Hundred Ghosts

Another day passed from sunset to sunrise, Lin Zi and Xiaocai groped the night and finally arrived outside the barracks.

The barracks is near the river, which can be used by the army to eat and drink. There is also a small forest nearby—it can’t be called a forest, just a few sparse trees, which cannot be burned.

The guards refused to let them in, so Lin Zi had no choice but to rest in the woods for another night, and meet the general tomorrow when he came out for training.

After so long, I don't know if the general still remembers him.

Walking into the woods, Lin Zi unexpectedly discovered that there were several pagoda trees planted in the woods, which should have been planted in a water village with fertile soil. The branches at the top were densely budded and the leaves were dark green. Clusters of dense Sophora japonica flowers... How can this be unreasonable, you, a tree from other places, live more nourishingly than local trees!

Asking Xiaocai to sleep first, he walked around, and suddenly heard someone complaining, the voice was soft, and there was a bit of annoyance, like a young master who lost his temper.

The locust tree is also a wood ghost, which communicates with yin and is very easy to attract ghosts.

In this wilderness, I am afraid that I will encounter wild ghosts.

Lin Zi walked over, and sure enough, the ghost was squatting under the locust tree, with the roots of the locust tree pressing into the sand, as if being dragged by the locust tree and refusing to let him go.

Noticing that Lin Zi was coming, he quickly raised his head and said, "Prince Daoist! Hey, Master Daoist, look here—can you help me with my feet?"

Just as Lin Zi thought, he was not very old, with fleshy cheeks, he looked like a child.

Generally, the clothes worn by souls are either shrouds or the clothes they wore when they died. Judging from his attire, he should be from the Central Plains or a nobleman.Even if you can't touch the satin clothes, you can tell how precious they are. The embroidered stitches on them are dense, and the flowing cloud patterns are lifelike. He has seen similar ones in clothing stores before, and one piece costs several thousand taels.

Lin Zi just sighed that it was a pity, if he was a living person, it would be great if he hugged his thigh, and he would not have to worry about it for the rest of his life.

Lin Zi walked up to him and knelt down, hugged his leg with both hands and pulled it out, but he struggled for a while, "Hiss, it hurts! Be gentle! Don't pull it out!"

The locust tree is pressing you down, you still want to come out?

Lin Zi let go of the situation, sat down against the tree trunk, and touched his old man, "Young master doesn't look like a local, how did you come to such a ghostly place?"

"I'm looking for someone." He smiled shyly, showing two very cute little canine teeth.

"Who are you looking for?"

He scratched his head in embarrassment, "Forgot."

"Then why did you run here?"

"I don't know, I'm coming anyway." He looked in the direction of the barracks, and there seemed to be stars in his eyes.

Lin Zi spread his hands, "Then do you remember yourself?"

He shook his head.

Judging by his clothes and tender flesh, he should be the young master of the water town in the Central Plains, so it is not difficult to guess that he should be a wild ghost who died here.

Most of the wild ghosts were people who died in foreign lands, and they most hoped to pick up the bones and return them to their hometowns for burial.After a person dies, it is impossible for the three souls and seven spirits to remain completely. It is easy to forget what happened in life, and it is normal to forget one's name over time.

Could the "person" he was looking for be his corpse?

Lin Zi had a small calculation in his heart, this "removal of bones" was a big deal, if his bones were brought back, his descendants would definitely thank him with a lot of money, and by then all the brothers and sisters in the Taoist temple would not have to just eat porridge.

You can add pickles.

"Young master, don't worry, Pindao will send you back."

He was surprised and delighted, "I...I don't even know how to repay you..."

Lin Zi pretended to decline, "Look at what the young master said, is Pindao the kind of person who only cares about money?"

It can also be converted into gold bars.

As he spoke, he took out a piece of talisman paper and stuck it to the root of the locust tree. The root instantly ignited a faint blue flame, and the flame spread upward. Soon, the whole tree fell down with a "boom", and the flame was extinguished.

Without the tree trunk, Lin Zi easily pushed the roots away, and he quickly pulled out his legs.

General He's eyes suddenly opened in the tent thousands of meters away, and he frowned as he felt a burning sensation between his fingers.

Which bastard set fire to the woods?

"Thank you, Daoist!" He stretched his legs and complained, "My legs have been crushed by this tree for a long time. If it weren't for Daoist, I don't know how long I would have to wait here."

Lin Zi smiled hypocritically, "It's easy."

He also said, "It's dark now, so if you want to find someone, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you. How about this, I'm here to find someone, why don't we have a companion until tomorrow?"

"I can't ask for it!"

As soon as Xiaocai woke up to dawn, he opened his eyes and saw that his master was talking to himself while holding an umbrella.He didn't ask anything, just packed his things and followed him silently with his head down.

The sun came out, and a wild ghost like him would be wiped out in the sun. He actually forgot about this, and excitedly said that it's dawn, hurry up and call your apprentice, let's go!

Then he rushed out of the woods, Lin Zi hurriedly grabbed him and held up an umbrella for him, he didn't know yet, how could a man be as delicate as a little girl?

Lin Zi didn't dare to directly say that you are dead, you can't bask in the sun, what's wrong with being a man, can't you live a finer life...

The two of them chattered non-stop, Xiaocai also noticed it, and followed behind without daring to speak.

"By the way, who are you looking for?" Lin Zi changed the subject.

He looked blank, "I forgot...it shouldn't be around here."

Lin Zi said, "I'm going to find General He, why don't you follow me first, General He is the largest in a radius of tens of miles, if you think about it then, you can ask General He for help."

He had to agree.

It's a pity that he was stopped by patrolling soldiers before he approached the barracks.

The reason was that it was too suspicious for a man like him to open an umbrella early in the morning.

You closed the umbrella for me.

"Say! What are you doing in the barracks? Are you going to poison our food? Put laxatives in the water? Or burn our granary?"

Lin Zi: "..."

What have you guys been through?

"Pindao came to find someone."

"Who are you looking for?"

"You generals."

"Who?"

"He Huai, General He."

The patrol chief finally looked at him, "What are you looking for with our general?"

"Repay your kindness." Lin Zi took out a jade pendant from his bosom and showed it to him, "This was given to Pindao by your general when he was young, if you give this to the general, he will know."

Xiao Cai, who was hiding behind Lin Zi, timidly showed his face while wearing the corner of his clothes.

The jade pendant is a high-quality mutton fat jade, with the word "He" in the middle of the floating cloud pattern on the front, and the pattern of dragon and phoenix showing auspiciousness on the back.

He still knows this kind of jade pendant, noble children usually carry such a piece on their body, and when they meet a girl they like, they will give it away, and if the girl is also interested in him, they will accept it.

The head of the patrol only felt in a trance.

Fine.

So he stepped forward to report.

"Report—general, your wife is here!"

He Huai took a sip of tea and sprayed it out.

I'm not, I'm not, don't talk nonsense.

The jade pendant indeed belonged to his family. Mother He had prepared it before he was born, three wives and four concubines, a total of seven yuan, and there were six identical pieces in his family.

He Huai thought about it for a while, and it seemed that there was such a thing. More than ten years ago, he saw a child with a weak physique on the side of the road.

Fate is very mysterious. Some people have bad luck at first, and then gradually get better. There are also some people who have good luck at first, but then slowly decline. This is the first time I have seen such a decline like him.

There happened to be a Taoist temple nearby, and the incense was good. He sent the child to the Taoist temple, but he was afraid that the Taoist priests would dislike him, so he put the jade pendant in his arms as food money.

I never expected that little guy to come here...

"Bring him here."

Lin Zi was brought into the general's main tent, he raised his eyes and secretly glanced at his benefactor, compared to Lin Zi, who had not yet fully grown up and had a childish outline, He Huai's appearance was very handsome, and his facial features were very masculine , but it is a bit strange to look at, such a masculine face looks evil.

It should be that the positive must be negative...Lin Zi closed the umbrella.

"Grow up." He Huai saw the wild ghost beside him, and knew who set the fire last night.

"Thank you, General, for saving your life back then."

"It's okay, it's just a matter of raising your hands, let's not talk about this first," he looked up at Lin Zi, "Did you set the fire last night?"

Lin Zi's back felt cold, how did he know?

Could it be that someone is watching them?

But at that time, I didn't feel that there was popularity nearby, not to mention popularity, not even a bird, a snake, a bug or an ant!It can be said that there are no other living things in the entire forest except himself and Xiaocai.

It's like a cage specially built for that wild ghost, keeping living beings away.

He Huai snorted, as if to say something, and finally waved his hands and said, "I don't care about you, if fate is like this... that's all."

"Ah?" Lin Zi was at a loss. Could it be that he said that it was his destiny to burn that locust tree?

"Are you looking for someone?"

Lin Zi nodded affectionately, "Yes."

The general said with a cold face, "I'm not asking you."

"..."

Lin Zi followed his gaze, and he was staring at the wild ghost.

How did he see it?

The wild ghost forgot that he was dead, and said with some joy and some frustration, "Thank you general for your kindness, but I don't know who to turn to..."

He Huai narrowed his eyes, "But I know."

"what?"

……

The grassy hills will be full of flowers in spring, and the people who sleep here will love it too.

He pushed away the umbrella that Lin Zi held up for him, stumbled and ran over, and sat in front of the simple tombstone, with indescribable fatigue in his eyes.

That's right, he was already dead. When he learned that he was defeated and died at this time, he was so sad that he drew the sword he gave him and killed himself in his own home.

I also met some wild ghosts along the way, and they were amazed how he could become a wild ghost when he died at home.

There is no home in my heart, and peace of mind is where I go.

He is where he belongs.

A soul without obsession will start to lose memory in a short time, and when it forgets all the memories stored in the world, it will fly away.

He forgot that he was a dead person, his identity, his name, everything, but he still remembered him.

Later, he strayed into this forest by mistake and was imprisoned by that locust tree for 20 years. He even forgot his name, but he still remembered to look for him.

The wild ghost who has given up his obsession will soon be scattered and lost forever.He looked up at the long-lost bright sun, the sun that should have been warm sprinkled on his body and hurt like being burned.

He leaned against the tombstone and closed his eyes.

It's like an eternity.