The sound of the piano stopped suddenly.
Aluan originally walked here following the sound of the piano. But the sound stopped, and she didn't know where to go. Although the music was abrupt, it was not weird. She only felt a lightness in her body and mind, without any fear at all. With this calm heart, she carefully searched for clues in the woods. Soon, a faint light came from deep in the forest, and she walked forward along the road that she could see clearly.
Pushing aside the last bush in front of her, she saw the back of Shanhai.
"Mountain...ah——"
She stopped.
Someone else is there.
Although it was against the light, she could clearly see his outline.
What kind of skin is like gelatin, what kind of ice-cold muscles and jade bones, Aluan would never have thought of these. She only felt that the man was as white as snow in life, different from the pale whiteness of demons, or the lifelessness of immortals, but with the warmth of human beings. In comparison, the long white dress with such a skin color looked scary in the night. The open hem of his clothes was embroidered with light, azure satin, and the intertwined blue and white robes looked extremely light on his body.
This person has a handsome face, with short, thin hair hanging on his forehead. He wore a green turban with an embroidered base that was the same as his clothes, and his fine long hair as black as plum branches poured down.
It was obviously the beginning of summer, but there was clearly a faint fragrance of plum blossoms in the forest. Rabbits, mice, and sika deer in the forest all gathered around him and leaned on him affectionately.
Looking at him, it was like being in a gentle cool stream.
However, his eyes were covered by a black satin.
Ah Luan was not sure whether the sound of the piano came from his hand.
Because there were no strings on the piano in front of him.
She believed she was right.
When confused, the musician suddenly looked at her, as if the curtain didn't exist. Even through a layer of black cloth, she seemed to be able to tell from his leisurely expression that he seemed to have a pair of eyes as clear as melting snow.
A Luan grasped Shan Hai's clothes tightly and stared at him calmly. The man looked sideways slightly, tilted his head, raised his hand through his long sleeves, and said in a frivolous tone:
"Rin Dao Changjing took a walk at night, it was so elegant."
"Besides, I think you are quite disturbing."
"Is this really true?"
Aluan seemed to see the musician across the black satin eyes widening in surprise, and his words were clearly full of innocence. He stretched out his arms and raised them up. His long sleeves were like water sleeves, hanging down a bit, like a little devil who wanted to scare people.
"Don't try to taint anyone's innocence. I don't have any hands, and you know it all too well."
"Who is playing the piano?"
"It's the wind, my little Taoist priest, the wind."
When he raised his arms, Aluan could clearly see that there was a small animal hidden in his lap. Seeing that there was no cover, he hid in the musician's clothes in a panic.
"He... in the end..."
"Sui Mulong Master Ji Yuejun."
"...Jiyue Lord?"
She seems to have heard this statement before.
It is said that there are twelve ghosts in the world who died at different times and should not have been alive in the first place - the six paths of impermanence. Their spiritual power and lifespan are far beyond that of ordinary people, but they are not ghosts or gods. They stay outside of reincarnation, walk among the six realms, write yin and yang, judge life and death, and wander between the worlds of humans and demons.
It is the living dead and the dead living.
——Yellow Spring in December.
"Change the name, the girl must know it..."
"The Broken Finger Piano Demon." Shanhai continued.
She remembered that she had heard this legend. The twelfth, Wuchang, who can captivate the soul, command hundreds of ghosts, and shake the dead, is a musician with "no hands under his sleeves and no strings on his piano" - just like all the bedtime stories that scare naughty children.
He is actually an old friend of Shanhai.
Besides, he had such an attractive face - she thought he really looked like an evil Rakshasa like in the legend.
Ah Luan took another closer look and found a sable lying in Lord Jiyue's arms. She walked forward, and Shanhai followed her.
Through the thin sleeves, Lord Jiyue gently stroked its soft fur.
"This is a spiritual mink. It used to live in the forest. One day, it got into a fight with a big yellow cat and bit the cat to death. Later, the lady who raised the cat went to the forest to look for it, thinking that it was because it didn't want to go back. . At that time, it hid in the tree hole and exposed its eyes. The woman mistakenly thought it was her cat, left some food and left. Since then, it has given the woman some gifts every day, which is considered a kind of gift. Repaying a favor can also be regarded as an apology.”
"The old woman is very troubled by this, and I hope it won't do it again." Shanhai said.
"That's not okay. Repaying a favor is like revenge. Even the recipient cannot stop it."
Lord Jiyue showed a meaningful expression, and his long sleeves touched the smooth body of the piano. Aluan thought there was something in his words, but after thinking about it carefully, he couldn't make out the meaning.
"But, let's teach it to send some wild fruits in the future. To humans, dead things are indeed a bit weird."
He said easily, and Aluan looked sideways at Shanhai. Shan Hai said nothing and looked at him quietly. In the thin light, she saw that Shanhai's eyes were like a quiet and deep pool. Under this tranquility, something else was quietly surging.
"Ah... I almost forgot about business. Please keep this thing with you."
Mr. Jiyue raised his sleeves to indicate that another beautiful sika deer was walking over from a short distance away. It lowered its head, with something on its horns, and a white silk ribbon like a ponytail hanging down from one end. Shanhai stretched out his hands to take it and looked at it carefully.
"Isn't this the whisk I use in meditation? What do I need it for?"
"It's certainly useful."
Lord Jiyue covered his mouth with his sleeves and smiled.
"Is this all you want to do with me?"
Shan Hai's tone was not annoyed, but he seemed sure that this person still had something to say, but he didn't like him pretending to be silent like this.
"Tomorrow you go to Yu'an Restaurant in the north of Huansha City. By then, you will know what I want to say to you."
This conversation made Aluan feel confused and confused. Until she woke up the next day, she couldn't tell whether the illusory scene last night was a dream. It was only when she saw the whisk in Shan Hai's hand and the bunch of fruits as red as pomegranate flowers by the old woman's window that she felt a sense of astonishment that transcended time and space.
"Let's go."
Shan Hai packed his bags and stood at the intersection, facing the rising sun. The old smoky white Taoist robe on his body was faintly exuding golden light. Aluan rubbed his eyes in confusion, then took steps to catch up.
They soon entered the city.
At noon, the streets are bustling with people coming and going, and small merchants and hawkers are selling and shouting. Aluan felt that the scenery here was the same as that of Dailuan City, except for the style of some small objects and jewelry, which was slightly different from his hometown.
"You seem to be bored?" Shan Hai asked.
"It just... feels like it's not as novel as I thought. It's not much different from what I saw at the big market."
"That's natural. The two cities are not too far apart."
At half past noon, the two of them arrived at Yu'an Restaurant, which Mr. Jiyue mentioned, as promised. This restaurant is decorated with great style, with carved beams and painted pillars, shining brightly under the high hanging sun. This restaurant had at least four floors. Shan Hai stood downstairs and felt trembling. He didn't know how much money this tea would cost.
"It's a bit worse than what we have there."
Aluan crossed his arms and made comments, while Taoist priest Lin rolled his eyes, really unable to guess what kind of medicine was sold in Lord Jiyue's gourd. What's more, the people who come in and out of this restaurant, regardless of gender, all have a bit of makeup. Needless to say, this restaurant may have some sensuality to it. Lin Shanhai, who considered himself a Taoist, really didn't want to stand here, and when he looked at the dumbfounded Aluan again, he was even more troubled.
At this time, the waiter at the door came forward.
"May I ask your Excellency, are you Taoist Priest Linxiao Guanlin?"
"...Ah, exactly."
"Great, please come up with me. Mr. Pei has been waiting for you for a long time..."
With that said, the waiter pulled Shan Hai without any explanation and was about to go inside. Another waiter who came up was also taking advantage of Aluan behind. The two people were coaxed into the restaurant in a daze. The waitress in the shop laughed and winked at Shanhai, and the actress reached out and pinched Aluan's face.
They were brought to the third floor in confusion. The waiter opened a door, and a strong smell of alcohol and rouge hit their faces. The person in the middle, surrounded by slender limbs and jade arms, is a bloated and oily official.
When it comes to appearance, Aluan can only think of cow dung in the flower bed.
As soon as he saw the mountains and seas, Yuan Pei, who had just been squinting like a sloth bear, suddenly straightened up and widened his small eyes. His expression was complicated for a moment, with mixed feelings. He pushed away the girls around him and shouted loudly. :
"Immortal, I've been waiting for you to come, Immortal!"
Good guy, meeting your biological father is nothing more than that.
This battle frightened Shanhai, and Aluan also stayed where he was. I don't know when the master recognized such a godson.
"The immortal has a noble surname!"
Come on, there’s no son who doesn’t know his father.
That's what it says. Yuan Pei quickly drove away the singers and girls, closed the door himself, opened it again, and ordered the guys to bring two more jugs of good wine. After the two of them sat down and were restrained, Officer Pei cleared his throat and sat upright, showing some seriousness that an official should have.
Fortunately, Pei Yuanwailang was also educated and his language was fluent. He told them the cause and effect of the whole matter smoothly. It was said that at night, an immortal with an extraordinary temperament floated outside the window, telling him that someone would soon come to solve his troubles. It would be a Taoist monk, holding a whisk, followed by a medicine boy carrying a small wooden box. So he gave them many instructions and asked the store clerk to guard them at the door for more than three days.
"..."
Shanhai felt that this whisk was a bit hot to his hands.
"What are you talking about in your sleep? How could the immortal show up on such an occasion?" A Luan said and picked up a snack.
"Little sister, you don't know something, but I was sleeping in this house at that time. It's the bed and the window over there. This is the third floor!"
Mr. Pei raised three fingers as he spoke.
Shan Hai took a deep breath and put his hand on his forehead. Needless to say, everyone knows who the so-called immortals are - Lord Jiyue really caused them a lot of trouble.
"Then...what's troubling you?" Shanhai picked up the teacup, then remembered who had used it, and put it back.
"Well, to tell you the truth, the imperial court sent me here this time to solve the food shortage problem in this city..."
"Food shortage? This... doesn't look like it. Besides, I haven't heard of any natural disasters in Huansha City recently. Even if there is, I am just a Taoist priest..."
"Eighty percent of it is a man-made disaster."
Aluan added this. Member Pei clapped the back of his hands and said angrily:
"Oh my little sister, you are so smart. But this is not an ordinary man-made disaster, it is a demonic disaster!"
Monster disaster...?
