"So, you were all in exactly the same state when you saw the ghost." A quarter of an hour later, Chen Yuan said slowly.
The girls nodded.
"The body cannot move, the mouth cannot speak, and only the eyes can be opened or closed?" Chen Yuan asked.
"Yeah!" The girls nodded heavily at the same time.
"The ghost presses the bed." Gu Ming glanced at Chen Yuan and nodded.
"What does it look like?" Dai Er asked.
"Then who dares to take a closer look! As soon as he saw it, he immediately closed his eyes and never dared to open them again." The courageous maid said.
"I have to shut up until dawn! That time I heard no movement for a long time, and my hands and feet could move again. I was wondering if I was dazzled, and slowly opened my eyes a crack, and it was standing beside the bed." Another maid road.
"Yours is pretty good. Stand next to the bed. Mine is directly on top of me, face to face. I can feel its hair brushing the tip of my nose." Another maid said and shook her head. started crying.
"Do ghosts still have hair?" Dai Er asked in surprise.
"Yes, it's very long." The maid said.
"She's still a female ghost..." Dai Er touched his chin and thought about something.
"Then why do you all live and eat in this woodshed?" Chen Yuan asked.
"We have stayed in all the houses, but this one is the only one where we can't hear ghosts screaming or see ghosts in the middle of the night." A maid said tremblingly, as if she was remembering something terrible again.
"Can you see ghosts when you live in other houses?" Dai Er asked in surprise.
"I could see it, but I didn't come in. I just stood at the door. The moon cast its shadow on the door. I stood there all night. I didn't leave until it was almost dawn." Another girl also trembled when she talked about this. Huanshi.
"Have you been living together since you were imprisoned here?" Chen Yuan asked.
"Well, even if someone wants to go to the latrine, we will go together." The maid said.
"Has anyone been suppressed since you guys lived together?" Chen Yuan asked again.
"No more. I only saw a ghost figure. He didn't enter the door. He just stood at the door and didn't move." The maid said.
"You don't have the guts to go over there and have a look together, since there are so many of you anyway," Dai Er said.
"Who dares! We hugged each other and didn't even dare to sleep. We just kept watching it leave." The maid said.
"Just now you said you can still hear ghosts screaming?" Chen Yuan asked again.
"Yes, I can hear it." The girls nodded.
"What's the ghost's name?" Chen Yuan asked.
"It's just a thud. I can't learn it, but it's very long. A human's breath can't be that long. It's very hoarse and miserable." The maid said and started to tremble again.
"Then tell me, if we lived in another house, would we be able to see it?" Dai Er asked the maids.
"Perhaps you really can't see it. After the ghost started, the prince brought many soldiers in. Every house was full of people. After living there for more than half a month, no ghost was seen, so he evacuated the people." A maid said after a while.
"You men are very yang-y, so they may be afraid of you." She added.
"Since ghosts are afraid of men, then one of you can lead the way and take us to explore those haunted houses. We can choose one and stay here tonight." Dai Er said with a smile.
The maids shook their heads, and none of them dared to answer. They all stared at Dai Er in horror, as if they had already seen his tragic death.
"Okay, I scared you so much that I didn't let you live with us." Dai Er said.
"You, you think beautifully..." said a maid.
Dai Er couldn't help curling his lips, thinking that this old sister-in-law was thinking about where she was, and she didn't even take a look at her own beauty. She might not be as good-looking as a ghost. Chen Yuan and Gu Ming both smiled.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot to ask, which of you is Mother Li?" Chen Yuan suddenly remembered and asked.
"We, we don't have Li Niang here." A maid said.
"Huh? Isn't Mrs. Li also in this yard?" Chen Yuan said in surprise.
"Yes, but not with us." The maid said.
"Then where does she live?" Chen Yuan asked.
"There are so many houses, and we don't know which one she lives in." The maid replied.
"Why don't you go with her?" Chen Yuan asked.
"Who wants to be with her? Which sister here has not been bullied by her, and besides, she is crazy now. Who will take care of her?" the bold maid replied.
"Then if she lives in another house, wouldn't she be scared to death by ghosts every day?" Gu Ming said.
"She must have been frightened. I heard her screaming and running all over the yard every now and then." A maid said, smiling after she finished speaking.
"You are so gloating over misfortune, aren't you afraid that after she is killed by a ghost, she will turn into a ghost and come to you?" Dai Er said grimly, baring his teeth.
"Ah! -" The screams of the girls were overshadowed by the screams of the girls. When they first met, Tatsuhara was so angry that he slapped Terushiroji on the neck.
"Two round country bumpkins, planted with a peach tree, are facing the house right here." Gu Ming said in a low voice as he looked at the small courtyard in front of him.
"Li Niang knows how to choose a place. The peach trees ward off evil spirits. No wonder she is not afraid to live alone." Dai Er said, chewing a branch in his mouth.
"It's useless. It's not like running around the yard screaming every now and then." Gu Ming said.
"You know what the heck, if it weren't for the peach trees in the courtyard, it wouldn't be every once in a while, it would be every day." Dai Er said.
"Ah! -" As the two bickered, a shrill scream broke through the eerie tranquility in the courtyard.
A woman with disheveled hair broke out of the door. She tripped over her dress as she ran and hit the ground hard. She didn't care about the pain or the ashes on her forehead. She got up and took a few steps into the peach forest. She hugged a tree like a baby monkey hugging its mother. She looked back at the room she just ran out of and the open door, and kept saying: "Don't come over, I'm not afraid of you. Don't come over, I'm not afraid." You!" As he spoke, he was trembling and shaking his head. His messy hair and dripping sweat stuck to his forehead and cheeks, and his wide eyes were filled with fear.
Chen Yuan suddenly rushed into the door like a crossbow arrow fired by the palace guard. In one breath, he swept through every corner of the room, but there was nothing. Gu Ming and Dai Er also came in at this moment and asked, "What?"
"Nothing." Chen Yuan said.
The three of them came out and walked into the peach forest. Li Niang lowered her head and was still muttering that sentence tremblingly. Chen Yuan stood in front of her and called out: "Li Niang."
But Li Niang slowly raised her head buried under her armpit. Just when she raised her head a little, she could just see the toes of Chen Yuan's shoes, she screamed "ah" again and passed out.
"That's good! It's not easy to meet someone who always sees ghosts, but he fainted before even asking." Dai Er said.
"No need to ask, let's go." Chen Yuan smiled, then walked up to the wall of the courtyard and looked around a few more times.
"Is this what you call warding off evil spirits?" Gu Ming said with a smile.
"Well! If it weren't for these peach trees, she would have died directly there. It would not be as simple as fainting." Dai Er nodded heavily.
"Could your ancestor be a bearer of a sedan chair, someone who specialized in carrying others around?" Gu Ming said angrily.
"No, they are specialized in carrying coffins. I won't charge anyone from Gufeng to lie in it." Dai Er was unforgiving.
While the two were bickering, one fell on the wall on both sides of Chen Yuan. Chen Yuan naturally heard the quarrel between the two of them and said with a smile: "The prerequisite for warding off evil is that there must be evil. If there is no evil, what can we ward off?"
Gu and Ming looked at Chen Yuan, not knowing why.
"There is only one place in the world where ghosts exist, and it's in people's hearts." Chen Yuan said.
"We came here to look for ghosts because we firmly believed that there are no ghosts, right? If we believed that there were ghosts, would you still dare to look for them?" Chen Yuan asked again.
"Then if there are no ghosts, what have we been doing for the past half day? Come here to see those old sisters-in-law? There is also a crazy woman unconscious here." Dai Er sneered.
"It's to make ghosts come to us." Chen Yuan squinted his eyes and said with a smile. It was already dusk, and it looked particularly scary under the setting sun. After saying that, he jumped up again and was already out of the high wall of Qiuhuai Courtyard.
At the beginning of the lanterns, other courtyards of the palace were still very noisy, especially the four corners of the palace where the soldiers lived. The market is in full swing at the moment, with people drinking, talking loudly, singing, drinking and fist-fighting, tearing roasted whole sheep around the fire, wrestling and cheering... The hustle and bustle of the market is far better than that of the market during the day, and it is difficult to think of being away from this place. A place not far from this hustle and bustle has actually become desolate and dead due to being haunted.
"I said, can't we just push the princess away? It would be great to just have a bite here!" Dai Er looked at this scene, his beard soaked with greedy saliva.
"Pushing it... doesn't work." Chen Yuan was confused.
"But you don't have to go." Chen Yuan then said.
"Is this really possible?" Dai Er's eyes lit up.
"What's wrong?" Chen Yuan said with a smile, "Actually, I can go alone. I said I prepared some food and drinks, but in fact I just wanted to ask if there are any clues. What's the difference between opening one mouth and opening a few more mouths? .”
"Okay, you two go ahead! I'll eat and drink here!" Dai Er said and ran to the bonfire.
"This guy..." Gu Ming looked at the excited Dai Er who had merged into the group of soldiers in the distance, and laughed and cursed.
"What about you? Do you want to eat roasted lamb with your uncle Dai, or go to the banquet of the palace?" Chen Yuan asked, touching Tai Mo's head.
"Master and I will go wherever the master goes," Taimo said.
"Let's go, let's go and see what kind of meal the princess has prepared for us." Chen Yuan said to Gu Ming with a smile.
"These few people have come from afar and are distinguished guests in my residence. Unfortunately, they have a lot of things to do these days and the reception is not good enough. I hope you will pay more attention to them." The princess was very polite.
"I'm serious, madam, we are friends of the young prince, how can we bother our elders to entertain them?" Chen Yuan said.
The princess was silent for a moment and whispered: "Yesterday you were a guest. I heard from my servants that you were just drinking without drinking. I came here to entertain a few people on behalf of my rude child. Secondly, I came here to entertain a few people. I came here to thank you for your hard work in finding my poor child."
"Madam, you are serious again. It's still the same. We are friends of the young prince. Since we are friends, we will understand him." Chen Yuan said again.
"For the past three days, I am the one who apologizes to you on behalf of those rude soldiers. I don't know which of them had a conflict with the child on the street yesterday." The princess asked.
"There's no need for that, madam. That guy is also a rude man, and he happened to not come with us." Chen Yuan said.
"Oh? But you're still holding your breath?" the princess asked.
"That's not true. He went to ask among the soldiers to see if he could find any clues." Chen Yuan made a pretense.
"Look, I'm wrong, but I'm still trying my best without telling you. I told you from the beginning that it had nothing to do with you. Those rude men must have told Yun'er that he had a conflict with Yun'er yesterday. How is your son?" the princess sighed.
"Then when you go back later, you must bring my apology with you." The princess said.
"Okay madam." Chen Yuan cupped his hands and said.
"No matter what the fate of my poor child, I can't wrongly accuse innocent people." The princess said and lowered her head silently.
Chen Yuan wanted to say something, but didn't know how to speak. It was not his own child who was missing. No matter how much comfort he felt at the moment, it seemed like he could stand and talk without pain.
"Is today's dinner considered an entrance?" The princess also noticed that everyone was in an awkward silence and asked with a forced smile.
"It's so rich that it makes us ashamed." Chen Yuan said.
"Why do you say this?" the princess asked.
"The young prince has not been seen yet. I have been doing nothing all day, but I shamelessly enjoy such delicacies." Chen Yuan said.
"Hey! Don't force it. I won't blame you if I can't find it. It's beyond human power." The princess said with red eyes.
"Madam, I apologize for the offence." Chen Yuan suddenly stood up and said seriously.
"The theory of ghosts and gods is nonsense. If ghosts and gods can capture a living person without leaving any trace, why are there so many soldiers guarding the border? There are so many heroic spirits who have died in battles in the past dynasties. How can a foreign race offend me?" Chen A long way.
"Shut up! Don't talk nonsense!" The princess suddenly changed her color.
"You don't have to believe it, but you can't be disrespectful," the princess said again.
"I don't even believe in it, how can I respect it? There is a god in the Western Regions called 'Lord of the Earth'. Believers all say that every porridge and rice is given by this god, otherwise they will starve to death and freeze to death. Believers say before every meal You have to say something to thank the gods for giving food at the dinner table. How do you think these believers are different from livestock? They don’t know that every meal they eat when they were young is the result of the hard work of their parents? They don’t know that every poop they poop is. Is it the food that the farmers with their backs to the sky and their backs to the earth have worked hard to cultivate? This kind of evil cult has been introduced to our country and has a lot of followers. To be honest, I have been traveling all over the country. I have never seen a statue of the "Lord King" smashed. One, I’m tearing down temples one after another.”
"You... shut up!" The princess was trembling with anger, pointing at Chen Yuan and saying tremblingly.
"Madam's son is lost. Someone must be causing trouble. Madam doesn't want to search for it with all her strength, but she believes in the theory of ghosts and gods." Gu Ming, who had not spoken since entering the door, said suddenly.
"If my son is lost, I will turn this city upside down to find him. Even if he is caught by a ghost, I will immediately wipe my neck and turn into a ghost. Find him and kill him." Gu Ming spoke slowly, but Extremely cruel.
The princess seemed to be calmed or moved by these words, and suddenly broke down and cried: "I don't want to believe it, but I have really seen it! Eyes! Empty! Full of face and head. My brain is so thick that my hair has become strands! Look at me face to face! I can't move!" The princess screamed almost every sentence after finishing this sentence, and the servants present were frightened. Shivering.
"Sometimes what you see may not be true, Madam." Chen Yuan said softly.
"Forget it, if you haven't seen it, you don't believe it, and I don't blame you. I hope more than anyone else that my child wasn't taken away by that thing! So if you don't believe it, you have to find Yun'er. I Thank you very much for your trouble. No matter whether it requires manpower or material resources, just ask the housekeeper to let him know. Just don't talk about that thing anymore. If it hears it, it comes to me again! I don't want to see it again!" The princess sobbed, and the more she spoke, the worse it got. Horrified.
Princess Chenyuan was very emotional and had ups and downs. She knew that no matter what she asked, she would not be able to get a clear answer. So he stood up and said, "Thank you madam, I will leave after I have eaten and drank enough."
"Thank you for your hard work, friends. I will definitely convey my apologies to your friend who didn't arrive. I know that Yun'er's matter has nothing to do with him. It was the soldiers who were rude during the day. Even if Yun'er is not found, I want to He can go as he pleases, no one dares to stop him. If he is still unhappy, I will personally express my apology." The princess calmed down and said slowly.
The three of them left the princess's yard. Gu Ming asked, "How are you, Brother Yuan? Did you find anything?"
"Nothing was found. It's just this princess. Although she cried when she mentioned the young prince, she didn't feel worried at all. She even gave people the feeling that it didn't matter if she couldn't find her." Chen Yuan tugged his eyebrows and said.
"Maybe she was frightened by the ghost. After all, she said she saw it with her own eyes, and she looked at it so carefully, more carefully than any other girl in that courtyard." Gu Mingdao.
"Why do you think only women can see it but not men?" Chen Yuan was puzzled, stood still and looked at Gu Ming and asked.
"Who knows, it has nothing to do with whether Yang Qi is strong or not." Gu Ming said.
"What's so special about women..." Chen Yuan lowered his head and thought, his eyebrows almost bald.
"Bang." A muffled sound brought Chen Yuan back to his senses, who was deep in thought. Tai Mo lowered his head and was thinking about something until he bumped into Chen Yuan's back and squatted down, covering his head.
"Ah, uncle, your back is so hard." Tai Mo said, rubbing his head.
"Haha! You kid, why are you running away?" Gu Ming was made laugh by Tai Mo's appearance.
"You should learn martial arts from your master. When you have Gang Qi to protect your body in the future, you will be this hard." Chen Yuan touched the melon seeds on his little head and said.
"How long will it take to practice?" Tai Mo said yearningly.
"If you are so distracted, it will probably take a long time." Gu Ming said with a smile.
"I'm not distracted, I'm thinking about something." Taimo frowned.
"What are you thinking about?" Gu Ming asked.
"It's gone." Taimo said naively, and the two of them couldn't laugh or cry.
"It just doesn't feel right." Tai Mo said, scratching his head.
"You said the same thing when you saw the princess last time." Chen Yuan said.
"Yes, but I just can't think of anything inappropriate." Taimo said.
"Last time I bumped into you and I was knocked out. This time you bumped into me and I was knocked out again." Chen Yuan smiled.
"What's inappropriate?" Taimo still scratched his head.
"Is it the wrong person or something that doesn't fit?" Gu Ming asked.
"I can't really tell, it's just a feeling." Tai Mo got a little anxious and scratched his head harder.
"Okay, let's scratch my bald head again." Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Go back and think about it slowly."
