Tai sui

"Huh—" Xi Ping frantically grabbed his suddenly mad horse.

The wind blown by the horse wiped off the "Mourning Words" on the ancient pagoda tree next to it, and the stinking, tattered white paper smeared onto Xi Ping's face.He grabbed the horse tightly with one hand, and tore off the torn paper with the other. Seeing that there was another masterpiece on it, he wrote:

Anle Township is a heap of beauties, and the jade bodies are laid out horizontally to peek at them at will.

In the coming year, the moss will be green, and there will be a few bastards and turtles.

Xi Ping: "Bah!"

The horse rushed forward a few feet, almost stepping on someone else's grave.Raising its front hooves high, it stared at a pair of big terrified eyes and broke the sound, neighing and braying.

It's a pity that the owner is not a bosom friend, didn't understand what it meant, and gave it a kick.

"Stupid thing, where are you going?"

The terrain in Anle Township is not complicated. There is a circle of artificially hewn stone roads around the cemetery, which can pass horse-drawn carriages. Inside are small dirt roads extending in all directions, trampled by those "sao people" who pay homage to the soul.

Jiang Li's carriage wasn't parked outside, so he must have entered the garden. When entering, the carriage can only walk on the outer stone pavement.Thinking of this, Xi Ping forced the horse to run by beating and cursing.

But as he ran, he felt something was wrong.

Anle Township... is it that big?

In Xi Ping's impression, it would take less than three minutes to walk around with the legs together, but he ran fast for half a day, but he didn't even complete a lap of the cobblestone road - he couldn't find the entrance he came in.

It was getting dark and the fog was getting thicker and thicker. Xi Ping had the illusion that the stone road in front of him had been cut off from head to tail by someone, forming an endless ring.Looking around, the vicissitudes of ancient locust trees and ancient cypresses are all carved out of the same mold. Thick fog fills the branches, and it is impossible to see anything three feet away, and the shadows of the trees have become ghosts.

The third time he passed a branching path, Xi Ping reined in his horse and muttered, "I always feel like I've seen this path several times, what do you think?"

With a two-foot-long face and a high-pitched voice, Ma Ma blew back to him again.

However, apart from this recurring small dirt road, there are no other branches on the unchanging stone road.

Xi Ping thought for a while: "Go, take a look... Hey, I say go!"

He went forward bravely, and his horse flinched desperately, refusing to move.

Xi Ping wrestled with it for a while, but he really couldn't do anything about this good-for-nothing beast, so he had to tie the horse to a tree by the roadside, and announced that this year's New Year's Eve dinner table in the Hou's mansion would have its "one place".

Then he tied up the corner of his robe, and walked in with his legs.

Xi Ping has heard of the legend of "ghosts hitting the wall", and if he foolishly detours here, he may go back to the year of the monkey.He wanted to go in and see who Fang Yangui coveted the young master's handsomeness and insisted on trapping him here.

Xi Ping didn't plan to stay out at night, and he didn't bring a lamp. He only had a two-inch emerald "tinder box" (note) on his body - usually used to light his grandmother's pipe.

He shook the tinder box, feeling that it was almost out of oil, he pressed the spring, and the moon-gold-plated gears carried fire steel, and it turned for a long time like an old donkey pulling a cart before it became a little hot, and the open flame could not be flicked out.Xi Ping picked up a wooden stick and tried it, but it was too wet to touch, so he threw it aside and walked blindly into the bushes.

He was not afraid, and he didn't pay attention to the large and small graves on both sides of the path.

The grove covered the cemetery from the sun all year round, and buried people who had never seen the sun all their lives.From birth to death, they seem to have just moved from one coffin to another, and they have been silent all the time, and they will continue to be silent in the absurd obscenity after death.As Xi Ping walked, he tore off the obscene poems hanging from the tree like ghosts hanging from the tree, thinking that if these ghosts were really the stuff of trouble, they should have revenged their grievances and vengeance, and they still use it in Anle Township to suffer this Waiting for birds?

Hitting the wall with a ghost to lure him over probably has a grievance to sue.

But the surroundings were still uncomfortably quiet, and dark, with constant stumbling underfoot.Xi Ping groped around cursing for a while, and felt that he was too irritable, and it was inappropriate to spout so many "lotus flowers" in front of the souls, so he planned to play a little song to calm down.

Suddenly, his mind was cramped, and he played the song "Revival Tune" that Wang Baochang and Dong Zhang sang before they died.

"Resurrection Tune" is passed down by word of mouth among the people, and there are many versions. There is roughly an outline, and the specific details have to be developed by yourself when you are mourning.

Among other things, the "Yu Gangong" version of "Revival Tune" is absolutely superior to others in the market in terms of melodiousness.

Just when Xi Ping was intoxicated with himself, suddenly, he found that his whistle had an "echo".

He stopped abruptly, but the "echo" stopped half a beat later, Xi Ping's scalp exploded, and he pressed down on the decorative sword at his waist.

Someone followed him quietly in the bushes, and even imitated him to whistle!

At the same time, the whistler who imitated him also knew that he had been discovered. There was a rustling sound in the bushes, and the man went deep into the forest!

Rao Xi Ping was a dog with a lot of guts, and his back was a little numb, and he instinctively wanted to run in the opposite direction.

But at this moment, he found a ray of light not far in front of him, pierced through the fog, and the sound of footsteps came towards him along with the sound of the light.

At one end was someone imitating him to whistle in the middle of the night in the bushes of the cemetery... I don’t know if it was a person or something, and at the other end was a person walking slowly along the road with a lamp. According to common sense, the latter is more normal no matter how you look at it.Maybe it was the grave sweeper who was trapped in the cemetery like him, or maybe he was about to leave them.

But in the blink of an eye, Xi Ping also turned around and went into the bushes.

He was born with better hearing and eyesight than ordinary people, plus he loved playing various musical instruments since he was a child, and he was very sensitive to sound. He could hear who made a wrong note from the ensemble of dozens of musicians and luthiers.As soon as the whistler who imitated him moved, he could tell from the movement that the other person was small in size, and ran quite panicked after being discovered.

But on the other hand, from the height of the lamp above the ground, one can roughly see the size of the lantern bearer. Neither Jiang Li nor the old man who guards the grave is so tall, let alone the hunchback driver.

You must know that this path in the forest is not as smooth as the stone road. Xi Ping sprained his feet several times, and with the heavy fog, even if there is a light, can the sound of footsteps be as stable as this?

Not knowing the depth, but at the same time sounding like it could at least be restrained with brute force, Xi Ping weighed it quickly, and decisively chose the soft persimmon.

He drilled into the dense forest, originally to avoid the lantern bearer, but the whistler who imitated him thought Xi Ping was chasing him, and started to run away crazily.When people are in a tense situation, their legs are often faster than their brains. If someone is chasing, they will instinctively run, and if someone runs, they will instinctively push up.When Xi Ping came to his senses, he had already followed the sound and chased him out.

He has tall legs and long legs, so he can run very well, but after chasing for a while, Xi Ping began to suspect that what he was chasing was a big horse monkey... It seemed to be only half a person tall, but it ran faster than a dog!

He couldn't help beating his heart, what kind of monster is this?

Suddenly, Xi Ping bumped an ancient tree root protruding from the ground, and flew out sideways, just in time to catch the fleeing black shadow.Taking advantage of the situation, he swung his saber and swept across a body, and grabbed it quickly with his eyes and hands, and the two of them fell to the ground together.

Then Xi Ping saw clearly the "thing" he had caught, and was shocked——

That was actually a child...a human child!

What he caught was a little boy with full horns combed. He might not be able to reach his waist when he stood up. His eyes were round and round like grapes. The eyes and eyebrows were far apart, and he was born with a surprised and ignorant expression.

In the middle of the night, how could a child wander around in a wild cemetery?

At this moment, Xi Ping heard the sound of a horse's hooves digging the ground not far away, and before he had time to look around, the child in his hand took a deep breath, as if about to shout.

Xi Ping held the child down, covered his mouth, and shot his eyes out of the gap in the dense forest with difficulty.It happened that a gust of wind came at this time, and the mist was thinned out a bit. Xi Ping narrowed his eyes and saw a familiar carriage.

The figure of the coachman was blurred, his back almost bent into a circle, he was a hunchback.

Lao Zhang?

The coachman is here, where is the master leaving?Is she in the car or nearby?

The shadow of the old coachman seemed to be wetted by the mist, entangled with the intertwined tree shadows in the forest, like a deformed ghost.

Before Xi Ping had time to take a closer look, a light fell into the corner of his eyes. He immediately lowered his breath and fell to the ground—just now he was chasing that weird child and got lost in the dense forest. Be careful back around the path.The lantern bearer was also coming this way.

The sound of heavy footsteps approached, and the silhouette of the lantern bearer gradually emerged.

The person who came was about the same as Xi Ping estimated, eight feet tall, covered with a big dusty cloak, walked unhurriedly past the bushes where Xi Ping was hiding, and walked in the direction of Lao Zhang.

As soon as he approached, Lao Zhang's horse was startled, its front hooves were almost a foot off the ground, and it neighed continuously.The old coachman groaned, clutching the rein with one hand, and forcibly nailed the horse in place.This pulling force was at least several hundred catties, but Xi Ping didn't wonder where the old man had such strength—he didn't bother to look at Lao Zhang at all.

He huddled among the bushes, the blood vessels in his neck were throbbing violently, forcing the blood all over his body to rush to his limbs - he could clearly see the face of the lantern bearer.

That man has no skin!

The face and hands of the lantern bearer were red and white, and bruises like spider webs crawled on the exposed flesh. Xi Ping, who happened to be in the downwind, smelled the choking blood on his body, and almost threw up on the spot!

Seeing this "monster" walking towards the carriage that was about to leave, Xi Ping's back suddenly tensed.

Jiang Li is just a weak girl, and her old coachman can only be a half-human envoy... What should I do?

Xi Ping gritted his teeth and squeezed the sword with one hand, collected himself, and stared at the back of the lantern bearer.Although he loved to be lazy since he was a child, and his martial arts skills were poor, at least he was a child of an aristocratic family who had practiced a little boxing and embroidering legs.

No matter how bad he is, he is still a vigorous young man, with his size and strength here!

He held his breath, and calculated how likely he was to kill the "monster" with a violent sword strike.

However, just as he was about to rush out, he saw the old coachman who was about to leave approaching him in three steps at a time, calling the lantern-carrying man and saying, "Sir, it's time to come!"

Xi Ping barely stopped himself, almost choking his breath.

What's the matter, are they together?

The old coachman asked eagerly, "The time is almost here, is there no one from Tianji Pavilion?"

The lantern bearer sighed: "Not yet, don't worry, a maze has been set up in the forest, once a monk breaks in, the maze bell will ring, don't be discouraged until the end."

These two asked and answered, Xi Ping didn't quite understand, but they seemed to be waiting for people from Tianji Pavilion... What are they waiting for in Tianji Pavilion?

What trouble did Jiang Li get into?

Seeing that the old coachman knew the lantern-carrier very well and was not afraid of him, Xi Ping was a little hesitant, and said to himself: Could it be that this is just a bad-looking man, but he is actually a good man?

The old coachman sighed again and again, and the lantern bearer comforted him again: "'Eighteen' sent a letter. Although '32' was martyred, everything went well with Jinping, and our people are also lying in ambush under the Qinglong Pagoda. Last night, the son-in-law It has already been taken to Tianji Pavilion, and the things that your 'fifty' girl lent him to bring to Tianji Pavilion must have been delivered. As long as they don't get home, they won't miss the message you left along the way. It's just those officials I've always been afraid of death, but now I'm afraid I'm still circling outside the forest."

What "eighteen", "32" and "fifty girls" were, Xi Ping was confused, but he vaguely felt that the "brother who was brought to Tianji Pavilion last night" in that population seemed... to be himself.

"The thing that the girl lent him to the Tianji Pavilion"... what?

Xi Ping touched his bosom with his hand, and said to himself: It can't be this piece of jade, can it?

But he didn't pay it!

Xi Ping didn't know what role he was assigned in it, but obviously, he didn't follow the script.

He was a little dazed for a moment, not knowing whether he did something bad with good intentions or good things with bad intentions.

Lao Zhang said sadly: "Thank you sir... Alas, in fact, we knew a long time ago that no matter how foolproof the plan is, there will be accidents. Last night'32' took a step ahead, and my girl is already...prepared. She will use her own flesh and blood to meet the gods if she doesn't come to the dog leg of Tianji Pavilion as a sacrifice."

Xi Ping: "..."

No, wait a minute!

What are these two "good guys" discussing about arresting?What are you doing?

"Brother 32 is fierce, girl [-] is righteous, it really embarrasses us who are trying to survive." The lantern bearer tapped his chest lightly with his fist, and said in a deep voice, "The fire won't go away, and the cicadas will make endless noises."

Lao Zhang suppressed his sobs, and replied in a low voice: "I would rather die than go against my will."

"The time is coming, Tai Sui is approaching, I can't delay any longer, I have to go to fill the formation for my comrades." The lantern bearer said, looking up at the sky.

The fog was so thick that it seemed to form a lump, and he didn't know what he could see... Maybe it was because his eyes without eyelids had a particularly bright field of vision.

"By the way," the lantern bearer walked a few steps forward, then remembered something, and turned back to Lao Zhang and said, "My slave has gone to play again, and I heard him playing "Revival Tune" just now, vaguely I ran this way, but now I can’t see the shadow again. This little thing went wrong when it was refined, and it’s always badly trained. If you see it, help me catch it, don’t let it run around and miss the big deal.”

Blow... revival tune?

"Slave"...

"Refining"...

These words, which didn't sound like good words at first, made Xi Ping realize something, and slowly, he lowered his gaze.

I saw the "child" whose mouth was covered by him grasping his arm with his small hands. Those hands felt extremely cold to the touch, and they were covered with rough...wood grains and knots!

The "child" folded straight from the middle, folded it again and again, retracted the wooden fingers one by one into the palm, rolled up from the elbow, and retracted all the way to the shoulder—— In a blink of an eye, the "child" turned into a square wooden stake below the head!

Xi Ping: "..."

What the hell is this thing!

The little monster took this opportunity to make a sudden struggle, the stake was very smooth, Xi Ping didn't hold it down, and let him... it rolled out of his hand.

It grinned—that mouth was incredible, it could fit a living human head into it, and there was a mouth full of fangs like a bed of nails!

"The moon is dark and the wind is high, so it's time to turn into a dead body." At this time, the voice of the lantern-carrier not far away floated down the wind, "The ghosts in Jinping City are walking at night tonight. How spectacular it can be depends entirely on that young master of the Hou Mansion."

The young master of the Hou's mansion who was "highly hoped for" was lying in a tree nest not far away, staring at a head growing on a wooden stake.

He took a deep breath, sucked his lips and whistled, ready to make a sound!

The author has something to say:

Tinder box - is a lighter.