Back in Sitong Town, Tongzhai was in flames and the fire could not be extinguished.
How many people are sad at this scene, and how many are secretly happy?
Song Che and others spent the night in the town.
The next morning, the burning smell filled the air.
The huge children's house had been destroyed by a fire, leaving only a half-collapsed wall. Outside the house were seven or eight corpses covered with white cloth, with their burnt skin exposed, and they should no longer look like human beings.
The noble boy, wearing sackcloth and mourning, knelt in front of the corpse with his disciples, wailing and crying: "Mother, mother..."
For being able to raise such a hateful son, being a mother is probably not much better, and I can only say that he deserves to die.
What was a red affair last night is a waste today.
There are weddings, weddings, and weddings all in one package, so if you are in a good mood, you can receive two gifts.
Song Che smiled coldly and left the town as if nothing had happened.
Along the way, it was not uncommon to see men with knives interrogating passing merchants:
"Have you seen an old man in his fifties and a bride who is about twenty years old? If you have any news about them, please come to Sitong Town and let us know. My eldest brother will be heavily rewarded!"
Song Che took the opportunity to fool:
"I have seen it once. At that time, I was wondering why the bride left in a hurry if she didn't get married so late at night."
"Oh? When did you see them? Which direction did they run to?"
"Last night at midnight, I ran to the west. If I hadn't stopped, I would have traveled hundreds of miles!"
"To the west, chase!"
They went west, and Li and his daughter went east. The two sides ran in opposite directions, and the further they pursued, the further they fled.
…
In the next few days, we passed Shuzhou and Huangzhou, and then we went to Jinghu North Road, which was less than 200 miles away from the central city of Ezhou, which is now Wuhan.
Customs and habits have also undergone earth-shaking changes.
The fellows here are more outspoken and have a hotter temper than those in Jiangnan. The girls in Jingxiang are not tall, but their skin is very fair. Their temperament is just like their eating habits, spicy!
"Oh, it's so spicy, what seasonings were added to make this eel so spicy!"
Shen Wenjun stuck out his tongue and huffed like a puppy, making his face flush and sweat dripping down his forehead.
"How can a little girl from the south of the Yangtze River imitate the hot girls from Jingxiang?" Song Che was about to take away the box of spicy eels.
Shen Wenjun said: "No, no, no, I want to eat some more, I want to eat some more..."
Song Che still put away the spiciness and said with a smile: "If you eat happily now, it will be painful to go to the latrine tomorrow, so it's better to take it easy."
Shen Wenjun curled his lips and said "boring", then leaned against the car window to blow the cool breeze to dilute the spiciness.
Once people's material conditions are met, they will find ways to satisfy their spirits, look for stimulation and smell, eat things with stronger taste, and do things with stronger taste.
The journey is indeed boring. It is either a carriage or a post house. There are many people on the road and there is nothing leisurely.
"Uu——"
Lin Yue suddenly stopped the carriage.
"What's wrong?" Song Che asked.
Lin Yue's voice came from outside the car: "They are not leaving."
Who's not leaving?
Song Che stepped out of the carriage and looked ahead. There was a small forest and a pavilion at the entrance of the forest. A dozen businessmen surrounded the pavilion, setting up stoves and cooking fires.
There is a post for thirty miles, a house for fifteen miles, and a pavilion for five miles. It's still early before dark, so why start lighting a fire to cook?
"Maybe he is tired. Let's continue walking and rest at the next station." Song Che said.
Lin Yue drove the carriage and continued walking, but when they passed the pavilion, all the businessmen looked at them with doubts.
An old man reminded:
"Foreigners, you are still leaving, aren't you afraid of the evil ghosts seeking your life?"
The devil is asking for his life?
Something is coming.
Lin Yue was curious: "Where can there be ghosts in broad daylight?"
The old man said: "There are no ghosts during the day, but there is Ping'an Town twenty miles ahead. There are ghosts there every night, so we will rest here and wait until dawn tomorrow to cross over again."
The business travelers on the side also chimed in: "Yes, yes, she is still a female ghost in red. She sucks people's blood and rips out their hearts and livers, but she can't go away!"
Lin Yue looked at Song Che.
Song Che looked at Shen Wenjun.
Shen Wenjun opened his eyes wide, fearful and excited, both playful and fun-loving.
Where can there be ghosts in this world?
Even if there is, it is just a pretense.
In a place where people are pretending to be gods and ghosts, there is either betrayal or injustice.
"Are you afraid?" Song Che asked with a smile.
Lin Yue raised the sword, patted the silver whip, and said proudly: "I am a fierce spirit, and people give me the nickname 'Ghost Sees Sorrow'. It will only be afraid when it looks at me!"
The shopkeeper must be the timid one. She pulled Shen Wenjun's sleeve: "Whether it's true or not, we'd better not get into trouble and just follow the crowd and spend the night here."
"I've never seen a ghost in my life."
Shen Wenjun looked at Song Che with a smile: "With Aunt Song here, I have nothing to fear."
"Yes, Aunt Song specializes in curing all kinds of monsters, demons and monsters."
"Then, let's go and see how peaceful this Ping'an Town is."
…
When we arrived at Ping'an Town, night had completely fallen.
"Huhuhu..."
The cool breeze blew, causing the lanterns hanging on the archway at the entrance of the town to sway. Under the bright moonlight, the town seemed to be shrouded in smoke and sand. I don’t know if it was a psychological effect. The empty streets and the lifeless market town revealed two words everywhere. ——Scary!
Ping'an Town is not a small town, with about 1,000 or 800 households. It has just fallen into the night, and the lights have been turned off. All the restaurants and inns have closed, and everyone is silent, dead silent, dead silent.
"There must be a ghost here!"
Shen Wenjun pinched Song Che's arm. From the moment she entered the town, she barely opened her eyes.
Not sure if there's a ghost, but there's definitely something scary.
Once people stop talking, the liveliness will be lost. Without the liveliness, it will be deserted. Coupled with the desertedness and the dark moon and high wind, the atmosphere will naturally become weird.
This "yin and yang metaphysics" thing most likely comes from humans.
If everyone is generous and goes out to drink and go shopping, even if there is a real evil ghost, it will not dare to show up.
Song Che found an inn with a dim light inside. There was a door god and a yellow talisman posted in front of the door, and there was a mirror hanging on the lintel.
"Dong dong dong——"
Just after knocking on the door three times, the fire in the room stopped.
"Store, are you no longer doing business? We are here to stay!" Song Che shouted.
A voice came from inside the house: "We have closed, you'd better go stay somewhere else."
Song Che added: "Your inn is the only one with the light on, the others are all out. It's convenient for you, and we will double the rent."
"Oh, no—"
"If it doesn't work, I'll kick your door down! If you don't even accept customers, what kind of inn do you want to open?" Lin Yue shouted.
Then I heard footsteps coming from behind the door, and then the door opened, and the little boy stuck his head out with a resentful look.
Song Che took out a piece of silver and waved it in front of the waiter's eyes.
The boy's eyes lit up, he held the silver in both hands and opened the door wide.
What do ghosts have to fear?
Money can make the mill push the devil.
"Sir, it's not that I don't welcome guests, it's that our Ping'an Town is not peaceful recently. At night, there is a female ghost in red wandering on the street. Anyone caught by her will be punished for eight lifetimes. mold!"
The young man who was looking after the store welcomed a few people into the inn, and when he talked about these things, he was serious, he was serious!
