The ghost's name was Ma Zheng during his lifetime, and he was a villager who lived in a small village at the foot of Weishan Mountain during the reign of Emperor Jingzong.
Like all people in this era, Ma Zheng was born, grew up, married, had children, and lived an ordinary life in a small village.
Until one day, two of Ma Zheng's grandchildren disappeared inexplicably, along with several other children in the village.
No one paid much attention to this at first. After all, the children in the village were very naughty, and it was just a normal thing for them to disappear for a long time.
Even those schoolchildren who were sent to private schools would sometimes follow these little bullies to the mountains and rivers, and would not come back until very late.
This "ignorance" continued until the evening, when someone finally discovered that their child was missing.
One can imagine what happened next, and the entire village was mobilized urgently.
The family, headed by Orion, began calling their children's names in the middle of the night in the mountains.
Although this kind of behavior is very taboo in local customs, because it can easily alarm the mountain gods and attract some terrible evil spirits to the village.
But for the sake of their children, even those old people, no matter how old-fashioned, can't care so much.
However, this search and rescue operation lasted all night, but the missing children were never found.
The next day, the anxious Ma Zheng didn't want to spend any more time, so he volunteered and rushed to the government office closest to the village, hoping to use the power of the government to find his missing child.
But what Ma Zheng never expected was that the government office had actually received a similar report a month ago.
In the past month, his family was not the only one in nearby villages to lose children, there were even occasional cases of missing children in the county.
The county magistrate at that time was considered a capable person. He managed to pinpoint a wandering warlock based on some clues without any valid information.
He was a wandering sorcerer who looked like a monk but not a Taoist. He had neither an ultimatum issued by the imperial court nor a public inspection issued by the local government. He was a black man who could not be more black.
But when the investigation reaches this point, new problems arise again.
Because after careful investigation and tracking, the government discovered that the wandering warlock could actually be regarded as a "traveling merchant" to some extent.
Although the wandering warlock is not registered with the government, he has considerable reputation and familiarity among nearby villages by selling some of his domesticated livestock.
In the words of the wandering Taoist priest himself, he is a monk who suffered hardship during the Xianzong period and lived here.
It's just that I was in a hurry when I ran away, so I didn't take the ultimatum or official certificate with me. As a result, I am now living in a foreign land without even thinking about returning to my roots.
Fortunately, he is good at domesticating livestock, which can be regarded as a skill.
Therefore, after settling down here, they simply made a living by domesticating and buying and selling livestock, and rarely even did their old business of surveying Feng Shui and predicting good and bad luck.
It can be said that from a purely rational and logical point of view, there is almost no flaw in the description of the wandering Taoist priest.
Even the capable county magistrate simply scolded the other party a few times and let the wandering Taoist priest go.
After all, in a dangerous place like Xiangchu, there is really a shortage of talents.
Even though he knew that there was something fishy about the wandering Taoist's identity as a "black householder," the county magistrate decided to turn a blind eye because he was good at domesticating livestock, even if he recognized him as a fugitive.
However, Ma Zheng and the people who lost their children were unwilling to accept it!
Especially Ma Zheng, he instinctively believed that the wandering warlock was the murderer, and was always looking for flaws in the other party.
It can be said that Huangtian paid off, or it may be that the wandering warlock relaxed his vigilance because he escaped a disaster...
In short, on the night when the wandering Taoist priest was released, Ma Zheng, who had been following him, discovered a shocking, terrifying and angry truth.
Those "animals" that were traded as livestock were actually conjured up by wandering Taoist priests using sorcery.
Two of the lambs even shed two lines of tears after seeing Ma Zheng.
The humanized and sad eyes made Ma Zheng realize the identity of the two lambs for the first time - they were his grandchildren.
Frightened, angry, sad and angry, Ma Zheng immediately chose the Taoist priest to fight for his life, and the result can be imagined.
How could an ordinary old man be a match for a wandering Taoist priest who was proficient in sorcery?
Not surprisingly, Ma Zheng was killed by the wandering Taoist priest.
The last scene of the revolving lantern is when the wandering Taoist priest "lifts off" his human skin disguise and transforms into a mighty white-fronted giant tiger with eye-catching eyes and pounces on Ma Zheng.
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"..."
After digesting Ma Zheng's life as a "human being", Pei Wende fell into silence for a long time.
Although Ma Zheng's revolving lantern did not reveal how it turned into a ghost, it is not difficult for Pei Wende to imagine its experience after death.
"Are you working for a tiger?"
The so-called "ghosts" originally refer to ghosts who were killed and enslaved by tigers. Their birth is inseparable from the tiger that killed them.
"It's really a terrifying ability..."
Through a cursory glance at Ma Zheng's life, Pei Wende discovered that the real Ma Zheng was not a treacherous and evil person.
On the contrary, whether it is the evaluation of him by his fellow villagers or his performance when facing the wandering Taoist priests alone, it shows that Ma Zheng was a brave and resourceful good man when he was alive.
On the other hand, Ma Zheng, who turned into a "ghost", can no longer be regarded as the human being he once was in every sense.
Although he still remembers some memories from his lifetime, his behavior is no different from that of a real ghost. In some aspects, even a real ghost has to be admired.
"So, is this also the reason why I can't see its memory after death?"
Slowly squatting down, Pei Wende's face inadvertently revealed a look of compassion, and his tone became much more solemn.
"No matter who you are before and after your life, you can be liberated now."
As he said this, a certain memory from childhood suddenly flashed in Pei Wende's mind.
At that time, Pei Wende had just recalled his past life, and his self-understanding was still entangled with the question of "who am I?"
Zen Master Lingyou took his young son to travel across mountains and rivers, and in the process he encountered similar ghosts and monsters full of resentment and hatred.
Facing those ferocious and resentful evil spirits, Zen Master Lingyou only used a "spell" to calm their anger.
And that "spell" no matter what era it is in the past and present, it has a well-known name - the Rebirth Mantra.
"Namo Amitabha Night..."
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