Chapter two hundred and fifty first hungry ghost begging for food
night.
Ning Caichen suddenly woke up from his dream and shouted Xiaoqian's name.
He broke out in a cold sweat, but when he reacted, he found that it was just a dream, an extremely real dream. Everything that happened in the dream was as if it were real, vivid and fresh in his memory.
"Is it just a dream? Or did Xiaoqian really come here just now?" Ning Caichen turned over and sat up, gasping for air, no longer feeling sleepy.
He felt that he should ask Li Xiuyuan about this matter, Mr. Li. He was very knowledgeable about gods and ghosts and might be able to interpret the dream just now.
But when he just lit the candle, he suddenly discovered that Nie Xiaoqian's ashes urn on the table was gone.
There was also a piece of sacrificial papyrus left on it, with a line of beautiful handwriting on it, as if written by a woman, and the content of the letter was also very simple, just a line of farewell words.
Seeing this, Ning Caichen's expression darkened, and he realized that the dream just now was true.
Nie Xiaoqian really went to reincarnation.
"Is it just a dream after all?" Ning Caichen murmured, lost in thought.
And time passed by, and it was the early morning of the next day.
After slaying the tree demon, Li Xiuyuan gave the remaining jars of wine to Yan Chixia as promised before, and had a drink with Xia Houwu at Lanruo Temple to celebrate.
Yan Chixia and Xia Houwu fell asleep after being drunk.
Li Xiuyuan meditated for several hours, regained his energy, and prepared to return to Guobei County today.
I didn't go to greet the two people. I had already agreed yesterday that once the tree demon is destroyed, Yan Chixia will naturally continue to act chivalrously, slay demons and capture thieves, and make the world her home. We will meet again in the future. As for Xia Hou
Wu thought that there was a big gap between himself and Yan Chixia in martial arts, so he stopped pestering him to compete and decided to travel around.
But Xia Houwu also said that if Li Xiuyuan needs his help in the future, just ask and he will be obliged to do so.
Taking Longma with him, he walked alone towards the outside of Lanruo Temple.
On the way, I met Ning Caichen who was wandering in the temple.
"Master Li, are you going back?" Ning Caichen asked.
"Yes, the tree demon has been exterminated. The old Black Mountain demon has gone to nowhere. All the ghosts of Lanruo Temple have disappeared. Peace has been restored here, and it's not too early for me to come out.
It's time to go back home. Aren't you going to Guobei County to collect the debt? Why don't you go with us?" Li Xiuyuan said.
Ning Caichen saluted and said, "Xiaosheng would like to stay here for a few more nights and then go to Guobei County to visit Mr. Li in a few days."
"Lanruo Temple is now safe and secluded. It is a good place to live. It would be good for you to rest here for a few more days." Li Xiuyuan nodded without giving a hint.
He could tell that Ning Caichen still missed Nie Xiaoqian and was reluctant to leave.
It's just that people and ghosts have different paths, Nie Xiaoqian went to reincarnation, and this fate can be regarded as over.
The two exchanged some words, and finally Li Xiuyuan said goodbye to Ning Caichen and returned to Guobei County on a dragon horse.
After staying in the eerie Lanruo Temple for a few days, it still felt a bit strange to return to the bustling Guobei County.
In order not to surprise others, Li Xiuyuan had already collected the dragon and horse before entering the city, and then walked for a while and entered the county seat.
"Isn't this the eldest young master? Why did he come back from outside the county so early in the morning?"
"Hey, morning, young master. Have you had breakfast? Why don't I get you a bowl of noodles?"
"Go, go, you want the eldest young master to attract business for your family. You are too stingy to ask the eldest young master to sit down after a bowl of noodles."
Many people in the county who knew Li Xiuyuan greeted him warmly, especially the store owners along the road, who were eager to drag Li Xiuyuan into the store to have something to eat.
If you can get a compliment from Li Xiuyuan, it will be a very honorable thing for those who work in Guobei County.
Business will be booming.
And when Li Xiuyuan passed by a steamed bun shop that he often went to, he found that the shop that was originally very busy was deserted, with almost no one patronizing it. However, the shopkeeper was sitting there with a frown on his face and seemed worried.
Something difficult happened.
"Shopkeeper, what's the matter? You don't look good? Did you give away too many buns some time ago and lose your money?" Li Xiuyuan asked with a smile.
"Oh, is it the eldest young master?" The shopkeeper looked quickly and saw Li Xiuyuan approaching. He was immediately startled and hurriedly stood up and bowed respectfully: "I have seen the eldest young master."
"There's no need to be so polite. I'm not an official, and I don't have that much authority." Li Xiuyuan said.
The shopkeeper smiled and said: "It is only a matter of time for the young master to obtain the imperial examination, and he will become an official sooner or later."
"You think being an official is a very majestic and dignified thing, but I don't think so. I think being an official is a kind of responsibility, so if you say that I will be rich and prosperous in the future, and have many wives and concubines, I will be very happy.
"If you praise me for being an official, I won't be so happy." Li Xiuyuan said.
"The eldest young master's words have a certain flavor and need to be carefully studied. How can I understand those big principles," the shopkeeper said.
Li Xiuyuan said: "What's wrong? You didn't go out to the stall today? It couldn't be that you gave away too many buns last time and lost your money."
The shopkeeper said sternly: "Giving alms to save people is a matter of great merit. It's not too late for me to be happy. Moreover, didn't the eldest master also reduce the rent for me? I didn't lose money. On the contrary, I was still taken care of by the eldest master."
, the business has improved a lot, and I have made a lot more money.”
"This is a good thing, so why are you sad?"
Li Xiuyuan said: "I wanted to have something to eat at your stall, but who knew you didn't come out of the stall this morning."
"It's not that the small ones don't do business, it's that the business can't be done. Every time the small ones steam a basket of steamed buns, something strange happens, which makes the business unsustainable," the shopkeeper said.
Li Xiuyuan asked curiously: "Oh. Weird thing? What kind of weird thing."
The shopkeeper explained in detail that the buns shrank in size immediately after they came out of the cage. When they were served, the bowl-sized buns had shrunk into a ball of flour, which was tasteless.
"Is there such a thing? Well, please bring up a basket of steamed buns and let me see what's going on." Li Xiuyuan said.
The shopkeeper didn't think much about it and just ordered the waiter to bring up a basket of steamed buns.
Soon, the waiter went to the back kitchen of the store to get a basket of steamed buns. Sure enough, before the waiter came out with a basket of steamed buns, the steamed buns shrank and shrank visibly to the naked eye, until only one was left.
Take a small ball of white flour and pinch it with your hands, and it turns into powder directly, which has no usable value at all.
"Young Master, look at this..." the shopkeeper said.
Li Xiuyuan smiled: "It's not a big deal, it's because I was eaten by a ghost."
"Been eaten by a ghost?" the shopkeeper was surprised.
"Yes, ghosts eat the essence of food. If you sacrifice wine to ghosts and gods, if the ghosts and gods enjoy it, the wine will immediately lose its flavor, become rancid, and become sour. This is because the wine smell has been absorbed by the ghosts and gods.
Even if it is eaten, the same goes for the food. If it is enjoyed by ghosts and gods, the food will lose its original taste, just like your steamed buns." Li Xiuyuan said.
"How could there be a ghost in broad daylight?" The shopkeeper was so frightened that he started to tremble.
"Who says there are no ghosts during the day? There are not necessarily fewer ghosts during the day than at night. It's just that ghosts hide in dark places during the day and don't come out to move around. It doesn't mean they don't exist. It seems like there are a few little ghosts hiding in your store." Li Xiuyuan.
Look towards the store.
But I saw five or six dark-faced and thin men curled up in the dark place of the store, motionless. It would be hard to see them if you didn't pay attention.
"W-what, is there a ghost in the store?"
The shopkeeper was shocked: "This, what can we do?"
"Don't worry, since we happened to meet each other today, let's do the shopkeeper a favor and deal with these little devils." Li Xiuyuan said and walked into the store.
After entering the store, he felt a gloomy aura, which is the aura often found on ghosts.
Li Xiuyuan walked towards the five or six ghosts and said, "Why do you ghosts hide in other people's shops and steal other people's food in broad daylight? Don't you know that this is a very immoral thing?"
When these five or six ghosts curled up in the corner saw that Li Xiuyuan could actually see themselves, they immediately understood that this was an unusual master.
A taller ghost came out respectfully and said: "We have no choice but to hide here to beg for food. We all suffered disasters and had nothing to eat during our lives. People who starve to death become starving ghosts after death."
, and because I had no relatives to offer sacrifices to, I came here just because I was unbearably hungry, so I had no choice but to hide in the shopkeeper’s shop and beg for a few meals, and then I left after I had eaten and drank enough.”
"Please forgive me, this master. We just stole a few meals, and we have absolutely no intention of harming anyone. This shopkeeper is also a blessed and kind person. We don't dare to harm him, just because the shopkeeper is passing by."
, we also have to hide in a corner and stay away, for fear that our ghostly energy will affect the shopkeeper and make him sick."
Another starving ghost said with a bit of timidity.
"How many days have you been eating here?" Li Xiuyuan asked.
"It has been five days, and we are just waiting for the last day to finish eating before leaving. We have agreed that each of us will eat for one day, and we ghosts can last for a year after eating a full meal. I believe that we can support him until he is reincarnated.
Day." said the taller starving ghost.
Li Xiuyuan said: "You six starving ghosts have eaten the shopkeeper's food for six days. How can you repay this kindness?"
"I will work for him for free for a year in my next life."
"I will help him with ten small things in my next life."
"I will give him one hundred taels of silver in my next life."
"..." These starving ghosts spoke one after another, all of them telling their own ways to compensate the shopkeeper.
It can be seen from this that all the benefits a person receives during his lifetime are due to his good deeds in previous lives. The so-called help from noble people is actually the merit left by his previous life.