The river was dark.
The two candles in the chicken bone lantern flickered faintly.
After the expert Taoist priest on the raft lit the yin fire of Xiao Hanbao, he picked up a child puppet on the table of the altar.
The child puppet is poorly made.
There are no facial features.
The master Taoist priest took the child puppet to the chicken bone lantern on the bow and squatted down. With his fingertips, he picked up a few drops of candle oil like a dragonfly touching water.
At this time, the candle oil had just melted and was still very hot. The master Taoist priest used the candle oil with his fingertips to draw spells on the child's puppet.
That is an edict.
The handwriting is messy and scrawled, but the posture is sharp and sharp, revealing the majesty and solemnity of Taoism.
After drawing the imperial talisman, the Taoist priest walked steadily and walked steadily on the rough river to the altar table as if walking on flat ground.
He picked up a bowl of stuffed rice on the altar table, folded the two bowls up and down, and then flipped the bowl around, turning the stuffed rice into a rice with yin and yang upside down.
Then light three incense sticks and insert them into the upside-down rice of the dead.
Offer it to the child puppet on the altar.
Incense rises from the dead man's meal.
But it didn't blow away in the wind.
Instead, it turned into two snakes, and all of them were sucked up by the child puppet.
At the moment when the three sticks of incense were burned out.
The master Taoist priest looked up at the moonlight.
No more, no less, just at midnight, the time has come.
Raise the body!
practice!
Prepare to cut off the Yinyi River!
The master Taoist priest picked up the child puppet on the altar. At this time, the candle oil command talisman painted on the child puppet had cooled and dried. It was bright red in color, brighter than cinnabar, and it was particularly dazzling.
When the master Taoist priest walked to the stone coffin again with the puppet with the command talisman drawn on it, he saw in the moonlight that in the stone coffin filled with glutinous rice, the small Hanba with closed eyes and the corpse suppressing talisman on his forehead actually happened. There was a change, and the abdomen was swollen and distended, as if he had just eaten a meal from the dead.
The master Taoist priest muttered words and recited a soul-calling spell.
"Edict!"
A low drink.
A magical scene happened. When the master Taoist priest lifted the left arm of the child puppet, the motionless little Hanba with eyes closed and suppressed by the corpse-suppressing charm in the coffin also automatically raised his left arm.
When the child doll is sitting cross-legged with its five hearts in the sky.
In the coffin, the motionless little Hanba with his eyes closed and the corpse-suppressing talisman pressed against his forehead, also sat cross-legged with his five hearts in the sky.
The night is dark.
Suddenly.
"Wow!"
An earth-shattering baby cry, sharp, harsh, unpleasant, and sinister.
Inspiring and enlightening.
Echoes formed on the mountain walls on both sides of the river, and the baby's cry, which was already deafening, was raised a few syllables again.
"Wow!"
"Wow!"
"Wow!"
The first baby cry was earth-shattering.
The second cry of a baby filled the sky with fury.
The third baby cries and the situation changes, and the full moon above the head turns into a hairy moon, which is a natural phenomenon.
…
Kong Cai III lived by the Yinyi River for generations.
His ancestors were all fishermen who made a living by fishing in the river. The skills of their ancestors were passed down to his generation, and he is also a fisherman.
Although life is not rich.
It's quite fulfilling.
In the small fishing village where Kong Caisan lives, every family has been fishing for generations. The fish caught in the nets are not kept for themselves to eat, but sold to fishmongers in the city.
It can be said that Kong Caisan grew up watching the Yinyi River.
He also grew up listening to the sound of rolling river water.
Kong Caisan slept in a daze that night and was woken up by a splash of urine. In the darkness, he opened his eyes and walked out of the house in the dark. He thought of putting some water in the yard so he could come back and continue sleeping.
Even when he went out to drain the water, he didn't forget to mutter that the weather was so damn hot.
But after Kong Cai went to the ground three times, he couldn't find his shoes. The room was completely dark, no matter how dark it was.
"Dad, what's wrong with you? Why do you keep hearing you moving around and wake me up?"
Kong Caisan's daughter-in-law was dissatisfied and complained.
"Child, please help me look for it, I can't find my shoes..."
"It's really strange. It's so dark outside today, not even a bit of moonlight shines through the window. I can't find my shoes..."
Kong Caisan said helplessly, he was still looking for shoes with his head down.
When the light of lamp oil came on and the room was barely illuminated, Kong Caisan finally found the other right shoe that he had accidentally kicked away.
Then go to the yard to release water.
"I said, why is it so dark today? It turns out that the moon is covered by dark clouds, and today is a hairy moon."
Kong Caisan walked to the yard. It was dark outside. In the small fishing village late at night, everything was quiet, and every household was asleep.
"Not only Mao Yueliang, but also the outside is so quiet today. I can't even hear the usually loudest frog calls..."
Kong Caisan picked up the chamber pot in the corner of the courtyard and filled it with water. He turned around and looked around. The courtyard was dark, and the outside of the courtyard was also deep and silent. He couldn't see his fingers.
The only light in the yard was the dim light of the lamp burning in the sleeping room.
Late at night.
There was silence.
Too quiet.
call--
A gust of night wind blew on the back of Kong Caisan's neck. Kong Caisan suddenly shuddered and peed on his hands, legs, and shoes.
"My child, my mother, you, have you heard the sound of the Yinyi River... the river?"
Kong Caisan was so anxious that he shouted into the back room.
Not long after, this small fishing village near the river was interrupted by a panicked cry of terror in the middle of the night.
"Oh no!"
"The river has stopped flowing!"
"The river has stopped flowing!"
The small fishing village, which was originally silent late at night, suddenly lit up many lights, and soon the sound of chaotic footsteps was heard. The men, women, and children in the village all held torches and ran towards the river bank at the entrance of the village in a hurry.
The sound of the river disappeared.
The river bed has dried up, leaving only a shallow layer of river water in the center.
The cliffs on both sides of the bank that have been submerged under the river all year round are exposed to the world.
The fishing boats on the shore were all stranded in the sand.
Seeing this unmanageable sight, the villagers panicked and frightened.
"It's the Dragon King. The Dragon King is angry. The Dragon King is coming ashore!"
"The Dragon King is coming ashore to marry the new Water Goddess!"
The old people in the village knelt down and cried loudly, begging the Dragon King to appease his anger.
At this moment, the dry river bed and the small fishing village on the river bank formed an abyss-like gap, as if it were a natural chasm cut out of the human world by miraculous craftsmanship, piercing through the Nine Netherworld. It is unfathomable and cannot fall to the end.
Because in hell, there are still eighteen levels!
…
Daguaikou of Yinyi River.
Dragon King Temple.
Dragon King Terrace.
Everyone was stunned at the miraculous sight in front of them. The originally roaring river water seemed to have been wiped away by the hands of gods and demons in the blink of an eye, revealing the criss-crossing dry riverbed below the river, revealing the Thousand Cave Cave that had once again seen the light of day.
It's incredible.
However, the drying-up of the Yinyi River caused by this small drought was not complete, and was significantly different from the previous two dry-flows of the Yinyi River.
Because this time the Yinyi River stopped flowing, it did not completely dry up.
Only half of Qianku Cave is exposed, half is exposed, and half is still submerged in the cold river water.
But even so, it still caused huge ripples in the hearts of the world.
"Is this Hanba?"
"But this is just a little drought demon and it's already so powerful..."
Everyone held their breath and looked solemn.
Even Jin An looked at the dry riverbed under his feet with pensive eyes. Even the river could stop flowing. How many such strong men are there in this world?
"Everyone!"
The captain secretly used his inner strength, and the sound was like a muffled thunder, which brought everyone's attention back.
"The Yinyi River stopped flowing overnight. Although it was caused by Xiaohanba's ability, you don't need to overestimate Xiaohanba's ability. Everyone has seen that the flow of the Yinyi River this time was not complete."
"That Hanba, after all, is still a little Hanba who has not yet grown up. The Yinyi River stopped flowing overnight. It is not only the credit of the little Hanba, but also the impact of the strange changes in the world."
Captain, this is to boost morale.
really.
After hearing the captain's explanation, the faces of these folk exorcists looked better.
"General Duwei, I'm not worried about any drought or small drought. I'm just worried that the Yinyi River has not been completely cut off. Half of the Qianku Cave is still flooded and has not been completely exposed."
"Even if the Thousand Caves Cave is half flooded, I think there are still two or three people deep in the water. How are we going to get into the Thousand Corpses Cave?"
The speaker is the northern man who plays Kuixing.
The voice was loud and angry.
He seemed to have a carefree personality, but in fact he had some subtleties, and he asked the question that everyone was most concerned about.
At this time, a country goddess said in a sharp voice, "When General Duwei and Lord Fuyin found us, they never said that we needed to know how to use water and that we needed to swim all the way into the Cave of Thousand Corpses."
"General Du Wei must also know what is going on in the Cave of Thousand Corpses. Under the water, there is a world of water corpses. No matter how many living people enter, there will be many dead."
"A living person can't hold his breath for long underwater."
"Even if you live by the river all year round and can hold your breath underwater for a stick of incense, your abilities will be greatly compromised."
"General Duwei, ask those Taoist priests if they can cast spells underwater?"
"General Duwei, please ask those eminent monks again, how do they recite the Sakyamuni magic spell underwater?"
The goddess had an aggressive aura.
These folk exorcists either deal with evil spirits or various corpses all year round.
To put it bluntly, they have been in contact with the dead longer than the living.
So one is more eccentric than the other.
Curious personality.
Especially when it comes to his own abilities, this character is inevitably aloof and arrogant. Even when facing court officials, he is not polite at all.
Faced with the collision of the country goddess in front of him, General Duwei was not angry. He looked thoughtfully: "This is indeed a lack of consideration on our part."
"We didn't expect that the Yinyi River would not be completely cut off."
"But we have prepared so much tonight. If all our previous efforts are wasted, it will be a huge loss to the court."
The captain thought: "These small accidents are not difficult to solve. I can order the defenders to use local materials and build rafts for you overnight. This will not take too much time."
"Moreover, walking through the waterway is faster and less labor-intensive. Compared with the energy and time consumed by walking on the road, it saves more time and effort. I guess you don't want to walk in the cave all day and night, right?"
The captain's words really moved everyone.
The matter of building a raft and using the waterway to enter Thousand Cave Cave was settled.
Then, General Duwei began to order his soldiers and local warriors to cut down trees and build rafts in full swing.
Fortunately, everything is lacking in this mountain, except for the inexhaustible forests.
It's easier to get things done when there are more people.
The raft and temporary dock were quickly built.
Everyone walked down the Dragon King Platform and entered the temporary dock.
"Huh? General Duwei, that Taoist master who can drive the Xiaohan Demon, won't you go down to the Cave of Thousand Corpses with us?" someone asked curiously.
In the center of the Yinyi River where the water has dried up, there is still a layer of shallow river water, and the raft carrying the stone coffin floats quietly and motionlessly in the center of the Yinyi River.
The master Taoist priest was holding a puppet with only the command talisman in his hand. He was sitting on the stone coffin with his eyes closed and concentrating. He had no intention of coming over to say hello.
Like an outsider who is aloof, aloof and indifferent to the outside world.
The stone coffin containing the Xiaohan Ba has been resealed and the four yellow talismans have been reattached.
Only the chicken bone lantern hanging on the bow of the boat was still burning with two wisps of candlelight.
A wisp of Yang Fire belonging to the Taoist master.
A wisp of yin fire belonging to Xiao Hanbao.
The captain smiled and said: "Xiaohanba needs someone to watch over him all the time. He can't relax. We have to rely on whether we can come out smoothly after entering Qianku Cave and whether the water in Yinyi River will rise back in advance. That senior suppressed the little drought demon for us."
The old corpse-carrying man smoked a dry cigarette in his hand, looked at the stone coffin on the raft, subconsciously touched the small black coffin he had been carrying, and smiled strangely with a fiery gaze: "Actually, old man, I can also represent the governor and the governor. General Wei, help take care of Xiao Hanbao."
"Like driving away corpses, we have to be the most expert in carrying corpses. Old man, I don't mind helping the two adults drive away the corpses of Xiaohanba and stop the flow of the Yinyi River."
The captain smiled and said nothing.
no respond.
The corpse-carrying man was still staring at the raft in the center of the river with burning eyes, reluctant to leave.
"General Duwei, is this Taoist master a senior from Yujing Jinque in the capital? I wonder if General Duwei can introduce him to this senior from the capital?" At this time, another Taoist priest stood up and asked the captain curiously. inquired.
Jin An recognized him.
This is the temple master from Zhenyuan Taoist Temple, with the Taoist name "Cangxuan Taoist".
"No." The captain said with a brief smile.
Then he went back to the plan to enter Qianku Cave: "Now the plan has changed. We can only use a raft to enter Qianku Cave. Considering that the space in Qianku Cave is narrow, the raft cannot be made too big. One raft can accommodate two people." There are three of you. Everyone present, have you figured out how to enter Thousand Cave Cave?"
"One raft per person? Or several people together? I suggest several people together, so that we can have someone to take care of us on the way."
After everyone had a buzzing discussion for a while, the results were quickly reached.
actually.
Among the people present, there were three Taoist temples and six temples. Basically, there were just enough people in one temple or one temple for one raft.
Jin'an, the old Taoist priest, and Xiejian were three people, and one raft.
The abbot of Bailong Temple, monk Kongming, and monk Hongzhao, and a raft.
Two Taoist priests and a raft in Zhenyuan Taoist Temple.
Two Taoist priests and a raft in Mingyue Taoist Temple.
Two monks from Nanxi Temple and a raft.
…
Only the folk goddesses, yin-yang gentlemen, questioners, corpse-carriers... they are more troublesome.
"Hey, I can't trust a raft or any of these foreign objects. Old man, I only believe in myself. Good boy, daddy, whether I can get through the Cave of Thousand Corpses this time depends entirely on you. Don't let me let you. Dad, I have lost face in front of so many outsiders."
The ugly-looking corpse-carrier patted the black coffin he brought with him.
Boom.
A response came from the black coffin.
It's as if this is a coffin with a living mouth.
"We brothers... ugh... are used to two people working together... ugh... can't accommodate others anymore... ugh hehehe..."
The ones who spoke this time were the two mourning brothers in white robes and black robes. One of the two brothers had an expression that seemed to be crying but not smiling, and the other had an expression that seemed to be smiling but not crying. They spoke in strange tones, like wailing in mourning.
