Strange Tales: The Yin-Yang Celestial Master

The yard was full of various rockery and man-made landscapes. Seeing these, a familiar feeling immediately hit his heart, and Qi Buyang quickened his pace with excitement.As he walked further in, he also saw the pond that was once full of water lilies, but now it was almost dry, revealing the mud at the bottom of the pond and withered and broken stems.It seems that this place has been deserted for a long time, maybe since he came in last time, Grandpa has cast an enchantment, and this courtyard has been covered in dust since then.

This time, Qi Buyang is no longer the ignorant kid back then. He has already seen that the rockery around him is not just a simple landscape, but props for the formation. A maze, if you are not careful, you may be trapped in it forever.Thinking about it now, it was really lucky that he was able to find the inner courtyard when he passed here, but he was not so lucky when he came out, and was finally found by Granny Gui before he was able to escape.

Thinking of this, Qi Buyang became more afraid to be careless, observed carefully for a long time, and slowly drew a rough picture in his mind.He has seen this array in the book, the key lies in the eye of the array, as long as you find the eye of the array, you can find the way out, but where is the eye of the array...

He tried his best to search for useful information from his memory, and then sorted it out. Finally, he determined the route, so he held Luo Lang's hand and told him seriously: "Mr. Take a step, don't make a mistake."

Luo Lang nodded, feeling his hands trembling with tension, "If you are afraid, call my name loudly and rush over to hug me, then I will save you."

"Mr. Luo!" Qi Buyang glared at him angrily, and his nervousness subsided a lot.

Qi Buyang settled down, closed his eyes, took a deep breath at the same time, and said softly: "Let's go." Then he took Luo Lang to the front right for three consecutive steps, took another step back, and then walked forward fifteen steps.The strange thing is that, even though his eyes are closed, he seems to be able to see everything. Even a stone that suddenly appears under his feet can just avoid being tripped.

Repeated this several times, Qi Buyang stopped, and Luo Lang looked at the rockery wall blocking the way in front of him, wondering if he had taken the wrong way.At this time, Qi Buyang asked: "Mr. Luo, is there a dead end ahead?"

"Yes." Luo Lang replied.As for what Qi Buyang wants to do next, he has no idea at all, this kind of unknown is the easiest to arouse his curiosity.

"Okay, this is the formation eye, I hope it will be the same as the one in the book, and not be changed by grandpa." Qi Buyang prayed in his heart, and whispered the last formula——

"When you see the eye of the formation, the door of life will open." At the same time, he turned around with Luo Lang, and a straight path appeared in front of him, which happened to lead to another door opening.

Qi Buyang slowly opened his eyes, saw the opposite doorway and smiled happily, shaking Luo Lang's hand, "Mr. Luo, we succeeded!" Luo Lang was also surprised, how did this happen?He couldn't figure it out, and for the first time in his life, he felt that these Qimen Dunjia might be interesting.

It was the time when the sun was setting, and there was still half of the setting sun in the sky, which dyed the sky and clouds above their heads orange-red, and the surrounding light gradually became dim.The night was approaching, and their time was running out, Qi Buyang couldn't wait to pull Luo Lang to the courtyard he had searched for countless times.

The closer he got to the doorway, the faster his heart beat. I don't know if it changed inside?Is that woman from last time still there?Is she her own mother?If not... then who is she?Many questions popped up uncontrollably and huddled together in my mind.Standing at the door, he suddenly felt a little apprehensive and hesitated to go inside.

"I'm hungry." Luo Lang said suddenly, Qi Buyang turned his face to look at him pitifully, as if hoping to get some courage from him.

But Luo Lang couldn't help dragging him into the door, and repeated impatiently: "I said I'm hungry, so you settle it quickly, and then we can go eat."

"..."

Now that everyone has come in, Qi Buyang didn't think too much, and asked Luo Lang to wait for him outside, and walked into the courtyard alone.

The big pagoda tree that blocks the sun is still full of vitality, covering the whole yard under its dark shade. Next to the tree is a small gazebo.This place is almost the same as it was ten years ago, old and quiet, without any trace of the flow of time.

There is a row of old-fashioned wing rooms on the left, the wooden doors are closed, and it is unknown what is hidden inside.Qi Buyang walked to those old doors and swallowed. He didn't open it when he came last time, so he decided to go in and have a look this time.

Carefully pushing the door, the door slowly opened inward with a creak, the sound was particularly abrupt in the quiet courtyard.The first thing Qi Buyang saw was a black plaque hanging in the center, with four large characters on it - Yin and Yang Youdao.Rows of spiritual tablets with different names written on them were neatly placed under the plaque, and there were several fresh fruits on the altar table, and there was a long burning lamp on each side, and the candlelight was flickering slowly, reflecting his shadow on the wall.

Qi Buyang took a deep breath, stepped forward with bated breath, and glanced at the densely packed names, without exception, they were all surnamed "Qi".

He understood right away—this hidden and unremarkable courtyard turned out to be the Qi family's ancestral hall, where the ancestors of all generations were enshrined.Each of those silent spirit cards contained the aura of the ancestors of the Qi family. They looked at him and silently told the history and secrets of this ancient family.

Looking at the past one by one, Qi Buyang's eyes stopped on the last tablet, he stretched out his finger, and gently slid across the name——

Qi Fanyin.

He never met his father.

Because of the special nature of the Qi family, they never buried or erected tombstones. From the beginning of their ancestors, they only kept the ashes and tablets and hid them in the Qi family compound. Over time, this house became full of ghosts.So Qi Buyang has never even seen his parents' cemetery, let alone visited them.When he was a child, he pestered Uncle Qi to tell him the names of his parents. He secretly wrote them on paper, and imagined their appearance countless times. Now that he finally saw the spirit seat, his wish was forgotten.

At this moment, Qi Buyang heard a voice - "Are you here again?"

The voice was very pleasant, and there was a bit of surprise, which made him feel familiar.

Turning around suddenly, I saw a human figure floating outside the door, the outline was a little blurry, but it was still a woman.He hurried over, and the woman's face gradually became clearer: soft long hair, a haggard face, a pair of beautiful big eyes, and she was looking at him tenderly at this moment.On this face, he could vaguely find his own shadow.

Finally standing in front of the other party, Qi Buyang became at a loss and looked up at her blankly, not knowing what to say.

The woman couldn't help laughing, and looked at him carefully, "You have grown taller."

"I, I'm going to be 17 soon!" Qi Buyang told her stammeringly.

"Really, it's been such a long time." The woman sighed softly, looking a little lonely, "You were only six years old when you came here last time."

"I didn't mean not to come for such a long time!" He quickly explained: "Grandpa added a seal, I can't find it here..."

The woman shook her head and interrupted him, "I'm glad you can come."

"You...you..." Qi Buyang hesitated to speak.The woman blinked, as if encouraging him to speak, but he didn't know how to speak.In fact, he wanted to ask: Are you my mother?But in the face of a strange and familiar person, or even only met once, I really couldn't open my mouth, and finally I could only stammer and say, "How are you... how are you doing here?"

"Okay." The woman turned around in a circle, looked at the old tree, pavilion and ancestral hall one by one, and replied with satisfaction: "This is my home, I am at home with my lover, what's wrong?" ?”

Qi Buyang fell silent, not knowing what to say.

The woman smiled thoughtfully, and chatted with him about his growth, the six years he spent in the ancestral house, the strict teachings of his grandfather, the classics and ancient books that gave him a headache, and his lonely childhood.

"So have you made friends now?" the woman asked.She remembered that when Qi Buyang came here six years ago, he was a thin and small child, shy and well-behaved, very easily shy.Such a child sat in the gazebo and chatted with her all afternoon, and then reluctantly went back until dark. Before leaving, he promised that he would definitely come back the next day, but he never appeared again after that.

After so many years, she still couldn't forget the lonely expression on the child's face when he broke in alone. She was always worried—is he still lonely now?Did anyone get him off that look?

All these questions seemed to have been answered the moment they met Qi Buyang.This lovely child is different from before. Although I don't know who made him change, this change is undoubtedly gratifying.

The woman's question made Qi Buyang think of Luo Lang and Qi Mu who had passed away. Although Qi Mu's departure made him sad, there was still Luo Lang by his side.He was suddenly very glad that Luo Lang came back early, so that he could get to know him again before returning his soul, and he would not have to walk the last journey of his life alone.

Thinking of this, Qi Buyang smiled and replied affirmatively: "Of course, I have a very good friend now." In order not to worry the other party, he did not mention the 17-year agreement.

Sure enough, the woman was very happy to hear this answer, and said nostalgicly: "I also had a very good friend before."

She never talked about herself, so Qi Buyang was very curious, and hurriedly asked: "What kind of person is your friend?"

"She is very strong, and she has gone through many hardships without depression. When I met her, she was living in a book, which I discovered by accident, and it was in the library." At this point, the woman said to him mischievously Sticking out their tongues, they all knew that there were many precious classics in the library, and people outside the head family could not enter casually. "To be precise, she is not a person, but a ghost, but this does not prevent us from becoming good friends. Later, when I became pregnant, she was also very happy. Speaking of which, we also agreed at that time that she would do sex after the baby was born. Godmother, it's a pity that I don't have a chance..." At this point, the woman gave a wry smile of regret and didn't continue.

Qi Buyang listened blankly, and felt more and more that the woman in front of him was his mother, and her every frown, smile, and gesture made him feel familiar and kind.Although he had never seen his mother with his own eyes, this feeling was innate, so he couldn't help but called softly: "Mom..."

The voice was very weak, but it was still heard by the other party.The woman froze suddenly, and asked him incredulously, "What did you call me?"

Qi Buyang blushed, and the flame of hope in his heart was extinguished in an instant, so he could only apologize in a panic: "I'm sorry! I just feel... feel..."

"What do you think?"

"You are very much like my mother..." His voice became smaller and smaller, and finally he was speechless in embarrassment.

The woman continued to ask: "Why do you think I look like your mother? Have you met your mother?"

Qi Buyang shook his head in disappointment.

"Your mother... must love you very much. If she knows that you are so good, she must... like you more than me." The woman looked at him deeply, as if there were thousands of words in her eyes, but those words were hidden. It was too deep, Qi Buyang didn't quite understand, he only saw the other party stretch out his hand, wanting to touch him for the first time, but the trembling fingertips passed through his face.

Such a result seemed to be expected, she just closed her eyes and shook her head, sighing heavily, "It's getting dark, you should go back quickly, it's easy to get lost at night."

Qi Buyang looked at the sky and saw that it was indeed getting late, so he could only ask her: "Will you still be here in the future?"

The woman thought about it and just said, "Maybe."

"Then, if you are here, can I visit you often?"

The woman smiled, "Of course, as long as I'm here."

Qi Buyang nodded and left.

Luo Lang stood guard at the gate of the courtyard, and when he saw Qi Buyang walking out dejectedly, he knew that the result might not be good.Sure enough, Qi Buyang walked in front of him, bit his lip in grievance, and whispered: "Mr. Luo, what should I do... I... I still don't have a mother."

"Didn't you know about this when you were a child?"

Qi Buyang raised his head and stared at him sadly.

Luo Lang hugged him, turned around and walked back, complaining as he walked: "Why are you not yet 17 years old? I will draw out the original soul as soon as it is due, so as to save you from thinking wildly all day long and leaving me without food." .”

"..."

Right behind them, in the yard they had just left, a skinny figure slowly walked out from the corner, holding a basket in his hand, it turned out to be Granny Gui.

The old man looked at the courtyard door, shook his head and said, "The young master spent so much effort looking for you, why didn't you tell him?"

The woman floated to her side, also looking at the direction Qi Buyang left, with a firm expression on her face, but a somewhat helpless tone: "Mother-in-law, you also know that my soul is incomplete, if it wasn't for Bu Yang's grandfather who put the most yin energy The ancestral hall was sealed and let me stay here, maybe my soul has been scattered. In the past few years, my soul has become thinner and thinner. Did you see it just now? I can’t touch the second floor of him, so I probably won’t last long... If that's the case, why let him down again?"

"Oh..." Granny Gui sighed and stopped talking.

The woman smiled gratefully at her, "Thank you, mother-in-law, please come and see me."

"What are you talking about!" The old man frowned disapprovingly, "You are my young mistress, you should have served me well, but you can only bring some sacrifices..."

"For so many years, it depends on you to tell me the news about Bu Yang. Knowing that he is fine now, I have nothing to worry about. By the way, is Bu Yang's friend surnamed Luo treating him well?"

"Young Mistress, don't worry about it." Granny Gui said with a smile, "The two young people are in a good relationship!"

"That's fine, that's fine..."

The woman nodded and looked back at the ancestral hall.The two people she cares about most in this world, one just left, and the other stayed here forever.But she herself was stuck in the gap between yin and yang, neither able to recognize each other nor follow each other.

But such days may be over soon, there will be such a day.