Just when Fuguifang was about to wake up from his deep sleep, the dogs seemed to be strangled by the neck, whimpered a few times, and stopped suddenly.
A corner of the street.
Crunch~
The soft sound of the door opening failed to wake up the sleeping parents. It only stirred up a yellow butterfly resting on the door lintel and circled past the ears of the child who quietly went out.
He seemed to have just come out of bed. He was barefoot and only wore a bellyband.
The cold air from the river fog stirred up chicken skin on my body.
He seemed completely unaware.
His dull eyes moved around.
Finally, we stopped on the opposite side of the winding alley. There, a child in plain white lining held a lantern.
The child walked towards the light with stiff steps, and the butterfly followed quietly.
Coming closer.
Only then did we realize that the child in white was not alone. There were many small and frail figures surrounded by shadows in the thick fog.
They have different faces but similar expressions.
Without any communication, the two sides came together naturally.
Later.
Children in white clothes lead the way with lanterns, and the other children hold hands and follow closely behind.
There has been no rain in Qiantang recently, and the loess road is soft but not muddy.
Dozens of pairs of feet stepped on them, making no sound at all, as if these children were a ball of mist floating in the mist, just drifting along the narrow alley to the pier by the river.
There is a cargo ship moored at the corner of the pier, with a deep draft, but no one is guarding it.
Let the children get on the boat.
The child in white hung the lantern on the bow of the ship and went straight into the warehouse. After a while, he pulled out a bag of goods.
The bag made of linen was huge, several times larger than the size of a child. If it were placed on the shoulders of an adult, anyone would have to praise its good body. But if it were placed on a child, it would be like a pony pulling a big bag.
The car makes people laugh. Could it be that the bags are filled with duck down?
But when he got off the bow of the ship, every step made the wooden trestle make an overwhelming "crack" sound.
The child's expression did not change at all, and he just walked steadily out step by step. The other children gave way silently, but the butterfly was unable to avoid it, and fell powerlessly after being hit.
It fell under the bridge, and there were many identical yellow butterflies flying gracefully between the water and the fog, and then followed the former into the water.
The moment the butterfly wings touch the water.
The butterfly suddenly burst into flames.
A butterfly is no more than the size of a finger, and the sparks it ignites are also insignificant.
But dozens of sparks gathered together, and although they were still dim and fleeting, they lit up a layer of mist.
The moonlight became a little brighter as I breathed.
It came out immediately.
There are clearly black shadows crawling on the children. The shadows are slightly human-shaped, lying behind the children, with the torso wrapped around the torso, and the limbs touching the limbs. They all have faces, men, women, old and young, all showing a sad look.
new
Yeah~
There seems to be a human voice in the distance!
Dozens of faces and grimaces appeared on the pier all at once.
The night is deeper and the fog is thicker.
The wind was blowing, the water was flowing slowly, the insects were noisy, and the frogs were chirping, but there was nothing else.
for a long time.
They slowly turned their eyes and continued to file into the cargo ship...
Li Changan is hiding behind the shelves.
The bamboo hat on his head and the coir raincoat on his body covered his figure tightly, almost blending into the night.
He Niluo huddled in his arms, his eyes rounded, and his hands covering his mouth tightly.
The Taoist priest patted his forehead, and then he let go slightly and breathed gently.
I didn't dare to poke my head in and look again.
Asked softly:
"What are those... ghosts doing?"
"discharge."
He Nihao frowned. Of course he knew he was unloading goods. After all, most of Fuguifang lived on the dock. However, in which story did the evil spirit possess people just do coolies?
But the Taoist priest beside him had no intention of explaining and said:
"Walk."
He didn't do anything, turned around and left.
He Niluo was surprised and disappointed.
When Li Changan first came here, he once looked down upon Li Changan. He was already an older child, and unlike his younger brothers and sisters, he understood that most of the time the other person was a lonely ghost picked up by Wuniang out of random kindness.
.
Moreover, he was nowhere to be seen during the day and only returned home in the middle of the night. It was obvious that he was just wandering around.
The younger brothers and sisters actually worshiped him seriously.
What kind of household god? What kind of blessing did it have? I picked up a fox from a storybook, and it knew how to steal a chicken and bring it back to stew.
But this time he got into a big trouble, and he didn't dare to tell the adults that Li Changan was treated like a dead horse.
Unexpectedly, the other party was not only willing to lend a helping hand, but was still willing to believe in him when other adults did not believe him. He even squatted in the middle of the night to watch the ghosts expose themselves.
Children's minds become faster and they inevitably have more expectations.
I hope that the other party is the "unparalleled god" in the story book, who usually lurks in ordinary people's homes, and only waits for a thunderstorm to slay demons and save the people!
However, the reality is... Alas, my little head is filled with great melancholy.
The miserable mist around him was closing in again, and it was so cold that people trembled in their hearts. Seeing that Li Changan's back was about to disappear into the night, the little loach hurriedly caught up with him on tiptoes, and reached out to hold the back of his raincoat.
There is no warmth on the coir raincoat, but it inexplicably dispels a lot of coldness in my heart.
Little Loach then thought again, there were more than twenty ghosts on the pier, and he couldn't even defeat one Fatty Gan, so how could he force Uncle Ghost to defeat twenty ghosts with one ghost?
Even though I was thinking like this, I still couldn't bear to look back, even though I couldn't see anything.
"Will they be okay?"
Of course, he thought, it's all my fault.
"It won't be a big problem for a short time."
"How long will it take?"
Li Changan doesn't like to lie: "The cargo they carry is heavy, and ordinary men can't bear it if they resist too much. Even if a ghost is possessed to help, it will inevitably lay hidden wounds. Over time, it will be difficult to recover. If the ghost escapes, he will probably vomit blood immediately and die."
Death. Even if you are lucky enough to survive, if you are possessed for a long time, your soul will be charged by ghost energy, your mind will easily become stupid."
He Niluo pursed his lips after hearing this for a long time before he said in a depressed tone:
"They are all ghosts. Isn't it easy to move things? Why do they come to harm our children?"
He was just aggrieved and asked casually. In his opinion, what else could be the reason for "ghost possession"? Just like in bedtime stories, because ghosts are bad and are born to harm people.
Unexpectedly, Uncle Ghost gave him a completely different answer:
"Because it's cold."
"cold?"
"Ghosts belong to Yin energy and should not stay in the Yang world. Therefore, many things in the Yang world are harmful to ghosts. The sun burns the body like fire, the wind blows like a knife to tear apart bones. The rising and falling cold fog is like the ice water in the middle of winter, soaking into the seams of bones.
, so hot from the cold."
He Nihao looked at the thick raincoat on the Taoist priest's body and suddenly became speechless. Li Changan thought the little baby was frightened and walked away for a while.
"Uncle Ghost."
"What's the crooked idea again?"
"If you are really cold, I... allow you to possess me!" Little Loach stammered, then quickly added, "But only tonight. Wu Niang said that I am smart and I will be successful in the future.
If I can take care of my younger brothers and sisters in the hospital, I cannot become a fool."
Li Changan turned around in surprise and saw the anxious look on this boy's face, preparing to die heroically, and couldn't help laughing.
Forgot to mute my voice.
This immediately provoked the dogs of several nearby households to shout at each other, and several wild animals passing by.
The cat meowed loudly, waking up several crying babies and causing several adults to scold them.
Shut up now.
He patted the baby's head and whispered:
"Little loach, let me teach you something. A righteous god will never possess a mortal, but anyone who wants to possess it must be a demon or ghost."
"So, even if you provoke that thing with some magical powers and can cause trouble in daylight, it probably doesn't come from a serious way."
"Is it powerful?"
"I don't know. The twenty or so little devils on the pier were just ordinary little devils, and the culprits were not among them. The reason I didn't do anything was because I was afraid that they would disperse in a hurry and alert others."
He Wumei taught the children to read whenever she had free time. He Nilu understood the meaning of "snatching the grass and frightening the snake".
I heard that the ghost uncle was not afraid of the ghosts on the pier. For a moment, the expectation of the "unparalleled god" came back in my heart.
He was eager to try: "What should we do?!"
"Simple." Li Changan stopped and said, "Pick someone who is alone."
Place an order?
Little Loach recalled the figures of his friends on the dock. One was smaller, thinner, and pitiful than the other... He raised his head suddenly, and under his feet was a cramped, messy and winding alley, which seemed to be different from most of the alleys in Fuguifang. The only difference was that
There is a rather spacious street next to the alley entrance.
Little Loach is very familiar with this place. This is the backyard of the home of "Yu Linlang", the old enemy - Fatty Gan.
"Little loach."
Li Changan clasped his shoulders and asked kindly.
"Can the Gan family's dog bite?"...
Who in Fuguifang doesn’t know that the Gan family is quite wealthy?
The lighting used was not oil lamps, but beeswax; the small stove heated not sweet water, but chicken soup.
Much of the night.
The fat boy from the Gan family just lit the candle, drank chicken soup, and shook his head quickly.
The slender gold and silver threads, in his hands, were like threads in the hands of the most skillful woman, easily woven into various exquisite shapes.
Shopkeeper Gan spoke modestly during the day.
This craftsmanship is not only comparable to that of master craftsmen, but even the pillars of some time-honored brands may not be able to match it.
suddenly.
Woof ~ woof ~ two dogs barked in the yard.
It's not intense.
But the little fat man was so frightened that he jumped up and rushed to the door in three or two steps. Just as he was about to block the door, he seemed to suddenly think of something. He paused, coughed twice, hunched over his waist and clasped his hands behind his back, pacing slowly.
Step back.
After sitting down again, Youya poured a bowl of chicken soup, picked up the pot and was about to continue.
Suddenly I felt something.
look up.
A black boy bared his teeth at him, slapped a yellow paper charm on his forehead.
The fat boy's eyes suddenly darkened, he fell down on his seat, knocked over the soup bowl, and spilled it all over himself...
Li Changan didn't wait long.
There was movement in the dog hole.
A big yellow dog dragged a little fat man out, followed closely by the little loach.
"Uncle Ghost!" Little Loach said with joy on his face, "Your talisman is so powerful! I just got into the yard, Rhubarb... Haha, don't make trouble."
The big dog was wagging its tail and making trouble with him.
Li Changan signaled him to ask the dog to keep his voice down, then he picked up the little fat man and looked around.
Qian Tang's ghost really has some skills. During the day, he didn't notice any flaws at all.
Not in a hurry to exorcise the ghost, he first took a look at the half-armed walking stick tightly held in the little fat hand, and then sniffed the oil stains on his clothes. Li Changan shook his head and sneered.
He rolled up his sleeves and told the little loach that came over curiously: "Cover your mouth."
Say it.
With one hand, he uncovered the yellow talisman on the little fat man's forehead. When he suddenly woke up and was still thinking, he thrust the other arm, which looked illusory in the night, straight into the little fat man's chest.
ah!
He Niluo let out a half-shriek, and quickly covered his mouth with one hand, and covered the big yellow dog's eyes with the other.
He stared at the Taoist priest with his eyes wide open.
"Found it!"
He suddenly grabbed a ball of black air from the belly button of the little fat man and threw it at the wall.
The little fat man was stunned for a moment, then fell asleep again.
But the black energy rolled on the ground and turned into a thin old man, using his hands and feet to crawl away and escape.
Li Changan did not chase him and said calmly: "You have thought about it."
The old ghost froze and hesitated for a moment, but then he came back obediently and lay down in front of the Taoist priest, prostrating himself on the ground...
"Name?"
"Little devil Yang Yong."
"The ghost possesses people, seeks wealth and kills people. Do you know your sin?"
"It's unfair! The kid is unfairly accused! The kid is really being persecuted..."
Li Changan used words to scare him, and the old ghost kept complaining, saying that he didn't dare to help the tiger, but the culprit behind the scenes tortured him in every possible way to force him to give in.
Asked him who the culprit was, but he ignored him and only said how miserable he had been tortured, such as skinning and cramping, gouging out his eyes and nose, putting him in a frying pan, sitting on a bed of nails... The little loach listened and his face turned blue.
It went white for a while, and I was very frightened.
Li Changan rolled his eyes.
Ghosts are the remnants of human beings. After ordinary ghosts have been subjected to such harsh and long-term torture, their consciousness has long since collapsed, and once their consciousness is dispersed, their souls will also collapse.
This guy seemed to have suffered some torture, but he was exaggerating.
Impatient with the nonsense, the Taoist pulled him up.
The moon was dim and foggy, and there seemed to be a cold light in Li Changan's eyes.
No.
There is indeed light.
There was a very subtle "thunderbolt" explosion in the air, and Li Changan's eyes flashed with an undetectable arc. Everything was very subtle. The little loach was unaware, but Yang Yong, who was a ghost, found something that made him frightened and wanted to go back to the world.
The aura of death, a power that could easily crush him into powder.
Li Changan looked at him coldly:
"You shouldn't be afraid of it, you should be afraid of me."
Yang Yong trembled violently, and when he couldn't hold on any longer, he poured out everything.
He was originally a foreigner. After he died in a foreign land, he worked honestly in Qiantang to earn money for reincarnation. But not long ago, he was suddenly taken by a powerful ghost and forced him to do trouble. Of course he refused, and the ghost did all kinds of things to him.
Torture, he couldn't bear the pain, so he had to agree.
He was a goldsmith and was very good at the "gold-saving method" - when making gold and silver jewelry, materials will be lost, but some master craftsmen can do the opposite and save ten parts of the material for an extra part.
This is called the "money saving method".
Yang Yong is particularly good at this, he can save two portions!
The ghost made him possess the boy from the Gan family.
"Do you know the identity of that ghost?"
"It has always been covered in black energy, covering its appearance. Do you really know the origin of its appearance?"
Having said that, Yang Yong quickly added, fearing that Li Changan would be displeased.
"But its purpose is just to get money, and it will come to take away the jewelry I saved. When it comes, can't you catch it with your own hands?"
"when?"
"I haven't set a date yet." He hesitated, "You want to come in five or six days?"
Li Changan shook his head, let alone five or six days, just one or two days, the possessed little baby on the dock might really have the root of the disease.
I have to think of a way, it's best to lure out the ghost behind the scenes tomorrow.
He thought for a moment and felt more and more that the ghost's behavior was quite strange.
He is very greedy for money. He only steals some gold and silver, but sends the child to the dock to fight against the bag. How much money can he make? It is like a heron chopping meat from his legs and a mosquito eating oil from his belly.
At the same time, he is very timid, keeping his head and tail secret, and even asking for money directly, but doing things quietly and in a roundabout way. It seems that he is afraid of some of Qian Tang's rules, so he only dares to break them into pieces in a secretive way.
Li Changan finally thought of a way, but he had to rely on shopkeeper Gan's help.
He Niluo and Yang Yong both panicked.
One is a child who stabbed a basket, subconsciously afraid that adults will find out; a little thief who did something bad is afraid of being caught by the owner of the crime.
arrive.
Li Changan said:
"You think Shopkeeper Gan doesn't know?"
Knocked on the door grandly...
Shopkeeper Gan didn't show much surprise when he opened the door.
He welcomed the guests into the main hall, settled the fat boy who was sleeping soundly, and asked his wife to boil water and prepare tea.
He sighed for a long time before speaking:
"There is nothing we can do."
Li Changan did not comment: "Everyone has difficulties."
The shopkeeper was silent for a while, and then said with a wry smile: "My ancestor was one of the best jade craftsmen in Qiantang, and the "Jade Linlang" sign was passed down from his family. But in my father's generation, everything he sold became
For gold and silver jewelry, the reason is simply that the craftsmanship is not good, the sign is not bright, and the business naturally declines."
"Now, what are they selling in my hands? Copper, tin, horn, wood, oh! My little boy has some talent, but he is too young and still needs to be carved. My family
We still have assets, but we don’t have skills and can’t build a brand, so what’s the use?”
His tone gradually became more intense.
"Next month, the Tide Festival! There are oirans traveling around the city. Whose jewelry is put on the head of the oiran, and whose sign is the loudest!"
He Niluo finally couldn't hold it any longer and shouted angrily:
"Okay! Sure enough, you already knew that! Just for that broken sign? You just let Gan Pang be possessed by the evil spirit! He will vomit blood in the future..." After saying that, thinking that the person did not go to the dock, he quickly changed his words, "You can't become a fool.
?!"
At this time, the shopkeeper's wife brought tea. After hearing this, her eyes suddenly turned red.
"Are we such cruel parents..."
"Is this the time for you to talk too much?"
The shopkeeper sent his wife away, glanced at Yang Yong who was hiding in the corner, and explained to Li Changan:
"We asked the wizard and it should be fine for a short period of time. So I plan to make a few more pieces of jewelry and take the children to the Taoist temple in the city to have a look."
Yang Yong shook his head and secretly escaped.
He Nihao was speechless. After all, children from poor families mature earlier.
"More than that."
Li Changan took over the conversation.
"In order to prevent the child from getting sick, the shopkeeper also prepared ginseng chicken soup for the child to keep him healthy. He is really a loving father and mother."
The shopkeeper was stunned, then smiled bitterly, cupped his hands to Li Changan, and remained silent.
Li Changan then spoke:
"It's just that your children have chicken soup to drink, but the more than 20 children on the dock don't have this blessing."
"Brother, if you can get rid of evil spirits, it won't hurt if your neighbors can help."
He stood up and poured tea for Li Changan, with a slightly pleading look on his face.
"I generally understand your brother's purpose, but I am only a businessman, and I value doing business in a friendly manner. I don't dare to offend ghosts and gods."
Li Changan said sternly: "People do not harm tigers, but tigers harm people's hearts."
"It shouldn't be a problem to have more talismans at home."
Seeing his stubbornness, the Taoist priest changed his excuse: "But the talisman cannot save the business. In your next generation, I'm afraid "Jade Linlang" will have to be changed to "Iron Banglang" or "Copper Jingle Dang"."
The shopkeeper understood what Li Changan meant, looked at Yang Yong in the corner again and again, and said hesitantly: "Qian Tang has rules, mortals are not allowed to raise ghosts."
"But it can be offered to the gods." The Taoist priest stepped up his chips. "The shopkeeper can welcome Master Yang as a god. He will make jewelry for your family, and you can use the money as an offering. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"
"This..." He was obviously tempted. "How can you let a wild ghost who doesn't know the details into your home?"
Don't rush to answer.
Li Changan stood up and walked to the door.
"Shopkeeper, please take a look."
He opened his bamboo hat, and under the dim moonlight, his face became blurry and unreal.
Immediately, clear lights floated around him, and he spoke loudly, his voice filled with inexplicable calming power.
"Pindao is the new deity of the Salesian Academy. He was a Xuanmen monk in front of him, and his name was Jiutian Lei Mansion. He was able to kill and eliminate demons while alive, and he could also catch ghosts and subjugate them after death. I will give you two
How about a contract?"
The shopkeeper was stunned for a long time, until the teacup fell from his hand and fell to the ground.
Then he got up in a hurry and bowed.
"You have neglected the Immortal Chief Dharma Master."
He didn't dare to postpone it any longer, but he still asked cautiously:
"What can I do if I'm just a merchant?"
Li Changan calmly hid the embers of the yellow talisman and returned to the house.
"Thanks to the blessing of the gods, the shopkeeper's beloved son suddenly became enlightened and his skills improved by leaps and bounds. Shouldn't he show something?"
Shopkeeper Gan was confused for a moment, then suddenly realized.