From the old man's words, Shanhai figured out the strange things that happened here in just half a night.
The incident first occurred when Huansha City held a festival to the God of Grain. When it came time to ask the God of Grain about the harvest, the goddess divined it as usual. Unexpectedly, instead of answering people about this year's harvest as he did in previous years, the God of Grain showed no response at all. At that time, people were angry with the goddess, blaming her for being dishonest and the God of Grain not wanting to show her spirit. But after that, several people changed, and no one could ask anything. The answer was neither a good harvest nor a bad harvest, but there was no answer at all, as if the God of Rice had disappeared.
From that day on, many strange and ugly monsters gradually appeared on the river banks, beside the fields, and in the middle of the road. They seem to be very weak and usually very sluggish, but when there is the slightest smell of food nearby, they swarm up ferociously and eat up all the grain and rice. Even if you eat something into your stomach, it will be very painful, just like swallowing a knife or eating fire, and you will cry like a ghost or a wolf. But even so, their stomachs never seem to be full. Whenever the food of each family is ready to be harvested, no matter what the harvest is, these hungry ghosts will eat up all the millet and rice like locusts crossing the border.
This is what Lin Shanhai understands. Since the hungry ghosts were not transformed from human beings, and since the God of Grain had no response, he could only draw one conclusion: ghosts and gods that did not belong to the human world had poured into the city.
As for the God of He, I don’t know that he was hidden by Kazuto.
Hungry ghosts are short in stature and move slowly, so it takes a long time to swarm into the inner city. However, if the crack somewhere still cannot be sealed, sooner or later, the entire Huansha City will be wiped out by the hungry ghosts.
But those officials didn't care.
Thinking of this, Aluan became a little angry.
This is just one of them. Another thing the uncle said was something they had never heard before.
There was a woman in her forties at the entrance of the village. Her name was unknown, but she was a widow when she moved here, and everyone called her widow. The widow has a son named Shuanzi. Although he is a bit naughty, he is considered healthy. One day Shuanzi and a few friends went to the fields to fight ghosts - that is, they used stones and wooden sticks to chase down the hungry ghosts who were robbing people of their food. It stands to reason that hungry ghosts are not very aggressive, not to mention that there are many children, so there is nothing wrong with catching a lone person and chasing them.
The bad thing is, they bumped into something else.
"Something else?" A Luan asked.
"This is not the first time I have heard of it. But who would have known that bad things would happen to Shuanzi. Among those children, he was the one with the sharpest eyes. This is what Erya told the adults later. ——It was said that Shuanzi saw a white shadow in the field. He kept staring there, and everyone followed suit. After a while, the children didn't want to look anymore and called Shuanzi to leave, but he didn't move. . After patting him again, he suddenly fell into epilepsy. The children were frightened and ran back to call the adults. The adults were also scared when they came. Although the white shadow was gone in the field, the bolt looked terrifying. Very. He twisted his whole body uncontrollably, twisting into a shape that was completely impossible for humans. Even with his big eyes, he couldn't recognize that he was a living person. In the end, several strong men held him down and tied him up. Returning home. The goddess said that the child must have seen something unclean and was possessed by evil spirits. Now, there are no able-bodied people here. They have all gone out to find work. It’s just a pity for the widow, with such a A child with a strange disease..."
"Did Shuanzi's father suffer from epilepsy before his death?"
Aluan asked. She knew that some diseases were passed down in the family, but they were not necessarily possessed by ghosts and gods.
"We don't know, but Shuanzi's mother is determined. She cries and screams all day long..."
"That Bai Ying...has anyone seen it before?"
"Ask those children again. Maybe they were frightened by Shuanzi when they mentioned this matter. They didn't look good, so they shouldn't respond to you. But a few adults have seen it, but they only said it was a white shadow, in the field. It was turbulent inside, like a scarecrow being blown by the strong wind. I'm afraid they didn't see it clearly. If they had, I'm afraid they would have suffered the same fate as Shuanzi..."
Aluan looked at Shanhai, as if asking him, do you know?
It was only when he was practicing in vipassanā that he heard his fellow disciples talk about similar situations. What they have in common are white ghosts in the fields, weird and terrifying postures, and one or two cursed children.
As for how to break the evil curse... they never said anything. Thinking about it this way, I'm afraid there is no solution.
Some people have also said that it is a karmic ghost. But this is not the karma of the human world, but the reincarnation of human beings. The unwashed karma gathers together like dirt to form such ghosts and ghosts, which are left in that world.
These two things, seemingly unrelated, actually have slight similarities.
The monsters in the incident all came from the realm of hungry ghosts.
The realm of hungry ghosts is also called the realm of ghosts. It is not just hungry ghosts, but there are so many of them, so it is named after it. In addition to hungry ghosts, there are also many evil demons and Rakshasas. If the rumors are true, karmic ghosts are probably one of them.
But how does this ghost realm connect with the human realm? Could it be that some kind of crack has appeared at the intersection of the two worlds... If the crack is ignored and allowed to spread, I am afraid that the cost will be more than just Huansha City.
Shan Hai gradually realized how serious the matter entrusted to him by Lord Jiyue was.
It's also serious.
"The possessed child...can we go and see it?"
The old man waved his hand:
"It's too late, let's do it tomorrow. However, it seems that you are a cultivator. Have you come up with some countermeasures?"
"Countermeasures... they don't count, and I don't have much confidence. If there are hungry ghosts somewhere, you can just give them a try first."
"Hungry ghosts, are there any?"
As expected of a full meal, the old man felt refreshed and his whole demeanor seemed to be different. He slapped the table, startling Aluan who was about to fall asleep.
"A few days ago, Butcher Chen's big meat was stolen by a hungry ghost. He specially designed a plan to catch the glutton and locked it in the cellar. It's amazing to say that after a few days without eating or drinking, he actually The monster hasn’t starved to death yet.”
Um. Hungry ghosts really cannot die of hunger. Heaven will teach them to suffer while alive and repay the karma of their previous lives. The house was small, so Abo pushed the only table into the corner, got some hay and spread it on the ground, and spread two layers of old bedding.
"I'm still afraid of freezing, but there's really no more stuff in the house..."
"That's not necessary. If you are willing to accommodate us for a night, I would be very grateful."
"If so! Go to sleep quickly. I will take you to Lao Chen's house tomorrow... I just don't know if Taoist Master still needs to prepare anything?"
Lin Shanhai covered Aluan with the quilt, thought for a moment, and responded:
"Just prepare some wet firewood. It would be great if you have toon wood."
"Okay, I can get it tomorrow morning."
After saying that, the old man opened the door curtain and went back to the house to rest. After a while, thunderous snoring came from the back room. The little lamp oil left on the table quickly burned out, and the room became pitch black again.
What Shan Hai is planning is the method of smoking and feeding. He has heard about it and knows what the process is, but he has not actually implemented it yet. But burning firewood and chanting a mantra may not be too difficult to do.
The old man's snoring made the roof creak, and there was a little moisture on the ground, which made his bones feel a little chilly. He reached out and touched Aluan's forehead. The temperature was normal, and he felt a little relieved. This girl doesn't suffer from any of the diseases of wealth. She is not picky about food or bed, and is easy to take care of.
But after all, she had just passed her teenage years, and in Shanhai's eyes she was still a child who didn't understand the world. In the past twenty years, he has not experienced too much, but he has experienced a lot. He always has this and that in his heart, and he really cannot sleep easily like a child. The slightest disturbance at night can cause people to toss and turn.
After a long time, Shanhai finally felt a little tired. He slowly closed his eyes and went to find Duke Zhou in his dream.
Duke Zhou didn't see it, and neither did Yu Gong. However, he did see the mountain.
He dreamed that he was back in the past, when he was dancing spoons, and he went up the mountain to collect medicines with bamboo strips on his back.
Did you really go to collect medicine? He vaguely recalled that the purpose of this trip seemed to be not to find medicine, but to find birds.
The protective god of Dailuan City, the sacred bird Xuanluan.
That was because he was still young and firmly believed in such beautiful legends. But now Shanhai has already passed three and five years since the year of weak crown. Looking back at myself as a child, it is really funny.
He remembered that he was climbing a steep slope. After a while, there will be a stone platform on the left front. I will sweep the snow and rest on it for a while. Then, it will go up again. The further we go, the more dangerous the road becomes. The rugged rocks are covered with biting ice, which is cold and slippery to the touch. Soon, the hill came to an end. The other mountain adjacent to it is higher, but in between is a bottomless valley with only a few parts of the mountain connected together.
He couldn't go any further, he knew.
But the child in the dream didn't listen to his instructions at all and moved forward on his own. The snow was up to his knees and it was difficult to move, but he still refused to give up and walked forward stubbornly.
Until we walked towards the suspended snow area.
The snow was piled up in layers, and the snowflakes formed one after another, forming a false road on the edge of the cliff. He missed his footing and bumped against the smooth and cold rocks. He grabbed the cliff wall with his hands, and his fingertips were painfully abraded. Then he climbed onto a loose rock.
Before he could take a breath, he fell straight down the cliff with his body and the stone.
He should have been in agony, but he had lost all his senses. Perhaps it was too cold and all his limbs were paralyzed.
Opening his eyes, through a layer of blood, he saw two misty black figures hovering around him. It's ironic that he didn't find the divine bird, but found the soul that was always by his side.
He finally knew why little Aluan smiled at him.
Soon, he will go with them.
The field of vision blurred one by one, and everything became blurry. The sleepiness became more intense, and he could almost be touched by the two shadows.
A person came towards me, wearing a white shirt with a green belt, and a black satin was still covering it.
"Wake up, Shanhai, you shouldn't sleep at this time, and you shouldn't sleep here."
He stood up suddenly.
"Jiyue Lord!"
