In the temple, there was a bonfire in the Main Hall. Zhang Heng was sitting cross-legged, drinking wine and roasting pheasants.
aside.
Ning Caichen collected the rainwater in a kettle and made ginger tea.
Tap tap tap...
There was the sound of footsteps in the rain, and it sounded like there were a lot of people.
Zhang Heng raised his eyes slightly.
Along with the sound of footsteps, there was noise coming from outside: "As promised, a wealthy family is passing by. The brothers have been waiting all day, but they haven't even gotten a hair. Today's work is in vain."
"Who says it's not the case? San Mazi's intelligence is really good. Let's settle the accounts with him later."
"Brothers, I heard that Lanruo Temple is haunted. Isn't it safe for us to stay here at night?"
"What are you afraid of? We are not even afraid of officers and soldiers, so why are we afraid of ghosts?"
Accompanied by discussion.
Seven or eight fierce men with swords pushed open the door of the main hall.
"Is there anyone?"
The leader of the bandit had a fleshy face and a scar under his eye.
As soon as he entered the main hall, he looked at Ning Caichen, then at Zhang Heng, and ordered his men: "Let's go to the back hall."
"Brother, how nice this place is. Not only has it been cleaned, but there are also people helping to light the fire."
One of the bandits said with confusion.
"Stop talking nonsense."
Scarface stopped his men and whispered: "Look at the swordsman in white."
The bandits looked carefully.
After looking at it for a long time, I didn't see the reason. I couldn't help but ask: "Boss, he is a little fairer, so what does it matter?"
"I'm dressed in white, dressed like a noble prince, staying in a deserted temple at night, and I'm not stained by dust. What do you think?"
Scarface warned: "Look at his shoes. It's raining heavily and muddy outside, and the floor in the palace is full of dust, but his shoes are not dusty at all. If my prediction is correct, we may have met an expert."
Upon hearing this, the bandits applauded and said, "Boss, you observe so carefully. You are worthy of being our big brother."
"That's natural. You can walk around the world without anything, but you can't live without eyesight."
Scarface warned the younger brothers: "If you have a better attitude in a while, we will go to the back hall to light a fire and spend the night. Regardless of whether he is an expert or not, just treat him as such. It's better to be careful."
Whispering.
A group of fierce-looking bandits headed toward the back hall with nods and bows.
Ning Caichen was somewhat surprised when he saw this scene: "Brother Zhang, those people looked rude, but I didn't expect them to be quite polite."
Zhang Heng has a sharp ear and a clear eyesight.
A group of people were standing at the door muttering, and he heard it clearly.
It's just that he doesn't like to show off, and even when he hears something, he pretends he didn't hear it.
"I see you have steamed buns in the bamboo basket. I will give you half a chicken. After a while, you will eat and drink enough and have a good sleep. Don't come to Lanruo Temple again in the future."
Zhang Heng tore open the roasted pheasant and gave Ning Caichen half of it.
Ning Caichen thanked him repeatedly and asked while eating: "Brother Zhang, why can't you come? I think Lanruo Temple is good. It's a big place and can protect you from wind and rain. I also want to collect the debt from Guobei County and come back to the province."
I paid for the hotel and came to stay here tonight."
Zhang Heng shook his head: "Don't stay in this place of right and wrong for long. You will know it by night."
Tick tock, tick tock...
The rain is still falling.
Time passed slowly, and soon it came to the second watch, which was around nine o'clock.
The rain outside became lighter, and frogs croaked one after another.
Zhang Heng sat meditating in the main hall, next to the bonfire, Ning Caichen fell asleep holding a straw.
"The crab has one claw and eight claws, and the two ends are as big as pointy!"
Lanruo Temple is not small.
After passing the mountain gate, what comes into view is the Main Hall, followed by the Luohan Hall, and beyond that is a row of monks' rooms.
Zhang Heng and the others lived in the Main Hall, while Scarface and his bandit brothers lived in the Luohan Hall.
A little rain.
Along with the sound of frogs croaking, the sound of drinking and punching could be heard faintly from the back hall.
Woo woo woo...
A sudden strong wind blew open the palace door.
Zhang Heng slowly opened his eyes.
As soon as I saw it, I saw a group of female relatives walking outside the door, including a young lady wearing a veil, a maid supporting the young lady, and two maids dressed as attendants.
"Sir..."
Three steps and two steps.
The young lady wearing a veil came to the Main Hall, as if she had something to say to Zhang Heng.
But before she could continue, Zhang Heng interrupted her with a poem: "In the picture of mist and rain in the forest in July, Menglan is full of guests in the temple and alone in the mountain. No matter where the guests are, a heart of ice is in the jade pot."
The misty rain in July is as beautiful as a picture. Now that the Menglan Festival is approaching, even the lonely temple on the barren mountain is beginning to be filled with guests.
I don't ask why the guests are here, and you don't ask me either.
I have a heart of ice hidden in a jade pot, untainted by dust.
"He is an expert!"
Upon hearing this answer, the veiled girl bowed and said pleasantly: "Grandma Shu's maid, Xiaoqian, has met the young master."
After saying that, he waved back and said: "Sir, this Lanruo Temple is my grandma's territory. You are a guest. We will not disturb you too much, but please stop meddling in your own business, okay?"
Hearing this, Zhang Heng smiled and said: "I have heard of Grandma Shu's name for a long time, but the question is, what is noisy business?"
Nie Xiaoqian's voice became colder: "My grandma never kills people for no reason, let alone uses force on others. If someone can escape the temptation of our sisters' beauty, it means that his life should not be cut off, and we will naturally let him go."
horse.
On the other hand, if he is obsessed with sex and has a good time with our sisters, as a price, he will have to keep his life, and I hope that the young master will not interfere."
Zhang Heng thought for a while.
That seems to be the case.
Both A Chinese Ghost Story 1 and A Chinese Ghost Story 3 have the villain Shu Lao Lao.
Although this thousand-year-old tree spirit is highly cultivated and sucks human blood as its own nourishment, it is still quite measured in its attacks.
It only kills people who stay at Lanruo Temple and have sex with female ghosts in the temple, and does not go outside to cause trouble.
For example, in A Chinese Ghost Story 1, at 28 minutes and 30 seconds of this movie, Grandma Shu once said to Yan Chixia: "I have killed all the people who deserved to die, and I have never killed anyone who didn't deserve to die. We have been doing this for so long
My neighbor, if the water in the well does not interfere with the water in the river, why are you trying to get in trouble with me?"
Yan Chixia's answer was: "Those people are greedy. If you kill them, I won't care. But this scholar has nothing in his sleeves and has accomplished nothing. If you want to kill him, I can't ignore him."
It can be seen that Yan Chixia lived in Lanruo Temple for several months.
Although we know that the tree demon kills people, it only kills damned people who are confused by the color of ghosts. If you can resist the temptation, you still have a chance to escape.
This point is particularly conspicuous in A Chinese Ghost Story 3.
Xiaodie could kill the young monk Shifang in one go, but she couldn't do it and could only seduce him.
Monk Shifang was unmoved, so she could only walk away in anger without killing anyone. Apparently she had the order from Grandma Shu not to kill anyone who had not been tempted.
"These days, people don't follow the rules, but there is a bottom line for being a monster."
Zhang Heng thought for a while and said something meaningful: "Your grandma is very ambitious."
Liaozhai World.
Belonging to the humane world, people are favored by heaven and earth. Other ethnic groups are just supporting roles. Killing people indiscriminately can easily lead to karma.
Zhang Heng wants to come.
There is only one reason why Grandma Tree does not kill people casually, and that is because she wants to complete her meritorious deeds and ascend to the spiritual world.
This spiritual world is said to have been opened by the New Saint Zhenyuan Saint and is the ultimate fantasy land for plant elves.
For the plant elves, the temptation to ascend to the spiritual world is like the ascension of Taoist priests to the heavenly realm, monks to the Buddhist realm, monsters to the demonic realm, and ghosts to the ghost and fairy realm.
If you want to ascend, in addition to perfecting your own skills, you also cannot involve too much cause and effect.
Especially the indiscriminate killing of innocent people.
There will be catastrophes before ascension, and only after passing through catastrophes can one ascend to the upper realm.
Among them is a catastrophe called the thunder and fire catastrophe.
If your sins are serious, the thunder messengers of the Ministry of Thunder and Zhao Lei General will increase the power of the thunder tribulation. If you cannot survive it, you will be turned into ashes under the thunder and fire.
Grandma Tree is the essence of vegetation and is most afraid of thunder and fire.
If it doesn't want to ascend and just wants to be happy in this world, then of course it can do whatever it wants.
In the same way, if it has a greater pursuit, such as ascending to the spiritual world, it should avoid committing sins and not act as it pleases.
So Zhang Heng knew it as soon as he thought about it.
I am afraid I have underestimated Grandma Tree. She is extremely ambitious and is not a monster like the Nine-tailed Demon King who knows nothing.