It was noon today, and the sky above Guo Beicheng was cloudless and blue. The bright sunshine fell down, seeming to dispel a lot of the gloom and sadness in the hearts of the people in the city.
However, the Li Mansion in the city was in front of everyone.
A Taoist with sloppy robes was sitting casually in the courtyard. Next to him were ink pens, yellow paper, and scissors, folding and drawing something.
"Taoist Master, the coffin you asked for is here. There have been a lot of funerals in the city recently, and there are not enough coffins. The shopkeeper of the coffin shop still heard that our Li family wanted to use it, so he gave up a good coffin prepared for himself.
, I haven't collected the money yet." Lu Bo came over at this time, saluted Mr. Mu, and then several workers carried in a heavy coffin.
This coffin is covered with dust and looks like it has not been used for a long time, but the wood is extremely exquisite and extremely thick, making it a rare and good coffin.
"Hey, I have little merit and can only enjoy a thin coffin. This coffin is too thick and will be wasted by then."
Mu Taoren patted his butt and stood up. He patted the heavy coffin and couldn't help laughing.
"The Taoist priest was joking. Thin coffins rot quickly and can easily damage the body. However, any wealthy family will prepare a thick coffin. Our Li family is not short of money. How can we buy a thin coffin? If this is the case,
Wouldn't it make outsiders look down on our Li family?" Lu Bo said.
Mu Daoren said: "That's all, just make the coffin thick. It doesn't matter. I made some armors and swords out of yellow paper yesterday. You burned those things at night. Your Yin soldiers from the Li family can use them. Anyway, I'm poor."
We don’t have much time left, so if you can help me a little, I’ll count it as a favor.”
After speaking, he pointed to the pile of yellow papers on the ground.
Those yellow papers were folded into the shape of armor or swords, with some incomprehensible talismans drawn in ink on them, and there was a faint red light coming out during the day.
Lu Bo was a little confused, but he still responded respectfully.
"Boom~!"
At this moment, there was a sound of thunder, low and loud, above the clear sky.
Mu Taoist raised his head and glanced at the sky and said: "Pindao's disaster is coming... It seems to be ahead of schedule. Hey, can't you even tolerate Pindao in one day? That's fine. You ruined the time. Pindao
It’s not certain whether he’s dead or alive.”
After saying that, he pushed the coffin open and lay down in it, covering himself with a brocade garment.
Those brocade clothes belong to Li Xiuyuan. Taoist Mu asked for them from Li Xiuyuan two days ago.
Before the coffin lid could be closed, a flash of lightning suddenly flashed in the sky, followed by a bolt of thunder that suddenly fell and accurately penetrated the coffin in front of everyone.
"Boom~!" A burst of fire and thick smoke emerged from the coffin, with a strong smell of sulfur.
Lu Bo next to him was shocked when he saw this and hurriedly backed away.
Before he could take a few more steps, another bolt of thunder struck from the sky. The whole coffin was struck with a loud bang and shook violently. The thick coffin was shaken, and the broken wood flew everywhere, making a loud noise.
Crack.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The thunder kept ringing, and in just the blink of an eye, three thunderbolts fell, and each thunderbolt penetrated into the coffin.
Suddenly, thick smoke and fire broke out all around.
Those who didn't know better thought there was a fire here.
The thunder and lightning came and went quickly. From the beginning to now, after five strikes in succession, the thunder stopped falling.
However, this coffin was torn into pieces by lightning, and flames were ignited on it. A thick smoke lingered inside the coffin for a long time.
"Taoist Master." It took Lu Bo a long time to come back to his senses.
Then I remembered that the Taoist Priest had been lying in the coffin just now. He immediately panicked and hurriedly fetched water to put out the fire to see how the Taoist Priest was doing and whether he had been struck to death by lightning.
If he is really hacked to death, he will not know how to explain to the eldest young master when he comes back.
This Taoist priest is the uncle of the eldest young master. He is an expert in Taoism. The eldest young master usually respects him very much. If this is a problem, then I really don’t know what to do.
Soon, Lu Bo got water and put out the fire on the coffin.
Originally a heavy coffin was struck by lightning five times, cracked by the shock, and then burned by fire. In the end, only a thin piece of charred coffin was left. It just echoed what Taoist Mu said before, the merit is shallow and can only be saved.
Enjoy a thin coffin.
Lu Bo waved away the thick smoke and looked inside the coffin, his face was immediately shocked.
However, they saw that only the eldest young master's coat was left in the coffin, and Mu Taoist's figure had disappeared.
"Why is it missing?"
Lu Bo took out Li Xiuyuan's coat and shook it, only to see that after being struck by lightning five times, this ordinary brocade coat did not leave any traces.
It's neither burnt nor tattered, it's still as new as new.
It’s hard to believe that this piece of clothing was struck by lightning and burned by fire just now.
But the coffin only saw the clothes, not the person.
"Could it be that the Taoist priest was struck by lightning and turned into smoke?" Lu Bo couldn't help but thought with some fear.
If this is the case, wouldn't it mean that there are no bones left?
But before Lu Bo could think about it, suddenly a crow came from the eldest young master's study, and a big fiery red rooster jumped out from nowhere, flapping its wings and rushing towards it quickly.
.
Before Lu Bo could react, the big rooster opened its mouth and pecked it, picked up Li Xiuyuan's brocade dress and ran away.
As the big rooster flapped its wings a few times, the rooster flew easily over the tall courtyard wall, and in the blink of an eye there was no trace. It disappeared somewhere.
However, Li Xiuyuan still doesn't know about the strange things happening here.
He has now entered Hua County and is walking on the streets of Hua County.
"This Hua County is far behind Guobei County." Li Xiuyuan glanced around and said.
The faces of the people on the street were all ugly, and it was obvious that their lives were not very good. In addition, he also found that the vendors and shops on the street mainly sold sacrificial items.
For example, incense candles, paper money, paper figures, paper houses, paper sedan chairs, etc.
"Young Master, Guobei County is supported by our Li family. I don't know how many taxes have been blocked for the people. The people's life is naturally good, but other places are not so lucky." The guard said with some pride, as if he was worried about it.
I am very proud to live in Guobei County.
But there is indeed something to be proud of.
The life of the people in Guobei County is indeed much better than that of people in other places.
It is precisely because of this that the number of people in Guobei County is increasing, and it has a vague tendency to develop into a prosperous city.
"Young Master, these paper figures and paper sedans look like the ones we met on the road when we came here." Another guard said.
Li Xiuyuan nodded and said: "Go and find out where the Qiao family is. We will send this daughter Qiao back first."
"Yes, young master."
The guard responded and soon asked the nearby vendors for the location of Qiao's house.
The county is not big, so it is easy to ask questions about some things. Soon, a guard ran back and said: "Young Master, please ask clearly. The Qiao family is in the alley on the street over there."
"Go and pay a visit." Li Xiuyuan said.
After a while, he arrived in front of an ordinary house.
After knocking on the door, an old servant from the Qiao Mansion opened the door. When he saw Li Xiuyuan and others, he couldn't help but feel a little wary: "This young master, who are you looking for?"
If it weren't for Li Xiuyuan's handsome appearance, extraordinary temperament, and the appearance of a scholar and a noble man, this old servant would not even want to ask more questions.
Li Xiuyuan gave a salute and said: "Li Xiuyuan in Xiaguobei County has something to do with Mr. Qiao of the Qiao Mansion. I would also like to ask the old man to inform him. By the way, this matter is related to daughter Qiao."
The old servant of the Qiao family looked at Li Xiuyuan again and saw that he was not a bad person. He nodded and said, "Master, please wait a moment. I will inform my master right away."
After saying that, he closed the door and left quickly.
After a while, the old servant of the Qiao family opened the door again: "Master Li, my master has invited you."
"Thank you." After being polite, Li Xiuyuan entered Qiao's residence.
As soon as he entered the mansion, he smelled a faint fishy smell in the air.
"There is a ghost in this house."
Li Xiuyuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He had been exposed to ghosts a lot, so he was inevitably a little sensitive. What's more, he had encountered a ghost last night, and he had some ability to distinguish the smell and smell of ghosts.
For example, if you encounter a water ghost, you will smell a stink that is almost fishy.
If you encounter an ordinary ghost, there will be a smell of paper ash, which means that this ghost is worshiped by someone, not an unknown ghost.
If you encounter a ghost, there will be a fishy smell, almost rotten. This is because the ghost has not been enshrined, the tomb has not been taken care of, and the bones have been soaked in water, making them rotten and smelly.
Of course, if you meet the gods in the temple, all you smell is incense.
Only Guizhao is in between, smelling of both paper ashes and incense.
Li Xiuyuan was led by the old servant of the Qiao family to the lobby of the Qiao family.
But at this time, a man in his fifties with white temples and a scarf was standing in the lobby, preparing to welcome Li Xiuyuan's arrival.
"Li Xiuyuan, a late student, has met Mr. Qiao." Li Xiuyuan saluted.
This Mr. Qiao is dressed like a scholar, so obviously he is also a scholar.
"Late student? Are you also a scholar?" Mr. Qiao put away his contempt, became serious, and returned the gift.
"The late student is a child born in Guobei County. He just took the college entrance examination last month." Li Xiuyuan said.
When Mr. Qiao heard that Li Xiuyuan was a boy student and was about to be admitted as a scholar, his face immediately became much kinder: "What article will be tested at the end of this college examination?"
"It's an article about governing the country and bringing peace to the country." Li Xiuyuan said.
"Still the same old thing, no new tricks." Mr. Qiao shook his head and smiled: "How did you write it?"
"Cultivation of one's mind, one's family, and the rule of the country bring peace to the world. The first thing to do when one is late is to have a right mind. Since ancient times, to govern a country is to govern people, and to govern people is to govern the mind. A disordered mind is the root of all troubles. An official's wrong mind will breed corruption. Corruption
If there is too much, the people will suffer. If the people suffer, the world will be in chaos."
Li Xiuyuan said.
Mr. Qiao nodded and said, "It's quite satisfactory. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's nothing outstanding about it. If there's nothing wrong with it elsewhere, it won't be difficult for me to be a talented person this time."
"For the first college examination, I don't seek skill, only stability." Li Xiuyuan said.
"Not impatient, not bad." Mr. Qiao nodded with satisfaction.
Seeing that Li Xiuyuan, who suddenly came to visit, was only fifteen or sixteen years old, and he could be so prudent at such a young age, his future achievements would probably be limitless.
After some exchanges, the relationship between Li Xiuyuan and Mr. Qiao became much closer.
After all, scholars have topics to talk about.
"Master Li, please take a seat. Come and serve some good tea." After some conversation, Mr. Qiao just entertained Li Xiuyuan.
Just after Li Xiuyuan sat down, Mr. Qiao asked again, "Just now, when I heard Mr. Li asked his servants to report, Mr. Li said that this visit was for my daughter?"
"I came here just for your noble daughter." Li Xiuyuan said.
"Is it to propose marriage?"
Mr. Qiao said: "If it is for this matter, Mr. Li, you are here a step too late. Something happened in the house. My daughter has suffered from dementia a few days ago. There is no cure for it, and now she can no longer see anyone."
After saying that, he sighed.
It seemed that from the conversation just now, he was very satisfied with Li Xiuyuan, but because of his special situation, he could only reject Li Xiuyuan.
"Master Qiao misunderstood. Wan Sheng came to visit and did not propose marriage, just to return your noble daughter."
After Li Xiuyuan finished speaking, he motioned to the guards waiting outside the door.
I owe you two updates. I'll make them up tomorrow. I won't forget them.