It's probably the time of You.
The short-haired Taoist priest walked alone on the grassy village road.
The setting sun slanted dimly, and the red glow filled the edge of the sky and the earth.
After resting for the night, I hastily buried the body this morning, and then went down the mountain to find the village. I didn't see many people breathing on the road. The road was winding and winding, and I didn't notice that I had reached this moment.
The moment when demons and monsters start to come alive.
The Japanese seem to call this "the devil's time." Alas, it's just the alternation of day and night, and the evil spirits wake up.
Li Changan stopped.
There is a stone tablet standing on the road ahead, with three words "Xiahe Village" engraved on it.
Are you here yet?
Looking at the stone tablet carefully, the base is a basalt with the body of a turtle and the tail of a snake. There are many ropes tied to the tablet, and red cloth painted with charms is hung on the ropes.
This is a "town monument". In this world where demons are rampant, many villages have similar things to block some weak demons and ghosts. This is similar to worshiping the city god and the land. It can be worshiped at four seasons.
But the incense candles on the monument have long been burned out, leaving only some bamboo sticks stuck in the soft clay-like incense ashes.
Li Changan withdrew his gaze and looked around the surrounding fields.
No one is working in the fields, and weeds are overgrown, covering up the scattered crops. At the end of the road, a small village lay in the afterglow of the setting sun, with no smoke and silence.
He suddenly had some bad premonitions about this trip.
………………
The closer we get to the village, the more obvious its devastation becomes.
Not to mention the trace of human habitation, there is not even the crowing of cocks or the barking of dogs.
Li Changan stood at the entrance of the village, hesitant.
"Oh! The distinguished guest has finally arrived!"
Suddenly, an old voice sounded in his ears. Li Changan looked around and saw an old man coming out from under the Lao Wei tree at the entrance of the village.
Distinguished guest? Me?
Li Changan was a little confused and he clasped his fists to make fun of himself.
"Who is my father-in-law?"
The old man returned the courtesy and said, "Young man is the most upright person in this village. He has been waiting here for the Taoist Priest for a long time!"
"We have already prepared a banquet to welcome the Taoist Master. Please come with me."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand. His hand poked out from his sleeve, but he quickly grabbed it and covered it up. With a startled glance, Li Changan saw that the back of his hand was full of redness, swelling and blisters. Was this... a burn?
In just a short time, the sun has sunk into the western mountains, leaving only some glow in the western sky. It was getting late, so Li Changan simply followed him, just to see what trouble he could make.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the village, the old man suddenly clapped his hands and shouted.
"Everyone, why don't you come quickly to meet our distinguished guests?"
As soon as he finished speaking, many villagers suddenly poured out of each village.
They brought the old and the young to meet Li Changan one by one.
"The villain's name is Mao Wu..."
"The villain's name is Mao Lu..."
…
The strange thing is that they had to introduce each one clearly, as if they were afraid that the Taoist priest would leave anyone behind.
The Taoist priest was not a person who liked to put on airs, so he had to respond one by one.
During this period, Li Changan saw that all the villagers, young and old, had burn marks on their hands, and some of them were even ulcerated. However, he had no time to ask, so he was overwhelmed by more respectful greetings.
He was still a little dizzy, and without noticing, he was pulled to a large courtyard. There was a large house in front of the courtyard, and the eaves stretched far away. The old man took Li Changan and sat under the eaves. After a while, someone came and set up two low tables, and the old man took Li Changan and sat down together.
Then, the crowd continued to flow, many tables were arranged neatly in the courtyard, melons, fruits, wine and meat were served, and people took their seats one by one.
When he came back to his senses, he saw that the courtyard was full of people. Men, women, old and young were not shying away from suspicion at all, mingling together. Zhang's family and Li's family were short, drinking and drinking. There were a few more children chasing and playing, causing the adults to scold them softly.
There was actually a village banquet.
Li Changan turned his head to look at the old man. The old man looked at the children in the courtyard, his white beard trembled with laughter, and he raised his wine bottle to drink.
Looking at his table, it was as abundant as the other tables in the courtyard. Only Li Changan was sitting at the top. The table was deserted, except for a wine pot and a wine glass.
He wasn't angry, he just opened the lid of the pot, put it under his nose and smelled it. It was not wine, but water.
suddenly.
The noise in his ears suddenly stopped, and Li Changan raised his head.
The night wind pushed aside the floating clouds, revealing the waning moon casting its clear light.
Under the miserable moonlight, there was no living person in the banquet, just headless and rotting corpses.
……………………
"Taoist Master, please don't misunderstand me. We are not causing trouble."
The moonlight was blocked by the eaves and could not shine on the old man, so he still looked like a living person. Seeing Li Changan's cold expression and his hand already on the hilt of the sword, he quickly explained.
After speaking, he clapped his hands. A man emerged from the pile of corpses. This man was different from the corpses. His head was still on his neck, but his coat was soaked with blood. He must also be a ghost.
He walked into the court, straightened up and knelt down towards Li Changan.
"I have met my benefactor. Thank you very much for burying my wife and children."
The man raised his head and saw that it was Mao Fengnian who had been buried by Li Changan himself. Seeing this, Li Changan's expression softened a little and asked:
"When did you come back?"
"Just last night."
"Have you found your wife and children?"
"Thanks to my benefactor, the family is reunited."
As he spoke, he waved to the group of "people" next to him, and the headless ghosts made a way out, and a woman walked out, holding a child in her hand.
The child was very afraid of strangers and kept hiding behind the woman until the couple knelt down and whispered instructions in their ears a few times before saying vaguely: "Thank you, my benefactor."
After that, he hid in his mother's arms again, only tilting his head, revealing his round face and the "mole of wealth" on his forehead, but he looked good, but it's a pity...
Seeing this family standing together happily, it seems that there is nothing to regret. Those who escape chaos may not be as good as those who reunite with ghosts.
After a moment of emotion, Li Changan asked again: "Where are the two elders?"
Mao Fengnian replied respectfully: "I don't dare to meet noble people if I have no face."
………………
The family left with a smile, and Li Changan suddenly looked envious. He poured another cup of water from the pot and drank it in one sip. The coolness was pregnant with warmth.
He put down the cup, and the old man laughed and said:
"We are all in the netherworld and have nothing to serve guests. Is Taoist Master still used to drinking this pot of clear water?"
"How can 'Chu Yang Chao Lu' be just Qingshui?"
Li Changan said with a smile.
The water in the world that is most suitable for making tea, decoction, and applying talismans is called rootless water. The best among rootless waters is the 'Early Sun Morning Dew'. As the name suggests, it is collected after the first ray of sunshine in the morning. of morning dew.
Since ancient times, when the rooster crows at dawn, all ghosts flee. All because, this first ray of sunlight is a sharp sword that cuts through day and night, and cuts off Yin and Yang. Even evil spirits who have been practicing the law for many years can avoid it. These ghosts braved the morning sun to collect such a pot of morning dew bit by bit, which can be regarded as a painstaking effort.
When you treat others with courtesy, you must ask for something.
Li Changan put down his wine glass, turned to face the old man, and said calmly:
"If you have any questions, please speak up. I'm a poor man and I'll do what I can."
Hearing this, the old man put away the smile on his face, pondered for a while, and said slowly:
"The Taoist Master is indeed as sharp as a torch."
At this time, a series of "plop" sounds were heard in the court. The headless ghosts in the room all left the table and prostrated themselves on the ground.
Li Changan turned his gaze back and saw that the old man had moved away from the table and was sitting on his knees with his waist straightened.
"Dead people have nothing to ask for, but their bodies and souls are broken and they cannot be reincarnated."
As he spoke, the old man knelt down and bowed down.
"I hope the Taoist Master will take pity on you and take back your head for us."
