Bevan Mountain

It is the end of spring and the beginning of summer this year, and the green grass is slightly buoyant and the wind is getting warmer.

In Gui County, a small coastal city in the south, the camphor trees along the street are already luxuriant, blocking most of the wall of the house of the richest man in the city, Wei's house.

There were crowds of people in front of Wei's house, passers-by stopped to watch, their faces were full of flamboyance, and they chatted with each other: "Master Wei is only a young man, why did he die overnight!"

"Yeah, she looks healthy and healthy on weekdays, and she doesn't show any signs of illness. No, she married the eighth concubine last month..."

"I saw Mr. Wei in the market at noon yesterday. He was still in good spirits at that time. I heard that after returning home, his limbs suddenly became stiff and he fell unconscious!"

"I see this as a strange thing..."

Everyone whispered unclear news to each other.

Just as he was talking, he saw someone coming out from the gate of the lifeless Wei residence under the white mourning banner, and the person who walked first was the steward of the Wei family.

The steward was well-mannered and modest in appearance, it could be seen that he was also a handsome talent when he was young.

Now a sudden change in the family has made his temples gray, his face is full of grief, and his shoulders are drooping, which makes him look like he has aged a lot.The following servants and servants were all dressed in plain clothes.

The steward paused after crossing the threshold, turned half sideways, slowly raised his head to look at the plaque on the gate that had been hung with white satin, his eyes were mixed with sadness, and then he glanced at the crowd gathered at the gate, whispering and chattering Silently.The steward let out a long sigh, and led the servants outside.

The crowd made way silently, but a passer-by with a good cause grabbed the servant behind him and asked, "Where is this going?"

The servant cast a glance at the man, listless, and Yue Mo also stayed up all night: "Where else can I go? Make funeral arrangements and take care of the funeral."

Someone on the side asked again: "Your master...what is the reason for this? Have you asked a doctor to look at it?"

The servant yawned, leaned forward, lowered his head slightly, stretched out his index finger, and showed a secretive look, and the surrounding crowd rushed over.

Then I heard the servant whisper: "I invited several doctors in the city to have a look at them last night, but I didn't see any symptoms... In my opinion..." Speaking of this, I was afraid that I would make a fool of myself. With a wave of his hand, he withdrew and left with the butler.

This time, the voices became more noisy.Rumors of evil spirits and demons came out from several places, and everyone was chilled when they heard it, and they all went home.

By the evening, the front of Wei's house had cooled down.

On the second floor of the tavern diagonally across from Wei's house, a girl was sitting alone by the window.

The girl seemed to be about nineteen years old, carrying a half-arm-length black cloth bundle on her back, and wearing an old ink-colored cloth robe, and because of her thin figure, the cloth robe seemed a little wide, and there was only one hair on top of her hair. Rough moiré wood hairpin.

Her face was delicate and quiet, with starry eyes and serious eyebrows.Outside the window, the smoke from various houses in the small town makes people feel that this girl is surrounded by spring smoke and mist, like a beautiful mountain, especially unapproachable.

Not to mention that her skin is like dense snow in a cold night, and with that ink coat on her skin, the color of her thin lips is like frost.

The girl picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip slowly.The demeanor is elegant, completely different from the rough clothing style.But his eyes kept looking at the gate of Wei's house.

At this time, the steward and others were returning from the outside, just as they stepped into the house, a wandering alchemist with white beard and white hair followed behind him.

The old alchemist was holding a fly whisk and a small peachwood box on his waist. He had a slightly hunched back, but his face was very benevolent, as if he had an established fairy style.

He stopped in front of Wei's house and looked up at the plaque on the door.After a while, he walked in.

The girl looked away.He picked up his chopsticks and ate by himself.He stayed until the dishes in front of him were empty, but he still had no intention of leaving.

I saw her sometimes in a daze, and sometimes frowning slightly, such a shallow emotional expression was fleeting, and most of the time she had no expression, showing a bit of arrogance.

After a long time, her fingers caressing the edge of the lamp suddenly stopped, and she turned her head slightly, and saw that the steward had sent the alchemist out of the door, and bowed to him repeatedly.The alchemist nodded with a smile, gave some advice, turned around and walked straight towards the tavern.

It was already dark at this time, and there were not many customers on the second floor of the tavern.

The shop waiter took the oil lamp and led the alchemist up to the second floor.The old alchemist sat down casually in a nearby corner, and said in a pleasant voice, "Second brother, here's a jug of good wine in the shop, and two dishes to go with the wine."

"Come on, wait a minute." The man went downstairs to prepare the dishes, and the upstairs was quiet again.

The old alchemist straightened his robe, raised his eyes and glanced casually, only to find that there was someone sitting at the opposite table.

Because the whole room was dimly lit, only my own table had an oil lamp, and the man was dressed in ink, so I didn't notice it for a while.

The old alchemist was startled suddenly, and when he regained his composure, he saw the girl gently looking up at the moon outside the window.

The moonlight condensed her face, and the outline of her face shrouded in soft light floated gracefully, as if there was an extraterrestrial tranquility in a dim world without knowing it.

The alchemist didn't know whether it was his own eyesight or the bright moon was too bright tonight.He lowered his head and rubbed his eyes, and when he raised his head again, the girl had already stood up, sized up the alchemist casually for a moment with clear eyes, and then went downstairs.

Unexpectedly, this old man with pale hair and weathered face was shuddered by the seemingly unintentional gaze of a little girl, his heart suddenly felt astonished, his shoulders tensed, and he sat up straight.Although the face is calm and composed, there are many twists and turns in the heart.

It wasn't until he stretched his head and watched the girl leave the tavern that the alchemist let his shoulders sag and heaved a sigh of relief.

Such a strange thing happened in the city, even though the neighbors in the street were very curious, when they gathered together after tea and dinner, they couldn't help talking about it a few times happily.

As soon as the night fell, even before the curfew time, the doors were hurriedly closed, lest they disturb the evil spirits in the city.

Surprisingly quiet, only the occasional barking of dogs in the deep alley, which makes people feel chills on their backs in this summer season, and feels like the chill of early spring.

However, the Wei residence at this moment is brightly lit and noisy with people's voices.The old alchemist who visited earlier lit up and down the gloomy Wei residence with just a few words.

Several wives and concubines gathered in the hall in twos and threes, chattering and pushing each other.The steward leaned against the doorway, listening to the commotion in the hall, his eyes dull.

"I think what happened to the master this time really seems to be a very evil thing. Otherwise, how could he be fine before he went out? He only wandered around the city for half a day, and he didn't have any conflicts with anyone on the way. He was out of breath when he came back. What the alchemist said, or It's true..."

"Since that's the case, the eldest lady is the main wife, and she has been with the master for the longest time. This matter is most suitable for the eldest lady."

"I'm going? The origin of this alchemist is unknown, and the method is not known. If there is a mistake, will your second aunt take care of the whole family? The calculation is good..."

"My lady is right. But... if it doesn't work, it's just a malfunction of the technique, and it shouldn't have a big impact on strangers.

In my opinion, the eighth younger sister is in her prime of youth, and she is stronger than us by how much, otherwise the eighth younger sister should go. "

"Hehe, Fang Xian can say that he needs to rely on his heart and breath, and a person who enters the acupoint. I just married into the family for less than a month, and the master often has social gatherings during this time...

But I heard that the master loved the fourth sister the most during his lifetime, and the fourth sister should be the one who has the most anger in the master. If the fourth sister goes, it will definitely get twice the result with half the effort! "

"Hey, what did you say? The old man just said... once... to have intercourse, and if you leave the master's essence, you can bring back your soul. I'm afraid that your friendship is not true, so it's more or less compared to this." Come?"

The steward at the door withered and leaned against the door, half listening and half ignoring.Compared with the noise of sparrows and doves gathering in the house, it looks especially depressed.

Xu Shi's quarrel became louder, he suddenly closed his eyes heavily, his brows were tightly frowned, he didn't know whether it was cold or sour, whether he was helpless or worried.

When he opened it again, he took a deep breath, poured all the coolness of the night into his body, and then let it out leisurely.He bowed his head and walked towards his house.

Three days later...

Early in the morning, the old alchemist came to the gate of Wei's house as scheduled.The servant at the door was waiting early in the morning, and when he saw someone coming, he hurriedly welcomed him in.

Before he entered the main hall, he was stopped by the steward under the eaves on one side: "Master Immortal, please speak here first."

The alchemist stopped in his tracks, and saw the steward standing a little awkwardly by the colonnade.Immediately, he rolled his eyes, thought for a while, then raised his feet and walked towards the steward.

The steward shunned the others and led the alchemist to a corner of the garden against the wall. After confirming that there was no one around, he only said: "Master..."

There is no text.

The alchemist asked doubtfully, "What is the matter in charge? But it doesn't matter."

The steward hesitated for a moment, then sighed deeply, and said: "The immortal master said last time that the master unintentionally collided with the gods, and was deprived of the rest of his life, so he will never come back.

If you want to be resurrected, you have to borrow it from the stranger—I don’t know if the immortal master can be sure of this art of borrowing life to return Yang? "

The alchemist raised his forehead and said without hesitation, "Ten percent..."

The steward took a deep breath, made up his mind, cupped his hands and said: "This old slave is willing to lend his life, and ask the immortal master to choose a day to practice the law."

"..." Hearing these words, the old alchemist was stunned, and although he was hunched over, he seemed to be leaning back slightly.

After a while, he realized that something was wrong, so he hurriedly stood still and restrained his strange thoughts.Cautiously ask: "But... this... divine energy..."

The steward hastily interrupted him: "Old slave... I have been the master's companion since I was a child... Although the master is not as good as Long Yang, when he was young, he was quite curious, so... it is understandable... "

"Uh... um..." The alchemist's heart was agitated when he heard it, and it was really unexpected.He didn't move rashly on his face, but it seemed more like he was holding back his desire to ask carefully.

The steward said earnestly: "I still hope the immortal master... I want to say something else for this old slave, don't let the wives know the truth..."

"Could it be that—" the alchemist had already guessed the follow-up to seven or eight points, "Madams don't want to lend a life of three to five years?"

The steward said frankly: "The wives are beautiful and young, and it is reasonable for such a thing to happen suddenly.

It's not like the old slave who is lonely and has no cares. In a few years, he will reach the age of knowing his destiny, and he will no longer have any desires and worries. The kindness of the old master Wei's adoption should also be repaid. "

The alchemist said clearly: "Okay. I'll tell people that the steward is devoted to the Wei family, values ​​love and righteousness, and is willing to try the technique first, in case the technique may be harmful to the wife—then you... prepare How many years do you borrow life?"

The steward bowed respectfully: "Thank you Immortal Master... I will lend you all."

The alchemist looked at the steward and nodded with admiration.Then I remembered something, and asked again: "Then... my Dharma reward..."

The steward said: "Don't worry, the immortal master, the 1000 taels of silver has been prepared by someone, and it will be handed over to the immortal master after the matter is completed."

"Okay. You go and prepare the altar incense burner, pen, inkstone and cinnabar. Three days later, on the night of the first seven days, I will come to open the altar and perform rituals. You can..." The alchemist walked over, his expression difficult to distinguish, and he lowered his voice, " Don't go back on your word."

"The old slave has made up his mind, and he will never go back on his word!"

The two returned to the inner hall and explained to their wives and concubines what they had just discussed.After hearing this, the women stared at each other in surprise, and when they understood, they forced the corners of their mouths to suppress the joy, changed into sad expressions, and expressed their reluctance to the steward one by one, grabbing their veils.

Seeing this scene, the alchemist silently left the house.

When people outside the courtyard saw such an out-of-this-world old alchemist walking out of the Wei family, they started talking about it.

The alchemist didn't take it seriously at first, and wanted to leave as soon as he took a step.Suddenly stopped again, and said loudly to the crowd: "In three days, you will be safe and sound, everyone, let's go."

After finishing speaking, he waved his whisk and strode out of the city.

Everyone reacted: "Is it really a monster?"

"Could it be that Master Wei is going to be saved?"

"Look at that old fairy has some skills."

"It's good to be safe, this way, we don't have to worry about it..."