The dozen or so people all looked middle-aged. The two escorts were easy to identify. They wore the same clothes and were dressed like Jianghu people. One of them was holding a eyebrow-point knife in his hand, and the other had a flail on his waist. The rest were acting as actors.
Businessmen dress according to Dayan regulations, and the color of their clothes is mainly black and white.
The group of people entered another pavilion, unloaded the goods and piled them in a place where they could not get wet. Then they took off their cloaks and shook off the water on the floor.
The pavilion is not big and the horses and mules have solid skins, so they are left outside to soak in the rain.
A dozen or so people chatted in low voices with accents in dialects. They were soaked in water and blown by the night wind, which was so cold that some people couldn't help but look at the fire in front of Song You and the dry firewood in the corner of the pavilion.
They stared at each other.
Finally, someone came over and handed over to Song You.
"You're so polite, young gentleman. Did you collect this firewood? I'm afraid I won't be able to use it all this night. Can you sell us some? My clothes are wet and I want to warm myself by the fire."
Dayan loved to call Taoist priests sir.
Song You is still wearing Taoist robes.
"I didn't collect it. I had it when I came here. If you need it, feel free to use it."
But according to rumors, this ghost is not easy to deal with.
Some people say that this section has long passed, some people say that the tea sellers have moved away, and the fog ghosts must be causing trouble here. Some people say that they should not take shelter from the rain at that time, and some people say that they should not stop just now, and should continue to move forward.
.Some people also discussed Song You.
The wind carried the sound.
The merchants looked at each other again.
"What are you talking about? Come here and lift someone up!"
And this firewood... Even if the fire is not blown out by the cold wind, I am afraid it will not last until dawn.
The merchants became nervous again, sometimes staring in that direction, sometimes turning their heads and looking around.
In the light of the fire, a young man wearing a monk's robe still sat cross-legged on the ground. He had a handsome face and a calm expression, his head lowered, and the light of the fire reflected in his eyes.
It's over now...
"Fog ghost..."
Regardless of the reason, the merchants really felt some comfort from this. But then I thought about it. People who practice martial arts have strong energy and blood, and monsters are difficult to attack. If they have a bold heart that is not afraid of monsters, they will be more stable. But ordinary martial arts people
It seems that there is nothing we can do against this misty and uncertain fog ghost. I am afraid that the most I can do is protect myself, but it will be difficult to save them.
The merchant surnamed Li recovered from his panic and realized that the pavilion was so quiet——
"Humph, little trick!"
"Which way?"
At this critical moment, a hand covered with calluses grabbed him. The calluses were as hard as wood and made his skin hurt when scraped.
"Mr. Li was joking, how could I forget this?" The bodyguard surnamed Chen was a little unhappy, "I told him that this place was haunted, and that we had a lot of goods and it was inconvenient to move over there with him, and asked him to come over.
, but he just asked me to take all the firewood away."
It's just that the fog seems a bit too thick.
The other escort had already taken out the flail and held it in his hand, hanging it down and shaking it, but he kept licking his lips to hide his nervousness.
This ghost died easily, but it was even more frightening.
The fire was extinguished instantly.
Everyone quickly formed a circle to shelter from the wind, and then the fire was rekindled, and the light in the pavilion became bright again, bringing a sense of security.
Suddenly there was a cold wind blowing outside.
The bodyguard surnamed Chen was stunned and his eyes became serious.
"this……"
When he looked at everyone, he found that everyone had their eyes wide open and stared at him with frightened and suspicious eyes.
"You're welcome."
The merchant surnamed Li opened his eyes wide and realized that the escort he had spent a lot of money to hire had an effect. At this time, he grabbed his wrist tightly, cursed behind him, and dragged himself forward with great strength.
The fire over there didn’t go out!?
"Go over there!"
In the end, the businessman who went to borrow firewood from the pavilion next door stood up, forced himself to calm down, and even gave a salute:
"We are just passing by, earning some hard money, and have not disturbed you. If you are willing to leave here, we will come here when we return, and we will bring you some pig and goat incense candles as a thank you."
After about a snap of the fingers, another figure walked out of the fog, holding a eyebrow-point knife in one hand and a bundle of firewood in the other. He stepped through the fog in a few hurried steps until he walked into the light of the fire.
range, and then relax.
Everyone turned their attention to the two escorts invited.
Even this firelight was compressed to the limit by the fog.
It's not that there is no wind sound, but there is only the ordinary wind sound, which is so subtle that it is almost inaudible. Compared with the howling of ghosts and wolves just now, it is simply calm. And all I can see is that the fire in the pavilion is burning and crackling, and there is a comfortable temperature, and the cold wind
It's like it can't be blown in.
"call……"
The bodyguard with the flail was beating in his heart, and his eyes were a little evasive. The one with the brow-pointed knife met everyone's gaze, turned his head and spat, and raised his brows to show his anger, fearing that even the little devil would be frightened:
"I'll borrow some firewood!"
brush!
The merchant named Li has been dragged into the pavilion.
The merchant surnamed Li was short in stature and the eldest. Even if he ran as hard as he could, he ran the slowest. Seeing the fire that represented safety getting closer and closer, he suddenly felt a hand grabbing his clothes, and then grabbing it again.
He grabbed his arms and neck, and the cold fingertips seemed to pierce into his flesh. At that moment, he was extremely frightened. He stretched out his arms to grab the clothes of the person in front of him, but he could no longer reach him.
It seems to be the same as when I first arrived here.
"Of course it's the little gentleman! Did he notice anything unusual? Was he scared? Was he reluctant when you went to borrow firewood?"
Everyone looked at each other and looked in the direction of the other pavilion, only to see the orange light of the fire.
Not long after, a figure walked out of the fog.
"That's right! Ghosts are also afraid of people!"
Although there is only a distance of three or two feet, there is heavy fog in the middle. Looking at the current situation, it seems that only the small area illuminated by the fire is safe. Who dares to go through the thick fog to get firewood there? Or should everyone go there together?
Just go over there?
"It doesn't matter, junior brother, you stay here to protect everyone. If there is a ghost in the middle, grandpa will kill it with one knife!"
There were no mountains or trees in sight in the thick fog. Even if there were fires burning in two pavilions not far away, they could only see the vague light of each other.
Although Song You was wearing a Taoist robe, he was still young. Only one out of ten Taoist priests these days could catch demons and drive them away. Naturally, no one took him too seriously. After a few words of conversation, they no longer focused on him.
It seems to have become weird without even realizing it.
"I took it too seriously!"
The bodyguard surnamed Chen held a knife pointed between his eyebrows and strode into the thick fog, heading straight for the firelight on the opposite side. Judging from his stature, he was not very tall, but he did have some momentum.
The merchants were suddenly shocked. They didn't know that they were being attacked by monsters.
Although it was getting late, it was not without any light. You could vaguely see the outlines of the mountains in the distance. Where the firelight illuminated, you could also see the ancient cypresses beside the road and the weeds under the trees. But now it is just that.
For a brief moment, the whole world seemed to be filled with fog.
There is a folk saying that swearing can drive away imps. Maybe the escort surnamed Chen had this idea, or maybe it was just to embolden himself.
Passing by here, it was already dark and it was not a good idea to walk at night, so we had to rest here.
This fog ghost can wait until they run out of firewood!
As soon as I thought of this idea, another gust of dark wind blew.
Before I knew it, the rain stopped.
Before he could say anything, he heard a whimper. The wind sounded like a ghost crying. The cold wind and rain actually caused the fire in the pavilion to sway and almost go out.
Hearing them discussing their previous decision to take shelter from the rain and having a slight argument, Song You roughly understood the reason for their night trip.
Song You stared at the fire in trance.
"That fog ghost just pretended to be you and wanted to coax us out."
"Don't be afraid, everyone! The more afraid people are, the more ferocious it will be!"
So everyone just watched the figure blurring quickly. They could vaguely see him swinging his knife a few times and swearing a few words in a Kansai accent. However, in addition to blurring the sight, the fog also seemed to have the effect of blurring the sound. It was not long before he walked out.
Step, I can't hear clearly.
"Did you explain the situation to him? Did you invite the young gentleman to come over?"
As the saying goes, people are 30% afraid of ghosts, and 70% of ghosts are afraid of people. With such a bold warrior and strong blood, ordinary little demons and little ghosts are not afraid of him anymore.
"Subao, I don't sound like I have learned this sound."
The two sides seemed to be fighting over each other.
This pavilion is really peaceful.
In their panic, everyone saw a figure moving in the thick fog, and another group of fire not far away, glowing vaguely yellow in the thick fog.
It was more urgent and colder than before, as if it was blown from the skin to the internal organs, and straight into the depths of the soul, making people unable to help but shudder. And the fire seemed to have been stimulated by something, and it suddenly shrank to the extreme, and even could only be seen
Scarlet charcoal.
When everyone heard this, they were shocked again and their pupils widened.
"No more firewood..."
"Mr. Chen, how are you doing over there?"
The bodyguard surnamed Chen stood up with a knife and cursed again.
Looking back outside, I saw that the fog was still shrouded in thick fog, and there were still shadows of people moving around. They were lingering and reluctant to leave, but they seemed to dare not approach.
The fire became smaller and Song You added more firewood.
The voice of escort surnamed Chen spitting echoed in his ears again, and he said with pride and contempt:
The charcoal is still rapidly turning black and gray.
When all the merchants saw this, they felt a little calmer.
This is a common ghost in the mountains. It likes to appear in the fog. Those with weak abilities rely on the fog to cover their bodies and often use intimidation to harm people. Those with advanced skills can spray fog to cover a place and attack pedestrians in the fog.
Everything is as rumored...
"Add more firewood! Make the fire bigger!"
"this……"
It was the escort surnamed Chen.
The flames turned crimson for a time, making the pavilion in the mist look like the underworld.
"Canopy..."
The escort surnamed Chen suddenly froze and stared at them with wide eyes. In the next second, like a popped balloon, the canopy exploded into a ball of mist, blended into the surrounding fog, and disappeared without a trace.
The bodyguard surnamed Chen still held the brow-pointed knife, but his other hand was empty. He just stood outside the pavilion with a slight panic on his face: "No, the young gentleman next to you has fainted. Someone come quickly."
, help me lift him up!"
"You're just a kid, just go and come back!"
"Everyone..."
"Senior brother, I'll be with you!"
After thinking for a while, the escort surnamed Chen said:
This group of people are all tea merchants. Originally, today’s destination was Didian, a kind of residence that is convenient for merchants, thirty miles ahead. However, it rained heavily on the way, and someone’s goods had waterproofing problems for some unknown reason. They were afraid that the tea would get soaked, so
They found a place to take shelter from the rain, but that section of the road was so foggy recently that many people didn't dare to walk that section at night, so as soon as the rain subsided and the waterproofing problem was solved, they set off in a hurry.
The drizzle hit my body, chilling my bones.
"I didn't care if there were too many, but as soon as I asked to borrow firewood, the young gentleman immediately agreed and let me take it all away."
The bodyguard surnamed Chen released his left hand and rolled the firewood he was holding on the ground. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw a figure moving around in the fog, and he quickly became vigilant.
When he was about to die, he could no longer remember the docile words he had learned when he was a businessman. He only knew that he was probably going to fall here today, and that the ghost would probably eat his flesh and blood, suck out his soul, and leave nothing behind.
"Has anyone gone?"
I was worried just now, so I hurriedly went to borrow firewood, said a few words, and returned in a hurry with the firewood. I dropped the firewood several times, but I didn't care. Now when I thought about it carefully, I realized that the pavilion over there and in the pavilion were
The young gentlemen were surprisingly calm. Looking back at this moment, they could only think of the crackling sound of the flames and nothing else.
For a moment, only the scarlet light of the charcoal was left, reflected on the panicked faces, and they were no different from ghosts.
"call……"
The escort surnamed Chen was stunned for a moment.
"Mr. Chen, be careful!"
When the mountain rain stops, fog often occurs, mostly in the form of clouds, or accumulated in mountain recesses, and this time is no exception.
The merchant surnamed Li vaguely saw a burst of fire, like a knot of wood being burned. The cold feeling on his body disappeared immediately, and the pulling force behind him also disappeared, replaced by an irresistible force pulling him forward.
Before everyone had time to protect—
"It doesn't learn like..."
The middle-aged businessman carried a small handful of firewood over, but instead of borrowing a fire, he lit a fire himself. He then took out the dry food and heated it in front of the fire. He ate the water while chatting quietly, looking left and right from time to time.
"..."
Someone shouted something, and everyone immediately scrambled to their feet and ran frantically toward the fire.
"What? What happened?"
However, this kind of ghost usually does not become a climate, and ordinary martial arts warriors and even bold and strong men are not afraid of it.
It was the little gentleman's voice.
Everyone was startled and quickly turned their heads to look respectfully.
"Just rest here tonight."
The young gentleman pursed his lips as he spoke, and turned to look outside the pavilion. There was drizzle in the fog, and he added softly:
"Don't worry, I will come find you when the rain stops."