked Li Yong to show it to Taotao, and confirmed that it was a funeral object for the Yuejia baby. However, it was still impossible to confirm who was right.

Before leaving, Taotao finally came out from the back room to see her off. She was still wearing the same plain dress from last night, her eyes were red, and she repeated repeatedly: "Xianchang, you can't blame Xiaojie for the family affairs. Xiaojie is a good boy. I like to see my younger sisters laugh...I like to sing nursery rhymes to my younger sister...Even...even if it is true that he killed the Yue family last night, he can't be blamed...When the two younger sisters died, they were under one year old, no one cared , I haven't even taken a name... how can he not hate..."

Xiao Xingchen bid farewell to the sad woman, and had an idea in mind to confirm the truth.

***

Under the eaves of the cabin, Xue Yang was sleeping soundly.

He didn't intend to sleep at first, but after sitting down for a while, his eyelids began to fight, and he almost fell asleep.He was originally sitting against the wall, but when he fell asleep, his upper body leaned against the wall and fell obliquely, with his legs still at right angles. He continued to sleep in an extremely uncomfortable position.

When Xiao Xingchen walked out of the cabin, Xue Yang was still unconscious.

It wasn't until the center of the brows were covered, and the brain of the spirit body fluctuated slightly, as if someone touched the meridians in the brain, that he slightly frowned in his deep sleep with two thick eyebrows.

This is……

A feeling that had been experienced by him subconsciously strongly rejected him.

Soul search! ! !

Xue Yang suddenly woke up, Xiao Xingchen's right hand was still resting between his eyebrows, his eyes were slightly closed, and he was indeed using the soul-searching technique!

Xue Yang, who was used to laughing, turned pale with shock, jumped up, covered his brows and backed away again and again.

"Xiao Xingchen! You are looking for death! What did you find out?! What did you find out?!"

Xiao Xingchen was puzzled by that frightened look.

"Do you know this is soul searching?"

Xue Yang's teeth itch with hatred, and a cold light like a sharp knife flashed in his eyes, how could he not know!

All major Xuanmen families have their own methods of obtaining information and collecting information from ghosts. The Gusu Lan family has "questioning spirits", and the ancestors of Yiling have "empathy".

And the method used by the old man in black to save Xiao Xingchen was "soul exploration".

The old man in black once asked Xue Yang why he was willing to replenish Xiao Xingchen's soul, Xue Yang tried to make up a lie to get away with it, but the old man was not easy to fool, and said: "If you don't want to tell, I will read it myself." Between Xue Yang's brows, there seemed to be a huge gravitational force in the skinny palm, making Xue Yang unable to escape. He felt a deep spiritual force penetrate into his head and absorb his memories. The more he resisted, the more painful his head would be.

Such spells generally cannot go against the will of the soul, and the caster has no way of reading what the soul doesn't want to say or let others know, but the old man's way is unpredictable, and Xue Yang feels that his memories and thoughts have been read a thorough.

It felt terrible, like parading the streets in the sun.Unexpectedly, the old man in black not only saved Xiao Xingchen, but also passed on the soul-searching technique to him.

Xiao Xingchen only poked around and saw Xue Yang jumping up and running away, clutching his forehead as if scalded and backing away again and again, he looked at Xue Yang seriously and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Those clear eyes did not contain any joy or anger, Xue Yang was suddenly a little dazed, but also a little calm: when the old man in black forcibly searched his soul, he had a splitting headache, but Xiao Xingchen's soul search was only slightly tactile, so it is possible Not much memory was found.

"It doesn't hurt!" Xue Yang answered angrily.

"That's good." Xiao Xingchen nodded, got up and left.

All spells to communicate with ghosts must be cautious and cautious, requiring the caster to either have profound spiritual power, or have an absolutely clear state of mind, otherwise, it is easy to be corroded and backlashed by ghosts' resentment.

Xue Yang turned his head and understood Xiao Xingchen's intention.

"Okay, Xiao Xingchen, since when did you learn to use others? You are not sure whether the soul-searching technique is true or not, and you actually use me as a practice hand?"

Xiao Xingchen walked steadily and ignored it.

Xue Yang chased after him reluctantly, and asked nervously, "What exactly did you find?"

After walking for a quarter of an hour, Xue Yang kept clamoring and asking questions in different ways. Xiao Xingchen was really helpless, and he understood that Xue Yang would never give up until he asked something.

"I didn't find much, I only found the memory of last night, it was you who took Xiaojie to cross the house."

"anything else?"

"There is also a picture of you being disturbed by resentment in the middle of the night and unable to rest."

"Oh," Xue Yang said indifferently, "I killed countless people during my lifetime, and I'm used to having different vengeful spirits bothering me every night after my death. What else did you find?"

The intrusion of resentment is not as calm as Xue Yang said. The relevant memory fragments that Xiao Xingchen detected were indeed only a moment, and just a moment was enough to be tragic. He took a deep look at Xue Yang and knew why Xue Yang was more than I was more pain-tolerant during my lifetime.

"I found nothing else." Xiao Xingchen said calmly.

"Really gone?"

"Gone."

Xue Yang looked at Xiao Xingchen's face and he couldn't see anything, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

He believed that Xiao Xingchen would not lie.

"Xiao Xingchen, that's all for now. You are not allowed to use the soul-searching technique on me in the future. If you dare to spy on me again, I will kill a person to show you. I will do it! Do you remember?"

Xiao Xingchen stopped, staring at this uncharacteristically disturbed soul, puzzled: "Is there anything you're afraid of letting others know?"

Xue Yang has always been arrogant in doing evil, and he has no sense of shame. What can he be afraid of?

"Of course I have nothing to be afraid of, but being afraid and thinking about it are two different things. In short, you are not allowed to use the soul-searching technique on me!"

"Don't follow me, I naturally have no chance to use it against you."

"It's up to me whether to follow you or not, and it's up to me whether you can use the soul-searching technique on me. Who told you to worry about me killing people? If you can be cruel and don't care about other people's lives, I really have nothing to threaten you , It's a pity that you can't be ruthless, you deserve to be threatened by me."

Xiao Xingchen is angry.

Xue Yang is really a rascal.However, this rascal really got his hands on him.

"Then if I don't use Soul Probe on you, will you never kill anyone again?"

Xue Yang curled his lips, disapproving of this condition, "That's not necessarily the case."

"Did everyone who died in the Yue family participate in the infanticide and persecution of Xiaojie?"

"No."

"Then why did you take Xiaojie on a rampage?"

As for Xue Yang lying to him about not participating in the extermination of the family, Xiao Xingchen was already too lazy to pursue it.He only hoped that those who died under Xue Yang's hands were not innocent people.

"Scheme and plan to cover up the facts after the fact. If you know and don't help, you don't deserve to live." Xue Yang squinted at the sky, and said lightly: "Anyway, death is just reincarnation and reincarnation, so what's the big deal."

Xiao Xingchen swallowed his anger, "Xue Yang, Xiaojie is only 12 years old, you shouldn't take him to kill people."

As soon as these words came out, Xue Yang's face suddenly became cloudy, "Twelve years old is not young! I killed someone for the first time, and I am much younger than him!"

In Xue Yang's vicious voice, Xiao Xingchen gasped. He wanted to accuse this evil spirit of cruelty again, but he felt a pain in his chest for no reason, and felt that there were all kinds of unspeakable sorrow and grievance behind those words. .

This is the second time Xue Yang mentioned to him the time when he killed the first time when he was a child, to be more specific, it was eight years old.

The beginning of Xue Yang's life of killing.

Xiao Xingchen couldn't help but ask, "Eight years old, who did you kill?"

"Don't worry about it!"

Xue Yang looked away awkwardly with a livid face, not seeing the flash of concern in Xiao Xingchen's eyes.

Xiao Xingchen withdrew his gaze, stopped asking questions, and continued walking forward.

In fact, just a moment ago, he found some other memories.

However, rather than detecting it, it is more like he remembered it.

It's chaotic, it's not clear.

When the palm of his hand was placed between Xue Yang's eyebrows, he recalled a pain that penetrated deep into his head. It was the powerful spiritual power of the old man wandering through Xue Yang's spiritual consciousness, and it finally ended.

Xue Yang was furious, and asked the old man in black hoarsely: "What did you find?! What did you find?!"

The old man's wise eyes were indifferent and peaceful, and he stroked his beard lightly, "I found out everything, what you know, and what you don't know."

Xue Yang was so angry that his eyes were about to split open: "Don't be a motherfucker! In my own memory, what else is there that I don't know!"

The old man ignored him, looked across Xue Yang, and said to himself: "How lucky is there to have Xiao Xingchen in the world."

Xue Yang had a glimmer of hope, but no anger at all, "Then you save him?"

The memory fragments came to an abrupt end.

Xiao Xingchen's eyes flickered, and he couldn't understand this short conversation.

He felt regretful and ashamed, he knew that his practice was far inferior to the old man in black who helped him bring him back to life, let alone now, even if he practiced for decades, he could barely hold a candle to him. stardust.

As for what the old man discovered in Xue Yang's spiritual sense, I'm afraid he will never know.

Xiao Xingchen became curious about this because of Xue Yang's last sentence in the memory fragment.

Then you save him?

The tone was unfamiliar, sincere, and even pleading.

The Xue Yang at that moment did not seem to be Xue Yang, at least, not the Xue Yang he knew.