What exactly is Huang Wei’s business? He kept it secret and asked everyone to wait for news from him.
You can wait for the news, but your belly can't wait.
The other ghosts were selling their characters and their strength, while Li Changan picked up a long flag and walked around the streets selling talismans. He thought to himself, with Qian Tang's style, wouldn't it be possible to do a lot in the vast world?
Ever since.
One day at Zhongmiaofang Pier.
Cars, boats, and pedestrians are just like the mighty water of the river that never stops for a day.
Er.
Beep, beep~ A group of government officials rushed in with bamboo whistles, like a big stone hitting the river, creating a chaotic wave.
"Quick! Don't let that guy run away again!"
"Damn that fake nose, Grandpa caught him and had to skin him!"
The storm came and went again, leaving Li Changan alone with his head tilted up and watching their backs, his eyes full of melancholy.
"Dao Ren Li," the stall owner selling steamed buns next to him asked angrily, "Is it your boy who sold fake charms to attract official officials again?"
Li Changan glanced at him.
"It's not your fault that you're blind, but it's your fault that you're full of farts. How has Pindao ever sold fake charms?"
The vendors doing business around him laughed happily after hearing this.
"A bull's-head but a sharp-tongued mouth?"
"Your yellow talisman doesn't even have a stamp, and you're saying it's not a fake talisman?"
"The official doesn't catch others, but he only chases you away?"
Amid the commotion, the bun seller pulled off the yellow talisman attached to the stall and showed it to the Taoist priest.
"Look clearly. I just asked for the 'Wealth Talisman' from Zhongmiao Temple last month. I saw the cinnabar red seal on the head of the talisman? This is a serious talisman!"
Of course Li Changan saw it clearly. Not only did he clearly see the Taoist talisman officially certified by the Monk Temple, he also saw clearly a line of large characters scrawled on the yellow talisman: The general is here.
This is clearly another corpse-killing talisman! As a bun seller, you stick to this thing every day. What’s wrong? Can the stuffing of your buns be used to fake corpses?
Our local counterparts are really... Li Changan hesitated to speak, and finally said in dismay, his interest waning:
"steamed stuffed bun."
The bun seller won the victory, smiled crazily, and carefully put up the yellow charm: "What kind of stuffing?"
"Cooking."
"Eight articles."
"What the donkey said! The price of Dogecoin has increased again."
"You talk like a donkey but don't talk like a dog. Are you a monk? The fart buns are at this price, why don't you buy them?!"
Yes, half a day's hard work has filled my belly.
Li Changan muttered and took out his bag. The bun seller glanced at it and opened the steamer with a smile. The big white buns were steaming with grains of cinnabar moles on top.
"Taoist priest, Taoist priest!"
There was a shout from afar, and when Li Changan saw it, he saw that it was the youngest among the country men, his name was Dahan. He had been following Huang Wei these days. Since he came to look for himself, could it be...
"Brother Huang asked me to tell you that the matter is settled and I want you to go and have a feast."
Li Changan turned around and saw that the stall owner had already picked out the big cinnabar buns.
"Seven articles?"
"Pooh!"
…
The place where the banquet was held was in a wealthy family's house in Deshoufang in the west of the city. From a distance, one could see that the lintel of his house was hung with white flags, white cloth, and white lanterns. The Chinese character "Dian" made of silk cloth was particularly conspicuous.
Zhang Liushui noodles were placed from the courtyard to the street.
Huangwei and other ghosts had occupied a table early, and came to greet them from afar.
The Taoist priest and Dahan went over and sat down.
"Business……"
"Don't worry, eat first."
Li Changan followed the good example and picked up the chopsticks, but frowned.
The dishes on the table are completely opposite to the ostentation.
There were eight dishes, with many vegetarian dishes and few meat dishes, except for the three-piece set of chicken, duck and fish placed on a white porcelain plate with silver thread inlaid with auspicious clouds in the middle of the table. Steamed river fish, roasted chicken with sauce, and white teal duck were all bright in color, plump and pleasant to look at.
Makes people drool.
The big guy was the most greedy. He looked straight at him. The fellow villager twisted his thigh and whispered: "The Taoist priest and the others didn't even use their chopsticks. You should quickly hold back your greedy water."
He raised his eyes and saw that, sure enough, Li Changan, Huang Wei, the old shopkeeper, and the scholar were all shaking their chopsticks, but they didn't even touch the chicken, duck or fish.
But he was really greedy and thought to himself: If they don't want to eat, why can't I eat too?
It happened that the host came out to distribute drinks and started talking about the scene.
Everyone's attention was drawn to it, and he couldn't bear it anymore. He stuck out his chopsticks towards the fish's tail, but without thinking, he hesitated to poke it.
At this time, the host had finished speaking. He became anxious and took the whole fish into the bowl. He ignored it and immersed himself in taking a bite.
Karma~
Fish are tougher than teeth!
He immediately covered his cheeks and screamed, and the fish landed straight on the table, making an "empty" sound. There was a huge tooth mark on the fish's body, revealing the color of the wood soaked in the soup.
Eyes from all directions were directed at him, and Huang Wei hurriedly stood up, bending down and apologizing.
Li Changan suppressed his laughter, took the fish back to the plate, turned it over to hide the tooth marks, and whispered:
"You are really stupid! This is called 'looking at the food'. The fish is carved from wood; the chicken is made from clay. You can only look at it, but not eat it."
Dahan heard this and looked around.
There were chickens, ducks and fish on the tables, but no one touched the chickens, ducks and fish. Some people pointed at him and laughed at him. They were laughing at him for being a country bumpkin!
He was in pain, ashamed and annoyed, and said gloomily: "If you can't eat it, why put it on the table?"
"For the sake of face."
"Everyone knows it's fake, so what kind of face do you have?"
Huang Wei gave him a piece of tofu. Although it was not meat, it was full of fat.
Meaningful:
"If fakeness is not face, then where will our business come from?"
…
After eating the feast, it is time to carry the coffin and bury it.
The ghosts sneaked into the funeral procession.
Li Chang'an was tall and handsome, and got the job of holding the long flag at the front of the team; Huang Tail was awake, dressed in sackcloth and mourning, and hid among his filial sons and grandsons to mourn. There were a hundred or so people in the team, but he was the one who howled the most sincerely.
Just like that, beating, advocating, crying, and throwing paper money all the way, we walked through the market, out of the city gate, and arrived at a mountain peak near the lake in the western suburbs.
The scenery here is open and green.
The Taoist priest concluded at a glance that it was a geomantic treasure land for burials. It was not because he knew anything about the art of burying people, but because he saw many luxurious tombs along the way.
Where rich and dead people gather together, the feng shui is probably good.
then.
It is a lengthy set of ritual steps.
Offer sacrifices to gods, clean tombs, place town objects, distribute money for burials, place artifacts, build tombs and seal mounds...
After a whole set of procedures was completed, the sky became dizzy and people became dizzy too.
The Taoist priest yawned and took the wages from his master. He followed the flow of people and walked back to the city. Huangwei quickly grabbed him, dumbfounded: "Where are you going, Taoist priest? Our business has just begun!"
"What kind of business is this?"
"There's no rush. We'll find out later."
The secret of Huangwei will never be revealed until the last moment.
The crowd in front of the grave dispersed.
He dug out a bundle of pickaxes, shovels and other tools like a treasure, stuffed a handful into Yigui's hand, and then looked at the new grave with a fierce look in his eyes.
"Brothers, it's time for us to get rich today!"
The Taoist priests were stunned, the country men were dumbfounded, the old salesman threw away his pickaxe in a fit of excitement, but the scholars gripped their shovels tightly and looked at the yellow-tailed Tianling Gai eager to try.
This yellow-haired old ghost, who has been talking about making money for many days, is actually a tomb robber?!
…
After all the chicken and dog jumping.
"Are we that kind of people?!"
Huangwei covered his head and cried out.
"They don't believe me, Taoist Master, you have to... put the talisman away first."
Huang Wei finally understood the disadvantages of showing off, patted the grass clippings and mud on his body, shook his head and explained:
"The most important thing in life is life and death. We Chinese people love face and pomp the most. To put it bluntly, we would rather be shabby on the inside than glamorous on the outside. Especially for funerals, the most important thing is to be grand and extravagant, and the coffin and coffin are the most important thing.
, ghost weapons, propaganda, banquets, etc., everything is indispensable. If you make any mistakes, not only will you be laughed at, but you will also be poked in the spine behind your back, saying you are unworthy. But these expenses are only a small part of the cost, the big part is...
…”
He stabbed the grave with a big thorn and patted the tombstone.
"land!"
"This family made their fortune from maritime trade, and was once considered a well-known and wealthy family in the city. Unfortunately, the years have been unfavorable. In recent years, the ship has been either shipwrecked or robbed. This year, the owner of the family wants to make a comeback.
, gambled on luck, borrowed money to raise three ships of goods, and just went to sea, he ran into pirates. Fortunately for this man, he was so angry that he lost everything. Poor family, in order to pay off the debt, they sold everything they could, leaving nothing
ancestral home.”
"Even setting up a flowing water table, you have to rely on 'looking at the food' to keep up appearances. You think, in such a situation, how can I afford to sleep in such a Feng Shui treasure cave?"
Huang Wei sneered.
"This treasure cave is rented!"
"Not only this place, but also the tomb bricks, coffins, and artifacts... they are all rented to keep up appearances."
"And our business is based on this. They gain face and we gain money. It's just like 'looking at the food', it's called 'looking at the funeral'!"
"If you don't believe it."
Huang Wei pointed to a few donkey carts left behind after the crowd left by the tomb.
"The shopkeepers from the brick and stone shop, the coffin shop, and the underworld shop are still waiting at the foot of the mountain, waiting for us to return the rented items to their original owners."
All the ghosts looked at each other, thinking that this business sounded too ridiculous, but Huang Wei was so sure of his words that in the end they had no choice but to follow Huang Wei to open a new grave.
"Those are fine green bricks, be careful when prying them!"
"The weapon is light? If the wood is painted, it should be light."
"The shroud was also taken off. The gold and silk noodles were also rented."
"Dentures... Oops! The teeth are your own, so put them back quickly!"
Not long after.
The deceased was invited into a brand-new thin wooden coffin, and his luxurious mansion had been torn into pieces and filled with donkey carts.
Huang Wei called on the other ghosts to help him drive the cart down the mountain. At the bottom of the mountain, a group of shopkeepers and waiters were waiting. The two sides murmured for a while, then took the donkey cart and left. Huang Wei returned to the cemetery with great satisfaction.
The sun was setting in the west, and the setting sun seemed to have painted every yellow hair on his body with a layer of golden paint.
Everyone looked at him expectantly.
"How much did you make?"
Huang Wei Shi Shiran: “I don’t want a single copper plate!”
What?!
The ghosts were in an uproar.
Huang Wei laughed loudly: "Look, none of you are good at doing business! In business, what matters is a person who can win people's trust and have a steady flow of water. Our trip today is to set an example and establish a good relationship. It will take care of itself in the future.
It's a matter of course, and according to Qian Tang's rules, the accounts will be settled at the same time at the end of the month!"
He patted the thin wooden coffin again.
"alright!"
"It's time to send this guest to where he belongs."
…………
To the west, the sun has gathered its last bit of light; to the east, the lone moon shines high on the grass.
The dead were carrying the dead, and their stern images appeared under the moonlight.
If you were caught by someone, you would probably be frightened to death on the spot. There is even a rumor that there are ten ghosts carrying coffins at night in the suburbs of Qiantang. If you meet on the road, you will be photographed by the evil ghosts to carry the coffin for a substitute.
Adding another absurd tone to Qian Tang's rural slang.
Fortunately, in this desolate wilderness, in the vast darkness, there are no people, only ghosts - wild ghosts lurking in grass cages, woods, ravines and other dark places to peek.
Li Changan had discovered them a long time ago and knew why they came.
A fresh and intact body in a coffin.
The human world is a sea of suffering, and the body is like a boat. A intact corpse with remaining vitality can not only be used by lonely ghosts to avoid the wind and rain, but can also be used to borrow blood food and incense candles from living people's homes to deceive them.
Soothe the hungry and cold.
"Taoist Priest?"
"Stay away."
The ghosts quickly got into the coffin.
Li Chang'an held the yellow talisman high and gave an order. The talisman's fire ignited and burst out with dazzling golden light, just like a new sun slowly rising in the wilderness. Under the exposure of the golden light, all the monsters and monsters were exposed.
"If you dare to cause trouble, your soul will be driven to pieces!!!"
The sound of scolding was accompanied by the strong wind rolling past.
When the yellow tail emerged from the cracks in the coffin, I saw that with the coffin as the center, tall grass as tall as a person fell outwards. As far as I could see, the wilderness became flat, open, and clean. What?
nor.
Huang Wei Mao's face suddenly burst into laughter: "I always thought that you, Taoist Priest, have a complete truth! Now look at it, could it be that you are still a god descending to earth?"
"If you don't flatter me, no one will think you are dumb."
Li Changan greeted everyone and quickly carried the coffin and continued walking. It would get late at night and the cold wind would make it even more uncomfortable.
And he went on like this until he reached the zenith of the moon.
Finally we arrived at our destination - a deserted depression at the foot of a mountain.
This place is not as beautiful as the previous cemetery. Looking around, there are thorns, wormwood, tangled trees, and strange rocks. The wind is faint and cold, and the moon is full of smoke. At first glance, it looks like what Li Changan saw when he was a child.
It's like an old-fashioned horror movie set, where half a zombie can jump out when you drop a hoe.
"What the hell place?"
"The more glamorous the face, the uglier the inside will be. Otherwise, how can we make money?"
Huang Wei didn't care, he chose a "treasure place" facing north and south, and invited everyone to help the guests settle down.
The soil here is thin, the grass roots are deep, and there are many rocks. It is very laborious to dig a hole.
Li Changan never expected that he could escape the pier's baggage resistance, but could not escape digging holes in the wild. Could it be that he was born to be a coolie?
He suddenly thought of the wild ghost he met on the road, and took the time to ask:
"I thought Qian Tang's ghosts were all working as cows and horses in the city. Why are there so many... well, traditional lonely ghosts in the suburbs?"
Huang Wei replied: "There are unruly people among the living who disobey the king's rule, and of course there are also unruly ghosts among the dead who disobey the discipline."
He stood up straight and pointed around.
"This mountain is called Feilai Mountain. All the ghosts and ghosts in Qiantang who do not obey the rules and have made mistakes and have been expelled gather in Feilai Mountain. The local people and ghosts usually do not dare to go near this area, so I bought it.
We have chosen this piece of land as a real coffin burial ground. Since we have made money by relying on other people’s reputation, why don’t we at least hide it for others?”
As he spoke, he dug out the last shovelful of soil.
Huangwei called and put the coffin into the pit. Now it was time to bury the coffin and seal the mound. The ghosts hesitated for a moment. There were many steps in the previous burial, but there was nothing the same when they were buried here? Everyone is dead. Isn't it too perfunctory?
More?
"That's right." Huangwei nodded pretendingly and approached Li Changan, "I have to trouble the Taoist priest again."
Taoist priest: "What?"
Huangwei said in a serious tone: "Write two talismans. One talisman to exorcise ghosts on the coffin to prevent the lonely ghosts in the mountains from causing trouble; one talisman to suppress corpses on the forehead of the corpse to prevent him from pretending to be a corpse and come out in the middle of the night to scare people."
The Taoist priest was speechless.
"I think I need to write another one and stick it to your heart to cure the bad things inside."
"The Taoist master is really good at telling jokes."
The Taoist priest rolled his eyes at him and spread his hands: "Stop being a good boy and take out your things."
"What?"
“No charge!”
"Hehe! The Taoist priest is so generous!" Huangwei immediately changed his face and brought out the incense candle tribute and a roll of white silk as a gift.
Taoist priest: "Buying land coupons? Silk cloth? Is this enough?"
"Enough, enough!" He nodded repeatedly, "Any more and you will lose money!"
Having nothing to say anymore, the Taoist priest picked a big stone as a tribute table.
"The local city god... what is the name of Feilai Mountain God?"
"Wannianjun."
The Taoist priest nodded, placed the offerings, and lit incense candles.
Bow down again and again.
My thoughts slowly escape into the void along with the incense.
In the dark, I saw a figure in simple clothes who was sitting on the towering mountain in the night, nodding gently.
The Taoist priest understood that this meant that the mountain god had received incense and given spiritual responses.
He then spread out Bai Juan and wrote "land purchase coupon" with a pen.
The so-called "land purchase certificate" is actually a part of the funeral ceremony. It is a contract between the dead and the gods of the underworld and the earth. It has been widely circulated and the content is mixed, but the content is generally about suppressing ghosts and gods and protecting the souls of the dead, as written by Li Changan
:
"Taoist Li Xuanxiao informs the Emperor and Empress Dowager of the Tomb God Tubo and the Ten Thousand Years King that a certain person who died in the Tang Dynasty bought a treasure cave for his house at the foot of Feilai Mountain. It is worth ten thousand, and the money will be paid on the same day. The certificate is clearly written, so the four corners are erected.
The boundary is sealed to the nine heavens above and the nine underground. In response to the evil spirits of goblins, monsters and monsters cannot invade. If there are any offenders, they will be sent to the underworld immediately. The souls of the dead return to the underworld, and their souls are not allowed to be labored. During the twelfth lunar month, they must not be blocked from going up and down, so that they can
Receive good food, protect your children and grandchildren, and live in your hometown. Just like the laws and regulations."