Master once said that ghosts remain because they violate the forty-nine days after death, but even so, they must have a limited time limit in the human world. This may be longer or shorter, depending on the ghosts themselves. The size and strength of thoughts. And the master also said that the longest one he has ever seen has survived for no more than two or three hundred years. This is only possible when the ghost remains in the world and continuously absorbs other yin energy to replenish itself. More often than not, the longer you stay in the world of the world, the greater the consumption you will suffer, just like a battery that will eventually be exhausted.
So when Qin Bukong said that these people were all ghosts from the past hundred years, I couldn't understand it for a while. Not to mention why there were so many "old-school" ghosts, could it be said that in the past hundred years, these people have died after death? Haven’t you ever undergone salvation? Did they all choose to stay rather than leave? There are more people on the streets than there are on normal days.
Qin Bukong said that these ghosts are not necessarily those who have "not been saved", but more often those who have "died". Haven't you noticed that although their behavior is a little abnormal, some of them still gather together and talk in twos and threes, and they won't turn to look at us until we get close. Have you ever seen ghosts chatting with each other?
I didn't speak. Qin Bukong's answer didn't solve my doubts. After all, seeing is believing. He went on to say that all this is because of the word "魑". The so-called "魑" is a general term for a kind of ghost. What they are best at is confusing living people. The reason why we can't see living people now is all ghosts. , just because we are confused.
I said to Qin Bukong, do you mean it's like the illusion we encountered earlier when we were at Pojingmen? We experience a lot in the illusion, but in fact our bodies stay still and everything is just a picture in our minds. Qin Bukong said that it was somewhat similar, but obviously different. The various ghosts we see now are really there. If you go over and provoke them, you will definitely encounter attacks.
While we were talking, we passed through two more intersections, and there were more and more ghosts, but they all stood still. It seemed that they had no intention of attacking us, or in other words, they were waiting for the opportunity. My heart was pounding, because when we approached the pier, the ghosts around us were almost waiting for us. The roadside was so full of ghosts that we could only walk on the side of the road.
So I began to lower my head subconsciously so as not to look at these ghosts, and followed Qin Bukong quickly. When we arrived at the pier, we needed to buy a ticket to take the boat. There was also a person sitting in the ticket office, but like the ghosts, this person still looked at us expressionlessly. At this time, Songzi said softly behind me, Situ, don’t you have to buy a ticket to take the boat? What should we buy, paper money? Before I could answer, Qin Bukong said, "Why don't you buy a ticket? Let's get on the boat directly."
So the three of us crossed the ticket hall and jumped directly onto the boat. No one or ghost stopped us because of our fare evasion behavior, they just stared at us.
River crossing boats are different from long-distance boats. Because the time is short, there are only more than ten rows of benches horizontally and three rows of benches on the deck to facilitate those crossing the river. When we got on the boat, there were already many people sitting in the cabin, and there were still people standing around. I saw that there was no one on one of the benches, so I told Qin Bukong that there was a seat there. But Qin Bukong stopped me and said, "Stop sitting, stand. Don't you think it's strange?" Although there are seats, people around are still standing. I noticed it at first glance, so I listened to Qin Bukong's words. The three of us stood on the deck near the cockpit, close together.
While waiting, people kept getting on the ship, and soon the ship was full. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I always felt that today’s ship was carrying more people than ever before. After waiting for more than ten minutes, with the sound of two or three air horns, the engine under the deck began to roar, and the hull gradually moved away from the barge and headed towards the center of the river.
I glanced at the situation in the cabin. All the passengers on board said nothing, but looked at us from afar or close. It's not even a furtive glance, but standing at attention directly facing us, and then looking at us. Except for the sound of the engine and the sound of waves in the river lapping on the deck, the silence at this moment actually made me feel terrible.
What's even more terrifying is that when I looked back at the pier where we boarded the ship, it was actually bustling with people. Even the streets in the distance and the way down to the pier were like this. Wherever I could see, there were people standing there. The places used for pedestrians to walk were all filled with people facing us. If we say that when we first realized something was wrong, there were only a few dozen ghosts in sight. Now, excluding the group on the boat, there were at least four to five hundred people standing on the docks, barges, and roads alone.
And this kind of unknown gaze just makes me uneasy. Because you have no idea what the other person wants to do. The three of us are like people who have broken into the underworld at this moment. Compared to these ghosts, we have become different. However, the streets still look familiar and the transportation is running normally, but all the people have changed.
The whole journey of the river crossing from the time it left the shore to the time it docked again only took more than ten minutes. However, during these ten minutes, I was extremely tortured. Songzi kept her head down and grabbed the hem of her clothes with both hands, her feet still trembling slightly. I firmly believe that it is because the river wind is very cold, because I myself am shivering slightly.
We had already foreseen that when the ship docked, there would also be a group of people standing at the pier, looking at us as before. Hankou is an area that was opened as a port in the early years and has always been a very prosperous area. If there are more people here, it means that the number of ghosts we see will also increase. After all, the number of ghosts has been increasing from just now to now. I raised my head slightly after getting off the boat. The scene in front of me confirmed my guess. The only difference from the other side of the river was that when we walked before, there was always a passage for us to walk, but now there is no one. From the road to the pier The path was originally very narrow and could only be wide enough for four or five people to walk parallel to each other. Now it was even more crowded. In other words, if we want to pass, the only way is to push the ghosts blocking the way to the side.
This time, Qin Bukong was also stumped. He had been standing there since we got off the boat, and soon there was a whistle behind me. The boat that had carried us across the river was now returning to the other side of the river. I turned around to look at the boat. When we were on the boat, we found that the "passengers" who had crossed the river with us before were still standing almost motionless throughout the entire boat. As the boat left, they continued to stare at us. It is worth mentioning that the spot on the deck where we were standing before is still empty, with a piece missing.
From where we are at the pier, we have to walk along the stairs to the roadside for almost twenty minutes before we can reach the alley outside Qin Bukong's house. However, this uphill staircase is a full four to five hundred meters away. When we looked up from the bottom, the road was tightly blocked, and everyone looked at us without saying anything. It felt very much like the outbreak of war. time, the fleeing crowd. I asked Qin Bukong in a low voice what to do now. Qin Bukong asked me, what did you bring in that bag? I said it was nothing, just some charms, wooden figures, incense candles and so on. He asked me again what the talismans were for. I said there were some for making charms, some for sealing doors, and indeed some to drive away ghosts, but there were so many of them that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle them!
Qin Bukong nodded. If they really wanted to fight each other, even if one of my dozen or so talismans could deal with ten ghosts, it would still not be enough. So Qin Bukong asked again, where are your Yin soldiers? Is the quantity sufficient?
What he said reminded me that although the number of my soldiers and horses is not large, there are about forty or fifty of them including those who have not yet practiced enough to achieve salvation, and their abilities are not bad. Although the ghosts in front of him all have very specific looks, they don't look like dead people or ghosts with green skin and green faces, and ferocious appearance. The ghost in a blue tunic suit that Qin Bukong picked up by the riverside earlier, They should be of the same ability as the ones in front of me. These guys are not even my opponents in single terms. How can they compete with my soldiers and horses?
So I told Qin Bukong that I could give it a try. If my soldiers and horses were too low to stop him, I would know in advance. Qin Bukong nodded, and then asked me to change places with him. Songzi actually followed me and took a step forward, so we formed a formation with me at the front and Qin Bukong at the rear.
The nearest ghost in front of me was about five or six steps away. So I took out the incense before the other party could react, burned the paper and performed the ritual, then summoned my soldiers and horses. I was told not to kill them, but to clear the way. The wind on the riverside was very strong, so I couldn't tell whether the smoke had already been ordered. I just relied on experience and waited for more than ten seconds, then slowly moved forward while holding the incense.
A stick of incense can burn for about half an hour, of course, in a windless environment. Now that we are on the riverside, time will be shortened. If I want to get home within a stick of incense, I have to move faster now. The soldiers and horses function like bodyguards on both sides. They surround the three of us in a circle. In this circle, we are relatively safe. So when I gradually got closer to the ghosts, they seemed to be pushed aside by something.
I turned to Qin Bukong and said, it seems feasible!
