This is a valley with steep peaks. In this deep valley, an uneven stone road twists and turns into the valley shrouded in white mist. In this silent valley, only the faint sound of running water can be heard.
In this uninhabited deep valley, a mother and her son were walking slowly toward the valley along this stone road.
"Mom! Will Dad wait for us over there?" The boy shook his mother's hand and looked at the expressionless face with tears in his eyes.
"Aotian, don't cry. Isn't your father waiting for us over there? You should be happy. Why are you crying? Others say that my Aotian is a handsome young man. If someone sees this, he will laugh. Yours." Di Lian bowed gently, wiped away the tears on Lu Aotian's face with both hands, and said with a smile: "Aotian is so old, he should be like a man, how can he cry easily? You are a role model for my parents. , you should be stronger. Besides, we are going to see your father now, so we must not act like a child in front of your father. To be a little hero in the hearts of parents, you have to learn not to cry. He is a proud and good son of his parents, you know?"
"Mom! I know, I will never let dad down, let alone mom. I want to be the little hero in my parents' hearts!" Lu Aotian raised his little fist with tears in his eyes and put it on his chest, Express your determination.
"Well! This is your father and mother's good son." Dilian gently touched Lu Aotian's little head and said with a smile: "Let's go! Let's go see your father!"
The mother and son continued to walk forward, but Di Lian's face reflected indescribable sadness.
Ghost Bridge is a long stone arch bridge spanning the Yama River, connecting the main roads on both sides of the river. The Yama River under the bridge is boiling all the time, and the black water flows slowly forward, like a black python crossing the valley. The Ghost Bridge was filled with smoke and hazy.
Seeing the ghostly bridge covered by fog, Dilian stopped moving forward and stood quietly at the bridge, watching everything in front of her quietly. Di Lian's face reflected indescribable confusion and helplessness.
The rolling river water was like a long-hungry jackal, howling loudly, and the suffocating sound reached Lu Aotian's ears through the mist from time to time. Lu Aotian grabbed Dilian's hand tightly and shook it: "Mom! What is here? I'm afraid! I'm so scared!"
Di Lian, who was hesitating, was shocked by Lu Aotian, and gently pulled him close to him, with a puzzling and sad smile, and said: "Don't be afraid Aotian, this is just an ordinary stone bridge, and this sound is just a bridge." It’s just the flowing river water. As long as my mother is here, you don’t have to be afraid.”
"Mom! Is dad on the other side of the bridge?" Lu Aotian raised his head and looked expectantly at Dilian's bleak face.
Lu Aotian's innocence and kindness made Dilian couldn't help but shed tears. She knew that this was the wrong choice, but she had no choice but to endure the pain and accept it silently. Dilian knelt down, gently touched the soft, smooth and cute little face with her hands, forced a smile, and said: "You are right, your father is on the other side of the bridge."
"Mom! Why are you crying?" Lu Aotian saw his eyes soaked with tears and gently wiped his mother's tears with his little hands.
"Why is mom crying? Mom is happy, happy that our family of three is finally reunited." Dilian was very happy because she had a good son, but now she lied to her own child. She grabbed Lu Aotian's hands and asked gently: "Aotian! If mother did something sorry to you, will you forgive mother?"
The innocent Lu Aotian didn't know what his mother meant, but he said happily: "No matter what my mother did wrong, Aotian will never blame her, because in Aotian's heart, she will always be the most beautiful girl in the world." Good mother. Without mother, Aotian would never know where my father is. It was my mother who led me to find my father."
Lu Aotian's kindness and cleverness made Dilian fall into pain again. He held Lu Aotian tightly in his arms and cried bitterly for a long time.
"Mom! Let's go find dad, okay?"
Di Lian originally wanted to avoid Lu Aotian, but Lu Aotian's persistence prevented her from having other ideas. In desperation, Dilian responded: "Okay! Let's go find your father."
An old man with a white beard wearing a Taoist robe and holding a mahogany sword was swinging back and forth on the circular platform at the end of the bridge. Occasionally walking and jumping, occasionally swinging the sword around, and his mouth was shaking all the time, not knowing what he was talking about. There were three middle-aged people standing at the bottom of the steps. Judging from their clothes, they seemed to be the work of the old man. A group of common people were surrounding the steps not far away.
Seeing the arrival of the mother and son, everyone turned their attention to the mother and son. The white-bearded old man who was doing this also stopped and fixed his gaze on Lu Aotian.
Di Lian brought Lu Aotian up the steps. Facing Lu Aotian in front of him, the white-bearded old man gently put his hand on Lu Aotian's head and closed his eyes tightly, as if he was feeling something. After a long time, the old man opened his eyes and said mysteriously: "He is indeed responsible for the catastrophe in the clan."
Puzzled, Lu Aotian looked at his mother Dilian next to him and asked in an unclear manner: "Mom! Who are they? What did he just say? Where is dad? Where is dad?"
"Aotian listens, they are dad's friends, they said they will see your dad soon." In order to reassure Lu Aotian, in the eyes of everyone in the audience, Dilian had no choice but to lie to Lu Aotian again.
At this time, the people watching in the audience were all like wolves, tigers and leopards, and their ferocious eyes seemed to tear Lu Aotian in front of them into pieces. Some of the women also pointed at Lu Aotian and cursed: "What a bastard! What's wrong with this Emperor Lotus? He had to give birth to such a monster! What a bad luck!"
"That's right! My child went out to play with this little guy and hasn't come back for three days, but he is safe and sound. He also said that he encountered some monster and tried to eat my son? You said this monster is also good at picking people? , instead of eating this little thing, you ate my baby son. You said this monster is not him or someone else! You kept saying that he was also injured. He checked all over his body, but there was not a single wound! What do you mean? This is just a lie, but my precious son has to be killed. What mistake did my son make?"
"What kind of monster are you talking about? He is simply a broom star. If you cut him with a knife, he will be back to his original state after a few hours. Not long after, another person was lost in the village. What else can he be if he is not a broom star!"
"Exactly! You see, even his own father has disappeared without any reason this time. He must have been killed by this little broomstick! I think it won't be long before even his mother is killed by this little broomstick!"
…
Looking at the people in the audience, the white-bearded old Taoist said loudly to everyone: "Everyone, please don't worry, there is a protector of our way today. Even though he has great abilities, he does not dare to act recklessly in front of our way! This evildoer is the Yama River." Transformed by gods, you only need to break him into his original form and throw him back into this river. From now on, your clan will be in danger and no one will disappear for no reason."
After hearing this, everyone knelt down and bowed to the Yama River, even Di Lian was no exception. At this time, Lu Aotian stood out from the crowd and looked very dazzling. He looked at his mother quietly, wondering why her mother had to bow to the river in front of her like everyone else.
After all the rituals were performed, the white-bearded old Taoist raised his head and shouted to the sky, saying: "By the heavens above, our people have suffered countless deaths and injuries due to being bewitched by the evildoer. Today, I will catch this evildoer to take advantage of the power of heaven!" Heaven will bless our people to be safe and healthy from now on, and we will not be disturbed by evil spirits. Our family will regard Heaven as our lord, and this will not change from generation to generation!"
Then someone forced Lu Aotian to the ground. Seeing Lu Aotian being forced down, he was treated like a prisoner. Di Lian went to stop him, but was stopped by the other two people. In helplessness, Di Lian could only watch her son being forced to the ground.
"Let me go! Let me go! I'm going to find my father! You are all my father's friends, why are you doing this to me! Give me my father back!" Lu Aotian tried his best, but was still forced to do so. On the ground. He could only ask for help from his mother, shouting to his mother in the distance: "Mom! Save me! Save me quickly! I want to find my dad! I want my dad! Mom...!"
Ren Dilian could only watch from a distance and said in a painful voice: "Aotian! Mother is sorry for you! It was mother who harmed you..."
"You evil beast! I am here today, and you still dare to be arrogant and deceive people here! Look how I will beat you, an evil beast, back to your original form today!" The white-bearded old Taoist sword pointed at Lu Aotian who was pressed in front of his feet and shouted loudly, Then he raised his head and said to the sky: "Sacrifice!"
Lu Aotian, who was pressed to the ground, was grabbed again and tied to the railing of a stone bridge in the center of the bridge.
"Let go of my son! Let go of my son! My son is innocent!" Dilian broke free from the restraints of the two and ran towards Lu Aotian who was tied up on the bridge, saying: "Aotian! Aotian! Don't be afraid! Mom, come and save you!”
When the white-bearded old Taoist heard that Di Lian was about to save his son, he thought it was okay. He immediately said to everyone: "Quick! Quick! Stop her! Don't let her unleash this monster! Once the monster becomes rampant, the world will be in trouble." It’s a big mess!”
After everyone heard this, they all forced Di Lian to the bridge. Di Lian, who was restrained, could only watch helplessly as Lu Aotian was tied to the bridge railing.
"Mom! Save me! Mom promised that my dad would be here waiting for our family reunion! Where is dad? Where is dad? Mom! Where is my dad? Why didn't he come to save Aotian? Did Aotian do something wrong? ? Why did dad’s friend tie Aotian here..." Lu Aotian shouted to his mother in the distance while carefully looking at every face, hoping to find his father.
The old white-bearded Taoist put away his mahogany sword and walked to the bridge railing, looking at the black Yama River boiling under the bridge. Then he withdrew his gaze, took three steps back, and said to everyone: "This is the time for the Dharma sacrifice. No one can disturb us! Once God is offended, all of us here will be buried with him! Remember not to make any noise! You can listen to it clear?"
Everyone held their breath after hearing this, and only faint sounds of crying could be heard around them, and this sound came from Emperor Lotus.
The white-bearded old Taoist held a mahogany sword in his hand and slashed it left and right in the air twice. Then he walked up to Lu Aotian with a filled bowl of wine and poured it into Lu Aotian's face.
"The road to heaven is sad, the horse steps lightly, get up!" The white-bearded old man raised his hand, and saw the two of them untied Lu Aotian and held him tightly on their heads. Judging from the standing posture, it seems that he will be thrown into the river at the first command.
The dark, boiling river water now appeared before Lu Aotian's eyes, making him even more frightened. Lu Aotian tried his best, but he was still held tightly by the two of them and held above his head. The slowly rising heat seemed to be swallowing him up, wrapping around him and lingering. He was afraid, he was very scared, so he shouted desperately to his mother: "Mom! Save me! Save me quickly! I'm scared! I'm so scared! I want my mother to hug me! Mom...!"
"Aotian! Aotian! My good son, my mother can't help you!" Dilian wailed, but she was still tightly trapped behind her. She could only look at each other from a distance, in order to be able to see Lu Aotian again. , Di Lian knelt down heavily to everyone in front of him, and said: "I beg you, please let me see Aotian again, even if it is the last look. He is still young, but I, as a mother, lied to him, so I let my mother take my place. My son has to bear all this..."
When the white-bearded old Taoist heard Di Lian's cry, his speed became even faster.
"Hell is dripping with water, and the world is safe and sound. Fall!" With one hand, they quickly threw it under the bridge. There was only a splash, and everything was immersed in silence with the last drop of water.
Can Feng Ji is defeated, who can understand the reason? The shabby tears almost soaked through her whole heart. No one had cried heartbreakingly and fainted so many times and woke up in horrific nightmares like her. Looking at the black Yama River that was boiling and flowing throughout the valley, Di Lian wanted to die, but the villagers risked their lives to stop him.
"Alas! Why are you doing this? We are both mothers who have lost their children. Which one of us doesn't feel uncomfortable? We have endured it for so many years, what is there that we can't endure anymore?" A woman supported Dilian, Seeing Di Lian's face covered with tears, her heart twitched.
Although someone came to help her, Dilian still knelt on the ground and couldn't get up. There was a bright red blood mark on the bridge on his forehead. The tears never stopped, and the circles under his eyes were red and swollen. Looking at the faces in front of her, Dilian said: "I can't bear to offend you all, and I have caused you all to suffer together. If it weren't for my unsatisfactory child, you wouldn't have..."
"What are you talking about? It's been so long, why are you mentioning him? Which of us mothers is not doing it for our own children? But who knew things would turn out like this?"
"That's right! It's been so long now, so don't mention it again."
Seeing everyone persuading Dilian in this way, the white-bearded old man touched his beard with one hand, thought for a while with his eyes filled with light, pouted and smiled, and said to the three people behind him: "Go! Help the mother of this child up. .”
Two of them walked into the crowd and helped Di Lian up. The white-bearded old Taoist also strolled towards her. When everyone saw this, they all stepped out of the way for him.
The white-bearded old Taoist didn't say anything in a hurry, he just wiped his beard with one hand, looked at the Emperor Lotus up and down, and then took a deep breath of air-conditioning and said: "The poor Taoist also eliminates harm for the people, and he does it as a last resort! Please don’t bear any grudge against Pindao!”
Di Lian turned around and glanced under the bridge, then nodded to the old white-bearded Taoist, and said, "Your Majesty did this for us, so why should I complain?"
"As the saying goes, people cannot be resurrected after death, so you might as well express your condolences and take the opportunity to do so!"
Dilian didn't say anything, she just turned around and looked at the Yama River under the bridge, feeling sad in silence.
Looking at the rest of the people, the white-bearded old man coughed twice and said in a solemn tone: "It's getting late, you should go back."
With such a tone, everyone didn't understand. They just glanced at Di Lian, shook their heads, and left with sighs.
The white-bearded old man said nothing more, but looked back at Dilian, and then left with the three of them.
The cold wind buzzed in her ears, and her messy hair had been blown by the wind and covered her entire face, making it difficult to see who she was. But the gaze that stayed under the bridge never stopped for a moment. Suddenly, a burst of shabby laughter suddenly resounded throughout the valley. The downcast body left the Ghost Bridge with a sour laugh, and walked back and forth along a stone road.
Looking at the disappearing figure at the bottom of the valley, the white-bearded old man just raised his head and glanced at the blue sky without any white clouds, and walked towards a forest.
"You have done a good job, and the Lord will not treat you badly. But you have neglected one thing and kept what you shouldn't have kept." A young girl in red, carrying her figure on her back, said to the people behind her.
"Could it be that the mother of the child is what the Holy Mother said?" The white-bearded old Taoist thought for a moment and said to the figure in front of him: "What threat can a mother who has lost her child pose to us? What's more, the mother of the child has been too sad and has become Madman. Why should we kill a madman to death?"
"Cut the grass without removing the root, and the spring breeze will bring forth new growth. Don't you even understand this principle?"
"Don't worry, Holy Mother! I have already calculated the mother of this child. She will not live for a few months. There is no need for us to do anything extra." The old white-bearded Taoist said firmly.
"Is this unnecessary?" The girl in red continued to ask: "In my opinion, you are protecting them, right?"
"Holy Mother, you are aware! As the saying goes, when a bird is about to die, its song is mournful; when a man is about to die, its words are also kind. Everything I say is true. Holy Mother, please don't make rash speculations!" The old white-bearded Taoist knelt down and worshiped on the ground. , I hope the girl in front of me can be open to them.
"Since your calculations are so accurate, when can you calculate your own end?"
"Bang!" A skull full of blood and with a hint of stench suddenly crashed into the grass in front of everyone. There are still some fleshy residues on the skull that makes people afraid to look directly at it. It was obvious that something had eaten it. But who would do such a cruel and perverted thing? It is really outrageous to both humans and gods! This made the four of them vomit. At the same time, they couldn't help but turn their attention to the girl in front of them.
Everyone felt that the shadow of death had begun to approach them.
Soon, several screams were heard in the forest, and a group of frightened chaffinches suddenly flew out and flew through the woods, but no one knew where they landed.
