[Onmyoji] Bo Qing

"Hey, Qingming, have you heard about that incident?" Boya suddenly asked worriedly after the wine and fish were almost eaten.

"What's the matter?" Qingming asked with a smile, "you won't forget that I just returned to the capital yesterday, right? Even if there's something, I can't know it right away, let alone you came here early in the morning, and I don't have time to find out What news."

"Four nights ago, 'Red-haired Ghost Inumaro' broke into the oil store. He killed the women and children there, and ran away without stealing anything. Everyone thought he would leave the capital for a while because of this, but in the end The capital captured him."

Of course, the red-haired ghost dog Maro mentioned by Boya is not a real ghost, but a robber.He was a gray-haired man in his fifties, a monk from a monastery called Saiunji in Harima.Once, he made trouble for money and stole the pure gold statue of the main Buddha, Tathagata, so he became a thief.

Burglary is sure to kill, this is what this Inumaro did.By killing people, you can leisurely search for money in houses where there are no survivors.However, there will still be people who hide in the dark and survive.Among these people, someone saw Inuma Lu splashed with the blood of the victim, with his head and face flushed red. Since then, he has been called a "red-haired ghost".

"Where in the capital?"

"He was arrested when he was wandering around the intersection of Xijingji in despair. At that time, he was carrying a blood-stained knife, and the blood of the victim was also splashed on his clothes." Boya said: "Actually, there was news two days ago that there was There was a man who looked like Inumaro wandering around with a bloody knife in his hand. I don’t know if it’s real or not. It turned out to be real, and he was actually arrested yesterday morning.”

"This is a good thing." "A good thing is a good thing. But this guy, Inumaro, seems to be possessed by a ghost."

"ghost?"

"It seems that since the night when he broke into the oil store, he has been wandering around without eating or drinking. When he was caught, he even looked irresistible."

"Oh. Then why do you say he is possessed by a ghost?"

"He was talking in his sleep in the prison. Almost all of them were vague sleep talks like your spells, but trying to connect and analyze them, it seems that this Inumaro met a ghost on Suzaku Avenue after he escaped from the oil shop. gone."

"Meet a ghost?"

"A ghost riding in an ox cart." Hiroya told Seimei what happened after stringing together Inumaro's dream stories.

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late at night.It was half past Hai hour.

The silver-white moon on the fourteenth night hangs in half the sky.

The red-haired ghost dog Maro was barefoot.Bare feet stomped on his own projection.

It was already the middle of October in the lunar calendar, and it was very cold to step on the ground with bare feet.His hem was ragged and straight, because it was rolled up to the waist, and the knees were exposed to the night wind.Although Frost's Fall had not yet arrived, for Inumaro who was over fifty years old, the cold wind was already blowing his bones.

His right hand still held the bloody long knife.

"Bah!" Inumaro yelled mockingly.It's still past the age of fifty, and it can't be as fast as before.As he muttered one more time, Inumaro slowed down.

No one caught up.Inumaro lowered his drooping hem as he walked.Just as he was about to retract the scabbard, he stopped in his tracks.

It's not because you can't retract the scabbard if you don't stop, but because you see something strange in front of you—a mass of blue light.

Dim light—as if the moonlight falling from the sky condensed into a bluish-white piece there.

"Is it an ox cart?" Inumaro wondered.

On the south side of Suzaku Road - in the direction of Luocheng Gate, an ox cart was parked towards Inumaro.

no cattle.Only carts drawn by oxen.

Why are bullock carts parked in such a place?While thinking this way, Inumaro held his breath suddenly.It turned out that the bullock cart that seemed to be parked there was actually moving.Moreover, it was walking straight towards Inumaro.

Squeak, squeak...a faint sound could be heard, it was the sound of the axle turning.

That voice, together with the ox cart, approached Inumaro in the darkness.

Squeak, squeak... the ox cart initially seems to stand still because it moves extremely slowly.

Inumaro's tongue froze.

Why does a car move forward without traction?Inumaro took half a step back.He saw two figures vaguely appearing on both sides of the bullock cart.

On the right side of the bullock cart—that is, in the left front of Inumaro, there is a black figure.

On the left side of the bullock cart—that is, in front of Inumaro to the right—is a white figure.

Really encountered a strange thing.

Even though it was nighttime, black and white silhouettes looked equally clear.Both figures were vaguely floating in the air.It was as if the moonlight falling from the sky covered them. ——Those are not from the world! Inumaro thought, they must be monsters!

squeak.Squeak...the ox cart and the two figures slowly approached like walking in a cloud.

Because he always steals in the dead of night, Inumaro has encountered strange things several times so far.

The faintly flickering will-o'-the-wisp; the sound of footsteps chasing after no one can be seen; under the collapsed gate, the old woman pulling hair from the abandoned female corpse one by one; crying on the side of the road late at night A naked child who has lost his eyeballs... However, no encounter in the past has been as weird as this night.

However, Inumaro is a bold person after all.He knew very well that no matter whether the other party was a ghost or a vixen, if he was afraid and flinched, it would only make things worse.

Squeak, squeak... The ox cart approached, and Inumaro stepped forward with the leg that had been retreated just now.

The distance between the bullock cart and Inumaro has been reduced to half of what it was before.

The black figure is a man.It was a samurai wearing a black vertical.There is a long knife hanging on his right waist, and his gait is leisurely.The white figure was a woman in light travel clothes.She is wearing a white singlet.A white smock, with two hands holding the smock.It also steps forward solemnly, as if dancing in the air.

There was no sound of footsteps, nor the sound of cars rolling over the mud, only the creaking of cars.

Finally, when the car came in front of him, Inumaro held up his long sword. "Where are you going?" Inumaro asked in a low voice.

Weak foxes and the like, if they are drunk like this, they will run away immediately.

However, the other party did not answer.A group of men, women, and cars, moved forward leisurely as always.

"Where are you going?" Inumaro asked again with his sword raised in his right hand.

"Go to Da Nei." A woman's voice came.

from inside the car.

The car curtain was lifted slightly, revealing a pretty woman's face, in terms of age, she should be around 27 or [-].Plump lips, watery eyes, wearing Tang clothes.I don't know what kind of incense is burning.Inumaro only felt the rich fragrance coming to his nostrils.

The curtain was lowered, and the woman's face disappeared immediately.

Inumaro still had that aroma in his nostrils.

The bullock cart has arrived.The yoke of the rickety cart, which was not covered with oxen but was dangling, came before him.Inumaro, who was standing with his legs apart and his sword raised, suddenly saw something creepy tied to the yoke of the cart.

It was a bunch of long black woman's hair.

"Oops!" Inumaro yelled, rolling to the ground.

The bullock cart passed by him solemnly.The original tangy fragrance has now become rancid.

----------Dividing line----------

"Did that woman say 'go to Ouchi'?" Qingming asked Boya with great interest.

"It seems to say so."

"Then has she come to Da Nei?"

"I didn't come. Because I didn't hear anything about her. But later, it is said that the bullock cart disappeared. It seems that after passing by Inumaro, I walked forward to the Hachijo-dori area and disappeared there."

"Did Inumaro see it?"

"It seems to be. He followed the oxcart along Suzaku Avenue, and when he was approaching Hachijo Avenue, he suddenly disappeared there." "What about Inumaro?"

"Dead. Died last night."

"Isn't it the night of the arrest?"

"That's right. He was already running a high fever when he was arrested, and his body was as hot as fire. It became more serious at night. It is said that he finally died of shaking while shouting 'so cold, so cold'."

"It's pretty scary."

"Hey, Seimei..."

"what's up?"

"About that ox cart, I don't think Inumaro is lying. In fact, there is another person who has seen a similar ox cart." Boya hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice and continued: "My acquaintance There is one named Fujiwara Chenghei, a courtier. This guy likes women, and he is merciful everywhere, and comes to seek sex. This Chengping said that he also saw it. Just three nights ago, that is, Inuma Lu Chuangrenyou The next night at the store."

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The woman Chengping was looking for lived in Xijingji, because he made a mistake a few days ago and wrote to two women, and they made an appointment to come to the door on the same night, so he had to write to one of them, saying yes I couldn't go to compose waka, so I didn't go out until around Haishi.

His car hurried along Suzaku Avenue, and at the place where it crossed Qitiao Avenue, it met the ox cart that was not pulled by an ox...

The first thing he noticed was the three followers he brought.

It happened to be the night when it just started to rain, and the rain was as fine as fog.fills the night air.It was a night when the moon was invisible and the eyes were darkened.The entourages were walking at night with lamps in their hands. At this moment, they suddenly noticed that there was a lamp approaching in the direction of Luocheng Gate.

hazy light.

Squeak, squeak... There was also the sound of the axle turning.

Why is there light when there is no light?Approaching, is a bullock cart.But there was no bull on the yoke.There is no ox pulling, but the ox cart is approaching.

On the left and right sides of the bullock cart, there is a man in black slacks and a woman in white singlet and white smock.Together with the ox cart, they walked towards this side.

"It's strange..." Cheng Ping got the report, raised the curtain and looked out, still muttering.

The bullock cart was getting closer.

"Master Chengping, if you encounter a monster, it's better to leave early." Just as the followers were begging, the cow pulling Chengping's cart suddenly lost his temper. It twisted its head and wanted to escape to the side.

The ox was so strong that it pulled the cart aside, broke a shaft, and the ox cart rolled over on its side.At this moment, the yoke fell off, and the ox took the opportunity to escape.Among the three followers.Two of them also yelled and ran away with the cow.

Chengping climbed out of the overturned car.He was covered in mud because the rain had soaked the mud.Because the car was pressed on top of a torch thrown away by a follower when he fled, the curtain caught fire, and the flat car caught fire and burned.

The ox cart that came leisurely stopped in front of Chengping.At this time, a clear female voice came from inside the bullock cart: "Can you step aside?" But + Chengping couldn't move.Because he was paralyzed.

"It's so late at night. A girl's house, where are you going?" Cheng Ping couldn't move, but he still asked stiffly.

At this time.The curtain was lifted slightly, revealing a woman's face.Her complexion was astonishingly clear.The woman's red lips parted lightly: "I'm going to Ouchi." The woman's plump lips spit out a voiceless sound.

The woman was wearing a gorgeous women's dress, and the sweet fragrance spread to Chengping's nostrils.

The burning car in the rain reflects all this.

At this time, Cheng Ping still couldn't move.

Cheng Ping, who was about to struggle to get up, saw something tied to the yoke—a woman with long black hair.With such a tuft of hair tied to the yoke.

Seeing this thing, Cheng Ping's waist went limp again.

"Why, how..." He yelled, but because he was too scared, his mind went blank.The beautiful woman and the soft words are becoming more and more frightening.

"It's on the way of the seven-day visit." When the woman spoke, the men and women on both sides were silent.

At this time, the attendant who was watching all this pulled out a knife from his waist.

"Ah—" the attendant closed his eyes and yelled, slashing at the opponent's car.The curtain "cracked" and the knife stabbed into the car.

Gege—there was such a sound from inside the car.

The woman gripped the blade inserted into the curtain with her teeth.No, it was no longer a woman at this time.She has turned into a red-eyed blue ghost, still wearing a gorgeous dress.

"Ouch!" the woman in white singlet and smock barked.Seeing her become four-legged.Her smock also came off.

The woman has a white dog's head.The face of the man standing on the other side in black vertical clothes also turned into the face of a black dog.

Immediately, two vicious dogs rushed to the attendant who was wielding the knife, bit off his head and tore his limbs.Then, two dogs devoured his body.Not even a bone remained.

Chengping crawled on all fours and escaped.

When the sound of chewing the bones and meat of his followers came from behind him, Cheng Ping couldn't help but stand on end.The two dogs regained their adult form and stood beside the bullock cart.

Squeak, squeak...the bullock cart moved again.

The bullock cart overtook Cheng Ping, who had crawled away, and when they came to Qitiao Avenue, suddenly, the bullock cart and the couple disappeared without a trace.

--------split line--------

"Chengping is lying at home right now and has a fever." Boya said while crossing his arms.

"It should be the miasma, and it's the same as the death of the miasma in Inumaro." "Will Chenghei die too?" "No, he probably won't die. Didn't Inumaro just kill two people, Was there blood splashed on him?" "Yeah." "At that time, Inumaro was in a state where he was particularly prone to miasma, but Chenghei was not like that. If he lay down for five days, he should be fine." Seimei said , pouring wine into the empty wine glass.

"Did the woman say 'going to Ouchi'?" "Yes." "She said it would take seven days?" Qingming raised the wine glass to her lips as if talking to herself. "interesting."

"Is it just interesting? I was worrying about this matter whether I should report this matter to the Holy One." Boya sighed: "Yesterday, I was called by Chengping to tell me what happened just now. He asked me what happened. Do it. Therefore, I am the only one who knows about this matter now. So I have come to discuss with you. The sleep talk of the thief may have reached the ears of the Holy Majesty. The reason why you have not been called is that the Holy Majesty I don’t really care about it. However, if the Holy Majesty knows that a courtier has encountered the same thing, and one of his followers has been eaten, the Holy Majesty will also be disturbed.”

"Why haven't you told the Holy One yet?"

"No, it's actually like this—didn't I say that Cheng Ping is a womanizer?" Boya said: "This guy Cheng Ping lied to the Holy Spirit that night and ran out to meet women. That night was the night of full moon. According to As far as I know, there is a waka competition while admiring the moon on Qingliang Temple... If you can’t see the moon, then you can perform waka without seeing the moon. Chengping was originally scheduled to attend this waka competition.”

"That guy, Chengping, completely forgot about this matter, and set a date for a tryst with the woman." So, he had to send a person to Qingliang Hall to report that he was bedridden due to a sudden illness, and could not attend the waka competition. One or two wakas in the new work, and a mirror compared to the moon... The content of the wakas is-tonight, the waka competition cannot be held because the clouds appear and the moon is hidden.So I went to the cloud to get the moon.Because of being in the wind for a long time, I suddenly had a fever due to the unbearable cold.Although I can't attend, I will send this month to show my ambition. "

"So, you know, Qingming, if you report the ghost, his lying will be exposed. That's why Chengping asked me to discuss it. Hey, Qingming, what should we do about this matter?"

"Well, if I can't see the bullock cart with my own eyes, I can't say anything now." Qingming smiled and asked, "How about tomorrow night?"

"Can we see it tomorrow night?"

"Maybe at the intersection of Suzaku Avenue and Santiao Avenue, you can see it at [-]:[-]."

"How could you expect that?"

"Well, didn't that woman say that it took seven days to go to Ouchi?" Qingming explained: "On the first night, it appeared on Eight Avenues, and on the following nights at Seven Avenues. During this period, the ox carts traveled from Suzaku Avenue to Walking in the direction of Ouchi. In this way, if someone didn’t happen to see it, I can’t be very sure, but it can be said that the third day is six avenues, the fourth day is five avenues. The fifth day is tonight, it should be It’s four avenues.”

"It makes sense, it's true. But, Qingming, if that's the case, why didn't the ox cart pass through the Luocheng Gate and enter the Suzaku Gate in Ouchi in one day?"

"Oh, maybe the other party has its own arrangements."

"In this way, if we don't care about it, the day after tomorrow—that is, on the night of the seventh day, the ox cart will be in front of the Suzaku Gate in Ouchi."

"It should be like this." Hearing Qingming's answer, Boya hugged her arms even harder and stared at the courtyard.

"This matter is troublesome." Boya muttered looking at the courtyard that was getting darker. "If the situation is not good, you have to explain the reason to the Holy Majesty, do it well in advance, and prepare special measures. That's your job, and it's all up to you. Actually, Qingming, I have another thing to think about." Discuss with you."

"what's up?"

"There is something I need to explain to you." Boya scratched his head, a little at a loss: "Actually, it's a letter from a woman——I received Waka. However, I received it. I don't know anything about Waka. Because Waka is the same as your spells, too troublesome."

Seimei just smiled at this.

Sitting there was the burly Boya. He was rude on the surface, and he seemed helpless with Waka and the like.However, once he plays the flute, he can play an impressive tone.

"I really don't understand the elegance of waka." Boya murmured.

"When did you receive it?"

"Oh, I remember clearly—it was the afternoon of four days ago. At that time, I was holding the "Heart Sutra" copied by the Holy One in my hand, and was going to the East Temple. I had just left Qingliang Hall and walked through the Chengming Gate Suddenly, a seven or eight-year-old girl ran out from the shade of the cherry tree in front of the Zichen Palace, and stuffed the letter into my hand. Qingming, there is actually a gentian flower pinned to the letter..."

"Hehe." Qingming smiled happily, looking at Boya.Boya seemed to be aware of Seimei's gaze.A thicker expression appeared on his face.

"When I saw the letter and the flowers clearly, and looked up again, the girl had disappeared." Boya was very troubled and confused: "There is no reason why such a girl would be alone in that kind of place, so it should be someone It was brought into Ouchi by the honorable Miss Princess. At that time, I opened the letter in my hand and read it. It was written with waka."

"Hey. Let me see that waka." After Qingming said this, Boya took out the letter from his bosom and handed it to Qingming.

Pulling a cart is always a cow.Why is the car here?Waka is written in women's script.

"Hahaha, that's true." Qingming nodded while reading.

"What do you mean? What is true?"

"You are ungrateful to a certain woman..."

"Thinking? I don't remember such a thing. Only women are stingy to me, not me to them." Boya said with a blushing face. "Seimei, tell me, what is written on it? I just don't understand the meaning of these waka. After all, I have nothing to do with these things. I can't learn the elegant things of using metaphoric waka to communicate with each other. If you like it Say you like it, if you hold my hand or I hold your hand, it will be very clear. Hey, Seimei, stop pretending, and interpret this waka for me..." Boya's face flushed even more.

Qingming looked at him with great interest, and said, "This is a waka composed by a woman, which means to hold resentment towards a fickle man..."

"Scared me—but, Seimei, how did you read that?"

"This woman is angry with the man who comes here occasionally..." "In short, what does it mean to be awkward?" Urgent, listen to me. Men go to women by car. Cars are also pulled by people, but here they are pulled by oxen, which is ox carts. The carts are harnessed to oxen, and the oxen pull the carts." "And then? ""So, I borrowed the matter of harnessing the cow to the cart, and said to her man: "It's 'niu' (homonymous with "worry") that is in my heart." "Oh..." Boya's voice was loud up.

"This waka itself has kindly provided hints related to the answer..." "The answer?" "That's right. She wrote 'Che He Nian Here'. When you get here, if you don't put 'ox' Interpreted as 'worry', then..." Qingming stopped here.

"What will happen if you don't understand these things, Seimei?" "It's okay. You Boya should be able to understand these things." "Are you laughing at me?" "No. I have always liked you like this. You just like this Very good..." "Oh." Boya snorted dubiously.

"Hey, Boya, do you have any impression of this waka?" "No." Boya said with certainty.

"However. I still remembered one thing." "What is it?"

"I just remembered it when I was explaining waka to you. Because you got this waka on the day when the ox cart without oxen appeared. I don't know if there is any connection here?"

"I don't know either. I don't know what secrets are hidden in the gentian flowers attached to the letter." When Qingming looked at Boya, a coldness flashed in his eyes, and the smile on his face became more reserved: "In short , go to see the bullock cart tomorrow night. How about it, do you want to go with me?"

"go!"

That's how things settled.

After sending Boya out the door, Qingming looked at the door and smiled coldly, but then he felt puzzled again.

"Could it be that I mistaken the person? In fact, mine...isn't Yuan Boya?" Qingming muttered, frowning tightly.

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