《Soul-eating Golden Coffin》


 C1

    "Hey, old son of a bitch, you didn''t take any pills this morning, did you?" Liu Yunlong, who was sitting beside me, looked at me in confusion and asked seriously.


    I was sprawled out on my desk, waiting for the bell to ring.


    "I can see that your face is turning pale and black. Did you have nightmares or did you see something you shouldn''t have seen in the morning?" Liu Yunlong saw that I was ignoring him and continued to provoke him.


    "Does your brother want to report to you?"


    If he hadn''t been right, I wouldn''t have been so angry. Yet, this fellow said something so casually. Even he got it right.


    It reminded me of last night and this morning.


    In my dream, when I opened my eyes in the middle of the night, I saw a huge coffin in the middle of the bedroom. In my dream, when I opened my eyes in the middle of the night, I saw a huge coffin in the middle of the bedroom.


    In this kind of environment, I was unable to move or shout. I could only lie on the bed and stare at the coffin until I was completely exhausted. Only then could I wake up. It was truly strange.


    My name is Wang Ziqi, and I''m a senior in high school. My school is the lowest ranked school in the city, and the Education Bureau doesn''t give me any targets to promote me to a higher school. We are the last high school, and after graduation, we will only teach junior high school students.


    Going from the teachers to us, we were basically living a life of chaos. If we were to endure for another month, after the college entrance examination, everyone would be free.


    The straight line between my house and the school is less than two hundred meters away, and the school is just north of our home. But there was a Municipal Hospital between his home and the school.


    Normally, if we were to go to school by the normal route, we would be able to walk from the Municipal Hospital''s front door to the back door, and we would be able to reach the school by walking for ten minutes. However, if we were to directly climb over the wall from the courtyard to Municipal Hospital, then that would be the back door of the hospital.


    There were only five minutes left before he would be late. Today, he was going to flip over the wall.


    After making up my mind, I took advantage of the adults in the courtyard who were practicing early in the morning not noticing to quickly slip over to the wall. First, I threw my bag of books against the wall, then easily jumped over the wall and jumped into the realm of Municipal Hospital.


    This side of the wall is the backyard of the Municipal Hospital mortuary, my home is actually just one wall away from the Municipal Hospital mortuary, it sounds quite scary, but I''ve lived here for almost twenty years, so I play under the wall everyday, I''m used to it, although I''ve never been inside the morgue, and haven''t seen any dead people, but I''m not like many other people, who get scared the moment they hear the three words "mortuary".


    I was about to roll out of the backyard again when I saw a light in the back window of the morgue.


    I followed the light and saw that the front door was open.


    Everyone said that the mortuary was a large refrigerator, filled with many dead people. I''ve never seen a large refrigerator before, so let''s take a look today! Since I knew there was someone there, I wasn''t afraid. So I went over to the back window and looked in.


    Although the front door was open, the room was still very dark. One of the walls was filled with large cabinet doors that were one meter square. In the middle of the room, there was also a bed. A neatly dressed person was lying on the bed ¡­


    Suddenly, my sweat started to appear. Just as I was about to turn around and run away, a wrinkled and pale face appeared from the window of the mortuary. Ye Zichen looked at me blankly from the window.


    Ah!" I couldn''t help but scream, and my legs buckled as I fell to the ground.


    When I saw it clearly, I realized that the face belonged to the old gatekeeper of the morgue.


    I used to go to school every day from the hospital, and I often saw him sitting on a stool in front of the morgue, looking at every passerby with a preoccupied expression.


    "What is a little kid doing here so early in the morning?" the old man asked, glaring at me for a moment.


    "I... "I''m from the next courtyard. I climbed over the wall and rushed to school." I couldn''t find a good reason, so I just told the truth.


    "Can''t go where? Isn''t a child afraid of having nightmares in the middle of the night? " The old man opened the back door of the morgue.


    "Hurry up and come over. Let''s leave from here. Don''t be late for school, you''re not allowed to be late next time!" The old man waved at me.


    I quickly stood up and patted my butt as I headed inside. However, after taking a step, I didn''t dare to move. There was a dead person lying inside! Do you want me to walk past him?


    "Scared? I was afraid you wouldn''t jump in. " The old man saw through my thoughts and mocked me with his hands behind his back.


    "Who ¡­" Who''s afraid? "It''s no big deal." On the impulse of youth, I replied instinctively. But after saying that, he regretted it. Let''s go, there''s a dead man lying in the house. If we don''t go, we''ll be disgraced if we jump over the wall again!


    The red-painted wooden door of the morgue was like a bloody gaping maw, as if it were waiting for me to walk in and swallow me up forever.


    However, when he saw the grinning old man beside him, a wave of unyielding ruthlessness rose up from the bottom of his heart and he walked towards the door.


    I purposely avoided looking at the weird old man.


    But all my attention was on the body. As I walked past the body, I didn''t dare look away from him, for fear that he would suddenly reach out and grab me.


    It wasn''t until I was outside the front door of the morgue that I was relieved to see people walking past in the hospital that morning.


    Let''s hurry up and go to school. Not only did I fail to get close enough to him, I even ran into such a problem. The more I thought about it, the more depressed I became.


    When I looked back, the strange old man was still standing at the front door of the morgue with his hands behind his back, smiling at me, but I couldn''t shake the feeling that his smile was very uncomfortable. Probably because he had spent too much time with the dead.


    Thus, I spent the first period in a trance. At first, I felt that the corpse of the morgue was standing behind me, and then I wondered if he would climb out of the coffin at night ¡­


    "You see, let me be the right one? What did he dream of? "Tell me, I''ll help you unravel it."


    I ignored him.


    After school, Liu Yunlong chased after me relentlessly.


    I really can''t be bothered to respond to him. Could it be that the people before the college entrance exam are a little psychopathic?


    We passed by the entrance of the small courtyard in the mortuary, but Liu Yunlong suddenly stopped, and pulled me along as he whispered: "Look over there, what''s inside the door?"


    I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that the door to the morgue was not closed. Through the gap of a foot or so, I could see a few people moving inside, and a man in a police uniform was standing behind the door, talking on the phone.


    The policeman turned, saw us looking in this direction, and closed the gate behind us.


    "What a rare occurrence!" Come, let''s find a place to climb up and have a look! " Liu Yunlong immediately became spirited.


    "What do you think about such a tall wall?"


    "Isn''t there a broken cart in the corner over there? You can stand up and look." just happened to show up. " Liu Yunlong had already observed the terrain a long time ago, so he walked towards there.


    After walking to the broken cart, I impatiently said, "If you want to take a look, hurry up. I''m still in a hurry to go home to eat!"


    "Don''t worry, I just want to have a taste." He had to find something exciting to do after studying every day! Can''t we also change the dosage? "Fine, I''ll treat you to ice cream later." Liu Yunlong teased me as he climbed.


    Alas, I waited for him in a sullen mood.


    However, this fellow had been lying on the wall for nearly half a minute and had not moved at all. I was truly impatient as I urged him, "Hey, have you finished looking? Are you addicted to it? After which, let''s go home and eat! "


    Liu Yunlong acted as if he did not hear me, and stuck himself firmly on the wall. He did not even react when I pulled on his pants.


    I was beginning to wonder, what did this guy see?

 C2

    Under my curiosity, I climbed up the broken cart and warned him, "Brat, if you dare to play dumb and lie to me, just wait!"


    I straightened up and poked my head into the morgue yard. To be more accurate, they were two living people and one dead person. The two of them were both wearing police uniforms, with their backs facing us. One of them was standing, while the other was squatting. The one standing was the one who was closing the door. The one squatting there ¡­


    Let me start with the dead I saw.


    The corpse lay flat on the ground. The upper half of it was naked, and the lower half of it was wearing ordinary green emancipation pants, as well as a pair of liberation shoes. Currently, almost no one in the city wore it like this.


    What made my stomach churn was that there was a long, vertical gash thirty or forty centimeters long in the abdomen, almost to the throat, and that the entire cavity and chest were leaking out.


    The crouching policewoman (I suspect later that she is a medical examiner). His left hand was holding the skin on the abdomen of the corpse, while his right hand was holding a large, blood-soaked bandage, which was constantly wiping at the abdominal cavity.


    And on her right hand side, there were two large basin, red in color. One basin was filled with water, while the other was filled with what seemed to be pieces of meat. If one looked carefully, they would see all kinds of internal organs ¡­


    I can''t help it! I wonder if the female medical examiner is going to put it back or throw it away?


    The body lay on the ground, its head tilted in our direction.


    His eyes were still open and bloodshot. It was as if she was staring at me. Her head was also swaying back and forth as the female medical examiner wiped it away. It was extremely strange.


    Now, Liu Yunlong and I had the same expression on our faces. Our stomachs had received a strong visual impact and started to react intensely. However, neither of us had the intention of turning around. Both of us were staring intently at the shocking scene, unsure of what to do.


    I didn''t know where Liu Yunlong was looking at, but I felt that the corpse''s eyes were still looking at me. It was as if my soul was being held in place, I wanted to move but was unable to, causing all the hairs on my body to stand.


    "Why is it you again!" "What are you doing!" A growl came from behind us.


    Aiya! I''m so grateful for that voice! He really did appear in time. Even though he jumped, he still managed to break this terrifying gaze.


    I suddenly felt that I could move, so I quickly took the opportunity to look away. The old guard with wrinkles all over his face and a pale face was standing behind us with a serious expression.


    "Hurry and get down!" "What''s there to look at!" The strange old man said as he reached for my right wrist. In a daze, I let him grab me.


    At this moment, a scorching heat came from the inside of my wrist. Instinctively, I wanted to retract my arm, but the strange old man seemed to have been burned as well. He hurriedly released the hand that was grabbing me and flicked his wrist away.


    "Huh?" The strange old man first looked at his own hand, then immediately shifted his gaze to my wrist.


    "This... "This is ¡­" The strange old man looked at my wrist and stood there, mumbling something over and over. His gaze never left her.


    Even though Liu Yunlong and I had our eyes pulled out, our minds and vision had suffered a double shock and were still in a bit of a daze. The old man had grabbed me just now and bounced me away, as well as the old man saw the expression on my wrist and what he had said repeatedly, we didn''t pay any attention to him.


    Looking at the weird old man in a daze, I shot a look at Liu Yunlong before jumping off the broken cart and ran off.


    After running for a long distance, the strange old man finally reacted. He chased after us while shouting, "Child, wait! I need to ask you something ¡­"


    What a joke, who the hell is waiting for you! At the very least, it was better than being caught and scolded. He might even have to inform the school and the parents.


    We didn''t stop until we reached the next intersection. We rested against the trees by the side of the road.


    Liu Yunlong should have thought of the shocking scene from a moment ago, and just as he took a few breaths, he spat out with a "wah".


    When I saw him vomit, I couldn''t hold it in any longer. The two of us held onto a big tree, spitting it out at each other, causing the passersby to glance at each other.


    Fortunately, it was already noon and we had not eaten yet after school. After vomiting a few times, there was nothing left in our stomachs.


    Liu Yunlong panted heavily, "Oh my god! You really don''t have to eat lunch today. You can still eat after that? "Such a big pot, such a small stomach, puke ¡­"


    I scolded him while wiping my mouth, "You don''t have to say it, it''s not enough for you to feel disgusted in your heart. You have to say it!" Don''t bring up this matter with me anymore. If you bring it up again, I''m not done with you! "It''s all because of you. If you have nothing better to do, it''s more meaningful for you to peek at the female bathhouse than the mortuary." What a pity for my family''s lunch, the rice and braised pork.


    "Ugh ¡­" Speaking of meat, we began a new round of fertilization on the trees.


    I didn''t eat meat for three days. It was impossible to see it from the start. Seeing it made him want to vomit. I don''t think Liu Yunlong will be any better either.


    For the past three days, even I have not passed through the Municipal Hospital.


    On the one hand, the old gatekeeper already knew me, and I was afraid that he would drag me back to the events of that day. On the other hand, since the day I saw two dead people in the morgue, my understanding of the morgue had completely changed.


    I began to be afraid of that place, always wanting to hide, even in the courtyard, away from the yard and the wall of peace, never to cross again.


    But there were always nightmares, and the eyes of the corpse were always flickering in my mind. Dreams. I''ve been dreaming for five consecutive days this month.


    The fourth day after the morgue incident was also the last day before our college entrance exam. After today, we will be able to study at home for the next twenty days or so without having to come to school. The admission tickets had all been sent out, so when the time came, they could just go and take part in the exam.


    After school, a few students and I had just walked out of the school when my left shoulder was grabbed by a hand.


    I turned around and saw that all the weird old men from the mortuary had found the school entrance. A hand was on my shoulder, and she was looking at me with a serious expression.


    I really didn''t know what he was going to do. Logically speaking, the two of us would just lie on the wall and look at the people that die. It''s not like they lost anything, so why did they come looking for us?


    "Kid, can I ask you something?" The old man looked at me sharply, giving me an irresistible majesty.


    I slanted my eyes to look at Liu Yunlong among the students, only to see him winking pitifully at me twice before he turned and left. This heartless thing!


    "Kid, don''t worry. I''m not here to get even with you. I just want to ask you: were the three dots on your right wrist born, or left behind from an injury?" The old man stared at me as he asked the question, waiting for an answer. He seemed a little nervous.

 C3

    There were three neat circular marks on my right wrist. The only difference was that my skin was darker than the rest, arranged in a triangle. The larger one was the size of a cherry while the smaller two were about the same size as a pomegranate.


    I asked my mother about it, and she said I was born with it.


    "Why do you ask?" I looked at the old man warily. Am I not my mother''s biological son?


    "Are you born in the same year, the same month, and the same day?" the old man asked when I wouldn''t answer him.


    "Who needs a year, and what''s more, a month?" I was confused.


    "Oh, I ask you, were you born on October 9, 1982?" The old man realized that I didn''t understand the calculation and arrangement of the calendar.


    "I... I''m in ''82. What''s the matter with you? "If you have something to say, please say it!" I was getting impatient.


    "October 9th?" "Then is the mark on your wrist not a birthmark?" The old man''s eyes began to shine when I finished, and he asked me again what I hadn''t answered.


    "Right... Are you busy? I''m still waiting to go home and eat dinner! " I was beginning to believe my initial judgment, and I was thinking about how to put it at home and ask my mother if I was really hers.


    "True... It''s really you! Hehe, I finally found it. "The twenty-eight nights are not bad at all ¡­" After hearing my answer, the old man was a little excited. He happily pulled me to look and continuously chanted.


    "You... If there''s nothing else, I''ll be going! " All I could think about was how to get home and get my mother to say something.


    Seeing that I was about to struggle free of him, the old man didn''t stop me. He confidently loosened his grip on my hand and said, "How about this, come and find me tomorrow night at 10 o''clock. I have something to ask you again. You know where I live. "


    Who are you? You still want to tell me something? Besides, you want me to go to the morgue at ten o''clock at night? I''m so full that I''m full!


    The old man must have seen the disdain in my eyes. He didn''t seem to worry that I wouldn''t come. He turned around and walked away, saying, "Do you want to know why you dream of a smoking coffin in your bedroom? Come tomorrow night and I''ll tell you, it''s very important to you. "


    I was even more confused. I only told Liu Yunlong about the coffin in my dreams.


    After thinking about it, I only told Liu Liu Yunlong that I dreamt of the coffin. As for whether the coffin was still in the living room or not, I didn''t tell him that there was smoke coming out of it. How did the old man know?


    When I tried to ask the old man, he was gone. He had no choice but to head home with a belly full of question marks.


    The next day I studied at home, wondering how the old man knew about my dream. At 9: 30 in the evening, I couldn''t hold it in any longer. If I didn''t find out what was going on with the old man, I wouldn''t be able to study in peace for more than twenty days.


    But going to the morgue at this point was a real panic. I called Liu Yunlong and invited him out to eat something. Even if he wanted to ask the old man, he would drag him along with him. Didn''t he like going to the morgue? I''ll let him in this time.


    Liu Yunlong and I are very close, my home is to the west of Municipal Hospital, and his house is to the east of Municipal Hospital.


    We met in front of Municipal Hospital ten minutes later and bought two ice popsicles. As we ate, we walked towards the Municipal Hospital and chatted about the topic of our graduation along the way.


    As I spoke, I walked to the back door of Municipal Hospital and stood in front of the courtyard of the morgue. The mind is making a final struggle: to enter, or not to enter?


    When Liu Yunlong saw me staring at the morgue, he realized that something was wrong. Haven''t you seen enough that day? Are you planning to steal a body and continue watching it when you get home tonight? "


    "Accompany me to meet someone." I stared at him, my eyes full of compulsion.


    "Holy sh * t!" A living corpse? I say, why are you so kind? Why are you inviting me out so late at night to eat ice popsicles? No, he wouldn''t go even if he was beaten to death! If you don''t want to die, then don''t go! "


    "Not into the mortuary. is the old man who accompanied me to the morgue. You see, he lives in the bungalow beside the morgue. " I lured him further.


    "Then we still won''t go! What for? You want to get scolded? " Liu Yunlong''s position was firm.


    I had no choice but to say, "How about this, I''ll go in and have a chat with the old man. Wait for me outside for a while. If I call for you, remember to go in and help me!"


    "Fuck, fighting?" "This guy is interested." He''s only a sixty to seventy year old old man, and yet you have the heart to go and attack him? " Liu Yunlong looked at me with a face full of contempt.


    "Did I say I was going to hit him? I''m just trying to be safe, just in case! "You just wait here for me. If I don''t come out in five minutes, you can call for me from outside." I don''t care if he likes it or not, I said, and went to the bungalow on the north side of the morgue.


    When I walked to the door of the hut, I heard footsteps coming from behind me. Without looking, I knew that Liu Yunlong had caught up.


    "Forget it, I''ll just follow you. If there''s anything you need help with, you can help out." This fellow''s words are quite loyal. In fact, I left him alone at the entrance of the dark morgue for a while. He would rather follow me, or at least there are people at the side.


    Pushing open the wooden door of the bungalow, we entered. The room was clean, completely different from what I''d expected. It was a rectangular room with a bed on the left, an old-fashioned large cabinet, and a stove on the right.


    There was a square table near the wall in the middle of the room, and on it was a deity I could not name. This deity was dressed in a white robe with a plum blossom painted on the corner of his robe, and he was tall and slender. His hands were behind his back, and he was stepping on a cloud.


    In front of the statue, three sandalwood sticks were inserted into the incense burner. There were two master chairs on either side of the table. The strange old man was sitting in an armchair on the left. Laughing, he looked at us.


    What struck us most of all was that it was the middle of June, and it was hot, and the old man was wearing a new long-sleeved jacket in the style of the Tang Dynasty, with a yaksha embroidered with fangs on the front, staring at us.


    "You''re here." The old man greeted him.


    "Since you''re here, I''ll have to trouble you to follow my rules. Come in and greet our Night Master. Three bows are enough." The old man continued, seeing that we were silent.


    We looked at each other, a little dazed, and bade each other farewell, without missing a piece of flesh, and made three neat bows.


    "Heh heh, good. Child, help me bring the tea on the stove." the old man said to me.


    What was this? It seemed that this old man had called us over for fun in the middle of the night, bowing and pouring tea.


    I went to the stove and saw at once that the old man had asked me to serve him a cup. I took the cup and handed it to the old man.


    "Haha, good!" "That''s right!" The old man took it and finished it in one gulp.


    "If you have any questions, feel free to ask!" The old man noticed our impatience and took the initiative to ask.


    "¡­" I was a little depressed. Don''t you know what I want to ask?


    "About dreams, right?" "When the old man saw that I was silent, he began to answer his own question." The coffin you dream of is called the Soul Corroding Gold Coffin. Don''t worry, it''s not scary. As the saying goes, it is a good thing to dream that the coffin will rise to the rank of official and make a fortune. It''s just that this Gold Coffin is different from other coffins, it doesn''t contain dead people, it contains your things, your abilities and responsibilities. "


    "Then how on earth did you know I would have this dream?" From the moment I entered the house until now, I could not help but ask the first and most important question.


    "Haha ¡­" The elder smiled mysteriously as he pulled up his right sleeve. "Look!"

 C4

    The old man''s right wrist bore the same triangular mark as mine, except that the three circles were slightly different in size, and the direction of the triangle was also different from mine.


    "This is ¡­" I was confused.


    "Old bastard, he has the same birthmark as you! Don''t tell me you''re his biological son? " Liu Yunlong came closer to take a look, and immediately thought of the same imprint on my wrist, as he mocked.


    "Ha ha!" Just as I was about to scold him, the old man laughed and said to Liu Yunlong, "Kid, do you have a birthmark? Do you have a birthmark like your father''s? Besides, I''m old enough to be your grandfather. "


    Liu Yunlong was obviously stumped by this question, but he muttered to himself, unconvinced: "Maybe it''s the inheritance of another generation!"


    After the old man finished laughing, he turned to me and said, "As for the birthmark? What is it? It''s useless for you to know now, but you''ll slowly discover it yourself in the future. In short, don''t be afraid of Gold Coffin. What is in your life, you can''t even hide if you wanted to. Well, you go on, we''ll see each other again. I still need to make up for tomorrow''s cremation. If you''re interested, you can come and take a look, but you have to be respectful. "


    Bewildered, we walked out of the mortuary yard to the hospital gate.


    "You want me to come out with you in the middle of the night?" Liu Yunlong clearly felt that he had been messed with.


    "But that''s strange enough. You and that old man have the same birthmark, are you sure you two aren''t related at all?" This guy continued to analyze for me.


    "I don''t know if it''s related to that or not, but one thing should be certain. Anyone with these three birthmarks on their right wrist will dream about the coffin!" I think the old man showed me his birthmark, which was obviously what he meant.


    "What does that mean? This means that the two of you will have the same fate? " Liu Yunlong said in deep thought as he held his chin.


    "F * ck, f * ck off!" The same fate? You want me to go to the morgue with him in the future? What I was worried about was pointed out. He was a little flustered.


    "In short, you all are not normal people, what is abnormal? "Now it seems that most of them are at the spiritual level." Liu Yunlong made his closing statement.


    "I''m afraid it won''t be that simple. After the exam is over, I have to go and check it out. I really don''t want to get involved with demons, devils, ghosts and gods." I didn''t take his words as a sarcasm. I know very well if I''m mentally ill.


    "What do you think? You''ll have to see if they''re willing to or not. Besides, aren''t these 20 days for self-study? Don''t you know how to check? In any case, with your results in the next few days, you might not even pass the Chinese Literature test! " If this guy doesn''t bicker with me every day, he won''t be able to sleep well.


    I was too preoccupied with my thoughts to bother with him. When I looked at my watch, it was almost half past ten. We quickly disbanded and went back to our own homes.


    Although the reason why I went to look for the old man today was to resolve the doubts in my heart, who knew that the old man would answer my old question and then throw me two new questions. Why do we have the same birthmark? What did the Gold Coffin in his dream portend?


    After the college entrance examination, I completely forgot about this matter. I spent my days with a bunch of friends and classmates. I either went to play games in the Internet Cafe or went to swim and eat at the night market.


    The college entrance examination scores that we didn''t want to see the most finally came down in early August, and I unquestionably fell off the list.


    At this time, I discovered that my father had a serious illness. He didn''t have any medical insurance, so in order to pay a high medical fee, I chose to go to a computer training course and learn some design software.


    As for Liu Yunlong, his score is almost 100 points higher than mine, but what''s the use? I''m 150 points off the main line.


    Just a week after I started my computer class, Liu Yunlong told me that his father used their relationship to send him to a troop in Shaanxi to train.


    We were in elementary school together, and it''s a bit of a shame to be separated now, but for us, the first eighteen years of our lives have passed. In the decades to come, we will no longer be living for ourselves, but will have to shoulder the responsibility of living. Any obstacle that will hinder our future life will have to be removed.


    People always have to earn money to eat, and the path they should take always had to be taken. Just like time, it would never come back.


    After sending Liu Yunlong off, my design class was nearing its end.


    In order to make it easier for me to find a job, Mom found someone to help me make a fake diploma from the university in this city. The day she gave it to me, I saw that she was embarrassed. His father laid on the bed with a helpless look on his face.


    Actually, I don''t really care. What''s so bad about coming out early to earn money? As long as I work hard, I can always make my own world.


    Not long after, I found my first job, working in a shop specializing in digital products, designing promotional items. Eight hundred a month, working hours from eight in the morning to seven in the evening, eleven hours, no rest except for 45 minutes lunch.


    Fortunately, I was close to home, the leader is also very good to me, know I am a "fresh graduate student", especially told me not to hurry, work needs a certain time to get started, gave me a sufficient period of adjustment.


    I loved to paint when I was a kid, and although I couldn''t draw any decent work, it was helpful in designing posters, whether in color or composition.


    I worked very hard, and my salary rose to 1200 yuan a month after a year. During this period, I occasionally wrote a letter with Liu Yunlong. He had charged himself in the army, and with his perseverance, he had actually managed to get into some sort of investigation major at the Army Command Academy.


    In the blink of an eye, two years had passed. During this year, my father became more and more ill, and he was unable to wait for his son to get married before leaving. On the day of the funeral, which was also the first time I went to the Municipal Hospital''s mortuary since that night of conversation, the gatekeeper had already changed to a middle-aged man in his fifties. I asked him for the whereabouts of the weird old man, and he said that he didn''t know either.


    In the past two years, I still did not dream much, and did not dream of that Gold Coffin ever again. I think it was a joke, a little episode in my life.


    After my father died, I was always in low spirits. Fortunately, not long after, the company organized a business expansion training in Taihang Mountain.


    I didn''t want to go, but my mother said let''s go. We should have a good time and change our mood. After all, the person has already left, but we still have to continue living our lives. You can''t get upset every day.


    The expansion camp that we are working with is deep in the Taihang Mountain, and we heard from their people that this place is good, a beautiful place with a beautiful scenery.


    It was only after the comparison that they realized that they were too weak and couldn''t squeeze into the few major bases outside. Thus, they had no choice but to come to this remote mountain valley. And since they were cheap and could save money on the company, why not?


    On the day of our departure, the bus drove for nearly seven hours on a mountain road, knocking us all over until we reached our destination ¡ª a small village called Slate, which consisted of only about fifty families.


    The village was situated in a col held between three mountain peaks. It was surrounded by clouds and mist all year round, and a small river flowed through the entrance of the village. It was truly a beautiful scene to behold.


    The first day, free exercise. We get up at six in the morning to take a ride, two hours of high speed and seven hours of mountain road, by the time it will be dark, a train of people have long since stopped, who can move ah.


    After dinner, they went back to their dorms to lie down. Before the disbanding, the captain said that a few days ago a person had died in the village and that the village was working on something. He told us not to look in the past if we had nothing to do at night and that local customs did not like outsiders seeing this.


    No one would abandon him. Who would have the leisure to look at that matter?


    Since I slept too early, I couldn''t sleep in the middle of the night, so I had to open my eyes and sit up. It doesn''t matter if you get up and look around. Our house is a large shared bed for ten people. There''s no one on the other bunks except for me. Looking into the innermost corner of the room, he saw that there was a huge coffin on the ground.


    I was startled and was about to shout out loud, but then I realised, this could not be the Gold Coffin the old man was talking about?

 C5

    It seemed to be a dream. Since it was a dream, there was no need to be afraid. Besides, the old man said it was good for me and not bad for me. So I decided to take a closer look at the coffin. Trembling, he got off the bed and slowly moved towards the corner of the room. Even though he knew it was a dream, it all felt so real.


    As I walked in, I noticed that it was completely black, its surface covered with rust and dotted with sparks. But whether or not it was the coffin I had dreamed of two years ago was hard to remember.


    When I finally approached the coffin, I hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching out with my right hand to touch it. It felt cold to the touch, and it shouldn''t be made of wood. I took the key out of my trouser pocket and scratched at a spot of light on the corner of the lid. The scrape didn''t matter, as a patch of rust the size of a palm fell off, revealing the coffin''s true appearance.


    The yellow color was revealed after the rust stains had fallen off. Although I don''t know if this metal is gold yet, but the first thought told me that this is really a Gold Coffin!


    I started to let my imagination run wild. How much can I sell such a big mouth of Gold Coffin? If this wasn''t a dream, then wouldn''t I get rich?


    Nothing had happened since I had seen it, and everything was normal except that the coffin had appeared in a place that should not have been. Since it''s a Gold Coffin from a dream, the inside definitely doesn''t contain a dead body, it''s very possible that it''s some good stuff. I remember the old man saying that it seemed to be a good thing that was useful to me.


    So I decided ¡ª Open the lid of the coffin and take a look.


    I went to the door and tried to turn on the light, but I couldn''t find the cord. Did he dream of not putting the light rope in? It seemed that he could only rely on the moonlight to see what was going on. Fortunately, the moon was round and bright tonight. Within the room, the ground was snow-white and his line of sight was not bad.


    I walked to one side of the coffin and put my hands on the lid. I pushed with my feet and pushed the lid to the other side. Ten seconds later, I slumped down on the edge of the bed. This lid was too heavy! I did my best not to move. Was it because of the gold? But I''m in a dream, and I have to follow the law of gravity even in a dream? The ancient people really did put in a lot of effort when they opened it. They didn''t know what kind of pulley it was, but it was easier to open it with less effort ¡­


    I just sat here complaining. I didn''t expect that the coffin wasn''t a luggage case. It would open and close every day. Once the coffin was closed, there was no reason to open it again. As I was lost in thought, an idea struck me. I remembered where I had seen it before, and said that there were many different kinds of coffins, some of which were directly fastened, some of which had slots for pushing. Could it be that there was a slot in the coffin? You can''t push it sideways because it''s stuck, so you have to push it back and forth?


    So I went to the end of the coffin and pushed it slowly forward. I was halfway up when the coffin lid began to move forward. I guess I was right. This is a coffin lid with a chute.


    Actually, I was still afraid. No one knew what was inside. I pushed very slowly, and after about ten centimeters of the coffin, a hole the width of a finger appeared. He slowly approached and looked inside. It was so dark that he couldn''t see anything.


    I turned around and fumbled around the room, trying to find a flashlight. But there was nothing but beds and quilts, mattresses, pillows. There was no other way. I went back to the coffin and tried to open the gap a little wider. Who would have thought that the coffin would push me so much further back that I would lose all my strength and have to hold on to it for a while after I got to a place where my head could barely reach.


    As I was gasping for breath beside the coffin, a pale hand suddenly reached out and grabbed my left wrist!


    "Ouch!" I was resting. I wasn''t on guard at all. This time, I was really scared. I hurriedly retreated backwards.


    But this hand held me very tightly. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t pull it out, and my wrist felt like it was about to break. I had no choice but to use my right hand to pull the fingers apart. As soon as I did, another hand reached out from the crevice of the coffin and grabbed my right wrist.


    It''s over, I thought. I won''t be able to escape today. The strange old man even said that it was something good for me. Could it be that it was those dead hands who wanted to crush my wrist?


    There was nothing I could do. The hand that was holding my right wrist suddenly emitted white smoke. With a sizzling sound, my wrist also felt a burning sensation. There was a strange cry from inside the coffin, and the two hands that were holding me both loosened and pulled back at the same time. I hastily took two steps back and rubbed my aching left wrist. I stared at the crevice of the coffin and didn''t dare to step forward. I cursed in my heart as I quickly ended this disgusting dream.


    A dark shape slowly emerged from the crevice of the coffin, and my eyes widened until my heart was in my throat. However, he gradually realized that it was a human head. First, it was human hair, then forehead, eyes, nose, and mouth, until the entire face appeared from within the coffin.


    It was a man''s face. It was very ordinary, but it was deathly pale and his eyes were devoid of light. It was as if he had been ill for a long time, and his actual age could not be discerned.


    I was too nervous to know if he was a human or a ghost, but coming out of the coffin was more likely to be a ghost.


    Thankfully, I only managed to push the coffin open a crack where my head could stick out. The face inside seemed to notice this too, and when it stuck its head out, it stopped moving, and it had no intention of coming out. We just looked at each other.


    I don''t know how much time passed, or maybe it was just a few seconds, but it was hard for me every second. The face suddenly opened its mouth and spoke, "You ¡­" You aren''t Master Zhang? "


    "¡­" When he spoke, the tension in my heart lessened.


    "Where''s Master Zhang? Where is Master Zhang? " The face was even more astonished than I was.


    "I don''t know what Master Zhang you''re talking about. This is my dream. Please leave." I can''t wait for him to leave.


    "Your dream? Then this Gold Coffin is not Master Zhang''s? " His face was filled with shock.


    "I don''t know who it is, but at least you saw that I''m the only one here." Such a dialogue could indeed ease the atmosphere.


    The face looked at the coffin, let out a long sigh, and said: "Alright then, I''m sorry, I''ve scared you, this is indeed not Master Zhang''s Gold Coffin, they said that Master Zhang''s Gold Coffin is golden, and this mouth is full of rust ¡­ ¡­"


    I am so angry, you can''t blame me for this. Do you mean to say that you have to wipe the coffin every day even when you''re dreaming?


    After finishing his sentence, the face withdrew without even a word of greeting. In the blink of an eye, a gust of black smoke drifted out from the coffin and gradually dispersed into the room.


    I froze for a moment. What should I do? Cover it? I don''t dare, but this damn dream won''t wake me up, so there''s nothing I can do about it. Ah? Didn''t he say that he could wake up if he pinched himself forcefully in his dream? I quickly raised my right hand and pinched my cheek so hard that I grimaced in pain. When I opened my eyes, I was still standing there. Three meters in front of me, I push open a large coffin.


    What should he do? Am I unable to go back?

 C6

    I started to get nervous again. If I couldn''t wake up, would I have to keep dreaming like this? Then wouldn''t I become a vegetable in the real world? I went to the door and tried to open it, but I was afraid of what might be behind it. After hesitating in front of the door for a long time, he hardened his heart and decided to just open it. Since it had already reached this stage, he had no choice but to open it.


    I closed my eyes and yanked the door open.


    After a long time without any movement, he slowly opened his eyes and was stunned.


    It was supposed to be our little playground, and I had seen the moon and the mountains through the window when I came to turn on the light. What is it now? Outside was a large room, a corridor, and ten beds. In the far corner, there was even a huge coffin that had its mouth pushed open.


    I looked back again... It was exactly the same! I began to sweat. What should I do? Yeah, there''s still the window. I quickly went to the side and opened it, then jumped out without even looking. It''s the first floor anyway, so I''m not afraid of falling down. He jumped out and looked up. It was still a large room, with ten beds and a coffin. The room was still lit by the moonlight, but I didn''t know where it came from.


    Even though I was afraid, I calmed down and began to wonder why I was trapped in a dream. Did I do something? The dream could not continue, so why was it stopped here? Looking at the coffin, all I had moved was it, and whether it was because I had pushed it away or not, this was what was happening. If I closed it again, everything would probably return to normal, but I really didn''t want to get any closer to the coffin, and who knew what would pop out of it again.


    He sat on the edge of the bed and thought for a long time. There was no other way, he could only go over and push the lid back down to take a look. I went around the corner of the room to the other side, as far as I could from the black crack. After two breaths, I pushed the lid back.


    "Crack!" After a loud sound, the coffin had once again become tightly sewn together.


    There was a sudden light outside the window, growing brighter and brighter, so bright that I couldn''t open my eyes.


    When I could get used to the light, I opened my eyes and saw that it was already morning. I was still in bed, and my colleagues were starting to get up. Thank God, I finally made it out!


    As he was about to sit up with his hands on the bed, he suddenly felt pain in his left wrist. Could it be ¡­ Did the person in the coffin capture it? Was this a dream?


    The next day, we began to expand the training, the first is what set up the team relationship. It was just an empty space, built with shelves made out of wooden planks. If there was any trust between the projects and the back fall, the Life and Death Network, and so on, it would sound like a game to them.


    It''s not that I don''t fit in, I don''t have a sense of teamwork, it''s just that you have to instill some ideas into it in advance, so that you can do it twice as well as you can, and achieve the desired results. Like this kind of direct action, like a child playing a game. Once done, they would forget about it. It was meaningless.


    After lunch, I took advantage of the instructor''s lack of attention to run away. It would be better to play around by myself than to mess around.


    Arriving at the river at the village entrance, I saw a man sitting on a big rock far away, fishing. His back was to me and he was wearing a bamboo hat to protect his face from the sun, so it was hard to tell his actual age. Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to take a look at his gains.


    When I sat down beside him, I saw that the man was only in his thirties. Although he was sitting, it was obvious that he was very tall and strong, and his eyes were bright as he stared at the floating water.


    The fishermen were most afraid of being disturbed. I didn''t say anything as I sat next to him, watching the small bridges and flowing water, surrounded by mountains, enjoying my rare leisure time.


    "Martial Uncle, I have been waiting for you for two days." I was about to lie down on the flagstones to take a nap when the man spoke.


    I looked around... No one came.


    "Martial Uncle, there''s no need to look. I''m just calling you," the middle-aged man turned his face towards me and said.


    "Me? Your Martial Uncle? " I asked, pointing to my nose. A man in his thirties calling a young man in his early twenties Martial Uncle could do nothing more funny than this. Furthermore, I haven''t even taken anyone as my master, so where did my master come from?


    "Yes, Grandpa told me to wait for you here the day before yesterday."


    "You ¡­ Your grandfather? " I am getting more and more confused.


    "Let''s go see grandpa." As the middle-aged man spoke, he stood up and put away his fishing gear. Just as he was about to leave, it seemed that he had come to wait for me. Fishing was just a convenience.


    "Wait!" "Do you know who I am?" Just call me Martial Uncle. Besides, I don''t know who you are. I don''t even know your grandfather. "


    "Hehe, I don''t know who you are. But grandpa''s words must be true. Come with me, don''t you understand when you see grandpa? " When the middle-aged man saw that I wouldn''t follow him, he turned around and tried to pull me back.


    I quickly moved to the side, trying to avoid his hand. Who knew that he seemed to have practiced kung fu. Seeing that I had dodged his attack, he suddenly flipped his hand and grabbed onto my right shoulder before I could regain my balance. I tried to struggle free, but this man, who was nearly 1.9 meters tall and had a body of over 200 pounds of meat pressing down on me, couldn''t budge.


    "Hey!" If you don''t let go now, I''ll call for help! Did you know that''s what kidnapping is called? " I had no choice but to threaten him with words. The middle-aged man smiled and decided to not take the fishing rod anymore. He picked me up and headed towards the other side of the river.


    "Hey!" "Hey!" I didn''t know his name, so I just called out to him, "Stop pulling me, I''ll go with you, okay? My shoes are already wet, you can''t even drag me across the river like this! "


    I was going to yell, but then I realized that I was a man after all. It would be embarrassing to call me a kidnapping like that, or a robbery. Besides, he couldn''t do anything excessive in the middle of the day.


    But the middle-aged man acted as if he didn''t hear me and just carried me across the river. I felt like a chicken waiting to be slaughtered. He was pushed up the mountain by the middle-aged man in an awkward manner. When he reached a small house on the hillside, he stopped. Looking back, I saw the village on the other side of the river, halfway up the hill. My colleagues had just finished their meal and were chatting in groups in the open space of the village playground.


    I wasn''t that worried when I saw someone there. After all, there was absolutely no problem shouting for them to hear a single word of his. Let''s see what kind of medicine this burly fellow was up to.

 C7

    Finally, the middle-aged man released his hand that was grabbing onto my shoulder and shouted into the house: "Grandfather, I''ve invited Martial Uncle over!"


    "Zhang Shan, I have told you so many times, there must be sincerity in inviting others." Zhang Shan, I have told you so many times, there must be sincerity in inviting people. An old voice said from inside the room.


    "I said that grandpa wants to invite him, but if he doesn''t come with me, then there''s nothing I can do about it." The middle-aged man called Zhang Shan scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he tried to defend himself. With that, he turned to me and whispered, "My grandfather is called Zhang Shixun, and everyone in the village calls him Master Zhang. I told you! "


    "You idiot, cough ¡­" It''s like you didn''t say anything! " The old man came out of the house, coughing as he spoke. She smiled at me and said, "My good disciple, you''ve finally come! We haven''t seen each other in a long time, right? "


    "You ¡­" When I saw this man, I was so shocked that I could not keep my mouth shut. I pointed at him impolitely, not knowing what to say.


    The person standing in front of him, was the old man from Municipal Hospital who was guarding the mortuary! No wonder the first time I heard him, the voice sounded familiar, as if I had heard it somewhere.


    "Hehe, this is my home. I''m from this village." The old man looked at me with a smile, but he still looked gloomy.


    "You forget, I said we''d meet again. "Cough, cough ¡­" The old man coughed violently, the middle aged man called Zhang Shan quickly brought out an armchair from the house, and after the old man sat down, he stood behind with his head bowed.


    "Wait!" I finally came back to my senses. " Who is your disciple? "


    "Hehe, it''s you!"


    I finally understand why this Zhang Shan fellow calls me Martial Uncle: He calls me grandfather, and according to the old man''s words, even if I''m his disciple, I''m still in the same generation as his father. He naturally has to call me Martial Uncle.


    "When did I acknowledge you as my master? Don''t spout nonsense! " I''m a little unhappy. Even if you''re old, how can you be so adamant on accepting a disciple the moment we meet? You''re not famous.


    "Hur hur, two years ago, did you forget?"


    "¡­"


    "That night, you went to find me. Did you pay your respects to the Martial Ancestor?"


    "¡­"


    "Have you served me tea yet?"


    "¡­"


    Good heavens! The old man had been waiting for me here all along!


    "What kind of joke is this!?" "You lied to me!" I said angrily.


    "Whether it''s cheating or coaxing, you''re going to pay your respects, aren''t you?" The old man smiled evilly. I finally understood the meaning behind his evil smile.


    I was extremely depressed at this moment. I will not admit it, I have done all of this; I will admit it, am I really going to acknowledge him as my master? God knows what he does.


    "I know you have a lot of things you want to ask me. Since you''re free today, I''ll start from the beginning. Zhang Shan, come over here and bring out two more chairs. "Cough ¡­" Old Man Zhang drank two mouthfuls of tea that the big sized man brought him, and without caring if I listen to him or not, he started to talk by myself: "Where do I start? Let''s start with the birthmark on our wrists. I''m afraid you won''t accept it even if you say too much. This birthmark had a name, it was called ''Inaction Imprint''.


    The three circles respectively represent the Heavenly Dao, that is, the largest circle on your wrist; the Ghost Dao, the middle circle; and the Human Dao, the smallest circle. Since ghosts were yin, they were in complete harmony with the three cycles of Heaven and Earth. However, the mark on your wrist that represents the size of a human is extremely rare.


    Those who have this Inaction Imprint on their right wrist like us are usually called Palmprint Holder ¡­ "


    "Wait, it''s you guys. Please don''t bring me along." I bluntly interrupted Old Man Zhang''s narration. He hadn''t even said a few words and already treated me as one of his own. I didn''t want to be a stick in the sky.


    "Hehe, just listen to what I have to say." Hehe, just listen to what I have to say. Old Man Zhang doesn''t care about my offense at all. I curled my lip, too lazy to argue with him.


    "Palmprint Holder is not a religion or a sect. I said the word ''Dao'' earlier, but I''m referring to the path, not the ''Dao'' of the Taoists. Although the Palmprint Holder was born, there were still many people who had Inaction Imprint s, but they did not know how to make it work.


    "Stop, since there are so many people here, why are you looking for me?" I didn''t want to hear any more, so I broke in again and stood up. Originally, he was already full of anger from being tricked into taking in a master, but this Old Man Zhang was still spouting nonsense. I am just an ordinary person, and I don''t have the ability to hold any seals. I will admit that it is very difficult for me to do this.


    "Cough ¡­" If I am not wrong, you are a genius that only appears once in a hundred years! " Old Man Zhang did not expect me to get impatient so quickly.


    "Alright, I have a few questions. If you can answer them satisfactorily, I might be able to continue listening." I was sure the old man was talking nonsense. What do you mean by ''a hundred years is hard to come by''? I didn''t even notice it myself, but he did discover it?


    As the price of his deceit, I would give him a good beating.


    "First, can we earn money by owning a Inaction Imprint?" I began to attack the Old Man Zhang.


    "No." Old Man Zhang answered very straightforwardly.


    "That''s good. Second, with the Inaction Imprint, can we revive the dead and save the wounded?"


    "I can''t either. With the circulation of the Heavenly Dao, I can''t go against it."


    "Thirdly, will possessing a Inaction Imprint help my current career?"


    "No. But from another perspective, you can help a lot of other people... " Old Man Zhang began to feel guilty.


    "Alright, in other words, having a Inaction Imprint is actually not beneficial to me at all. I am not without love, but don''t you think that the responsibility of helping others in need should fall on the shoulders of ordinary people like me? Furthermore, I am a person who has received a formal education, making me believe that you gods and monsters are very difficult to deal with. " I smiled and looked at Old Man Zhang. He turned around and prepared to go down the mountain.


    "Are you going to spend your life like this?" Old Man Zhang was excited as he raised his voice to shout at my back.


    I turned to look at him. "At least I have a formal job now, an ideal for my life. What qualifications do you have to teach me a lesson? What do you expect me to do? See the morgue like you did? With the body all day? Was this the so-called life? What was the meaning? Is that all you can bring me? " I was filled with the pleasure of revenge.


    "How can you speak to grandpa like that!" Zhang Shan flew into the air angrily. To tell the truth, I was very afraid that he would hit me, so I made preparations to escape. Although I didn''t have the heart to reject an old man like that, the things he said and the things he did to me really made me unable to accept it. "Who are you going to find? Tell him! " After saying that, I ignored their ashen faces and headed down the mountain. Zhang Shan shouted from behind: "Heh! Stop right there! " The Old Man Zhang shouted, "When Zhang Shan comes back, don''t be rude! "Cough ¡­"


    Zhang Shan wanted to stop me, but he was stopped by the old man.


    Watching my back as I walked down the mountain, the Old Man Zhang murmured, "Man and ghost race, the heart is like still water, and the nature is like a rock. So it was like that! Twenty-eight nights to become a ghost, a person''s life is worth a lot of money! Sigh ¡­ I really don''t know if your existence is a blessing or a curse. "

 C8

    As I walked down the mountain, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. What life is good and cheap? Did I deserve my father''s early death? He was born to serve others?


    Superstition! Foolish!


    In my heart, Old Man Zhang is already on par with a scammer. In all seriousness, who knows, he was just saying in his heart that he shouldn''t try to cheat me of my money. As to how he knew about my dream and why he had the same birthmark as me, I now thought it was nothing more than a clever swindler.


    After dinner, everyone gathered on the playground of the dormitory. They built a bonfire and started a bonfire party. Since we were at the edge of the village, we weren''t afraid of interfering with the villagers'' daily routine. Everyone was singing and dancing to their heart''s content.


    I was still alone in the bedroom, lying on the bed. This kind of overly lively scene really didn''t suit me. In his boredom, he heard a knock on the door.


    I got down from my bed and opened the door, only to see the big guy Zhang Shan standing outside. When he saw that it was me, he directly skipped the part of greeting me. The first sentence he said was, "Grandpa is sick!"


    "He fell ill?" Before I could react, I subconsciously repeated his words.


    "Humph!" I was just angered by you! " Zhang Shan saw that I did not react and was a little angry.


    "Please, what''s this got to do with me?" I have decided that they were liars. This time, it seemed like he was trying to cheat money. It was time to extort and extort.


    "If it weren''t for the fact that you made it sound so bad this afternoon, would Grandpa be so angry that he would be obsessed with phlegm?" The more Zhang Shan spoke, the more excited he became, he was already ready to beat someone up.


    I looked at his hill-sized figure blocking the door. I might not be able to beat him, but he''ll probably be able to save his money. Therefore, I took out my wallet from my pocket and gave the remaining money to Zhang Shan: "Here, this is the money for your grandfather''s medical expenses. You can take care of it." In any case, in this small mountain village, you wouldn''t be able to spend money. Our food, accommodation, and cars are all paid for by the company, so it doesn''t matter to me whether I have the money or not these few days.


    However, I did not feel any guilt towards my belief that the grandfather-grandson pair was a "liar." I only gave him the money so that they would stop bothering me. I even wondered if I should go down and call the police after tomorrow''s expansion, so I could arrest them all.


    "I don''t want your money!" Zhang Shan''s gaze directly fell on me as he looked over the bill that was wagging in front of his face.


    "No?" "I was also stunned, didn''t you come to find me so late at night just to scam me for money?" If you don''t want money, then what do you want? "


    "I need you to do me a favor. Grandfather said that if you help me with this favor, then I will do whatever you want to do in the future. We will definitely not disturb you again!" Even the matter of him taking me as his master can be voided. " Zhang Shan recited the conditions like he was reciting from behind his back. I knew that Old Man Zhang must have asked him to say this.


    "What a joke!" "I leaned against the doorframe, looking at him with disdain as I laughed." My matters were originally not up to you guys to decide, but now it''s as if I''m asking for your consent. You should tell the old man that he was the one who tricked me into taking him in as my master. There''s no way I can count it! "


    "Grandfather also said that if you don''t agree to anything, I can use my method to resolve it." Zhang Shan imitated me and leaned on the other side of the door frame, looking at me with a mischievous smile.


    I recalled the scene where he carried me up the mountain at noon. I couldn''t help but say with uncertainty, "There are so many people here. I dare you!" To tell the truth, I was still worried that he had done something to me.


    "I may not be able to take you away with me under the pressure of so many people, but I can at least beat you up so that you won''t be able to get out of bed for three or five days. As for me, I was only given a scolding by a village branch to sweep the f * cking toilet for a month. "Choose whether you want to go or not!"


    Who said that the big guy had four limbs and a brain? This fellow was the most favorable critic for this sentence! At this moment, I was speechless.


    I walked in front dejectedly, and Zhang Shan followed closely after me after taking two steps. After exiting the base, I stopped and turned around to ask Zhang Shan, "Where are you going?"


    "Zhao Youde, the western end of the village!" The guy pulled two sheep from somewhere and held the rope in his hand while the two bearded guys bleated at me from behind.


    "Please! How do I know who Zhao Youde is? "Where is his home?" Talking to this guy was extremely tiring.


    "Here!" It''s the yard up by the river with the lights on. " Zhang Shan raised his chin, and then pointed in my direction.


    The two of us walked in the darkness of the village. Mountaineers had little entertainment at night, and almost every household turned off their lights at eight or nine in the morning and went to bed. This made Zhao Youde, the only one with a light on, stand out.


    When we were almost to the gate of Zhao Youde''s house, I noticed that there was a white muslin over the gate and a white banner thirty feet tall on the wall. Two big white lanterns were flickering, looking especially frightening in the night.


    A man in his senior year led a young man about my age. When he saw us approaching from afar, he quickly got up from his squat corner and walked up to us.


    "Shan, where''s Master Zhang? Eh? "What are you doing?" The elderly man saw Zhang Shan following an unfamiliar young man and walking over, holding onto two sheep in his hands, and was puzzled.


    "I''m sorry, Uncle Zhao. It just so happened that grandpa was sick today. What your family has asked of you, Grandfather said, seems to be out of the question. Tomorrow will be the seventh, I must send Second Uncle away before midnight tonight. This is the sheep you sent over a few days ago. Grandpa wants me to return it to you. Also, Grandfather said that since we failed to complete the task, we have something to do with you. Let me bring the old sheep over as well, and treat it as a bit of compensation to Second Aunt. "


    As Zhang Shan was speaking, a village woman with a haggard expression walked out of the courtyard. After hearing Zhang Shan''s words, she sighed: "Forget it, Shan, how can we blame Master Zhao? If we have to blame anyone, we should blame him for being unlucky, us mother and daughter both being unlucky. "If you can''t find the money, then don''t. Just let them go with virtue."


    "That''s right, Shan. People who are alive shouldn''t bother people to begin with. You can do your best. Take the sheep back. Master Zhao had contributed a lot to the village in the past few decades, so who wouldn''t remember his good points? So what if he did? Furthermore, Master Zhao is now ill, and eating more meat can make up for it. " The elderly man followed suit.


    "Huh?" Zhang Shan also sighed. We''ll talk about this later. Tonight, the most important thing is to recall Second Uncle''s nightmare and send him to the place where he should go. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if he were to overdo it. I''ll do what I have to do tonight. "


    I looked coldly at their one-on-one responses. Ye Zichen sneered in his heart. So they really are a bunch of acrobats. To think that they were willing to give up like that. I''d like to see what they''re up to.

 C9

    "Oh, in that case, quickly enter the courtyard! This is? " The elderly man was just about to lead us into the courtyard, but he saw me standing beside Zhang Shan and stopped and asked.


    "This is my Martial Uncle, my grandfather''s disciple."


    "Master Zhang has finally found his disciple? That''s good then. As long as you''re here, we won''t worry about anything. If you need anything, just tell us! " When the elderly man heard that I was Old Man Zhang''s disciple, he immediately became respectful towards me.


    I was too lazy to pay any attention to them. Let''s see how long the show was going to last.


    Arriving at the courtyard, he saw a temporary spiritual hall built on white cloth and wooden stakes. In the middle of the spiritual hall, there was a wooden bed, and on it, a person covered with white cloth was lying down.


    There was no need to ask, this was Zhao Youde.


    At this moment, there were about ten people in the courtyard and all of them had a dark expression. I am not afraid of having too many people, so I looked towards the altar with the corpse.


    Ah!" "This is!" When I saw the picture of the dead man, my body shook uncontrollably, and I pointed to the photo and shouted, "This man... "This person, I ¡­


    "Shh!" Don''t say anything, do you want to be beaten to death? " Zhang Shan immediately scolded me softly, causing the Zhao Family members to look at me strangely.


    The person in the photo, the deceased Zhao Youde, was the person that came out of the coffin in my dream yesterday!


    Zhang Shan then turned to the old man and said: "Uncle Zhao, according to the rules, your families should leave for a while."


    "Sure, if there''s anything you need help with, just say it!" After saying that, the elderly man went to call the whole family into the side room, closing the door and pulling up the curtains.


    At this time, only Zhang Shan and I were left in the courtyard.


    "What are you shouting for!" I have to let his family know that you are the one who caused this disaster! Even if I don''t kill you, I''ll cripple you! " When Zhang Shan saw the Zhao Family members enter the house, he immediately shouted at them.


    "Me? Why is it me again? I say, what''s it got to do with me? " As I was staring at the photo, I heard Zhang Shan scolding me.


    "Did you dream of this man last night?" Zhang Shan asked.


    "¡­"


    "Did you push the lid open and let him out?" Zhang Shan asked again.


    "¡­"


    "Did you say let him go?" Zhang Shan asked three questions in a row, to the point where I was rendered speechless. How could he be so clear about my dream?


    "How do you know?" I held it in for a long time and asked this nonsense.


    "I don''t know, but my grandfather knows. Yesterday, that person had originally drifted far away. Grandfather chased after him for six whole nights before finally pulling him back. You let him go when you opened the coffin lid, and now you can''t even find him. "Tonight, I came to recall his Nightmare. You were the one who let him go, so naturally, the person who finds him will fall on your body." Zhang Shan said as he took off the backpack on his back.


    "I... "I ¡­" I didn''t know what to say. "But I won''t. How do you want me to find it?"


    Ever since I saw Zhao Youde''s photo, my opinion of Zhang Shan and his granddaughter wavered. I can now say that I don''t have any idea what kind of scientific method I should use to explain this phenomenon.


    "There''s no need for you to move. You can just stand here. I''ll do the rest." As Zhang Shan spoke, he took out the items from his bag one by one and placed them on the ground in front of us.


    While the items were being placed, Zhang Shan explained the situation of the family. The dead man''s name was Zhao Youde, and the woman who spoke at the door was his wife. Zhao Youde was born with mild polio and could not do heavy work. His wife grew up in a few acres of land in his home. The food collected at the end of the year was barely enough for the family of three to eat for the next year. Every year, his family would have to rely on the village organization to support their crops. Only with a family of two would they be able to sustain their crops for the next year.


    In the past, when the children were still young, the family of three could still live on, even though their days were short. Last year, when the children were six years old and about to go to primary school, the couple began to worry about their home in the mountains. The children would go to primary school in Dashiqiao Village, which was located at the foot of the mountain. It would be unrealistic to go home every day, but if they were to stay there, the cost of staying for nearly three hundred yuan a semester would be a huge burden on the family.


    For this, the couple could not sleep at night. If he didn''t let his child go to school, he would definitely have no future in the future. He could not be like himself, living a life of misery and laughter on two acres of land. Although the family was a little better, but their two children, one of them still in high school, earned enough money to pay for the expenses of the two children. The family almost didn''t have much left, and even if they could be subsidized, it would only be a drop in the bucket.


    Zhao Youde searched through his family and friends, only borrowing 300 yuan. However, this amount was only enough for a child to live on for a month and a half. Zhao Youde had no choice but to follow the village tractor to the countryside. He wanted to see if there were any ways to earn money and find a knitting manual, hoping to subsidize the children''s tuition fees.


    On this day, Zhao Youde saw a big black sign hanging at the mouth of a dark alley in the village market. On it, the words "High Price Blood Collection" were written in white chalk.


    Who doesn''t have blood? Blood can be sold for money?


    Zhao Youde was like a drowning man who saw a lifesaver as he struggled to walk towards the black brand.


    An hour later, Zhao Youde walked out of the alley with a pale face. 600 ml of fresh blood had been taken out of him, and the only thing he got back was a pitiful 80 yuan.


    The boss told him that he wanted to sell it, so he would be back in two weeks to eat more to make up for it. If the blood is good, give him another five dollars. From then on, Zhao Youde went down to the village once every half month and brought back 80 yuan. He told his wife that this was the shed that he built for people at the temple party in the village.


    Due to selling blood, Zhao Youde, who was not rich to begin with, became even thinner. Furthermore, he had a cold twice and had a fever. He actually stayed in bed for half a month without recovering at all. "At the beginning of the year, medical work in the city was carried out in Sayan Village, and Zhao Youde''s wife tricked him into going for a medical examination.


    This inspection gave everyone a fright. Zhao Youde was actually infected with AIDS! And it was already in the middle and late stages of the game.


    When everyone saw the needlepoint in his arm, they finally knew about him selling his blood to save up tuition fees for his daughter. When Zhao Youde''s wife heard this, she cried even harder. Just like that, her whole family was forced into a desperate situation.


    Soon, after the village''s agreement, everyone decided to gather the money to treat Zhao Youde''s illness. Everyone also hoped that Zhao Youde would take out the blood money he previously had, and add it together to stabilize his condition as soon as possible.


    However, no one expected that Zhao Youde would reject everyone''s offer and secretly hide the almost two thousand yuan that he had risked his life for. He didn''t say anything to anyone and also refused any kind of treatment. He said that his money was to be left for his daughter to go to school, and no one was to touch it.


    Just six days ago, on the sickbed, Zhao Youde knew that he might not be able to make it. While there was no one in the room, he bit his finger and wrote the location of the hidden money on the white quilt he had covered, and then swallowed his last breath with tears in his eyes.


    There was a custom in many parts of Henan province. After his death, he would burn everything he wore, used, spread, and covered, not to mention Zhao Youde''s body and the AIDS virus. After he had cleaned up his body and things, his quilt and other used items were taken to the front yard to be burned. No one looked at what was written on the blanket. No one was willing to touch his things. They even picked up bamboo sticks and went outside to burn.


    The day after Zhao Youde''s death, it occurred to everyone that he had hidden two thousand yuan, the tuition fee for his daughter.


    He rummaged through the house, but he couldn''t find anything. They had no choice but to find Master Zhao, that strange old man Zhao Shixun, and ask him to find the place where the money was hidden.


    After a day had passed, Old Man Zhao told them that the location of the hidden money was written under Zhao Youde''s blanket, and they hurried back to pick up the pile of items that had been burned to ashes. Fortunately, it was drizzling and no one was willing to touch Zhao Youde''s things.


    After careful examination, he finally only saw the word "money" written on the quilt, and nothing else. At this point, the two thousand yuan was completely cut off.


    Hearing to this point, I also knew that the situation has reached such a state, but I still didn''t quite understand, so I asked Zhang Shan: "Then why did you call me here? I can get back the two thousand dollars when I come? "

 C10

    "I''m afraid there''s no hope for the money, but you can take back Zhao Youde''s nightmare." Zhang Shan said as he lit a candle on the ground.


    "What is a nightmare?"


    "Human being is divided into two parts. The heart is the soul, and the brain is the nightmare."


    "I don''t understand."


    "In other words, everyone has two sides. One side is good, while the other side is evil. The good side, usually in people''s hearts, we call the soul; the evil side, is hidden in your mind. It''s called Nightmare. Ghosts are the world''s common name for souls and nightmares. As the saying goes, evil spirits are nightmares. " Zhang Shan squatted on the ground and patiently explained as he played with the yellow framed paper in his hands.


    "I understand that. It''s just that people have two sides. "Are you talking about the nightmare you had when you were having nightmares?" I finally understood something.


    "Yes!" Zhang Shan stood up, continuously shaking a wine gourd, and asked me, "Do you know why people dream?"


    "I''m tired ¡­" I need to rest. "


    "What do you want to rest for?"


    "Rest your brain!"


    "If you dream at night, does your brain count as resting?"


    "¡­"


    "Your explanation is actually not scientific. It cannot be explained in a logical manner." Zhang Shan continued to speak, "The sun belongs to the sun, the moon to the moon. All things thrive in accordance with this law. For humans, the soul is good and the good is yang, so during the day it can control the human body for all kinds of labor activities; at night, Yin and Yang alternate, the nightmare is evil and yin, and it is time to go out to work. However, to the vast majority of people, their hearts were kind, so their souls could suppress the Nightmare and cause their physical functions to enter a period of fatigue. The Nightmare could only operate within the brain and did not have enough strength to control the body. That''s why people sleep and dream. It''s because the Nightmare is active, so we call it the Nightmare. "


    Zhang Shan actually said that my scientific explanation wasn''t scientific, I was very unconvinced. "Then according to what you said, everyone is kind? Because everyone has to sleep, then why are there so many murderers, robbers, thieves, they can be considered kind as well ¡­ " As I was talking, I suddenly thought of something and couldn''t help but say, "Because in their bodies, the Nightmare already has the upper hand? suppressed my soul? "


    Zhang Shan smiled as he looked at me. He picked up a piece of yellow paper and said," Not bad, you''re very smart. As you said, there are two sides to a human being, and there is an evil side to every human being. It was just that they were usually suppressed by the good morality and were unable to release it. But if an evil man had a conflict with his neighbor, and the more he thought about it when he got home, he would see the fruit knife on his desk, or a drug addict, who had no money in the middle of the night and was cowering in a remote corner, just walking by someone, what do you think would happen?


    I smiled wryly. I didn''t need to think about what the result would be.


    Zhang Shan seemed to have seen through my thoughts, as he placed the yellow paper frame over the Inaction Imprint s on my right wrist and continued: "Actually, many people do bad things while it''s night time, night time can indeed play a role in concealing their evil deeds. But at the end of the day, the real darkness is in your heart, and that''s what the Nightmare is doing. What many people do may not be what he truly wants to do, but the Nightmare that is buried deep in his mind commands him to do so. "


    I stood there in a daze, deep in my thoughts, and wasn''t paying attention to Zhang Shan''s current movements. But people don''t just have nightmares. Most of the time, we have good dreams. " I murmured.


    Zhang Shan looked at me at this time and said, "This is a problem of the human heart looking to be kind. If you are an upright and kind person who works hard, sleeping early and waking up early every day and not staying up late to help others, making people happy, the evil thoughts that you occasionally have will only last for a moment. On the other hand, if a person''s mind was filled with evil thoughts and idleness all day long, what kind of dreams would they have at night? This was the saying, ''one day, one night, one night, one night''. When this situation reached a climax and hindered the rhythm of his normal life, all these thoughts would break through the barrier in one night and take over his brain, and the person would be under the control of the Nightmare. So, never think about those evil thoughts. "


    "Oh ¡­" Although I can refute everything Zhang Shan said with a scientific point of view, in my heart, I feel that everything he said seemed to be true. Maybe not in science, but in morality, word for word.


    "Does that person have a Nightmare after death?" Oh! What are you doing!? It''s scalding me to death! " I suddenly thought of Zhao Youde and wanted to ask Zhang Shan about what happened tonight. But at this moment, he held a box of melted wax in his right hand along with the round box on the outside, and quickly buckled it onto my right arm where the Inaction Imprint s were.


    Even though there was a layer of yellow paper, the burning wax still made me grimace.


    "Don''t move, endure it!" Zhang Shan''s left hand held onto my forearm so tightly that I couldn''t pull it back even if I wanted to.


    Zhang Shan didn''t care about my painful expression. Looking at the wax box on my wrist, he asked, "Do you have a soul after death?"


    "That''s superstitious!" I squeezed the words through my teeth.


    "No matter what you say, I just said that humans have souls and nightmares. Since there''s a soul after death, then there should be nightmares as well." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he moved the wax box away and poured the cooled wax out.


    I blew on my red-hot right wrist and looked at the newly made "hand-made wax" in Zhang Shan''s hand.


    This wax could not be measured by the root because it was very short and was only about one centimeter thick. It could only be considered a piece.


    The diameter of it is slightly larger than the diameter of the Inaction Imprint on my wrist, and it''s the size of a medicine bottle cap.


    The most bizarre thing about this wax is that it has two colors. The edges are white where it doesn''t matter, and the shape in the middle is exactly the same as my Inaction Imprint, a bright red.


    It was very obvious that the wax Zhang Shan placed on my hand earlier was for the sake of this seal. The wax itself had a degree of transparency. Under the light, I could vaguely see that not only was there a bright red mark on the surface, but the center of the wax was completely red, forming a wax core. Although it''s only as thick as a finger, I really don''t understand how Zhang Shan was able to do it.


    "You only have about half an hour. Grandfather said that he hoped that you would lock Zhao Youde''s Nightmare inside the Gold Coffin, but let me tell you this, instead of trying your best, you must imprison him within the Gold Coffin. Otherwise, once you pass the test, you''ll be in deep trouble." Zhang Shan said as he squatted and lit the wax on the ground.


    "What if he can''t?" I just asked subconsciously, not getting the hang of what he wanted me to do.


    "Then it will run away and harm many people. As I said, nightmares are evil. As long as you are a human, you will have emotions and desires, and you will definitely have nightmares. When a person dies, his soul will always be near the corpse, and the Nightmare will go back to the moment of his birth to filter out the memories of his life, erase the good parts, and only remember evil thoughts and actions. On the sixth day after death, memories popped out. At this point, the soul will enter the path of humanity and enter the cycle of reincarnation. As for the Nightmare, it will be kept in the Gold Coffin in the Palmprint Holder and be forever sealed away. " Zhang Shan waved the bottle gourd again. I''m afraid that if he didn''t greet me and launch a surprise attack, I would be staring at his hand that was shaking the bottle gourd.


    "However, if the Nightmare was not absorbed into the Gold Coffin before the first seven, it would be very difficult to catch. Moreover, it has accepted this person''s lifetime nightmare of evil. What do you think it would do?" After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he passed the wine gourd to me.


    "What for?" I instinctively took a step back.


    "Open it and take a sip." Zhang Shan shook the thing in his hand.


    "On what basis? "Why don''t you drink?" I took another step back.


    Zhang Shan shook his right hand, and said: "I''m not a Palmprint Holder, so there''s no use drinking it. We can''t catch him. "


    Of course I can''t drink it. Although Zhang Shan has told me so many good and evil things, who knows if he''s good or evil?


    Besides, I don''t know him at all. What did he pass me? Do I just drink it when I say so? What era was this? He might not even know if he ate a stranger''s food or if his clothes were stripped naked! Definitely not to drink!


    Zhang Shan seemed to have already noticed that I had the intention to escape. Before I could even turn my thoughts into action, he had already flashed in front of me, grabbed my neck with his left hand and was about to pour wine gourd into my mouth with his right hand.


    The only thing I could do was to grit my teeth and say nothing to put the gourd of wine in my mouth.


    "Hmph, if you didn''t deal with what you did, who else would you deal with?" Zhang Shan said coldly. With that, his left hand suddenly tightened around my neck.

 C11

    Ah!" The pain spread throughout my body in an instant and I involuntarily opened my mouth and cried out.


    Following that, something hard was inserted into my mouth and it went straight to my throat. A stream of water followed it and a pungent smell directly gushed into my throat. This should be a type of wine, but it also had a very strong medicinal flavor. I was choking and gushing through my mouth and nostrils, tears streaming down my face, my ears ringing.


    I usually like to drink a little, but this is the first time.


    "Cough, cough ¡­" When Zhang Shan released his hands, I immediately bowed down to the ground, touching my neck and coughing non-stop.


    This feeling was too painful!


    I was still squatting there and coughing violently when I heard Zhang Shan say, "The Nightmare will follow the advancement of my memories and continuously absorb evil thoughts. Yesterday, Zhao Youde''s Nightmare had already agreed to cooperate with Grandfather, but I didn''t expect you to let it go. Today was already the sixth day of the seventh, and the Nightmare had already absorbed all of Zhao Youde''s evil thoughts. It would probably be too difficult for him to cooperate. Therefore, you have to watch your imprint in a while. Before it goes out, you have to lock Zhao Youde''s nightmare in your Gold Coffin. "Also, no matter what he says, don''t believe him. Nightmares won''t tell the truth ¡­"


    Zhang Shan''s voice grew more and more distant from me. Even though I still felt that I was violently coughing, I couldn''t hear it, and I even didn''t feel the pain I was feeling right now. I think I should be falling asleep soon.


    "This bastard. He really fed me knockout drugs. I wonder how they plan to deal with me?" Do I have to sell my organs? " This was my last thought before my mind went completely blurry.


    When I opened my eyes again, I was still standing at the same place. It was just that the Zhang Shan in front of me had given me a big fright.


    This guy''s face, which was originally dry and quiet, was covered in a thick and thick beard that went all the way down to his chest.


    There was a horn sticking out of the top of his head. His skin had turned dark, and upon closer inspection, there was only oil and ash on it. It was disgusting to look at! A pair of bloodshot glasses stared straight at me.


    That''s right! Hurry up and touch the small of your back... Fortunately, both of my kidneys were there. I breathed a sigh of relief.


    That''s not right! Or was something wrong?


    After looking around, I finally understand: although this Zhang Shan in front of me looks like a demon, he can''t move. It was not that his body did not move. Rather, it was as if he had become motionless. Even his breathing had become stagnant.


    "What are you playing?" I mumbled, confused.


    "In your heart, this is what Zhang Shan is like." A familiar voice came from the left.


    "I looked towards the source of the sound." "Zhao Youde!" I already know this poor man.


    He saw Zhao Youde standing in his own mourning hall. He was supporting the wooden bed in the middle, but his body was no longer there.


    "You ¡­ You... Don''t come near me! Are you a human or a ghost! " I knew the answer, but fear made me stutter.


    "Don''t be afraid, this is your dream. You are still the Palmprint Holder, we ghosts can''t do anything to you." Zhao Youde stood on the spot with a miserable look on his face.


    "Oh ¡­" "So that''s how it is!" I tried to look less nervous. " "Then what are you doing in my dream?"


    Zhao Youde sighed and said, "It''s not that I want to come to your dream, it''s that we ghosts can''t hide from your dream."


    Oh, so that''s how it is. Looks like my dream is quite powerful! But then again, if I dream of ghosts every day, it''s not a good thing.


    "Right!" I thought of something else and shouted at Zhao Youde, "Didn''t you give your little girl 2000 Yuan to hide her tuition fee? "Hurry up and tell them, I''ll tell them later ¡­"


    "Ai!" Zhao Youde sighed again. He felt like he was about to cry. "I don''t know where he''s hiding either!"


    "You ¡­ You don''t know either? " I was so stunned that I didn''t think he would answer me with that.


    "You hid the money, you don''t know who knows!" I was anxious.


    Zhao Youde said in a vexed tone, "At that time, in order to save money for Niuniu, refusing to treat her was no different from committing suicide! Suicide is an evil thought, so it''s not mine. "


    Oh... I understand now that this person in front of me is Zhao Youde''s soul. All of this is good intentions, and all of that evil intent has been taken away by the Nightmare. It seemed that if he wanted to find out where the two thousand yuan was hidden, he would have to find the Nightmare.


    "Then how did they know that you wrote down your hidden address?" I was still a little puzzled.


    "Tell them where the money is so that we can pay the tuition fees for Niuniu. This is a kind thought, I told Master Zhang." Zhao Youde explained.


    "Then who was it that I dreamt of last night?" I pressed.


    "It''s me. At that time, I was just about to find Master Zhang and tell him about this. But the moment your Gold Coffin opened, and I happened to be nearby, I was taken in. "


    "Then what are you doing here now?" I always felt a little awkward, but I couldn''t tell what was wrong with it. I randomly asked Zhao Youde.


    "Waiting for you and the other me. Nightmare. When he comes, I''ll help you take him. He was scattered by Master Zhang yesterday and could not be found anywhere in my memory. I''m afraid that something might have happened, so I''ll stay here and see if I can help you. " Zhao Youde spoke of the other person with a look of hatred on his face.


    "You''re helping me? How do I take them? " I really didn''t know how to deal with this nightmare, but it was sent over in a muddled state by Zhang Shan.


    "Use your Gold Coffin! You open the lid, and when he comes I''ll force him in. " Zhao Youde seemed to be confident.


    "My Gold Coffin ¡­ Where is my Gold Coffin? " I looked around.


    "Isn''t that the entrance to the courtyard!?" Zhao Youde nodded towards the door.


    I looked back. No, it was just outside the gate, still so gray and rusted. I''m embarrassed. I can''t find my own things. At any rate, you should at least tell me where you are every time you come out! I walked over to the coffin and pushed it open about two feet. "Is that okay?" I shouted at Zhao Youde.


    "Alright, come over here. Stand by my side, I won''t hurt you later." Zhao Youde, who was in the mourning hall, signaled me to hurry over.


    Even though it was my dream, I still cared a lot about the fact that the person standing next to me was a ghost. I stood two meters away from Zhao Youde, slightly behind him.


    Time passed minute by minute, second by second, the seal in front of the "Demon" Zhang Shan, who was in the middle of an open space, is only left with a tiny bit of wax. I estimate that it would last for at most three minutes before going out.


    "Don''t worry, Gold Coffin will take back her evil thoughts. As long as the Gold Coffin is spread out, all of the ownerless nightmares in the vicinity will be attracted over. " Zhao Youde replied without turning back.


    I didn''t say a word. This mess really made my head hurt.


    "Look!" It''s here! " Zhao Youde suddenly pointed at the road in front of the door and told me in a low voice, "You must remember this. No matter what he says or does, you must not believe him. Nightmares will not tell the truth."


    "Right." To tell the truth, I was very nervous. It was the first time I''d seen the Nightmare and the Soul together, and I didn''t know what they were going to do.


    Under the dim light, he saw a small figure limping over from afar. It was moving very frequently. It seemed that the person was in a hurry.


    When he was almost at the courtyard entrance, he clearly noticed the Gold Coffin that was placed there. He was startled for a moment, then slowly walked into the courtyard.


    It was another Zhao Youde!


    I kept thinking what a nightmare it would be if the soul was the same as the person who lived here. Now I know that they are as indistinguishable from each other as twin brothers.


    However, one represented the kind side of a person, while the other represented evil.


    Zhao Youde, who came in from outside, stopped in his tracks and pointed at Zhao Youde, who was standing next to me. He actually believed your words! Niu Niu''s mother didn''t jump off the cliff at all. You know I''m worried about the mother and daughter pair, and would rather not stay at the mourning hall than go and see what''s going on. What are you trying to do? "

 C12

    "Hee hee ¡­" Zhao Youde, who was in front of me, smiled, "If I don''t push you away, how can I defend the mourning hall so that the Gold Coffin can take you in?"


    "You ¡­ "You!" Zhao Youde, who was standing in the middle of the yard, was still pointing at us, trembling with anger. He couldn''t say a word.


    "Alright!" If you have anything to say, you can just wait until you become a Gold Coffin! "Hahahaha!" As he spoke, Zhao Youde waved his left hand. I suddenly felt a whirlwind rise up in the mourning hall and circle around the mourning hall.


    In the yard, Zhao Youde suddenly understood something and rushed into the mourning hall.


    However, every time he was about to step in, he was stopped by the whirlwind.


    "You won''t be able to hold on for long! The wind that blows from the burning of evil thoughts will eventually exhaust you! " Seeing that he could not enter the mourning hall, Zhao Youde, who was outside, gave up. He stood there and shouted towards the inside.


    "Hehe, there''s no need for you to worry. "You should think about it for yourself!" Zhao Youde, who was beside me, laughed even harder.


    On the empty ground in the courtyard, the imprint of the "Demon" Zhang Shan finally burnt up. The flame jumped a few times and then went out.


    "You are not the soul of Zhao Youde! "You are the Nightmare!" At this time, I finally knew what was wrong and shouted at Zhao Youde beside me.


    After listening to Zhang Shan talk about it so much tonight, I vaguely felt that the dream I had last night was a nightmare. However, when Zhao Youde beside me told me that he was soul, I felt that something wasn''t right.


    Logically speaking, the Gold Coffin would take the initiative to take in the Nightmare Beast, but the soul would always be by the corpse''s side, so under the protection of the mourning hall, it normally wouldn''t be affected.


    Right now, this Nightmare is guarding the mourning hall and preventing souls from entering, which confirms my guess.


    Looks like the one that came out of my Gold Coffin yesterday was indeed a nightmare, which is this Zhao Youde beside me. It''s just that when he saw that the Old Man Zhang was not here and I didn''t know anything, he took the opportunity to slip away.


    Moreover, just now he said that he only knew the location where the money was hidden, but he didn''t know what was written on it.


    Now it seems that there is only one possibility, and that is that he deliberately refused to tell me.


    I was still in a daze, but as the wax was extinguished, changes occurred outside the mourning hall.


    The entire space was like a crumpled piece of paper, shrinking and spinning rapidly, and in the middle was the Gold Coffin that had its mouth pushed open. Outside the mourning hall, Zhao Youde''s soul followed suit and was slowly sucked towards the Gold Coffin.


    "You, as an underling of the seal, actually helped the evil thoughts. You will be punished!" Vaguely, I saw Zhao Youde''s soul curse at me.


    "I... I... Quickly stop! " I didn''t know what to do, so I shouted at Zhao Youde beside me.


    "Hehe, the wax has been extinguished. You should go back now." Zhao Youde''s Nightmare turned around and looked at me. The smile on his face was so wicked. I wanted to say something, but my throat suddenly regained the burning pain that Zhang Shan felt when he was drinking my wine, and I started coughing violently again.


    Accompanying it was a gradually fading consciousness. With one last glance, I saw that Zhao Youde''s soul had finally snatched the mourning hall.


    "How is it? "How about it?" Zhang Shan kept shaking my shoulders.


    I woke up. The guy''s beard was gone, his skin was white, and the horns on his head had been pulled back. Big eyes were staring at me.


    "Cough, cough!" I coughed, still having a sore throat, and was about to tell him what had happened.


    "Ah ¡ª ah!" A sudden cry of despair from the mourning hall startled both of us.


    Other than us, there should be no one else in this courtyard! Zhang Shan also stopped swaying towards me. Looking towards the mourning hall, I saw that the white bedsheet covering Zhao Youde''s corpse had somehow been blown to the ground by the wind, while he was currently lying upright, and the screams came from his mouth. I could clearly feel Zhang Shan''s hand trembling as he held onto my shoulder.


    The shouts continued, cutting through the silent night sky of the village. We stayed where we were, not knowing what to do.


    After about a minute, the shouting finally stopped.


    "You ¡­ What the hell did you do? " Zhang Shan stammered as he stared at Zhao Youde''s corpse.


    "I didn''t do anything!" I felt my voice go out of tune. I didn''t know if I was drunk or scared.


    "Let''s go take a look!" Zhang Shan pulled me, and was about to enter the mourning hall.


    "Let go the fuck, I won''t go over there! If you want to go, go by yourself! " I tried to break free, but it was all in vain.


    He was forcefully dragged into the mourning hall and stopped beside Zhao Youde''s corpse. He saw that Zhao Youde, who had his eyes closed earlier, had now opened his almond-shaped eyes. Staring straight up, he opened his mouth wide open. This expression was normal, but when it suddenly appeared on the face of a person who had been dead for six days, it was indescribably strange.


    Zhang Shan released me and slowly approached Zhao Youde. Stretching out a hand, it looked like it was trying to close his eyes. I stood at the foot of the corpse, afraid to move.


    "Oh my god!" Zhang Shan suddenly screamed as he stumbled towards a pillar in the mourning hall. When I heard his shout, I directly sat on the ground. Without the support of his arm, Zhao Youde actually sat up straight. His eyes rolled stiffly.


    When it came to me, Zhao Youde raised his right hand and pointed at me. A few jumped out from the gaps between his teeth. After he had finished speaking, he maintained this posture and no longer moved.


    After a long while, Zhang Shan saw that Zhao Youde had truly stopped moving, so he quickly went around and pulled me, who was paralyzed on the ground out of the mourning hall.


    "Phew ¨C I''m scared to death!" Zhang Shan let out a long breath, then asked me: "What exactly happened? Did you take away Zhao Youde''s nightmare? " My eyes were dull as I looked at Zhao Youde, who was pointing at me. My mind was filled with the things that just happened.


    "It could be a soul ¡­" I said while trembling.


    "What?" You received my soul! " Zhang Shan immediately jumped up and pointed at me.


    "Oh my god! "It''s a dead body!" Suddenly, someone shouted from the side room where the Zhao Family members were. The door was pushed open and more than a dozen Zhao Family members ran out of the hospital, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.


    "It''s over ¡­" You''re finished... "What should we do?" Zhang Shan also disappointedly sat on the ground.


    The next morning, I sat helplessly in the Old Man Zhang''s house halfway up the mountain. The village chief and the village chief stood in front of the Old Man Zhang''s sickbed, while Zhang Shan sat on the doorstep with his face facing outwards. The open space in front of the house was filled with angry Zhao Family members and some villagers. I''ve been screaming all night for the village chief to hand me over and bury me with Zhao Youde.


    To the mountain people, not only were they unable to live peacefully after death, they were even unable to lie down after sitting up. It was simply as unacceptable as being dug out by an ancestral grave. In their eyes, this was a curse that would bring disaster to the entire village. Naturally, he had to find the culprit to blame me.


    "Master Zhang, is there really no other way?" The village chief asked with a frown on his face.


    As the village chief, he was most afraid of conflicts between the villagers and outsiders. It was best to help his own people. Most of the time, it would be against the law, so he could not break the law. The villagers didn''t care if it was against the law or against the law. As long as he could help them stand up, it was a good thing.


    Fortunately, before the Zhao Family members could rush back, Zhang Shan had already dragged me along and ran. When the people quietly returned, they discovered that Zhao Youde''s corpse was still sitting there, pointing forward, while the two of us had long disappeared.


    Thus, the Zhao Family gathered some of the villagers and along with the Village Head''s branch, they arrived at the old house on the other side of the river halfway up the mountain. When they found me here, they lost control of their emotions and were about to charge with their hoes and shovels. Fortunately, Zhang Shan was tall and strong enough to block them outside. That''s why I wasn''t killed.


    At this time, the village head and the branch master seemed to be representing the villagers to look for the Old Man Zhang for negotiations. We were actually discussing how to help me escape.


    "Sigh, I also did not expect this to happen. It seems that I have truly underestimated Zhao Youde." "Old Man Zhang lied on the bed, his expression extremely haggard. If the Nightmare has run away, then I''m not afraid, but if my soul is taken away, then I really can''t do anything about it. "


    However, Village Head Li was able to clearly see the situation and gave advice to everyone, "The presence or absence of the soul doesn''t matter, the Nightmare has to be confiscated. Isn''t it all your fault for saying those words? They believe what you say. "The most important thing right now is to get Zhao Youde''s position back. We should at least give the Zhao Family an explanation. We can''t just let him sit down and be buried, right?"

 C13

    "It''s no use, this is the Corpse Supporting Spell. The muscles and bones on his waist are already as firm as a rock. No matter who you are, you won''t be able to pull it off no matter how hard you try. " Old Man Zhang closed his eyes and said: "We must burn it. We must not bury it.


    "The burning is not a big problem, but how do we explain it to the Zhao Family? "There''s no explanation, they don''t want to burn it." The village chief asked worriedly.


    "How about this, you guys leave first. I''ll have a talk with this child alone, maybe there''s a way out." Old Man Zhang was still lying on the bed with his eyes closed. It was as if he had great prestige in the village. Not only did the villagers not dare to charge in, but even the village chief and the village chief heard his orders and left without a word.


    They walked out of the old room, and Zhang Shan, who was already standing outside, closed the door softly. At this moment, only Old Man Zhang and I were left in the room.


    "Child, come sit over here. Tell me in detail what happened between the previous day and the present. " Old Man Zhang opened his eyes and waved me over.


    I honestly walked over and sat down by Old Man Zhang''s bedside, recounting my dream from the day before yesterday and all that happened last night to Old Man Zhang.


    "You said that Zhao Youde turned into black smoke in your dream?" After hearing my story, Old Man Zhang raised some doubts.


    Seeing me nod, the Old Man Zhang sighed and said, "That is a Nightmare, with a black aura around it."


    "Then you also have a Gold Coffin. Why didn''t you use one back then to directly receive Zhao Youde''s Nightmare?" I also had a few questions lingering in my mind, so I couldn''t help but ask.


    "Do you want to know now?" Hehe "Old Man Zhang laughed and said:" There are three reasons. First, after a person dies, because the mental energy of the initial stage soul is usually stronger than the Nightmare''s, most people don''t even need our Palmprint Holder to act. The soul will suppress the Nightmare until it dissolves and no longer exists.


    Second, to find out where Zhao was hiding the money, I needed to uncover the Nightmare, rather than rush to store it. Although this sort of nightmare has deceived you, the soul really does not know where the money is. This is a question of memory selection, and I can''t explain it to you.


    Thirdly, because Zhao Youde''s soul was not in the range of the mourning hall''s protection, I did not dare to rashly activate the Gold Coffin. "I never would have thought that Zhao Youde''s nightmare would turn out to be true."


    "Then what about the Corpse Supporting Spell?" What I was actually worried about the most was this. That was the curse that was placed on me!


    "The Corpse Supporting Spell refers to a soul or a Nightmare that, before disappearing, risked the danger of being dispersed to pick up the corpse and point it towards the person who had enmity with him. It uses the incantation within the corpse to drive the corpse to seek revenge on that person in the future." The Old Man Zhang patiently explained.


    My back tingled. Doesn''t this mean I''m going to be followed by a zombie?


    Old Man Zhang looked at my pale face and comforted me, "You don''t have to worry about this, as long as you beat him with the brine on his body for three days and three nights, then you won''t be in danger. I will give it to the village chief to take care of.


    Old Man Zhang''s words changed the subject, and the worry that I had just put down once again rose in my heart. This is a matter between people, there''s nothing I can do about it. "


    The moment I heard this, I became anxious. This old man had left me behind after all! Forcing me to do things for them, causing trouble, but not wiping my ass.


    "However, if you are willing to give Zhao Youde''s wife and daughter an explanation, the situation might turn for the better." The old man knew what I was thinking, and before I could fly into a rage, he made up his mind.


    "An explanation?" How do you explain this? " I didn''t know what the old man meant.


    "How did Zhao Youde die?" the old man said, guiding me.


    "AIDS ¡­"


    "Why do you have AIDS?"


    "Those who sell their blood ¡­"


    "Why are you selling your blood?"


    "In order to give his girl ¡­" Oh! I get it. You mean, you want me to be in charge of Zhao''s tuition fees for De Niu? " I finally understood what the old man meant. Old Master Zhang smiled and remained silent.


    What else can I say? Naturally, he promised with a mouthful of words that 200 yuan per month was much better than being beaten to death.


    Besides, this is a good thing. Considering my feelings for Zhao Youde, it doesn''t matter if his soul knows or not. At the very least, in my heart, it is a form of comfort.


    Seeing that I had agreed to the matter, the old man called in Zhao Youde''s elder brother, Zhao Youcai, and the two of them started to negotiate.


    In the end, Zhao Youcai made the condition on behalf of the Zhao family, that I would be in charge of Zhao Youde, Niu Niu, who graduated from the first grade to the middle school. All the expenses of the nine-year compulsory education amounted to 21,600 yuan, which could be paid in a lump sum or on a monthly basis. From then on, the Zhao Family did not pursue the matter of Zhao Youde''s "swindled corpse", and Zhao Youde''s corpse was left to the Old Man Zhang to deal with.


    After the two sides confirmed that it was acceptable, they called in the Village Head and the Village Head.


    The guarantor of the Zhao Family is the village head, and my guarantor is the Old Man Zhang.


    The old man had also personally explained to the villagers the reason for the "corpse fraud". He said that it was a natural phenomenon and that there was no need to panic. Only then did the villagers disperse. At this point, the "Corpse Defensive Waves" finally disappeared into thin air. I''m free to move.


    After returning to the camp, my colleagues asked me about what happened last night. I did not mention anything, but told them all about how Zhao Youde''s Niu Niu could not afford to go to school, and how Zhao Youde sold his blood to earn money for his daughter''s tuition. He did not expect the company''s leaders to contact the village chief on their own initiative to organize the staff to donate to Zhao Youde and his family. That night, the company''s leader knocked on Zhao Youde''s courtyard with the nearly 10,000 yuan everyone had contributed to him. Of course, I won''t count this money on myself. I have a problem with my character, the main topic is my business, so no one can help me.


    On the morning of the third day, the two days of expansion had come to an end. We''re going down to the city. I specially went to the old house on the other side of the river. Before I left, I bid farewell to the Old Man Zhang and thanked him for his help. Old Man Zhang held my hand and said: "Child, people have many setbacks in their life. This time, it''s nothing, what''s more difficult is in the future, as long as I can truly control your abilities, and use it on the right path, in the future ¡­"


    "No!" I firmly interrupted his exhortation. "This ability does not belong to me, and I do not intend to use it again. Using just this once, he had caused such a huge disaster. I really am not made of this material, so stop trying to persuade me. Besides, I''m not the only one in Palmprint Holder, let other people do this! I want to be an ordinary person. "


    "Hur hur, you have your opinion. This is a good thing." Surprisingly, Old Man Zhang was not angry at all, "Ever since I saw you two years ago, I knew that you would not be someone to be trifled with in the future. We were fated to be together, master and disciple, and that''s all empty. I only have a few days left, so I''ll give you a few last words. I hope you''ll remember this:


    Baizi Nao Sing Hai Zhong Jin, dual and fast to defend ten thousand souls.


    Sometimes, a hit must always be done. A godly sword should not be directed towards a kind person.


    Three feet above the forehead of the tulip, anything can help.


    For mortals to be able to meddle with the affairs of the world meant that they had experienced many vicissitudes of life.


    "Go on!" With that, the Old Man Zhang closed his eyes and stopped looking at me.


    Before we got on the carriage, I patiently advised Zhang Shan, who came to send me off, to burn Zhao Youde''s body clean. It wasn''t that I was cruel, it was his soul and Nightmare, whatever that needed to be taken away, what needed to be taken away, all that was left was a shell, and he was even cursed. I didn''t want to be torn apart by a zombie just a few days after returning to the city. If it weren''t for such an absurd reason, I''d like to take two days off to see it burned down before I go.


    Under Zhang Shan''s impatient gaze, the car finally started and they slowly drove down the mountain. Lying in the last row of the bus, I was filled with a million thoughts: What had happened in the past two days, I could not refute with a scientific point of view. Was there really a ghost in this world? Or was it all my dream?


    He looked at the paper that Zhao Youde and I had made up in our hands. I had to acquiesce to this reality ¡ª the ghost, in everyone''s mind, in their mind, even in their actions. Just as the Old Master Zhang had said, if everyone was kind and upright, their souls would also be strong enough to suppress the Nightmare all along. The devil in his mind would never rise above the masses.


    In short, no matter where you are from, you must not approach the funeral home out of curiosity. More importantly, he had to be a kind-hearted and kind-hearted person.


    However, two months later, I was still the one who came looking for him.

 C14

    A few days after we got back to the city, Mom and I had a big fight. I felt that she was still using the same method as ten years ago to educate me, telling me all day long who had helped us. I felt that she was still using the same method as before to educate me, all day long whispering in my ears that someone had helped us. I really can''t listen to it, can''t help grumbling, followed by the mother very rudely invited out of the house. He had no choice but to stay at his colleague''s house for a few days. He could only wait for his mother to calm down before heading back.


    I still keep to the routine of working at two o''clock every day, but from my former home ¡ª the company has become a colleague ¡ª the company. In order not to affect the happy lives of our colleagues, I chose to go back later every day to give them more privacy.


    During these boring days, I was so crazy about drinking that I almost always had a drink at every meal. As long as you can hold it for the first time, it won''t take long for that heat to reach all the way to your limbs and bones. It''s like a sauna that has just been steamed, and you''re all lazy-looking.


    As for the low salary, the lack of money, the scolding and quarrelling, these were all nothing to worry about. After all, it was the same for you, and the same for you as well.


    Life is like being raped. If you can''t fight back, you might as well learn to enjoy it! After half a pound, go back to bed comfortably, do not have to have that annoying dream, comfortable the next day!


    My girlfriend and I met in those days.


    That night I was drinking by myself in the night market on the street. He vaguely remembered killing two small bottles of Erguotou and three bottles of beer. He was in an exceptionally good mood and felt that he was invincible. He heard a man and a woman arguing behind him.


    The man said, "I say, girl, I''m in business. I work on my watch. From the train station to here, it costs twelve dollars, but not much."


    "Hurry up and bring it down!" The girl did not want to be outdone, "From the train station to here, it''s all worth nine yuan, a maximum of ten yuan. Be contented! "


    "Miss, we have to be reasonable. This watch of mine is obviously worth twelve yuan, but you insist on giving me ten yuan. It''s not fair no matter where you go." The taxi driver relied on his evidence to make the girl pay the two dollars.


    "Don''t be so polite, you did something on the meter, do you think I don''t know? Don''t ask for rice and find a bun! "


    "Puff ¡­" After hearing the last sentence, I spat it out. It was really spicy.


    "How can you say that, girl? Why did you release your family without giving them any proper education? " When the taxi driver heard the girl open her mouth to curse, he became unwilling and was about to grab the girl''s arm. I didn''t want to be involved in this, but as the two of them leaned close behind me and began to tear at each other, they became a little uncomfortable.


    "Alright, let go!" For a man to bully a girl, you actually have the face to come out and play with me! " My tongue was growing out of my mouth as I stuttered to my feet, slurring my words to the taxi driver.


    "Who are you? What''s troubling you? " Seeing that he was a drunkard, the taxi driver did not dare to overdo it and voluntarily let go. They used to drive at night, and drunk people would do anything if they drank too much.


    "Isn''t it just two dollars?" This grandpa will give it to you! " When I saw the taxi driver listless, I felt pleased with myself.


    If I had to say that the thing that I hated the most about drinking wine was that I broke my promise after drinking too much.


    "Hey!" Who do you call grandpa, brat? " When the driver, who had already regained his temper, heard that I was going to take advantage of him, his enthusiasm returned.


    "Brat, I''ll call you grandpa!" I drank it all out and followed him.


    "Pfft!" The girl beside him immediately covered her mouth and laughed.


    The guests on the nearby tables also stopped eating and drinking and looked in our direction with amazement. I also heard someone at the table beside us say, "This is rare, those who have something to do are actively calling others grandpa."


    Hey! He had lost a lot of face this time! I''d been drinking a lot, and when I got angry, I grabbed a beer bottle from the table and threw it at the taxi behind the driver.


    "Pah!" With a crisp sound, the taxi''s windshield cracked.


    Miraculously, the glass beer bottle was intact. It fell to the ground and rolled back.


    As I was admiring the quality of the beer bottle, I heard the girl behind me shout, "Be careful!"


    Another "Pa!" The beer bottle finally shattered this time, leaving a small piece in the hand of the taxi driver, and my head cracked.


    It didn''t hurt at all, but I fainted anyway.


    I had a dream. I had a golden blade in my hand and was clad in dark gold armor. I was commanding thousands of soldiers and horses to fight against ghosts and demons in hell.


    The slain soldier stood up again, turned into a zombie, and charged us. The soldiers beside me fell one after the other. In the end, I was the only one left.


    The golden blade had already been dyed red with blood. A million ghost soldiers surrounded me. He saw that his former subordinates had become enemies and were slowly approaching. I gave up resisting, closed my eyes, and waited for the fatal blow.


    Suddenly, a deep voice came closer. I opened my eyes and found a million ghosts kneeling down and bowing to me. I looked up and saw a black coffin floating above my head. At this moment, the lid of the black coffin opened and a golden light shone as I was sucked into the black coffin. The coffin was like a bottomless abyss, I kept falling, kept falling ¡­ Finally, he fell onto a bed.


    Ah!" I touched my head, which was wrapped in gauze, and felt the burning pain from above.


    "Don''t move! Be careful of the wound! " A girl''s voice sounded in his ear.


    "When I opened my eyes, I saw a delicate face by the bed. It had big eyes, a tall nose, a slightly upturned mouth, and two lovely dimples. I was confused." Who are you? " I asked, puzzled.


    "Puff ¡­" "Her delicate face was so amused by me that she covered her mouth and laughed." It looks like you drank a lot! You even forgot to smash someone''s taxi last night in order to help me? "


    "Oh ¡­" He didn''t ask you for glass money, did he? " I tried to remember.


    "He still dares to ask for money? He just drove away when he knocked you out. " After the girl heard my question, her mood began to change, "I was talking about you! I''ve never seen such a lame hero save a beauty! It was a failure to save a beauty, and she had even almost lost her life! Even so, beauties will have to serve you! "


    "I''m sorry, but... "Eh, you can barely be considered a beauty!" I have a splitting headache, but I''m not going to back down. He had lost a lot of face last night, he couldn''t afford to lose this face again.


    "So boring! A petty person! Forget it! Anyway, I want to thank you. Let''s get to know each other, my name is Ni Qian! " The girl held out her small hand to me.


    "Wang Ziqi."


    After that, I would find a variety of reasons to invite Ni Qian to eat, watch movies, and stroll in the park. She would agree to it almost every time, and then she would arrive slowly while I waited anxiously. It seemed that beautiful women had to wait.


    I''ve always wondered why she had such a favorable impression of me, a young man in a society where nothing had happened, but whenever I asked him, he would smile and then choose to remain silent.


    Eighteen days after running away from home, my mother and I shook hands through the patient mediation of my two aunts. At noon the next day, I found a restaurant. Accompanied by two "good offices", my mother and I calmly ate lunch and announced our official return. But I have one condition: I can choose to eat at home instead of staying at home every day. I''m big, too, and I need my own space. As for living here without living here? I only told them that I might rent a house with my colleagues and promise to go to bed early and get up early.


    My life was back to normal. It was still two o''clock, early to bed and early to get up. In addition, there was an additional project ¡ª To accompany Ni Qian for two meals a week, stroll the streets once, and watch a movie.


    Two months later, on a Saturday, I had just finished leaving home and was about to rush to the city center to watch a movie with Ni Qian. When she reached the Municipal Hospital entrance, her shoulder was suddenly grabbed by a big hand.

 C15

    Lately, I don''t know why, but I hate people suddenly slapping me in the back. This kind of feeling makes me feel especially uncomfortable. I even found the most effective "finger wrestling" method to defend against this move on the Internet. It meant that someone would pat his shoulder from behind without turning around. At the first moment, the other hand would quickly stick out in front of him, grab his pinky, and then push back or rotate it. It would instantly reverse the situation and turn it into an offense.


    After looking for a few colleagues to experiment with, I found that this method is quite feasible and well tried. Thus, the moment my big hand touched my shoulder, I had already started moving. At the very first moment, I grabbed onto the other party''s pinky and pulled it backwards. I broke it, but I didn''t move it. Only then did I feel that the little finger was very thick, even thicker than my thumb. What a big hand this must be!


    In my memory, there was only one person who had such a large hand, and he carried me like a chick. I wisely let go of that finger and turned around. As I expected, Zhang Shan was looking at me happily from behind.


    "What a rare sight ¡­" What brings you here? " Seeing Zhang Shan made me very happy, even though this fellow on the mountain had made me suffer quite a bit. However, it''s rare for him to be so straightforward. After saying a few things, compared to the many deceitful people in society today, this transparency of his made me feel that he was exceptionally hard to come by.


    "I''ve come to you, Martial Uncle!" This guy continued to shout "Martial Uncle" one by one.


    "Alright!" Can you not call it that? You are almost ten years older than me, and you call me that every day. When I heard him call me Martial Uncle, my head started to hurt, but after I finished speaking, I understood the meaning of his words: "What did you say just now? You came to me? Where''s your grandfather? "


    Zhang Shan was an orphan who was picked up by the Old Man Zhang at the entrance of their county hospital thirty years ago. Because Old Man Zhang never married, he brought the orphan back to the mountain and raised him up as his own grandson. He named himself Zhang Shan.


    These were all told to me by the Old Man Zhang before I descended the mountain.


    "Grandpa left." At the mention of Old Man Zhang, Zhang Shan''s expression clearly darkened.


    "Go ¡­" Gone? " For a moment I didn''t understand what this "gone" meant.


    "A few days ago, my grandfather was sick, so he insisted on going down to work. A dozen days later, my grandfather called me into the main room and told me that he was going up the mountain to find himself a Feng Shui place and would never come back. "Before my grandfather left, he even said that I was already in my thirties. I should come to the city to see the world and make a living for myself. Don''t stay in the mountains and look up at the sky with your back facing the earth, I came to protect you ¡­" The more Zhang Shan said, the more miserable he felt. In the end, he could only swallow his words and could not continue.


    I was sad to hear it, too. It seemed that Old Master Zhang knew that his lifespan was coming to an end and planned to stay in the mountains and forests alone. He didn''t want anyone to remember him.


    "Mm ¡­" Protect me? " At the end, I realized something was wrong.


    Zhang Shan wiped away his tears and said embarrassedly: "Let me tell you the truth, the corpse of Zhao Youde who was kicked out of the Corpse Supporting Spell ¡­ "He fled."


    "He ran away? How did he run away? Didn''t they burn it? " When I heard that, my head buzzed.


    "I had originally planned to burn it. Grandfather instructed me to use a jujube branch dipped in salt water to smoke it for three days and three nights before burning it. I came to smoke the first three days and two nights in person. On the third night, unable to hold on any longer, I called the three boys from the village to take turns. I thought, I''m watching, I should be fine. I was so sleepy that I fell asleep early in the morning. The bear kids saw that I fell asleep and ran away in the middle of the night. "When I woke up, Zhao Youde''s corpse was nowhere to be seen ¡­" The more Zhang Shan spoke, the softer his voice became. Afraid I''ll go berserk.


    The more I listened, the more my heart sank. The more I listened, the more confused I became.


    This is it, the dead body that was taken down from the Corpse Supporting Spell, will definitely come and find me!


    He had heard from Old Man Zhang that the corpses of those who had been exposed to the Corpse Supporting Spell could be said to have bones of steel, and possessed extraordinary strength. Furthermore, he would never stop until he had achieved his goal. Only then would he be able to break the curse. Even though I''m only 1.8 meters tall, 120 to 30 pounds isn''t even enough to fill the gaps between its teeth. He would be scared to death if he didn''t get killed every day while being watched by this ghost-like zombie.


    How did I end up with such a thing!?


    "It''s over ¡­" "We''re finished ¡­" I was out of my mind and could barely stand against the wall.


    "But don''t worry, we still have time." Seeing my soulless appearance, Zhang Shan comforted me: "Grandfather said, the Corpse Supporting Spell had already used a jujube tree branch to whip it for three days and two nights. Simply in terms of strength, it is no different from an ordinary person."


    "Oh? That''s good! "That''s good!" It was as if I suddenly found my way to heaven in hell.


    "However ¡­" Zhang Shan wanted to say something but hesitated.


    "But what?" I could not bear the blow. Jumping up and grabbing Zhang Shan''s arm, he angrily asked.


    "But it also knows this point. Right now, it needs a large amount of Yin Qi to replenish its energy. It won''t be in a hurry to kill you. Instead, it will hide first. "That''s why I came to find you again." Zhang Shan explained.


    "Ninety-nine eighty-one days ¡­" "I, I, am calculating the time when I came down the mountain." Three days left? "


    "Mm ¡­"


    "Then what did you do earlier?" "Why did you only tell me now!" I shouted to Zhang Shan.


    "We took two months just to search the mountain. We searched every hill and cave within ten kilometers. "There''s not a trace of it, Grandfather said. It could be that it has followed your scent all the way here, so it should be hiding somewhere in the city, waiting for the last meridian to open."


    "Then what are you waiting for? Quickly go and find him! " I''m getting a little crazy. It''s coming out in three days, just like I have three days to live.


    "Yeah, don''t be in such a hurry. Aren''t I looking for you?" Zhang Shan couldn''t take it anymore when I shouted at him.


    I still hadn''t scolded him enough as I continued to say, "Damn, you aren''t in a hurry. It seems that he is chasing after me and not you! Why are you looking for me? I don''t have any strength. I don''t have a gun. You''re counting on me to help you? "


    "But you are Palmprint Holder!" Zhang Shan stared at me and said.


    "I ¡­" "I was stunned. I really had forgotten about this matter." You mean I can subdue the Corpse Supporting Spell? "


    "No, not even grandfather is confident, let alone you." Zhang Shan saw that my face was becoming more and more unfriendly, and immediately followed up: "But before grandfather left, he wanted me to pass you the [Dream of Fear Record], these are all methods to stimulate the various generations of Palmprint Holder, as long as you follow the instructions from above ¡­" Zhang Shan said as he took out an oiled paper wrapped book from his backpack.


    I snatched it away and tore the oilskin apart. In the middle of the yellow bookbinding was the word "Dream of Fear" written in wild grass. It was vigorous and forceful. Flipping it open, each page was covered with small handwritten letters. The pages were slightly yellow, and one could tell with a single glance that they were old things.


    While flipping through the books aimlessly, I asked, "As long as I follow the instructions written in this book, I will be able to find a method to deal with the Corpse Supporting Spell?"


    "Maybe. Even if you can''t, you still have a way out. " Zhang Shan didn''t say it out loud.


    "Why didn''t you learn it?"


    "I don''t have a Inaction Imprint." Zhang Shan waved his arm at me. I can only look at the first few pages, it''s kind of useful. "


    "How long will it take me to learn this?" Looking at the small words all over the place, I didn''t have the slightest confidence that I would be able to read a book full of words.


    "Don''t talk about studying, and don''t talk about understanding and understanding. If I were to memorize it all, it would take at least half a year. " Zhang Shan replied.


    "Zhang Shan."


    "Eh?"


    "Do you want me to die with you? You know there''s only three days left, and you''re still pulling out this book. Do you have a fucking way? Just say it! If not, get lost! " I am finally angry. How is this fellow here to save me? It was obvious that he was here to collect my body.

 C16

    Zhang Shan was getting impatient, he took the book and said, "You just wait for me to finish! I just took out the book, and you immediately snatched it away. Grandfather said that the "Dream of the Danger" itself was not worth much. However, there were some sinister and ruthless methods that hurt the heavens and the earth. "You have to promise not to practice these things before I can hand them over to you."


    "Straight away!" I swear, I will definitely not practice those sinister arts, you know that I never wanted to be some Palmprint Holder, quickly continue talking about you! " I made a clean promise.


    Actually, I don''t think much of it. The book is in my hands and the eyes are on me, I didn''t even read it and didn''t even know if I had trained in you. Zhang Shan doesn''t know, as long as I can save my life, everything else can be discussed later.


    "How do I train it?" "From where?" When I officially receive the [Fear Dream Record], I couldn''t wait to ask Zhang Shan.


    "Read the book when you get home tonight. Now we have one thing to clear up: Did the Corpse Supporting Spell really sneak into the city? "If it is, then it is much easier to find it. If it is not, then I will really have to retrieve your corpse." Zhang Shan said solemnly.


    "Then how do you know if it''s here?" I found that I didn''t even have the ability to analyze.


    "Who knows."


    "You ¡­" I was just in time, and this guy is messing with me again.


    "I mean really only the devil knows, so we''re going to ask the ghost tonight." Zhang Shan said with a serious face.


    "Ask..." Ghost? Where is the ghost? " I was skeptical.


    "The place where ghosts are most concentrated is known as the Ghosts Collection. As long as we can find out the location of the Ghosts Collection in Zhengzhou, we might be able to find the whereabouts of the Corpse Supporting Spell."


    "Where is the Ghosts?"


    "Do you have two dollars?"


    "Yes, why?"


    "Go, buy a map of Zhengzhou and let''s go together."


    "¡­"


    We bought a map of Zhengzhou from a nearby newsstand. We sat in front of the flower beds of Municipal Hospital and opened the map.


    Zhang Shan measured something as he patiently explained to me, "The Ghastly Market is different from the center of the city. It is definitely the center of the city and at the same time, the confluence of the city''s yin and yang meridians. I remember telling you that ghosts are the common name for souls and nightmares. "Regardless of whether it is soul or nightmare, after nightfall, we will gather near the Ghastly Ghastly Gem. Through these two main meridians in the city, we will be able to reconcile our Yin and Yang ¡­"


    "The ghost has Yang Qi too?" I asked, puzzled.


    "All things have Yin and Yang, the Supreme Yin or the Supreme Yang are relative, not absolute. Look, I have already marked the approximate location of the Zheng Province''s four great Profound Gate. If my guess is correct, this should be the location of the Ghastly Grounds. " After Zhang Shan finished speaking, his finger pressed on the middle part of a small path along the river.


    "North Gate?" It was a place in Old Zhengzhou, and there was no sign on the map, but I was familiar with it and blurted it out.


    According to historical records, in 1927, during General Feng Yuxiang''s period of relaxation, the construction of the Bi Sha Gang Road began from the northwest of Zhengzhou, and the north gate of Zhengzhou Station of the Beijing-Han Railway from the east to the southwest corner of Bi Sha Gang was 2.5 kilometers long and 9 meters wide. In order to protect the road surface, ox-horse vehicles were set up to drive along the dirt road on both sides of the road, which was the first road built by the army stationed in Zhengzhou.


    After that, the Bisha Hill Road became a flat road leading to the railway station in western Zhengzhou. Passing through this area from the west to the old city and railway station, the railway department would have to pass through the railway level crossing at the west end of Second Avenue. In order to ensure the safety, the railway department had installed a fence at the crossing, and when the train passed, the fence would be put down and the crossing would be closed.


    In the old days, the local people thought of the sluice and the lock and, as its name implied, they called it the gate. Because it was located in the north of the railway station, over time, they routinely called it the north gate of a large area near the railway crossing. The west side was called the west gate (the west side of the railway workers'') and the south gate of the railway cultural palace was called the south gate, which had been passed down for more than 50 years.


    When the streets were reorganized in 1979, the government extended Erdao Street, located at the North Gate, to the east side of the railway crossing at the North Station''s marshalling station (now closed). In order to preserve a place marked with a railway and to respect the customs of the masses, the west gate of the Iron Workers'' Court was extended to the north bridge of the Beijing and Guangzhou Road. Since it was located to the north of the Iron Workers'' Court, it was changed to the North Gate Street, which was still in use today.


    (Extract from: Zhengzhou City.)


    In the past ten years, with the evolution of history, the North Gate has become a collection point for all kinds of pet trading, such as fowl, fish, dogs, and cats.


    After hearing my general description, Zhang Shan nodded and said, "We can basically conclude now that the north gate is where the ghosts of Zhengzhou are gathered. It''s because the smell of cats and dogs is also an important reason for them to come here! "


    "Then what should we do?" I still didn''t know what to do next.


    "Right now it is five to seven. Quickly go home and memorize the first chapter of" Dream of the Fear "from beginning to end. I don''t require you to understand much. If you memorize it all, it might be useful in the future. I''m going to hurry up and get some equipment. We''ll meet here at 12 o''clock sharp. Let''s go to the north gate and barge into the Ghosts Gathering! "


    After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he stood up and turned to leave. After taking only two steps, he stepped back and opened his huge palm towards me. "Give me 200 yuan!" he shouted.


    "What for?"


    "You don''t need to spend money to buy anything? Besides, I haven''t eaten for a whole day just to wait for you! "


    "¡­"


    I rushed back home and called Ni Qian first. She lied about a relative from her hometown who was staying at home for the next two days to accompany her guests. She would come back the day after tomorrow to accompany her. Listening to the grumbling on the other end of the phone, I could only smile wryly. I decided to tell her about it when I came back alive. If I told her about this, she would treat me like a lunatic.


    I didn''t have the appetite to eat, so I just shut myself up in my room and started flipping through the ''Dreadful Dreams''. Initially, I thought that the ''Dream of the Fear'' was full of difficult to understand words, but in reality, it is not. To people of my generation, it has obviously reached a certain realm in words. If it weren''t for the fact that everything in the book was so weird, I would have thought of it as a science book. This current edition should be the result of the Palmprint Holder''s constant renovations. As the majority of the methods and tools described in the book could only be effectively used by those with Inaction Imprint s, it was no different from a pile of scrap paper to others.


    And because of this, the "Dream of Fear" should never be afraid of being stolen, which was why it could be passed down to this day.


    It was no longer possible to determine the identity of the first generation Palmprint Holder who had first discovered and proposed the word "dream". The earliest Palmprint Holder mentioned in the book was a teacher in the Han Dynasty named Zhang Ze Ru, with the character Qiao Sheng. The book described him as "solemn as a loose wind, tall and Xu Yin. The white clothes are like snow on a plum, the air is bitter and cold. " This made me think of the deity statue that was placed in the house of Old Man Zhang. It should be him.


    Zhang Ze seemed to have discovered his own ability and Palmprint Holder, this unique group, and collected and organized a small portion of it, which is the first chapter of the¡¶ Dream of Fear¡· in my hands right now ¡ª Good and Evil.


    Only after looking into it with my own heart, do I know that the [Dream Record] isn''t about how Palmprint Holder used his dreams to capture evil spirits and punish them. Instead, it is about how she used his dreams to grasp and understand some information about her target, and then remove all the filth that lurked in their bodies.


    As for Gold Coffin, they were a necessary tool for every Palmprint Holder. Although it could not be seen or felt in reality, it was still connected to the Inaction Imprint. When Palmprint Holder activated the Inaction Imprint, the Gold Coffin opened up at the same time and stored the Nightmare Beast in the coffin, sealed it forever.


    The most important part of Good and Evil lies in how the Palmprint Holder, in a conscious state, relied on the Inaction Imprint s to step into the Profound Gate and come into direct contact with ghosts. Of course, there was a part of it that I didn''t quite understand. Some of the names, such as "Underground", "Yellow Skin", and "Smoke", I couldn''t figure out what they all referred to.


    As time passed, although Good and Evil were the shortest parts of the book, it did not only cover the origins of Palmprint Holder and Inaction Imprint, it also covered the creation and use of dreamforce, Ta Ku, Profound Gate s, and many other basic skills and magic tools. There were at least seven to eight thousand words written on it, if Zhang Shan wanted me to memorize it, it would be easier said than done.

 C17

    There was no other way. In order to survive, he could carry as much as he wanted!


    Fortunately, the books were written in vernacular, and the content was mostly in plain sight, telling you how to do this and how to do that. It was pretty easy to remember. I skipped over the history of the Inaction Imprint and Palmprint Holder. By eleven-thirty, he had already read the book three times and had memorized most of the contents. He came to the kitchen and stuffed something whatever he wanted, then looked at the "Dream Record" in his hands, thinking he should stay at home. After all, the Old Master Zhang had been hiding for a lifetime, no one knew what would happen tonight, it couldn''t be destroyed by me.


    My family had all gone to bed, so I took a switchblade from the drawer and put it in my pocket. Then I turned off the light, tiptoed to the door, and quietly opened it. Zhang Shan had obviously been back for a long time. He was lying on a bench beside the flowerbed at the entrance of the hospital with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. The backpack on the floor below him was bulging and he had no idea what he had bought.


    Hearing that someone was approaching, Zhang Shan opened his eyes and saw that it was me, and quickly sat up. I asked, "How do you remember?"


    "Pretty much. I''ve read it a few times. I can probably remember more than half of it." Is it really useful to remember this? " I never understood why I had to remember that.


    "Sigh, it''s hard on you. Just leave it to fate! Whether it''s useful or not, I don''t know. I will just take it one step at a time. There''s no harm in knowing more! " Zhang Shan raised his head to look at the sky, got up and said: "Let''s go! We have a lot of road to travel tonight, now that it''s over. "Don''t delay any longer."


    "Walk? "Why not take a taxi?" I asked, puzzled. There''s plenty of time to rent.


    "I''m going to tell you something my grandfather told me. Do you think the driver will be interested?" Zhang Shan turned and looked at me.


    "Oh ¡­" "Then let''s go." I followed helplessly. If I had known earlier, I would have changed into a pair of sneakers. The shoes I''m wearing now are very uncomfortable to walk on.


    Zhang Shan said to me as he walked, "Even though I''m not a Palmprint Holder, I''ve been wandering around with Grandfather since I was young, and I''ve learned quite a few things. It can be said that if you were by my side, with your innate abilities, I could be considered half a Palmprint Holder. That''s why I asked you to come with me tonight. When we are together, with your talent and my ability, there won''t be any violent corpses on the streets. "


    I was silent, not knowing what to say. Ever since I found out that Zhao Youde''s corpse had disappeared, I carried it with me all the time. The reason why Zhang Shan said that, was definitely because he wanted to comfort me. Even the Old Man Zhang can''t deal with the Corpse Supporting Spell, but what can we do with an ordinary person, a brat who doesn''t even know anything and has Inaction Imprint?


    In truth, before I left, I had already flipped through all of the < Terror Chronicles >, hoping to find a way to break through the Corpse Supporting Spell. However, things didn''t go as planned, and there wasn''t any introduction to the Corpse Supporting Spell in the book. It was evident that the Palmprint Holder was helpless against this kind of monster.


    Zhang Shan also noticed my emotions and sighed. He stopped and looked at me, and said word by word, "When I was young, the children in the village kept scolding me that I was picked up. I always ignored them at the time. I thought I was avoiding them, but as time went by, they naturally stopped talking. However, the more I dodged, the more they scolded me. In the end, they simply threw rocks at me from behind. Whenever this happened, I would run home crying to tell my grandfather. Grandfather will tell me that I cannot hide from him. If I hide from him, they will look down on me for the rest of their lives. If they hit me again, I''ll hit them back. Then I went back that day and beat them all up one by one, and from then on they never dared to provoke me again. Therefore, Martial Uncle is your business. If you have no confidence in yourself, then you will never be able to hide for the rest of your life. Even if you manage to escape this time, what about the next time? What about next time? You don''t want to hide away for the rest of your life, do you? If you want to hide, you can, now tell me, we don''t have to waste so much work, just run as far as you can. However, you must know that it is not a human. The speed at which it seeks you is always faster than the speed at which you dodge. "


    After hearing what Zhang Shan said, I immediately understood a lot. That''s right, although his words are very simple, escaping isn''t an option. Moreover, I don''t even have the right to run. Since extending my neck is one slash and retracting my neck is one slash, I might have a chance to retaliate if I were to take the initiative to attack. If I didn''t even have the courage to face him directly, I would have already collapsed before the enemy even arrived.


    Things are always like this, usually easy to understand. When the time comes, you must ask others to tell you before you can truly understand what they mean. I took a deep breath. Zhang Shan was right, there were only two options available to me right now, either to pull myself together and struggle to the last breath of life, or to work hard, or to just wait here for my death.


    Do I have any other choice?


    "I understand, but I think it''s too cruel to do this to Zhao Youde. I let go of his nightmare, shut his soul, and now wants to destroy his corpse ¡­ " I finally took another step forward. Since he had already decided to face it calmly, he didn''t think about those useless things anymore.


    "I don''t think you need to worry about that at all. The death of a human was like extinguishing a lantern. Zhao Youde, who had been inflicted with the Corpse Supporting Spell, was now a walking corpse. From a medical point of view, it was that he had only one breath left, one thought. It has no emotions, no memories, only one thought, and that is to kill you. I believe that Zhao Youde''s nature is not bad, but at the last moment, both you and him were deceived, resulting in the current situation. " Seeing that my brain had regained its clarity, Zhang Shan looked quite happy.


    I looked up at the sky. It is not my wish that this poor man should end up like this after his death: "In any case, I sowed the evil fruit. I do not hate Zhao Youde. If I had the ability, I would do my best to do something for him. "


    "Destroying the Corpse Supporting Spell is the best help he can get. Hurry and go, every second now is precious to us, the earlier we find the Corpse Supporting Spell, the more hope there is. " Zhang Shan said as he took out something that should be a compass from his bag. He then turned around and gestured a few times before striding towards the west. I had no choice but to follow.


    "Can I ask you a question?" We walked for a long time, but no one spoke. The atmosphere was tense, and I wished I could find something to talk about, something to relax me a little.


    "Speak!" Zhang Shan had always answered whenever he was asked a question.


    "What do you mean by" Four Great Profound Gate "?" After buying the map at night, Zhang Shan measured several times and drew a circle around Zi Jing Shan Park, the daily newspaper on Long Hai Road, a Zheng Hua Machine and a place to the south, saying that it was some Zheng City''s Four Great Profound Gate.


    I didn''t understand it at the time, but now that I asked, I pretended to not know what to say.


    Zhang Shan explained as he walked: "The so-called Profound Gate s are places where the Yin Qi and Yang Qi is exchanged. As I said, all things have yin and yang. A city is like a big magnet, and it has both yin and yang. For example, in the morning, people would go out to work in the east. At this time, the Yang Qi in the east would be heavy, but in the city, it would decline. In order to maintain the balance between the Yin and Yang, the Eastern Profound Gate would display its function, allowing the Yin Qi and Yang Qi to flow together, so that the balance of the city could be reached. Profound Gate could not be seen or felt. To put it bluntly, he was just a channel for regulating yin and yang, at the same time, he was also a barrier that blocked off yin and yang. Every city had their own unique Profound Gate. It''s not always the same. "


    I vaguely understood what he meant when I heard that. "Then according to what you''re saying, although the Profound Gate are the city''s regulators, they can''t affect our lives at all."


    Zhang Shan continued, "Not necessarily. Every time the Profound Gate opened and the Yin and Yang met, some people with yin or yang bodies would pass by, and there would be some small accidents such as sudden fainting, or when they were distracted, such as car accidents, wrestling, lost, etc. As long as you paid attention to the news frequently, it wouldn''t be hard to notice that some sudden events in the city would happen near the Profound Gate. But as long as it''s someone who is careful to keep themselves, they usually won''t have any effect. "


    These words made me recall two things that happened when I was young. Now, it seems that they were all related to Profound Gate s.

 C18

    When I was young, I was weak, so it was reasonable to say that it was a little bit cloudy. One weekend during the third year of junior high, I went to the Zijing Mountain Park with my classmates. In fact, there was nothing much fun about that place, it was just that in those days, if one did not want to spend money, they could only go to the park to play. They were all just playing around together and taking a few pictures.


    In the years we were in high school, we went to the park almost every week. People''s Park, Zijingshan Park, Bijinggang Park, Green City Square, as long as we weren''t at home. After strolling around the park, there was no point, so everyone came out early to discuss what they were going to play for next. However, they were all shy and didn''t have enough money for dinner, so they could only return to their own homes. I didn''t want to go home so early, so I rode my bike, intending to read at Xinhua Bookstore, five hundred meters north of here.


    Standing at the entrance of Zijing Mountain Park, one could see the big signboard on the roof of Xinhua Bookstore on the garden road from afar. It was just three to five hundred meters of journey. Logically speaking, under such clear targets, the chances of going the wrong way was close to zero. But the problem happened, I walked more and more strange, Xinhua bookstore''s big signboard is in front of me, but no matter how hard I pedal, it will never get there. Ten minutes later, I stopped. The signboard of Xinhua Bookstore was still in front of me. A distance of five hundred meters was not even ten minutes on a bicycle. It was obviously not a reasonable distance.


    As I turned my attention from the distant signboard to the surrounding streets, I realized that this was not the garden road heading north and south at all, but rather the Golden Water Road leading east and west. I was almost out of town. He looked up to find the signboard of Xinhua Bookstore, but he couldn''t find it.


    Actually, to this day, there were still citizens who got lost in this place. Many of them lived here for most of their lives.


    The second thing that happened was a year later. It was related to the Western Profound Gate that the daily newspaper of Zhengzhou was working at, but it was even more strange this time.


    My aunt''s house is just west of the Zhengzhou Daily newspaper. I have taken this road since I was young, so I shouldn''t have taken the wrong road. Moreover, this place is flat and flat with very few people. It isn''t like the Violet Thorned Mountain Park where there are many forks in the road and the overpass. It was still reasonable to say that he had not taken note of his mistake.


    I remember that it was noon of the same day. I went to deliver some local specialties to my aunt''s family on my bike. I remember getting lost this time because I had just bought a new Casio watch, and when I left the house I checked that it was exactly one o''clock, and if I was right, I would be in my aunt''s house in thirty minutes.


    Nothing happened along the way, and there were few people on the road at noon, so I rode fast. As I passed the Zhengzhou Daily newspaper, I checked my watch. It was 1: 25. As long as I turned south at the next intersection, I''d be there in less than five minutes.


    However, many times, strange things just quietly came to your side. When I turned south at the next intersection and rode for nearly twenty minutes, the tarmac beneath my feet somehow turned to gravel. In front of him was a field of wheat that stretched as far as the eye could see.


    I was confused. My aunt''s house isn''t that far away. Why are there so many wheat fields in the city? Under such circumstances, I naturally didn''t dare to continue walking forward. Looking left and right, all I could see were green wheat fields and a small patch of forest.


    Fortunately, it was noon and I wasn''t too afraid. Helpless, he could only turn around and ride back. Forty minutes later, he finally saw the building of Zhengzhou Daily. But no matter how much I tried, I just couldn''t understand. It took me twenty minutes to get to the fields, but it took me a full forty minutes to go back the way I came. The way back was twice as fast as the way to go.


    To this day, I have never been able to figure out whether it was a mistake on my part or an inexplicable incident. But all I can tell you is that I was absolutely sane at the time. As for the Xinhua Bookstore signboard that always appeared in my line of sight and the time when I came and went, I can only keep it hidden in my heart. If such a thing was said as though it was true, it would be mocked by everyone.


    In Zhengzhou, there was a famous stink ditch called Jinshui River.


    Legend has it that 2500 years ago, in the Spring and Autumn Period, in the current Zhengzhou region, there was a famous statesman who, during his 26 years in power, encouraged people to work well and did good deeds for the people.


    After his death, Confucius, the great thinker, said tearfully, "Children are a gift left to us by the ancient times."


    At that time, in memory of their children, the people all took out their gold and silver jewelry to bury them. The children of their children all refused.


    The people then threw their gold and silver jewelry into the river. The river became golden because of the splendor of the jewelry, and from then on, it was named the Golden River.


    Even though the ancient Golden River had such a beautiful legend, due to the problem of governance, ever since its liberation, the Golden River has never shone with the same brilliance as its name.


    As for the river path, as the name implies, it was a path constructed along the Golden River from the stone bridge to the medical academy. Although this section of the road is not long, here, the two great arteries of China, the Longhai line and the Beijing line, meet on the road along the railway bridge and go in different directions.


    The railway bridge was the so-called North Gate.


    By this time, Zhang Shan and I had already reached the east end of the river road, which was located on top of the large stone bridge. As long as we followed the winding river path in front of us, it would only take less than ten minutes to reach the north gate.


    Zhang Shan took out a plant from his bag that was about two inches tall. On the thin rod, there were only two maple leaf shaped leaves.


    The strangest thing was that this plant was purple in color. The veins on its two leaves were light green and looked very delicate.


    "What is this?" I took the grass and smelled it first. It actually gave off the fishy smell of a conversation.


    "Judge grass." It was said that it was the result of resentment. This grass grew near the souls of many wronged people who had lost their owners. According to the elder in the mountain, as long as the judge saw this grass, he would know that there was a grievance in the vicinity. This was later known to the mortals, and many of the scouts had relied on this to investigate the case. " Zhang Shan said as he continuously rummaged through his backpack, taking out one item after another.


    "Why do you want me to eat this? What''s the use of eating it? Did you bring this from the mountains? " I still don''t understand, what does this Judge grass have to do with me, I''m not a judge.


    "In some places, there will be Judge''s Grass. However, this kind of grass usually grows in dark places and most people won''t be able to find it. This Judge''s Grass was an extremely cold plant. If an ordinary person were to eat it, they would at least catch a cold and have a fever. If they ate it, it might cause them to be afraid of the cold and their body might become weak. But if you give it to a Palmprint Holder like you whose cultivation is not good enough to eat, hehe, then you will be able to see some rare things that you normally wouldn''t see. "


    After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he looked at me with a grin, and his expression was clearly saying: "Little brat, do you dare to eat it?"


    "Seeing things that you normally wouldn''t be able to see ¡­ You mean... A ghost? " I finally realized it and couldn''t help but shiver.


    Although I have seen Zhao Youde''s soul and nightmares, they were, after all, in my dreams. He had a certain psychological advantage, so he was not afraid. Now, if I had to go to hell while I was conscious, I wouldn''t do it!


    I was almost tricked by this fellow, so I said indignantly, "Damn, don''t even think about it! None at all! I won''t eat it! "


    Zhang Shan, on the other hand, wasn''t worried at all that I wouldn''t eat it, nor was he going to continue rummaging through his bag. He folded his arms across his chest as he looked at me, and lazily said: "Alright then ¡­ Since you don''t care about your life anymore, what do I care? You''re the only one who can see this ghost. It''s fine if you don''t eat it, I''ll go back to sleep and just wait for the day after tomorrow to collect your corpse. " Saying that, he stretched his back and looked like he was about to leave.

 C19

    "Don''t! Can''t I eat it! " Actually, I should have thought about it before, as long as Zhang Shan released this move, I wouldn''t need to worry about being disobedient. He pinched off two leaves of the Judge''s Grass and placed them before his nose. The stench was still very faint, but it was acceptable. He didn''t know where this fellow got this from. He closed his eyes and put the leaf into his mouth. Zhang Shan cheerfully reminded me, "Remember to chew it till it is broken before swallowing it!"


    When the judges'' grass leaves were placed into their mouths, they didn''t smell like they did before. Instead, it felt cool and refreshing, as if they were discussing something. Following Zhang Shan''s instructions, I continuously chewed on these two leaves. The more I chewed, the stronger the cool feeling became. It wasn''t the cool of mint, but rather like a mouthful of ice cubes, so cold that it wouldn''t even dare to touch its tongue. After dozens of bites, the air coming out of my mouth was misty and my lips were numb from the cold.


    "Alright, go ahead and swallow!" Zhang Shan looked at my expression and warned me at the right time.


    I couldn''t wait to swallow the leaf dregs mixed with saliva. The cold feeling slid down my esophagus all the way to my stomach. Soon, it radiated through every single blood vessel and pore in my body. I couldn''t help but shiver.


    Afterwards, I found out that the dark and gloomy place where the grass grew referred to by Zhang Shan was the city''s sewers and manhole cover. No wonder there was a stench coming from it, causing me to feel disgusted for a long time.


    "This is also for you. I traded this in the past. Although it wasn''t anything valuable, it was still sharp. Grandfather said that it was stained with the blood of evil." "Perhaps it will be of unexpected use to you." Zhang Shan said as he handed me an exquisite dagger with a sheath.


    By the light of the street lamp, I looked at the dagger in my hand. The dark brown leather sheath was not strange at all. He tried to draw the dagger out of its sheath without using much strength. There was no reflection in the dim light, no one knew what color or material it was made of, but the faint green glow on the edge of the blade was very conspicuous, and he used his thumb to scratch the edge of the blade.


    "Let''s go, preparing so much is useless. We don''t know what will happen, so let''s just play it by ear! " Zhang Shan put away his bag and strode along the river path into the darkness.


    Along the river was a small path, with a lower terrain. On one side was the Golden River, and on the other was a slope several meters high. Although there were many people coming and going during the day, there were no street lamps. At night, people would rather take a detour around Jinshui Road or the city center than take this dark road. Moreover, the road was not very good, and the place was full of potholes. In the past, people on bicycles often fell or even fell into the river because of uneven roads. In the middle of the night, there were almost no pedestrians or vehicles.


    After eating the Judge''s Grass, I felt the air around me turn cold. It was a sunny and windless night, but now a cool breeze was blowing on the back of his neck from time to time. After walking along the road for a few hundred meters, I could only see Zhang Shan''s black back from behind. There was always a trace of unease in my heart, as if something was always following behind me and I didn''t dare to look back. He could only brace himself and continue forward.


    As I was walking, I suddenly stopped and pulled Zhang Shan''s sleeves. Listen, there''s a voice! "


    There was always the sound of parting around me, and suddenly I heard it, and before I could hear it clearly, it was gone again. In a flash, I was somewhere on the other side of the river, and I couldn''t get a hold of it.


    Zhang Shan pricked up his ears and looked at me strangely as he tried his best to listen. After a while, he said, "After you eat the Judge''s Grass, you can indeed hear or see some things. However, as long as it doesn''t affect our actions and goals, we won''t care about anything else." With that, he continued to walk forward.


    By the time we reached the culvert under the first railway bridge, the sounds had died away, but my back was already soaked with sweat.


    The culvert was even darker, and the only moonlight was blocked. The feeling of being watched from behind only grew stronger. I had no choice but to quicken my pace, go forward and grab onto Zhang Shan''s backpack belt, and find a good reason for myself: "Let me pull you, my eyes aren''t good at night, I can''t see clearly." Zhang Shan paused, and did not say anything.


    The culvert behind the train was not very deep, only twenty or thirty meters deep. I had barely taken two steps when I reached the entrance.


    Right at this moment, Zhang Shan suddenly turned around and walked towards the left. As I was pulling his backpack, I naturally followed him and walked towards the left. In that split-second, I suddenly realized that something was wrong, and immediately let go of Zhang Shan''s hand.


    Zhang Shan had explained this before he got on the road. We had to travel far away from the river at night, so we always walked along the slope at the left side. It would be the same even if we entered the culvert. However, there were only two possibilities for Zhang Shan to turn left: he could either pass through the wall or crash into the wall.


    Zhang Shan obviously wouldn''t go through the wall. The moment I let go of his hand, a "pa" sound rang out as I crashed into the wall. I remember that it was indeed a solid wall on the left side. I felt as though my nose had been knocked askew as tears flowed uncontrollably out of my eyes. There was even a hint of blood in my mouth.


    He quickly checked it with his tongue. Luckily, he didn''t lose his teeth. But the thought that followed made me forget my soreness. Did Zhang Shan really go through the wall? Right on the wall in front of me, Zhang Shan disappeared into it! If I hadn''t let go, what would have happened to me? I stood there, clutching my nose and staring at the wall, not knowing what to do.


    "Hey, where are you standing?" A familiar voice sounded from afar. I turned my head to see Zhang Shan looking at me from the moonlight outside the culvert with his arms crossed. Before I could figure out how he had gotten there, I saw a man in a white baseball cap standing on the right side of the road. He was wearing a dark Chinese tunic and a pair of sneakers that had almost lost their original color. But judging from the curvature of his spine and the shape of his clothes, he must be an old man.


    Behind him, against the wall, was a broken bicycle. In front of him, on the floor, there was a white cloth with twenty or thirty black balls neatly placed on top of it. They were as big as a fist and were round, so he couldn''t see what they were. From the way he was dressed, he seemed more like the person who set up those stalls during the day.


    As the person wearing a baseball cap was standing in front of Zhang Shan, the two of them were very close. As long as Zhang Shan raised his arm, he would be able to touch the person in front of him. In my opinion, he and Zhang Shan should be acquainted. Even if I didn''t know him, I had at least communicated with him before Zhang Shan had called for me. Otherwise, logically speaking, two people who didn''t know each other normally wouldn''t be looking at me in such a manner.


    "How did you get out?" I asked Zhang Shan as I walked towards them. I couldn''t figure out how he had turned left into the wall and then suddenly appeared in front of me. Because of the series of actions, from grabbing the backpack belt to suddenly turning a corner, to me realizing that the problem had occurred. I released my hand and crashed into the wall, and only after four or five seconds did Zhang Shan call for me.


    In these four to five seconds, Zhang Shan wanted to quietly run to the mouth of the culvert that was more than ten meters away. Even if I had my eyes closed, it would be hard for him to not be discovered. After all, running makes a noise, and that''s the strangest thing about me.


    "How did what come out? Come out! " Zhang Shan looked at me and felt that my question was extremely boring.


    "I mean, how did you get through the wall and come here?" I corrected my question.


    "I''m not a Maoshan Taoist, how would I dare to pass through walls!" After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he seemed to have thought of something and asked me to explain in detail the situation from before.


    I told him again how I had dragged him, and how I had turned left and slammed against the wall until I heard him calling for me. The man in the baseball cap next to us raised his head and looked at us with interest. I also looked at his face. But his eyes remained hidden in the shadow of the brim of his hat, and I could not see them.


    After listening to my narration, Zhang Shan held his head and thought for a long time, then said: "I heard you say that, but I didn''t even feel you pulling me. Walking out of the culvert, I didn''t hear your footsteps, so I looked back to find you, only to see you touching your nose facing the wall. In short, I''m afraid the one you were holding back earlier wasn''t me. "


    "Not you? Then who could it be? " I was confused, too.

 C20

    "It doesn''t matter what it is." The old man next to me was amused. He pulled at his broken gong and said to me, "Think about it, what else can you use to walk through walls? Fortunately, you let go of me quickly, otherwise, when you get half a body inside, you won''t be able to come out for the rest of your life! "


    The old man''s words scared me to the point that I broke out in a cold sweat. If I had reacted a moment ago, I would have been unable to let go... I didn''t dare think about it anymore. I''m actually dragging something that I don''t know, almost stepping into the gates of hell!


    "Cough, cough ¡­" The old man in the baseball cap coughed twice and said to me, "Kid, do you have a cigarette? Give me one."


    "Oh ¡­" Still deep in my fear, I reached into my pants pocket mechanically and pulled out my cigarette and held it out.


    "I don''t smoke." Zhang Shan said very straightforwardly.


    At this moment, the old man had already pulled out a cigarette from the cigarette box and lit it up. I wanted to tell Zhang Shan that it''s not for you. However, Zhang Shan''s face suddenly became extremely ugly. He raised his right hand and pointed at the old man in front of him, then asked: "This place ¡­."


    "Don''t you know him? "Can it be that you can''t see it ¡­" I stopped.


    Because Zhang Shan was currently shaking his head at me and saying word by word, "There''s only the two of us here!"


    Ah!" I took a step back and looked at the old man in front of me in horror. I seemed to see a faint cloud of smoke around him.


    "Hehe, this child has a tough life. I can''t ask for your cigarettes for nothing and give you something to play with. " As the old man spoke, he squatted down and extinguished the cigarette butt on the ground. He picked up a black ball from the "stall" in front of him and stuffed it into my hand.


    "It''s going to be thrown away! You can''t take what they give you! " Zhang Shan seemed to have suddenly seen the black ball in my hand and madly stepped forward, intending to snatch it and throw it into the river.


    But this black ball seemed to be glued to my hand, as Zhang Shan snatched this ball away, and pulled it along with me. He tried several times, and when I felt my arm snap, I gave up.


    "Do you want to die!?" "How dare you make a deal with a ghost!" Zhang Shan panted, pointed at my nose and cursed.


    I looked for the old man as soon as he stopped, but he had disappeared, along with the broken bicycle and the "goods" on the floor. He then looked at the object in his hand. It was black, very hard and had a bit of weight. It felt cold to the touch and seemed to be made of some sort of glass or marble. When I spun the ball around and saw the back of it pointing at us, my hands shook. It had a single eye, with upper and lower eyelids, pupils, white eyes, and even eyelashes. However, the surface of the ball was very smooth. This eye appeared to be inside the ball, and this part of the ball was transparent, so one could see what was inside.


    If I had seen it in normal times, I would have thought it was a good glass artifact. But under these circumstances, I wouldn''t dare to take it even if it were forced on me by a weird old geezer who was setting up a stall on the roadside late at night. Just as I was about to throw the glass eye into the river, Zhang Shan stopped me: "Forget it, leave it. Since I can''t take it away, it''s useless even if you throw it away. The things that are traded with ghosts cannot be left behind. "


    He stood rooted to the spot in a daze for a moment before continuing to walk forward. We both said nothing about the old man in tacit understanding. However, this time, I will not go back. What happened just now was too scary, I don''t want to be captured by anything. Zhang Shan, this crazy guy, still doesn''t know. Furthermore, after we created the culvert, the voices that came from afar suddenly appeared again. Although it was quite frightening, it didn''t have any substantial effect, so I didn''t pay any more attention to it.


    Finally, when we arrived at the third and last culvert, Zhang Shan stopped me and asked: "After this culvert, the northern gate should be right in front of us right? "Take a closer look. Is there anything suspicious?"


    I tried to keep my eyes open, but all I could see were closed shops and lighted windows. Although there were already street lamps in the distance, under the dim light, there was not a single person on the road. Not even a shadow could be seen. There was nothing out of the ordinary.


    Seeing me shake my head, Zhang Shan seemed rather surprised, and muttered: "That shouldn''t be the case, after you ate the Judge''s Grass, other than that ghost just now, could it be that you haven''t seen anyone else?"


    I was about to say no, when a song came: "Who is knocking on my window, who is playing the strings, that forgotten time..."


    The source of the sound was right above us, on the tracks above the culvert. Zhang Shan also stopped and looked up.


    "You can hear me?" I asked Zhang Shan excitedly. Because from the beginning of this road, it was always strange things that I encountered, saw, and heard. I was feeling a bit out of balance. This time he heard it, too, and I was no longer alone in feeling the fear.


    Zhang Shan did not answer me. He paused for a moment, then jumped up the slope and followed the direction of the sound. It seemed that he did indeed know where the sound came from. So instead of crossing the culvert first, we climbed the ten-meter-high line.


    When I reached the rails, I was stunned. The railway line was littered with people, or so it seemed to me, walking back and forth along the tracks. And the singing was coming from our diagonally opposite, in the middle of the railway bridge directly above the river, a woman in a green dress.


    "Did you see that?" I stared at the woman''s position, tugging at Zhang Shan''s sleeves and whispering to him.


    The lady is still singing, but Zhang Shan is staring at that direction without blinking, completely ignoring my words. I looked at Zhang Shan strangely, only to see him suddenly take a step forward and walk towards that woman.


    "What are you doing?" Don''t go over there! Danger! " I hastily called out to Zhang Shan in a low voice.


    But Zhang Shan acted as if he did not hear it. He had already walked several meters away. Not only did the woman not stop singing, she even continued to wave her hands at Zhang Shan, indicating for him to walk over.


    Suddenly, a powerful beam of light shot over from the distance. I turned my head and saw a large lamp approaching.


    Oh my god! A train!

 C21

    Looking at Zhang Shan, his left foot was already in the orbit, and the distance between them was almost ten metres. I couldn''t care about that woman anymore as I shouted for Zhang Shan and ran towards him. However, Zhang Shan seemed to be unable to hear or see the lights on the locomotive.


    The train was so fast that in just two or three seconds, it had already pushed forward several hundred meters. This shouldn''t be an ordinary train. I''m guessing it''s either a train or a high-speed train. In less than three seconds, he was definitely going to crash into Zhang Shan. I had already run to Zhang Shan''s side. I didn''t care about where we were at all, as long as I could pull him down from the metal road. As for the consequences, I didn''t even have time to think about it.


    Zhang Shan was tall and strong, so normal pulling might not work on him. So I held him by the waist, and then I fell backwards, trying to pull him back by force, using our momentum. But in the end, I still forgot one thing. Zhang Shan had already walked to the opposite of that woman, which meant that he had already reached the middle of the railway bridge.


    Following the inertia of my fall, although Zhang Shan was pulled back, he was still nearly 1.9 meters tall. The railings on the nearby railway bridge had no effect at all. There was a dull thud, and the back of my head hit the guardrail as I fell backward. The impact made my eyes sparkle. After being dazed for just a moment, my hand loosened. Without my support, the fence only brushed against Zhang Shan symbolically for a moment, but was unable to stop him as he fell into the river below the bridge.


    Ignoring my headache, I looked down through the gap in the iron railing. Zhang Shan fell face down. If he fell into the river, there was still hope. If he fell on the riverside path, I''ll just wait to collect his corpse.


    Before I could see what was going on below, the train whizzed past me. It was definitely a moving train, and the strong flow of air hurt my face and eardrums. I even felt the possibility of being sucked away by it. I could only cling to the fence, and if I let go, the only ending would be being sucked off the train and bounced off, and I would die without a doubt.


    Five seconds later, the train pulled away from me and headed forward with the wind. After a while, I let go of the fence and lay down beside the embankment, breathing heavily. Even though it was only five seconds, every second was unbearable for me. It didn''t just carry the wind, it also carried all the strength in my body.


    While I was still gasping for air, I looked over to the other side of the tracks. The woman was still standing there. The wind had stopped and I could finally see her face. Beneath the pure-white skin was a gorgeous and exquisite face. Although she did not look very young, at least in her thirties, she did not lack the grace a young girl should have. Who was she? Why sing here late at night? And actually caused Zhang Shan to fall into a daze?


    Zhang Shan? That''s right! Only then did I remember Zhang Shan, and I couldn''t care anymore to study this woman, as I struggled to get up and look under the bridge. When I gradually saw the darkness under the bridge, I realized that a large black object was floating on the surface of the river not far ahead. It should be Zhang Shan.


    I quickly stood up and walked to the end of the bridge, holding on to the railing. Before he got off the bridge, he looked back and saw that the woman had already disappeared. I got off the line, walked from left to right, climbed over the fence, and jumped into the river. The water in the Golden River wasn''t too deep. The water level in front of the North Gate was already quite high. It was only a little more than a meter long and had just reached my ribs.


    At this time, I had already recovered some of my strength, and slowly drew towards Zhang Shan who was floating. When we got closer, I realized that Zhang Shan was floating on top of the water with his face facing downwards. This posture meant that he couldn''t breathe, and furthermore, he fell head first. After so many minutes, I didn''t really dare to hope that I was still alive.


    When I was about to grab onto Zhang Shan''s right foot, he suddenly moved, raising his upper body up. While gasping for breath, he scolded loudly, "Damn, you''re suffocating me to death!"


    Seeing me looking at him with a face filled with fear, Zhang Shan wiped the water off his face and asked: "Where is this? How did we get in? My god, how can it be so smelly! "


    The Jinshui River had long since become stagnant, and because of the lack of management and the habit of the coastal residents of dumping garbage into the river, the river was extremely stinky. This was also the reason why many people didn''t walk along the river. Along the way, they would smell a terrible stench. It was really unbearable. If it wasn''t because I saw that Zhang Shan''s life and death are uncertain, in order to get him, I wouldn''t have come down even if I was beaten to death.


    Without waiting for my answer, Zhang Shan had already discovered our current location. Unexpectedly, he didn''t ask me about what had happened just now, but instead hurriedly said: "Quickly go ashore. Fast! "Faster!" With that, he swam towards the shore. By the time I realized it, he was at the bottom of the embankment, one hand on the railing, the other waving at me, signaling for me to hurry.


    I was about to move when I felt something under the river catch my ankle and I couldn''t move a muscle. I didn''t call Zhang Shan over to help. Thinking that it was just ordinary trash, I first squatted down to touch my ankle and tried to untie it.


    Due to the water level on the river, I had to grope my feet for a bit, so I must soak my entire head in the water. Seeing Zhang Shan being so tight, I did not say anything, took a deep breath, and started groping my ankles.


    But at this touch, my whole body began to tremble, because I felt a pair of hands, I don''t know where, under the water holding my ankle.


    I wanted to scream, but I realized that I was in the water, and when I opened my mouth I was already out of breath. I drank a few mouthfuls of dirty water.


    Seeing that he could not hold it in any longer, he stood up and coughed loudly.


    After coughing a few times, I immediately called for Zhang Shan for help. "Come help! There are two hands at the bottom of the river holding me, I can''t walk! "


    "What did you say?" After Zhang Shan heard this, he immediately swam over to me from the shore.


    Arriving in front of me, he took a deep breath and dived down. In less than two seconds, he reappeared and cried out, "Oh my god! It''s really a lot of manpower! "


    "Nonsense!" Quickly think of a way! " I was gripped by a pair of hands at the bottom of the river, unable to move. I was on the verge of collapse, and he still had time to determine whether I was telling the truth or not.


    "Don''t be in such a hurry, I''ll go take another look." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he went back down.


    After I anxiously waited for nearly twenty minutes, he floated back up and said with an ashen face, "There''s a corpse in the water. It''s the one that grabbed you."


    "Ah ¡­" My whole body was stiff. I only touched my hands before, and did not think much about it. Now that Zhang Shan had confirmed it, there was indeed a corpse holding onto me underwater, I could be considered to have completely collapsed. Both of my legs had already started to soften from being hard, and upon seeing that, Zhang Shan immediately supported me, speaking in a stern voice: "Stand straight! Do you want to choke to death? "


    "This river... How could this be ¡­ There are corpses! " I said, trembling to myself.


    "Although the riverbed has hardened, these hands are sticking out from under the riverbed. I just roughly touched it. There are a series of gaps around your feet, as if someone purposely cut off a piece and filled it in. If I guessed correctly, after the man had died, he had been cast into a concrete block the size of the crevice in the riverbed and then placed here. Coincidentally, I was stepped on by you today, so I didn''t let go of you. This should be a very evil Soul Suppressing Technique. It''s hard to say what its purpose is. I''m afraid that I''ll have to ask the person involved to know. " Zhang Shan''s analysis was very thorough.


    "Don''t say so much... Think of something first... Get me out of here! " If I wasn''t scared to death, I would have scolded him. Standing in the cold water and being held by a corpse under the water, he was still analyzing the case one by one.


    Zhang Shan thought for a moment, then said helplessly: "There''s no other way, I can only get you and the corpse out, and then think of a way to break apart the hand that is grabbing you."


    "This... Is that okay? Didn''t you say... Is it a piece of cement? " I was much more frightened, and gradually I began to regain my sense of what was happening, no longer short-circuiting my brain as soon as anything happened.


    "It shouldn''t be a problem. On one hand, the water is more buoyant, so this corpse won''t take up too much of it either. It won''t be too heavy. Secondly, they might not have been able to repair the cracks as they were in a hurry. So, they should be able to move around. You wait, I''ll try again. If I pat you later, try squatting in the water and using your hands to prop up the riverbed to see if you can get the cement out. " With that, Zhang Shan dove into the water for the third time.


    This time, after half a minute, Zhang Shan still had not floated up. As I waited, I felt a hand tugging at my thigh. After a moment''s hesitation, I took a deep breath and crouched into the water. Since the water was dirty, I didn''t dare to open my eyes. The water was definitely dark, so I might as well not open my eyes.


    I crouched down, put my hands on the riverbed, and bent my legs a little, then pushed them up with my hips and waist. There was something slippery about the riverbed, and it was so disgusting, so hard to pull, that I tried twice but failed. By this time the air had run out, and I had to get up and surface again.


    Zhang Shan also stood up and took a few breaths: "Looks like it isn''t good to use too much strength, but I have another method, which is to hold it in for a bit, and then ¡­"


    "Alright!" Fine! You can say whatever you want, but as long as you hurry up and get me out, I will call you Martial Uncle. " I didn''t wait for him to finish before I urged him on.


    "Fine, you can bear with it!" After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he walked behind me and spread his legs, avoiding the area of the cement under my feet. He wrapped his arms around my waist and started to gather his energy.


    Looking at his actions, I finally understood. This guy wants to pick green onions in the dry land!


    "Sigh, you guys ¡­" "Ahhh!" Just as I opened my mouth, my waist is tightly gripped. Following which, a strong force pulled me upwards and all the air in my chest was squeezed out in an instant. The arms around my waist and the hands gripping my ankles under the water made me miserable. Under these circumstances, they couldn''t even breathe, so how could they speak?

 C22

    Just when I felt that my head was about to explode, my feet loosened. A thing that weighed at least a hundred pounds was slowly lifted up along with my hand.


    Ah!" With Zhang Shan''s loud roar, the cement was completely pulled out of the riverbed.


    Zhang Shan hugged me and took a step to the side, then released both of his hands. Both of them were gasping for breath, but one was tired, the other was stifled.


    After resting for a while, Zhang Shan said: "Alright, you just need to wake up and it will be fine. "In a while, I''ll go ashore and drag you up. It''ll be much easier for us to take care of those hands as well."


    I thought about it. As a result, he stood up straight and planned to move around to check if there was any part of him that had been broken. However, when I reached my feet, I suddenly realized that the feeling of my ankle being tightly shackled had disappeared. I tried moving a little and unexpectedly, a leg was lifted! Overjoyed, I jumped down from the "cement".


    Seeing my actions, Zhang Shan also had a face full of surprise, and hurriedly asked: "Your leg was torn off?" I don''t know why either. I can only do it at high speed. Since the cement block was pulled out, his hands have been released.


    Zhang Shan tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said: "Let''s get this thing ashore first."


    "You still want to climb up?" I listened to my boss''s unwillingness. Half a night had passed, and I haven''t been able to find anything about the Corpse Supporting Spell at all. I still had to move this crappy "cement block".


    Zhang Shan replied sternly, "No matter what, there is only one person inside. Don''t think that it was just luck that let you off. It''s very likely that it''s trying to get us to save it, so it can''t just give up halfway. If you don''t finish what you want to do, we might not be able to make it to the shore tonight. No matter what is said or done, we cannot just leave it here. It is not something that can be justified morally. "


    After being reprimanded by him, I naturally had nothing to say. After discussing the details, Zhang Shan''s bag had a rope. We tied each end of the rope to this piece of cement, then climbed onto the road and used the rope to pull the cement block up.


    When we climbed back up from the river onto the river path, we found ourselves covered in black mud, greasy and sticky and stinky, but after so long, we were almost used to it, so we had to find a place to take a complete bath when we were done with our business. At this moment, we couldn''t care so much anymore. We used our strength together and finally brought this piece of cement to the shore and set it on the side of the road.


    When I looked at it closely, I could see that the hands were sticking out of the cement, slightly above the middle, where a man''s forearm should have been. His ten fingers were slightly bent. Although he had been soaking in the water for a long time, for some reason, he was completely unharmed. The whole piece of cement was only about the height of a person and was shaped like a long strip. At the top, I could see a lot of black filaments, clumps of what I assumed to be hair.


    Zhang Shan went around to the back and indicated for me to go take a look at the same time. I turned to look, and though I was prepared for it, my heart was racing against my will. What could clearly be seen behind him was the outline of a person. From the back of his head to his shoulders, back to his waist, it was very obvious.


    It was obvious that when this person died and was pouring cement, because his back was pressed up against the ground, the cement couldn''t completely wrap around him. After it dried, it naturally revealed itself. It was just that due to being immersed in water for a long time, the gaps in the water were not sealed. Some parts of the exposed parts had already rotted, and the flesh and bones were exposed. It was extremely disgusting and terrifying.


    Zhang Shan looked at it for a long time, sighed, supported himself with the cement and angrily said: "Who exactly are you, to be so ruthless! I never thought that there would still be people in the city who would use this kind of evil Soul Suppressing Technique and receive such torture after death! "


    Although I am more afraid than indignant, but such a cruel method, also for the dead sigh. While thinking, I also followed Zhang Shan''s example and propped my hands on the concrete block.


    "Thank you!" The moment I put my hand on the block. A voice sounded in his ear.


    Ah!" Startled, I pulled back my hand and looked back, but there was nothing behind me.


    "What''s wrong? "What''s the matter?" Seeing me suddenly jump up, Zhang Shan also nervously looked around.


    "That woman ¡­" It''s the woman who sang on the railway line! " I walked around the block, but I couldn''t find anything suspicious. However, that voice did indeed echo in my ears, as if it was right behind me.


    "What woman? Oh right, you still haven''t told me what exactly happened just now. " Zhang Shan finally remembered to ask me about this.


    I told him about how the singing woman had lured him to the railway line, and how I had nearly thrown him off the bridge when he had almost been hit by the screaming train.


    After he finished listening, Zhang Shan said hatefully, "Hmph! Don''t let me catch this woman, if she falls into my hands, I will make it so that he will never be able to reincarnate! "He almost caused my death, this son of a b * tch ¡­" After saying that, he sent a palm strike towards the block of cement to show his anger.


    As the cement was placed horizontally in the water, after we scooped it up, it was originally unable to stand steadily due to the heavy weight on its head. After being pushed by Zhang Shan, its balance was instantly broken and it fell towards me. I was too distracted to hide when I found out, so I had no choice but to reach out and hold it. Fortunately, it had a fulcrum on the ground, but it leaned toward me without much effort to stop him.


    "Don''t be afraid!" This time I heard it again, the woman''s voice! Turning around, I saw the woman in the green dress standing behind me, staring at me.


    I hastily adjusted the cement block and hid beside Zhang Shan who was behind the cement block. I stuck my head out and shouted, "You ¡­ Don''t come near me! Are you a human or a ghost? "


    The woman smiled at me, but her smile looked miserable and helpless, "Don''t be afraid, you are my benefactors, I won''t do anything to you. Isn''t that me you''re holding? You still want to ask me? "


    Only then did I notice that I was holding the block with both hands, my face still pressed to it, looking at the woman. I gave a cry and pushed my hands back. Due to the excessive force exerted, he fell heavily onto the ground. With a "boom," the concrete slabs toppled under my pressure and fell to the pavement.


    "What are you doing?" Zhang Shan stood at the side and asked me with a surprised expression.


    "This... in this concrete block... That is ¡­ "That woman!" I pointed at a pile of crushed rock in front of me and said while trembling.


    Since there was a person inside the block of cement, and it may have been easy to move, it wasn''t too heavy. I pushed again, and when the block of cement collapsed, the upper part of it completely shattered, and the corpse inside finally revealed its true appearance.


    Judging by the size of the body, this should be the corpse of an adult female. Because of the high degree of decomposition, the cement flew out along with the flesh. All we can see is a skeleton attached to the flesh. There''s no way to tell the age and appearance of the dead.


    "What did you say?" You said this is the singing woman? " Zhang Shan looked at the corpse on the ground, moving closer to examine it closely.


    Seems like this woman has indeed been sealed in cement, causing her soul to be unable to leave. Even as a Palmprint Holder, after eating the Judge''s Grass and not touching the piece of cement, I was still unable to sense her existence. From this, one could see how powerful this Soul Suppressing Place was.


    But she had clearly been standing on the railway bridge and singing. How could this be explained?


    The more I thought about it, the more my head expanded. After all the bizarre things that had happened in one night, it was not something that I, an ordinary person who had lived for more than twenty years, could accept. Gradually, I discovered something on the ground in front of me. If I looked carefully, it was a pair of snow-white bare feet. Following those little feet, I could see a green dress that was exceptionally eye-catching in the dark.


    The woman slowly crouched down until she was level with me, sitting on the ground, hugging her knees and looking at me.


    The distance between our faces was only about thirty centimeters. I wasn''t afraid that it was fake, but it wasn''t that I didn''t want to move, it was that I didn''t dare. I knew for sure that she was a ghost. What I didn''t know was that if I got up and ran, what would happen to him, so it was better not to move.


    After looking at each other for a long time, the woman finally opened her mouth, "Don''t be afraid, your friend was almost run over to death tonight, but that was not my intention."


    "My bones are going soft!" "I can''t tell, but I think we should hurry up and leave. Otherwise, if someone discovers us together with a corpse, it would be hard to explain." Zhang Shan squatted there and observed for a long time, but still couldn''t find anything wrong, so he helplessly stood up and spoke to me.


    I hastily made a gesture of hush towards Zhang Shan and pointed to the front of me, signalling for him to keep quiet and not speak carelessly. When the woman saw my expression, she smiled and stroked her hair. "It doesn''t matter. That body is nothing to me now. If you don''t break it, I won''t be able to obtain my freedom."


    Seeing that this woman really did not have any malicious intent and that her fear had gradually disappeared, he braced himself and asked her, "You ¡­" "Who made you do this?"


    "I don''t want to bring it up again." The woman stood up. "Anyway, I want to thank you again for saving me. As for this pile of bones, you don''t have to worry about it.


    At this time, I saw the shape of Zhang Shan''s mouth behind the woman''s back, and said to me: "Ask her about the Corpse Supporting Spell."


    "Wait a minute!" Seeing that the woman was about to leave, he hurriedly stopped her: "Have you heard of the Corpse Supporting Spell?"


    The woman turned back, her face reminiscent. After a while, he told me: "Sorry, I have never heard of any Corpse Supporting Spell. However, if you want to know, you can ask Master Qian. He followed the railway line above him and headed north. Two hundred meters away from the bridge was an abandoned courtyard where Master Qian lived. Maybe he has something you want to know. "


    "Well, if there''s nothing else, I''m going. Too many ghosts and people have come into contact, it''s not good for either of us. " When the woman saw that I had finished, she prepared to leave.


    "Where are you going? Right, what''s your name? " I didn''t know what to say, so I just randomly said it.


    "Go to the place I should be. If you can still see me in the future, remember that my name is Gao Yuan." After saying that, the woman smiled sweetly, turned around, and slowly disappeared into thin air.


    "Gao Yuan... Aiya, what are you doing! " I was recalling the meaning of the woman''s last sentence. But unexpectedly, Zhang Shan slapped me in the head from the back, causing me to block him.

 C23

    "Little brat, are you enchanted by ghosts? Why are you asking for his name? Do you know that you''re only half alive and you''re still in the mood to play this game? " Zhang Shan was a little disappointed that he had failed.


    "Yes, they don''t know what I can do, but she said there are experts over there who know. Do you want to ask them?" I quickly pointed to the north side of the railway bridge, changing the subject to save him the trouble of making use of it.


    "What do you think? If I don''t ask you, are you waiting for death? " Zhang Shan glared at me. He had obviously seen through my tricks. Only he didn''t know what the woman had said to me, and he was too embarrassed to go on blaming me.


    In order to prevent the debris from hindering passersby and also to show respect for the dead, under Zhang Shan''s insistence, we spent a few minutes piling up the shattered pieces of cement and bones in a relatively conspicuous place on the side of the road. As long as someone looks in here tomorrow, they''ll find out and notify the police, and the rest of the job will be theirs.


    As for whether the suspect will be caught or not, it''s none of our business. Besides, the victim has already said that she doesn''t want to pursue the matter, so I''m too busy to take care of myself. Besides, it''s not our job.


    Putting the gravel in place, we climbed up the ramp and headed for the other side of the bridge. This time we were a lot more careful, and we kept to the side as much as possible. I didn''t want to experience the feeling of a typhoon of the twelfth grade.


    The line was still full of people, but they kept their heads down as they walked. As expected, Zhang Shan couldn''t see a single one of them, and I could only try my best to stay as far away from them as possible.


    About two hundred meters north of the bridge, we found another room with a light on by the railway. He looked at his watch. It was already 2 in the morning and there were still people who hadn''t rested yet. He walked up to a small courtyard and discovered that the door to the courtyard was wide open. The ten square meter courtyard was littered with abandoned mineral water, cola, and beer bottles. There was only one room in the yard, and there was no door. Inside the room, there was a scavenger looking old man who was earnestly tying up a large stack of compressed cardboard boxes.


    I looked at Zhang Shan, my heart feeling confused, could this be the Master Qian that Gao Yuan spoke of? Zhang Shan was much more straightforward than me. Without saying a word, he entered the courtyard, stepping on the plastic bottles until they clattered loudly. He walked up to the old man and asked loudly: "Hello, are you Master Qian?"


    Come to think of it, it was strange that the old man didn''t hear such a big commotion caused by Zhang Shan, who was still tidying up his crappy pile of cardboard boxes. Zhang Shan was lit on fire, he turned and said to me: "That girl shouldn''t be lying to you, right? In order to run away, she lied to us that she had some kind of master. It can''t be that deaf and dumb old garbage collector, right? "


    He had always thought that Gao Yuan had deliberately wanted to kill him, and later on was even dissatisfied with me for letting her go without saying a word. Now that he met such a scrap picker, Zhang Shan''s tolerance was close to its limit.


    I kept an eye on the old man''s every move and found that while he was tying the boxes, the nylon grass he was tying up had been broken twice, and each time he was tying it up in two strands.


    Everyone knew the hardness of nylon grass. Ordinary people might have broken their hands, but they might not be able to break them with their strength alone. This old man looks to be at least 60 years old. Furthermore, the cardboard box isn''t sharp and can''t cut through the nylon grass. The strangest thing is that before I could even see the old man''s strength, the two pieces of nylon grass broke. I think even if Zhang Shan wanted to do it, he would definitely strangle his hand until it hurts. It can be seen that this old man is not ordinary!


    When Zhang Shan saw that the old man and I did not bother to pay attention to him, he became bored. He placed the fire on the old man and turned to get rid of him.


    "Be careful!" Just as Zhang Shan''s hand touched the old man''s shoulder, I noticed that the nylon grass in the old man''s hand broke for the third time. The blade in his hand flew towards Zhang Shan''s right cheek with a gust of wind, I immediately warned Zhang Shan so that he would avoid the attack.


    "Pa", before I could finish speaking, Zhang Shan''s face was hit hard by the Nylon Grass, and a red mark instantly appeared on his right cheek. Fortunately, it did not have much weight, so he could not bear the multiple injuries.


    Although I don''t know whether this old man who picked up scraps was Master Qian, but his skills and strength definitely exceeded the scope of what ordinary people could understand. For a light and weightless thing like nylon grass, to actually be able to use it to give Zhang Shan a big slap, it was clear how good it was.


    Zhang Shan was startled for two seconds, he reckoned that it was not a coincidence, but rather that the old man was making things difficult for him. Therefore, this guy was finally filled with anger. Without caring about respecting his elders and cherishing his children, relying on his height and strength, he shouted towards the old man: "Good! Old man, I didn''t know he was a practitioner. Come on! Let''s spar! " As he spoke, he reached for the old man''s wrist.


    I hurried into the courtyard to stop them, but as soon as I took a step I felt a large shadow pass overhead and fall to the ground behind me. The old man was the only one left in the room. He knew who had flown out without asking.


    The old man finally put down the nylon grass and slowly turned around. He had a high nose bridge, sunken eye sockets, and a dark goatee. He looked rather like someone from the Middle East. The clothes all over his body were dirty, and it was impossible to see their original color.


    If it wasn''t for the fact that he had revealed this move earlier and walked among the crowd, I definitely wouldn''t have been able to see any difference between him and the other scrap pickers.


    "Kid, you have good eyesight. You can see the strength in my hand with just two or three glances." The old man finally spoke. His voice was hoarse, as if he had taken a mouthful of phlegm.


    "The two of you let go of my money tree, so it''s fine that I didn''t go and settle the score with you two, but you still dared to come and find me. Speak, what do you want? " The old man had his hands behind his back and was walking toward me.


    "You said that Gao Yuan is your money tree?" I was confused. How could a dead man earn money for him?


    "Humph!" Don''t pick up the useless ones. " The old man stepped closer and closer, and I stepped back. Zhang Shan who was behind me also climbed up, looks like through the competition just now, he knew that he was no match for this skinny old man, so he stood outside the courtyard, leaving me here by myself.


    "Uncle Qian ¡­" Oh no, Senior! " I can already confirm that this old man is the Master Qian that Gao Yuan mentioned.


    "Don''t worry, letting her go wasn''t our goal, we just bumped into her by accident. We came to find you to find the whereabouts of one of the Corpse Supporting Spell s. As for the others, we really did not mean any harm. " As I backed away, I explained to the old man in as friendly a way as I could.


    "Corpse Supporting Spell?" When the old man heard these three words, he stopped and asked with furrowed brows, "You can see ghosts, who are the Palmprint Holder?"


    "It''s him!" Zhang Shan who was outside pointed at me through the low wall.


    Before I could react, the old man had already rushed forward and picked up my right hand with his index and middle fingers. At the same time, I saw three red spots on his wrist.


    "Yes, it is indeed a Inaction Imprint. Where is your master?" The old man looked at the mark on my wrist and immediately let go.


    "Northern Henan Taihang Mountain, Zhang Shixun!" Before I could say anything, Zhang Shan, who was outside the courtyard, quickly replied.


    "Zhang Shixun!" Zhang Shixun was struck by the Corpse Supporting Spell? " After the old man heard grandfather Zhang Shan''s name, he suddenly became excited: "Haha! Retribution! I have long told him that taking souls to good isn''t something our generation can do, and he wouldn''t listen. Now that he has been struck by the Corpse Supporting Spell, I''m afraid that half of his efforts will go to waste. Haha, retribution! " However, there was a hint of sadness in his voice.


    Zhang Shan, who was outside the courtyard, was no longer happy. "Who told you that my grandfather was struck by the Corpse Supporting Spell?"


    "It''s not Zhang Shixun? Who was that? Could it be you? " After the old man heard what Zhang Shan said, he stopped laughing and looked at me from head to toe.


    "It''s a friend of ours!" Zhang Shan saw that the old man''s expression was not good and quickly continued.


    "Do you take me for a three year old child? Only the Palmprint Holder could fall into her dreams. Even if a mortal wanted to enter the Corpse Supporting Spell, they wouldn''t have the ability to do so! Do you think that our Palmprint Holder is filled with kittens and puppies? " Old Man Qian immediately exposed Zhang Shan''s lies.


    At this time, I also threw caution to the wind and said to the old man in a clear voice, "The Corpse Supporting Spell is me. This junior will definitely remember Senior''s great kindness! "


    Hearing the meaning behind Old Man Qian''s words, his heart had long ago cooled down. Even Old Man Zhang had to sacrifice half of his strength in order to compete with the Corpse Supporting Spell. Then how can a brat like me, who doesn''t know anything, survive? Thus, right now, he couldn''t care about whether it was due to face or not, he could only lower his face and beg the Old Man Qian in front of him. There might be a chance for him to survive.


    "Humph!" Why should I save you? Once I save you, you will take over Zhang Shixun''s class and then go against me? " The old man was very good at settling accounts.


    But there was always a little leeway in his words. But I very accurately caught him, so I explained: "Strictly speaking, I am not considered Old Master Zhang''s disciple, because I was initially tricked by him, making a fool out of myself. Before we descended the mountain, Old Master Zhang already said that if I did not want to, I could completely disregard this level of master-disciple relationship. So, senior, you do not need to worry at all. As long as you save this junior this time, this junior will only have gratitude in the future.


    "Oh?" Old Man Qian was surprised when he heard that, and said: "Since when did Zhang Shixun learn to play dirty tricks? What if I tell you where the Corpse Supporting Spell is, but you have other conditions? "


    "Senior, please tell me." Now that I''ve finally gotten my hands on a lifeline, I naturally won''t let go so easily.


    "I want you to be my disciple!" Old Man Qian looked at me, waiting for my reply.


    "Don''t agree to him!" Zhang Shan shouted at me from outside the wall.


    At this moment, I was really in a dilemma. Being the Palmprint Holder was something I did not wish for, just the series of events tonight had caused us to be in such a sorry state. Besides, I''m a coward, so there''s no way I can do this kind of thing. However, if they didn''t agree with him, it was still unknown whether or not they could keep their lives until the day after tomorrow.

 C24

    I thought about it, and after a while, with the attitude of giving it a try, I raised my head and said to Old Man Qian: "Senior is clear, it is precisely because I do not wish to step into this yin and yang business that I do not acknowledge my master-disciple relationship with Old Master Zhang. To tell you the truth, I am not a material for Palmprint Holder, I just want to live this life of mine peacefully. If you think that the price of saving me is only to become your master, then I can only apologize to you. It''s not that I can''t do it, it''s that I don''t want to. As the saying goes, a melon is hard to swallow. You don''t intend to accept a mediocre person who is not interested in this as your disciple, right? However, I still hope that you can point me in the right direction when I''m still young. After I finished speaking, I stared at Old Man Qian, waiting for his response.


    Old Man Qian also didn''t make a sound, he just stared at me, as if he wanted to see the truth from my eyes. Naturally, I didn''t dare to slack off in the slightest. I also stared at him without blinking.


    After a long while, the Old Man Qian sighed and said, "The child is still young, why is he so stubborn? He can''t even bring back his life. Fine, since you don''t want to take me as your master, I won''t hold back for you. After this village, I won''t have this shop anymore. As long as you promise me one thing, I can tell you where the Corpse Supporting Spell is. As for how to break it, you''ll have to think of your own ways. "


    "Senior, please speak!" To be able to achieve such an effect, I am already satisfied. I hurriedly asked the Old Man Qian for his conditions.


    "I haven''t thought about it yet. Come find me when you come back alive! Corpse Supporting Spell has a dark and evil nature. As long as it follows you to Zhengzhou, it will hide in the depths of the Yin Field. Only then will it be able to hide its unique smell and avoid being discovered by those who have the ability to do so. As for the others, you guys can take care of yourselves! " After the Old Man Qian finished speaking, he turned around and was about to enter the house.


    Hearing that, Zhang Shan became anxious, and shouted outside the wall: "Please speak clearly, don''t you think it''s the same as not speaking, we will know where the Yin land is?"


    The old man turned around and said, "I won''t acknowledge you as my master, so that''s all I can say. If you kneel down and kowtow three times, I can help you right away. "


    This temptation was actually quite strong. It took me a lot of effort to stop myself from agreeing to him. Just thinking about how I would have to deal with these ghosts and nightmares for the next few decades made my heart tremble.


    I bowed towards Old Man Qian and said, "Senior, you can''t say too much. Junior will be extremely grateful. If I return with my life, I will definitely abide by the agreement and come again to pay my respects." After saying that, I turned around and walked out of the small courtyard.


    He only heard the cold snort of the Old Man Qian behind him: "What a donkey''s temper!"


    I left the courtyard and shot Zhang Shan a look. We followed the road ahead of us. After walking for less than 10 metres, he heard the hoarse voice of the Old Man Qian in the courtyard behind him. "The tail of the Plum Mountain, the loyal souls of the millions, the warriors of the south and the north, their blood stained the white sand!" It didn''t sound like poetry, nor did it sound smooth. What was the point of his chant?


    When Zhang Shan heard it, he snorted and said: "Crazy old man, doing weird yin and yang weird energy, making your speech chaotic, I think he must be practising some kind of evil technique!"


    Old Man Qian has a quick mind and is not slow at all, so he purposely said it out loud so it must be for some other reason. Thus, I turned around and said to Zhang Shan: "I think he is purposefully reminding us."


    "Tsk ¡­" Is he that kind? " Zhang Shan replied.


    "The tail of the Plum Mountain, the loyal souls of the millions, the warriors of the Conquest of the North and the South, the blood of the dead and the sand of the earth ¡­" I repeated these words in my mouth, but still couldn''t get the point. Zhengzhou was located on a flat plain. Where did this mountain come from? There was only Mang Shan by the Yellow River, but that was not in the city.


    "From what I see, he''s purposely deceiving you so that we can find the wrong direction. If we were to say that there is no cemetery, wouldn''t we know as long as we check it out one by one?" Zhang Shan thought that he had already grasped the main point.


    "Brother, this is in the city. The cemetery is also filled with ashes and bones, how could it be like your mountain where there is an earth burial? How much Yin Qi could there be? Furthermore, he just said that the Corpse Supporting Spell is hidden underground. We can''t possibly take a shovel and randomly dig around in the cemetery, right? "Since there are so many cemeteries in Zhengzhou, even if we start looking for them now, we might not have enough time in a single day." I immediately retorted at Zhang Shan''s point of view.


    "Anyway, on our mountain, where people are buried, the Yin Qi will naturally be thicker." Zhang Shan did not give up and continued to persevere.


    "Buried place ¡­" When I heard her words, something flashed through my mind, but it disappeared before I could catch her.


    "Martial Uncle, how about I go and beg that Old Man Qian again?" Seeing my furrowed brows, Zhang Shan also couldn''t bear to see it. Moreover, there were only less than two days remaining until the Corpse Supporting Spell will fully recover. If he wanted to defeat it, he has to rely on the last twenty odd hours.


    "Alright!" You have to go back, and before long you''re going to have to fight again. I''ve finally seen your temper. " I quickly stopped him.


    Actually, we all know that even if we ask the Old Man Qian, it will be for nothing. As long as I don''t want to acknowledge him as my teacher, there''s no point in saying anything. If I can''t defeat him, what can I do?


    "Right now, the most important thing is to wash off our stinky bodies!" I dug at the mud on my clothes. It was dried by the wind, and when I pulled it off, there was something sticky hanging on it.


    After walking for a while, I finally got back to the main road. I impatiently ran to the side of the road and hailed a taxi. I planned to find a hotel.


    As soon as the taxi door opened, the driver smelled the stench on both of us and pushed me out of the passenger seat, cursing, "Did you guys fall into the fecal pit? So smelly! I just washed the car seat cover. Get out! "No matter how much you give me, I won''t take it!" After saying that, he closed the door and left in a cloud of dust.


    Zhang Shan and the other two looked at each other and laughed bitterly. With their appearance and smell, forget about taking a taxi, even if they entered the hotel''s bathroom, they probably wouldn''t let them. Let''s find a place where nobody cares and wash up first.


    Then I thought of a park not far to the west, where I played as a kid, with a small lake that was so clear you could see the bottom, and clean water equipment for tourists to drink. It seemed that we had no choice but to go there and wash, so we walked west.


    "Where to?" Zhang Shan caught up to me and asked.


    "I should wash up first!" I had just answered him when my mind filled with light. That''s right! Was the old man talking about the Green Hill Park? I suddenly remembered that when I was a kid, I used to go to the Bashang Park to play. The stone tablet about the park''s history said this:


    On June 1, 1927, Feng Yuxiang met with the northern expedition in Zhengzhou. Feng Yuxiang is the president of Henan province. After that, Feng Yuxiang led the National Revolutionary Union Army to continue the eastern expedition, and returned to Shandong, Hebei, Beijing, and Tianjin. Victory in the east meant a break in the war. In the spring of 1928, in order to bury the soldiers who had died in the previous battles, Feng had allocated more than 200,000 yuan to Xu Xiangyun, the commander of the transport company, to build a graveyard for soldiers who had died in the Northern Channels. The former self of the Bishan Bian Gang Park was General Feng Yuxiang''s graveyard of fallen soldiers.


    Logically speaking, the Bisha Hill Park was indeed in line with the conditions of the extreme yin region of Zhengzhou. After liberation, in order to respond to the call of the central "deep excavation, wide grain", the west and south of Zhengzhou were excavated shelters, most of which were connected to each other, covering almost half of Zhengzhou.


    Bisha Heights is located at the border between the west and south of Zhengzhou, and its park identity is more conducive to the construction of air-raid shelters and complex underground network. There were several entrances to the dugout in the park. Could it be that the Corpse Supporting Spell was hidden here? However, I really couldn''t figure out the reason behind the old man''s words. Could it be that once upon a time, it was still called White Sand Hill?


    I immediately told Zhang Shan my deduction. When he heard this, he pondered for a long time before saying, "It seems that this old man is really reminding us. If you can''t figure it out, don''t think about it. If you want to go there, you can go to the park and take a look. Let''s go! "


    So we set off at once, walking quickly toward the Beshagatan Park.


    When I got back to the road, I felt safer. There were not only bright street lights, but also a car that drove by from time to time. I had never felt the noise of an engine so good before.


    Occasionally, a passerby or two walked slowly along the sidewalk. After watching for a while, I realized that something was still wrong. The stench and the dark grease on both of us was extremely conspicuous, but just now a girl had walked past us, neither avoiding nor looking up. After some thought, he realized that it was after all around three in the morning. The young girl was walking alone on the road, even if it was the main road.


    I looked again at the three or five men within a few hundred meters. They discovered that everyone had lowered their heads and slowly moved forward, completely devoid of the urge to rush home in the middle of the night. After thinking about it for a long time, I finally understood that they weren''t humans. They were lonely souls that wandered around the city in the middle of the night.


    To prove my point, I pointed at an old man who was walking towards us.


    Zhang Shan still could not see it. As he walked in front of us, the old man had no intention to dodge at all. On the other hand, I hastily dodged to the side only to see the old man and Zhang Shan cross over each other. To be more precise, the old man had passed through Zhang Shan''s body.


    I stood at the side with my mouth agape in shock, Zhang Shan signaled me to ignore him and quickly rushed on my way.


    After about ten minutes, we finally arrived at the North Gate of the Bishang Park. It was late at night, and the park doors had already been closed, barring tourists from entering.


    The matters regarding the Jade Sand Hill were gradually becoming clearer in my mind. Back in the ''80s, the parks in Zhengzhou were closed very early, and visitors were basically forbidden to enter before ten o''clock. The only exception to this was the Beshakwan Park, which was closed at 8: 30 every night. The darkness of the summer was early, but it was only extended until 9: 00.


    Back then, there were many complaints from the citizens about the Park Service. Many of the residents in the area had already eaten dinner and came to the park to eat and take a walk with their children. However, they were usually chased out of the park management office before long with a megaphone in hand.


    For nearly a decade, the park had been closed more and more late because of repeated demands from the public. Some parks were not closed anymore and were open twenty-four hours a day to tourists. The park had been closed from eight-thirty to eleven, but every day the tourists had to be cleared by midnight.

 C25

    The Park Service claimed that the park was closed every day because of the fact that its predecessor was the tomb of the Revolutionary Martyrs of the Northern Army and that some important documents and cultural relics needed to be protected.


    Although this was the official version, the people did not think this way. Some people thought that the Miasagang Park had too much yin energy, which would have a negative impact on the park at night. Others thought that this was the hub of the huge underground construction of Zhengzhou. In short, there was a lot of stuff to talk about, and everyone just wanted to talk about it after the meal. No one would have the time to pursue this issue.


    However, along with the continuous postponement of the closing time in recent years, some rather strange things had indeed happened in the Bian Sha hill. Although these things could not be reported in the newspaper, when the residents nearby mentioned them, each person could tell two or three stories from their mouths.


    When I was a child, I was a devoted listener of these stories. Whenever I came to my maternal grandma''s house, I would hear rumors about the Beshakwan Park from the mah-jongg aunts and uncles in the courtyard.


    Of course, there was no lack of lies. What happened in other places had been forcefully taken by them to the head of the Bi Sha gang. But after hearing so much, I can tell which ones are true and which ones are false. But there are two or three things I''ve heard from at least ten people, and almost the same version, that are the only things to be believed and discussed.


    The first thing that happened was in the late eighties, when the Beshagung Park was still closing at eight-thirty. One day in early autumn, a young man asked his girlfriend to come to the park.


    The sky got dark early in October, and although there was a slight chill in the air, there were only a few people. The two of them could confidently hug and kiss each other, doing things that they were too embarrassed to do in public.


    The young man came early, just after dark, at six o''clock. At this moment, the social atmosphere had just been released, and there was no lack of intimate lovers in the park. The young man was afraid that he wouldn''t be able to take advantage of the terrain if he was late, so he didn''t ask the girl to stay at the entrance to the park, but in the woods, not far east from the gate, where there were a few benches for the tourists to rest when they were tired.


    The little guy only thought that as long as he came early and occupied a chair, the two girls would have a place to sit after a while. As soon as he entered the park, he went straight for the woods. When he looked in front of him, he found that there was no one sitting on the bench, except for the person sitting on the other side. So the boy went to the deepest part of the forest and sat down on a bench, waiting for his girlfriend.


    The position of the bench was especially good. At that time, the park''s wall was still made of brick, so it was not very bright. The other two benches were at least 20 meters away from the park. It''s the perfect place to date.


    The more he thought about it, the more beautiful he became. He wished that the girl would immediately pounce on him and bite him. Everyone knew that it was normal for a girl to be late for a date when they were dating. The young man had waited for more than half an hour, but the girl still hadn''t arrived. He could no longer sit still. But to wait at the door, he was afraid that someone would snatch his seat when he returned. He had no choice but to take out a cigarette to relieve his boredom. Otherwise, when the girl came, he wouldn''t give her the chance to smoke.


    The boy took a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth. He rummaged through his pockets, but he couldn''t find a lighter. This really was too impatient to smoke, so the little guy looked around to see if there was anyone else who was also smoking so he could borrow a fire.


    When he did, he saw a man in black with his back to him, leaning against a wall a dozen meters away, puffing and puffing. The youngster hastily moved closer and said to the man one meter away, "Big brother, I''ll have to trouble you to borrow a fire." The man replied with an "Oh" and threw a black object back without even looking at it.


    The boy took it and looked at it. It was a match, but it was damp to the touch, and he didn''t know if he could rub it.


    He wiped four or five of them consecutively before he finally managed to get a better match. With a "Hua" sound, green flames instantly shot out of the match, startling the young man.


    Lighting a cigarette, the little guy wanted to return the match to the man, thinking that it was fine if you used a match every day, but this autumn''s wind was so strong, and it was still very humid, so it didn''t take too much effort! The man waved his hand in a magnanimous manner, indicating that he didn''t want it anymore. Then, he walked to the side.


    Back on the bench, the boy looked at the matchbox. It was too dark to see. Thus, he casually put it in his pocket. Since he didn''t bring any fire today, he might still be able to use it when he wanted to smoke. Although it wasn''t easy to draw water when the time came, it was still better than always looking for someone to borrow fire.


    After taking a few puffs, he felt that the smell of the cigarettes today was off. Could it be that he had bought a fake one? As a result, the little guy held the cigarette in his hand and looked at it carefully. When he looked at it, he saw that the cigarette butt that was sizzling out was actually also glowing with green light.


    The youngster was so scared that he immediately threw away his cigarette. He hurriedly looked up to find the man. He could only vaguely see that the man had entered the deepest part of the forest corner. The boy immediately followed to see what was going on, because it was a dead end and there was no way out. If it was a piss or a piss, there was only a free public toilet less than 100 meters away. The lights in the public toilet were very eye-catching at night, so there was no need to solve it here.


    When the boy walked to the corner of the woods and the park wall, he found that he couldn''t find the man at all. He just disappeared into thin air.


    The little guy was scared out of his wits, and the girl didn''t wait any longer. She ran home on her hands and knees and told everyone that she had met a ghost in the park, but no one believed him. The little guy angrily flipped over the table, smashed things, and locked himself in the house, not allowing anyone to come in.


    Just like that, a month passed. The family saw that he was still not getting better, so they had no choice but to call for a car from the mental hospital, intending to send him in. While he was tidying up the coat he had been wearing for a month, the match fell out.


    The boy''s grandfather, an old revolutionary, recognized the box of matches at a glance. It had been made by an ocean fire factory in Henan during the warlord era. With the Japanese invasion of thirty-seven years ago, the firewood factory had collapsed after not more than two years in the middle of the war. When I was young, I used to use this brand every day.


    Now everyone understood. It seemed that this little guy had really met something he shouldn''t have and believed his words. The little guy no longer lost his temper, but he was unwilling to step foot in the front gate of the Bashang Park ever again. Although his temper was good, his brain was often not enough for him, making him seem a little stupid.


    When they had finished, the adults would say that there was something wrong with the man in black''s matches, and the boys would light their cigarettes with his matches, and every time they took a drag, some of the spirit would be sucked out, causing them to lose their sanity.


    Whether the match was a problem or not, at least I still believe in the truth of the story. Because that young man had lived in his grandma''s courtyard, many people had heard of his story about that man in black. Everyone knew that this was the reason why he lost his mind for a while, and at that time, he would smash things almost every night, so everyone in the academy would hear about it.


    If his family was able to be smashed or was worth a lot of money, then his girlfriend would naturally leave him. His family felt that he was too embarrassed to make a fuss every day, so they moved to the west side of the country. A few years later, he heard that things were slowly getting better again. His family had found him a living, called him a master, and went to a construction company to open an excavator.


    The second story happened in the early nineties, right when we first started making a ruckus after 80. The kids were everywhere in those few years, there were at least 10 or 20 of them in my grandma''s yard. In every group of children, there would always be two or three who were particularly annoying.


    No matter how much the children of other families loved to play, they would not dare to disobey the adults. The living space was limited to that courtyard, and without the permission of the adults, they would absolutely not dare to leave. But there were only three or five children in my grandma''s yard, and across the road was the Beshagung Park. When the holidays came, they would dive into the park in the morning, eat lunch when they were hungry, and then run back inside after eating. No matter how loud the adults were, no matter how much they beat them, they would not listen.


    After a long time, their family''s elders stopped emphasizing such things. Since it was useless even if they wanted to beat them up, just go and play if they wanted to. The park was close to home anyway, but the children had to be careful when crossing the road.


    After I went to high school, I heard this story from my uncle.


    As I mentioned in my last story, there was a small forest to the east of the north gate of the park. It was a place for lovers to talk about love, and it was not much fun for the children. They were more interested in the west side of the park, where there was a small mountain, about ten meters tall.


    At that time the park had not been renovated to the hill, and there were no roads to be repaired on the hill for visitors to climb up and down. There were weeds and rocks everywhere, and there was a small fortress at the top of the mountain.


    Even though it looked dirty and messy to adults, and there might be snakes, it was a paradise for children to play. A group of teenagers would climb up and down this hill every day to play war games, pick the dogtail grass, and chew the sweet roots. They would never get tired of it.


    The fortress at the top of the mountain had undoubtedly become the most sacred place in the children''s hearts. Fortunately, due to the age of this fortress, it had already been stuck in the soil for several tens of centimeters, blocking the only stone door completely. In fact, even if he didn''t block the door, he wouldn''t be able to open it without at least three or five adults inside. The bunker was over three meters tall and slippery. Other than the two observation holes, there was nothing else. So the adults weren''t too worried about the children playing around the bunker, because they couldn''t climb up or get in.


    What happened next was something that the adults later heard from the children. The children had told the same story, so they all thought it was more believable.


    One afternoon, a few particularly crazy children were playing a war game on a small hill in the park, with one side guarding the hill and the other side attacking it from above. The weapons were nothing more than pebbles, sand, branches, and so on. At that time, toy guns were quite expensive anyways. Usually, people wouldn''t be willing to buy them for their children.


    The children were fighting happily when they heard someone calling from inside the bunker.

 C26

    Even the older children didn''t know what fear was, let alone the fact that it was in broad daylight. When they heard the shouts, they stopped "fighting" and surrounded him. They then took advantage of the hole in the fortress to look inside. But it was too dark to see anything.


    The children''s biggest wish was to get into the bunker and play, so they asked the man how he got in.


    The man did not answer, but merely told the children that he was hungry and asked them to help him find something to eat. After he finished speaking, he threw out a shiny golden object from the observation hole.


    The children fought to snatch it, and in the end, the one with the strongest strength managed to snatch it away. When they opened their hands, they saw that it was actually a bullet.


    This time, the children were in a frenzy. In those days, the thing they wanted the most was a gun and bullets. Although they didn''t have a gun now, it was still a real bullet. But the man in the bunker was clever enough to know that he had aroused the desire of the children outside, and so he gave another one to whoever brought him food, but told them not to tell anyone who told them, and never to give them any more bullets.


    When the children heard this, they no longer cared about fighting anymore. They ran back to their homes and took out all the leftover food from their lunch. Some of them brought two steamed buns, some of them brought a bowl of noodles, some of them brought a sesame seed cake. Naturally, the child who had previously snatched the bullet was not willing to fall behind. He even took out half a bottle of wine from his home. Although he had one bullet, he still wanted to exchange for another. At that time, even though everyone would have one, he would have two. And he would still be the target of envy.


    When the children had brought all the food and sent it to the fort, the man inside did not go back on his word. He took a bullet from each of them and again reminded the children not to tell anyone else about it.


    In fact, some adults at home discovered that they had no food left after work that night, so they went to ask the children. They all insisted that they had eaten since they were hungry, but the child could not answer no matter where the plates and bowls were. After all, a plate and a bowl were not worth much money, and they were all broken.


    The next day, the children continued to bring food to the person in the bunker, and each of them received a bullet as a reward.


    On the third day, someone discovered that something was wrong. It was normal for the child to be hungry every afternoon, but the problem was that every time he finished eating, the plate and bowl for the food would disappear without a trace. Ask the child, they did not say, and a few careful parents found the bullet in the child''s hand, asked where it came from, the child said it was found on the mountain park.


    It was about time for him to be discovered. On the afternoon of the third day, a naughty child had nothing better to do but open up the bullet in his hand to see what it looked like. Then, he took a brick and smashed it on the bullet.


    After a few slaps, the bullet went out of fire and hit the ground before bouncing back. Luckily, the child was lucky, the bullet grazed his shoulder and flew into the air. Although lacerations could not be avoided, it was still a superficial wound.


    This time, there was a huge commotion. Even the local police station sent people over. Once questioned, they were startled. Over ten children had over fifty rounds of bullets in their hands. It was a big case at the time. The parents panicked and asked about the origin of the bullets. In the end, the children couldn''t take the psychological attacks anymore and confessed that it was the people inside the bunker on the hill in the park who gave it to them.


    The police had been inspired and thought that this was probably a wanted fugitive who had hidden there. Due to the shortage of food, they had thought of using this method to exchange food with the children. Considering that the other side might have a large amount of ammunition and weapons, and a bunker that was easy to defend, he had immediately mobilized his armed police force and surrounded the mountain bunker in the middle of the night.


    Since the angle of the two slits was very small, and they were basically facing the same direction, it did not take much effort for the armed police to arrive in front of the fortress.


    He first yelled out an attack in his heart, but seeing no reaction, he threw a teargas bullet through the hole. After smoking for a long time and burning all the tear gas, without seeing any movement from inside, the officer ordered the stones and soil to be pushed away from the door of the bunker. He then found ten strong warriors and opened the door with great effort.


    After opening the stone door, they took out the lamp and were all dumbfounded. The inside of the fortress was only three to four square meters wide, and there was nothing inside. It was neatly arranged the various food that the children had handed in over the past few days, as well as the plates and bowls.


    At that time, there were people who said that the suspect might have heard the news and ran away in advance. However, this fortress only had a door and two eyes, and the observation hole was only slightly larger than a red clay brick. Ordinary adults couldn''t even stretch their arm out, so how could someone climb out?


    Moreover, this stone door had been buried here all along. This time, it had been forcefully opened by ten warriors. It was impossible for one person to open the stone door.


    To say that the children were lying? However, those food and wine were neatly arranged inside. If there was no one inside, then they would have to place these items neatly from bottom to top through a hole that could not be stuffed with an arm. No matter how one looked at them, it would be impossible to explain.


    The leader did not believe this evil, and immediately ordered, even if he had to dig three feet out of the ground, he had to find this person. Thus, he sent a few soldiers to dig into the fortress with a military shovel. After digging for less than a meter, he had actually managed to dig up something. It was a piece of the man''s thigh bone.


    After digging again, a whole skeleton was slowly pulled out. There was also a small wooden box under the skeleton. Inside the box was a full box of Han Yang bullets, the kind that the children held in their hands.


    Finally, after a professional''s verification, the bullets that were collected from the children''s hands and the box of bullets that was dug out were produced in the same batch. The original 1500 rounds of ammunition was not enough, only 1,446, 54 less, and all the bullets in the children''s hands, including the one that went off, added up to just 54.


    That was the end of the story. The troops came and left that night, not forgetting to fill up the bunker and close the stone gate again.


    As for who the skeleton was, and whether the 54 bullets in the children''s hands were the ones that were missing from the box, he would have to ask the skeleton first. The bunker is still standing on the hill at the northwest corner of the Beshakwan Park. Interested friends can go take a look, but if someone inside asks you, don''t say yes.


    The third story was also the strangest one, and it had something to do with the dugout in the park. I remember it better because it was a sensation and it was in the papers.


    It was in ''94, and not two years after the shooting, a group of young men who lived near the Beshagatan heard from the older generation that there were a lot of underground fortifications to the west and south of Zhengzhou, and they had a whim to venture into the park''s dugout.


    So they prepared ropes, torches, compass, food, water, and some protective gear for a Sunday. The group carefully avoided the patrolling staff of the Park Service. After prying open the door to a dugout at the back of the administration building, they went inside.


    At that time, a total of seven people went in. Not long after they left, two people stopped walking. One of them was the only girl in the team, while the other was his boyfriend. The girl was scared, crying and demanding to go back, so she stopped playing. The rest of them had no choice but to let her boyfriend accompany her out first. The rest of them continued to move forward.


    Not long after that, the first fork appeared in the dugout. They were probably outside the range of the Bisha Hill Estate. They were all excited to see where the dugout in front of them went to. After making the marks, the remaining five of them split into two groups, each of which took two different paths. The three of them were rather lucky along the way. Not long after they left, they found another exit. After a brief discussion, they decided to arrive here first. Next time, they would explore further, so they forced open the exit door and climbed out.


    However, the two-man team from the other group was not so lucky. It was not until the evening, in a home on the Rue du Rue du Lue, a few kilometers to the south of Bishar Park, that those who came out for a walk in the evening heard a cry for help from behind the front door of the dugout and called for the police and the resident committee of the police station. They opened the door to find the two boys.


    At that time, their minds were already muddled. After being sent to the hospital, their brains had received some sort of stimulation, which was what caused this situation. After going home to recuperate for a long time, he finally managed to slowly improve. But when the family asked about that day, they could not remember it at all. It was as if the day in their lives had been stolen, left blank.


    In fact, this matter wasn''t finished yet. No one could have imagined that the first couple to leave, their parents went to each of the young men who went into the dugout together with them the day before, saying that they hadn''t come back for a day and a night.


    At this moment, everyone panicked and quickly called the police, arranging for the dugout to send someone over. It seemed that hundreds of people had been dispatched to search the dugouts to the west and south of Zhengzhou in two days. He couldn''t find the man and the woman, so he had no choice but to leave it to the missing person.


    When my father heard about this, he said disdainfully, "Do hundreds of people want to dig up Zhengzhou''s bomb shelter in two days? They had never seen such a thing before. The dugout in Zhengzhou had been continuously dug for nearly 30 years. How could there be more than one hundred thousand men involved? At most, they only searched the outside one-fifth. "


    From then on, I was fascinated by the dugout, hoping to experience it for myself one day. However, I was too timid, so it didn''t matter if I thought about it once.


    Back then, there was no child who didn''t like "Earth Warfare". In our hearts, "Earth Thunder Warfare" and "Earth Warfare" were not the same level of movies. After all, not everyone could see the mines, but the tunnel was right beside us. So every time I finished watching The Underground Warfare, I had a desire to find a tunnel to drill in. However, my home was in the northern part of Zhengzhou, which was outside of the old city, so there were no shelters and tunnels nearby.


    But then again, four months later, on the anniversary of the events of September 18, in order not to forget the shame of the country, all the city alarms had been raised and air-defense fortifications checked, and all the dugout doors had to be opened and replaced with new locks and keys. In the yard of a national cotton factory, when the resident committee opened the door of the dugout, two dehydrated corpses leaned against the door, scaring the person who opened the door into rushing to report to the police station.

 C27

    When the police arrived, they identified the dead man''s backpack, the contents of his pockets, and his clothes as the man and woman who had disappeared a few months ago. But according to the other five, they had not been gone more than three minutes when they turned back, and the road was straight to the dugout in Beeshamp Park. There was no fork in the road, and they couldn''t figure out how they had gotten to the national cotton factory a few kilometers away.


    The station had also sent people into the same dugout to verify the accuracy of the rest of the evidence. The people who went down reported that they did indeed have to walk for more than ten minutes before they reached the first fork in the road. Even if they walked for ten minutes and turned around to head back, there was no mistake.


    However, the boys and the girls did not accept this. They believed that their child must have been killed by someone, which resulted in his tragic death. They strongly demanded an autopsy. When the body was first found, the meticulous family noticed that the girl''s right pinky was missing a segment. They searched around but couldn''t find it, so they could only give up.


    When he opened the chest exam, he found that the missing finger was actually in the boy''s stomach. And the two did not feed in water for a long time, resulting in water shortages and starvation. But when the bodies were found, the boy''s backpack was full of food and water, untouched. Furthermore, they had actually died by the door of the dugout. This was truly unimaginable.


    In the end, this matter was left unsettled. Neither the girl nor the boy''s family members continued their visits. Don''t ask me why.


    As for the news that appeared on TV and in the newspapers, they said that young people''s adventure led to lost in the dugout by mistake. They hoped that young people cherished their lives, took advantage of their spare time, and did not ignore the advice of others when their professional knowledge and equipment were not up to standard.


    From the looks of it, it couldn''t be blamed on the authorities not to tell the truth. Rather, there were some things that were difficult to explain and could not be explained clearly. Since the department had yet to figure it out, it wasn''t appropriate for them to say it out loud.


    Explaining more is counterproductive, people do have the habit of blindly listening and blindly following.


    Zhang Shan and I saw that there was no one at the entrance of the park, so we climbed over the iron fence beside the gate. If the red brick wall of Bisha Hill had been four or five meters high a few years ago, we really wouldn''t have been able to do anything about it.


    After we entered the park, we went back to the gate. There was a stone tablet with the history of the park engraved on it. The first sentence was written as follows: The original name of the Bashang Hill is Bai Sha Gang, which is the end of the Meishan Mountains extending from the southwest to the northeast. This place is filled with sand and wind all year round, forming a high and low sand dune ¡­ "


    "It''s here!" at least Old Man Qian has a conscience! " Zhang Shan rubbed his hands together in excitement and asked, "Where is the entrance to the dugout?"


    Because my grandma''s house is directly opposite the north gate of the Bashang hill, when I was young, whenever I came to my grandma''s house, I would always go to the Bishan hill park. But in the past two years, due to work, on the one hand, the number of visits to my grandma''s house has decreased, and I have also grown up, so the park no longer has any special attraction for me. It was the first time in three or four years that I had been in the Beshagatan Park.


    In my memory, I knew there were at least three entrances to the dugout in the Bishang Park, but I also knew that many were hidden.


    Out of the three entrances, the most famous one was the one behind the Park Service. But after the tragic death of the young man, the Park Service, in order to strengthen its management, tore down the wall next to the hole and pushed it four or five meters out to be rebuilt. With this, the hole was moved into the yard of the park administration building. Naturally, no ordinary visitor would be able to get close to it.


    The other cave entrance wasn''t too far away. It was located a hundred meters to the west of the Park Service, in the courtyard of the Northern Martyrs Memorial. Usually, one needed to buy a ticket to enter this memorial.


    If we wanted to enter the dugout without being discovered, we would have to rely on the last entrance. This opening is in the middle of a small artificial lake at the southwest corner of the park. The artificial lake is not big, it''s only about 400 to 500 square meters and the water is quite shallow. When I first went there to play, I was very curious. Why did I dig a dugout in the middle of an artificial lake, and wasn''t I afraid of the water pouring it in?


    Only after a long time did he realize that this wasn''t a first lake, but a second dugout. He had planned to build a small lake here, but after planning it out, he found an entrance to a dugout in the middle of the lake. For some reason, this hole wasn''t filled in, but instead was raised high, turning into a scene in the lake.


    I told Zhang Shan what I had thought of and he also agreed to enter from this place, saying, "It seems that this is the only entrance that no one would ever come close to. After all, there is a lake water blocking their path. I feel that if the Corpse Supporting Spell had really snuck in here, it would have definitely chosen that entrance as well. We just need to go over and see if the lock on the dugout door is still in good condition, and then we''ll immediately know if the Corpse Supporting Spell is really hiding underneath this place. "


    Since we had already decided on the direction, we didn''t waste any more time talking and immediately ran towards the southwest corner of the park.


    Soon, we arrived at the artificial lake. Looking at the black hole in the middle of the lake, my heart couldn''t help but beat rapidly. If it''s just as Zhang Shan said, the Corpse Supporting Spell would flow across the river, open the steel door and hide underground, then we will have to follow them down. If we go down, who knows what will happen? When he thought of the last experiences of those young men who had entered the dugout, he felt a chill run down his spine.


    Furthermore, if the lock on the door was not damaged, then it proved that the Corpse Supporting Spell had never been here before. Even though we don''t need to go down, the clues are about to end here. Starting from the day after tomorrow, we''ll be in a situation where we''ll be passively beaten up. Maybe one day, when I''m walking down the road, a monster will jump out from the roadside and snap my neck ¡­


    I really didn''t dare think about it anymore.


    Zhang Shan did not notice my conflicted feelings. Looking at the lake water, he was amused and smiled at me: "Let''s go. I think the water is pretty clear. Let''s take a bath."


    I gave him a wry smile and walked slowly into the lake.


    The cold water of the lake late at night stimulated every nerve in my body. The water was shallower than I had expected, just barely reaching the middle of my thighs. It must be due to the huge civil defense project below. As a safety measure, he could not store too much water to prevent it from collapsing or leaking.


    The closer I got to the door, the more nervous I became, hoping that the lock was good and at the same time that it was bad. Finally, after two or three minutes, we both washed ourselves and moved to the side of the dugout. Seeing that I didn''t dare to move forward, Zhang Shan simply took a step forward, wanting to see if the lock was still in good condition.


    Three seconds later, Zhang Shan turned back with an ashen face, and only said four words: "The lock is good." After he finished speaking, he sat on the ground like a deflated balloon. He mumbled, "It shouldn''t be ¡­ "Previously, after searching for over a month, I was unable to find this fellow. It shouldn''t be here ¡­"


    I didn''t know if I should be happy or worried. I didn''t need to go down to this terrible shelter, but would I have to live in fear every day after that? I even started to regret not taking Old Man Qian as my master earlier on. Even if I were to brazenly return now, whether Old Man Qian was willing or not is another matter, because I no longer have the money in my hands. The last bit of backbone that I can rely on, is about to be completely destroyed.


    At this point, I finally knew that there was nothing left of me. Perhaps in the future, whenever I could live for a day longer, I would have to thank the heavens for the greatest kindness I had received. I can''t accept this! Anger rose in me, and I stepped forward and stomped hard on the iron gate.


    ''Bang! ''A loud sound was heard as the metal door fell to the side with my foot. But not on the locked side, but on the side where the iron gate was welded to the wall of the cave where the shaft could be turned. I was surprised. When did I become so strong? To think that I was able to casually stamp open such a sturdy metal door.


    Zhang Shan sat on the side and watched with a puzzled expression. After a while, he crawled up and walked towards the metal door. Then there was a burst of laughter, and as I laughed, I turned and walked toward me, so scared that I backed away.


    Zhang Shan didn''t care that much, he grabbed my shoulder and said: "Haha! I said it was impossible, we were stupid, we only thought of the other side of the lock, I didn''t think that guy broke the door here. I saw it. Although this is a new seal, it was definitely not destroyed by your stomp just now. It was clearly pulled away by someone using brute force. Who do you think it was? Haha! Lad, you''re saved this time! "Hahahaha!"


    I wasn''t as excited as him, I hadn''t even seen the shadow of the Corpse Supporting Spell yet, and looking at his happy expression, it seemed like he had already extinguished the opponent. This fellow was so pleased that he even forgot to call me Martial Uncle, and directly called me brother.


    "Who''s there?" Just as Zhang Shan was rejoicing, the sound of shouting came from afar along with a few beams of chaotic light. It was obvious that the commotion between us just now was so great that it was heard by the people from the Park Service and they came looking for us.


    "Hurry up!" While I was still staring at the flashlight in a daze, Zhang Shan had already quietly supported the door that had been kicked down, pulling me towards the other side of the lake.


    Two minutes later, we were standing at the base of the wall outside the west gate of the park. I was curious as to why Zhang Shan had pulled me out again. "Why didn''t you just go in?"


    "No one. We can''t just sneak in in in the dark, right?" You don''t want to die, I want to live! " Zhang Shan shrugged his shoulders at me.


    "Didn''t you bring a flashlight with you at night?" I remember clearly seeing it in his bag.


    "Martial Uncle, a eight dollar flashlight doesn''t seem to have any waterproof abilities, right?" Zhang Shan said as he took out a green plastic flashlight from his bag and threw it at me. Taking it from me, I immediately understood that in the Golden River, both of us were drenched from head to toe, and his bag was no exception.


    "Since you''ve found the location of the Corpse Supporting Spell, don''t worry. Find a place to wash up and have a good night''s sleep. Prepare all your equipment tomorrow, we''ll go down and catch zombies tonight!" Since Zhang Shan knew that the Corpse Supporting Spell was here, it seemed to have become a lot more relaxed, as if he was not worried at all that a fierce battle would occur tomorrow.

 C28

    "Then aren''t you afraid that it will run away tonight?" I''m still a little worried.


    My Martial Uncle, that thing is just a twig. It can''t even talk, and you still expect it to be as smart as you?" Let''s put it this way, the Corpse Supporting Spell was actually no different from a wild beast. The only difference was if one walked upright. Besides, even if it could think, it was afraid that you wouldn''t come. How could it avoid you? "Ahh!" Zhang Shan was already yawning.


    If it''s a mule or a horse, there''s no need to bring it out for a walk. We found a hotel nearby and stayed there.


    The girl at the front desk stared at us with a strange expression as we registered in the hall.


    Because we had just had another bath in the artificial lake and were still wet, the old Seagoons mud in the Golden River was not so easy to wash off. Although the stench had lessened, the clothes were still black and white.


    Under this strange gaze, the housing procedures were finally completed. I brought Zhang Shan to the elevator as if I was escaping.


    Just as the elevator door was about to close, I saw the little girl staring at me. She picked up the phone beside her and said: "Sixth floor, guest room.


    Under the disdainful gaze of the big sister in the guest room, I shyly opened the door.


    Zhang Shan didn''t know anything either, he just looked at me happily. I didn''t plan to tell him about this either, the children that grew up in the mountains are pure after all, it''s better not to teach him a lesson.


    We then had a comfortable hot bath and, to my great surprise, there was a small washing machine in the guest room. This solved my urgent problem. Just when I was worrying that I didn''t have enough money on me for tomorrow, I couldn''t buy clothes for tomorrow, I couldn''t buy equipment for tomorrow. I couldn''t possibly go out for a day just because of the stench. With this washing machine, he would at least be able to survive until he came out from underground. Of course, that was on the premise that he would be able to come out alive ¡­ Hey! You can''t think about these unlucky things.


    When all his clothes were washed, it was already dawn. Zhang Shan didn''t know how to use the washing machine and was already fast asleep on the bed. I hung up the last of my clothes on the TV and called the front desk and told them to wake us at 11: 30 P.M. before I went to bed.


    Maybe it was a psychological effect, but I kept feeling that the girl''s tone was a little weird. However, there''s nothing I can do about it. My phone has already been reimbursed in the Golden River. If we don''t let them wake us up early, we will have to pay for an extra day after 12 o''clock.


    After the call, I couldn''t hold on any longer, so I tilted my head and fell asleep on the bed. This time, I dreamt of Zhao Youde''s corpse baring its fangs and brandishing its claws in front of me. I simply didn''t put it in my eyes at all. My right index and middle finger formed a sword technique, and with a light wave, the Gold Coffin covered Zhao Youde and placed him inside a coffin. I laughed out loud towards the sky ¡­


    And then I dreamed of that ghost again, standing on the railway line singing a sad song, and just as I was about to approach, a speeding train came whistling by and knocked her into pieces ¡­


    Afterwards, I was in the darkness again and could hear Zhang Shan laughing crazily behind me. I turned around only to discover that he was standing in front of me, completely naked ¡­


    The instant I was pushed down by Zhang Shan, I finally woke up from my shock. The phone on the bedside table rang at the right time.


    "Mr. Wang, how do you do? According to your instructions, we will inform you that you have half an hour before you check out." Even though I was still confused, I could tell that the person on the other end of the line was no longer the girl who had registered for me last night.


    "Isn''t it time to go?" After I hung up, Zhang Shan rubbed his eyes and sat up. I looked around and saw that none of the clothes were dry, but there was nothing I could do about it.


    At a Sichuan snack bar next to the hotel, we ate a big bowl of fried noodles and took a bus to the used market in the north of the city. I only had three hundred yuan left in my pocket. Zhang Shan this guy came to find me, but he actually didn''t bring any money, and I don''t even know how he got on the long distance bus.


    The young people of Zhengzhou all knew that if they wanted to buy rare and precious things, the electronic edifice on Dongfeng Road in the north of the city was definitely their first choice. I remember when I was still in high school, I used to come here to buy pirated discs. At that time, in addition to pirated discs, the latest technology of bugs, all kinds of cheating pens, everything.


    At that time, digital cameras had just started, and were far from being as popular as they are now. However, in the Electronic Tower, there were already some merchants who had placed two baskets outside to sell. They would sell them for two hundred yuan each, just like potatoes. They could easily pick any one of them.


    I don''t know when the IT started selling, but I remember my first computer was bought in ''97, and when I moved it here in'' 00 to sell it, a boss''s words hurt me so much that I decided I wouldn''t sell it here even if I burned my old computer!


    At the time, the boss looked at my console and said, "Little brother, do you have enough benches in your house? If it''s not enough, I suggest that you move it back. "If you take it to me, other than eating, it''ll still be useful. I don''t know how to deal with it ¡­"


    After a walk around the fifth floor of the second-hand market, we decided to spend $180 on two miner''s light helmets. This set of equipment was expensive to the point that it was attached to a large battery at the back of the waist. The boss said it would be fine to keep the electricity on for three days.


    I left the battery at the owner''s place to recharge it, and we went out for another stroll. To tell you the truth, I don''t really know what to buy.


    Walking to the front of a shop selling adventure tools, Zhang Shan looked at the foot long mountain knife, and no matter what he said, he could not move a single step. I knew he had his eye on the knife, but when I asked the boss, he asked for one hundred and fifty yuan, but I had only one hundred and twenty yuan left on me, and I had to keep the fare back and the dinner money, so I couldn''t bring myself to buy it. After all, it was still unknown whether or not Corpse Supporting Spell was useful against a copper and iron skeleton.


    The boss was also a young man. As he showed us off, he said, "Brother, you''re also a knowledgeable person. This knife is the best in this batch. Look, I''m not even willing to open it yet."


    "Eighty!" I thought about it, Zhang Shan gave me his dagger, he really needs a weapon.


    "Brother, are you joking? This knife of mine is a good material, and I''ve been here for years, and I''ve never sold it for this price. If you really want it, I won''t give you a double price. The boss took the initiative to lower the price when he saw that the business could be done.


    "Eighty!" I didn''t even listen to her.


    "Brother, all the people that buy the machetes are donkey friends. Even if we make friends, where are you going this time? "Tell me, as long as I haven''t been there, I''ll give you this one hundred and one, how about it?" The boss knows how to do business, so he took the initiative to let us off the hook.


    "Eighty!" I am a little stubborn.


    "Fine, I think you should go to another house. Let me give you my answer. My knife strikes 90 times." "One hundred yuan, if you want it, if you don''t want it, don''t lie to me here." The boss was starting to get angry. He had probably never seen me so stubborn like this before. There was nothing much to say and it was just a price that would be repeated endlessly.


    The point is, I''m not in the mood to bullshit with him. She didn''t care about him at all, just dragged Zhang Shan who was already staring at him and left.


    Just as he walked five meters out, he heard the boss shout from behind him, "Brother, come back! I give up on you, ninety! Do you want it? "


    Just as I was about to turn around and continue walking, Zhang Shan pulled me back, his eyes full of pleading. Forget it! It''s only ten dollars, when did I ever get so serious about ten dollars?


    The boss called for the shop assistant to cut the knife while he opened his mouth full of words and said to me, "I say, little brother, aren''t you a little too stupid? I''ve never seen you haggling like this before. We buy or sell, what I sell is a comfort, what you buy is a reassurance. "Your method of bargaining is right here, at someone else''s house ¡­"


    Listening to his bunch of nonsense, I just smiled. In the second-hand market, he probably hasn''t come to Zhengzhou yet when I was touring around. His knife is worth fifty, even if I''m wrong about it.


    Before he left, the boss continued to ask Zhang Shan: "Old brother, which mountain are you climbing this time? "Tell this to me, bro. Let''s go play some other time."


    Zhang Shan turned and bared his fangs at him, as two words came out of his mouth, "Yin Mountain." After saying that, we left the confused boss and walked away.


    On the way back, I smiled wryly at the contents of the plastic bag. Three hundred dollars, the two of us disguised as miners with machetes. He just didn''t know what would happen to the miners and the zombies. It couldn''t be worse than the plants, right?


    At five in the afternoon, we returned to the west gate of the Beshaigong Park and randomly ate something. Then, we bought ten sesame seed cakes and four bottles of mineral water, which Zhang Shan could carry along with him. This is something I insist on. If I can''t get out of here for a few days, I''ll have to rely on these things to survive.


    We just sat there on the bench by the artificial lake, bored, not talking, staring at the dark hole in the shelter. The passersby all looked at us curiously. They didn''t know what the two men were up to as they sat there staring at the lake with bitter hatred.


    After waiting until it was dark, we took advantage of the lack of people to slowly flow down the lake and reach the dugout. Zhang Shan quickly lifted the door, and after waiting for me to enter, he dodged and then carefully closed the door, finally entering the dugout.


    After putting on the miner''s hat, we turned on the switch at our waist. Two strong beams of light shot out from the top of our heads, lighting up the surrounding dozens of meters.


    Zhang Shan held the newly bought machete in his hand and said to me seriously, "From now on, you have to listen to me. I will clear the way in front, and you have to follow me closely.


    I simply took Zhang Shan''s backpack and stuffed everything I could into it. I leaned on it and pulled out the dagger Zhang Shan gave me.


    When everything was ready, we walked deeper into the dugout.


    The passage they were in was only the entrance to the dugout. It was only two meters tall, barely allowing them to walk side by side. The roof was arched and the slope was not too steep. This stone brick was quite different from the ones used to build the houses outside. They were all round corners with large cracks in between them. However, they were completely covered in yellow mud.

 C29

    The air inside the cave grew moist and heavy as we went forward and down, and the musty smell continued to irritate my nasal mucosa. After walking for less than two hundred meters, Zhang Shan stopped and turned around. After searching through my backpack for a long time, he took out a matchbox sized box and pushed it open. Zhang Shan immediately dug out a bit and smeared it next to my nose, then smeared some more on himself before continuing forward.


    After a few seconds, I felt much clearer, and the pain that had been triggered by the smell of mildew was beginning to subside. But I''m sure it''s not cooling oil, because I don''t feel any mint coolness at all.


    The corridor was long, and our shadows were slanted to the wall behind us by the light, as if dancing in a mysterious dance as we walked. It was so quiet that we could only hear the heavy breathing of the two of us, one after the other.


    After about three minutes of walking, the slope suddenly stopped and we finally reached the basement level of the dugout. Looking around, wherever the lights went, there would be green and grey stone bricks in the distance. There were even some slogans that could be seen on some of the walls that had been painted on. However, due to the passage of time, these once exciting slogans had fallen off with the passage of time.


    In front of us was a rectangular hall that could accommodate at least two thousand people. There were benches scattered around the hall, presumably reserved for people in need of special care when the dugout was opened.


    I counted a total of eight lights at the top of the hall, but we couldn''t find them. They must all have been turned on.


    It was also in this large hall that the first forked road appeared.


    We entered through a passageway that opened in the middle of the hall, and at each end of the hall there was an opening leading in opposite directions. The door frame of the cave entrance was painted white, which made it easy to see in the light of the mine lamps.


    "What should we do? "Which way should we go?" Zhang Shan didn''t have an idea and turned to ask me.


    I was thinking back to what my father had told me about the dugout: "In an ordinary city, the dugout is only a layer, and the excavation is relatively shallow. But Zhengzhou is different. Because Zhengzhou is located in the artery of railway traffic, its strategic significance is very important. Therefore, Zhengzhou''s air-raid shelter is usually divided into two layers. The upper layer is 20 to 30 meters underground. The truly safe and reliable way to store strategic goods and personnel is on the second level, sixty to eight meters below ground level, and there are multiple protective measures between the first and the second level to prevent the infiltration of chemical and biological weapons. Even if a nuclear weapon were to explode above their heads, it would definitely not affect the people on the second floor ¡­ "


    "Let''s take a look first." I actually feel that if Corpse Supporting Spell were to hide, it would definitely hide in the deeper parts of the dugout so that it can slowly recover. As long as we find the passageway to the second level, we won''t be far from finding that guy.


    I indicated for Zhang Shan to head towards the hole on the left side of the hall.


    Zhang Shan was leading the way, but I kept watch behind me.


    Although it was very possible that the Corpse Supporting Spell would not be hiding near the entrance, in this pitch black environment, you had to be careful at all times. Who could guarantee that it would not launch a fatal attack the moment you let your guard down?


    Once we entered this cave, our speed clearly slowed down. This corridor was much narrower than the one leading to the entrance, and its width could only barely fit two people to the side. It was also only slightly taller than Zhang Shan. Furthermore, Zhang Shan is big and tall, he has blocked the road in front of us completely, I couldn''t even see the crack in the road. I even doubted if he would be able to turn around if anything happened.


    There seemed to be no end to this road. It neither climbed nor turned, but continued straight underground.


    Zhang Shan also didn''t have a watch on, so I don''t know how long he walked for, probably just five minutes, or maybe half an hour. In short, your sense of time is lost in this dark and very quiet environment.


    While I was pushing, Zhang Shan suddenly stopped, and as I was constantly paying attention to the situation, I crashed into him.


    Zhang Shan struggled to turn his head, because there was a light on top of his head, he could not look straight at me. He looked at the long path behind him and said: "This is a dead end."


    "Impossible!" I immediately realized how the dugout could have been a dead end. Even if there was no exit in front of them, there should at least be a large area for personnel or supplies. With such a long path, it would be impossible to walk in and out. This was completely illogical, unless they had already dug this far enough to give up on it.


    Zhang Shan saw that I did not believe him, and turned his body to the side, trying to place his back against the wall of the path, leaving a one foot wide gap for me to look at. In the light of the lamp, I could clearly see that five meters ahead of me, neatly paved with a layer of green brick, the road actually broke down.


    Zhang Shan also felt that something was amiss, he walked over and used the Mountain Splitter blade to knock on the door, wanting to see if there were any places that had been blocked. However, the only response we get is the sound of clashing, proving that the brick behind us is indeed solid.


    "Let''s go. We''ll take another route when we get back." Zhang Shan gave up trying to beat him up and turned to take the initiative to speak.


    Encountering this kind of strange situation as soon as he entered, he really didn''t need to investigate to the end. After all, our goal is to destroy the Corpse Supporting Spell, and coming here is neither an adventure nor a treasure hunt.


    We had no choice but to turn back.


    Zhang Shan wanted to change his position with me, but he was going to walk in front, but I rejected him. On one hand, we are walking the path of return, as long as we are careful, there shouldn''t be any danger, and this tunnel is too narrow.


    As we walked, Zhang Shan grabbed onto me and whispered, "Listen, what''s that sound?"


    I stopped and pricked up my ears. But I didn''t hear anything. Zhang Shan also felt a little awkward, even saying that he was probably too nervous and told me not to be afraid. However, just as I took another step forward, I also heard the sound. Deep in front of us, there was a faint "Goo" sound. If you weren''t careful, you would easily be drowned out by the sound of footsteps.


    I immediately indicated for Zhang Shan to take light steps. It was a steady sound, and every time we took a step forward, it would make a "Goo" sound, sometimes big and sometimes small, but it would become clearer as we got closer.


    Fortunately, the searchlights above our heads were very far away. These kinds of high-intensity lamps were obviously not like ordinary household bulbs. They weren''t afraid of anything approaching quickly, but they were unaware of it.


    When they were about twenty meters away from the source of the sound, it suddenly stopped. We stood there for more than a minute, waiting, and then we heard nothing else, but we pushed forward more slowly.


    After walking for five steps, Zhang Shan with his sharp eyes patted me and said, "Look at the ground in front of us, there''s a black ball."


    I followed the direction of his finger and found that there was a black mass about the size of a fist lying motionless on the ground in the middle of the tunnel ten meters in front of us.


    I was surprised. Although this lump of black stuff wasn''t too conspicuous on the green stone bricks, the passageway was already so wide. When the two of us walked in, it was impossible for us to not notice it. Unless the thing moved and followed us all the way in.


    Zhang Shan then forcefully pushed me to the wall, and squeezed through from the other side. He held the machete tightly in his hand and walked towards the black mass.


    Zhang Shan slowly squatted down in front of that thing. I also couldn''t wait to get close to it to see what it was, but his body was really too big, blocking me from seeing anything.


    Suddenly, with a "gu" sound, I heard it clearly again.


    Zhang Shan then laughed and turned around, raising his hand horizontally, raising his palm upwards, he held the thing and said to me: "I say what, you are actually a toad! It''s just that the tone of the voice has changed in this small alley, so it doesn''t sound that way anymore. "


    Seeing that Zhang Shan''s palm was indeed that of a toad, I dispelled my wariness and walked over. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a very special frog. Under our lamp, it was a deep blue color with a sparkle on it.


    I don''t recall seeing any frogs of that color.


    Due to the strong light, it half closed its eyes and lay there obediently. Just the bulging belly was the size of an ordinary fist. And the strangest part was its stomach, which was round and bulging, with a certain degree of transparency, and I could even see something moving beneath its thin belly.


    I had just put my face close to see what was inside its transparent belly when the toad, whose eyes had been half-closed, suddenly opened its eyes and stared at me. Being so close to it, I was shocked by it. The little toad immediately opened its mouth, and with a "Goo" sound, light purple smoke rushed out from its mouth, spraying my face.


    Seeing this, Zhang Shan immediately threw the "Toad" behind him, wanting to pinch my nose.


    But it was too late. I was inhaling when it blew out the smoke, and in an instant the smoke was half sucked in. By the time I reacted, my throat was already starting to go numb, and the feeling of numbness was spreading all over my body. In less than three seconds, my four limbs had already started to soften. Before Zhang Shan could reach me, I had already slowly collapsed to the ground.


    At the last second, my head tilted to the side, but I saw the small toad lying on the ground in front of me.


    In a daze, I was awakened by a noise. When he opened his eyes, a boundless darkness had enveloped him. I waved my hand in front of my face, but I couldn''t see anything.


    "Zhang Shan? Zhang Shan! " I didn''t answer.


    Only then did he realize that he had brought a light with him. He quickly reached for his waist and tried to switch on the light. However, when I touched it, my whole body became cold. The battery hanging on my belt and the mine lamp above my head had all disappeared!


    I sank to the ground, barely able to move without the light. Zhang Shan also didn''t know where he had gone to. At this time, not to mention looking for the Corpse Supporting Spell, even walking out was a big problem.


    "Chairman Mao has taught us that young people with knowledge must devote themselves to the countryside. They should not be afraid of hardships, nor be afraid of ¡­" The noise that woke me up sounded again behind me.

 C30

    I hastily turned my head to look and only then did I realize that there was a small bright spot the size of a yellow bean in the darkness. The sound came from that direction.


    He was definitely still in the corridor with the broken end. The bright spot should be the hall with the bomb shelter. Did someone discover us coming down here and mobilize people to search for us? Or did Zhang Shan move the reinforcements over? When I thought of someone else, I immediately got up and walked towards the yellow bean sized little dot of light.


    As the specks of light gradually grew larger, the sounds I heard became clearer and clearer. At one moment, I was reading Chairman Mao''s poems, at another, "On the Gold Hill in Beijing". Although the sounds were loud and clear, they were not stereo in nature. One could tell that they came from a megaphone.


    Finally, the glowing hole got closer and closer, and the scene outside became clearer. I couldn''t help but run.


    When we were still a few dozen meters away from the cave entrance, I slowed down my footsteps because I could clearly see the scene in the great hall. The outside was brightly lit up with light, it was the great hall that Zhang Shan and I had entered when we first arrived.


    There were many white curtains in the hall, and the faint yellow iron frames of the beds were neatly arranged, leaving only a few corridors for people to walk through. There were many people coming and going in the corridors, but they were all in a hurry.


    One of the girls was dressed in a white coat, and it was only when she got to her knees that she realized they were all nurses, shuttling back and forth between the iron beds.


    There were people lying on almost half of the beds, and a few of them had white hair. It seemed like they were wrapped in gauze.


    Those who did not wear white coats wore work clothes of the same style and material. Although the colors were different, they were only navy, earthen yellow, and black and gray. They did not have any particularly bright colors.


    The men were mostly wearing old-fashioned military hats, and almost all had red bracelets on their arms and a shiny object hanging from their chests.


    Now, I finally understand, those chest shining things can also guess what it is - Chairman Mao''s badge!


    This... This is... I was completely lost. The emotionless woman''s voice from the loudspeaker in the corner of the hall was still snarling in a single voice, but I could hear nothing. I''ve only seen this scene in movies and TV dramas before. This is what it looked like forty years ago!


    I was staring at the new, bright red "Long live Chairman Mao" on the wall. I had seen those words when I first entered the cave, but the paint had fallen off a lot, so I could just make out the words. A woman''s voice came from behind me. "Which unit are you from?"


    I quickly turned around and saw a nurse with two pigtails and glasses standing five meters away, looking me up and down warily.


    Looking around me, I realised that within a radius of ten meters from the entrance, there wasn''t a single person walking around or laying down on a bed. I, who was standing here, was undoubtedly very eye-catching.


    "I... "I ¡­" I looked at the nurse nervously. I didn''t know how to explain it, and I couldn''t explain it.


    "Speak!" Did you just come out from passage number 1? " the nurse asked sharply, taking a step closer and pointing at the hole behind me.


    I turned my head to look in the direction of her finger and saw a few words written above the white paint on the entrance of the cave. "Channel 1. No one is allowed to enter."


    The nurse saw that I was obviously nervous, and her tone became more severe. "Which unit are you from? "If you don''t tell me now, I''ll notify the security!"


    "I... I''m from the Chinese Cotton Factory compound! " I saw she was going to shout if I didn''t say anything, but the bomb shelter was busy at the moment, and no one paid any attention to us. Because the National Cotton Factory was located diagonally opposite the Beshakwan Park.


    "China Cotton Factory ¡­" "The young nurse looked at me as I was dressed in jeans. She seemed to believe me a little." Are you from the repair shop? "


    "Yes!" Yes! The repair workshop! " I hurried to answer.


    "What factory are you from ¡­" The nurse had just asked another difficult question. He only heard someone shout at him from behind: "Little Hu, come over here and help us! Two more wounded came down. If you still have the time to talk, be careful that I don''t tell your team leader! "


    The nurse turned her face to the man who had called out to her, stuck out her tongue, and then turned back to me with a serious expression, and said to me in a commanding voice, "You! See that bench? He just sat there quietly! I''ll interrogate you when I''m done! Look at you! His long hair and his clothes were disheveled. It would be weird if I don''t skin you alive if I don''t let the inspection team see you! "" I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­. "Then she hurried off to help with the wounded.


    Dazed, I sat down on the bench behind me and watched what was happening, trying to sort it all out.


    Zhang Shan and I came down to look for the Corpse Supporting Spell, but we never thought that the first path we would take would be the guillotine. On the way back, we met a toad, and after being bitten by that damned toad, we woke up like this, it was really weird!


    I had heard my father talk about this era. Due to the excessive worship of leaders, there had once been a group of young people who, under the banner of a leader, feared that the world would not fall into chaos. In the name of "Rebels break the four ties", they wreaked havoc everywhere, openly disrupting social order. Otherwise, judging from the clothes of the people in front of him, this was a peaceful time in the country. How could there be so many wounded?


    Just as I was lost in thought, someone walked up to me and gave me a hard pat on the shoulder. He raised his head and saw that it was still the nurse surnamed Hu from before.


    He looked at me and said coldly, "Don''t be careless. We are part of the revolutionary team, so your thoughts are the worst. "The most effective way to train one''s willpower is to devote all of one''s energy to the people''s war ¡­"


    I listened to her bullshit and felt both angry and amused. It wasn''t easy for her to finish her words. I hastily pointed to the hole that we had walked out of earlier and asked, "What is the use of this first passage?" Why is there only death in there? "


    Ah!" You really went in? " The nurse was surprised. She said, "Don''t you go out and talk nonsense! This was a serious disciplinary violation! When we first came down, the leader of the troops repeatedly emphasized that the first passage was not completed yet and there was no reinforcement. No one was allowed to enter, as there was always the possibility of a landslide. "Furthermore, they want us to send people to stand guard all the time. If it wasn''t for the chaos up there today, and if we didn''t go to help, you wouldn''t have been able to enter even if you wanted to.


    Hearing her say this, I''m 90% certain that I don''t believe her. Whether there is a reinforcement inside or not, I just came out, how can I not be clear? Besides, this was a beheaded road. Even if the land was going to collapse, there was no need to send people to guard it. It was obvious that they were making a big fuss out of nothing. There was definitely something odd about this passage number one!


    At this moment, the emotionless loudspeaker sounded again. "Attention of the people in the dugout, attention of the people in the dugout. In addition to the medical staff and the sick and wounded, please leave quickly. Please leave quickly." to return to their respective positions, to their respective positions. "


    "Hurry up and leave. Otherwise, if your leader finds out that you''re not here, you''ll be in trouble!" With that, the nurse ignored me and ran away.


    I had no choice but to follow the stream of people into the passageway and walk up.


    The afternoon sunlight felt exceptionally comfortable on my body, but I did not feel the slightest bit of happiness. In this unknown era, it was as if a barrier had suddenly appeared, separating Zhang Shan and I. I don''t even know if I''m in a dream or if I''m really back in the past.


    The people coming up from the dugout were scattered about, and I walked aimlessly, not much noticed. After walking for a while, I found myself at the north gate of the Bishang Park.


    From a distance, I could see that the old door, which I had never seen before, was shut tight. A group of people were guarding the door. I didn''t dare to go over, for fear of being asked again, so I turned and began to climb the small hill with the bunker on it. It was impossible for there to be any tall buildings nearby at this time of year. The small mountain should be considered as a high point. If he went up and observed his surroundings, he might be able to discover something.


    Halfway there, I could see the top of the small fortress on the hill, but a sudden noise from above stopped me.


    "Captain Chen, please be magnanimous. Please spare me this time!" I promise I won''t do it again! " A man''s tearful, begging voice could be heard.


    I quickly lay down in the grass. Fortunately, the grass on the small mountain was very tall, so I wasn''t afraid of being discovered after I laid down.


    Following the sound, I slowly crawled forward.


    At this time, another lazy voice said, "I say, Chen Yougui, we are also considered the same family, but by doing this, you are obviously digging out a socialist corner! How do you want me to explain this to the higher ups? "


    The sobbing voice immediately followed, "Captain Chen, just this time you all didn''t say anything, so no one will know. Please be merciful! There are seven brothers and sisters in my family, and the monthly rations are simply not enough for me to eat. A whole family is waiting for me to trade this box for some food to save them! If you truly feel that it''s inappropriate, then once I return and change the food, I''ll accept whatever punishment I get! "


    "Chen Yougui! It''s not as if you don''t know what form it is. If I let you go, you can come back and admit your wrongs. If your family lives, what about us brothers? Catching you was light, you stole a whole box of bullets! It''s not wrong to sentence you as a rebel spy! Are you going to let us die with you? " The lazy voice suddenly became stern.


    "This ¡­" The person called Chen Yougui was obviously unaware of the severity of this matter. Hearing what Captain Chen had to say, he became speechless.


    "Hehe, asking this brothers to help you is not impossible. However, this kind of risky thing requires a high reward. You are in charge of the Militia Company''s supply depot. We don''t know anything about you stealing a box of bullets today. "But what do you think when you get each of us a small pistol and some more bullets?"


    I was close enough to see through the grass that three men were standing with their backs to me, in a semicircle, facing the bunker at the top of the hill, and the one who spoke in the middle seemed to be Captain Chen.


    Since I was looking up from the bottom, and from the angle, there was another person who was surrounded by them, shorter by half, with only the top of his head exposed. It was hard to tell if he was squatting in front of the bunker or not.

 C31

    At this time, the person spoke up, "Captain Chen ¡­ You know, bullets don''t count. "Take out several of them at once, they''ll definitely be discovered."


    "Oh? So you won''t? " Captain Chen pretended to be surprised, saying, "Then don''t blame us brothers for not doing enough. Hand over this box and the rest of us will at least be able to evaluate it as advanced as possible. Er Pi, Sun Lei''er, help your Big Brother Chen down first. "


    As he spoke, Captain Chen called two people beside him to grab the man.


    "Hey, stop right there! "What are you trying to run for?" I was just about to move forward to get a better look when the top of the mountain suddenly became chaotic. Chen Yougui, who only had his head exposed, somehow managed to escape their encirclement, was currently running towards me.


    I didn''t dare move. At his speed, within three seconds, they''d be able to spot me.


    Just when I was at my wit''s end, I heard a muffled bang. Raising my head, I saw Chen Yougui''s eyes staring straight ahead before he slowly fell to the ground. Behind him, Captain Chen was holding a shovel in both hands. Everyone was stunned, no one expected the situation to develop to this state. After a long while, a person said while trembling in fear, "Boss ¡­" You didn''t kill anyone, did you? "


    "Nonsense!" You can kill him in such a short time? Hit me and I''ll see! " After saying that, the person next to Captain Chen immediately squatted down next to Chen Yougui to check it out.


    Captain Chen was still standing there with an expressionless face, thinking about something.


    "Motherf * cker ¡­" He was really out of breath! This... "What should we do?" Three seconds later, the person who had investigated the situation sat down next to Chen Yougui and muttered to himself.


    "Boss, this ¡­" That''s none of our business, isn''t it? " The person beside Captain Chen also became anxious.


    "Enough!" Shut the fuck up! Look at your bear! Damn it, now that they had fought so fiercely, wouldn''t a few of them die one day? Look at how scared the two of you are by a little shit! Remember, no one is allowed to speak of what happened today. If anyone dares to speak of it, don''t blame my surname, Chen, for not having a peaceful life in the future! "Er Pi, drag him over here!" Captain Chen finally spoke, threatening the two of them.


    "Oh ¡­" The man called Er Pi, who was sitting next to Chen Yougui, quickly stood up and walked over to Chen Yougui who was lying on the ground. He put his hands under his arms and lifted him up. The other man hurried over and picked up the two legs that had been dragged on the ground. The two of them carried Chen Yougui to the bunker.


    When they were in front of the bunker, Captain Chen said, "Dig a hole in the bunker and bury him while it''s still empty!"


    I saw that they had all circled to the bunker and taken advantage of it to get closer, almost to the top of the slope. On my way up, I finally saw that the thick stone door to the bunker was open. Voices were coming from inside, presumably because they were digging a hole inside. Chen Yougui was leaning against the fortress, blood was slowly flowing out from his nose and mouth. It seemed like there was no hope for him.


    Seeing this, I seemed to remember something, but it was too vague to make sense of it.


    Less than three minutes later, Captain Chen backed out of the bunker, lit a cigarette in front of the door, and casually said, "This deep enough, bury him quickly!" And that box of bullets, bury them together! Then wipe your ass clean, don''t let anyone see it at a glance. "


    Erpi''s voice came from inside the fortress, "Boss, he said that this box of bullets can be exchanged for a lot of food! Isn''t it a pity to bury it? "


    Captain Chen didn''t immediately reply, instead fiercely smoking and spitting out the smoke, saying, "Throwing a box of bullets is nothing." However, Chen Yougui had suddenly disappeared. The higher-ups had to thoroughly investigate the material storage. We are carrying such a big box, and we won''t be able to do it in a short time, so how could we possibly lose our lives? Buried! Accompanying this starving man is something the three of us should do. "Wait for the wind to die down, it won''t be too late to find the buyer and bring it out again."


    When I heard the words "hungry ghost", I couldn''t help but let out a "hmm". Because I finally want to remember, the story about the children using food to exchange bullets turned out to be true, the "person" in the bunker, it seems to be this Chen Yougui without a doubt! The reason why he didn''t eat the food he got was because he had a belief before he died: he wanted to leave it for his family. The poor man, after his death, thought so much for his family, and it made me sick.


    "Who?" Although my voice was soft, it still reached Captain Chen who was smoking outside in the quiet afternoon. After he asked the question, he threw away the cigarette and walked over.


    Although the weeds were tall, the fake mountains in the park were too small to hide a single person. As long as he comes within three meters and looks down from above, I will be exposed.


    Therefore, before Captain Chen could get close to me, I immediately made a decision: Run! He had only taken two steps and I was no longer hiding myself. I got up and ran down the hill before I got close to him.


    The three of them had accidentally killed someone. If the higher-ups knew about this, they would have committed a heinous crime. So when she saw me stand up, she knew that there really was someone nearby. She didn''t care about what she was doing as she chased after me with her life on the line.


    In just a moment, I ran down the fake mountain. I wanted to run out of the park, but thinking that there was a guard at the entrance, it might even be a gang. I rushed over to ask who would believe a stranger who didn''t know where he came from?


    I had no choice but to continue running deeper into the park. Fortunately, there was almost no one in the middle of the park. I ran by myself with the three of them chasing me, but there was nothing to stop me. But to me, although no one is worried about being intercepted, it is also not good for me to get rid of them, because the target is too obvious.


    Soon, we reached the southwest corner of the park, near the "shelter hospital." I had no choice but to dive in again, hoping to get rid of them in the cave.


    They entered the lobby of the first floor of the dugout. Although there were fewer people than when they came out, there were at least a hundred of them. They were either lying down or sitting down. In order not to attract attention, I deliberately slowed my pace before entering the hall, pretending to have nothing to do, and walked towards the right side of the hall and the other opening opposite the first passage. The sound of hurried footsteps came from behind. I knew that Captain Zhang and the other two had caught up to us. I hastily dodged and hid behind an empty bed.


    Turning around, I saw that as soon as the three of them entered the hall, they were obviously knocked out by so many people. They really couldn''t find me in such a short amount of time.


    However, under Captain Zhang''s orders, Erpi and Sun Lengcai separated quickly. The three of them carried out a blanket search on three beds and slowly moved forward.


    I was about to turn around and sneak into the passage behind me when a small hand grabbed my arm. Hey! Why are you back? You''re deliberately lazy aren''t you? " I looked up and saw that it was the nurse who had questioned me.


    "Boss, that kid is here!" The one closest to me, Sun Lue, followed the nurse''s voice and was the first to notice me. He hurriedly beckoned Captain Chen and the others to come closer to me.


    I''m done for. This time, I''m going to be screwed by this little nurse. If I get caught by the three of them, I''m afraid I won''t even be able to endure the dark.


    Just as he was at a loss, he suddenly heard a miserable scream from "Channel 1". It was abnormally mournful and clearly a scream of despair before death. All of a sudden, the gazes of over a hundred people in the great hall were attracted over there. Even Captain Chen and the others who were walking towards me couldn''t help but turn around to look.


    Naturally, I was no exception. With such a tragic cry, everyone wanted to know what had happened.


    Looking past the crowd, he saw a man in ragged clothes running out from the first passage. He was covered in blood and his hands were waving aimlessly in the air, as if he was trying to grab onto something.


    "Channel 1 is haunted!" It was unknown who shouted, but the people who were still in a daze immediately exploded. Even the heavily injured people who were lying on the sickbed struggled to get up.


    Captain Chen and the others turned around to look for me. I had lowered my body and followed the stream of people towards the entrance of the cave.


    "Pah!" There was a small sound. At this moment, the lights in the dugout were all turned off. Immediately, the nurses'' shouts increased by an octave, and the crowd became even more chaotic. The hall was not large, but without light, it was not easy to find the corridor that led to the exit.


    At the very least, in this kind of situation, it would be even harder for Captain Chen and the rest to find me. Furthermore, I had already memorized the location of the exit passage.


    But right after, another scream instantly shattered everyone''s psychological defenses. In the darkness, the situation suddenly became tense, as if something was quickly moving around. The strong wind that was created filled the entire space, and the screams of despair sounded out one after another.


    The people surrounded by the darkness were like headless flies. Although they had lost their way in the chaos, they were unwilling to sit and wait for death. They would collide and trample on each other. The scene was extremely chaotic.


    How could I dare to move? I was curled up against the wall, my eyes wide open, but I couldn''t see anything. After an unknown period of time. The screams gradually became less concentrated, and after a while, there were no longer any sounds. The dugout returned to how it was when Zhang Shan and I first came in.


    I was still hiding at the base of the wall, not daring to make the slightest movement. I listened carefully and found that there was a sound of rapid breathing beside me, as if there was phlegm in my throat. It was extremely uncomfortable.


    "Who is it?" I couldn''t help turning my head and whispering. As soon as he finished speaking, the group of people swiftly left.


    "F * ck!" I''ve waited for it for a long time, why did you wake up at this time? " A familiar voice sounded out by my ear, startling me. It''s actually Zhang Shan.


    "Zhang Shan!" I cried excitedly.


    "Shh!" "A hand reached out and covered my mouth." Hush, there''s something nearby! " Zhang Shan is actually right behind me.


    "Corpse Supporting Spell?" I pushed Zhang Shan''s hand away and couldn''t help but ask in a low voice.


    "I''m still not sure. After you were knocked out by that toad, I just carried you in here, and then I found something." After Zhang Shan''s hand was pushed away, he took the opportunity to hug my shoulder and said.

 C32

    Was that a dream or a reality? If it was a dream, when did I wake up? If it was reality, what had just happened couldn''t be combined with the current environment at all.


    "That guy left. Turn on the lights." Zhang Shan patted me and took his hand away.


    Then, a bright light shone from behind him. At this moment, I felt something hard against my waist. Reaching out to touch it, I discovered that it was a lamp battery. My heart was even more confused.


    "Let''s go!" Zhang Shan stood up.


    "Where to?" I suddenly jumped from one thing to another, unable to connect my thoughts in a short time.


    "Take the other way!" No matter what it was? If you can''t find the Corpse Supporting Spell today, you''re dead for sure! " Zhang Shan then walked towards the cave entrance beside him.


    My mind is in a mess right now. What happened just now almost made my brain explode, so I could only follow Zhang Shan while thinking. Before I entered the cave, I remembered that mysterious "first passage". Turning around to take a look, Zhang Xuan had already lost sight of him in the endless darkness.


    The passageway here was extremely smooth. After walking for less than five minutes, they arrived at another three-way intersection. However, there were clear signs at the entrance. The tunnels on both sides led to two larger locations, and the one in the middle pointed straight to the second level. Without any hesitation, we advanced further along the middle passage.


    After walking for about 10 minutes, I found a new problem. Although this passageway was marked as the second level underground, after walking for almost a kilometer, the passageway still extended straight ahead without the slightest inclination of slanting downwards. I was about to tell Zhang Shan about it, but when I moved closer, I could faintly hear Zhang Shan mumbling something.


    "What did you say?" I dare to pat Zhang Shan''s back.


    "Don''t rush..." "Got it, I just have to follow you!" Zhang Shan was still speaking in a daze, but this sentence was a little too loud, and reached my ears.


    I was even more confused. I wanted to go forward and take a look, but Zhang Shan''s huge body had covered the entire tunnel. No matter how I pulled, he didn''t even look back.


    This time, I gradually realized the severity of the problem. Ignoring Zhang Shan''s reaction, I forcefully pushed him aside and looked forward. When I took a look, I immediately sucked in a breath of cold air. Just two to three meters in front of us was a girl with short, dyed yellow hair and a red blouse wearing jeans. She was emitting a black aura as she faced us.


    The girl had a strange expression. The corner of her mouth slightly tilted, revealing a pair of pure white teeth. There was not a single trace of white in her black eyes, and under the glare of the powerful lamp, there was no reflection at all.


    Although I haven''t figured out what was supposed to have happened in the sixties, I''m pretty sure this girl is not the same as she was forty years ago. And before us, no one would have the leisure to come to this dark place, let alone a girl dressed in such fashionable clothes.


    Looking at Zhang Shan''s current expression, he was obviously confused by her, his eyes stared straight ahead, his lips slightly opened, and some saliva even spilled from the corner of his mouth. He did not even know how to wipe it.


    "Who are you?" I shouted to the girl behind Zhang Shan.


    The girl did not care about my question, and only blinked at me mischievously, and continued to lead Zhang Shan forward.


    In that instant, I felt dizzy, and my thoughts seemed to stop for a moment. The girl smiled eerily, as if there was a huge magic within her that made me want to follow her, an irresistible force rising up from the depths of my heart.


    My thoughts were being swallowed little by little, but I didn''t have a single way out of this confinement.


    Finally, just as I was about to lose consciousness, I suddenly felt a burning sensation spread from my right wrist to my whole body. It was this unbearable heat that pulled my thoughts back. In the darkness, it was as if my entire right arm was burning, and the flames even filled a space of five meters around me.


    "Ya!" The first thing I heard when I woke up was the girl screaming into my eardrums, and I felt myself relax. And with a scream, the girl shot back into the darkness and vanished in front of us. At the same time, the surrounding space was constantly twisting and changing.


    After about ten seconds, the scene in front of him finally stopped. I discovered that Zhang Shan was standing facing a wall and his hand had already reached into the stone wall. He quickly pulled it out for him.


    Zhang Shan sat on the ground like a deflated ball, gasping for air.


    "How are you?" I could clearly see that Zhang Shan''s back was already drenched in sweat. It was evident how much his consciousness struggled when it was under control.


    Zhang Shan waved his hands, and did not say anything. After a long while, when he had rested enough, he took out a rectangular piece of chewing gum from his inside pocket. It was dark, and could not be seen under the light. Soon, there was ¡­


    Gum caught fire, and the white smoke that came with it gradually surrounded us, fixed for a while, and then dispersed.


    Zhang Shan took out the bottle of mineral water he bought earlier and unscrewed the cap. He downed it in one gulp, and after taking a few breaths, he stood up again. He turned to me and said, "Damn it! I haven''t fought since the liberation of Zhengzhou! This dugout is really strange, how can there be so many unclean things! "I didn''t even try to guard against them. I nearly fell into their trap!"


    While I was still in a daze, Zhang Shan took out the compass and calculated his current position. After a moment, he turned around and asked me seriously, "How long have we been walking down this path?"


    "About ten minutes." I didn''t understand what he meant, so I answered honestly.


    "Are you sure there''s no crossroads or secret door?" Zhang Shan asked again.


    "Why did you ask me about the way you took me? At least until now, we have been walking in a straight line without turning around. " I''ve been so shocked since I came in that I''m numb with fright, I replied calmly.


    "That shouldn''t be the case ¡­" Zhang Shan''s face became even uglier. "When I entered this corridor, I calculated the direction and direction. Now, it seems that we have deviated almost three miles to the west."


    I was surprised. "What did you say?" "That''s impossible, the straight passageway doesn''t have a single angle, how could it be that far off!"


    Of course I don''t believe that three miles is fifteen hundred meters. We walked slowly for safety''s sake. Even if we walked straight ahead, we wouldn''t be able to go that far in ten minutes, much less take a detour. After I finished speaking, I looked back, wanting to refute Zhang Shan''s words.


    However, when I turned around, I was stunned ¨C a few meters behind me was a grey-green brick wall. The road that we had taken to get here was long gone.


    I was completely dumbfounded. Could it be that we came through the wall?


    Zhang Shan''s reaction was slightly faster than mine, he anxiously turned around and looked, under the light, an unexplainable scene, actually appeared in front of us. Five meters in front of us, there was actually a green and grey brick wall blocking our way.


    We were actually trapped in a sealed passageway that was around ten meters long!


    "This... "How is this possible!?" I murmured to myself. It was reasonable to say that the road ahead was blocked, but there was no trace of the road they had come from. No matter how hard they tried, they could not explain it.


    Zhang Shan did not believe it. He walked straight to the front, and started knocking on the door with the Mountain Splitting Saber, trying to find some useful clues. After a while, he came back to me and sat down on the ground. Leaning against the wall, he said helplessly, "This is so damn weird. Don''t tell me we brothers belong to the Pangolin and came here to do our work?"


    I could only smile wryly. This joke was indeed cold. To be able to make us walk like this, it could be said that no one from the ancient times will ever come again. Were the walls made of ghosts that kept us between each other?


    "Phantom ¡­" I kept thinking about those three words. I kept thinking that there seemed to be something more accurate in place of the word, but I just couldn''t think of it. However, there was another thing that appeared in his memory:


    One year, when I was very young, my uncle''s mother was very ill, and the old man was looking forward to another look at his son with his eyes closed. So the telegram went to Zhengzhou, saying that it was eager for him to go home and see you again.


    Many families in those days didn''t even have a telephone, let alone a taxi. Fortunately, his eldest uncle''s hometown wasn''t too far away, less than 200 kilometers away from Zhengzhou. Coincidentally, Uncle and Uncle had just bought a new Honda 125. The telegram had come in the afternoon, and when it arrived, the family had arranged for Uncle Uncle to take the motorcycle home first, and Aunt and Brother and Sister to take the morning bus home.


    First uncle calculated the amount of gasoline he would need along the way, and then he took a small oil drum to fill it up with spare oil. Then he set off alone. The roads of that era were not easy to traverse, but even at a normal speed of sixty kilometers, one could still reach their destination in more than three hours.


    Fortunately, his uncle wasn''t someone who didn''t care about anything when he was in a hurry. He started at 5: 30 a.m. and continued to travel at a speed of 70 km/h. The faster the road was, the slower the road conditions would be.


    It was the end of summer then, and it was quite late at night. Before the sun went down, uncle had already covered more than half of the distance, because there were no street lights on the road after dark. Actually, it was only a matter of twenty minutes before the sun set. After it was dark, his uncle turned on the lights and slowed down as he continued to head home.


    Those who had travelled through the night knew that, especially in the countryside, if there was no moon, it would be as dark as ink. Even if the headlights were to shine through, they wouldn''t be able to see more than a few dozen meters out.


    There was no moonlight that night, so Uncle had to leave home about twenty kilometers when he came out of the last county. Although the road was difficult, half an hour was more than enough.


    However, after walking for almost an hour, uncle still hadn''t seen the entrance to the village.


    After running for another ten minutes or so, the last of the spare gas was almost used up. Eldest Uncle finally saw the giant locust tree at the village entrance. Under the tree, hung a huge artillery shell. This was what the village had once used as a meeting for the villagers. Now that there was a broadcast, it was no longer used. However, as the symbol and symbol of the history of the village, it was protected by everyone.

 C33

    It was only a quarter past ten, but it was long past the point where country folk slept. Eldest Uncle stopped under a tree. He didn''t dare to directly charge into the village, afraid that he would see what he least wanted to happen.


    Lighting a cigarette, he tried his best to look towards the village half a mile away. If there were no lights in the village, it meant that at least everything was fine tonight; if there were lights in the village, it was most likely that the mourning hall was being built overnight.


    In front of him was still an endless darkness. No matter how hard Uncle tried, he couldn''t see a single light. He felt a lot more at ease. It seemed like there wouldn''t be any problems tonight. He started the motorcycle again and headed towards the village half a mile away.


    However, after walking for three hundred meters, Uncle was stunned. That was because the road in front of them was the big locust tree at the entrance of the village and the shell hanging below. It swayed in the night wind.


    Uncle was confused, he turned around and saw darkness a few meters behind him. He shook his head. Could it be that he was too distracted and had misread something? He took a closer look and confirmed that it really was the Pagoda tree at the village entrance. Then, he continued to drive forward.


    After walking for another 300 meters, his uncle''s back broke out in a cold sweat. On the roadside, there was still a giant locust tree and the artillery shell tied to it.


    It seemed like he had really run into something this time. His uncle didn''t dare to stop, and regardless of how long the fuel in the tank could last, he sprinted forward at full speed, hoping to escape this strange place with the help of his motorcycle.


    Twenty minutes later, the motorcycle finally announced that the gas tank had dried up and stopped. Uncle raised his head slowly and looked ahead. Just out of sight of the lights of the car, a projectile shell swung on the branches of a tree in the dark.


    He got off the bike and pushed it closer. Under the lights of the headlights, the branches of the locust tree still standing at the entrance of the village looked especially ferocious.


    "Hey!" Is anyone there? " Finally unable to endure this strange scene, his uncle shouted loudly into the darkness. He wished that someone could hear him and find his way here. However, the darkness of the night had sucked everything in. Even the shouts seemed unable to penetrate this endless barrier.


    Even when his uncle''s voice was hoarse, he did not hear any reaction. He sat back in the car to rest for a while. Uncle decided that no matter what, he had to break out of this place. Waiting like this obviously wasn''t a good idea. He even suspected that if he didn''t think of a way out, the sunrise might never come. He might very well be trapped in this mysterious space until he starved to death.


    Thinking of this, Eldest Uncle turned on the lights and took out the spare flashlight from under the car seat. Since the road went on endlessly, he decided to go down to the side of the road and cross the ridge horizontally. Perhaps he could get out of here.


    By the side of the road, there were corn fields as tall as a person. Uncle took his direction, and with only money and flashlight on his body, he drilled into the depths. The wind was blowing on the corn, making it rustle, making people feel as if something was nearing them from all directions. Although his uncle was scared, he didn''t have a choice. The only way to escape was this.


    After walking for a few hundred meters, he could vaguely see a faint light ahead. His uncle then let out a sigh of relief. He quickened his pace and jogged towards the light.


    As they got closer and closer to the light, Eldest Uncle shouted at the same time to attract the attention of the people there. Finally, he pushed aside the last bunch of corn stalks that were blocking his path and looked at the scene before him. Then, he slumped to the ground.


    It was also a country road in front of uncle. However, the light in the middle of the road was nothing else but the headlights of his motorcycle. After passing through a field of corn, he returned to the entrance of the village under the locust tree.


    Eldest Uncle had completely collapsed. He started to curse loudly, from before liberation to family planning, the previous village chief scolded the people around him. The more he scolded, the more confident he became. It was as though this was the only way to dispel the rising fear in his heart. Finally, after cursing to the end, his uncle let out a loud roar and furiously smashed the flashlight into the shell hanging under the tree.


    "Bang!" A loud sound was heard, breaking the quiet road of the countryside in an instant.


    Eldest Uncle was gasping for breath as he glanced at the shells that were constantly swaying from the impact. He faintly noticed that behind the Pagoda tree in the distance, lights were gradually lighting up.


    It was the village! That was his home village! Having confirmed this, uncle ran towards the village without a care. After a minute, he finally saw the first house at the village entrance.


    When he got home, his uncle found that he was drenched in sweat and his legs were as soft as noodles. He couldn''t stand up again after sitting down.


    After a while, he waited for his family to return from the village entrance. He was still pushing the motorcycle that had been abandoned halfway there.


    As he talked about what just happened, his family said they had sent three people to wait for him at the big locust tree at the village entrance. In order to make it easier for him to recognize the road, they even pulled a wire and hung a 200 watt bulb under the tree. This motorcycle was actually found on the roadside less than 100 meters away from the village entrance.


    He asked his uncle how he passed the Pagoda tree but didn''t find out about the three people who were waiting for him. Both parties insisted that they definitely didn''t see each other. When their uncle finished narrating what had just happened, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air and sighed endlessly.


    When they came back to their senses, everyone thought of the old lady next door and hurried over with Eldest Uncle to take a look. What was more surprising was that the old lady, who had already stopped breathing at night, had regained her rosy complexion. Even her pulse and heartbeat showed a faint reaction.


    After such a night of commotion, two days later, the old lady miraculously recovered. When she asked about that night, the old lady only said that she had suddenly felt strong after dark, so she got out of bed and walked to the village entrance, wanting to wait for her eldest son.


    The old lady was anxious, waiting for her son to come from the left and waiting for him from the right. She was slowly getting tired, wanting to sleep, but afraid that she would miss her son''s return, she picked up a few big tree forks from the roadside and placed them horizontally in the middle of the road.


    He thought that if he were to lie here for a while and his son returned, he would definitely find a tree branch in the middle of the road. As long as he stopped, he would wake up and see his son. After all this was done, the old lady fell asleep against a large rock by the side of the road.


    After sleeping for a while, the old lady seemed to feel someone tugging at her. She opened her eyes and found that in front of her were two men dressed from head to toe in black, their faces hidden in the shadow of their hats. Without waiting for the old lady to speak, the two men in black carried her and prepared to leave. The old lady was naturally unwilling, but she had no idea where she got the strength from as she struggled desperately.


    Just as the three of them were about to enter a state of chaos, a loud metallic sound suddenly echoed out in their ears. The two men in black seemed to fear this voice. They let go of the old lady and covered their ears as they slowly burrowed into the ground.


    The old lady was feeling weird when she realised that the tree branch in the middle of the road had somehow been moved away. There was a figure running towards the village, and from the looks of it, it was her eldest son. The old lady was so happy that she forgot about what happened just now. She ran home with her son. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she felt dizzy and fainted. When she woke up, she was like this.


    But that day, everyone at home knew that the old lady stopped breathing as soon as it became dark. Dozens of people stood guard outside the courtyard, saying that it was impossible for the old lady to run out of the village by herself at night.


    Everyone who heard about these two events thought that it was the will of heaven. The old lady was so anxious to think that she decided to guard the village entrance. Although she had moved to a tree branch and unintentionally cut off her son''s path, but her son had unintentionally thrown the flashlight, which actually dragged back her mother''s soul that had left her body.


    At this point, my uncle would tell me and my brother, "Although I don''t believe in ghosts and gods, but that time, the Wall-Hitting Ghost was really scary...


    "Right, did we encounter a ghost wall?" I finally remembered this word and stopped thinking about it. Turning around, I shouted at Zhang Shan. Hearing my words, Zhang Shan thought for a moment, then said with his head raised, "Looking at the current situation. The probability of the Ghost Wall is indeed very high! "


    "That is to say, what we see now are illusions?" I said thoughtfully.


    "Obviously, you don''t think we really have the ability to pass through walls, do you?" Zhang Shan straightened his body and looked at the wall behind us.


    "It''s not important how you got here. The question is how you left. Since it''s an illusion, then there must be a place that''s different from the one we''re looking for. Come quickly and take a look. " Saying that, I started searching around.


    "Useless ¡­" Zhang Shan was actually able to stretch his back in this small space.


    "What do you mean?" I stopped and looked at Zhang Shan in confusion.


    "First of all, you have a question. Do illusions only affect vision, or do they occupy one''s mind and thus affect vision?" After Zhang Shan finished stretching, he did not lower his hand and instead pointed at his own head as he asked me.


    "Should... It''s not just vision, right? " I hadn''t really thought about it.


    "Then that''s it." Zhang Shan continued to speak, "At least it affected a part of your thoughts. I''m not a scholar, so I don''t know how to use words like those, but I believe that what you saw through your own eyes was just an illusion. However, the depths of your brain believes that this is real, so what you see and touch is naturally real. "


    "This... This is idealism. " I was confused listening to it, but I more or less understood what Zhang Shan meant. But we both know that this place is definitely illusory! "


    "But your brain and eyes tell you this is real." Zhang Shan replied calmly.


    "Oh!" I''m dizzy. You''ve said so much, what way is there to get out of here? " Even if I wasn''t driven mad by this sealed space, I would be driven mad by this fellow.


    "I don''t have a way, but you do." Zhang Shan gave me a mysterious smile, then turned his face away and leisurely started humming a little tune.


    Crazy! This fellow was insane!


    I shook my head and ignored him. I used my dagger to dig around in an attempt to pull out the tail of this confined space.


    Zhang Shan, on the other hand, kept whispering sarcastic remarks into my ear. When he was tired of singing, he continued.


    "Enough!" After twenty minutes, I finally couldn''t stand the guy''s sarcasm. He threw the things in his hands onto the ground, pointed at Zhang Shan and roared: "In this situation, it''s fine if you don''t want to help, but think of a way, right? Was there a need to sit there and make sarcastic remarks? "

 C34

    "What are you thinking of?" If I didn''t meet such a lost star like you, I would still be on the mountain groping for loaches and toads! "How could things get to this point?" Zhang Shan glanced at me, and unexpectedly said these words.


    "Great!" You''ve finally spoken the truth! " "I was trembling with anger at him." "You have to remember that I didn''t invite you here. If you don''t wish to, you can leave. No one will stop you!" I can''t stand this guy any longer.


    "Go?" How? Tell me about it. If I had known earlier, I wouldn''t have told you these things. Tomorrow night, I would only have reported on the Zhengzhou news that the body of an unknown man had been found on the streets. The cause of death is unknown. "It really doesn''t interfere with my business at all." Zhang Shan still played it down.


    "Hmph, don''t forget. If you didn''t force me to deal with that Zhao Youde, how could I have ended up like this? Now that you''ve pushed yourself away, it''s a shame that you''re still a man! " I''m going to be pissed off at this shameless guy.


    "Speaking of this, I didn''t want to hurt you too deeply. Since you mentioned it, you can''t blame me. Think about it carefully. Ever since you appeared, you angered my grandfather to the point of being unable to get up, and then caused Zhao Youde''s soul to scatter, causing him to be unable to rest in peace even after his death. How pitiful is it for a person to end up like this. Now that we are in this danger zone again, with so many things happening, how can you be missing that time? "I really doubt whether your father was killed by you back then ¡­" The more Zhang Shan spoke, the louder he got. He was even more pleased with himself as he spoke, and completely ignored my darkening face.


    "Shut up!" Speaking of my father, this fellow finally touched my deepest sore spot. Ignoring everything else, I jumped in front of Zhang Shan and smashed my fist into his face.


    Anger made me forget one thing. Zhang Shan and I weren''t on the same level at all. Hitting him was equivalent to hitting a rock with an egg. Sure enough, my fist stopped ten centimeters away from Zhang Shan''s face, tightly gripped by his large hand, unable to advance any further.


    "Hmph, hit me? I think your brain got kicked by a donkey, right? " Zhang Shan was still squatting against the wall as he spoke to me with a smile. For the first time I felt how evil his smile was.


    Zhang Shan slowly stood up, with every step he took, the force behind his fists increased. In the end, it was him standing and me squatting.


    "Screech!" "Quite the backbone you have, not even making a sound. You have guts!" Zhang Shan teased as he looked at my forehead, which was continuously sweating due to the intense pain.


    Although I was unable to retract his fist, I was still waiting. I was waiting for Zhang Shan to lose focus for a moment, and endure the danger of losing his arm. I forcibly stood up a little, raised my right leg and kicked towards Zhang Shan''s crotch.


    "You overestimate yourself!" When Zhang Shan stood up, he already knew what I wanted to do. With his other hand, he grabs my ankle, and with a sweep of his leg, I crash to the ground.


    Before I could even react, my right hand was once again grabbed. Taking advantage of this, I twisted my body to face downwards while my right hand was pressed against the back of Zhang Shan''s knee, unable to move anymore.


    "Brat, I advise you not to think about it, just stay here. I might be able to let you go if I am in a good mood." Even if I kill you here, no one will ever know. " Zhang Shan warned me coldly from above.


    "If you have the ability, kill me now!" My back was pressed against, and my breathing was ragged, but I managed to squeeze the words out of my teeth.


    "Alright!" I''ll help you! " After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he concentrated his weight on the knee that was pressing down on me.


    "¡­" I could no longer make any sound in my throat. Because of the lack of oxygen, his consciousness became more and more blurry.


    Just when I felt that I was about to be shocked, a wave of heat quickly flowed from my limbs and bones to my right shoulder, and instantly broke through Zhang Shan''s twisted joints, straight to his palm.


    Zhang Shan seemed to have also felt the fiery heat, and was bounced back in an instant. Without waiting for him to stabilize himself, I grabbed a bottle of mineral water that fell out of my bag and threw it towards Zhang Shan.


    Zhang Shan dodged embarrassedly, but I could clearly see the water bottle dipping into the wall, and only heard the sound of it hitting the ground a second later.


    I stared blankly at the wall that was gradually disappearing, revealing a straight path in front of me. I didn''t even think about settling the score with Zhang Shan anymore.


    "Heh heh." Zhang Shan laughed instead. Since I''m not messing with you anymore, let''s hurry up and leave! "


    "You ¡­" I seem to understand a little bit of what Zhang Shan meant: "Are you deliberately trying to anger me?"


    "Since the Palmprint Holder is immune to hundred of ghosts, naturally, there is a way to break it. It''s just that right now you need to use some extreme methods to stimulate it. " Zhang Shan did not directly answer me, his face returning to that brilliant sun-like smile.


    "Can''t you tell me in advance?" I still feel a bit of a headache.


    "Tell you in advance?" Then can you really be angry? " Zhang Shan looked at me happily, picked up the machete on the ground, and carried it on his shoulder: "Let''s go quickly ¡­ ¡­" Where have we just arrived? The sky is about to brighten! "


    CHAPTER TWELVE People Who gnaw on rats


    Zhang Shan continued to lead the way with the compass in front, while I continued to pay attention to any activity that could happen behind us. The tunnel slowly extended downwards, seemingly endless.


    Not long later, Zhang Shan stopped and turned his head, gesturing for me to go over. Leaning forward, we found ourselves in a larger shelter, several times the size of the one we had just come down in, and much taller. In order to prevent the cave from collapsing, the ceiling had not only hardened, but the hall was also supported by dozens of pillars that were big enough for two people to carry.


    There was a similar platform in the hall. It was about one meter high and there were tables and stools scattered on it.


    "Look over there." Zhang Shan suddenly pulled me, pointing to the right and said with a low voice.


    I looked in the direction he was pointing and found a dark mass in front of a pillar. It was curling up on the ground, moving and moving in a very big way.


    I looked at it for a long time, but I couldn''t see what it was, so I touched it to my waist.


    The lamp switch on the battery has a total of three settings: off, normal brightness and super brightness. After entering the dugout, in order to conserve electricity, we hit the normal brightness. At this moment, I couldn''t see clearly with my eyes, so I remembered the function of the mine lamp and directly hit the bright light.


    "What are you doing?" You''re not giving up your life! " When Zhang Shan saw the light suddenly turn on, he knew that things were going to get bad. He reached out to cover my headlights.


    However, it was already too late. After the light intensifies, I could see that the black object under the pillar was actually a person with his back facing us. Both of his shoulders were heaving up and down, and I didn''t know what he was doing. Almost at the same time, the crouching figure seemed to sense the intensification of the light, and he turned his upper body to look at us.


    What a face, I couldn''t even be sure if he was still human or not. He had lost more than half of his hair, and his white scalp was exposed. He couldn''t see his eyes through the white frame of his eyes, and his face was covered with penny-sized blisters.


    The most disgusting thing was that the man was chewing on half a bloody rat, which bones and teeth occasionally chattered.


    "Zhao Youde!" I finally recognized the person in front of me. It was the Corpse Supporting Spell that we had spent a lot of effort to find.


    Zhao Youde opened his mouth and spat out the rat. He sniffed the rat and suddenly turned his head towards us. It was as if those white eyes were staring at me.


    "Run!" Before Zhang Shan could finish his sentence, Zhao Youde''s corpse had already charged towards us, laughing and shouting, his speed extremely fast.


    I was pushed to the base of the wall by Zhang Shan, but I had already lost my ability to judge or move due to the shock. I could only watch as it rushed in front of me, extended its highly rotten and swollen hands, and grabbed towards me.


    Zhang Shan bellowed, and when his hands were still ten centimeters away from me, he held onto the blade with both of his hands, and hacked down onto Zhao Youde''s corpse''s wrists.


    Along with a light "bang", the pair of hands finally stopped moving forward and descended along with the momentum of the blade. However, unexpectedly, Zhang Shan''s heavy sword did not even cut through its skin, but only tore off a piece of its sleeve.


    Zhao Youde''s body merely paused for a moment, as if he felt Zhang Shan''s threat, he turned around and extended his hands towards Zhang Shan. It seemed that he had decided to first remove the obstruction before coming to deal with me.


    At this point of time, Zhang Shan was extremely close to Zhao Youde''s corpse, he had already known the outcome of the attack. After slashing the first time, Zhang Shan did not stop and slashed twice towards the head of Zhao Youde''s corpse.


    But apart from the blisters that had grown from the corruption of the corpse, the blisters had burst and splattered on him. Zhao Youde''s head was not damaged in the slightest. Seeing that fellow grabbing towards him, Zhang Shan lowered his head, dodging the attack. At the same time, he raised his right leg and kicked at Zhao You''s corpse''s stomach.


    The strength of this kick was even more powerful. If it was me, I would have already flown out a few meters away. My bones would have broken and my tendons would have broken. However, Zhao Youde''s body merely swayed slightly, and bounced Zhang Shan beside me.


    "Damn, this guy is as tough as steel!" As Zhang Shan said that, he seized the opportunity to move the ankle he kicked just now. It seemed that he twisted it too hard.


    The Corpse Supporting Spell didn''t stop at all, it turned and pounced towards us again.


    "Get out of the way!" Zhang Shan pushed me to the side and grabbed Zhao Youde''s hands.


    "Go ¡­" Find a way out! " Zhang Shan was obviously resisting the Corpse Supporting Spell with all his might, to the point of even saying these words was extremely strenuous. The stench from the corpse''s mouth was so strong that he had to turn his face away.


    "Oh ¡­" I finally snapped out of my daze and hastily observed my surroundings. Not far behind Corpse Supporting Spell, there was a path that led somewhere, and he immediately pointed it out to Zhang Shan.


    "Take off your coat and cover his head!" Seeing that there was a way out, Zhang Shan hurriedly shouted to me.


    Although I didn''t understand his intentions, I still obediently took off my jacket. Trembling, I approached them from the side, and taking the opportunity, I threw the jacket on top of the Corpse Supporting Spell.


    Speaking of it, it was quite strange. With this cover, the Corpse Supporting Spell immediately stopped moving, and started spinning non-stop while holding onto the jacket''s head. Zhang Shan also retracted his hand, and he slowly moved back, pulling me along as he slowly retreated into the tunnel.

 C35

    Just as he entered the entrance, Zhang Shan immediately ran forward. I was still confused, he turned his head and shouted: "What are you waiting for? That coat has your scent, so it can only last for half a minute. If you don''t run now, I''ll see what you do after you finish taking off your clothes! "


    I turned my head to look, the Corpse Supporting Spell was already tearing that jacket, there was no need for half a minute, in at most ten seconds, it would follow me and catch up to me. I didn''t care about anything else as I turned and desperately chased after Zhang Shan.


    This passage was very different from the one we had passed before. It wasn''t straight, just a few dozen meters and there would be a 90 degree turn. Zhang Shan didn''t know how to wait for me, he just hung there, around twenty meters away.


    Not long after, faint whistling sounds could be heard from behind me. I didn''t dare to look back as I was afraid that I would lose any thoughts of escaping. I could only lower my head and charge forward.


    After Zhang Shan disappeared around a corner, a loud "clang" sound came from the front. I was startled and couldn''t help but look back. When I saw that Corpse Supporting Spell was just five meters behind me, it stretched out its hands and limped closely behind me.


    After turning around the corner, the path seemed to have reached its end, as a heavy, dark green metal door blocked our way, and "Clang dang" sounds came out as Zhang Shan ferociously kicked the door. His strength was indeed very strong. With such a thick metal door, he could actually kick a huge hole in it with just a few kicks. However, the door was even stronger. He was still in a daze from being kicked like this.


    "Is it coming?" Zhang Shan hurriedly asked when he saw me run over. I didn''t have time to pay him any attention. I rested my hands on my knees and gasped for breath. The answer came two seconds later. The Corpse Supporting Spell turned the corner, first smelling it, then slowly approaching us.


    Zhang Shan looked at it, and ignored it, turning around to kick the door. Fortunately, with every kick he kicks, the Corpse Supporting Spell will pause for about two seconds, otherwise it would have already charged in front of us.


    "F * ck!" "Let''s go all out!" Zhang Shan gave one last kick, stopping his plan to break through the door. He turned around, raised his blade and looked at Zhao Youde''s corpse that was just a few steps away from us. There was no helping it, the door was too thick. Opening it by brute force was extremely difficult.


    The Corpse Supporting Spell seemed to have understood our intentions, it suddenly increased its speed and rushed over. In such a small space, it was simply unavoidable.


    In this moment of life and death, Zhang Shan used his shoulder to push me away, dodging the claws of the Corpse Supporting Spell, and then used his Mountain Splitting Blade to stab at its stomach. With a crisp metallic sound, the machete broke into pieces, unable to deal any damage to the monster. However, the power of the Corpse Supporting Spell''s advance was not affected in the slightest. It withstood the remaining half of the blade in Zhang Shan''s hand, and joined Zhang Shan. Bang! - The door was smashed.


    Zhang Shan was unable to grasp the handle of the blade. Both of his hands loosened as the Corpse Supporting Spell pushed him into his abdomen. With this collision, Zhang Shan was severely injured. First, his back hit the door, then the blade stabbed into his stomach. Although the handle was not sharp, it was still strong enough for him to drink.


    "F * * k your grandmother!" Zhang Shan was also ruthless, he spat out a mouthful of blood onto the face of the Corpse Supporting Spell. He raised his leg and kicked again.


    "Creak ¡­" The iron door behind Zhang Shan was finally unable to withstand the continuous and fierce collisions, and the already deformed face of the door opened towards the back.


    Although Zhang Shan was heavily injured, he had not lost consciousness. Seeing that the Corpse Supporting Spell that was covered in blood had stopped moving, he immediately grabbed onto me, picked up the broken blade on the floor, and entered the metal door in a flash. After entering, Zhang Shan immediately closed the iron door, and the two of us blocked the door to prevent the Corpse Supporting Spell from hitting us again.


    After a long while, there was no sound coming from outside the door. I saw that Zhang Shan had kicked a hole in the lower right corner of the door, revealing a hole that was three fingers wide.


    A piece of white and dirty thing was just outside the door, not moving at all. I looked up and down, and realized it was the sole of an old cloth shoe. I was even more confused. The sole was facing forward, which meant that the shoe wearer''s legs were parallel to the ground, so he should be lying down.


    It was only after Zhang Shan asked that he found out that Zhao Youde was wearing a pair of thick cloth shoes that his wife had taken in when he went into the grave.


    Zhang Shan panted for a long time before he finally started to recover. Squatting down and looking around, he confirmed my words. But what I don''t understand is, why would the Corpse Supporting Spell suddenly lie outside the door? When he entered, he was standing there motionlessly. Could it be that he was injured by Zhang Shan in the end?


    Zhang Shan did not think that way. From the two times that they had exchanged moves, one could tell that the Corpse Supporting Spell''s power was definitely stronger than his. Although he did not know the reason why he could only sense light and not see clearly, it still had a keen sense of smell and that body that was as hard as steel.


    After a while, there was indeed no reaction from outside the door, so Zhang Shan gently opened the door a little and we both looked out. Under the light, he saw Zhao Youde sitting there with his legs stretched out and one hand pointing forward. He looked exactly the same as when he had sat up on the mountain two months ago. But now, this face that was full of corpse bubbles seemed even more terrifying and strange than before.


    Zhang Shan''s courage grew as he pulled open the door a little, and moved closer to see what was going on. When I tried to stop him, the guy was already through the door.


    Under the illumination of the two mine lamps, I finally managed to look through the Corpse Supporting Spell in detail for the first time. It was still wearing the same clothes that Zhao Youde had worn after his death. His family was poor and couldn''t even afford a decent set of clothes. It was an old man from the village who could not stand to watch any longer. He took out the clothes he had prepared for the funeral and gave them to Zhao Youde''s wife, allowing him to have a little more dignity after he died.


    But I remember now that I was wearing a suit and a tweed jacket. But he had long since disappeared, leaving only his tattered white shirt hanging on his body in a scattered fashion.


    The exposed skin was an iron-gray color, and the blood vessels beneath the skin were even darker, appearing all the more conspicuous. In some places, the skin had long since been cut open, and the cut had even caused the bones to be exposed.


    We were watching the creature, and gradually we heard a tiny sizzling sound coming from its face. On closer look, Zhang Shan saw that the mouthful of phlegm mixed with blood on the corpse''s face was bubbling continuously, and there was even a constant stream of steam coming out from it.


    "This little brat, he wants to drink laozi''s blood!" Zhang Shan is really a heartless guy, he''s injured over there, and just happened to say something naughty, which made me think of Liu Yunlong. If we were to put them together, I would definitely be knocked out.


    "This is bad!" Just as I was thinking about everything, Zhang Shan suddenly jumped up and jumped into the door.


    The moment he closed the door, I saw Corpse Supporting Spell outside the door, trembling non-stop.


    "Quick!" "Find something and knock on the door!" Zhang Shan leaned on the door and shouted at me.


    I looked around in panic and realised that the place behind the door was not normal in size. The mine light couldn''t reach the boundary. Moreover, there were many large boxes placed everywhere in the dark. As it happened, there was a huge wooden box about three meters long and one and a half meters tall right next to me. I hurried over and pushed it towards the door.


    After half a day of struggling, I just managed to push the box to the door, but Zhang Shan could not care less and grabbed the other side of the box, dragging me to the door.


    "Bang!" As soon as he let go, the door was slammed open. If not for this box, the door would have been smashed open already.


    Zhang Shan took this opportunity to pull the other big box beside him over, and hid it behind this box.


    "Bang!" Another time, some of the planks of the chest had been broken. Zhang Shan and I hurriedly pulled two more boxes over. Originally, we planned to piled them up, but it was too heavy and too big for us to do anything else other than line up and block them up at the back.


    "Bang!" This time, the whole door was completely smashed, and the top panel of the door had broken free of the frame and was sticking out from behind. As the wooden box was only 1.5 meters tall, it could only block the lower half of the steel door.


    Zhang Shan and I looked at the tattered iron gate, helpless. Looking at the situation, as long as the Corpse Supporting Spell comes from the outside, we could probably surrender.


    Outside the door, he fell into deep thought once again. He did not know how long he had endured, but Zhang Shan swallowed his saliva, climbed onto the box, and slowly approached the metal door.


    "He left ¡­" Zhang Shan lied on his stomach and looked at the crack in the door for a long time before he turned his head to me and said, "Quick! He would first find something to block off the top before anything else! Ai? "What is this?" After saying that, Zhang Shan took out something from the first wooden chest behind the door.


    When I looked closer, I saw that it was a military jacket wrapped in a plastic bag. The interior had been drained of air, presumably to prevent damp or dirt.


    It was then that we finally had time to observe the space behind the door, only a few dozen meters around us. There were more than a hundred boxes of this size, three in a row, arranged in perfect order. A little further away, there are also some smaller sized boxes. I even saw a row of gas barrels in the depths. This is actually a huge underground storage warehouse!


    Just as I was looking around randomly, a "pa" sound came from behind me and the entire space suddenly lit up. It turned out that on the wall beside the metal door, there was a switch, which Zhang Shan pushed up.


    When I looked again, I couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise. What a big place! There was a warehouse about the size of two football fields underground. It was filled with boxes of varying sizes. Although he did not know what they were, he could tell from the military jacket that they were just basic daily necessities and war preparations.


    "Oh my god! This time, we''re rich! " Zhang Shan found a few iron pipes that were as thick as a person''s wrist from somewhere and pushed them against the iron gate. After barely strengthening them, he walked to my side and sighed.


    "Stop dreaming, these are all from the country, it''s not like we found the treasure, why don''t we move it out and catch you?" As I spoke, I walked over to a small wooden box.


    As this underground storage area is extremely well hidden, there isn''t a lock on any of the boxes. The top cover is just placed on top of it. I flipped it open. In this smaller box, surrounded by something made of plastic, it should be moisture-proof. In the middle were actually pairs of release shoes. Zhang Shan then opened a few boxes one after another. Other than the cotton-padded jacket, there were only shoes and gloves.

 C36

    "Dammit, why isn''t there even a weapon? It''s fine to give them something to eat as well! " Zhang Shan was extremely disappointed as he scolded while looking around.


    As we walked, we turned the suitcases around, hoping to find something useful. Zhang Shan walked to the row of gas barrels at the end of the wall, opened the lid of the gas barrel in front of him, and took a sniff.


    "Gasoline!" He took the two remaining bottles of mineral water from the bag I was carrying and handed one to me, indicating that I should empty it and fill it with gasoline.


    I asked him what he was going to do. This guy gave me four big words.


    He poured two full bottles into the gas tank. He put the bottles in his jacket pocket one by one.


    "What''s that?" I had just straightened up when I noticed a large iron cabinet in the middle of the row of gas drums.


    After pointing it out to Zhang Shan, we walked towards the iron chest. Our instincts told us that the things inside should be useful to us.


    As we approached, we realized that there was a large brass lock on the door of the tin cabinet, which confirmed our thoughts. Zhang Shan ran over to the iron gate again and found a steel pipe, smashing the lock in two or three steps. I opened the door and looked inside. Inside were more than a dozen long submachine guns.


    "Ha!" It''s still seven or nine moves! " When Zhang Shan saw these guns, he acted like he saw his grandfather. He reached out and fished out a gun, and held it in his hand.


    "You''ve used it?" I was stunned. If it was said that mountain people liked to play with wild chickens and wild rabbits, having a gun was very normal. Most of them would use hunting rifles and the like, but Zhang Shan could actually play so fluently with this kind of submachine gun.


    "Hehe, in the early days, the army would often go to our village to practice on the mountain. Those warriors all had this on their backs, so after getting to know them well, I played with them every day. If it were any other gun, I would really be blind. " As Zhang Shan said that, he took out another box of bullets from the box at the bottom half of the cabinet.


    I''ve never been in contact with a real gun since I was a kid. In my eyes, it''s against the law for ordinary people to hold a gun." Furthermore, this place was obviously the national emergency storage, so it was a little inappropriate to do it so openly. But on second thought, he was already on the verge of death, so why would he care about such things? Whether he could survive or not was a problem. He would be a fool if he didn''t use such a lethal weapon!


    Looking at the submachine gun in this cabinet, I started to wonder if Zhang Shan would teach me how to use it.


    "Da Da Da!" The crisp sound of gunfire beside me almost scared my heart out of my wits. Turning his head to look, Zhang Shan saw that Zhang Shan was holding onto a submachine gun. On a big wooden chest not far from him, there were a few bullet holes on it that looked like it was being twisted and smoking.


    "Hahaha!" Awesome! After playing for so long, this is the first time I''ve fired live ammunition! " Zhang Shan laughed arrogantly as he held the spear, as if he had transformed into a different person.


    "Why did you shoot so randomly? What if I accidentally hurt him? Furthermore, they are all national items and have been destroyed by you just like that! " I was so shocked by him that I couldn''t help but scold him.


    "How do you know if it will work or not if you don''t try? In a while, come find the Corpse Supporting Spell. If you pull the trigger, it will not budge, and if you continue to complain, it will be too late! " Zhang Shan unceremoniously hung his submachine gun on his shoulder and went back to fill his magazine with bullets. I couldn''t be bothered with him, and I couldn''t resist reaching for a gun. After all, it was natural for men to like guns.


    The gun was taken out, but my attention was not on it. Because I found that when the gun was removed, the interior wall of the cabinet that was previously blocked exposed. On the dark green metal surface, there were two white words: "I".


    I pulled my head back and looked around. As far as I could see, there was nothing but a wooden box and a gas can. There was only one tin cabinet, so what was there to make up?


    My intuition tells me that this number one is a little odd. So I took down all the guns hanging on this floor and saw four big white words painted on the inner wall of the metal cabinet.


    "Channel 1 ¡­"


    I remember! The guillotine I''d taken when I first came down was Channel One, which was what the nurse in the illusion told me after the blue toad had knocked me out.


    Taking a closer look, he realized that the interior of this metal cabinet was actually a door. On the door, there was a copper lock that was even bigger than the one outside. These guns were actually hung on the door inside.


    There was a blue frog popping out of the tunnel for no reason, and then it sent me to forty years ago. It seemed that something ran out of the darkness and killed all the people in the hospital, and now there''s another entrance here, and it''s even in the cupboard.


    It seemed like the guns outside were all prepared to enter the "tunnel no. 1". What exactly was this "Channel One" used for?


    I immediately pulled Zhang Shan, who was still loading the bullets, over, wanting to hear his opinion.


    "Secret exit?" As Zhang Shan held onto the spear, his brain stopped working. After looking at it for a long time, he suddenly shouted out these words. I told him what I hadn''t had time to tell him before the guy started to think.


    "According to what you said, this first passage is indeed not simple. There is one possibility for all these to happen. Back then, we had actually already dug our way to the bottom of the Profound Gate, turning this road into a path to the underworld. " Zhang Shan thought for a long time before coming to a conclusion.


    "The Dao of the Underworld?" I heard the word, and though I didn''t know what it meant, I felt a chill run up my feet.


    "I told you before, Profound Gate is the place where the city meets Yin. To put it bluntly, it is the boundary between Yin and Yang. This passage is several tens of meters deep underground, and goes straight through the Profound Gate, leaving this place with no way to reach the sun. No one can say for sure what will happen inside. " After saying that, Zhang Shan reached out and pressed down on the iron door. Underground works are usually warm in the winter and cool in the summer, so the temperature is very stable. And this door, is actually made of ice, which means that the Yin Qi behind this door is extremely dense. "


    When I heard that, I stretched out my hand to press on the metal door. Immediately, a bone-piercing cold sensation goes through my palm to my heart. I couldn''t help but shiver. The temperature of this door is actually around zero degrees!


    "In short, the Dao of the Underworld is not something mortals can walk on." Just as Zhang Shan came to this conclusion, he heard a ''bang!'' sound from behind him. There was a loud noise, and we both looked back. Not good! The Corpse Supporting Spell finally broke through the door of the warehouse and rushed in. It stood on the wooden chest that the two of us moved into, smelling everything.


    "Haha!" "You bastard, you came at the right time. I''ll kill you today!" Zhang Shan said arrogantly as he held the gun in his hand. Corpse Supporting Spell followed the sound and instantly determined our position, jumping down from the chest and rushing towards us.


    "Da Da Da ¡­" Zhang Shan did not hold back, he shot all of the bullets out and pinned the majority of the bullets onto the Corpse Supporting Spell, causing it to fall onto the ground.


    "Hmph, what Corpse Supporting Spell, once I see this thing, wouldn''t I be able to do it ¡­" Zhang Shan lifted the barrel of the gun. Before he could finish speaking those harsh words, he shut his mouth, because the monster had crawled up from the ground again.


    The two of us panicked. Just what was this guy made of? Not even a gun!


    "Keep fighting!" I immediately hid behind Zhang Shan.


    "I ran out of bullets, so I just installed a shuttle!" Zhang Shan hurriedly pushed the bullets into the magazine while paying attention to the situation in front of him.


    The Corpse Supporting Spell got closer and closer.


    "F * ck!" What bullshit is this! " Seeing that this guy was only a dozen or so meters away from us, and in his panic, Zhang Shan had only stuffed a few bullets in, he steeled his heart and finally threw the gun away. Reaching into our pockets for a bottle of gas we''d just drunk, we unscrewed the cap and sprinkled it in an arc across the floor in front of us.


    "Lighter!" As Zhang Shan did this, he extended his hands out to me without even turning his head around. I hastily took out a lighter from my pocket and handed it over to him. After receiving it, Zhang Shan immediately squatted down and lit up the gasoline on the ground.


    Boom!" A wall of fire instantly ignited in front of us, surrounding Zhang Shan, me and the iron chest behind us.


    The Corpse Supporting Spell seemed to be afraid of fire, and as the flames rose, it stood motionlessly outside the wall of fire, its pale eyes staring at us.


    Zhang Shan did not slow down, picking up the steel pipe on the floor, and threw it towards the big copper lock. This lock is so big, even after Zhang Shan smashed it ten times, he still could not break it.


    I saw an iron bar about two feet long in the corner of the tin cabinet and handed it to him. This thing was much easier to use than steel tubes. Zhang Shan put the metal bar at the gate and pressed it down hard, causing the copper lock to fall.


    "Let''s go!" Run inside! " Zhang Shan kicked the door open and was about to push my collar inside.


    "What are you trying to do? "Can you take this road?" I stared at Zhang Shan, not knowing what he meant. He had just said that mortals could not walk on the paths of the underworld, and in the blink of an eye, I entered the fortress.


    "Motherf * cker, why are you blabbering so much! If he didn''t leave now, he was going to die! Now, even if it''s the Yama King''s hall, we''ll still have to go through it! " Seeing that the fire was getting smaller and smaller, Zhang Shan immediately kicked me in. Before he entered, he didn''t forget to grab a submachine gun and a box of bullets.


    This fellow kicked me until I was like a dog eating shit. The cold ground that was plastered against my face made me shiver. Before he could straighten himself, he picked me up again and urged, "Run! The fire is going to be extinguished soon! "


    We began a new run. There was no light in this "tunnel one", so he had to turn on the mine light. Fortunately, this bottle of gasoline did not last long. The two of us had already run a few hundred meters away, so we could still see the fire when we turned around.


    Once away from the ground and walls, the passage no. 1 did not feel very cold. It was unknown where the wind came from, but it kept blowing into his ears.


    As I ran, I realized that something was wrong. I felt something falling from my body. Lowering my head to take a look, I discovered that my sleeve had somehow rotted into a piece, falling down along with the movement. I swiped my left arm with my right hand. This time, not only my sleeve, but a large portion of my skin was also pulled off, revealing the muscles and bright red blood vessels underneath.


    I was so scared that I quickly turned around and asked Zhang Shan for help. Turning his head to look, Zhang Shan is even more miserable than me, the clothes on his upper body is almost all gone, his skin also doesn''t have a single piece, and his right chest is even rotten to the point of reaching his ribs. There was not a single strand of hair left on his scalp, and there was even an eyeball hanging outside, flailing about as he ran.

 C37

    Seeing that I had stopped, the festering Zhang Shan immediately braked and walked over to me. I didn''t dare let him get close. I pointed my right hand at him. My throat was rumbling, but I couldn''t utter a single word. But the look of horror on his face was obvious.


    When the rotten Zhang Shan saw me like this, he didn''t say a word and placed his right index finger in his mouth. Crack!


    I tried my best to dodge, but it was a pity that my physical strength was still inferior to Zhang Shan''s. Moreover, he retreated and caught up to me within two steps, and stabbed a finger into my forehead.


    I closed my eyes as I thought, "It''s over. It seems like I''ll have to end it here today. It''s so rotten that I didn''t feel anything. Otherwise, just the pain would have cost me my life ¡­"


    Wait, does it hurt? That shouldn''t be the case. After all, it didn''t hurt to rot at all, so who would believe that? I once again opened my eyes and saw Zhang Shan standing in front of me, unharmed, with a red dot as thick as a finger on his forehead.


    "To think that you are still a Palmprint Holder, able to hit such a low level illusion. If word of this were to spread, people would definitely laugh their teeth off!" Zhang Shan seriously scolded me.


    I found a bloodstain on his right index finger, but it didn''t go away. I was relieved. There was no time to say anything, and this was not the time to ask questions. We paused and ran again. Water began to seep out of the walls of the passageway, and the light from the lamps shined on it, making it look blue.


    "Wait!" Zhang Shan suddenly called out to me, and the water that was seeping out had already congregated into a circle in the middle of the path.


    He crouched down, scooped up a puddle of water, and slowly stood up again. I moved closer to take a look. The blue ink was actually quite cohesive, like mercury. It continuously crowded together, changing its shape. In less than half a minute, the handful of blue ink in Zhang Shan''s hand slowly condensed into a fixed shape, a bit like ¡ª ¡ª Frog.


    "I''m talking about what? Dream Return Toad!" Zhang Shan cried out in fear, throwing away the things in his hands, he pointed forward and bellowed: "Quick, rush out of this path, if not, we will both be here today!"


    I already recognized that this thing was the toad that was puffing smoke at me in the passage earlier, but I did not feel that it was scary at all.


    "Caw ¡­" "Caw ¡­" There were already a few cries coming from the passageway. When Zhang Shan saw all these things, he was even more nervous than if he had met Corpse Supporting Spell. Along the way, countless blue toads were trampled by us. Once they were trampled on, they were like broken balloons, releasing purple smoke and dissipating with it. Fortunately, we kept moving forward, and before the purple smoke could dissipate, we were left behind.


    Finally, after passing through a ventilation hole as thick as a person''s wrist above his head, the number of blue dots in the tunnel started to decrease. After running a few more steps, the toads had completely disappeared.


    "Phew!" "That was close!" Zhang Shan exhaled a long breath and sat on the ground.


    "Are those toads scary?" I was free, so I took the time to ask him.


    "It''s not like you''ve never been sprayed before. Don''t you understand?" Zhang Shan looked at me with slanted eyes as he gasped for breath. One is nothing, at most I''ll let you pass out for a while, tens of thousands, how long do you think you can stay unconscious for? Before you wake up, I''m afraid you will have already starved to death. "


    "Starved to death ¡­" This term sounds a little familiar, but before I could think about it further, Zhang Shan continued, "This time, the Dream Toad is the guardian of the Profound Gate. The smoke they exhaled wasn''t just limited to making people faint. What you saw and encountered during your coma were things that had truly happened. In the past, there were many people who raised this item at home, and used it to investigate past events and to search for the truth. But what happens in a coma is real, and will cause many people to die in it. "Furthermore, it will be very difficult to raise them. In the end, the number of people who use them will decrease ¡­"


    "It''s that magical?" After listening to Zhang Shan''s explanation, I became a lot more interested in this little thing.


    "God? As I said, this thing is the guardian of the Profound Gate. Passing through them is equivalent to passing through the Profound Gate. In other words, we are no longer in the mortal world, but in the ¡ª hell. " Zhang Shan deliberately dragged out the last two words, causing goosebumps to appear all over my body.


    "No ¡­" It can''t be? "Then what should we do now?" I hastily turned around to look. The pitch black tunnel continued to stretch forward. I didn''t find anything different from before.


    "The path of the Netherworld, there will be no return. We have to go back immediately. " Zhang Shan rested enough, he supported himself up with his knees.


    "When we go back, we will still have a chance against the Corpse Supporting Spell. In here, we are just mortals. Before long, many things will be attracted by our smell and you will be unable to leave even if you want. "


    "Can you take me with you?" A voice that sounded a little nervous came from behind us.


    "Who is it!" I immediately turned around to look, while Zhang Shan took the initiative to block in front of me and raised the submachine gun in his hand.


    A figure approached from the darkness of the passage. It was a handsome boy, eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a blue down jacket and a pair of old jeans and a pair of new white sneakers. If placed outside, it would be a typical image of a university student.


    "Are you a human or a ghost?" Hiding behind Zhang Shan, I started talking about my own lines.


    "Other than the two of us, is there any other living beings here?" Without waiting for the boy to reply, Zhang Shan stopped me in my tracks.


    "Please, take me away! I''ve been locked up here for fifteen years and have been guarding the door every day just for the sake of someone with a good heart to take me out. " The boy felt like he was about to cry. He wanted to walk forward, but when he saw Zhang Shan''s vigilant eyes and the black gun muzzle, he stepped back.


    "A kind-hearted person? Oh, I''m not, don''t wear a high hat. Since you are already dead, why should you stay here and return to the mortal world? Did I let you go out to harm people? " Zhang Shan did not hold back, and coldly said to the boy.


    "I''m not going to die a violent death. I have the right to go back!" The boy straightened up and called to us.


    "I''m sorry, I''m not a judge, and he''s not the King of Hell. We can''t say for sure about this matter." After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he pulled me back.


    "I really won''t lie to you. Not only will I not harm anyone when I go out, I can even save them. Please help me!" The boy no longer cared about Zhang Shan''s expression and quickly walked towards us.


    "Pah!" A gunshot rang out and the boy was shot in the left side of his chest, revealing a black spot. Instantly, the black spot quickly spread out. In just a few seconds, it had burned out a palm-sized area. The boy''s expression was pained, but he bit his lips without making a sound.


    "If you think you can beat Palmprint Holder, come over." Zhang Shan raised the gun and looked at the ghost in front of him with disdain.


    The boy''s expression became even more unsightly. She carefully asked us, "You are ¡­" Palmprint Holder? "


    Zhang Shan used his chin and pointed to the left side of the boy''s chest. "What do you think? "If not, how could an ordinary submachine gun injure you to this extent?"


    I am confused, I didn''t see what this guy wanted from me, even his submachine gun can kill ghosts, obviously this does not come from my Palmprint Holder''s power.


    The boy lowered his head and thought about it for a moment. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he looked up at us and said, "If I can''t leave here today, I''d rather die in your hands!" After that, without waiting for Zhang Shan''s response, he slowly walked towards us.


    Zhang Shan didn''t bother being polite at all with him, he raised his hand and shot another round at the boy''s left leg. Similarly, the bullet that hit the boy''s body also quickly spread. But the boy only frowned and did not stop.


    "It''s hopeless!" "After Zhang Shan spat those words, he raised the gun up to his eyes and aimed it at the boy''s heart." Since you want to do this, I''ll grant your wish! "


    "Pah!" After the noise, the boy stood watching us in a daze. However, Zhang Shan''s gun was aimed diagonally upwards, so this shot didn''t hit any part of the boy''s body.


    "What are you doing!" Zhang Shan turned his head and scolded me in a low voice.


    "Do you have the heart to do it?" The first thing I did to Zhang Shan caused dissatisfaction from the bottom of my heart.


    "Remember! Don''t talk about feelings with ghosts, they don''t have any! " Zhang Shan was probably afraid that the boy would see that we were at odds, so he took advantage of the opportunity and whispered to me without moving his mouth.


    I knew exactly what he meant, but since I had decided to find out, I was not afraid that the boy would see through it. So I raised my voice, stared at Zhang Shan and said: "Although we don''t know what''s going on, but since he threw caution to the wind, can''t you give him a chance to explain? Yes! We are the Palmprint Holder, but should we just kill the innocent? Although you did so, no one can say anything to you, and there is no law binding you. But as a human being, a person of flesh and blood should always put human emotions first! instead of doing this double standard multiple standard. If there was a living person in front of you right now, would you still do this? " After I said this much in one breath, I looked at Zhang Shan without blinking.


    Zhang Shan''s gaze at me became sharper and sharper, and just when I felt like it was going to explode, he suddenly retracted his aura. He turned to the boy and said, "I''ll give you two minutes. If you can convince me, maybe your request will be met. If you can''t, please feel free to go back, and don''t make things difficult for me. " After saying that, he sat on the floor, leaned against a wall, and closed his eyes to rest.


    "Alright! I''m willing to give it a try. " The boy clearly had the upper hand in his desire to get out. He continued, "I''m going out to save someone. She''s my girlfriend!"


    "That''s it? No more? " Zhang Shan did not even open his eyes, as he squeezed out these words from the corner of his mouth. If there is no more, we will be leaving. Sorry, your reasons are not enough to convince me. "


    "My girlfriend is dead too, we''re going to die in this dugout!" the boy added quickly.


    Zhang Shan opened his eyes and stood up. He looked at the boy and said: "What does this have to do with me? "Let''s go." He pulled me to turn around.


    "You won''t be able to leave this dugout without me! Furthermore, without me, my girlfriend would only harm you and wouldn''t help you if she met you! " The boy followed, talking behind him.


    "Don''t threaten me! That''s what I''m not afraid of the most when I''m young! " Zhang Shan suddenly turned around and pressed the gun barrel against the boy''s forehead, shouting at him.

 C38

    "Wait, you said that you died here together with your girlfriend?" I asked the boy as I pulled open the barrel of Zhang Shan''s gun.


    After receiving his affirmation, I asked again, "Is your girlfriend wearing a red jacket like yours, with short yellow hair?"


    "Have you seen her? How is she? Did you make things difficult for them? " When the boy heard the news about the girl, he immediately became excited and rushed towards me. It was thanks to Zhang Shan''s submachine gun that stopped him.


    "You''re the couple who starved to death in the dugout fifteen years ago, right?" I finally got to the point and was excited.


    The boy lowered his head in silence. Looking at his expression, it seemed as if he was trying hard to remember something.


    Just as Zhang Shan was about to lose his patience, the boy finally spoke up. "That''s right, it''s been fifteen years.


    "I don''t understand. Why didn''t you go find him yourself? Why did you have to find someone to take you out?" I really don''t understand.


    "Because he does not belong here. In the underworld, he is a ghost. With his abilities, it was impossible for him to pass the trial of the Dream Toad. If I''m not wrong, he was either tricked in or forced in. " Zhang Shan answered for him.


    The boy did not deny it. Zhang Shan was about to continue speaking when he heard a low roar coming from deep within the tunnel. It didn''t sound like it was made by a human, but it wasn''t a jackal, tiger, leopard or any other wild beast.


    "Let''s go, we''ve been here for too long. Something is already following the scent." Zhang Shan was obviously very nervous, and wanted to drag me back home. But when I saw the pleading look on the boy''s face, I refused to budge.


    "I really f * * king admire you!" Seeing that I was not affected, Zhang Shan scolded: "You can''t even protect yourself, and you still want to take this rotten stuff? I say, is there something wrong with your head?"


    "Take him away." I didn''t look at Zhang Shan as I calmly said this, but my tone was very determined.


    "You ¡­ Damn! If you want to bring it with you, I''ll wait for you at the front. But let''s just say that if something happens after that, you better not stick with me. " After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he turned around and walked back the way he came from.


    I was stunned in place, not because Zhang Shan did not care about this matter, but because once he left, I became worried. It was easy to say to take the boy away, but how? I don''t know anything!


    The boy seemed to see my difficulties and stepped forward and said, "Can I hide in your pocket?"


    "Oh ¡­" "Alright then!" I tried to hide the fact that I didn''t know anything.


    When the boy saw me agree, he became more and more transparent until he disappeared.


    I took it out and saw that it was actually another glass bead with a pair of eyes, but it was smaller than the one the old man had forced on me yesterday.


    I looked into my eyes in a daze, and heard a terrifying howl coming from the depths of the cave. Not daring to think anymore, I hurriedly put my eyeballs back in my pockets, and turned to chase after Zhang Shan.


    Zhang Shan was already waiting under the air vent, and occasionally the sound of frogs could be heard tens of meters in front of him.


    "Hurry up and get ready. When we came over, the Dreamy Cloud Toad had already been released. This time, we need to run over in one breath, don''t pant." This period is very long, even if you want to hold it in, you have to hold it back for me! " Zhang Shan did not inquire about the results, but explained with a serious expression.


    "En!" I didn''t say much and immediately started to adjust my breathing.


    "Are you ready? "Let''s go!" After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he took a deep breath and led the way forward.


    Purple smoke had already filled the corridor, and toads were still being trampled by us, spitting out new ones. After running for a few dozen meters, the pressure in my chest suddenly increases. While I was feeling uncomfortable, I heard the clanging sounds in front of me. Before I could react, I stepped on something hard and smooth.


    My chin hit the ground so hard that I couldn''t help but take in a cold breath of air. This time, I swallowed quite a bit of the purple smoke, and in less than a second, my body had already lost all of its strength. Lying on the ground, I tried my best to open my eyes to find that there were several bullets scattered in front of my face.


    "Damn it, this Zhang Shan fellow, has caused my death ¡­" As soon as I thought of it, I fainted again.


    "Master, what are we doing here?" In the darkness, I heard the voice of a still young boy.


    "You''re sick! Master brought you here to find medicine!" If you take the medicine, Ah Xi''s disease will be cured. " An old voice replied.


    I looked up and saw two figures with torches walking towards me. They were one big and one small. I tried to stand up, but my right foot had actually twisted in the fall. I pushed, and the pain came, and I fell back to the ground.


    "Who is it?" The two men in front of me heard the noise and stopped, looking at me warily.


    "Don''t... Don''t shoot! I just came in to play! " After saying that, I started to suspect if my brain was broken as well and such words actually popped out from my mouth.


    As expected, it was a child and a child. The child was around ten years old, but he was born with a thick and solid build, his skin was dark, and he looked somewhat similar to Zhang Shan. However, his face was extremely pale, and there was not a trace of blood on his lips. The adult was not very old, but he was definitely not in his fifties. He had a goatee and wore an old-fashioned pair of goggles.


    I knew it was the smoke from the "Dream Back Toad," and I was anxious to find out what the date was. However, the two of them were both dressed in shorts and coarse clothing. It was impossible to see any of the characteristics of the era.


    As I watched them, they looked at me. After a moment, the child spoke up. "Who are you? What are you doing here? "


    "Hehe, this child grew up in the mountains and hasn''t seen many strangers. Don''t blame him." Before I could reply, the old man got out of the way first. He saw that I was still half-crouching on the ground, so he asked me, "Are you injured? Do you need our help? "


    "No ¡­." "It''s nothing, I just sprained my ankle. It''s fine!" I was a little embarrassed that the old man was so polite.


    "Since it''s fine, then we won''t stay here any longer. The air in the cavern is moist. Young man, let''s part here and be careful down the mountain. " After the old man said this, he pulled the child past me and headed deeper into the forest.


    "Down the mountain ¡­" I was chewing on the old man''s words when I noticed them walking past me. I quickly turned around and shouted, "There is a corridor in front of us, mortals are not allowed to go anywhere! "Huh?"


    In fact, halfway through my words, I realized that something was wrong. Previously, in the dugout, wherever Zhang Shan and I went, no matter if it was the floor or the walls, they were all neatly paved with green grey stone bricks. When I looked up, I saw that I was surrounded by irregular rocks. Only my feet were a little flat, but they were only small stones. Where was the shadow of the dugout? It was a little like a cave.


    They both heard the shout and looked back at me. The child tugged at the old man''s arm and asked, "Master, what is this meditation technique that man mentioned? Isn''t this the cave behind our village? "


    The old man seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment, he said to me, "Young man, I know that you''ve come in a strange manner. But since you don''t want to say it, I won''t force you. "How about this, if you trust me and my disciple, and come with us to do something, and then return to the village after that, I''ll find a way to help you leave. What say you?"


    I couldn''t help smiling bitterly. It wasn''t that I didn''t want to say it, but I didn''t know. I couldn''t possibly say that I was sent here because I smoked a blue toad''s cigarette. Wasn''t this too ridiculous? However, in the current situation, it would seem that following the two of them was the only and the best choice.


    Seeing that I had agreed, the old man smiled and turned around to lead his disciple forward. I didn''t know what was going on yet, and I didn''t want to say anything more. I flexed my sprained ankle and limped after them.


    After about five hundred steps, he turned a corner and his eyes immediately lit up. The exit of the cave was about a hundred meters in front of him. I kept moving in the dark, unable to adapt, and quickly closed my eyes.


    As I got used to the light, I slowly opened my eyes and was shocked by what I saw. The entrance of the cave was located on top of a cliff. On the right side of the cave entrance was a small waterfall that poured down from the top of the mountain, falling straight into the abyss on the left. There was no way out of the cave, but about 20 to 30 meters in front of him, there was a platform protruding from the side of the mountain. It was about 1000 square meters.


    Between the cave and the platform, there was an extremely simple chain bridge, and some of the planks had already rotted away. With a cry of joy, the child abandoned us and ran across the iron chain bridge to the open field opposite the ravine. The old man turned back to look at the wound on my foot. He gave it a few tweets and walked away, and I felt that the pain had miraculously lessened.


    He walked up to the bridge with the old man. The iron chain swayed endlessly, and the wooden planks on top of it creaked as if they were opposing each other. The old man didn''t mind and said to me with a laugh, "This child is called Ah Xi and is from the village. He was sent by his grandfather to study medicine with me. Because this place was close to the peak of the mountain and gathered the spiritual energy of the mountain, the essence of the sun and moon could be found here. "Normally, if children came in to ruin the place, it could be considered a forbidden area in the village. Apart from medicine masters, ordinary people are prohibited from entering ¡­"


    The old man explained slowly, but I was scared to death. This was the first time I had walked such a high chain bridge, and my legs couldn''t help but shiver.


    Add to that the fact that I was shaking so hard, I was basically holding on to the wire and moving at a tortoise''s speed.


    After finally stepping onto the lawn, I finally let out a breath. As far as the eye could see, this place was covered in green grass and all kinds of unknown flowers were blooming. The little boy was currently chasing a huge butterfly. He turned around and saw the waterfall flowing straight down from the side of the chain bridge into the depths. Clouds and mist lingered in the ravine, giving it an ethereal feeling.


    The old man crossed the bridge and ignored me. He walked straight along the edge of the cliff. After a few steps, he squatted down to take a look. It was unknown what he was looking for. It was only when the old man squatted down for the fourth time and seemed to have found what he was looking for that he reached out his hand and began to busy himself. I hurried after him, first to see if the old man needed any help, and then to see what he was looking for.

 C39

    When he was a few steps away, the old man stood up, holding a shiny item in his hand. He looked quite excited. When I looked closer, I saw that it was a small, silver-white snake.


    To call it a snake was indeed a bit too much. At most, it would be the size of an eel, but its color was a bit different.


    The old man pinched the snake''s head and could not help but feel excited. "You have never seen this kind of snake before, right?" His name was Silver Leopard, and although it was not poisonous, its speed was extremely fast. Even ordinary people would not be able to catch up to him. In order to catch Liu Ming, he had to use the liver of an old hen that had just laid eggs, soak him in medicinal wine for a month, and then stir-fry him with nine special medicinal ingredients in order to attract his attention. If that fellow were to follow the scent to the chicken liver, it would immediately swallow it. Once the chicken liver is swallowed into its mouth, it is hard to digest, so it will become stuck. As a result, the medicinal wine''s effect gradually appears, slowly evaporating into its body, and then, this fellow will become drunk, and will be unable to move for three days. "


    The old man pointed out to me, and sure enough, there was a small, hard bulge about seven inches above the snake''s body. It must be the chicken liver.


    The old man took out a small knife and beckoned for Ah Xi to come over. He then took out the snake gall and swallowed it. He then put the snake corpse into the small bamboo basket on his waist.


    Shea ate the snake gall and hopped away. When the old man found the snake, he seemed to be in a very good mood. Seeing that I was still confused, he became excited and continued, "This silver skunk is very suspicious, and loves to live at the highest point. Normally, he would never leave the top of the mountain more than five hundred steps away. In order to catch this guy, I first spent a month to prepare chicken liver and then put in nine months of bait before catching this one. Fortunately, the heavens have opened their eyes, allowing this child to have a chance to live. "


    "Then what is the use of snake gall? This child... Is there something wrong with it? " I couldn''t help but ask the old man.


    "Sigh ¡­" The old man sighed, "Have you heard of Buddhist Relics Blood?"


    I shook my head blankly. I didn''t have any impression of those three words in my mind.


    "Within this child''s body, there is a flow of Buddhist Relics Blood. It was a very rare blood, at least the only one I had ever seen. Buddhist Relics Blood was a pure Yang being. With this blood, not only would his body be strong, he would also be immune to all kinds of diseases.


    However, this child''s grandfather walked the path of pure yin. The child had followed him since he was young, and the yin aura on his body had increased day by day. This couldn''t be blamed on his grandfather. He only found out about this child''s abnormality by chance.


    It wasn''t until one day, when the child had a nosebleed for no reason and a vein appeared, that his grandfather knew that the situation wasn''t looking good. If this goes on, the child will eventually be devoured by Yin Qi and the pure Yang Buddhist Relics Blood will not be able to revive. This means that the child will lose the ability to produce blood. "


    "Leukemia?" My heart jolted and I could not help but whisper.


    The old man did not notice my words, but continued on by himself: "The gall of this silver gunk, is the savior of the Buddhist Relics Blood. To ordinary people, eating one will at most nourish them a little, but to those who possess Buddhist Relics Blood, it is undoubtedly the second heart. "


    "Will he be alright after eating snake gall?" I looked at the carefree Ah Xi who was running in the distance and lamented.


    "If we had discovered it a year earlier, maybe this one would have been enough. From the looks of it, one snake gall was only enough for him to live another ten years. When that time came, he would have to find even more fresh snake gall to continue maintaining it. The hard part is that the silver slither took shape a hundred years ago, and this little one is already this hard to find, not to mention the bigger one. "In the next ten years, we will be able to pass. This child is twelve years old this year, and whether or not he can survive past thirty-two will all be up to the past." As the old man spoke, his expression was one of infinite desolation.


    When Ah Xi was tired of running and the old man had gathered a lot of herbs, we stepped onto the chain bridge and walked back. Even though I was in a hurry to go back, the situation right now was very different from a dream. I had secretly tried all sorts of methods, but not only did I not wake up, I was in so much pain that my mouth was split open.


    This section of the cave was not very long, only twisted and turned. Moreover, there were no man-made cracks, so it should have been naturally formed. After a few bends, we emerged from the belly of the mountain. As I stood at the entrance of the cave, I felt the Shan Jia Village that the old man spoke of beneath my feet. It was at this time, just as it was dusk, smoke was rising from the roofs of the houses, and the fragrance of food finally made me think of the word ''hungry''. I followed Zhang Shan into the cave for the greater part of the night, not even having the chance to drink saliva, let alone eat food. I don''t even know if I still have the scones I bought before I went in.


    Still, I wondered if I could even dream of feeling hungry.


    The old man was in the first yard of the cave. It was a bit exaggerated to call it a yard. The crooked bamboo poles created a space of one hundred square meters. A house built with a mixture of thatch and clay tiles was located in the middle of an open space. Only the herbs in front of the house with a bamboo comb and bamboo comb were able to identify the owner.


    After entering the room, the old man didn''t have any intention of cooking. Instead, he went straight down to the stove, took out three bowls of noodle soup from the big iron pot, placed them on the table, and ate them together with Ah Xi.


    Even though I was hungry, I still hesitated as I looked at the bowl of paste that could already be kneaded into shape. The old man saw my embarrassment and stood up. He went back to the stove and came back with a bowl of what looked hard and pushed it in front of me.


    I took a closer look and saw that it was actually half a bowl of Red Braised Meat.


    Ah Xi also stopped eating. Looking at the bowl in front of me, her throat kept moving. It was obvious that she was swallowing her saliva. But the old man tapped him on the head with his chopsticks to indicate that he was not to look again, and Shea had to lower her head to eat her bowl.


    At this point, my nose suddenly felt sour. I picked up the bowl of "pasta paste" and wolfed it down. As for the Red Braised Meat in front of him, it didn''t move at all.


    Maybe I''m really hungry. This bowl of noodles is so much better than I thought. After dinner, Ah Xi was put to bed. Mountaineers generally do not allow their children to go out at night. I was sitting at the table, bored, when the old man came over with a steaming cup of tea and sat down across the table.


    The old man pushed the teacup in front of me and looked me in the eyes. He said seriously, "Hundred Herb Garden is a dead end. Since you suddenly appeared in the cave, I think you should know how you got here. If there''s anything I can do for you, just say so. You''re a kind-hearted young man, as you can see from dinner. "Rest assured, as long as I can do it, I will definitely help you!"


    "I ¡­" I was a little confused and didn''t know what to say. After thinking for a moment, I asked the old man, "Have you heard of the Corpse Supporting Spell?"


    "Hehe, I knew you weren''t simple." The old man smiled knowingly. First, it''s the Dao of the Underworld, and then it''s the Corpse Supporting Spell. Let me see your wrist. "


    I pulled off my long-sleeved T-shirt, revealing the Inaction Imprint.


    "As expected, if it wasn''t Palmprint Holder, how would I know about this?" The old man had known it would be like this.


    "Could it be that you ¡­" I didn''t expect the old man to know so much.


    "I''m not." The old man indicated for me to take a sip of tea and continued, "Palmprint Holder''s identity is mysterious. If the other party didn''t reveal it to you voluntarily or unintentionally, don''t ask randomly."


    "Oh ¡­" I didn''t know what to say, so I took a cup of tea and sipped on it.


    The tea was dark red in color and had a salty taste. It couldn''t really be considered tasty, but since someone had brought it over, I couldn''t say anything. I could only sip it.


    "Do you want to know how to break the Corpse Supporting Spell?" The old man saw that I was silent and gave me a shot of medicine.


    "You know?" When I heard this, my whole body shook. I grabbed the old man''s arm and looked at him eagerly, like a man walking in the night would see a light in the distance.


    "Hehe, the Corpse Supporting Spell has a tough skin and is invulnerable to swords and spears. Although I don''t know how you managed to provoke it, it wasn''t easy to break it. But there is one thing that is truly the nemesis of the Corpse Supporting Spell. " The old man let me hold him, still smiling as he spoke.


    "What is it?" I can''t wait to know, my heart is in my throat.


    The old man stopped smiling and did not answer me. Instead, he raised his hand and pointed towards the room.


    "Ah Xi?" Can he break the Corpse Supporting Spell? " I couldn''t believe it.


    "There''s something special about him that can lower the power of the Corpse Supporting Spell." The old man stared at me, enunciating each word.


    "You mean ¡­" Buddhist Relics Blood? " I finally understood what the old man meant. I can''t live for myself and take the blood of a strange child, can I? Besides, who knows how many Buddhist Relics Blood would be needed to subdue that monster. If so, wouldn''t that be taking Ah Xi''s life?


    "You don''t have to worry about that, because even if we give it to you, you won''t be able to take it away." The old man handed over a mirror.


    "What for?" I took the mirror in confusion, not understanding the old man''s intentions.


    "Look at yourself, what''s the difference?" The old man pointed to the mirror, indicating that I should take a look.


    Looking at himself in the mirror, he had thick eyebrows and a big nose. Other than the beard and dark circles under his eyes, which had grown a little gaunt over the past two days, everything else was fine ¡­


    Wait! My Eye... Why is it gray?


    His pupils, which should have been black, now emitted a lifeless gray color that was turbid and indistinct.


    "Do you know why?" The old man saw that I had noticed something strange, so he continued, "Because you are not complete. What is here is only your soul. And your body is not here. "


    My body is not here? How did I get here? Where was I before I got here?


    All the memories began to blur.


    "You have stayed here for too long. You must leave as soon as possible. Although I do not know what exactly happened to you, Buddhist Relics Blood is the only way to break through the Corpse Supporting Spell. After we return, come to the Taihang Mountain of northern Henan and find this child''s grandfather. He might have a way. " The old man kept telling me.


    "Go ¡­" How? "Where to?" The old man didn''t remind me, but it didn''t matter. At this moment, I was getting more and more confused.


    "Go where you need to go. Drink some tea and set off." The tone of the old man''s voice became soft and slow, giving off a drowsy feeling.


    My upper and lower eyelids were already starting to fight.


    "Remember, this child''s grandfather is called Zhang Shixun. "Only he can save you ¡­" Before the old man could finish, I fell asleep on the table.


    Zhang Shixun... What a familiar name ¡­ Zhang Shan... Old Man Zhang! That child called Ah Xi turned out to be Zhang Shan! No wonder they looked so similar!

 C40

    A musty smell settled in my nose.


    I snapped open my eyes. Where is this? It seemed to be in a cabinet. When I looked around, I saw that I was sitting against the wall at the entrance to Channel One. On the left was the dark underworld, and on the right was a huge wooden chest with a light shining on the top. However, many of the boxes seemed to have been destroyed by someone. They were cracked open, and those cotton-padded jacket and shoes were scattered everywhere.


    From time to time, a crackling sound could be heard from a distant corner. Red light was constantly flashing on the dark ceiling, as if something was burning.


    I stood up and helped the box around a pillar. In the opposite corner, I saw a large wooden box burning furiously, flames shooting towards the ceiling of the cave. There was a man with his back to me in front of the fire.


    "Zhang Shan?" I called out and was about to walk over when the man turned around.


    Corpse Supporting Spell!


    The corpse of Zhao Youde was no longer recognizable. His clothes were now hanging on his body, revealing his purplish black skin.


    He sniffed the air and staggered toward me.


    What should he do? Zhang Shan is not here, I don''t have any weapons, I''m finished! It was all over!


    AHH ¡­." Just as I was about to turn around and escape, Zhang Shan''s shout rang out. "A shadow flew out from the fire and headed straight for the Corpse Supporting Spell.


    Zhang Shan hugged the Corpse Supporting Spell and rolled on the ground, but this monster didn''t bother with him at all. It only flipped its body and threw Zhang Shan away, then stood up again, approaching me.


    Zhang Shan''s reaction was not slow either. His body that was lying on the ground twisted and his hands grabbed onto Corpse Supporting Spell''s left leg. The Corpse Supporting Spell continued to stare at me, and just like that, it dragged the Zhang Shan who was on the ground and walked over.


    "Quick!" Go get the gas! This guy is afraid of fire! " Zhang Shan saw that he could not stop it at all, and shouted at me.


    "Oh ¡­" "Oh!" I turned and ran back. He remembered that there was a row of gas cylinders against the wall at Channel 1.


    At the base of the wall, I tried to move it, but it was too heavy. Not to mention moving, even moving is a problem for me.


    "It''s too heavy, I can''t move it!" I turned my face and called after him.


    The moment he turned around, he saw a face that was completely unrecognizable. There was not a single trace of light coming from the white eyeball. Just as I was about to shout, Corpse Supporting Spell raised his hands and grabbed my neck. In that moment, the feeling of his blood being cut off came from his brain, Zhang Shan immediately crawled up and tried to pull the fingers off the corpse.


    The lack of oxygen was slowly invading me. From the power the Corpse Supporting Spell displayed, it could easily break my neck with one twist. But now it wanted to abandon me and let me slowly suffocate to death.


    What a vicious curse!


    Zhang Shan busied himself around my neck for a long time without being able to pry a single finger apart. Helpless, he jumped to the side and pulled out the broken blade that he had been holding by his waist. He held the blade in his left hand and at the same time, raised his right arm.


    "F * * k your grandmother!" Zhang Shan roared as he raised his blade and slashed at his right arm.


    Before I could see clearly, a thick, warm blood spurted towards me and the Corpse Supporting Spell. I felt the pressure on my throat gradually lessening as I tried to pull it back. The Corpse Supporting Spell''s fingers had surprisingly loosened up a little, no longer as hard as steel. At this moment, I couldn''t care about anything anymore. I activated the remaining power in my body and slowly pried open the Corpse Supporting Spell, grabbing onto my hands.


    "Pah!" I fell to the ground, gasping for air. Blood splattered all over my face and my eyes were glued shut.


    "Zhang Shan! Zhang Shan! " I called out anxiously, wiping my eyes with my hand.


    "Quickly stand up!" The moment I wiped my eyes, I saw Zhang Shan standing in front of me like a tower, frowning.


    His right arm, which was below the elbow, had disappeared. The smooth wound was still bleeding. He was like a god of war in a battlefield. Looking at this, I don''t know what I''m feeling right now.


    Seeing that I was staring at him in a daze, Zhang Shan reached out his left hand and picked me up, I immediately stood up straight with my legs crossed, not daring to let him use more strength. He pulled down the barrel of gasoline in front of the Corpse Supporting Spell. Light red liquid came out of the barrel and quickly spread towards us.


    The Corpse Supporting Spell seemed to have been immobilized, it still stood at its original spot, maintaining the position it was in when it was pinching my neck.


    "Back off!" Zhang Shan gave a short command again. I knew that he was clenching his teeth and persevering, and every word he said would require a huge amount of energy.


    I stepped on a soft thing. Looking down, it was actually Zhang Shan''s broken arm. I quickly picked it up and hugged it.


    After retreating about ten steps, the gasoline that Zhang Shan had waiting to pour out slowly arrived in front of him. He raised the half of the broken blade in his hand and slashed towards the ground. There was an ear-piercing sound of metal hitting the ground. The broken blade left a trail of sparks on the blue brick, and the gasoline was instantly ignited.


    Boom!" In less than two seconds, he was engulfed in a sea of flames. Zhao Youde''s body, the Corpse Supporting Spell, was right at the center of the flame.


    "Run!" Zhang Shan threw away his broken blade, pulled me and ran back towards the iron gate.


    After a few steps, the gas drums exploded one after the other, and the flames surged toward us. The flames filled the entire warehouse as we ran through the passageway. I was knocked to the ground, but it was not a good time to celebrate. We had to move forward for quite some distance before we stopped.


    "Done!" That guy is finished! " After Zhang Shan finished saying that, he fell down while leaning on the wall. I wanted to grab him, but was unable to, so I quickly turned on the miner''s light and squatted down to check on Zhang Shan''s injuries.


    Other than the severed arm, there was basically no other wound. However, it was this wound that caused him to lose too much blood and faint. I didn''t want to waste any more time, so I quickly took off my T-shirt. He tore them into two pieces, each holding the wound and the severed arm to prevent more blood from flowing out. Although I don''t know much about emergency treatment, I do know about the most basic method to stop bleeding.


    Zhang Shan had already fainted, he didn''t even know that I had slapped his face. I tried to help Zhang Shan up but not only did he not feel anything, he couldn''t even carry two hundred kilograms.


    Two minutes later, I sat down beside Zhang Shan, sweating profusely.


    An urge to cry slowly filled his mind. Zhang Shan always said that he would borrow my power and experience to break the Corpse Supporting Spell together. But from start to finish, not only did I not help him, I caused trouble and stepped on thunder.


    Now that I think about it, it''s always him coming to rescue me and get rid of the danger. Actually, Zhang Shan didn''t need to bother with this matter at all. Even if I suddenly died, I wouldn''t be able to trace it back to them. Who would believe something like that?


    Not only did Zhang Shan strictly follow his grandfather''s orders to protect me, if he didn''t think this way, he wouldn''t have acted at the first moment and helped me get through this difficult situation. To cherish every life, in his view, is the creed of life, to guard for a lifetime.


    Zhang Shan already knew that the sword on his body contained the Buddhist Relics Blood, the only way to suppress the Corpse Supporting Spell. In the underworld, he bit his finger and poked me in the forehead, breaking the illusion. There was also the submachine gun that could shoot at ghosts when I met the boy, but I didn''t care about that at the time. If I had known about this, I might have been able to pick up on it from the beginning. No wonder he didn''t care all the time. No matter how dangerous the situation was, he could talk freely and even make jokes.


    Because Zhang Shan knows, as long as he''s by my side, I won''t be in any danger. Even though danger had appeared quite a few times, he had been waiting for an opportunity to strike the Corpse Supporting Spell with a fatal blow.


    In the end, when Zhang Shan was in danger, he cut off his arm and took the blood, miraculously resolving this Go, which had already reached a dead end. Such chivalry, such selflessness, what else could I do?


    Brother, if I don''t take you out alive, I will die here with you!


    If I don''t reconnect your severed arm, I will compensate you with my severed arm!


    It''s not that I don''t want to accept your kindness, but this favor is too much! How do you expect me to bear it?


    Wiping away my tears, I stood up again.


    Since you can''t carry it, I''ll drag you out!


    I thought about running out to get some people, then coming over to save Zhang Shan. This might save him some time.


    Although the Corpse Supporting Spell had been removed. But the thought of the girl with the ghostly wall, the Dream Back Toad, and the "One Passage" leading to the underworld, forced me to suppress this tempting thought. Moreover, leaving Zhang Shan here by himself, I really don''t feel at ease.


    Forget it! If you want to walk together, you have to stay together! Together in life and death, advancing and retreating together!


    After dispelling this thought, I let Zhang Shan lie flat on the ground, using both hands to grab onto the collar of his jacket and moved backwards step by step.


    This winding road has really made me suffer a lot. At every turn, due to the narrow space which was at a right angle of ninety degrees, I had to first help Zhang Shan sit up, and then carry him by the armpits to drag him backwards before I could barely make it through.


    After an unknown amount of time, we finally walked out of the last corner and returned to the hall on the second floor. The clothes on Zhang Shan''s back had long ago become tattered after being dragged for so long. Looking at his bruised skin, I felt as if a hand was squeezing me so hard that it was hard to even breathe.


    I suddenly remembered that there was a podium in the middle of the hall, and there were a lot of junk piled up on the podium. Maybe he could find something useful. Not only do I not need to drag Zhang Shan any longer, I can also save my energy, and can even save some time to return to the ground a little earlier.


    Thinking about this, I helped Zhang Shan up and sat him against the wall. Tightening the bandage on the wound, he ran to the platform, searching for anything that might be useful. However, these old tables and chairs had all been used for meetings decades ago. Apart from the long tables and benches, there was almost nothing suitable for them.


    Finally, when I reached the last corner, I found a single wooden chair with a backrest. Beside the chair, there was a large plate of electrical wires as thick as an index finger.


    I tested the hardness of the chair. The old-fashioned furniture from decades ago was durable, but it was still tightly sewn together. The first thing I did was to take out the dagger he gave me. After cutting two pieces of the three-meter-long dagger, I placed them into the cracks of the chair''s back and tied a knot with it to use when I pulled on the rope.

 C41

    I cut the rest of the wire into sections of equal length and put him on a chair to hold him in place so he wouldn''t fall off. Everything was prepared, it was only missing the hardest part ¡ª placing Zhang Shan on a chair.


    Time is life, and I didn''t dare to rest. I just took a few big gasps and held my breath. Both of his hands went under Zhang Shan''s arms, planning to lift him up and place him on the chair.


    It was too heavy! I only had to lift a little before I could go up again, and I held on for about five seconds. I finally gave up the plan.


    Time passed minute by minute, second by second, Zhang Shan''s life was gradually becoming weaker.


    Opening his eyes, he actually could not understand anything. However, under the strong light from the mine lamp, his pupils seemed to have no reaction. His heart turned cold. I even tried to drag him out the way I always did, but after a moment I dismissed the idea. We were in the middle of the second level of the basement, still a long way from the exit.


    If he dragged it this way, even the bones behind Zhang Shan''s back would be flattened.


    While I was at a loss, I looked down to see Zhang Shan lying on his side. His legs were half bent, looking like he was sitting on a bench. That''s right! If he couldn''t be propped up, why didn''t he just throw the chair down? I hastily placed the chair down and stuck both sides of Zhang Shan''s back and butt respectively. Then he brought the wire and tied his left side to the chair. Then, he flattened him again and flipped him over while grabbing onto the back of the chair, allowing Zhang Shan to stand up along with it.


    The right side was set, and the other side was finally secured!


    I jammed his broken arm into the wire I''d been using to hold it in place, clamped it tight, and walked around the back of the chair. I wrapped the two wires I''d wrapped around my shoulders and pulled them back so that the front legs of the chair were free of the floor, and I managed to keep my balance, holding on to the back of the chair as I backed away.


    Although it was still very tiring, especially when he encountered cracks in the floor tiles, he would occasionally have to stop and move about. However, compared to his brute force earlier, it was still quite different. Furthermore, to Zhang Shan, this would basically not cause any harm, which made my heart feel a lot better.


    This time, the speed was clearly much faster. In less than two minutes, we had already left the main hall and were heading towards the upper floor through the passageway. It took more effort to climb the slope than it did to walk the level road, but since I had made this "dry land sledge chair," my spirits had been restored, and I was full of confidence in my ability to leave the place.


    After a while, we arrived at the junction of the three roads. The two caves on the two sides led to the other two shelters and the other passages, and as long as I climbed a little further, I would be able to return to the first level. There, I would be flat ground.


    I''ve got some knack for pulling the chair. At his current speed, he believed it would only take twenty minutes to complete the journey. Thinking about it, my entire body was brimming with power, I dragged Zhang Shan and continued to climb.


    After my heavy panting, I finally finished climbing the slope. After I placed Zhang Shan''s chair back down, I turned around to look. In the dark space, wherever the lights went, there was a hall, dozens of pillars, and in the middle of the hall, there was a protruding platform.


    I panicked. Did I go the wrong way? Or was there a hall here that I had forgotten as I passed by?


    I let go of the rope and walk to the high platform in the middle. I was stunned. This was definitely the hall they had just walked into! Because some of the tables and chairs were placed in the same place, I could remember them from the past, and even the angle of the tables and chairs were placed in the same place.


    I couldn''t believe it, so I ran to another corner and began to search the ground. After a moment, my back began to feel cold, and the ground in front of me was littered with bits of rubber from the time I''d cut the wires.


    Could it be that he had circled around and returned? No matter what, he had to find the exit! It''s always right to go up!


    I returned to the corridor entrance, carried the rope, and pulled Zhang Shan through the hall. This time I took a closer look, made sure it was the right exit, and climbed up again. The long slope, the fork in three different directions, the one in the middle, definitely!


    A few minutes later I was slumped in front of the podium. Looking at the tables and chairs on the floor, he felt a sense of despair. When I thought about how Zhang Shan purposely infuriated me when I entered the sealed space, and activated something in my body, I finally broke through my mental barrier and returned to my original path. Could it be repeated now?


    I stood up, trying to be angry, and threw things around on the dais while I cursed. However, all of this was useless. There were no signs of space being torn apart. Looking at the unconscious Zhang Shan sitting there, I didn''t know what to do. Even if he was to die from exhaustion, he still couldn''t stop! I rested for a while and secretly decided in my heart that I would go back to drag Zhang Shan and continue walking forward. Even if I were to die of exhaustion in this space without a first cycle, I wouldn''t be able to sit still and wait for death.


    "Crack!" One of the hind legs of the chair was finally broken by the weight of the friction and dragging. Following that, Zhang Shan, who was tied to the chair, fell to the side. I was afraid of hitting him, so I stretched out a leg in a panic and blocked the path of the fall. The back of the chair carried over two hundred kilograms of weight from Zhang Shan. After smashing onto my feet, it instantly brought about a fiery and stinging pain, and I felt as though my toes were about to break.


    "Who is it!?" Who was it! Can you give us a way out? " I screamed at the darkness.


    There was no response.


    "It''s the Wall-Hitting Ghost." The boy''s voice rang out. A moment later, I felt the glass eyeball in my pants pocket disappear, and when I looked up, the boy in blue was standing with his back to me.


    The boy jumped onto the dais and looked around the hall.


    "Ye-zi, is that you?" he called softly.


    "Who are you?" Moments later, a somewhat boyish female voice came from the corner.


    I followed the sound and saw a girl with red hair slowly coming out of the darkness, staring at the boy on the stage. It really was her! The girl who lured Zhang Shan and I into that sealed space.


    "Ye-zi, it''s me!" I am Li Jian! " The boy did not expect the girl to not recognize him, and his mood immediately became excited.


    "Li Jian ¡­" "The girl rested her chin on her hand, as if she was thinking." Oh... I remember now, you are the person who chased after me fifteen years ago! "


    The boy called Li Jian stood there blankly for a long time without uttering a single word.


    The boy was silent for a long time before he said, "Ye, come with me! Let''s leave this place. I don''t blame you for the past. " His voice was clearly hoarse.


    "Go?" Why are you leaving? It''s so fun here, I want to make these two guys stay and accompany me! "


    "Just let them go. Can''t I stay with you?" The boy was patient as he spoke in a low voice.


    "You? What right do you have to control me? " The girl did not give him any face at all.


    "Ye-zi, how can you say that? If I hadn''t pushed you out of the way at the end, you wouldn''t have been locked in there for so long. " The boy was angry, and the girl had apparently forgotten about him.


    "Don''t, I''m not in your debt! If you don''t push me away, I will go as well. It would have been nice not to say anything about you spoiling me. "Speaking of which, fifteen years ago, why did you bite my finger off?" As the girl spoke, she raised her right hand, and a section of her pinky finger was cut off.


    "That''s because... "Because ¡­" The boy was stumped and did not know what to say.


    "Speak!" Weren''t you always reasonable!? " The girl pressed on.


    "That''s because... At that time, you had already lost your breath, I heard a fortune-teller say ¡­ If, before he died, he bit off one of his opponent''s little fingers and swallowed it ¡­ "In the next life, the two of them will still be together ¡­" The boy''s voice was as thin as a mosquito''s.


    "Ha!" The girl threw her head back and laughed.


    "You actually believe that? Let me tell you, Li Jian, it''s impossible for us to live and die together. Impossible in this life, and even more impossible in the next! "In the future, don''t come to me if you have nothing better to do. You will be annoyed if you see me. If you weren''t an honest person, you wouldn''t have the heart to hurt me and kick me when I''m still alive!"


    As the boy listened to her, the expression on his face kept changing. The girl stopped talking and stood there with her arms crossed, as if waiting to see how the boy would end the fight.


    "Let them go. Forget about the past, I won''t look for you anymore. That should be okay, right?" The boy''s heart rolled for a long time. Finally, he took a deep breath and raised his head to speak to the girl.


    "I''m afraid that''s none of your business? You''re the soul and I''m the Nightmare. We weren''t going to deal with each other in the first place. "Don''t meddle in others'' business. I will definitely keep these two people here today!" As the girl spoke, her entire body began to emit a layer of black mist.


    "Do you really have to go against the Palmprint Holder?" The boy, seeing the girl''s posture, stepped in front of me and shouted at her.


    "Palmprint Holder?" Hearing these words, the girl''s face showed fear, but it was only for a second. She then changed to a more gloomy expression, "I was wondering how you two were going to fight when you broke through my trap. So there was a Palmprint Holder. However, it seems like you do not have the ability, but don''t know how to use it. " The girl walked toward me as she spoke.


    "Ye-zi, don''t mess around!" the boy warned her.


    "Nonsense? When the Nightmare met the Palmprint Holder, either he would die, or I would die. I won''t kill him since she doesn''t know anything right now, but don''t tell me that I''ll still have to wait for him to come and take me in? " After saying that, the girl rolled her eyes and looked straight at me.


    Caught off guard, I was immediately glued to her eyes. Although I knew that I definitely couldn''t look at her, once I did, I couldn''t make up my mind. I couldn''t move my eyes away, I couldn''t close them.


    The girl began to wink at me. To my horror, I realized that my heart rate had started to beat with the frequency of his blinking. She blinked faster and faster, and my heart was racing like a roller coaster.


    Gradually, the girl''s blinking slowed, and I began to feel the lack of oxygen. Maybe the moment she stops blinking is the moment I die.


    "I... Stay... You put him... Send out... "The cave entrance." I desperately tried to use my remaining will to negotiate with the girl, hoping that she would let Zhang Shan go.


    "Humph!" If you negotiate with me, do you have a bargaining chip? " The girl showed no mercy.

 C42

    "Ye Shuang, if you want some chips, I''ll help him!" The boy, who had been silent for a long time, seemed to have made some important decision as he spoke word by word.


    "Liu Jian, doing this will only make me hate you even more! You have to think it through. " The girl continued to stare at me, not looking at the boy, but warning him.


    "You''re right, I''m the soul, you''re the Nightmare. I can''t stand by and watch you kill people without doing anything. " The boy''s tone was very calm, making it hard to tell what he was thinking.


    "Don''t say it in such a righteous and righteous manner. I''m afraid you still have the ability to stop me." The girl didn''t seem to take him on my side.


    As she spoke, she instantly reduced the frequency of her blinking by half. My heart was already beating very slowly.


    "Sorry, Ye-zi, I had no choice." The boy took one last look at the girl and turned into a wisp of white smoke.


    I found my right hand suddenly filled with something. It was the boy''s glass eye.


    "Hold tight!" His voice came through the glass.


    The girl, though she kept her eyes on me, knew exactly what was going to happen. She stopped blinking and opened her eyes wide in an attempt to kill me as quickly as possible.


    But it was too late. Before the boy reached me, he told me quietly to concentrate all my strength on my right hand. I gripped the glass eyeball tightly, and white smoke instantly leaked out from the inside of the eyeball, spiraling up along the finger and palm. When the Inaction Imprint reached the wrist, it converged into one of the circles.


    My heart returned to normal.


    "You ¡­ "You actually ¡­" The girl stared at me in disbelief.


    Although everything returned to normal, there was nothing special about it. Seeing the girl turn to run, I couldn''t help but have a thought: I couldn''t let her go. Just as this thought rose in my mind, the mine lamp above my head suddenly shone several times brighter than before, emitting a light that was almost like the sun as it headed straight for the girl. The girl seemed to sense the threat coming from behind her. The moment she turned around, it was as if the light of day had engulfed her.


    "No!" In the strong light, the girl let out a cry of despair.


    Like lightning, the intense light disappeared in an instant. However, the place where the girl stood was nowhere to be seen. I looked ahead and saw a bulge on the far wall. As he approached her, he realized that this was the girl''s final action and expression. It just turned into a rock and embedded itself deep into the wall. That look of despair never left my face.


    I thought of the boy and raised my right hand. The glass bead in my hand had long since turned gray and was no longer sparkling and translucent. With a little force, the "glass bead" disintegrated into powder and scattered in front of my feet. From within, a sparkling and translucent blue stone rolled out.


    "It''s over ¡­" "It''s all over ¡­" The boy appeared beside me again, looking at her on the wall.


    I didn''t know what to say. For me, he had destroyed her.


    "Once I enter the Dreadless Seal, I no longer have a place to stay. I must follow you at all times. However, I am truly unwilling to leave him." The boy reached out and touched the relief on the wall.


    After I heard this, I hastily rummaged through my backpack and found the glass eyeball that the old man who was smoking by the river had given me.


    "This is for you. See if it''s useful?" I handed it to the boy.


    The boy took it and looked at it with a wry smile. "A soul and a Pupillary Seal, how can I be the first to seize the nest ¡­" Before he could finish his sentence, his expression changed and he hurriedly shoved the glass eyeball back into my hand.


    "Where did you get this?" he asked me in horror.


    "What''s wrong? What''s wrong with that? " I was confused.


    "I don''t know, but the things in here are definitely not simple!" the boy said firmly.


    "Forget it, I''m not going to touch it anyway." I stuffed the glass eyeball back into my bag and said, "You don''t have to follow me. I don''t want to do this. With you by my side, it makes me even more uncomfortable."


    The boy looked at me with gratitude in his eyes.


    "But without this glass eye, are you not affected?" Instead, I was worried about him.


    The boy turned away again, reached out his hand to stroke the reliefs face, and said gently, "I don''t care as long as I stay by Leaf''s side."


    Gradually, the boy''s figure became fainter and fainter.


    "Leave quickly, your friend needs immediate treatment." The boy said his last sentence and disappeared.


    I looked over at the edge of the right hand side of the reliefs, where a shining blue stone replaced the severed finger. It was like a ring, giving off the light of a gem from time to time.


    Only then did I think of Zhang Shan, and quickly went back to pick up the rope. He then broke the back leg of the chair that was still "alive", and pulled Zhang Shan up. Before leaving the hall, I bowed deeply in the direction of the reliefs to thank the boy for saving my life.


    They were finally together, though there was a "forced" quality to it. But what did it matter? His body and soul had already ceased to exist. This final combination could also be considered a blessing from the heavens.


    Finally, I returned to the hall on the first floor and followed the corridor that led to the cave entrance. As I continued upwards, I gradually saw the light. It seemed that the night had passed.


    Carrying Zhang Shan, I pushed open the door to the dugout, and once again stood on the ground.


    "Don''t move! Hands up! " Dozens of black guns were aimed at me from different directions.


    "Call an ambulance! There''s a heavily injured person here! " Seeing that someone was around, I didn''t care about anything else and shouted loudly towards the surroundings.


    Then I was pinned to the ground by several uniformed men.


    I was sitting in an interrogation room with two policemen asking the same questions over and over again, and I was thinking about something else. Zhang Shan was pulled away by an ambulance, I don''t know if he''s dead or alive, but at least it''s useless for me to worry about this matter, it depends on the ability of the hospital and the doctors. What I''m worried about is what Master Zhang Shan said in my second dream.


    Zhang Shan has to eat a piece of silver date every ten years in order to be able to guarantee his bloodshed and continue to live. When I was dreaming, I remembered that he was twelve years old at the time. Zhang Shan was thirty-one years old this year. In other words, before he was twenty-two, he should have already eaten the second snake gall. I don''t know. Looks like I''ll have to wait until he wakes up before asking him about it.


    Hey! Why was he thinking so much? It was hard to tell if he would be able to clear this hurdle.


    "Are you listening to our questions?" Finally, one of the fatter officers shouted at me, losing his patience.


    "I''m sorry, I won''t say anything until I know what happened to my friend." I forget if I said it the seventy-eighth or eighty-seventh time.


    "I''ve already told you, the hospital is doing their best to rescue them, don''t you believe what we''re saying? There''s no need for us to lie to you about this kind of thing! " In fact, I''ve heard that many times before.


    "I''m sorry, I won''t say anything until I know exactly what happened to my friend." I still say that.


    The two policemen looked at me helplessly and whispered to each other for a moment. The one next to me opened the door and walked out of the interrogation room, leaving the fat one alone.


    "Are you satisfied now that we''re contacting the hospital to take a photo and send it over?" The fat policeman said helplessly.


    I don''t deny it.


    The fat cop knew that I wouldn''t say anything until he knew about Zhang Shan''s situation, so he self-consciously chose to shut his mouth. About 10 minutes later, the person who went out previously came in with two pieces of paper. He handed them to me before returning to his seat.


    These were two black-and-white photos that were sent over by fax. Although they were not very clear, it was still possible to see the general situation.


    The first one was of Zhang Shan lying on the operating table with a ventilator, his upper body bare. His right arm had already clearly connected to the wound, and before I could bind it up or fix it, I could even see the neat row of stitches. The second picture was taken at a much lower angle, beside Zhang Shan''s feet. In the lens, other than Zhang Shan, there was also a bunch of equipment beside his head. It seemed like he was still alive. Even though his HP was extremely low, he was still holding on.


    I had been worried for a long time, but my job was a designer. Whether these two photos were actually produced by PS or not, they naturally couldn''t escape my eyes.


    Relieved, I found that my whole body was shaking.


    "Is he safe?" I asked.


    "At least your arm is fine. Can you tell me now?" The fat cop saw that I was visibly relaxed and threw a cigarette at me, motioning for me to control my emotions so that I could pass on the problem.


    After smoking this cigarette, I started from the time I went up the mountain three months ago, all the way until I burned down my Corpse Supporting Spell and returned to the surface. I explained it so carefully that sometimes I even said what I was thinking.


    Actually, from the bottom of my heart, I''m still quite afraid of the police, but before this, in order to quickly find out about Zhang Shan''s situation, I had no choice but to refuse to explain, in exchange for a bargaining chip with them. Now that my heart has fallen to the ground, I naturally have to explain as much as I can. I don''t want to miss even a single detail and let them take the opportunity to pick on me.


    After nearly an hour of listening to my story, the two policemen opposite me were stunned for a long time. The one who gave me the photo licked his dry lips and asked, "You write novels?"


    I was speechless.


    The fat policeman helplessly smiled and said, "How can we believe what you have said?"


    I shrugged my shoulders. "That can''t be helped. What I said was the truth. Do you believe me or not? When are you going to let me out?"


    "I''m sorry, but this case involves a person''s life. I''m afraid you will have to stay for a few more days." The person beside him replied.


    "I told you! The person who was burned down died three months ago! " When I heard that they were going to detain me again, I became anxious.


    "We''ve already searched the burnt warehouse and found a corpse ¡­" When the fat policeman said this, he purposely paused for a moment.


    "What is it?" Was it incinerated? " I am actually more concerned about Zhao Youde''s corpse. If we did not destroy it completely, it might still be possible for it to stand up. Then, our whole night of trying to save our lives would have been wasted, and Zhang Shan''s blood would have naturally been lost.


    The fat cop stared at me for a long time, as if trying to decide whether or not my actions matched what he had just said. After finding nothing suspicious about me, he said, gesturing to a length of about two feet. "That''s all there is left."

 C43

    This time, I really didn''t have to worry about anything anymore. My tensed body suddenly softened as I leaned back in my chair.


    "You can check the DNA of the dead body to see if they have AIDS. Just contact Slate Village and we''ll know. Everyone in the village will know that the monster ran away." I still have a good impression of the fat police, so naturally, I''m a lot more polite when I speak.


    "Hehe, of course I know that. If what you say is true, then we will need some time to verify and verify it." the fat cop said to me pleasantly.


    "That doesn''t matter. Just inform me when the results come out." I''m in a hurry to see Zhang Shan, I want to get out of here as soon as possible.


    "Hmph ¡­" How could it be so simple! You guys burned down the warehouse and stopped talking about this matter? " The person beside him sneered and said.


    "Isn''t it just losing money? "How about you give me a number?" I was already beginning to hate this man, and I told him so without a trace of politeness.


    "Say a number?" Hmph, tell me, can you afford it? " That person still had a fake smile on his face.


    "What should I do? A few ragged cotton-padded jackets, do you still want to bluff me? " I was too lazy to acknowledge him.


    "6 million!" You''ve burned six million of our emergency reserves! Let me see you lose one! " The man probably couldn''t stand my attitude either, so he stood up and slammed the table as he yelled at me.


    "What?" Six... Six million! " I was stunned. So much?


    I looked at the fat cop, who nodded at me helplessly, confirming what his colleague had said.


    "You ¡­ "Don''t lie to me!" I said weakly to the man.


    "Two hundred thousand military cotton-padded jackets, one hundred thousand quilts, one hundred thousand cotton-padded hats, one hundred and fifty thousand pair of cotton shoes. All of these things cost ten or eight dollars. And this doesn''t even include the spare gasoline and a few other small supplies. " He sat back down and lit a cigarette, looking at me.


    Six million dollars wouldn''t be worth it even if I sold our company. Besides, I''m not even the boss yet.


    The fat policeman felt that his colleague had overdone it and signaled the person beside him to remain silent. He was about to open his mouth when a round box on the ceiling of the room made an untimely beep. After the two of them heard this, they stood up helplessly, turned around, and walked out of the room.


    I was alone in the interrogation room, my hands and feet cuffed to an iron chair on the floor, unable to move. I even started to calculate how many years it would take for me to pay back my monthly salary of 1200 yuan. As well as Zhang Shan''s medical expenses, it was also an astronomical figure for me.


    Ask Mom? It must be unrealistic, we are just normal people, it would be pretty good if we could use all our money to fill up the hole where Zhang Shan was hospitalized, that 6 million big hole wouldn''t even be worth thinking about.


    I was sweating profusely when the door of the interrogation room opened again. This time it was a young man, only a little older than me. He was not wearing a uniform. He was wearing a suit and a leather suit. There was a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose. It was unknown what he was wearing on his head.


    "Hello!" The young man gave me a sunny smile: "Let me introduce myself, my name is Soong Dongfeng."


    "I can''t afford a lawyer." I was thinking that money was the biggest thing in the world. Now that someone wanted to earn my money, he naturally didn''t want to bother with him.


    "Hur hur, I''m not a lawyer." The young man didn''t mind at all and, still smiling, approached me.


    "Then you are?" I looked up at him, puzzled.


    "I''m here to help you." replied the young man politely.


    "Eh, it''s still a lawyer!" I remember the first sentence in those TV shows when a lawyer took the initiative to meet his own agent.


    Without another word, the young man took out his hands, which had always been in his pockets, and with two keys in them he stepped forward and uncuffed my wrists and ankles.


    "If you''re a lawyer, I''m afraid you don''t have the ability to do that, right?" The young man smiled at me again.


    "You are ¡­" I was confused again


    "Alright, let''s get to know each other again. My name is Soong Dongfeng!" He held out his right hand to me.


    "Oh ¡­" Subconsciously, I reached out my right hand and shook it. I''ve heard of borrowing the east wind. I''ve never heard of sending it back. Even now, I still don''t know this person''s methods. I don''t know what he wants to do. If he was a lawyer, he had no right to open my handcuffs. Say he''s a cop and he''s wearing plainclothes.


    "You must want to know what the hell I am?" The young man seemed to read my mind, and then he said, "I am here on behalf of the country. "Furthermore, I represent the country and I believe that what you just said is completely true."


    "¡­" When I heard this, I didn''t show any sign of being happy. Because I knew how outrageous and unbelievable what I had said was. I didn''t expect the two cops to believe me at all when I told them about it. It would be strange if they believed him the moment they heard him talk about it! But that''s the truth, and I can''t deny it.


    When the young man saw my expression, he was obviously surprised. "Don''t you want to say something?"


    "Oh ¡­" "Thank the country for me and thank the Party and the government for their trust in us." I was still trying to figure out where he came from.


    "Haha ¡­" The young man laughed heartily and said, "It doesn''t matter. Whatever you think of, just say it. I can guarantee you that only the two of us will know what you are talking about." Right, I have also brought you good news. The materials that have been burned and the medical fees for your friend''s medical treatment, the country will pay for them for them! "


    My heart skipped a beat. This person was really not simple. He was able to accept a cash guarantee of 6 million just like that at such a young age. Just how much power did he have?


    Seeing that I didn''t say anything, the young man continued, "Of course, there are conditions for this. We want you to work for the country."


    "Me?" I pointed at my nose in disbelief.


    The young man looked at my exposed right wrist and lowered his voice. "If I''m not wrong, you should belong to a relatively mysterious group of people ¡ª ¡ª Palmprint Holder, right?"


    "What the hell do you do?" I''m getting more and more confused. Does the country need us, the so-called superstitious people? I don''t know when it started, but I naturally treated myself and Old Man Zhang as one.


    "That''s all I can tell you for the time being." The young man took a small notebook out of his jacket pocket. There was nothing on the surface of the black leather except for a large national emblem.


    "Secret Service?"


    "Hehe, it''s not the Secret Service, it''s the Bureau of Secret Affairs." The young man didn''t have any intention of showing me his notebook. He only lit it up for a moment before he immediately put it away and said, "The Secret Service is in charge of human affairs. We are in charge of those that aren''t human affairs."


    "It''s not a human matter ¡­" I finally understood why he had come in and said he believed me completely, because he was in charge of such things.


    "But I don''t know anything!" I hesitated.


    Since I''ve accepted them, I shouldn''t reject their request. Furthermore, I have to work for the country, but once I think about joining them, I''ll have to deal with all kinds of unknown monsters for the rest of my life. I shudder.


    The young man was about to speak when the phone in his hand suddenly rang. He held it up and looked at the caller ID. Without avoiding me, he pressed the answer button and put it to his ear.


    "Hmm, is the situation getting better?" What? Why didn''t you say so earlier? No local inventory? Is four hundred not enough? At least two thousand? Where are the reserves? "


    The more he listened, the more his frown deepened, and he shot a glance at me.


    "How long can four hundred last? Alright, contact the local military sector. Send the fighter jet over immediately. A second too early was a second! "Switch to a local helicopter and immediately go to the airport to be on standby!"


    After putting down the phone, the young man''s expression slightly eased up. "Your friend''s situation isn''t that optimistic, I''m afraid."


    "What?" Didn''t you say that everything was fine? " I jumped up, feeling cheated.


    "Don''t worry, how did your friend''s arm break?" The young man immediately put his hand on my shoulder to calm me down.


    "To save me ¡­ He cut it off himself. " I thought back to that scene, still sad.


    "Why did he have to cut off his arm to save you?" the young man asked.


    "It should be... His blood can suppress that monster! " I remembered Master Zhang Shan''s words.


    "Mm, that''s right. Do you know what blood type your friend is?"


    "What blood type?" I was stopped and stopped.


    "He has RH-negative blood."


    "RH-negative blood... Panda blood? " I suddenly understood.


    "Yes, Rh blood type is different from A, B, O, AB blood types, the latter are more evenly distributed among the population, and the sources of several blood types are easy to find. In China, more than 99% of the population are of the common blood type, while Rh negative blood type is a rarer blood type, accounting for less than 1% of the Rh blood group. Broadly speaking, on average, there is only one Rh negative blood group carrier per 10,000 people. And because Rh negative blood types are so rare, they are commonly known as Panda blood. " The young man explained in one breath, then added, "To you Yin people, this is an extremely rare Buddhist Relics Blood."


    "Then what''s the situation now?" To me, what''s blood type isn''t important. What''s important is whether Zhang Shan can be saved or not.


    "The local inventory of Rh negative blood is less than 400CC, and your friend lost a lot of blood due to losing an arm, so he needs at least 2000CC to survive the night." The young man told him the truth.


    "Then quickly go and find it!" What are you still standing here for? " I held on to his shoulder and shook it.


    "Calm down! "Listen to me!" The young man grabbed my wrist. " Beijing has a large stock of goods, and I''ve already informed the military to send it over as soon as possible. "


    "Oh ¡­" I already understood what he had said on the phone. Sending fighter jets over, that made it all the more impressive.

 C44

    "Rest assured, fresh blood can be delivered in an hour. I just told you so much just to show my sincerity. The country really wants special talents like you to join, including your friends. Therefore, we will spare no effort and cost to save his life. " The young man pressed me back into the chair.


    "Now, can you consider our cooperation?" He smiled his signature smile again.


    "But ¡­" I really don''t know anything. " First it was six million, now it was a thousand miles of blood on a plane, and I couldn''t think of any reason to refuse him. I believe he''s really here to "send me the east wind".


    "Hehe, right now you are just like a baby who has gotten a lot of wealth. How you spend the money and how you spend it is just a matter of time." Soong Dongfeng seemed to be very confident.


    "Then what do you need me to do?" Unable to find a reason to refuse, he could only pry into the contents of the work first.


    "For the time being, there are no tasks, but the country will subsidize your living expenses every month. When there are special circumstances that need to be handled by you, there will be an additional bonus."


    "Oh, right!" I suddenly thought about the matter of Zhang Shan''s blood and the silver slug, and immediately explained the situation to Soong Dongfeng.


    Mm ¡­" This is a really tricky question at the moment. " Hearing that, Soong Dongfeng frowned, and continued, "Anyway, there are currently no special missions, so all of you can go take care of your own matters first. The Secret Affairs Bureau is mysterious, but the system is very loose. It doesn''t care what you do on a regular basis. I can also help you explore this unique little snake, and perhaps it will have a qualitative leap in the application and development of some clinical medicine. It''s worth more than killing a hundred zombies! " As he finished speaking, he was also quite excited. He couldn''t wait to start an investigation on the silver slug.


    "I still want to wait until we settle Zhang Shan''s problem, then sit down and discuss this matter. After all, I can''t make the decision for him." I racked my brains for this reason.


    Soong Dongfeng, on the other hand, was straightforward. After hesitating for a moment, he agreed immediately, that when we find the silver slug, we would settle our worries and discuss about joining again, but he still had to take off my phone number and tell me to keep this matter and his identity a secret.


    With Soong Dongfeng''s good offices, I safely walked out of the police station. Of course, there was no shortage of signatures and pledges to verify the confessions. The policeman who was arguing with me was so angry that his mouth was crooked and his eyes were crooked. The fat cop didn''t mind at all. He even said goodbye cordially and wanted to play if he had nothing else to do.


    What a joke, who would have the time to play in the police station!


    Standing in the doorway of the police station, I couldn''t open my eyes from the sun. It was almost noon. His jacket was given to the Corpse Supporting Spell, and the t-shirt inside was used to help Zhang Shan stop the bleeding. Right now, he was wearing an ordinary vest that he had gotten from the police station, which was at least two sizes bigger. He was even wearing it diagonally, with two points of light blooming on his chest.


    I was in a hurry to visit Zhang Shan, but luckily, the police station wasn''t too far away from where he was, so I jogged over to the hospital.


    Before Zhang Shan''s ward number came out, Soong Dongfeng had already told me what to do. He didn''t waste any time at the nurse''s station after he went upstairs and directly rushed into the ward. When I pushed open the door of the ward, I was stunned before I saw Zhang Shan. Good heavens! Soong Dongfeng spared no effort to recruit us.


    It was a one-man intensive care unit, the size of four of my bedrooms. Directly across from the bed was a combination family theater, with DVDs and all sorts of games in the TV cabinet below.


    Behind the huge french windows was a balcony at least six square meters wide. On it were two single sofas and a huge umbrella. In the transparent freezer behind the door, there were all kinds of tea, beverages, snacks, and fruits. In the innermost corner, there was even a desk and an advanced fully automatic massage chair.


    In the middle of the sickroom was a big bed that was big enough to fit three people. Zhang Shan was quietly lying on it. The screens of the instruments on the head of the bed were constantly moving, but without exception, they showed that the patient''s current signs had become normal.


    It might be due to the anesthetic or an ischemic attack, but Zhang Shan was still deep in sleep. I tiptoed over, afraid to wake him, and found him still pale, but his right arm bandaged. All kinds of pipes were inserted into his body, crisscrossing it.


    Relieved, I tiptoed back to the door, intending to go to the bathroom and wash my face. Pushing open the door to the washroom, I was even more surprised. This seemingly small bathroom was actually separated by a layer of dryness and wetness. A huge oval bathtub was placed inside, not only providing hot water for 24 hours, but also all sorts of toiletries and toiletries.


    I simply took off my clothes and went in to have a nice bath. After the shower, I was worried. Originally, my pants were dirty and smelly, and I even grinded quite a bit. I really didn''t want to wash up so clean and then wear that. Fortunately, there was still a phone number in the bathroom. I thought for a moment, then dialed Ni Qian''s number.


    An hour later, Ni Qian opened the ward''s door with a bag of new clothes. I just said that Zhang Shan is a relative of mine from my hometown. I brought him out to play today and accidentally let a car break his arm, so I sent him to the hospital to observe.


    As the intensive care unit was under the care of a professional nurse, I didn''t need the patient''s family to stay the night. I went out to eat dinner with Ni Qian and saw her off. The moment she stepped into the house, she immediately scolded, saying that she wouldn''t be home for two whole days even if she ran out in the middle of the night. She didn''t even know how to come back home and didn''t pick up the phone.


    Listening to Mom and Grandma''s complaints, I was rarely very obedient. Compared to the cold and dark dugout, it was still warm inside the house ¡­


    Zhang Shan''s recovery speed was extremely fast, and after three days he would be able to get off the bed and walk. The operation on his arm was also very successful, the doctor said after checking that it would definitely not affect his future activities and life. But in my heart, the courage of a silver slug is still a knot that cannot be untied. I must find some time to ask Zhang Shan about it.


    Eight days after I came out of the dugout, I slipped out of work to visit Zhang Shan at the hospital. When I pushed open the door, I found him lying on the fully automated massage chair, enjoying himself, with a disgusted expression.


    "Zhang Shan, there''s something I need to ask you." I went straight to the point.


    "Speak!" This fellow saw me and stood up. He pulled me to the sofa on the balcony. On the tea table, there was a set of kung fu tea set. The jade-green fragrance continuously emanated outwards.


    Fucking enjoy it, I thought. Back then, he was slightly better, so I explained Soong Dongfeng''s background and invitation. I had thought that he would straightforwardly agree, but didn''t expect that this fellow seemed to have a grudge with the higher ups.


    On the surface, Zhang Shan did not seem to go overboard. After all, he had helped us clean up our mess, so he still felt grateful towards us. However, he chose to avoid talking about the topic at hand. Right now, this fellow eats someone else''s food while living with them. I really don''t know what he''s thinking, but according to my understanding of him, he shouldn''t be such a person.


    "Do you like snake gall?" I asked as my thoughts returned.


    "Why do you ask?" He looked at me in confusion.


    "It''s nothing. I heard that snake gall is beneficial to the recovery of patients with external injuries. I plan to get a few to supplement you." I just don''t know if you used to eat it or not, but if you don''t eat it, then it''ll be a waste. " I don''t know if he really understands his condition, but he has to make a fool of himself first.


    "Why should we waste that money? Isn''t it good for me? " Zhang Shan said, and even waved his fist at me.


    "Cut the crap. Just tell me if you''ve eaten before." I pushed his fist away and said impatiently.


    "Mm ¡­" In the early years and when I was a child, I ate a lot. My family lived on the mountain, and there were many snakes. I haven''t had much to eat in recent years. " The guy thought for a while and said.


    My heart thumped as I hastily asked, "Are you sure that you haven''t eaten a single snake gall in the past few years?"


    Zhang Shan lowered his head and thought for a long time, then said: "Indeed, I have never eaten a single one. It was all given to me by my master, and I have been running away with my grandfather for the past few years.


    I am already certain that Zhang Shan does not know that I have to eat a silver slug every ten years. Just when I was considering whether I should tell him or not, he continued to speak: "Oh right, I have yet to tell you about my master, he is an experienced person, and within a hundred miles of our mountain, there is no one who does not know of him.


    Looking at Zhang Shan who was beaming with joy, I withdrew my idea. Yeah, why should I tell him? Isn''t this good? If a person knew that they didn''t have much time left to live, then what would be the point? Even if I knew there was hope, every decade I lived on tenterhooks, and I couldn''t stand it.


    As long as he took some time to go up the mountain and follow his master to find that silver slug, wouldn''t he be okay? At least I paid him back. Perhaps his master had already prepared snake gall and was waiting for him to go back to eat.


    Thinking about it, I smiled and said to Zhang Shan: "Alright, no problem, when you are better we will go up the mountain. I, your master, would really like to meet someone who can teach Ah Xi how to use words that are so profound, so ancient and yet so modern.


    Zhang Shan opened his mouth wide, and asked me with a foolish face: "How do you know my nickname? Who told you that? I don''t remember anyone telling you that! "


    "Hahahaha!" I laughed and drank some of my tea.

 C45

    Zhang Shan stayed in the hospital for more than a month before he reluctantly left.


    In order to celebrate his release from the hospital, I decided to call Ni Qian over to treat him to a big meal tonight. The location was the night market snack bar at the north gate of the provincial stadium.


    It''s not that I''m stingy, for someone as carefree as Zhang Shan, letting him sit in a high class restaurant at the moment was no less than torture. This guy was on top of the mountain. If he went into the forest, he wouldn''t get lost even after ten days to half a month. However, in the city, they were like headless flies, unable to move an inch. I called the ward and told him over and over again how many buses to take, where to stop, where to wait. To Zhang Shan, such a simple matter like helplessness was like listening to a scripture of heaven. I just told him to wait outside the hospital. I''ll be there when I get off work, and then I''ll bring him along.


    The unit is very far from the night market, but very far from the hospital. When I brought him to the north gate of the gymnasium, Ni Qian had already stood there and waited for nearly half an hour.


    "Hello, my name is Ni Qian!" The girl didn''t blame us for being late, and politely extended her hand out towards Zhang Shan.


    "I knew it was a relative of yours. What relationship have you not mentioned before?" After sitting down and ordering some food, Ni Qian asked us.


    "He''s my cousin!"


    "This is my Martial Uncle!"


    We both answered at the same time.


    "Pfft!" Ni Qian laughed, "Your relationship is really chaotic, are you even a Martial Uncle of someone else? Who is your master? What do you know? Teach them. "


    "Mm ¡­" I coughed to hide my embarrassment, "Cousin is a relative, master and disciple are seniority, so we can''t be confused. I am a designer, I can teach Zhang Shan how to design them! "


    "What''s a designer?" Zhang Shan was afraid that he would say something wrong, so he pulled me from under the table and asked.


    His voice was already loud, and his soft voice sounded no different from other people''s. Ni Qian was even more amused when she heard it. Fortunately, the food was served, so we talked while we ate. The things here really suited Zhang Shan''s appetite. He had mutton skewers in his left hand and lobster in her right, but she was still drinking beer nonstop.


    During the banquet, what Zhang Shan would do from now on became a topic of discussion. According to my meaning, I should go up the mountain as soon as possible to find his master and get rid of the snake gall as soon as possible. But Zhang Shan refused to give up and insisted on staying in the Zheng Province for a period of time. In his opinion, barging into the provincial capital was a very glorious thing. For them to be able to visit the county city at the foot of the mountain and even be willing to spend money to eat, and then buy some things to come back, was enough to boast for several days.


    Now, even though he had been here for more than a month, he didn''t have a single cent. Other than an underground dugout and a hospital, he didn''t go anywhere else. He would not go back, he thought, it would be too humiliating, and he would have to stay for a month or two, until he could earn some money and buy something to take back. However, he could only agree and make him promise that as long as he could earn the first sum of money, he would return to the mountain to see his master and find out the whereabouts of his grandfather.


    Soon after, another question surfaced. Where would this guy live in the future?


    Ni Qian''s family is outside of the city, and we had previously discussed to rent a house together. She suggested that Zhang Shan should just live with us, and rent two rooms, one hall, and the other room for Zhang Shan. I don''t know if it was because Zhang Shan was afraid of being a light bulb or some other reason, but he was determined not to fight it out with me.


    However, when I said that, he looked at me with wide eyes and said seriously, "Of course. I have something to do for you, so naturally I have to use your money." It doesn''t make sense to spend my money to help you, does it? "


    In the end, we did everything we could, but he firmly refused our invitation. I had no choice but to pay a few hundred dollars as his living expenses for the next few days. I didn''t expect this fellow to smile mysteriously and take out an envelope for me to take a look. Surprisingly, it is a thousand dollars.


    I asked him where the money came from. He said that Soong Dongfeng had sent it. Originally, that fellow was going to give him 10,000 yuan, but Zhang Shan had never seen so much money before.


    After I heard this, I felt very upset, so I asked him, "I''m curious, but I don''t want to help you. That guy gave you money, and you want it? Since you two have such a good relationship, why don''t you agree to it? "


    "That''s not the same! You are my Martial Uncle, you are a family. Besides the Corpse Supporting Spell, we have also contributed to the stability and unity of society. "Take his money, that''s what you deserve." the fellow boasted as he downed the rest of the beer in one gulp.


    I smiled bitterly.


    After eating my fill, I gave Zhang Shan the phone that I had used to soak in the river and then repaired. This fellow was determined to keep it. It wasn''t until I said that I would lend it to him for convenience and not return it to me after borrowing it did I reluctantly accept it as though it was a treasure. It could be seen that he was rather interested in the phone. I had already changed my cell phone, so it was useless for the old one to keep it.


    Originally, he wanted to tell Zhang Shan when he had no money to pay me back so that he could pay for it. However, when I thought of his attitude, I decided to hold back and not tell him. Whenever my phone is unable to reach him, I will just go and fill it up for him. He didn''t know how to pay for the phone, either.


    Coming out of the roadside stall, Zhang Shan said that he wouldn''t let us help him arrange a place to stay. He even said that he would find them and when he had time he would contact me again, he immediately ran off, as if he was escaping. The only ones left were the two of us, who didn''t know whether to laugh or cry.


    My life is back to normal, still eating, working, sleeping this boring trilogy. In the meantime, Ni Qian and I had an older sister who shared a two-room apartment. I had nothing to do with them, and the three of us spent a lot of time cooking and playing cards together. Furthermore, most of the time, I would return home to stay. With someone accompanying Ni Qian at night, I feel more at ease.


    As for the ''Dream Record'', I only flipped through it two or three times when I got back. I don''t have this kind of ambition. Why would I want to learn it? Besides, I firmly believe in the principle of sharpening one''s spear while in battle. Even if Soong Dongfeng were to drag me into something in the future, it wouldn''t be too late to learn again. In addition, I''ve already carefully memorized the first part of "Good and Evil". I can roughly grasp some of the basic techniques, and that''s more than enough. What do you mean stepping on the Profound Gate, opening the Spiritual Eye, urging others to do nothing, breaking through the illusion, everything is on the same side as my life. It''s fine as long as you know it, I''m not willing to try everything, who knows what kind of rare thing could happen?


    Just like Zhang Shan had said, in this world, 99.99% of people were naturally kind-hearted, how could there be so many Nightmare Terrors for them to accept? As his material and spiritual life became richer and richer, he was afraid that he would soon reach the end of his career as a Palmprint Holder.


    On the other hand, I studied that glass eyeball called the Pupillary Seal for a long time. I even tried to do the same with my right hand, but there was no response.


    Helpless, I can only treat it as a handicraft. I find a base and place it on the table in my bedroom. However, I didn''t know that it was this thing that almost made me tread on the road of no return.


    The weather gradually turned cold, and the winter air became denser and denser. One night, just after work, I walked out of the office and was about to go to the garage to push my 98-year-old permanent bike when my shoulder was put back on.


    I laughed in my heart. Who could be so ignorant? It''s been a long time since anyone has dared to pat me on the shoulder. Just at that moment, I used my "Finger Breaking Technique" and grabbed two of his fingers and twisted them.


    "Aiyo!" Pain! Pain! "Let go of your fucking hands." A voice that he hadn''t heard for a long time came from behind.


    I shook and let go of my fingers to turn around and punch him in the chest. I didn''t use any strength and shouted in surprise, "Liu!"


    Liu Yunlong is back! This fellow was clutching the finger that I had twisted in pain. His face was filled with hatred.


    "How did you know I was working here?" I asked excitedly while holding Liu Yunlong''s shoulder.


    "Tsk ¡­" If I can''t even investigate such a small matter, then as a top student of the investigation department, wouldn''t my efforts be in vain? Furthermore, you are not any high level character. If I didn''t have any malicious intent, would I have let you catch me just like this? " Liu said disdainfully, his tone was still full of humor.


    "You''re not leaving?"


    "What? It''s not like I''m going to steal your wife. You don''t welcome me when I come back? "


    "Haha!" Welcome! "Let''s go, I''ll treat you tonight and give you a welcoming reception!" I didn''t care. I stopped riding the bike and dragged the guy to a nearby restaurant.


    Initially, he had also wanted to call Zhang Shan to liven things up. Firstly, there had been no news of Zhang Shan since he was released and it had been almost a month. He didn''t know to give me a call, so I have no idea about his current situation. Furthermore, I also want him to get to know Liu Yunlong. These two people are full of confidence and shamelessness, they will definitely wet themselves in the same pot. But I called this guy a few times, either no one answered or couldn''t get through. I don''t know what kind of plane he was on. We had no choice but to eat.


    This time, Liu Yunlong had returned from studying successfully and was assigned to the Criminal Police Headquarters. He was specifically responsible for investigating and resolving all kinds of criminal cases. Of course, the rookies who had just arrived had no experience in handling cases. They only poured tea into their cups, followed by a meeting, and then listened to how the veterans analyzed the case and grasped the clues. He was lucky enough to be able to occasionally follow them out of the scene and take care of the aftermath of the crime.


    Looking at his one hundred pound, nearly 1.8m telephone pole body, I ridiculed him, "You think you can catch a criminal with such a small body? "Don''t say that he was blind because he was pecked by an eagle!"


    How could Liu Yunlong be willing to give in? He immediately retorted, "What do you know! Don''t look at how thin your brother is, he has tendons all over his body. "I''ll tell you what, be more honest in Zhengzhou in the future and don''t let any flaws fall into my hands. I''m afraid that my brothers won''t recognize me then."


    "Come on ¡­" You new soldier, you want to come up and make first class achievements? "To put it bluntly, you''re the seventy year old lady that''s watching the gate in that courtyard right now."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I can only catch thieves up to eighty."


    "Holy sh * t!" I didn''t bring a gun today, otherwise ¡­ "


    "Why else?"


    "I''ll charge you ten dollars first!" Another half an hour! "


    "Go!" Go back and take it! This grandpa is waiting for you here, you little prick ¡­ I won''t believe you today! "


    "Just you wait!" Let me tell you, if you have the ability, don''t run! If I don''t come back and settle the score with you within twenty years, my surname is not Liu! "


    "Sigh!" Sigh! Come back! Give me back my wallet! "I haven''t paid the bill yet ¡­"


    "Hehe, are you afraid? "If you''re scared, then admit your wrongs. This brother will forgive you."


    "There''s no door. Go get your gun!" There''s no money in the wallet, and I never put it there. "


    "Holy shit, you really don''t have a cent? Then why do you kick your wallet all day long? "


    "Hehe, that''s precisely to prevent people like you. Ai? Aren''t you going to get a gun? Why did you sit down again? "


    I''ll eat before I go!" Shooting people was a manual labor. It was impossible to not be full. Hurry up, you can''t be sloppy when it''s time to send off your food! He would eat his fill and set off on his journey. "Come on, this dish of lamb and scallions will belong to you!


    "Holy sh * t ¡­"


    The waiters looked at us in horror.


    On the third day after eating dinner with Liu Yunlong, I rode a bike to grandpa''s house to deliver some things, following mother''s orders. When they reached the underground road (a famous place in Zhengzhou, a few dozen meters north of the railway station, just west of the Red East Film Theatre), the Central Plains Road had to pass under the railway line, forming an underground tunnel several hundred meters long. ), in the middle of a row of stalls, a figure who was clearly twice the size of the others caught my eye.

 C46

    I parked in front of this man. He was wearing sunglasses in the dark and didn''t even raise his head as he said in a rough voice, "Benefactor, are you asking for permission or an explanation? To approve is free, if you don''t know it, you won''t get a single cent! "


    "Damn you!" I slapped the guy on the head.


    The big bloke with dark glasses froze for a moment, then raised his head. When he saw me, he immediately made a silencing gesture, stood up, pulled me to the corner of the room, and took off his sunglasses.


    Who else could it be other than Zhang Shan?


    "Don''t let me find out! I was still hoping to get back at them! " He turned his back to the wall and spoke in a low voice.


    "Is that what you do every day? What was the point of having so much strength? You have to do this kind of trick. " When I saw him like this, I was furious that he had set up a stall here to scam his fortune. No matter what, I am still his Martial Uncle, and today I must educate him.


    Zhang Shan was displeased when he heard it, "What are you saying? Zhou Gong''s Dreaming Interpretation and Yi Chuan''s Gossip are the treasures of our Chinese nation, how can they be deceived? Can these people even compare to me? "I''ve been doing this since I was young. At most, they could only barely read a little bit of it before coming out and messing with me." As he spoke, he pointed to the row of "Half Immortals" sitting on the small stools in front of him, waiting for their fortune telling.


    "Then why are you pretending to be blind while wearing sunglasses? If you aren''t lying, then what is?" I was blocked by this guy, so I could only grab onto a little bit of it and beat it to death.


    "This is called packing ¡­" Do you understand? Blind people appear mysterious, and do not divulge information about their clients. There are a lot of people who believe in them. Even if the customers knew that we weren''t really blind, they wouldn''t care. At least on the surface, our sunglasses are a form of psychological comfort. They can say whatever they want. " This fellow spoke very clearly.


    "Damn, who did you learn all this from?" I didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. The fortune-teller was actually talking to me about packaging and consumer psychology. However, thinking about it, it made sense. In this world, the profession that had the most knowledge about consumer psychology, was fortune-telling. Just with a mouth, one could make a stranger believe that they were at the mercy of others, and perhaps even the greatest salesmen would not be able to do that.


    "Here!" It''s just this Big Brother Sun. " Zhang Shan pointed to the skinny middle-aged man who was sitting beside him.


    I turned around and saw that the man was also wearing a pair of black supersunglasses. I didn''t know if he was really blind or just faking it. But when I looked over, his face was turned towards us, and he saw me staring at him in a daze, and suddenly the corner of his mouth rose, and he smiled at me, and nodded his head, as a greeting.


    I''m completely dizzy. What kind of people are these ¡­


    "This is what you do every day for a month?" I''m a bit of a wreck.


    Of course not. This thing can only earn extra money by being hungry and having a good meal." I was unloading cement sand at a construction site in the daytime, and I was paying 40 yuan a day! Three meals and lodging. At the end of the month, I''ll take a break of two days and also get a bonus! " Zhang Shan said complacently: "I will earn more from this job than I did in the village for a year!


    I''ll do some calculations, man! He had at least 1,200 yuan a month, and he didn''t even have a bonus or an extra cash to tell fortunes at night. You have to understand that I, as an office designer, am only worth 1200!


    F * ck, I can''t live anymore! I even started to consider if I should follow Zhang Shan.


    "Why are you looking for me?" Zhang Shan took the initiative to ask when he saw me standing there with a foolish look on my face.


    "I''m looking for you? I know where you are, me? I''m looking for you! " This fellow didn''t say anything, but I had nearly forgotten about it. She quickly pulled at him and asked, "Let me ask you, why aren''t you answering the phone? Where''s the phone I gave you? "


    "The phone you gave me... "I don''t know how to use it. I just know how to charge it."


    The words struck me like a thunderbolt, knocking me to the ground and foaming at the mouth.


    "You ¡ª won''t ¡ª will ¡ª find ¡ª people ¡ª ask ¡ª ah?" I looked at him for a long time and said this word by word.


    "Heh heh, how embarrassing is that ¡­" Isn''t that the same as telling people that I haven''t used this thing!? It''s time for the workers to laugh at me. " Zhang Shan scratched his head and said embarrassedly.


    Another bolt of lightning, and I felt dizzy and weak, as if something sweet was about to pop out of my throat.


    After spending half an hour, he finally taught Zhang Shan how to answer phone calls and store numbers. As for sending and receiving SMS and other functions, I thought a bit and decided against it. Otherwise, I wouldn''t even need to attend class tomorrow. I repeatedly reminded Zhang Shan to make calls and to stay in touch, then got on my bike and started pedalling towards my grandpa''s house.


    After walking for a long distance, I looked back and saw two figures, one big and one small, in the dim tunnel. They saw me looking back and even waved at me. When the bystanders saw this, they expressed their concern. The two of them seemed to realize that this was too excessive. They hurriedly stopped what they were doing and lowered their sunglasses-wearing faces.


    I didn''t know what I was feeling all the way. The biggest problem was that Zhang Shan''s physique and image were really too unlike a fortune-teller. This was just like a very short person. At first glance, one definitely wouldn''t think that this guy was a basketball player. He didn''t say anything else. Just from his figure alone, one could tell that he wasn''t made for that!


    At five o''clock the next morning, I was awakened by a ringing phone.


    "Who?"


    "Are you Martial Uncle, it''s me! Zhang Shan! " There was a huge commotion, as though it was the sound of a heavy truck''s engine, Zhang Shan shouted out loud.


    "Are you sick!? Call me so early! " I was immediately woken up by the noise coming from the other side.


    "Really?" Martial Uncle, after breakfast, we will begin our work. You''re too sleepy! " Zhang Shan said in disbelief.


    "If you have something to say, then say it. If you don''t, then I''m going to hang up." I''ve been completely defeated by this guy. He even lost the desire to fight back.


    "Martial Uncle, are you free during the day? I have something I need your help with. " Zhang Shan was afraid that I would hang up, so he quickly got down to business.


    "I have to work during the day, but at night, I''ll call you when I get off work!" After saying that, I didn''t care if he was willing or not, I just hung up the phone and went back to sleep. Teach this guy how to use his cell phone, is this a failure in my life?


    I was in a daze the whole day, but Zhang Shan actually didn''t call me again, which was a little unexpected. After waiting for a long time, I finally got off work. I called my card and walked out of the office, then dialed Zhang Shan''s cell number.


    "Hey, who is it?" Zhang Shan''s sonorous and powerful voice came out. I was curious. This guy worked from four to five in the morning and even worked at night purely physical labor. He actually had the strength to set up a stall. His tone didn''t have the slightest hint of tiredness. I better do my design!


    "I, Wang Ziqi!" I did as he said.


    "Who?" Are you calling the wrong number? BEEP ¡­ BEEP ¡­ BEEP ¡­ "Du ¡­" Before I could continue, the other party had already hung up. After staring blankly for a while, I finally remembered that the guy didn''t know my name, but there was a caller ID! He probably didn''t even look at it.


    Helpless, I dialed the number again. Without waiting for him to speak, I shouted, "I am your Martial Uncle! Remember, my name is Wang - Zi - Qi! "


    The person on the other end fell silent for two seconds and then said, "Hai! Just say it earlier! "


    Say so earlier? Did you give me a chance to tell you?


    "How is it? Martial Uncle, are you done? Can you come find me? I''ll treat you tonight. " This was the first time Zhang Shan was so generous.


    My eyes filled with tears. This child, he finally understood!


    After arranging to meet at the fortune-telling stall in the underground passage, I sat on the bus and headed there. Zhang Shan likes to drink alcohol, but he can also do so. I don''t dare to ride a bicycle when I eat with him, so it''s possible that I''ll be killed by him once I get back.


    By the time I reached the fortune-telling stall, Zhang Shan was chatting with "Sun Monkey". The two of them did not wear sunglasses today, while Zhang Shan did not even bring a chair or a bag of trash. It seemed that he did not plan to "work overtime".


    After greeting "Great Sage Sun", Zhang Shan pulled me and was about to leave: "Martial Uncle, accompany me to a place first!" he said as he walked.


    "Oh? Aren''t we going to eat? " I suddenly understood.


    "Let''s eat after that!" As long as I finish this first, I''ll treat you to whatever you want to eat! " Zhang Shan said straightforwardly.


    "Wait, explain everything to me before I make my decision! Don''t even mention the Hongmen feast, you sold me off, and I even helped you count the money! " I broke free of this guy''s big hand and just stood there.


    "Nothing. Just yesterday, there was a customer who said that the feng shui of his home was not good, so he wanted me to help her take a look today. After we finish reading, we''ll go eat. " Seeing that he was not willing to leave and did not say anything, Zhang Shan had no choice but to confess.


    "Mm, then go take a look. Why do you have to drag me into this?" "How about this, I''ll find a restaurant to wait for you. When you''re done, come and find me. What do you think?" I knew it wouldn''t be that simple, or he wouldn''t have called me so early in the morning, so I said it deliberately.


    "Ah ¡­" Just as I expected, Zhang Shan was led by a general and he stood there stupidly, not knowing how to reply.


    "Tell the truth ¡­" How much are you promised? " I know that Zhang Shan''s first mental defense line has collapsed, so I took the opportunity to advance.


    "Five thousand ¡­"


    I knew it! Otherwise, how could this guy be in such a hurry to help others? That was the sun coming out of the west.


    "Five thousand yuan, and I''m just going to find a roadside stall like yours to check out Feng Shui?" I drugged it.


    Zhang Shan finally collapsed and confessed honestly.


    Yesterday, not long after I left, there was a young woman who was wandering around nearby. After looking for a long time, she picked the "Sun Monkey" beside Zhang Shan, and asked her some questions on their relationship.


    Zhang Shan sat nearby and listened, observing the woman''s expression. From his point of view, this woman had a green mark between his eyebrows, and her eyes were dim and lifeless. It was obvious that he had not slept well for a long time. However, there was still a tiny bit of space that was caught by Zhang Shan. Behind this woman''s ears, there was a piece of skin that was obviously darker than the other parts. This was a typical feature of being hung by a Nightmare, Old Master Zhang had told him before.


    However, if a fellow cultivator interferes and interferes, that is a violation of the rules. He had to wait for the customer to finish counting and move ten steps away before he could "snatch up the bill."


    Thus, Zhang Shan endured it as he listened to the "Great Sage Sun" talking to the woman. In the end, the woman lost interest, gave "Sun Monkey" twenty yuan, and prepared to leave. Only when she walked in front of Zhang Shan''s stall, did Zhang Shan whisper to him, "You have unclean things in your house, nightmares are inevitable tonight."

 C47

    The woman stopped in her tracks. As for Zhang Shan''s pride, it seems like he really did not learn from his grandfather for nothing, it could be said to be the truth!


    The young lady immediately sat in front of Zhang Shan''s stall and asked him how he knew about it. This guy was obviously putting on a show to show off something, saying that this was a chance that could not be revealed. When Great Sage Sun blew his beard and glared at him, he couldn''t do anything about it. Of course, Zhang Shan was not full of nonsense, he only confused what he saw and told the woman, that her family had unclean things, and that some people might have nightmares about it. It could have something to do with feng shui, or it could have something to do with ghosts.


    He did not say enough, leaving only three percent. This was called letting a long line lead to catch a big fish. Zhang Shan clearly knew that there was a Nightmare playing tricks on him, yet he said that it was a Feng Shui question. It seemed impossible to understand, but it was related to how much money he could earn this time. If he directly said it was a ghost, then perhaps this woman would agree to pay him and settle the matter. But if you start by saying something else that doesn''t exist, then the employer will first pay you to check it out. After "checking" and then throwing out the substantive problems, because of the comparison between the former and the latter, the employer will feel very serious. If he were to ask for more help, the amount of money he had given would definitely not be less than the amount he had given the first time. This way, he would be able to earn money twice. Naturally, he would be able to earn more money than the first plan.


    I didn''t understand why they didn''t directly set the price when the situation was right, nor did they need to make so many twists and turns. It wasn''t until a long time later that I understood that in the business of fortune telling, to put it bluntly, helping others and accumulating merits for oneself, once it involved money, the nature of the business would change. Those with a certain level of experience and ability would never directly ask their employers for money. Instead, they would ask their employers to give them according to their own sincerity and ability, depending on the situation.


    The first buddhist cultivators usually only had enough money for a meal, so many of them would have to return the money. However, the Chinese people''s wisdom was fully utilized at this time. Later on, some people felt that a meal was too little and said that if others voluntarily gave more, I would donate half of my income and burn incense to Buddha.


    Like this, not only did his well-off life get a guarantee, but he also paid tribute to the Buddha and amassed some merits for himself. It could really be said that killing three birds with one stone. In the end, no matter if the other party was giving him ten thousand taels of gold or giving him a bowl of cold rice, he had to take out half of what he had earned.


    Even so, there are still people who are not satisfied. Since I have to donate half of it, although I am unable to adjust the ratio, the total amount is still possible. As long as I can find a way to raise the total income, although it is only half, it is still much more than before the increase. In the end, this long line fishing for big fish appears.


    Saying that, when this woman heard that it was a Feng Shui question, she immediately pulled Zhang Shan to her house to take a look. But Zhang Shan understood that this was not a problem of Feng Shui at all, rather, it was a nightmare playing tricks on him. He was not a Palmprint Holder, so it would be useless to go, even if he could not see or receive it. "So the guy thought of me and told the woman that he would prepare some things and take a friend with him tomorrow to make sure the medicine would be cured.


    "Oh, 5,000 yuan. You''re treating me to a meal? I''m working at the front, and you''re counting the money. How could there be such a beautiful thing? " I rolled my eyes. This fellow really knows how to settle accounts.


    "Aiyo, my Martial Uncle, how can I possibly have five thousand. I still have to donate two thousand and five hundred yuan to the Hope Project!" Zhang Shan said with a bitter face.


    "And two thousand five hundred?" I can understand that.


    "There''s also that Monkey Sun. He insisted that he was the one who invited the guests over, otherwise, he wouldn''t have walked past me. He also wanted to get 500 points." Zhang Shan ground his teeth the moment he mentioned "Great Sage Sun".


    "Sure!" "When I heard that, I got even angrier." That guy can get 500 points just by talking. I only had a meal, didn''t I? "


    "Then what do you want?" Zhang Shan also understood at this time, this wasn''t asking me to help, this was clearly inviting a wolf!


    "Three to seven!" I said angrily.


    "Three against seven for you? "Alright, it''s settled then!"


    "What are you dreaming about? It''s you, it''s three, it''s seven! "


    "That won''t do! Absolutely not! "If I take one more step back, you four, I''ll six!"


    "Bye bye, you." Don''t treat me either, I won''t eat any more either! I''ll go home and have some leftovers! " I was going to leave.


    "Don''t... Martial Uncle... Five and five! Five or five should be fine, right? " Zhang Shan stomped on the stone tiles on the roadside until there was a bang.


    "That''s more like it." I turned around again, thought for a moment, and suddenly said, "I''m not going!"


    "Don''t!" We''ve already agreed on this, why is there a need to go back on your words? "Why not?" Zhang Shan was unwilling.


    I calculated that I would have to deal with the Nightmare again for a thousand dollars. It wasn''t worth it! Although I have learnt a few skills now, he''s just a bit of a delinquent. I might even be able to create a Corpse Supporting Spell, which would be a huge loss!


    "No reason, I don''t want to go. "Don''t beg me, begging me is useless. If you don''t want to go, then so be it!" I made up my mind that since I wouldn''t provoke such a thing in the future, I wouldn''t even go near it.


    "Nine One!" I only need two hundred, you can have the rest! Okay? " Zhang Shan clenched his teeth and made a surprising decision.


    "It''s not a matter of money. Zhang Shan, you know that I am not interested in this business, since we are brothers, you better not pull me down with you, okay?" I sighed, and said seriously to Zhang Shan.


    "But ¡­" This is the perfect time to save a patient! " Zhang Shan seemed to still be unwilling to give up.


    "I know it''s a good thing, but doesn''t this have you? I really don''t have the ability to take on this responsibility. If I liked this, I could do it, and I''d go without paying. How far do you think a person can go on a road he doesn''t like? " I patted Zhang Shan''s shoulders and said seriously.


    Zhang Shan looked at me for a long time, then sighed and said: "Forget it, everyone has their own fate, whether it is karma or not, the heavens are watching. Since he couldn''t control it, he might as well! "I originally wanted to earn that money, and with this month''s salary, I''ll go up the mountain and see master ¡­"


    Looking for master? My eyes lit up. I was just worried that this fellow wouldn''t be willing to go back. I didn''t expect him to hit the gun head on his own. If he wasn''t allowed to accept this order, wouldn''t he have to wait for at least another month?


    This guy''s life is in the hands of the heavens right now. I don''t dare to drag it out any longer. After weighing the pros and cons in my heart, I asked Zhang Shan: "Are you sure? Take this job, earn the money, and go back to the mountain? "


    "I don''t understand. Why do you always want me to go back?" Zhang Shan stared at me and asked.


    "I want to see your master!"


    "You don''t have anything important to do, so why are you rushing to see him?"


    "You don''t need to worry about that. Just tell me, will you come back to the mountain with me after you make this?"


    "Yes, if I get these 2000, I have 3000 yuan. I can buy some decent things." By the way, take that half, and the remaining two thousand five hundred, and buy some books and teaching materials for the village elementary school. " Zhang Shan replied with certainty.


    "Alright!" This time, I''ve helped you! " I have also made a decision that I will go all out for Zhang Shan! Then just make one more contact, what''s the big deal?


    "Then... "How do we split the money?" Zhang Shan looked at me uneasily, afraid that I would agree to his last 90%.


    "I don''t want any money!" You don''t need any more food! But it was agreed that this would be the last time! There will be no more examples! "


    "Really?"


    "It''s true!"


    "What if you go back on your word?"


    "Don''t worry, I won''t. I won''t pull the hook with you if you don''t believe me!" "Come!"


    "Martial Uncle, I''m warning you, you are not to call me by my nickname again!"


    The employer''s house wasn''t far from the underground road. There was a T-junction five hundred meters west. The road that led to it was a residential area. After reporting his name to the guard post, Zhang Shan led me inside.


    This district was not new. It was at least seven to eight years old. Some of the buildings close to the road had their outer walls peeled off. We walked all the way to the innermost part of the building. There were two small, exclusive buildings, each with only four floors. Compared to the outside, the high-rise buildings really did look a bit shabby at first glance.


    "I didn''t live very well. If we don''t have any money in the end, it wouldn''t be good for us to put in effort." Zhang Shan muttered.


    Only a child in the mountain like him was unable to see anything special about it. Even before I got close, I could see something in some of the lighted French windows that ordinary people wouldn''t have ¡ª the stairs.


    There were only four houses in each of these two buildings. Although Zhengzhou wasn''t a first-tier city, it was impossible to afford such a residence without spending ten or twelve million yuan.


    I smiled and did not tell Zhang Shan about this discovery. I went to the west wing''s third floor and rang the doorbell, then went to hide behind Zhang Shan. He was going to be the main character tonight, so I couldn''t let him win the limelight.


    "Who is it?" A sweet voice came from the inside, and then the door opened.


    "Hello, benefactor! I have come to help you with your interrogation. " Zhang Shan purposely thickened his voice, making his words sound more confident, like a heavy bass.


    I wanted to see what kind of woman he was talking about, and if there really was a nightmare at work. However, this fellow had blocked the door so tightly that even light couldn''t penetrate.


    "Oh ¡­" Master Zhang! "Quick, come in, come in!" He seemed to be respectful to Zhang Shan.


    It wasn''t until Zhang Shan stepped into the doorframe that I saw this woman. He was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a ponytail, a sports coat, and a body brimming with youthful vigor. Only her face was still pale and slightly green. Her forehead was sunken, and her eyes were completely black. It''s obviously a symptom of not being able to get a normal rest.


    "This is?" Seeing that there was still someone outside, the woman asked Zhang Shan warily.


    "Oh, this is my dao friend that I mentioned to you yesterday. I don''t care about feng shui, he only cares about the filth. " Zhang Shan explained.


    "Oh ¡­" "Then please come in quickly!" The woman quickly let me in again.


    As I passed the woman, I noticed that there was a darker area behind each of her ears. It was just as Zhang Shan had said, she had been killed by the Nightmare. Everyone has a slightly raised bone behind their earlobes. I don''t know what it''s called medically. But in "The Record," it is called "freedom." Chinese medicine treatment insomnia and dreaminess, such as diseases, often here or acupuncture, or massage. If the skin color is darker than the surrounding area, it will definitely insomnia and dreaminess, that is, evil nightmare caused by entanglement.


    Inside was a living room that was at least forty square meters. On the right was an open kitchen with a bar and wine cabinet. To the left, a circular staircase spiralled upwards to the second floor.

 C48

    The walls of the living room were painted with sky-blue paint, and the furniture was mostly simple and practical. It was both modern and not ostentatious, giving people a very comfortable feeling. From this, it could be seen that the people living in this house were all young people. It was likely that the middle-aged and old people weren''t used to this sort of collocation.


    Zhang Shan had already been struck dumb. I secretly poked his waist before he came back to his senses. He turned around to the woman and said, "Benefactor, please lead us to the bedroom so that we can investigate this matter."


    "Calm down! Sit down first and have a cup of tea! " The woman quickly led us to the sofa and turned to look at the tea.


    "How is it? Am I right? There''s definitely something strange going on! " Zhang Shan whispered to me.


    "Hmm, I still don''t know what it is."


    "Then why did you open the Spiritual Eye!" the guy urged.


    Opening the Spiritual Eye was the starting technique of Palmprint Holder, which was borrowing the Inaction Imprint. When you opened the inner corner, you could see the soul and the Nightmare, and you wouldn''t need to chew that fishy and smelly Judge Grass like before.


    Hesitating for a moment, it seemed that he had to use the Inaction Imprint today. I really don''t want to do this. Once I activate the Spiritual Eye, all sorts of random things will appear. It will be a severe test for my sight and mind. As the saying goes, seeing is seeing; seeing is seeing. This fellow had never seen it. He had no idea how hard it was going to be for him!


    Under Zhang Shan''s pleading eyes, I could only press the thumb and forefinger of my left hand on the Inaction Imprint''s body. After a while, when the scorching feeling was created, he used his two fingers to squeeze down on the inner and outer acupoints at the nose root, the Spiritual Eye would open it. When I don''t want to look, all I have to do is press on the circle and the person circle and the rest of the steps will be done. In the eyes of ordinary people, I''m just feeling jealous and doing eye exercises.


    After pressing the point, I took a deep breath and looked at the hostess who was making tea in the kitchen. If she was really hung by the Nightmare, when I looked over, I could immediately see the thing behind her.


    "See? "What is it?" Seeing that the mistress had brought a tea tray over, Zhang Shan immediately pulled me and whispered.


    "None ¡­" I stared at my hostess, bewildered.


    Behind her, there was indeed nothing. It was extremely normal!


    "That''s impossible!" Zhang Shan never thought that I would be unable to see anything at all, and my voice unconsciously became louder.


    "What''s impossible?" The hostess sat down with a tray. He poured two cups each and placed them in front of us.


    "My friend said ¡­ The situation appeared to be very serious ¡­ I said that was impossible! It''s just a normal Feng Shui problem, don''t worry! " Zhang Shan casually said.


    The woman''s expression immediately changed. He anxiously turned to Zhang Shan and said: "Master Zhang, I''ll be troubling you. You must have a good grasp of the situation, regardless of what it is, whether it is serious or not, as long as the problem can be solved, everything else is fine! "Rest assured, I will definitely not let you waste your efforts!"


    I nudged Zhang Shan with my elbow. This guy was simply spouting nonsense, he clearly said that he had nothing to say, what difference is there between this and those liars under the bridge?


    "Don''t worry about that. Since I''ve figured it out, there''s no reason for me to not care about it." Zhang Shan drank his tea and replied leisurely.


    I didn''t see anything. Zhang Shan didn''t know how to continue for a while, but the mistress seemed to be filled with worry as she stared at the tea table in a daze.


    I looked around and still couldn''t find anything suspicious. I casually asked the woman, "May I ask if you''re the only one in the house?"


    "My husband and I, two people."


    "And your husband?"


    "He went out to eat with his clients tonight."


    "What is his occupation?"


    "He started his own company."


    I feel like I''m checking in.


    "Let''s not talk too much. Let''s go to the bedroom and take a look?" Zhang Shan finally could no longer hold it in and took the initiative to stand up and speak to his mistress.


    From the bedroom on, the study, the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, even the bathroom, we turned on the light and looked in, but I didn''t see anything, everything was perfectly normal.


    I even doubted whether I had even activated a Spiritual Eye. Zhang Shan was also extremely depressed. Even though it was abnormal, it was actually normal. This was too abnormal!


    Finally, he went back to his bedroom. Zhang Shan walked around a few times and knocked on the door. He seemed to be thinking about how to get over this matter first.


    "You have a problem with the mirror." This guy walked over to a full-sized mirror, pointed at it and said, "It''s not in the right place, it''s facing the bed. As the saying goes, a husband and wife quarrelled at the end of the bed, but with this mirror, everything you said and did will be copied and repeated over and over again. Until one day, when this mirror shatters, your fate will come to an end. Therefore, do your best not to put any mirrors in the bedroom. Even if you do, it must not be revealed! "


    I wanted to laugh to myself. What nonsense was this? It would be hard for him to say so much.


    The woman took it for real. She immediately went to the mirror and sharpened it to 180 degrees, then turned her back to the bed. Holding onto the mirror, she nervously asked Zhang Shan: "Then, do you want to leave this place aside? You''re right, my husband has been having nightmares lately. Not only does he not sleep well, he often wakes me up at night. I had asked him about it when I got up in the morning, but he got mad at me when I asked. I don''t dare to ask now. Except for a few words we had before going to bed at night, we usually acted like strangers. At this rate, I can''t wait for the mirror to shatter. You must think of a way for me! "


    "Look, let me say it. This mirror must not be placed in the bedroom anymore. Let me take a look ¡­" "En, put it in the dining hall!" Zhang Shan pinched his beard again and changed to an old shelf with a floor lamp. Since there was nothing else to say, he decided to make an appointment with the woman to wait at home for the weekend. The hostess hesitated for a moment before agreeing.


    So we opened the door and disappeared. If he continued to stay here, there would be nothing left to say.


    After running for a long distance, I finally couldn''t hold it in anymore and laughed out loud. "I say, Great Immortal, you''re really amazing. You let me bring you to a restaurant to change clothes everyday?"


    Zhang Shan wiped away the sweat on his forehead, ignoring my ridicule, "So dangerous, I almost exposed myself! I said she was in the middle of a nightmare, but why didn''t he have anything? Did you really open a Spiritual Eye? "


    "It opened. I did exactly what the ''Dream Record'' said. It''s absolutely correct!" I''m not convinced.


    "So you used to... Never tried? " Zhang Shan looked at me in shock.


    "What am I trying to do with that? If you have nothing to do, just add in! "


    "You came here to show it to others without even trying?" Zhang Shan held back for a long time before he finally found a reason to vent his anger.


    "Damn!" Did I come in a hurry? Do you have any memory? "


    "I''ll give up on you, you bastard!"


    "You heartless thing ¡­"


    As we watched the traffic light turn green, we argued and tried to cross the street.


    "Martial Uncle, can you do it next time? Why don''t you try and see if you''re smart or not before showing it to them? " After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he left me and headed towards the fast lane.


    I was about to strike back when I saw a black sedan in the distance, not even turning on its lights, heading this way at a speed of at least a hundred kilometers per hour. However, Zhang Shan did not notice at all.


    "Watch the car!" I shouted.


    Unfortunately, it was already too late. When Zhang Shan heard me shouting, he actually stood at the same place and turned around to look at me, puzzled. The unlit black car was less than ten meters away and showed no sign of brakes. I had no choice but to open my eyes wide and wait for the tragedy to happen.


    A second later, my eyes turned from wide open to a wide open mouth. I saw that the car had passed by Zhang Shan who was standing in the middle of the road. Zhang Shan was still standing at his original position, not harmed in the slightest.


    "This ¡­" I quickly turned around.


    There were obviously more pedestrians on the road than the previous days, and a few of them were even wearing short-sleeved pants. He walked down the street at a leisurely pace. It was December!


    I understand, the Spiritual Eye had actually already opened up. Seeing my expression, Zhang Shan also quickly ran back. In order to confirm my judgement, I recorded the positions and clothing of the surrounding passersby, and then followed the steps to close the Spiritual Eye. When he raised his head again, all the people in shorts and shorts had indeed disappeared!


    "What''s going on?" Zhang Shan asked with concern. Actually, our quarrel is just a joke. How can a friendship that we risk our lives to break with just a few words?


    "The Spiritual Eye has indeed opened. That woman did not have any nightmares by her side." I can be sure now.


    "None... Then, how do you explain her black spots? " Zhang Shan also knew that I really opened the Spiritual Eye.


    "Maybe when we went there today, the Nightmare wasn''t following her." I reasoned.


    "That would..." "Follow who?" Zhang Shan still didn''t understand.


    "Her husband!" We both said the same thing.


    We agreed to come back this weekend, and we didn''t want to turn back. If he went back now, wouldn''t he be telling them that he had been scared? This kind of joke was best not to cause trouble. It would affect his future performance!


    "Amitabha, let Bodhisattva bless you for another two days!" Zhang Shan said.


    I had originally planned to return home, but Zhang Shan insisted on treating me to a meal. He said that since I don''t want money, I must eat, otherwise, it would be too late for me. There was no helping it, under the threat of force, I gave in.


    Coincidentally, there was a rather large noodle shop at the intersection, which was cheap but not expensive. We went in and ordered some cold dishes, a bottle of white wine, and ate them together.


    It''s boring for the two of them to drink, so I called Liu Yunlong and summoned him out. When this guy heard that there was a free dinner, he fled faster than anyone else and came for it.


    After introducing the two of them to each other, I sat down and started a new round of bickering with Liu Yunlong.


    "Hey Liu, aren''t you being too extravagant? You came all the way here to eat, do you think this meal is worth your money? "


    "How much is the meal?" Liu Yunlong mumbled as he stuffed a chicken claw into his mouth.


    "Not yet, fifty-nine." Zhang Shan reported truthfully.


    "That''s incredible, the three of us get an average of more than twenty apiece." I only managed to fight it out with 15 years of age, so I must have earned at least 5 yuan! "


    "What about after you eat it? But there''s no bus. We can''t walk back, can we? "


    "Damn, I have you with me!" Our two families are so close, I''ll follow you! "


    "I only have 10 yuan in my pocket. I already spent it when I came here." I called you here just to get you to take me back. " I lied to him.


    F * ck, I lost! Stop! This eggplant is not to be touched by either of you! I''m done! "No, we have to eat it back!"

 C49

    Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong were really like old friends. They hated each other for being late at first sight, and the conversation between the two turned the world upside down. Even Liu, the person who didn''t like to drink a lot, blew two beers as well.


    In the end, the two of them had to hold each other''s hand and bow to each other. It wasn''t until Liu Yunlong heard that I was Zhang Shan''s Martial Uncle that he decided to let this matter go. Because the two of them bowed in respect. Although this guy doesn''t need to call me Martial Uncle, he naturally has to follow Zhang Shan by a whole generation.


    Let me ride on his head, unless he loses his head.


    After we finished eating, Zhang Shan repeatedly reminded me to contact him at least once during the weekend and to visit that woman''s home once again. I promised him at least ten times before the guy decided I wouldn''t forget and walked away.


    To Liu Yunlong, these two bottles of beer were already abnormal. This fellow is using the liquor to act crazy and is determined to follow me back. There was no helping it, I got a taxi and sent him home before going back to bed.


    The morning of the second day, I rode my bicycle to the entrance of the courtyard where I saw Liu Yunlong and the two security guards at the side of the road whispering to each other.


    I secretly pushed the cart to the back of the fellow and patted his shoulder. "Ai, could it be that you drank too much last night and was pulled here to wash your stomach?"


    The child turned his head and saw that it was me. He said seriously, "I''m sorry, sir. I''m on official business. Please pay attention to your words!"


    "Go play!" Speak! "What are you doing!" I want to listen to him.


    "What else can I do? "It''s a case!" This fellow was clearly still drowsy, and clearly, he had yet to wake up.


    "What case?" How dare you scare your car? " I don''t believe he can handle a case. How many days has he been back? There were cases and no part of him.


    "A little nurse. She got off the night shift a few days ago and fell down the elevator and died. Only now did she realize this." Liu Yunlong sent the two security guards away, then turned his face towards me and said seriously.


    "You can do that? Is this a lie? " I still don''t quite believe him. I usually have to think twice before I believe him. Especially the more serious he was, the more he couldn''t get the words out of his mouth.


    "I have a file here. Leader, do you want to take a look?" Liu Yunlong said as he raised up the folder in his hand. "Do you dare to look at me like that?" The look on his face.


    Taking advantage of his unguarded state, I copied the folder over to him. Little fellow, this is what you wanted me to see!


    "Sigh!" Take it! No external personnel are allowed to flip through the book before the case is closed! " Liu Yunlong panicked, he wanted to snatch it back as he spoke, how could I give him the chance to do so? He took a step back and opened the first page of the folder.


    "Holy sh * t!" Seeing this in the morning, it''s no wonder that there''s such a shadow in your heart! " I looked at it briefly, then closed it and tossed it to him.


    The first page was a large photograph of a woman in a nurse''s uniform lying in an unnatural position in what appeared to be an elevator, her arms and legs broken. The skin, skin, and eyeballs of the corpse were left there for a long time after death. Furthermore, their heads were deeply sunken, and it was unknown what had forcefully suppressed them. Looking at this early in the morning, my heartbeat quickened, and the milk I had just drunk escaped from the gravity and began to flow upwards.


    "Look, I said I won''t let you!" It''s not like you won''t listen. It''s not like you''re naked. You''re in such a hurry to snatch it. " Liu Yunlong had a face full of schadenfreude.


    I covered my mouth as I tried to suppress the churning feeling in my stomach. I have seen the ones that can move, so why would I be afraid that they wouldn''t move? "


    "Nonsense!" Those who can move are living people, you''re not afraid! " Liu Yunlong did not know what I meant.


    "What''s the situation? "Tell me about it ¡­" I came out early anyway, and seeing that this guy had nothing better to do, I grabbed him and insisted on asking him about it.


    Liu Yunlong had no choice but to take care of the two security guards and roughly explain the situation to me.


    Three days ago, the police station where the hospital was located received a report of a middle-aged couple. They said that their own daughter was a nurse from Municipal Hospital. After getting off the night shift two nights ago, she should have returned home, but she didn''t see anyone when she woke up in the morning. When he found the hospital, he found out that his daughter had left without a minute after getting off work last night. He had left without a word.


    This made the old couple so anxious that they wanted to report the case. It had only been a dozen or so hours and the police station could not accept it. They had no choice but to mobilize all their relatives and friends to search for him. However, after a day and a night of searching, even the previous two boyfriends of the girl had been dug out, but they were still unable to find any useful information. Helplessly, he walked into the police station.


    Cases such as these one occurred frequently, and not only were investigations difficult, but the time span would grow longer and longer as well. Many of the cases would become unsolved and eventually end up in the corner of the archives.


    The police also had much contact with such cases. There were only three reasons for his disappearance. Either he was kidnapped by a trafficker, or he had committed suicide in a secluded place. There was also the possibility that he was the one who killed him.


    The girl was very cheerful and didn''t have any enemies. Furthermore, she was very amiable with her current boyfriend. She also broke up with her previous friends. Naturally, the possibility of the latter two murders was excluded, so it was temporarily listed as a human trafficking case.


    After logging the statement, the family had no choice but to go home and wait for news on the phone. One day no news, two days no news. On the third day, a call came in from the police station. It was grievous news that their daughter had died in the hospital.


    It turned out that in the past few days, the people sitting in one of the elevators in the hospital had always felt that the first floor was unsteady, as if something was pushing against it from below. Furthermore, there were several power outages and loss of control. There was no other way. This morning, the hospital had no choice but to call the elevator company''s after-sales service staff to open up the warehouse for inspection. The moment he opened the door, the two maintenance workers who were watching immediately collapsed on the floor. They saw that in the space below the elevator, there was a female corpse curled up. As the elevator kept falling, it had long been crushed to pieces.


    According to the identification of the representatives of the hospital and their relatives, this was the young nurse who had disappeared a few days ago. As for the cause of her death in the elevator shaft, it was still being investigated. If he was the one who killed him, then Liu Yunlong and the rest of the Criminal Investigation Division would naturally intervene.


    He had a strange expression on his face as he looked at me. Then he said to Liu Yunlong: "Hello, Leader. The surveillance footage of the night that the little nurse disappeared has already been shown. Do you want to go over to take a look?"


    I also knew that if I followed him, it would be a nuisance to work, and I also had to work. After bidding farewell to Liu Yunlong, I rode my bicycle to the company.


    I had nothing to do all morning and had just had lunch. I was just about to lie down and sleep when my cell phone rang.


    "Hello, Zi Qi?" A familiar voice called out to me.


    It sounded extremely numb, and my friends and classmates often called me Old Wang. Zhang Shan had always been a short friend of the Martial Uncle, and no one among the people I know really called me that.


    "Who is it?" I asked bluntly.


    "Hehe, it''s me, Soong Dongfeng!" I already knew who it was when the phone rang. This fellow''s smile was too unique. Even though it sounded simple and honest, it was completely incomparable to his appearance.


    "Is your home near the Municipal Hospital? "There''s something going on here, can you come back?" Soong Dongfeng went straight to the point.


    "Big Brother, I''m at work!" It''s not that I don''t want to give him face, I really can''t leave work.


    "Think of a way to take a leave of absence! I''m begging you personally, okay? I''ll just take advantage of you for a moment. This isn''t a mission, this is a help! "


    Since this fellow has already said so, what else can I say? A debt of six million was not easily repaid. He asked the Leader for a leave of absence, saying that he had something to attend to at home. I rode home on my own Bicycle.


    The unit was very close to home, only three to five minutes'' ride away. Separated by the road, they could see from afar that Soong Dongfeng and a tall and sturdy middle-aged man were arguing about something at the entrance of the hospital. Surprisingly, Liu Yunlong that fellow was also standing next to them with a dissatisfied look on his face, as if he was arguing with the middle-aged man.


    I ignored them. I put my bike back home and walked slowly out of the yard.


    As he got closer, the muscular man stopped talking and glared at Soong Dongfeng fiercely. Soong Dongfeng however, indifferently said, "Captain Yang, you saw the footage too, there''s something fishy about this matter, it''s not something your Criminal Police can handle. So I suggest I take over, don''t you think? Of course, I am only asking for your opinion, so don''t get too excited. "


    The tall and sturdy man surnamed Yang saw that there were steps he could take, his face relaxed a little. After thinking for a while, he said, "Then what if I don''t agree?" I also want to use our people to investigate. "


    "That''s fine." Soong Dongfeng laughed, and continued to speak: "But how do you write the report? Have you thought about it? "According to the current situation, can the higher ups pass?"


    This "Captain Yang" was suddenly speechless. It seemed like his weak spot had been poked.


    When Liu Yunlong saw me, he immediately shot me a meaningful glance. I know what he means: the leader is there, don''t mess around, do what you have to do!


    But we were invited to do business!


    I purposely looked away from this guy''s furious gaze and patted Soong Dongfeng''s shoulders.


    "He came pretty fast!" Soong Dongfeng turned around and saw that it was me, and he revealed his signature smile again. However, the more I looked at this guy''s gold-rimmed glasses, the more depressed I felt.


    "Captain Yang, let me introduce you. This is my colleague, Wang Ziqi. "This is Captain Yang of the Municipal Public Security Bureau''s Criminal Investigation Division Two." Soong Dongfeng immediately treated me as one of his own.


    Captain Yang was confused and only shook my hand symbolically. He did not understand what Soong Dongfeng meant by his introduction.


    "There''s been a murder case this morning ¡­" Soong Dongfeng was about to explain, but I interrupted him. I looked at Liu Yunlong who had an astonished face and said, "I know."


    "You already know about it?" Soong Dongfeng was also surprised, but he was someone who had seen the world, so he didn''t ask how I knew. He was stunned for a moment, then continued: "Then it will be even less troublesome. Captain Yang, since you are unable to report the current situation to the higher ups, I want to hand it over to him to continue investigating, I will assist him! " Saying that, the guy patted me on the shoulder.


    "What?" "Him?" Captain Yang and Liu Yunlong opened their eyes wide at the same time, and shouted at me.

 C50

    I was also very depressed, this guy clearly said he would come over for a while, let''s talk over the phone. Who knew that he would send me straight to work?


    "He ¡­ "He''s not an active worker ¡­" Liu Ke didn''t care about the relationship between the two of us, he only said what was beneficial for them.


    "Soong Dongfeng! What do you mean? If you don''t let us handle this, yet you find an ordinary commoner, do you treat everyone from our Criminal Investigation Department as nothing? " The Captain Yang finally erupted.


    "Calm down, calm down ¡­" Soong Dongfeng could only suppress the uncontrollable situation before continuing, "Captain Yang, you are also an old criminal police, have you met with such things before? How many staff members like me have you seen in the Bureau? Besides, you know the principle of our servants. You can leave it to us to handle this kind of thing! Otherwise, I will report to you every day to ensure that you grasp real-time dynamic! What do you think? "


    I secretly praised this guy in my heart. Although he didn''t look that old, he was really a cunning old fox. After finishing the fight, he would easily be able to take care of the matter.


    Captain Yang raised his head and thought about it for a long time before looking at Soong Dongfeng and saying: "There is one condition, and that is that I have to send people to follow along. It''s not that I don''t trust you, it''s just that our Criminal Investigation Division will withdraw once you guys arrive.


    "Alright!" "No problem!" Soong Dongfeng agreed with incomparable straightforwardness. I wonder who you are sending out to be a capable general? Let''s say this first, we don''t want the new recruit''s egg! "


    "Little Liu!" Captain Yang patted Liu Yunlong''s back, and then pushed him forward.


    "Pfft!" I couldn''t help but laugh out loud while covering my mouth.


    "Little Liu might look like a rookie, but she was trained all the way from the military base. Her mental fortitude is definitely too strong. He''s the best person to deal with this kind of thing!" Captain Yang gave him, his "favorite disciple", a round of praises.


    "Alright!" "Don''t be in such a hurry to leave, there are still a lot of things that need to be done. Why don''t you make the arrangements first? My colleague and I will discuss the case." Soong Dongfeng gave the Captain Yang face, and naturally did not worry about not retreating. Captain Yang tactfully led the dumbstruck Liu Yunlong to the side to "impart experience".


    "You two know each other?" Soong Dongfeng had long since seen Liu and I "glance at each other".


    "Yes, baby!" There''s nothing to hide, I answered honestly.


    "That''s easier to do! You just watch your brother and don''t let him do anything stupid. This is something that they have never experienced before. " Soong Dongfeng was more at ease.


    "Wait a moment, don''t be in such a hurry to tell me what to do." I finally found the opportunity to get even with this guy, "You promised to come and take a look, why did you immediately give me a mission? It seems like I''m not in your care yet, right? "


    "Hehe, don''t worry ¡­" I can''t lie to anyone! Tell the truth! I called you here just to show you a video and see if there was a problem. If not, the case would have been closed. "All that''s left is the compensation for the hospital and the elevator company, that''s not our responsibility." This fellow spoke very simply.


    I wanted to ask what would happen if I saw the problem? But on second thought, if there was no problem, he would probably have to watch all the videos. It would be better to watch it after that!


    Following Soong Dongfeng to a small hut outside the hospital building, he pushed the door and walked in.


    Inside was the hospital''s security center, two rooms, one mile and one outside. The outer wall was covered with small black-and-white television sets, and underneath it was a console. Needless to say, this is the hospital''s security camera. The inner room was quite dark. Looking over, I saw that there were two beds, which seemed to be used for temporary rest by the staff on duty. From the inside out, there was a constant stench of feet that made me frown.


    The two people sitting in front of the console were the technicians from the Criminal Investigation Department. The security guards had been temporarily asked to leave.


    "Please replay the video of that night with the nurse after 11: 50." Soong Dongfeng walked behind a person and politely instructed.


    "Watch screen three, please. This is the nurse''s station at 11: 58." The technician worked quickly, reminding us to look at the screen.


    In a display with a red "3" in the upper left corner, the nurse''s station was deserted. A nurse on duty was dozing on the table, everything was normal. At this point, as long as there weren''t any patients hospitalized in an emergency ward, they wouldn''t be able to get busy.


    I counted the time on the screen. More than fifty seconds had passed, but there was still no movement. I couldn''t hold it in any longer. He saw a nurse coming out from the back room of the nurse''s station. She was holding her phone and texting as she walked out. Soon, she left the camera.


    "Please watch screen two. This is a video of the corridor and the elevator." the technician said again.


    On the screen, the young nurse was still looking down at her phone as she slowly walked out of the ward. He walked up to the elevator and pressed the button. I could clearly see that the elevator was on the ninth floor, the arrows pointing down.


    "What''s she going to do?" I couldn''t help but to ask Soong Dongfeng curiously.


    "There''s a twenty-four-hour convenience store on the first floor, either to buy something or to meet someone. But the homicide squad asked her boyfriend. He went to bed at this time of day, and he had proof. " Soong Dongfeng didn''t know why, but he replied me quickly.


    I was about to ask something else when the elevator door opened and showed the eighth floor. No wonder it was so fast. So it was actually two floors away from each other.


    "Careful!" "Watch carefully!" Soong Dongfeng quickly reminded me.


    When the door opened, everything was normal. All the lights in the elevator were shining. I even saw an advertisement for a nutritious item on the billboard on the inside side of the elevator.


    The nurse still had her head down, playing with her cell phone as she stepped into the elevator.


    The moment the situation occurred, the nurse who had just stepped into the elevator fell forward and disappeared!


    "Eh? "Where did you go?" I whispered.


    Everyone has probably taken this sort of elevator before. Normally, they would have to turn around and press the number of the floor they reached before entering the elevator. Then wait for the elevator to rise or fall. Although the position of the camera was not too good and one could only see a corner of the elevator, it was that corner where the floor number button was located. Even if he didn''t stand there, he would have to reach out and press the number.


    However, after the nurse stepped onto one leg, she tilted forward and disappeared into thin air!


    "Look at screen one, this is a video from the elevator." The technician''s voice trembled slightly. Although he had seen it many times, he was still scared by this inexplicable phenomenon.


    There was nothing in the elevator. It was as quiet as a photograph.


    After looking at it for a long time, I finally couldn''t bear it anymore. "There''s nothing that I can''t bear," I said.


    "Please... Have you looked at the time? " Soong Dongfeng said to me helplessly.


    "Time?" I looked up at the painting again. It was dated 00: 01.


    Wait, I remember!


    He hastily looked at the second screen, which was being played continuously. It was just right for the nurse to press the elevator button. Screen number two showed 11: 59: 47. Ten seconds later, the elevator door opened and the young nurse stepped inside.


    But I was staring at the video on screen 1 for at least two minutes, and there was no sound at all!


    The nurse pressed the elevator, the elevator arrived, the door opened, the sequence of events. Even if she disappeared into the elevator, I could still see the door open, right? But in the past two minutes, the elevator door did not move at all, as if no one had pressed down on it.


    I finally understood. To put it simply, the nurse had disappeared into the elevator that went from the ninth floor to the eighth. However, the camera between the elevator doors showed that she hadn''t moved at all!


    At this moment, the technician next to him spoke up. "I did some slow-motion processing during the two seconds I just took the nurse into the elevator. I can look at each frame one at a time."


    "Hurry up and release it!" Soong Dongfeng urged.


    One frame at a time, it was like watching a slide show, carefully analyzing every movement of the girl on the screen.


    He saw her lift her leg before she got into the elevator, move forward, put it down, put it back ¡­


    What about the feet? We were suddenly horrified to find that the nurse''s foot had sunk into the floor of the elevator!


    Following closely was the calves! The thigh!


    The girl seemed to lose her balance and fell forward!


    After the last two frames were played, the nurse disappeared from the elevator!


    The atmosphere in the room became heavy. After a while, a technician stood up shakily and walked out the door. He said to Soong Dongfeng, "Yes ¡­ Sorry, I''m going out... Have a smoke. "


    The other technician, seeing this, immediately stumbled out after him.


    "What do you think?" Soong Dongfeng asked me as he watched the slow movements on the screen.


    "This... to make me feel like... " I don''t know how to describe it, but it was as if the elevator didn''t exist, only visible and untouchable. Actually, we already know that the nurse probably fell down at this very moment.


    "A holographic image?" Soong Dongfeng timely reminded.


    "Yes!" Right! It was a holographic image! It looked like it was real! In fact, it''s fake! " As soon as this guy reminded me, I was suddenly enlightened.


    Soong Dongfeng''s mind raced, and immediately found his doubt: "Even if it''s a holographic image, that means the elevator did not actually reach the eighth floor. But we all know that the elevator has two floors. The inner floor follows the elevator up and down, the outer floor is on each floor, and the elevator is absolutely closed to prevent anyone from falling. Then how exactly did the elevator door on the eighth floor open up at this time? "


    "That''s right ¡­" "Who did it?" I was confused, too.


    "You suspect that it was done by someone?" Soong Dongfeng keenly understood the meaning behind my words.


    "At this moment, other than the eighth floor, which other floor are there people waiting for the elevator?" I asked.


    "No, she''s alone." Soong Dongfeng answered immediately, he had obviously thought of this point and watched the recording ahead of time.


    "However ¡­" He paused, then continued, "I''m willing to activate the holographic image, or even the control system of the elevator. To use so many advanced technology just to harm a little girl, aren''t you making a big fuss out of nothing? "


    "Nothing is impossible!" I said in a flattering tone. I could tell at a glance that it wasn''t as simple as it seemed. I just didn''t want to take over.


    Soong Dongfeng is someone who can see through people, how can he not see what I am thinking? He smiled silently and said, "I see that there are a lot of suspicious points. Moreover, it is not suitable for it to be made public, so we should close the case first!" For the time being, even if they accidentally died, as for the footage, they were all brought back to the station by the Criminal Investigation Department to seal it. Why don''t you just stay here and do it. If he really didn''t find anything, then forget it. In any case, this sort of thing cannot be spread out even if it is clarified. "

 C51

    These words were just what he wanted!


    As I walked out of the control room, I realized how warm the sun was outside! It seemed like the movie he had just seen was still frozen.


    I went around the hall on the first floor of the hospital, intending to go home and push my bicycle back to work. However, I saw from afar that Liu Yunlong was walking towards me with a worried look on his face.


    "What is it? "My soldier, what task did your former leader give you?" I wait for him to come in and tease him.


    Liu Yunlong didn''t seem to have the interest to bicker with me, and honestly said: "What else could it be? It''s to make me look at you and not let you make any kind of trouble. "


    I couldn''t help but laugh. Captain Yang''s instructions to Liu were actually the same as Soong Dongfeng''s warnings to me.


    "Alright, I''m going to work!" I''ll leave the rest to you. " I turned to go.


    "Sigh!" Wait a moment! " Liu Yu hastily stopped me. "I say, when did you end up with the management team?" They don''t accept ordinary people! What special abilities do you have? How come I haven''t noticed it since I was a kid? "


    I thought for a moment. I have to explain it to this guy from the beginning. That would be too nosy. I''d better wait until later to slowly explain it to him!


    "Don''t think too much, I owe him some money. If not, help him run errands." I said.


    "Deceiving children?" Liu didn''t believe it at all.


    I was about to go on lying to him when the phone rang.


    "Hello, who is this?"


    "Hey!" Little Wang? I am Red Clouds! " On the other side of the phone was Ni Qian and her sister who was renting a house with her.


    "Oh, hello, sister. What''s the matter? "


    "Come quickly! Ni Qian, she... Something''s not right! " Red Cloud said anxiously.


    "Something''s wrong? "What''s wrong?" I don''t quite understand. Could it be that my aunt is here?


    "Aiya! I don''t know, you''ll know when you see it! Hurry up! BEEP ¡­ "Du ¡­" After he finished speaking, the other party hung up.


    "I''m leaving first, you''re busy!" I hung up and said this to Liu Yunlong. Then, I turned and ran towards the house we were renting, so that Liu Yunlong wouldn''t continue to question me.


    "Sigh!" What will I do if you leave? " Liu did not expect me to run as soon as I said run, for a moment has no idea.


    "You don''t have any business playing in the elevator! Just look carefully before you go in! " I ignored the man''s protest and sped up in a straight line and disappeared.


    The house Ni Qian and I rented was actually in Municipal Hospital''s courtyard of residence. It was also for the convenience of going back and forth from home. From a distance, she could see the red light of the shared house. It was wearing only a sweater, and it was trembling as it looked around the entrance of the building. Seeing me coming, she shouted, "What time is it! Hurry up! "


    I was really wondering, what could happen to him? Could it be that this girl was looking for death again? We didn''t have a fight yesterday!


    "Ni Qian has become a demon!" As I approached, I nearly fell to the ground in fright due to Hong Xia''s few words.


    "Is it that serious?" I don''t know what her standard of measurement for the word "magic barrier" is.


    "Let''s go upstairs first. You''ll know after you take a look. You''ll laugh and cry at the same time. You''re scaring me to death!" Hearing this, I realized that it really wasn''t a trivial matter, so I immediately rushed up the stairs.


    When I entered the room, there was no sound coming from the room. I tiptoed to the door of Ni Qian''s bedroom and peeked inside.


    After looking at it for a long time, I turned my head and said to Red Cloud, "Elder sister, I didn''t want to lie to you like this. This ¡­"


    Ah!


    Before I could finish, there was a piercing scream from the bedroom. I hastily turned my head to see that Ni Qian was lying on the bed, with her eyes wide open, as though she was using all of her strength to shout out loud. I hurried over and pressed the girl''s shoulder to make her relax. The scream lasted for more than ten seconds before it stopped. Red Cloud was so scared that she hid outside the door, not daring to enter.


    "Little girl!" Look, look clearly, it''s me! " I held onto Ni Qian''s shoulder and sat up, using a soothing tone to tell her.


    She looked up at me and chuckled. Her eyes were cloudy, and she didn''t even notice that saliva was flowing from the corner of her mouth.


    "How long has she been like this?" I turned to my sister.


    "I... I don''t know. She was fine last night and this morning. She was still asleep when I left for work. Who knew that when he returned at noon, he would hear her shouting and shouting in the house? " Hong Xia still didn''t dare to come in. It seemed like she was frightened by this little girl.


    "What did she do last night?"


    "No ¡­." Nothing ¡­ "Oh, she suffered from periodontitis yesterday. It''s so painful, so she went to the hospital in front to get an emergency treatment!"


    The hospital again!


    I wanted to see if her teeth were really swollen, so I tried to break her mouth gently with my hand. I didn''t think that this girl would turn her face to take a bite. I hurriedly retreated as I heard the sound of our upper and lower incisors knocking against each other.


    He broke out in a cold sweat. If he didn''t hide quickly, his finger would have been crippled by now.


    In the remaining twenty odd minutes, I used up all of my methods. I tried the few methods that I had learned in the [Dream Record], and even opened the Spiritual Eye one after another, but Ni Qian did not improve at all. And she was laughing and cursing all over again, so much so that I was covered in sweat.


    I called Zhang Shan. Right now, only he might be able to solve this problem.


    After hearing my story, Zhang Shan asked about two more symptoms. In a serious tone, he asked me, "Does this little girl usually like to play psychic games like the Pen Fairy and the Disc Immortal?"


    After hearing my negative response, Zhang Shan muttered, "That shouldn''t be the case, since this is what Soul Runner''s symptoms are like!"


    "Hun''er?" It was the first time I''d ever heard the word, and I asked him what he meant.


    "I can''t explain it over the phone. Wait for me at the entrance of the hospital. I''ll be there right away!" Now go to the store and buy some plastic sheeting! " Then, he hung up.


    Although her elder sister was extremely unwilling, she did not know Zhang Shan and could only watch him from home. After comforting her not to be afraid, I ran downstairs. Standing in the hospital''s small supermarket, only then did I remember that Zhang Shan asked me to buy plastic sheets. This is not their supply shop in the mountains. If you go in and build a big shed, they''ll carry you out in rolls.


    After looking around, I noticed that there was a plastic sheet placed on the shelf beside me. Isn''t this plastic sheet? I''m afraid it''s not enough. Who knows what he''s going to do with it? In one breath, he bought three volumes, and then took them to the main entrance to wait for Zhang Shan.


    Zhang Shan came quickly, and seeing me, without explanation, he immediately went over to take a look.


    "What exactly is Soul Runner?" I couldn''t help but ask him on the way.


    "To put it bluntly, I was scared out of my wits." Zhang Shan paused for a moment, then continued: "So I''m asking you, has she ever played the Spirit Game before, causing her to become like this?"


    In my memories, that girl, Ni Qian, has never touched ghosts! Strange, these things, normally, don''t even dare to watch horror movies or listen to ghost stories, so it''s impossible for her to play with that thing.


    "Regardless of what it is, let''s just take a look first!" After Zhang Shan heard what I had to say, he was also unable to confirm the reason for Ni Qian''s "running soul".


    Back in our rented house, Red is sitting on the living room sofa, clutching a broom in both hands. Ni Qian was still okay, maybe her sister was afraid that she would go berserk again, so she switched on the TV. At this time, she was sitting on the bed, watching the TV while giggling. Even Zhang Shan and I didn''t notice when we walked in.


    Breaking her fingers and looking at it for a long time, Zhang Shan rolled his eyes and stood up, saying with certainty: "It''s just Soulcatcher! "That''s right!"


    "Then what should we do? Is it easy to cure? " That''s what I''m most worried about. If Ni Qian can''t recover, his parents will eat me alive.


    "I still don''t know. How many are left? Where''s the plastic sheet I asked you to buy? " Zhang Shan rolled up his sleeves with a serious face.


    I ripped open a roll of fresh film and handed it to him.


    Zhang Shan took the Preservation Mask, and slowly pulled it away. At the same time, he indicated for me to lift Ni Qian''s arm. Then, he wrapped the protective film around Ni Qian''s wrist. Five or six times, then another, then two ankles. By the time they were done, a roll of fresh film had been used up. I tore open the second volume but Zhang Shan didn''t stretch out so much this time, he only tore off a small piece, bit his own finger, and took a drop of the "Buddhist Relics Blood". He then stuck the last piece of the fresh film onto Ni Qian''s throat.


    Once it was placed, Ni Qian''s entire body started to tremble. Seeing this, Zhang Shan immediately signaled me to the other side, and we both pressed on Ni Qian''s shoulders, not allowing her to move.


    As he continued pressing on the wall, Zhang Shan occasionally glanced at the wrist next to his hand that was wrapped in fresh film, but didn''t say anything.


    "What the hell are you doing?" I didn''t know what the guy was singing until I saw he wasn''t busy anymore.


    "Soulsearch!" Zhang Shan answered simply, perhaps afraid that I wouldn''t understand, and then continued, "People are split into two sexes, with night as the nightmare, and the soul is split into five meridians, namely the body, heart, love, knowledge, and circulation. The so-called Soul Child is referring to his five meridians being in chaos. Right now, we have to find the five meridians and rearrange them. "


    I was stunned for a long time as if I had heard the words from the heavens. "How do we find them?"


    "Just listen to my arrangements!" After Zhang Shan finished speaking, he did not speak anymore, and stared fixedly at the four limbs that were wrapped around the protective film.


    "Look!" After less than half a minute, Zhang Shan pointed to Ni Qian''s right wrist, and said to me: "The color is already clear, the green is the Knowledge Vein! Quickly find a strand of green hair an inch away from her left ear and pull it out! "


    Following the direction of Zhang Shan''s finger, I indeed saw that on Ni Qian''s right wrist, which was wrapped around the Freshness Preservation Film, the Freshness Preservation Film had gradually turned green, and it was in the middle of the bluish green color.


    Hearing his orders, I did not have time to look closely, and immediately grabbed the girl''s ears to look for the "green hair" that Zhang Shan mentioned. Ni Qian''s hair was very thick, it was almost impossible to see his scalp. Finding a single strand of hair like this was equivalent to looking for a needle in a haystack. However, it was already noon. The sunlight shone into the room, making her green hair stand out clearly.


    After spending half a minute, I finally found a completely green strand of hair and immediately pulled it out.


    "My meridians have cleared!" Look for yellow hair at the back of your head! " Zhang Shan did not wait for me to catch my breath and shouted again.


    "The meridian has been cleared, the center of the sky spirit, find the green hair!"


    "The right vein has been cleared, one inch above the right ear, purple hair!"


    Everything was fine. In less than three minutes, we had found four strands of hair other than the heart meridian. As the roots of these hairs were pulled out, the color of the veins wrapped around the wrists of my ankles gradually faded. Ni Qian gradually stopped trembling like she was sifting through chaff, and I secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

 C52

    On the other hand, Zhang Shan''s expression became more and more serious. He was staring intently at the drop of "Buddhist Relics Blood" on the girl''s throat.


    "Listen up, the hardest thing to find is the heart meridian. I will help you find it." This drop of Buddhist Relics Blood can temporarily pinpoint the location of the heart meridian. If we can''t find it before the blood disappears, then it will harm the heart meridian. Zhang Shan said word by word with a serious expression.


    My heart thumped. No matter how heavy it was, I couldn''t afford it. In other words, this hair must be found, or all previous efforts would be wasted.


    Just as he was calculating, he heard Zhang Shan shouting, "The color of the blood has already started to become lighter, quickly look for it!"


    How could I have the time to look at that drop of blood? I immediately sat up straight and did not forget to ask Zhang Shan: "No range?"


    "Anywhere with hair, it''s possible. We can''t let a single spot go." Zhang Shan also moved closer to Ni Qian''s head. Seeing that I was not moving, he shouted, "What are you standing there for! Quickly look for it! "


    "What color is this!?" "Big brother!" I''m more anxious than he is.


    "Red!" After Zhang Shan finished speaking, the two of them immediately planned to start searching, but when they looked down, they were stunned. This was because the hair that Ni Qian had dyed was completely red.


    "This... How are we to find them! " My brain exploded at the sight.


    "Don''t panic! The hair on the heart meridian is entirely dark red, and there is still a difference from the color that it was dyed in. If you look carefully, there is hope! " Zhang Shan was startled for a moment, then immediately began searching, and said while looking.


    "Oh ¡­" I didn''t dare to delay and started searching carefully.


    Zhang Shan looked down at the "Buddhist Relics Blood" color on his throat from time to time. I didn''t dare to ask him, afraid that I wouldn''t have enough time to hear his reply. But not asking did not mean that people would not tell. Every time Zhang Shan looked down, he would constantly urge them to hurry up. As I spoke, my hands kept shaking.


    "Quick!" Fast! The color was about to disappear! There are only around 10 seconds left! " Zhang Shan looked down again and shouted at me.


    I have already searched through most of Ni Qian''s head, but have not found all of her red hair, my heart is sinking.


    "Found it!" Zhang Shan suddenly shouted. To me, his roar was like the sound of nature, dragging me from hell back to heaven.


    Zhang Shan pinched a handful of hair around his temples and with a tug, he pulled them all out, causing me to feel a chill down my spine.


    He opened his palm, and among the strands of hair, there was one that was completely dark red, as if it had been dyed red with blood. The blood on his throat had finally lost all color, and became a drop of clear water. Ni Qian laid on the bed, unconscious.


    "Hu!" Zhang Shan took a deep breath and said, "Alright, it was really dangerous! Ask her later what''s going on? "We must not do this ever again!"


    We undid the protective film around Ni Qian''s wrists and ankles and laid her down on the ground. She walked out and told Red Cloud that everything was fine. Before she could finish her sentence, she heard Ni Qian snort from inside the room, he was already awake.


    After entering the room, the little girl saw that I had come. She immediately threw herself into my arms and started crying loudly. After she calmed Ni Qian down with great difficulty, Zhang Shan and I asked about what had happened. The little girl thought for a moment, then told the truth:


    As I was having dinner with Zhang Shan and Liu Yunlong last night, there was no point for Ni Qian to be by himself. At the dinner table, one of his sisters began to tell a ghost story she had just heard.


    He was talking about the four university girls. Due to the sudden power outage, they had nothing to do at night, so they went to an empty classroom to play penny-pinching. After playing for a long time, nothing special happened. Furthermore, they had asked all the questions they could, so the girls began to feel bored.


    At this time, someone proposed a new game. It was unknown where he had heard of it, but it was very simple. It only required four people, an empty classroom. After the doors and windows were closed, everyone stood at the corner of the classroom and closed their eyes.


    Everything is ready to play." First, the girl in the northeast corner patted the other girl in the southeast corner clockwise, then stood there, then the girl in the southeast corner patted the southwest corner. This continued until the girl in the southwest corner walked to the northwest corner, and finally the girl in the northwest corner headed to the original northeast corner.


    At this moment, there was probably no one in the northeast corner because the girl in the northeast corner was already standing in the northwest corner.


    And the weirdness of this game lay in the bottom!


    If everyone abided by the rules of the game and firmly refused to open their eyes during the process, then the girl in the northwest corner would reach out her hand and definitely not hit empty air! He would definitely hit something!


    However, he could not open his eyes right now! The girl could grab what she had taken and ask a question that would answer her, whether it was her feelings or her future.


    After answering, the girl standing in the northeast corner let go and took a step back. Everyone bowed towards the corner of the wall, giving away things that could be given away. If he straightened up, he would be able to open his eyes and the game would be over.


    It is said that the game can only be played once a night. When the proposed girl finished talking about the rules, everyone rushed to be the last person to walk towards the northeast corner. Since they could only play once, everyone wanted to ask questions related to themselves.


    After discussing for a long time, Zhang Xuan still wasn''t able to come to a conclusion. In the end, everyone decided to make a guess. The final winner would be able to stand at the northwest corner and walk towards the northeast corner. The girl who proposed this game was very interesting. She said that she had played this game before and was willing to give the opportunity to the person who played it for the first time. As a result, after the remaining three girls guessed their moves, one of the bravest girls managed to snatch them away.


    After closing the doors and windows, the four stood in position and closed their eyes, ready to start the game.


    The girl who made the first suggestion was now standing at the northeast corner. She closed her eyes and shouted, "passing immortal official, please enlighten me. If you offend me, I''ll punish you as you please!"


    With that, he closed his eyes and walked towards the northwest corner.


    At the beginning, the few people couldn''t hold back their laughter because none of them believed that they could really get something. However, the connection was moving further and further behind. The atmosphere became more and more tense as the two girls moved closer to the northwest corner. No one dared to talk or smile anymore.


    Because the answer was about to appear.


    The girl who was standing in the northwest corner and had won the Guessing Fist was trembling as she held onto the wall, moving step by step towards the northeast corner.


    The classroom was extremely quiet. Only the breathing of a few girls could be heard.


    After an unknown period of time, the other three people were unable to hear the girl''s next reaction. However, they did not dare open their eyes. The girl who came out from the northeast corner first asked in a low voice: "How is it? Did you get it? If you can get it, ask quickly! "


    What answered her was an ear-piercing scream coming from the northeast corner.


    Immediately, everyone started shouting. However, they still didn''t dare open their eyes. The two girls standing on the west side had already opened the doors to the classroom and fled. Left the two men to the east. After escaping to the foot of the school building, they waited for a while and didn''t see the other two people come down. Only then did they realize the seriousness of the situation and promptly inform the school.


    When the lights were turned on, the security teacher rushed into the empty classroom with a bunch of students. Only then did he discover that the girl who went last was curled up in the corner with a dull expression, asking her if she knew anything.


    She had gone completely crazy. No one knew why.


    He turned around and asked the two girls who ran out. They both said that they only dared to open their eyes when they opened the door and ran out, but he didn''t see what happened either.


    After sending that crazy girl to the hospital, only then did everyone remember that the girl who had walked out from the northeast corner had disappeared. The school''s leader activated his students and searched every corner of the school overnight, but he couldn''t find any trace of her. Helpless, the school had no choice but to call the police.


    Since the police could not do anything about it, they could only make a statement and wait for further notice.


    The next day at noon, after the students had finished their lunch, many of them noticed that the water coming out of the school''s water pipe unexpectedly had a bit of a red color and even had a faint fishy smell. Since most of the water supply is non-tower, the tap water is first connected to a large water tank, and then pressurized before being pumped to a higher floor. Taking advantage of the afternoon class, the institute specially invited a company specializing in cleaning water tanks. After putting pressure on the water tank, they opened the top cover. When they looked inside, they saw that there was a female corpse floating inside the water tank! The person in charge of cleaning the tank was so scared that he fell from the top of the tank.


    Call the police, call the police, explain the situation, get the body.


    After the body was retrieved, it was indeed the girl that went missing last night.


    However ¡­ The clothes all over her body had gone off to who knows where, and there was a cut running up and down her abdomen. The stomach was empty, all the organs gone.


    As for the blood, it had long been drained away along with the water pipe.


    All the staff who were eating lunch at the school threw up. Because the water tank was at the back of the cafeteria, the first thing the cafeteria used when the faucet was turned on was the water.


    The story ended here. How did the girl get into the water tank? Where did all her organs go?


    But after listening to their friends talk about this, Ni Qian and the others started to clamor that they did not want to continue. Just being scary was fine, but it was still so disgusting.


    It was still the friend who told the story who suggested that, even though he had no appetite, he hadn''t had much to eat yet. It would be a pity if he just left like that. The four of them ordered a bottle of red wine, opened it up, and ate together. Ni Qian did not drink originally, but when she looked at the cup that was filled with red wine, she thought about the water that flowed out from the story just now.


    Seeing that her friend was unwilling, he insisted that she drink. Since he had no other choice, he picked her up and took a big gulp with his eyes closed.


    She didn''t know if she was going to drink it, but she found out that the wine was actually sweet and had a faint aroma of grapes. It was completely different from the wine she drank at home a few years ago.


    Thus, the few of them continued to drink the wine. Before they even finished their meal, the bottle of wine had already run out.


    After dinner, they went for a stroll around the night market before finally disbanding and returning home.


    Everyone knew that the aftereffects of the wine were very strong, especially for girls who didn''t drink much. After drinking it, they would let the breeze blow on their faces and get drunk quickly.


    Returning home, she was chatting with Big Sister Red Dawn while watching TV. Ni Qian gradually felt that her big teeth, which had yet to come out, was starting to hurt. Not long later, his gums swelled to their limits and she was still in excruciating pain.

 C53

    When he showed it to his sister, he realized that she must be suffering from periodontitis. The few of them ate Xiang Cuisine at night, which was spicy. In addition, this girl didn''t usually like to drink water. The weather was cold and dry, and she even drank wine. With that, it was easy to get swollen. His sister said that he couldn''t go to the hospital. If that happened, he probably wouldn''t be able to sleep well at night. Since the hospital was close, he should go to the emergency room and check. If he could apply the medicine, he should apply some anti-inflammatory and analgesic medicine. He would deal with this situation tonight before anything else.


    Ni Qian did not want to move at all, the sky was cold outside, and she had long since changed into some pajamas to sleep in when she entered the door. However, as the saying goes, toothache is not an illness. She Sheood there for a while longer, feeling that she couldn''t take it anymore. She had no choice but to put on hherclothes and go over to take a look. Her elder sister said that she would go with her, but the little girl thought that it was inconvenient for the weather to be cold, and the road was close by. She didn''t want Red Dawn to go with him no matter what. He put on his down jacket and left the house.


    He went to the front hall and hung up an emergency room. Although there was a doctor on duty, he was not at the emergency room on the first floor. He had to take the elevator to the seventh floor inpatient department.


    In the evening, there was almost no one at the outpatient clinic. After looking at her teeth and applying the medicine, the pain was somewhat alleviated. The little girl then took the elevator and was about to head back.


    Standing in the elevator, Ni Qian remembered the ghost story her friend told him during dinner.


    Like many people, it was as if you wanted to try to lick your elbow whenever you saw the words "you''ll never be able to lick your elbow." Out of curiosity, she closed her eyes and decided to give it a try. Actually, it wasn''t to test out anything. To put it bluntly, it was because of the alcohol. After all, the hospital''s elevator was slow, and it would take a long time to get down.


    The little girl didn''t follow the rules and didn''t follow the rules. Moreover, she was the only one who knew which direction to go. She was just bored and was just playing around.


    She closed her eyes and took the last three steps to the end of the elevator. Then she reached out and touched the place where she had first stood.


    Ni Qian herself was in the elevator, but when she closed her eyes, she touched someone else!


    She was stunned for a moment. The touch of her hand should have been the position of a person''s shoulder. She even felt out the material of her clothes. Fear spread throughout her body, and Ni Qian didn''t dare to open her eyes, afraid that she would see something she shouldn''t have. However, in such a narrow space, even if she wanted to run, she couldn''t.


    The girl was waiting anxiously for the arrival of the first floor. She did not dare to withdraw her hand, at least for now. She knew that the ''person'' had not moved, and if she were to lose this one sense, it would be even more terrifying.


    Every second was hard to bear. Fortunately, the elevator finally stopped with a "ding".


    The little girl still did not dare to open her eyes. She used her hand to feel her way out of the elevator. He only opened his eyes after he had taken a few steps and heard the door of the elevator close. He turned around to take a look.


    In the crack of the door, only the shadow of a person wearing a nurse''s uniform was left. Ni Qian wanted to see more clearly, but the elevator door closed.


    When he returned home in a daze, her sister had already gone back to her room to sleep. Ni Qian lied on her bed and watched TV while reminiscing about what happened just now. She couldn''t remember anything about it at all, as if some of her memories had already been lost.


    As he was thinking, he fell asleep. When she woke up again, she saw Zhang Shan and his son.


    "There''s something strange about that elevator!" Zhang Shan immediately came to a conclusion after hearing the explanation.


    Of course I know. I indicated that he should not speak of it here. After consoling Ni Qian and her sister, using the excuse of coming out to buy food for them, I pulled Zhang Shan downstairs.


    "You knew something was wrong with the elevator?" Zhang Shan is not stupid. From my earlier suggestion, he deduced that I definitely knew something.


    I told him all about the nurse''s fall a few days ago and this morning''s video. He then asked, "Do you think that this was accidental or by accident?"


    "It must be man-made!" Without even thinking about it, Zhang Shan continued: "What kind of advanced technique are you speculating about, it''s all bullshit! For someone who had reached the Yin state, a single talisman was more than enough. Ni Qian is a normal person, even if she died by chance, the nurse''s Soul Nightmare would not be seen by her, and since she has seen it, there is only one possibility, the person was killed violently, and the possibility of being killed by others is the greatest! "


    "What happens when she dies?" I don''t quite understand.


    "That would depend on the person who killed her. If it was an ordinary person, they would at most be bothered by her nightmares for a while. If it was someone with ulterior motives, it would be hard to say. By then, the elevator might not be peaceful." The more Zhang Shan spoke, the more serious his words became.


    "Of course, the possibility is very small." The guy added at last, I''m finally feeling better.


    When we passed through the main hall of the hospital and saw Liu Yunlong standing foolishly at the entrance of the elevator, waiting for the elevator, I pulled him away to eat with me. At the dining table, Zhang Shan and his sister did not tell him what happened to Ni Qian. After all, he was a police officer.


    On the other hand, this fellow kept grumbling, "F * ck, I''ve been up and down more than a dozen times and am about to puke, but I can''t find anything wrong with the elevator!"


    "Heh heh, of course. It is very popular during the day, so you have to sit at night." Zhang Shan didn''t know if he was mocking him or reminding him.


    "Why? What does it matter? " Liu Yunlong didn''t understand anything about this.


    "Alright, since Soong Dongfeng has said so, then let''s not waste our time and worry about this matter." I really don''t want to get mixed up in it.


    "How can that be?" The two of them shouted at the same time.


    "I don''t care what you think, but this is the first time I''m officially in charge of a case. If you don''t care, go home and rest, I''ll check it out myself! "With you around, I would be in the way!" Liu Yunlong stood up, as if he wanted to beat me up.


    I declined to comment, and looked at Zhang Shan. This guy actually disagreed, which was a little surprising.


    "I also suggest that we look into this again. The current situation is very uncertain. "We''ll observe for a day or two. As long as nothing happens again, there shouldn''t be any problems." Zhang Shan stretched his back leisurely.


    "Alright! "Up to you!" I don''t care anyway! It wasn''t a big deal for me anyway, so I might as well go and accompany my wife. One of them was a recruit, the other a second-hand fortune-teller. Since it''s already so lively, why should I follow you around blindly?


    Hearing what I said, Liu Yunlong looked at Zhang Shan in anticipation. It was clear that they had all withdrawn, leaving only himself. If I, the "assigned leader", were to ignore this matter, he would have no choice but to fight alone.


    "Alright! I won''t be out of the stall tonight. Let''s go and take a look! " Seeing that, Zhang Shan could only smile bitterly.


    Coming out of the hotel, he looked at his watch. It was three o''clock. Ni Qian and elder sister were still waiting for me to bring food back, and I was too lazy to return to the company. Zhang Shan still needed to go back to the construction site and come back at night. Liu Yunlong stayed in the hospital to take care of the aftermath.


    After eating, Ni Qian''s spirit was much better. I covered her with a blanket and suggested that she sleep a little more in order to recover. When she was asleep, I turned on the TV and watched it in a small voice. I don''t know how long I looked for, but my phone suddenly rang. I looked down to find that it was already dark.


    "Hey, old bastard, I''ll give you ten minutes to come to the hall on the first floor of the hospital. If you dare to not show up, then just wait! " Without waiting for me to reply, Liu Yunlong hung up. Holding the phone, I couldn''t help but smile wryly. This guy is really worrisome!


    Reaching the first floor''s clinic, Liu Yunlong was standing in the elevator room, watching the last batch of cleaners that came down.


    "Where''s Zhang Shan?" I didn''t see the big guy, so I asked Liu Yunlong.


    "This old stingy guy said he''s going to eat a meal before coming over." Liu Yunlong said bitterly.


    "Then what did you call me here for?"


    "There''s no one upstairs. Come with me!"


    "Fuck, what if I fall to my death?"


    "If you fall to your death, leave it to me!"


    "¡­"


    Helpless, I was forced into the elevator by this guy.


    The Municipal Hospital was very strange. It was divided into east, west, and west buildings. The east building had a total of eight floors. It was the clinic''s lobby and various departments'' rooms. The west floor was the inpatient department. There was a total of thirteen floors. Other than the first floor, there was a first-aid center. The rooms above were all ward rooms. The two buildings were connected, so by day, the clinic and the inpatient department could share an elevator.


    Liu Yunlong pressed down all the levels as soon as he entered and the two of us went up, one after another.


    After finally reaching the 13th floor, I couldn''t help but ask, "Is it done?" Is it time to call it a day? "


    "Come with me to the eighth floor again." Without further ado, Liu Yunlong pressed the number 8 again, the level the nurse fell into.


    The elevator stopped on the eighth floor, opened, and we stepped out. However, I was surprised to find that although there were two elevators in the elevator room, almost no one came to sit, and there were very few people around. After Liu Yunlong asked around, he found out that, on one hand, the inpatient department of the 8th floor was to the west, and the two elevators were at the east side of the building. When he got off work at the clinic in the evening, it became dark on this side. A few days ago, there was a sign that forbade entry. Over time, in the evening, people would come up from the four elevators at the emergency room on the west side. There were fewer and fewer people coming up, but it was a place that many of the medical staff were familiar with.


    Plus, the young nurse had fallen to her death in the elevator for no reason at all. The more the rumors spread, the more scared they became. Some of the more timid ones were even more afraid to sit on the elevator.


    But I don''t understand, why would Ni Qian be so crazy to sit in this elevator last night?


    After going around in a circle, we still couldn''t find anything special. We even retraced the route the young nurse came from, just like how we did in the video, but still couldn''t find anything. Returning to the elevator, Liu Yunlong carefully laid on top of the elevator door and watched for a long time. Finally, he helplessly got up and sighed as he said, "Let''s go. It''s time to go home, eat and tell Zhang Shan not to come. "


    With that, he pressed the down button.


    The elevator stopped on the ninth floor and slowly descended. When he opened the door, Liu Yunlong couldn''t wait to enter.


    "Wait!" Just as he raised his left leg to place it inside, I grabbed Liu Yunlong.


    There''s something wrong with this elevator. My intuition tells me that there must be something wrong! But there was no problem, and I couldn''t say for a while.


    Liu Yunlong saw that my expression wasn''t right, so he withdrew his left leg and stood at the doorway while looking at me with a puzzled expression. I, on the other hand, examined the interior of the elevator again and again: shiny stainless steel cable bulkheads, apparently freshly waxed, three billboards on each wall, a small lamp broken at the top four corners... Everything was the same as it had been when I sat down in the afternoon, but I still felt something was wrong.

 C54

    "Why are you in a daze? If you want to watch the commercial, go in and watch!" Liu Yunlong could no longer hold it in, and started to urge me forward again and again.


    It was as if he had suddenly thrown a large stone into a calm water and turned my memory upside down.


    I remember! This is the ad! The advertisement was wrong!


    He remembered that when he watched the video at noon, there was an advertisement for nutrition products on the only wall that was exposed. Although I didn''t pay much attention to it at the time, but when I first came up, I remembered that there was already another advertisement for health wine on this billboard.


    At this moment, he switched back to the commercial he saw in the video.


    I was confused because I couldn''t remember which ad was first and which was later. After Liu Yunlong''s reminder, he finally understood. Which company would come in the evening to change the ad panel? Switch back the advertisement that was just hung two days ago? This obviously didn''t make sense! Also, the elevator had stopped for half a minute and it was still open!


    Therefore, this elevator should be the same as the video. We can only see, but not touch ¡­


    If that was the case, then the consequences of not stopping him just now would be unimaginable!


    To confirm my thoughts, I dragged Liu Yunlong behind me and squatted in front of the door. Then, I stretched out my right hand and slowly touched the floor inside the elevator. The cold wind whizzed past his hands. How did this look like there was a wall blocking his way?


    Under Liu Yunlong''s gaze, I brought my hand close to the floor, put it down, and then ¡ª Through!


    This place was indeed empty!


    I clenched my right hand, which was already under the floor, and thought to myself, "Break!" Instantly. Everything in the elevator gradually turned transparent. In less than five seconds, the only thing left in front of us was the dark elevator hatch, from which the cold wind kept blowing out. I looked up and saw that the real elevator hatch was still on the ninth floor.


    "This... "What''s going on?" Liu Yunlong had obviously been completely defeated by the scene from before. He stood in place, unsure of what to do.


    It seems that if I didn''t pull him in time, he would be lying at the bottom of the cabin path.


    "I''ll explain it to you later. The most urgent matter at hand is to inform the head of the academy to seal off this elevator immediately. Don''t activate it again until the case is investigated, otherwise more people will be fooled!" I said, and started the next elevator.


    The elevator arrived quickly, so I dragged Liu Yunlong who was still in a daze and stepped in. After closing the door, I pressed on the button for the first floor. Seeing that his mind was elsewhere, I instructed, "You can guard the elevator door''s mouth after you go down. You have to ensure that the door is always open and no one is allowed to enter.


    "Oh ¡­" Liu Muran promised. Then he suddenly shouted, "Look at the floor numbers!"


    I looked up. The LCD screen that showed the floor numbers seemed to be broken. It was dark and I couldn''t see which floor, but the elevator was still going down.


    I feel that Liu Yunlong is making a big fuss over nothing. It''s no wonder that he needed to get used to this kind of thing after experiencing it for the first time.


    "Ding!" The elevator stopped and I looked up again. The LCD screen had miraculously recovered, but it showed Level 2.


    I was puzzled. I clearly ordered the first floor just now, but why did they go down to the second floor? Liu Yunlong who was at the side suddenly trembled.


    "Why are you shaking? "You haven''t even started?" Looking at this guy''s face, I really don''t understand, it''s still a police officer.


    "You ¡­ "Look ¡­" Liu Yunlong trembled as he stretched out his arm, pointing outwards.


    I looked back and saw that the hatch had been opened. It was dark outside, and I couldn''t see anything. It was facing the hatch ten meters away, and there was a bright red light box with a white background.


    The sweat on my back has also come out, this is not an accident, definitely not!


    "The mortuary... Shouldn''t there be a small independent yard at the back door? " Fortunately, although I was afraid, my voice didn''t tremble.


    "Later... Just picked it up and put it on... This is a temporary parking space. " Liu Yunlong spoke a little more smoothly.


    "Can this elevator come down? Didn''t you only go to the first floor? " I thought of another problem.


    "The other one only goes to the first floor ¡­" This one can come down. "


    I don''t want to go into a morgue. So I hit the close button and the button on the first floor.


    The elevator seemed to have broken down and there was no response. I clenched my fists again and activated the "Breaking Mirror" ¡­ It''s no use, I understand. This isn''t an illusion, how can I break it?


    "Take the stairs!" Liu Yunlong took out his gun at some point, held it in his hand, and took the lead to walk out of the elevator.


    I sighed in my heart. He had indeed been a soldier. It was just an instant of panic, but he was able to adjust his state of mind so quickly. If it was me from two months ago, I would probably still be in a daze.


    We got out of the elevator and walked slowly to the right along the wall, because as we had noticed, the stairs were on the right side, behind the elevator. As he turned the corner, he saw a metal fence that was locked onto the staircase, preventing anyone from going up or down.


    "Damn, this hospital is bullshit!" I have to sue them later. If the fire escape is not allowed to leave, what happens if there''s a fire? " Liu Yunlong scolded in order to lessen his fear.


    I looked at my phone. There was no signal, probably in the basement. Then, I recalled that when the Old Man Zhang was still alive, I had seen the phone in his room. It seemed to be installed in the hospital, the purpose being that if someone were to die and send it here, I could notify them in advance so that they can prepare. So he said, "Is there no one on duty in the morgue here? There had to be a phone call, right? Can''t we just go over and make a phone call? "


    Then we went back to the big light box. When he reached the entrance, he saw a yellow door slightly ajar, revealing bright lights within. We all breathed a sigh of relief. If there was a light, it meant there was someone there.


    "Is anyone there?" I asked, slowly pushing open the ajar door.


    Behind the door was clearly a duty room. The door was facing a two meter wide corridor, and there was a door five meters in front of them. It should be the morgue. On our right hand side was a window with two hardcover books, which should have been registered for the delivery of the bodies. Inside the window was a single bed with springs, a cabinet, and a desk. The tea on the table was smoking, but there was no one in the room.


    The corner of the room was filled with offerings like paper money, ingots, and lanterns. The families of the deceased could choose to buy them when they wanted to, which was also a benefit that the gatekeeper had arranged for them.


    "Is anyone there?" I asked again, but there was still no answer.


    Liu Yunlong saw the phone on the desk, and immediately picked it up through the window. A moment later, he threw the microphone onto the table and cursed, "Damn it! There''s not even a sound! "


    I smiled bitterly. Actually, I should have thought about it earlier. Since "that thing" could come up with a way to get us down, why would it leave a phone number for us to call for help?


    Since there was nothing we could use, we didn''t want to stay here. We planned to go back and study the broken elevator, or else climb up.


    Just as he turned to leave, he heard a "pa" sound. The cup of hot tea on the table suddenly cracked and water splattered all over the floor. I immediately remembered a sentence in the "Record of the Dream": "Things breaking up is a warning. Do not act rashly." She quickly pulled Liu Yunlong, signalling him not to go out for the time being.


    Liu Yunlong was confused by my actions. He raised his head and was about to speak, but his mouth kept on opening but no sound came out. Following his widened eyes, I saw that in front of the morgue''s door, there was a large pool of blood slowly seeping through the crack in the door.


    I was still in a daze, but Liu Yunlong had already rushed to the door with a single stride, with the spear in hand.


    "Don''t go in!" I quickly stopped him. Tonight''s series of events was obviously aimed at both of us. Behind the door, it definitely wasn''t a good thing. Besides, the book also said that one shouldn''t act rashly. If they rushed in now, wouldn''t they be asking for trouble?


    "No way!" Liu Yunlong spoke softly: "The gatekeeper is missing and there are traces of blood here. How can we not investigate it thoroughly? I suspect this may be a murder scene. " Then, without waiting for my reaction, he opened the door of the morgue and rushed in. Seeing this, it was useless for me to say anything more. In order to avoid any danger to him, I stepped across the bloodstain on the ground and followed him in.


    The lights in the morgue were on, too, but they were pale. Liu Yunlong was standing at the source of the blood, staring blankly at a stretcher with a pulley. I looked around. The morgue was temporary, so it didn''t bring the big refrigerators. There were only a few foldable stretcher beds scattered around. Moreover, it was still early winter, so he wasn''t afraid that the corpse would rot in a short period of time.


    And there was only one corpse, the one that was constantly dripping blood in front of Liu Yunlong. Blood had already dyed the corpse''s bed sheets red. Liu Yunlong stood at the side, not daring to lift his hand to take a look.


    "You''d better not move." I stood in the doorway and tried to tell him in a gentle voice that I hoped the guy would listen to me.


    But as if Liu Yunlong was deliberately going against me, after hearing the warning, he hesitated for a moment, and then removed the white bedsheet that covered the corpse. The nurse was lying on the stretcher. She had just come out from the elevator this morning. I saw it in the file Liu Yunlong was holding.


    She was lying on her back, her limbs still in that most bizarre position. He was still wearing his dirty nurse''s uniform. It seemed that his family was not allowed to tidy up his deathwatch before the case was officially closed. However, his exposed face and hands had been wiped with a towel. Due to the long period of death, his skin had been corroded by the dust after stopping his metabolism. It had a greyish color to it, making him look very awkward.


    Her eyes had already lost their moisture and her eyelids were stiff. Even if you wanted to help her close them, you probably wouldn''t be able to do so. The nurse''s left wrist was cut open by someone. Blood was pouring out from that wound.


    Just when I was wondering why there would be so much blood flowing out of the corpse that had been dead for several days, Liu Yunlong reached out to place the nurse''s arm above the ground, preventing her from bleeding again.


    The corpse had already become stiff, so how could he break it open? Liu Yunlong used only a bit of strength, and the nurse lying on the ground turned her body around with her arms, as if she had become weightless. At this moment, the nurse''s face was facing me. I saw that her mouth, which was originally closed, had actually opened. It seemed like there was something moving within her mouth.

 C55

    Not good! I hastily shouted at Liu Yunlong: "Hurry the f * * k, hurry up and come back!"


    Liu Yunlong was shocked by the sudden roar and turned to look at me strangely.


    "What smell?" I noticed a smell that smelled like rotten eggs filling the room.


    I didn''t dare look any further, the situation had become more and more amiss. I rushed forward like an arrow and pulled Liu Yunlong along as I ran out. In a panic, he rammed into the stretcher. Due to his strange posture, the nurse''s corpse was not steady at all, and it fell onto the ground.


    "Pah!" When we looked back, the corpse was actually split into two. How could there still be any blood left in her body?! It had dried up long ago, becoming a fiber of threads. Even the bones had lost all of their hardness.


    Following the disconnection of the corpse, many moving objects crawled out. When I looked carefully, there were actually thumb-sized worms. Their shape was somewhat similar to a dung shell, but their outer shell was shiny, and their body was a little more round. After dispersing on the ground, these worms immediately rushed towards the large pool of blood, lying on the ground and greedily drinking it up. Very quickly, the bloodstains in the room were licked clean by them.


    "Hurry up!" Seeing that Liu Yunlong was still standing there stupidly, he pulled him and ran out the door. Although there was no danger, all the bloodthirsty insects seemed to be interested in people. Who knows what will happen when they''ve drained the ground of blood?


    When I reached the elevator, I pressed the button on the first floor, but there was no response. From afar, there came a rustling sound.


    "Holy sh * t!" Liu Yunlong saw the source of the voice and scolded. Sure enough, the bugs had finished their blood and were crawling toward us, thousands of them.


    "They''re coming for us?" Liu Yunlong sobered up and asked.


    "Nonsense!" Do you think they''ll take the elevator? " I don''t think these guys are on our way.


    While we were talking, the bugs had crawled up to a place not far from us.


    "Hurry up and think of a way!" Liu Yunlong held onto his handgun but did not dare to pull it. Firstly, there were too many bugs, and it might not even be enough heavy machine guns for him. In order to beat the bugs, it would be strange not to skin him. So the guy just left the problem to me.


    I had no choice but to grit my teeth and take off the new down jacket that I had bought a week ago. I wrapped it around my right wrist, grabbed it with my right hand, and chanted a "Burn!" in my heart. With a boom, the down jacket suddenly started to burn intensely. I hastily threw it into the mouth of the elevator door, using it to temporarily obstruct the insects'' attack.


    Looking at the smoking down jacket, my heart ached. What the f * cking shit was this?! He should either see a ghost or burn something.


    Without thinking about it, I kicked off the console beneath the button on the inside floor of the elevator, stepped on it, and lifted a corner of the ceiling.


    "I''ll climb up first and then pull you up!" After I finished speaking, regardless of whether Liu Yunlong agrees or not, I will force my way out with both of my hands.


    It was dark in the cabin, and the whooshing wind gave me a jolt. Finding a hold of myself, I reached down and grabbed Liu Yunlong''s arm, pulling him up with me.


    The down jacket was almost burnt, and some worms had already crawled in through the gaps between the two sides. After pulling Liu Yunlong up, the ground was finally full of bugs.


    Since the elevator bulkhead was exceptionally smooth, although more and more insects gathered, they were unable to climb out at all. Both of us laid on the ground and looked down. There was temporarily no longer any danger, and Liu Yunlong said heartlessly: "Damn, if we were to order another thing and throw it down, won''t we burn them to death?"


    "Sure, give me the cotton-padded jacket!" I looked at this guy. It''s not like I don''t feel bad about my own things.


    "Hehe, I''m just saying it. What should I do next?" Liu Yunlong quickly tightened his coat.


    "First find a way to go up, then notify Zhang Shan. He must have a way!" I looked up. In the dark corridor of the elevator, not far away, there was another light. It must have been the door to each floor. The nearest light was four or five meters above us, and that must have been the first floor.


    Just as I was thinking of a way out, Liu Yunlong pulled me and asked: "Ahh! Look! What are they trying to do? " Lowering his head, he saw that the bugs were slowly gathering at the corner of the elevator, stepping on each other as they climbed up, and actually piled up higher and higher.


    "Hey, don''t tell me they''re pretty smart!" This fellow is so addicted to it that he actually said such words.


    "Still looking!" If you keep looking at this, your life will be gone! " I grabbed the guy, grabbed two cables from the elevator, and climbed up to the first floor. My intuition told me that even though the basement level was right where I stood, it was still underground, and it was best not to take the risk.


    The wire was cold to the bone, and my hand hurt like a knife. After climbing for two meters, he looked down at the dark mass below. He could no longer see the lights in the elevator. These bugs were so fast, it seemed like it wouldn''t be long before they could reach the top.


    "Quick!" "Quickly crawl!" I kept on urging Liu Yunlong, but this elevator wire had oil on it instead of ice. It slid down half an inch and moved slowly. After using up a lot of energy, he finally climbed to the first floor of the elevator door. However, new problems appeared. In order to have good contact with the elevator, it was impossible for us to open the door since we were hanging on the steel cable.


    He couldn''t help but take another look at the bugs. They had already piled up to the height of a man and were about to reach the ceiling. We hung on the cables, staring at each other, unable to do anything.


    Insects... Already crawled out...


    "Is there anyone here? Help me open the door! " Liu Yunlong extended out his hand and smashed the elevator door, causing it to ring. It seemed that this was the only viable method at the moment. I shouted along with him, "Hurry, someone!" At the same time, he kept beating the elevator with his free hand. The two elevators in the corner are empty at night. As for who can hear them, that will depend on our luck.


    The bugs that had climbed up scattered around the walls of the elevator, and were continuing to advance at an astonishing speed. There were also a number of them on the cables we were hanging.


    Liu Yunlong was still shouting, but there was still no response from outside.


    Just as I was about to lose all hope, the light that shone through the gap in the door on the first floor suddenly thickened. I looked up and saw someone outside the door, trying to break open the elevator door and push it in two directions.


    Moments later, the doors opened and a tall figure stood outside.


    "Zhang Shan!" We both shouted at the same time. At this moment, she really wanted to hug him and kiss him.


    "Hehe, I say, where did you two run off to? You lost your temper as well? " Zhang Shan said as he reached his hands in, pulling the two of us out on each side.


    I was still sitting on the ground, gasping for breath, when Liu Yunlong pointed at his leg and shouted, "Insect! "Insects!"


    Some of the bugs had already crawled to the elevator door''s side.


    Zhang Shan took one look and his face changed greatly. He immediately took out a large yellow object from his jacket pocket and took a big bite. Then, he took out a small bottle of Erguotou and drank half of it in one go.


    After chewing for a bit, Zhang Shan came to the elevator and spat out everything in his mouth at the cabin entrance.


    "Lighter!"


    I quickly pulled out my new lighter and handed it to him.


    Zhang Shan lit up the remaining yellow object in his hand and released green flames. Then, he threw himself into the elevator.


    Liu Yunlong wanted to take a look, but the interior of the cabin suddenly caught on fire. The flames shot out to a height of a few metres, making it impossible to approach.


    "It''s fortunate that I brought this fellow here today. Otherwise, I would have been in deep trouble!" Zhang Shan clapped his hands, and asked with lingering fear: "Where did all these corpse ticks come from?"


    Without waiting for me to open my mouth, Liu Yunlong rushed to recount what happened just now from the beginning to the end. Don''t underestimate him. His narration is first-rate. Not only is it accurate, it is also quite storyline.


    After Zhang Shan heard it, he immediately expressed his opinion, "These two elevators must be closed at night! Otherwise it will kill more people. "


    "Leave this to me. I''ll contact the dean immediately." Liu Yunlong volunteered.


    Looking at my own black and oily sweater, I wanted to cry but had no tears. The new down jacket was also gone. It seemed like I shouldn''t go home tonight, otherwise I would definitely be scolded.


    "Haunted!" Haunted! " a man''s voice called from the west side of the building.


    "Let''s go take a look!" Zhang Shan took the lead and ran over.


    The person who was shouting ''ghost'' was the morgue''s administrator. He suddenly felt a stomachache just now and ran to the toilet on the first floor. When he went back, he found an elevator that had been burnt beyond recognition. The floor was covered with red blood stains. The corpse in the morgue had fallen to the ground and broken into two. This scared the hell out of him, causing him to tumble and crawl as he ran up. Liu Chang and I could not help but sigh at this fellow''s luck. If he was here just now, he wouldn''t be as simple as just being frightened.


    Under Zhang Shan''s lead, we went down to the second floor. Clearly, all the insects had been burnt cleanly, other than the blackened walls, we couldn''t even find a single bug''s corpse.


    In the mortuary, Zhang Shan smeared some of the yellow paste onto the forehead of the corpse. He lit up a piece of talisman and smelt it over the body, until there was green smoke coming out of it, and then gave up.


    After calling a few security guards from the hospital''s security department, we returned to the first floor. After instructing Zhang Shan to guard the two elevators at the east side, Liu Yunlong and I arrived at the dean''s house.


    The dean sat on the luxurious sofa in the living room and listened to our narration. After frowning for a moment, he said, "Please forgive me for my bluntness, but as a medical worker, how can I believe this kind of absurd thing? Closing the elevator is a small matter, but the negative impact it has on the hospital is not easy to assess. "


    "It''s fine. You can use it during the day. It''s just that when night falls, it''s fine to close it. There aren''t many people leaving during the day anyway." I saw that there was room for discussion, so I quickly followed up.


    "Then how long will it take to recover?" the dean asked.


    "¡­" The two of us were speechless. Who would know ¡­ What was happening now was still a mystery.


    Seeing that we didn''t say anything, the dean laughed before continuing, "Young man, if you''re free, focus on the proper path. If you have anything to say, just say it. You don''t need to beat around the bush.


    He''s turned us into givers! No wonder she was so polite when she let him in.

 C56

    Liu Yunlong had a bad temper, he was unwilling to do as he heard this. He stood up and said, "Everything that we said just now was true, this is my police officer''s certificate. I need your hospital to cooperate with the investigation and close the elevator as required! "


    The dean was obviously surprised for a moment before extending his hand and saying, "Alright, where are the documents? As long as you show us your relevant documents, we guarantee that you will cooperate! "


    This time, we were both stunned. Where did this file come from? All the things that the Criminal Investigation Department should have left, they no longer cared about this matter. We are the remaining two shrimp soldiers and crab generals, to put it bluntly, they don''t even have the need to cooperate.


    "What if I insist?" Liu Yunlong said word by word.


    "I''m sorry, I couldn''t follow your orders!" The dean met him with equal harshness.


    "Geezer, don''t regret it!"


    "See the guests out!"


    "¡­"


    On the way, Liu Yunlong kept scolding and greeting the eighteen generations of the dean''s ancestors.


    He returned to the elevator at the east side of the building and saw two security guards pulling Zhang Shan along. He hurried over, and only after asking did he find out that they were on camera. We had set a fire in the elevator, and came over quickly, only to discover that Zhang Shan was still here. Until Liu Yunlong showed his police certificate and promised that this matter could be settled through consultation between the police and the hospital, the two security guards finally left resentfully.


    Turning around, he saw that both elevators had lost their electricity. One of them could not be used because of the fire, and the nurse had fallen to her death, but she was too close. In order to be safe, they had to wait until tomorrow to overhaul it before they could open it again.


    Just in case we have to send someone to watch the night.


    After discussing it for a while, he decided to come back tomorrow night. The first target was to close the elevator with the hospital. If it really didn''t work out, then send someone to guard it. In short, they absolutely could not use it again until they had figured out the truth. God knows if there''s a second victim.


    After Liu Yunlong and Zhang Shan left, I looked at my entire body and had no choice but to find Ni Qian. Tomorrow, I will first buy an identical cotton-padded jacket. I was so tired that I took a shower and lay down to sleep. This time, his sleep was so deep that even the girl in the night had nightmares. She was so dazed that she couldn''t hear him clearly.


    In the morning, I was still sleeping soundly when my cell phone rang again. It was one of my colleagues at work who asked me why I didn''t go to work. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already ten o''clock. He hurriedly grabbed another coat and put it on before heading straight to the company.


    Along the way, he received a call from Zhang Shan. This guy reminded me: "Martial Uncle, don''t forget that today is Friday.


    If he hadn''t reminded me, I would have forgotten. After getting off work, the two of them did not have time to eat. They went to the underground passage to find Zhang Shan, and then went straight to the small district where the lady was.


    After pressing the doorbell, a man''s voice rang out: "Who is it?"


    It was opened by a middle-aged man in his thirties. He was also dressed casually and wore glasses, which gave him a scholarly air.


    "May I ask who you are looking for?" He was obviously surprised to see two men standing outside the door.


    "Oh, are you Lady Fang''s lover? It was Ms. Fang who invited us here. " Zhang Shan spoke with a deep voice.


    "Who''s looking for me?" The voice of the hostess sounded in the room. She followed him.


    "Oh ¡­" That... "Quick, come in, come in!" When he saw that it was us, the hostess was stunned for a moment and then immediately beckoned us into the room. Entering the door, Zhang Shan waved his hand behind him. Then, I opened the Spiritual Eye s.


    This... When I saw the scene in front of me, I was stunned!


    "Who are these two?" the host asked politely as the woman ushered us into the room.


    "Oh, this is Master Zhang and Master Wang. They are from the Successor Disciple Department and are both very capable. I''ll ask them to come and see our Feng Shui." the woman whispered to her husband.


    Hearing that, the man''s face immediately changed, and he said in a strong tone, "Xiao Fang, it''s not like you don''t know that I hate people who are superstitious about telling their fortune. It''s fine if you believe it yourself, but I don''t care, how can you go back home and take it? "What if it''s a bad guy?"


    The more Zhang Shan listened, the paler his face became, but my attention was not on it at all.


    "Master Zhang isn''t a scammer. Don''t say such words in front of him. You''re being rude!" Being scolded in front of an outsider by her husband, the woman naturally had an unpleasant expression on her face as she protested in a low voice.


    "Not a swindler? Only a fool like you would believe that! Where did you find it? Give them some money and tell them to leave immediately! " The more the man spoke, the more unpleasant his words became.


    "They... "He really isn''t a swindler." The woman looked from us to her husband, and from side to side.


    Zhang Shan''s face had long become pitch black to the ears. If he didn''t have any hope of making money, he would have already punched this man in the face.


    Controlling his emotions, Zhang Shan said: "Ms. Fang, since your husband does not believe in this, I think we should come back another day." After saying that, he patted me, signalling for me to leave. On the other hand, I was unmoved. I had an expression as though I was about to go on stage for a good show.


    "Can''t you just trust me once?" They really aren''t the kind of people who cheat money. They sincerely want to help us! " The woman was also on fire. Her husband was not giving her any face today.


    "Humph!" Not a liar? "Alright then, it''s fine if you let me believe you. Come and make the calculations, what''s my mother''s surname?" The man was obviously angry. He walked in front of Zhang Shan and looked at him provocatively.


    "Jia!"


    Everyone was stunned. Zhang Shan naturally didn''t know, so the words came from my mouth.


    "Little Fang!" Why did you tell them everything! " When the man reacted, he naturally thought it was his wife who told him. The woman looked confused. Zhang Shan looked at me with an even more astonished expression. What he didn''t know, I definitely didn''t know.


    "Hmph, I''ll ask you again." How could the man be willing to let us off when he didn''t make a fool of us on the spot? He stared at me and asked, "When was my date of birth?"


    The reason he dared to ask was that his wife probably didn''t know her true age.


    I smiled and indifferently said, "It''s better not to ¡­." This can easily lead to family discord. "


    The man''s body jolted. I knew I''d guessed right ¡ª the date of birth on his ID card probably didn''t match his real age.


    "No!" Say it! Say it, I will give you ten times the divination fee! " The man probably saw through my thoughts, so he naturally thought that I had deduced it and pressed for further information.


    "Really?"


    "Hmph, if you can''t say it out today, or if it''s wrong, don''t blame me for calling the police." The man crossed his arms in front of the door and looked at me with a sinister smile.


    "Well, December 12, 1972." I said it without thinking.


    Silence fell upon the room.


    After a long time, the woman said to the man, "Did he get it right? Aren''t you born seven or seven years ago? "


    The stalled expression on the man''s face explained everything.


    "Please sit!" More convinced that his own judgment was correct, the woman quickly moved us through the doorway. I dragged the stupefied Zhang Shan past the man and didn''t even look at him.


    "Wait!" Just as my butt was about to touch the sofa, the host said, "Who the hell are you? What was his purpose here? "If you want money from someone back home, I can give it to you. But you can''t take it in such a deceptive manner!"


    "I''m sorry, we don''t want anything. I just came here at your wife''s request to solve the problem. " I didn''t care what he said.


    "What problem?" the man asked.


    "That depends on what problem she wants to solve ¡­" I put my hands behind my head and leaned back comfortably on the sofa.


    "What the hell is going on?" Seeing the male owner''s face darken, Zhang Shan was puzzled and asked me in a low voice.


    "You''ll know in a while. There''s going to be a story today." I gave him a mysterious smile and replied in a low voice.


    "You ¡­ Don''t be arrogant, let me tell you, this is my house! You... You guys are trespassing, I''m going to call the police! " The man suddenly became hysterical when he saw there was nothing he could do about me.


    "Ah?" It seems like your wife invited us in, right? " I asked in surprise, pretending to be afraid.


    "You all ¡­ You all propagate the feudal superstition, I don''t believe that no one can stop you! " The man was about to pick up the phone.


    "Zhang Haitao, I advise you to forget about it ¡­ If you don''t make this call, you may have a glimmer of hope. " I was contemptuous of his threats and his actions.


    "Pah!" The phone in the man''s hand fell to the ground. He pointed at me in disbelief and said, "You..." Who was it? What exactly do you know? "


    His current name was Zhang Zhiguang, and even his wife did not know his original name.


    Don''t ask me how I know.


    I sat up under Zhang Shan''s and the mistress''s surprised gazes and ignored Zhang Haitao''s question. Instead, I faced behind him and said with a smile, "Hello! We meet again! "


    Zhang Haitao immediately turned to look, but there was nothing behind him. Because I had already opened the Spiritual Eye before entering, only I could see the things behind him.


    Behind the man stood two identical women. However, one of them had a gloomy face while the other had an enchanting smile. It could be said that the two of them were one person, but one was a soul while the other was a Nightmare.


    She is the female corpse that Zhang Shan and I scooped up in the Golden River ¡ª Gao Yuan!


    "Hello!" Gao Yuan, who was emitting an enchanting smile, greeted me. The information just now was naturally all told to me by them.


    Zhang Haitao''s forehead continuously oozed out beads of sweat, he didn''t even know that his eyes were wide open. His "present" wife, seeing this, hurried to help him sit down.


    "Just what did you see?" Zhang Shan took this opportunity to ask me softly.


    "What do you think?" I smiled and teased him.


    "How would I know?"


    "The Golden River."


    "The ghost lady?"


    "That''s right!"


    "Mm ¡­" This is going to be a good show! "


    When the man sat down, he seemed exhausted and had no strength left in him.


    Seeing this, the woman surnamed Fang said to us in embarrassment, "I''m sorry, but my husband looks like this. He might have gotten sick again. How about we change the date?"


    "Hehe, we still need to think of a doctor. Your husband''s illness can be cured today! " After Zhang Shan found out about the situation, he immediately changed his expression to one that was eager to stir up trouble. Although he initially cared that Gao Yuan almost caused his death, he still said afterwards that it was too cruel to treat a dead person like this and seal their corpse and sink it to the bottom of the river. Today, he had finally met someone who was most likely the murderer. How could he let them go so easily?

 C57

    I already knew that this guy was born with a sense of justice.


    "Really? That''s great! Look... How should I treat it? " The woman still doesn''t know what''s going on. She thought that we were really going to help her husband.


    Zhang Haitao gasped for breath, as though he was about to suffocate.


    Zhang Shan and I just looked at him like that and didn''t say anything. After a long while, he felt better. He raised his head and said to the woman, "Little Fang, I have something I want to ask you. Can you go out and buy me some tea leaves?"


    "Our family has tea leaves!" The woman said in confusion.


    "If I tell you to go, then go! When did you ever see me drink tea from our house? Go and buy that top-grade Tie Guan Yin! " The man gave the order.


    When the woman reluctantly opened the door and left, Zhang Haitao glared at me and asked, "Just how much do you know?"


    I smiled and replied, "I don''t know much about it. It depends on how much you want to tell me."


    "Who told you?" The man was still unwilling to give up. He still believed that his secret had been leaked.


    I still hadn''t directly answered him, but instead asked Gao Yuan who was behind him: "How long have you pestered him for?"


    The gloomy-faced man said, "Ever since the day you released me."


    The bright smile continued: "Sigh, even if I let her go, she won''t leave. If he doesn''t see Haitao die, she won''t be willing to give up."


    "You call him Haitao? This heartless man, even if I die, I will fight to the end with him! " "Gao Yuan, whose face was gloomy, suddenly became excited. Humph! To sink into the river would be two years. This debt, I will crush his bones! "


    Oh... I finally understood that Gao Yuan''s body was sealed under the Golden River. Both her soul and Nightmare were inside, but for some reason, they could only move around within a few dozen meters of the body. At that time, the one who spoke happily with me was my soul, and the one who wanted to lure Zhang Shan to death with his song was my Nightmare.


    However, I was also quite surprised when I saw the two of them talking back and forth. It''s really the first time I''ve seen a soul and a Nightmare living together peacefully.


    "You ¡­ You have Yin Yang Eyes! " Ever since I asked that question, Zhang Haitao started to tremble like a pig, and from time to time, he would turn his head to look behind him.


    "If you don''t want people to know, then don''t do it unless you are on your own. The nights of the past few months have not been too good, right? " I looked at him, enunciating each word.


    "Alright, I''ll tell you all ¡­" Zhang Haitao completely crumbled.


    Zhang Haitao and Gao Yuan were lovers back in university. Besides, both of them were learning so well that the grand blueprint of life was unfolding to them.


    After graduating from university, Zhang Haitao who had not worked for more than two years had his first pot of gold ¡ª ¡ª It was also a chance. He took over a bunch of fake phones that he had just seen in the past from a southern client, to put it bluntly, it was a used phone that had been smuggled over from abroad.


    At the end of the nineties, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the word mobile phone had just been incorporated into the minds of the Chinese people. A bunch of phones that were far below the market price made Zhang Haitao earn tens of thousands in two months.


    The urge to take risks slowly rose in his heart, so he quit his job and threw himself into the wave of mobile phone smuggling. As the Southern Market was opened at that time, but the Northern Market was still closed, Zhang Haitao personally went to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and other places to find sources of goods, negotiate prices, buy low, sell high, and gradually opened up the Zhengzhou Market.


    In less than a year, Zhang Haitao had already accumulated several tens of thousands of net worth of wealth and started driving his car to live in a foreign house. This was the house he had bought at that time. During this period, he and Gao Yuan finally had a lover, and they entered the palace of marriage. Not long after, as the business grew bigger, Gao Yuan also left her original job and started trading with him.


    The more they did business, the more daring they became. The more they did business, the more they wanted to eat this fatty. How many of them were able to stay awake at all times? Zhang Haitao was no exception. After the business grew bigger, he was willing to spend money to open up all the joints, so that his smuggling business would be able to endure all the raids.


    But how could this sort of business last for long? Finally, the year before last, Zhang Haitao used all his savings of more than two million yuan to transport a batch of smuggled mobile phones from Shenzhen and was detained in the Hubei Province. He should be out of luck. If he used logistics, batches at a time would arrive and he would be safe to save money. But in Zhang Haitao''s eyes, time was money, and there were more people making mobile phones these few years. Whoever could get the goods at the first possible moment would be able to seize the entire market. At the urging of his interests, he took the risk and hired a truck to transport them directly from the coastal city.


    He had originally thought that the immortals and immortals along the way would be there, without a hitch. However, how could they not have wet shoes when they often walked by the river? If he didn''t pay attention to one point, he would find himself in an irreparable situation. This time, Zhang Haitao panicked and quickly used his connections to beg for allegiance to Buddha.


    But it was too late. A television station was filming the new high-speed checkpoint. After the investigation, the news appeared that night. Under the pressure of public opinion, his goods couldn''t be released no matter what. Zhang Haitao was so anxious that he would walk around the house everyday, but there was nothing he could do. He was already very lucky to be able to escape. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to sentence him to a few years of investigation.


    Gao Yuan also advised him, if not, they should start over from the beginning. It''s no big deal, wasn''t it the same as before when I didn''t have any money? Besides, having a house and a car to drive around now was just like having no savings. It was much better than when he had just graduated and he didn''t want to think too much about it.


    Zhang Haitao knew all of this. If it was only his own money, he might have been able to put it down, but this time, in order to match a brand of mobile phone that was listed overseas and seized the market, he borrowed everything he could, his car and house were all mortgaged. He thought of all the methods he could think of, and there was still three hundred thousand more, so Zhang Haitao hardened his heart and made a call to the usurer.


    He had originally thought that it would only be used temporarily, so when the goods arrived in a few days'' time, it would naturally be used. Three hundred thousand, with seven days of interest, to the few hundred thousand profits that were about to be obtained, it wasn''t worth mentioning at all.


    But now, let alone the principal of three hundred thousand, even the interest of thirty thousand was not something Zhang Haitao could take out. As the day of repayment approached, Zhang Haitao was already on the verge of collapsing. Asking him to give up on what he had obtained so far, he would rather die!


    But right at this moment, an insurance company''s flyer pushed through the crack in the door and jumped into Zhang Haitao''s field of vision. The contents were like a vicious incantation, slowly corroding his heart. An evil idea began to take root deep within Zhang Haitao''s heart.


    On the evening of the fourth day, Zhang Haitao hugged his wife who was watching television in the living room and said: "Little Yuan, let''s go to Kai Feng''s night market tomorrow, shall we? By the way, I''ve been holding my breath at home for the past few days! "


    "Great!" You should have gone out long ago to get some fresh air! " It was rare for her husband to be willing to move, so Gao Yuan immediately raised both of her hands in support.


    "Alright, let''s go for a stroll tomorrow afternoon. How about driving home after dinner?"


    "Ah?" Why not stay a day? There''s a pretty scenic hotel beside Bao Gong Lake. " Gao Yuan was a little disappointed.


    "Save it!" If we don''t think about it now, how will your husband rise again in the future? " Zhang Haitao laughed with difficulty.


    "Yes, husband! "As long as you can think it through, nothing else matters. At the very least, we can start all over again."


    "Hmm, are you willing to help my husband?"


    "Of course I''m willing!"


    "¡­"


    The next day, the two of them drove to Kaifeng after lunch. After having a good time, he returned to Zhengzhou after dinner. On the way, Zhang Haitao kept looking at his wife who was already fast asleep due to playing while driving.


    Finally, as if he had made a decision, he slowly stepped on the accelerator.


    There was a car up ahead, and he hit the steering wheel a little to the left as he hit it. Since there''s no way out, either die with me or save me. He had thought so.


    A week later, Zhang Haitao was discharged from the hospital. A few days later, he received a total of 550 thousand in compensation for his wife''s death.


    After returning the loan to him, Zhang Haitao used his remaining 250 thousand to continue doing business on his phone. Since there were already a lot of people doing business on the phone at this time, his business had always been tepid and he could no longer turn the tables.


    After saying that, Zhang Haitao stopped and looked at us, indicating that he was done.


    "Finished?" Zhang Shan asked.


    "It''s over."


    "Think about it." Zhang Shan teased him.


    "What else do you want to know? I''ve said everything I need to say! " Zhang Haitao was immediately enraged. If you want to kill me, I''ll cut you into pieces! I''ve had enough anyway! Do you think I''ve lived a comfortable life these past two years? "


    "May I remind you? Golden River? The bottom of the river? " Zhang Shan finally said it out.


    "What!" Zhang Haitao was shocked once again, "Just how much do you know?"


    "Not much. Tell us, who taught you to do this?" I asked, taking advantage of his uneasiness.


    "I can''t say it, so don''t force me. I told you, I''m going to die!" Zhang Haitao gasped for breath, it could be seen how shocked he was.


    "Hmph. If you don''t say it, you won''t die?" Zhang Shan leaned forward and stared at him.


    Zhang Haitao''s heart was in a fierce struggle. After a long time, he sighed and said, "You guys can kill me."


    "It''s fine if you don''t want to say it, but we don''t really want to know. Since you''ve admitted to it, we have already settled this matter. "Let''s go!" After we finished speaking, Zhang Shan and I stood up and prepared to leave.


    "You all ¡­ Aren''t you going to call the police? " Zhang Haitao was a little surprised.


    "Call the police? There''s a more severe way to punish you than going to jail. Why would I call the police? " I turned around and said to Zhang Haitao.


    "Take good care of him!" Before we left, I said to Gao Yuan who was behind Zhang Haitao. The Nightmare smiled at me, and the Soul sighed. For the first time, I stood aside from Nightmare. To deal with such scum, I had to use even more cruel methods than he did.


    "Don''t leave! Can you help me? I can give you money! " Zhang Haitao shouted from behind us.


    "Do you want to help him?" I asked Zhang Shan.


    "Humph!" "With money from someone like him, I''m afraid I''ll dirty my own hands!" Zhang Shan glared at me and walked forward in large strides. We didn''t look back.


    "Why do you want to know who his advisor is?" After exiting, Zhang Shan asked in puzzlement.


    "Someone who can think of such a method is obviously not a good person. Don''t you think that the Municipal Hospital elevator is also extremely evil?" I speculated.

 C58

    "That''s right! Perhaps these two things were done by a single person! "Even if it''s not, as the saying goes, they share the same taste, so there will still be a connection." Zhang Shan suddenly realized.


    "Mn, but I still don''t know if the death of the Municipal Hospital nurse was caused by anyone? If so, what is his purpose in killing her? " I thought that if Zhang Haitao was willing to say it, it would be much simpler.


    But we couldn''t do anything to him. Compared to now, death was a release for him.


    Before he could reach the entrance of the residential complex, his phone rang again. It was Soong Dongfeng.


    "Hey!" Where are you? " Soong Dongfeng was actually quite nervous.


    "I was looking for you! That elevator is really strange. Can you contact me and try to close it? " As soon as I saw his caller ID, I remembered it.


    "I can''t close it now! Come back quickly! This place has turned into a mess! " Soong Dongfeng''s side suddenly became noisy, I could still hear the Captain Yang shouting at the side: "If you guys don''t think of a way to get my people out, I''ll inform your branch chief!"


    "What happened?" An ominous premonition came over me.


    "You lost that Liu Yunlong?!" Soong Dongfeng shouted loudly.


    "What?"


    "Come back to the hospital! We''ll talk about it when we get back! " After Soong Dongfeng finished speaking, he hung up.


    "What''s going on?" Zhang Shan asked right after putting down his phone.


    "Liu Yunlong... It''s gone. " I said absently.


    When he returned to the hospital, the first floor of the emergency hall was in an uproar. Captain Yang and a few Criminal Investigation Officers, who had met yesterday, were surrounding Soong Dongfeng. The security guard wanted to take care of it, but seeing that it was a police officer, he didn''t dare to go up and touch that bad luck.


    I followed Zhang Shan as he pushed through the crowd and went up to him. Captain Yang pointed at Soong Dongfeng''s nose and said, "Xiao Song, are you saying things in such a irresponsible manner? In the two years you''ve been here, which of my affairs didn''t work with you two? Oh, and now, if anything happens, wipe your mouth and say it was an accident. The one who lost is not one of your people! "


    Just as Soong Dongfeng was about to speak, he was stopped by Zhang Shan, who asked him: "What exactly happened? Where''s Liu Yunlong? "


    "Who are you?" Captain Yang was not in a good mood when he saw a busybody suddenly appear out of nowhere.


    "I didn''t ask you, why are you interrupting?" Zhang Shan didn''t care whether he was a policeman or a leader.


    "Sigh ¡­" I say, why don''t you look at who it is? Is that something you can do? " Before the Captain Yang even said anything, the few people behind him were already unwilling. This group of police officers usually went out to handle cases, but Zhong Kui treated them the same way ¡ª you have to be a god. Since when did ordinary people contradict him like this?


    Captain Yang had long seen me following behind Zhang Shan, he didn''t say anything, only looked at Soong Dongfeng, and wanted to hear his explanation.


    "Oh, my apologies, Captain Yang, this is also my colleague, Zhang Shan." Soong Dongfeng immediately said.


    "Don''t say that''s useless! I''m asking you, how did Liu Yunlong lose it? "Where did you go?" Zhang Shan did not give him any face at all.


    "I don''t know." Soong Dongfeng pushed his glasses and said.


    "Can''t say? If you can''t explain it, then think of a way to clarify it! A bunch of men were fooling around instead of settling their own problems! "So you''re saying you can tell me who''s lost?" Zhang Shan was like a leader, causing everyone around him, including the Captain Yang, to feel annoyed.


    Seeing that the people from the inner circle did not say a word, he charged towards the people from the outer circle to watch the commotion, "Go! Go! Go! What are you looking at? What else can I do if I''m not in the hospital? After a while, everyone will be dragged to record their statements! If you want to sleep, then go back now! "


    The people immediately scattered like birds. No one had the face to say anything else, because Zhang Shan''s words were indeed reasonable.


    "Alright, alright. Everyone calm down." Seeing that Zhang Shan had frozen the scene, he started to give them a way out.


    "Captain Yang, I''m sorry, can you tell me about Liu Yunlong''s disappearance?" I didn''t ask Soong Dongfeng, but directly asked Captain Yang. On one hand, it was to give him face. After all, it was unjustifiable for a dignified Crime Scout Captain to be quarreled with by Zhang Shan. Then, they hurriedly changed the topic, saving them the trouble of pulling Zhang Shan and not letting him go.


    "Humph!" Captain Yang first let out a disdainful sound from his nose, and then said with a ridiculing tone: "Isn''t your SAFE Bureau only responsible for this kind of thing? If even your leader can''t explain it clearly, how can an ordinary person like me say it clearly? "


    "Don''t be angry anymore, aren''t we just going to solve the problem!? I know how you feel, and we''d love to find him. To tell you the truth! Liu Yunlong and I are childhood friends, his business is my business. Even if I have to risk my life, I must get him back! " In the end, I became more and more serious.


    "Alright, since I can''t explain it, let''s go watch the recording!" Seeing that the Captain Yang was silent, Soong Dongfeng continued.


    We arrived at the surveillance room at the back of the hospital, while the Captain Yang sent their men to guard the elevator at the east side of the first floor, preventing anyone from using it. Now that the Criminal Police team had taken over, the hospital security guards kept their distance and didn''t dare to stop them anymore.


    On the way, Soong Dongfeng gave us an overview of the situation. In fact, the control room had been managed by the technical department of the city police for the past two days. The purpose of this was to repeatedly analyze the video footage from before and after the crime and see if he could exclude the possibility of killing him.


    As it was a unit, Liu Yunlong naturally let them check the recordings while helping them monitor the movements of the elevator. At least they were familiar with each other. When Liu Yunlong went missing, they immediately noticed that something was amiss, and immediately reported it. Until now, it had only been less than an hour since the incident had occurred.


    A colleague here told us what had happened. Just after seven in the evening, he saw from the recording that Liu Yunlong was arguing with a middle-aged woman at the elevator on the first floor. After investigation, this woman was a doctor on duty in gynecology on the ninth floor of the hospital.


    In the monitoring screen on the elevator on the first floor, Liu Yunlong brought out two chairs from somewhere and stuck it on the elevator door. Since the elevator couldn''t close its doors, it was natural that it wouldn''t be able to go to any of the floors.


    This guy was sitting in a bored manner when a middle-aged woman carrying a bag walked in. It seemed like she was going to get on the elevator. Liu Yunlong would definitely not do as she wished. At first, they talked patiently. But not long after, without knowing what the lady said, Liu Yunlong suddenly turned and sat on the chair, ignoring his.


    The lady was angry, she stepped forward and pointed at Liu Yunlong''s nose, her mouth continuously moving, as though she was already stirred up. I wondered what they were talking about, but the monitors didn''t have microphones, just soundless images.


    Not long after, the woman seemed to be tired from shouting, she stopped to rest for two seconds, then walked up, looking like she was planning to jump over Liu Yunlong and enter the elevator. There were two chairs at the mouth of the elevator door, and a young lad was sitting on top of it. Her leg did not lift up much, and stepped on Liu Yunlong''s body.


    He couldn''t hold back his temper any longer and immediately stood up to argue with the woman. Who knew that the moment he stood up and stamped his shoes, the woman kicked down the chair and instantly squeezed into the elevator.


    This time, Liu Yunlong was unwilling, he had to go in and pull her out. When they first met, the lady had already started shouting, causing Liu Yunlong to cover his ears. It could be seen how loud he was at that time. After shouting for a while, he called for everyone nearby. Seeing that there was nothing he could do, Liu Yunlong closed the elevator door. At the same time, he lowered his head and said something to the woman before pressing down on the ninth floor.


    The two of them argued in the elevator until the door opened and the woman came out of the elevator cursing. After he closed the door, Liu Yunlong went back to the first floor.


    So far, nothing suspicious had happened, but my gut told me that it had to happen in the space of a dozen seconds or so he''d been downstairs alone.


    Sure enough, the elevator stopped on the eighth floor. When the door opened, it was pitch black outside. It seemed like the light in the corridor was broken. I turned to another monitor. It was the eighth-floor elevator, and the lights were on.


    I began to feel that something was wrong.


    Liu Yunlong who was on the screen looked out, and then pressed the button, but there was no sound coming from the door. This fellow had no choice. After hesitating for a moment, he walked out of the elevator.


    A few seconds later, the elevator door closed and went down to the first floor. It was 19: 11.


    "Finished?" Zhang Shan asked.


    "No more."


    "Didn''t he go to the eighth floor?"


    "Little Zhao, switch to the video from the eighth floor." Soong Dongfeng instructed.


    The screen changed to the elevator room on the eighth floor. The lights were still on and the time was 19: 10. After watching for two minutes, there was no response from the screen.


    "Could it be that he didn''t go to the eighth floor?" Zhang Shan asked again, this is what I thought too.


    "Bring out the surveillance footage from all the floors."


    A video of an elevator from the thirteenth floor was displayed on all the monitors. The time was 19: 10 PM. Two minutes later, other than the woman from the ninth floor, there was no other movement.


    Liu Yunlong actually did not enter any of the floors in the building!


    Then where did he go?


    At that moment, where did this elevator stop at?


    "He ¡­ Where the hell did he go? " I pointed at the monitor, feeling that all of my hair was standing on end, I asked Soong Dongfeng.


    "I don''t know either, so I can''t say for sure. If Little Zhao, who was in charge of surveillance, hadn''t discovered this situation, we probably would still be in the dark. " Soong Dongfeng laughed bitterly.


    "Have you checked the elevator and basement?" Then I remembered the two high-risk areas.


    "Yes, there are no problems."


    The monitoring room fell silent again. Everyone should have the same feeling. The video made my scalp tingle. What sort of space did this fellow step into? Could he come back?


    Soong Dongfeng interrupted my train of thoughts and said: "This won''t do if we continue. Next, I want you two to go find him and thoroughly investigate the problem with the elevator."


    "Find?" How do I find them? " I was still in a state of deep panic.


    "We''ll look for him wherever he went!" Zhang Shan reacted quickly.


    "You mean ¡­" We''re also taking the elevator? " I couldn''t help but shiver, and fear came over me.