Qi State, the capital city is in prison.
The lowest area, a single cell.
The cell was clean and the bed was covered with thick bedding. A burly man was sitting cross-legged on the couch, meditating with his eyes closed.
It was Commander Meng Da, the commander-in-chief of Qi's imperial army, who had just returned to the capital.
There was the sound of footsteps at the stone steps at the end, and a gray-haired jailer walked down carrying a food box.
The old jailer's expression was very nervous and his hands were shaking a little. He glanced at the food box in his hand, took a long breath, and tried to calm down.
"Commander, are you resting?" the old jailer greeted from afar, "The little man has brought you food."
Commander Meng opened his eyes and sniffed, "Huadiao?"
"You have a really good nose." The old jailer smiled and walked closer, opened the cell door, and carried the food box to the table.
As soon as he took out a jug of wine, before it was placed on the table, Commander Meng snatched it away, raised his head and took a big gulp.
"Last time you told me that I went to buy it specially." The old jailer smiled and asked, "What do you think, Commander-in-Chief?"
"Chengdong Wang Ji Huadiao, the taste is mellow." Meng Datong drank half the bottle in one breath, glanced at the old jailer, "Don't be so nervous every time you see me, I won't eat you. In the sky prison The adults have been incarcerated a lot, so you should have seen a lot."
"But a villain like you has never served someone in the realm of soul like you." The old jailer seemed a little embarrassed and tremblingly took out some dishes. All are excellent dishes, including chicken, duck, and fish. Finally, he took out a pair of chopsticks and handed them to Commander Meng.
Commander Meng took two mouthfuls of food, took another sip of wine, and sighed: "I am so leisurely in prison. I don't have such leisure time at ordinary times, let alone drink. Your Majesty is still kind to me."
"Kenhou?" The old jailer seemed puzzled, "Commander, you are not a villain who talks too much. Isn't it because His Majesty was angry that you were imprisoned?"
"Your Majesty is right to be angry." Commander Meng said, "I failed to understand the mystery in Maoshan and made the wrong choice. Among the six countries, only Qi did not benefit, and there was a lot of criticism inside and outside the court."
Now Commander Meng really regrets it.
The imperial court attaches great importance to those left behind by Xuan Xin Zhengzong. Arrangements have been made for relatives and friends, and it can be said that one person has attained enlightenment and ascended to heaven. Those who returned from Maoshan were also rewarded. Especially those who temporarily stayed in Maoshan to enlighten themselves, they paid no less attention to it than those formal disciples.
Many of them can use some small means. He lit some yellow paper in the air and waved his sleeves to create a gust of wind. His fighting ability is average, but he is obviously different from a warrior. Although they are not considered to be Xuanxin orthodox people, they all regard themselves as Maoshan Taoist priests.
In particular, Guan Zheng's junior brother Zhang Meng, under the guidance of Yan Chixia, discovered a skill that can produce thunder and lightning. The State of Yan has promised to help him establish a sect in the future and establish Yan State's own immortal sect.
Commander Meng did not envy their rewards and abilities, but he knew that he had delayed His Majesty's important events.
Emperor Qi had just ascended the throne, and his reputation was not so stable. After the Maoshan incident, the gap with the other five countries was obvious. There was a lot of discussion inside and outside the court, and the emperor was under great pressure.
When he just came back, he was scolded severely and told to go home and reflect. Later, as the people who practiced Qi in Maoshan gradually returned, Emperor Qi suffered more and more criticism. In addition to the wrong decision-making regarding Xuanxin Zongzong, the affairs between Yuan Xiangru and Eunuch Qi also came to light.
Emperor Qi simply threw the blame and took Meng Datong to the prison.
However, Commander Meng was not resentful.
"Your Majesty sent me to prison out of love, not punishment." Commander Meng and the old jailer were very familiar with each other, and he deliberately eased the tension. "I was a target of public criticism outside, but I am at ease in the sky prison. Just wait for the matter to fade away, Your Majesty He will release me again."
The old jailer looked at Commander Meng with a strange look in his eyes. "Commander, do you really think that His Majesty will let you out again?"
"You don't understand." Commander Meng didn't want to explain in too much detail, so he took another sip of wine. He seemed a little confused and shook his head. He put the wine glass down and took another bite of food.
"You don't understand, Commander-in-Chief." The old jailer glanced at Commander-in-Chief Meng and calmly helped fill up the wine. "This villain has been working in this cell forty years ago and has served countless adults. Among them are There are many people whose status is not lower than yours. Many of them have said similar things to you."
"So what's the result?" Commander Meng took another drink. "Did you let him go in the end, or push him out and kill him?"
"No one was executed, but no one was released either." The old jailer looked at Commander Meng, "Everyone who has lived in this cell has been sent away by the villain himself."
Commander Meng frowned, and at this moment he finally understood something. Just when he opened his mouth to say something, his body fell down uncontrollably.
The old jailer laughed. "This is my first time serving the Yuanshen realm, so I have to be careful. The amount of each meal is very small, otherwise I'm afraid you would have discovered it long ago."
"You..." Commander Meng was dizzy and unable to mobilize his true energy.
"I heard that you used this poison on Eunuch Qi, so I won't explain much." The old jailer took out a long steel needle and squatted down.
"However, the villain cannot believe in poison, because many poisons can be cured. After a while, I will pierce this through your heavenly spirit, ensuring there is no pain."
"How dare you?" Commander Meng is not afraid of death, but he doesn't want to die in such an unclear way.
"Because this is what the villain does." The old jailer's expression was very calm. "The villain has been in the prison for decades and has never left. He will never leave again. He will stay here until his death. To put it bluntly, he is a commander-in-chief. I’ve also sent you to the royal family.”
"Who ordered you?" Commander Meng's lips turned blue and his eyes were bloodshot.
"I have seen many big shots, but this is the first time you are so stupid." The old jailer seemed a little amused.
"Your Majesty's reputation as a first-time official is not enough, so any decision must not be tainted. What's more, how can no one take responsibility for such a big thing? If you have to take responsibility, how can you be allowed to live?"
"Then you can kill me, why use such a method!" Commander Meng's eyes were splitting, "Beheading, beheading, three feet of white silk... why..."
"Because Your Majesty cannot kill loyal ministers." The old jailer shook his head, "It's not that you don't understand this truth, you just don't want to understand it."
Commander Meng wanted to say something else, but the old jailer had lost his patience.
"You'd better go on your way with peace of mind. The villain is most afraid of long nights and many dreams when doing errands." The old jailer pressed the steel needle against Meng Datong's Tianling, took out a small hammer, and dug in inch by inch.
Commander Meng opened his mouth and could not make a sound. I stretched out my hands feebly, but couldn't catch anything. There was unwillingness and resentment in his eyes, and he lost his look a little bit.
"Why……"
Not far away, two shadows were watching. No one could hear the sighs, and no one could see them.
Because they are Yin gods.
City God, City God Yuan Xiangru, Qi Gonggong, a minor official in the underworld.
"Lord Shenjun, am I right?" Eunuch Qi glanced at Yuan Xiangru, "Our emperor is not as wise as you think."
"From the emperor's standpoint, he can't say he did anything wrong." Yuan Xiangru's expression was very calm. "In addition, there is one more thing I want to remind you. Regardless of whether he is wise or foolish, he is an emperor in the world, not your or my master."
"Yes, this is due to the negligence of my subordinates." Qi Eunuch formally handed over his hands to accuse him, and then said, "Your Excellency brought me here, do you want to personally lead Commander Meng into the gate of hell?"
"A loyal and good general should be given away." Yuan Xiangru said, "But if he is interested, I would like to keep him by his side. Such a righteous man is more pleasing to the eye than an old eunuch like you."
Eunuch Qi rolled his eyes.
Commander Meng quickly lost his breath. After feeling for his pulse and breathing, the old jailer turned around and went out to call for help.
Yuan Xiangru and Qi Eunuch frowned at the same time.
Commander Meng’s soul has not left his body.
"Strange." Eunuch Qi looked suspicious, "Although sometimes the soul of the deceased does not leave immediately, it should be reunited with the physical body. But there is no such sign on his body. It is as if he is still alive..."
"There is resentment in the mouth, but the soul remains." Yuan Xiangru felt very uneasy. "If you have too much resentment, it will turn into a vicious ghost. But I have never seen anything like this before. Could it be because I went to Maoshan and was contaminated with something?"
While I was guessing here, the old jailer came back with a few people. The body of Commander Meng was rolled up in a mat and carried out of the prison. A car was parked outside the Tianlao, and the body was put into the car and driven out of the city.
Yuan Xiangru and Eunuch Qi glanced at each other and followed them in unison. But after walking some distance out of the city, I could no longer keep up.
They are Yin gods and cannot leave their territory without authorization.
The last time Yuan Xiangru was able to go to Siyin Mountain and lead the Yin soldiers back, it was because of Su Qing. But in his own words, it is difficult to leave now.
"Maybe he's just not dead yet."
"Most of the wandering souls nearby will enter the underworld through the ghost gate of the capital. Maybe it will be clear when his soul comes back."
Yuan Xiangru and Qi Eunuch comforted themselves.
The carriage pulling the corpse continued until it reached a barren mountain far away.
The barren mountains were bare with no vegetation, and pits had been dug in the dark mountain depressions. Several people buried the body and carefully filled it with soil.
It’s not that the body is exposed in the wilderness, but that no evidence of the body can be left behind. Leaving a complete body behind was already the emperor's greatest kindness.
The person who buried the body hurriedly left under the cover of night, and a ray of moonlight shone on the place where the body was buried.
There are mountains all around, so the moon should not be able to shine. But I don’t know why, the moonlight just shines there.
At the same time, the corpses underground also underwent some changes.
The body was not moved, and the person was not resurrected. But the nails on both hands grew a little bit unconsciously. The teeth in his mouth are also a little sharper. The skin on the body surface is even growing fine hairs...
…
The people of Qi see strange things and do not recognize the strange things. The eyes are like cinnabar, the fingers are like curved hooks, the teeth are exposed outside the lips like sharp knives, and the coat color outside the body is different. Born from the gathering of grievances, immortal, immortal, immortal, yin and yang are incompatible, abandoned by heaven and earth from reincarnation.
"Nine Continent Strange Stories"
