The northwest corner of the inner courtyard is a place that almost all the people of Zhangfu have subconsciously forgotten. It was barren, gloomy, with thick, white branches like human bones, and weeds spreading all over the ground were almost taller than an adult. The small pond full of green algae emits a disgusting stench.

It was now nearly dusk, and from time to time the crow that had returned to its nest let out a rough hoarse "wow-wow-" cry across the sky. Several servants walked in front with lanterns, and from time to time they had to use their scabbards to split through the weeds in front of them that were too dense to block their view. Guo Chengsi, Zhong Ziyuan, Zhu Fei, Duan Ling, and Miss Zhang followed, followed by a few officials and a few Zhang's subordinates who came with Miss Zhang.

Duan Ling explained as he walked: "Last time, the lowly official was here to catch the king's steward, there is an abandoned mansion here, and there is a dark room in it, and the furnishings inside should be used to lock people's prisons. It's no wonder that the subordinates of the Zhang Mansion are very shy about this place, and they usually walk around the road. I thought that if Zhang Shilang and his wife were still in this mansion, they would not be able to find them anywhere else, and the only place to go would be here. ”

Guo Chengsi nodded and asked Miss Zhang, "I wonder if Miss Zhang knows the secret of this mansion?" ”

Miss Zhang half-hung her head, her thin white teeth biting her lower lip, and then silently shaking her head. Guo Chengsi sighed helplessly, this Miss Zhang didn't know anything, she shook her head in everything, no wonder the people in this house only thought she was a clay Bodhisattva, without a little awe,

As he spoke, the officials who opened the way in front of him suddenly exclaimed: "I have found Zhang Shilang and Mrs. Zhang."

The late autumn night was extraordinarily long, and Zhong Ziyuan felt extremely tired. You can fall asleep next to a soft pillow. Who knew that at night, there was a strong wind on the flat ground, and there was a sharp and piercing whistling sound, as if there were countless lonely ghosts crying outside the house. Cry.

The two originally bright air lamps under the corridor were swaying from side to side by the strong wind, flickering and dimming, as if two wide-open ghost eyes were staring at the people in the room with bad intentions.

Zhong Ziyuan looked at the lights outside, her thoughts were churning, and the filthy and foul-smelling little pond in Zhang's mansion always flashed in front of her eyes. Especially Zhang Shilang, Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Zhang knelt stiffly on the sticky mud by the pond as if they were atoning for their sins. It also made her mind like a movie tape, constantly playing back.

Their deaths were no different from those of the two maids, their bulging bloodshot eyes staring at the calm little green pond. He also clasped his neck with both hands. There was a weird smile on the corner of his mouth.

The people of Zhang's mansion who saw this scene all screamed that it was the unjust soul who came back to take revenge, and even Zhong Ziyuan, who had dissected countless corpses and did not believe in ghosts and gods, also felt a haze in his heart.

The muddy area was small, but it was very smooth. Except for the traces of Zhang Shilang and his wife kneeling. There wasn't even a single footprint. How did these two men kneel to the edge of the pond? No one can explain it clearly, and the only thing that seems to be able to explain it at the moment is the power of ghosts and gods.

Zhong Ziyuan saw Qing Dai lying next to her muttering a snow-white arm outside the quilt, her breathing was steady and even, obviously dreaming in a deep sleep. Zhong Ziyuan sighed secretly in her heart, in the end, she is a child who has not grown up, and if she sleeps like this, she is afraid that she will cry out for shoulder pain tomorrow morning. She gently pulled out the corner of the quilt that was pressed by Qing Dai. Help her cover it tightly.

Zhong Ziyuan turned to the side and buried her face in the new pine-colored satin soft pillow. She tried her best to close her eyes, but the scene that followed kept coming back to her mind.

Female skeletons were salvaged from the pond by the officials. They all had long hair and a drape of faces, and huge stones were tied around their waists, and they were sunk to the bottom of the small pond. Let the foul-smelling and filthy water corrode their youthful flesh. If it weren't for Zhang Shilang's strange death, their bones would not know when they would be able to see the light of day.

When they were discovered, some of them had completely turned into white bones, some still had scattered pieces of flesh and skin, and some of the flesh had been separated from the bones, and they were taken off in whole pieces with a light touch. At that moment, except for Guo Chengsi and Duan Ling, two nerves who were a hundred times tougher than ordinary people, almost all the rest of the people present vomited. Even Zhong Ziyuan did not escape, and Miss Zhang and a few timid maids fainted in fright.

In the end, it was actually Aunt Bi's corpse. Apparently she had not been in the water for a long time, and her body had not yet been completely eroded by the water. Her hair hung loosely down the back of her head, and her half-naked body was covered with old and new whip marks. It's just that she also has a weird smile on her lifeless face.

The more she wanted to sleep, the more she couldn't sleep, this scene was like a poisonous silk spit out by a spider, tightly strangled in her heart one by one, making her upset, Zhong Ziyuan simply sat up.

Cardamom, who was sleeping on the couch next to her, immediately called softly, "Miss, but you're thirsty?" ”

Zhong Ziyuan was stunned for a moment, and asked in a low voice, "Aren't you asleep either?" ”

Cardamom put on her clothes and got up from the couch, took out the flint and lit the candle on the table, and said softly: "When Guo Shizi sent Miss back, he specially explained. Said that the young lady was frightened tonight, and asked us to watch carefully. ”

"I said that Qingdai will sleep with me tonight, no matter how dead or alive she is." Zhong Ziyuan helped Qingdai press the corners of the quilt, and she simply sat up. Cardamom hurriedly took a jade-colored robe and put it on her, and said with a smile: "She sleeps like a dead pig, and I don't know who is watching whom." She looked up at the house again, and said to herself, "This wind is blowing, I'm afraid it's going to rain." ”

Zhong Ziyuan glanced back, smiled and said nothing. She moved to the front of the collapse and sat down, and said, "I am sleepy tonight, so I can see that I can't sleep." I'll just read a book on the couch, maybe I can lean on it for a while when I'm tired of reading, you go to bed and sleep by yourself! ”

Cardamom pursed her lips and didn't speak, nor did she move. Zhong Ziyuan waved his hand with his forehead, and said tiredly: "Go!" ”

Cardamom couldn't resist her, so she had to move the candle to the pear blossom table on the couch, and brought her a cup of hot milk with pearl powder for her to drink, and then went to the bed and lay down.

Although Cardamom is worried about her own young lady, she is young and sleepy. It didn't take long. There was a faint snoring sound from the bed. Zhong Ziyuan did not read a medical book, but a set of mountain and sea classics. This set of 18 volumes is rich in content, including mythology, geography, products, mythology, witchcraft, religion, ancient history, medicine, folklore, and ethnicity.

Zhong Ziyuan's previous life includes the myths and stories he has heard in this life. Including Kuafu's chasing the sun, Nuwa mending the sky, Yi shooting for nine days, the Yellow Emperor vs. Chiyou, etc., are basically from here. This set of books is the best way to pass the time and get rid of distractions in your head.

The night was deep but not peaceful, walking outside the window among the branches, the sound of the wind under the eaves seemed to be in my ears, like the roar of a beast, and like the cry of a wronged soul.

And a long time passed. The tears that slipped after the red candle was lit had already condensed a thick layer on the bronze base, and the orange flame suddenly soared high and crackled. Zhong Ziyuan picked up scissors and cut off a blackened candle core. The candle flame immediately went down.

After not staying up like this for a long time, Zhong Ziyuan felt a chill all over her body, and the temples on both sides were like being pricked by needles, and she felt a throbbing pain. That's when she found out. I was fascinated by reading books by myself. I didn't even notice that the robe on my shoulders had slipped off.

She hurriedly pulled off her robe and put it back on, but in the end she caught a cold, and her brain and heart felt more and more groggy, as if she weighed a thousand pounds, and her eyes were sour and misty. Zhong Ziyuan bluffed herself, and didn't dare to continue to hold on, so she pulled the blanket on the couch and wrapped it around her body, and then lay down. She was also tired. In the blink of an eye, he fell asleep.

But this night, she slept unsteadily. The seven female skeletons fished out by Zhang's house. There are also all kinds of strange and grotesque ancient beasts mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas in turn in her dreams.

She felt that she had slept for a long time, and that she felt as if she had not fallen asleep at all, so she was in a daze, and finally screamed before she was completely awakened by the nightmare.

After waking up, Zhong Ziyuan felt that her breath was uncontrollable, and she had no soft strength on her body, and her heart was even more thirsty. Then he shouted, "Qing Dai." Qingdai was under the porch, and when she heard the shout, she immediately opened the curtain and walked in quickly, and said, "Amitabha, can you be considered awake, do you want to drink water?" ”

Zhong Ziyuan said "yes" lazily. Qingdai immediately poured a cup of tea and rinsed her mouth, and poured another cup of warm water and sent it to her. Zhong Ziyuan took a breath and drank it dry, and said that he wanted more. Qingdai poured another one for her to drink, which was a little quenched of the thirst in her belly.

Handing the teacup to Qing Dai, she casually asked, "It's so dark, what time is it?" ”

Qing Dai took a small silver and white lotus pattern jacket with a light water green and draped it over her shoulders, and said, "It's already Shen Shi, and it's been raining for a day, so it's been dim and bright." ”

Zhong Ziyuan was startled, she pulled the small jacket on her shoulder, and said incredulously: "I have slept for so long?" The dim light of the morning light outside the house spilled into the room through the fine Korean paper on the window, which made Zhong Ziyuan mistakenly think that the hour was still early. I didn't expect this sleep at all, and most of the day had passed.

Qingdai said quickly: "It's not! Cardamom gives you a pulse. He said that he was frightened yesterday and suffered a cold at night. You are now too weak to hold on, and you are sick. As she spoke, she put her hand on Zhong Ziyuan's forehead and tried it, and said, "Fortunately, it's not very hot, otherwise I don't know how to explain it in front of Guo Shizi." ”

Zhong Ziyuan said lazily: "I said again, you are my maid, where do you want to explain something to him." ”

Qing Dai said with a smile: "Although I am the maid of the Zhong family, Guo Shizi told us to take care of you last night." As a result, if you are not careful, it still makes you catch a cold. I'm afraid that when he comes, I won't be able to get along with Cardamom noodles. ”

Zhong Ziyuan's face turned red, and he wanted to say why did he come? But thinking about it again, this courtyard is full of secret guards from the Guo Mansion, and he is afraid that the news of his illness has reached him, maybe he will really come to visit.

Facing the smiling Qingdai, she changed the topic with a little weakness: "I'm a little hungry in my stomach, but do I have something to eat?" ”

Qing Dai hurriedly said: "There has been a pot of bistem porridge boiling on the stove, it has been three or four hours, and it is extremely thick at this moment. Later, I will cut some tender ginger shreds and put them in it, which will warm the stomach and ward off the cold, okay? ”

"Excellent." Zhong Ziyuan said with a smile: "I also want the crispy kohlrabi you mixed with your own hands, as well as sour and hot lotus root dices, which is the best with this blue stem porridge." ”

"Yes, I'll go get ready." After Qing Dai left, it was quiet all around, only the sound of the dripping rain outside the house hitting the banana leaves. After sleeping for a day, Zhong Ziyuan was lazy and couldn't lift her spirits, and felt that the room was very stuffy. She simply put on her jacket and pushed open the tightly closed window. A cold wind mixed with water vapor and earthy smell immediately blew in, which made her feel very refreshed and energetic.

Outside the window, the rain is sprinkled from the sky to all corners, and the raindrops are very similar to crystal clear pearls, which is very beautiful. They fall from the eaves, walls, and leaves, like beads with broken threads, splashing a layer of white rain and mist, like an ethereal white veil. Then a gust of wind blew violently, and the white veil drifted away.

Someone seemed to be slowly approaching in the distance, and Zhong Ziyuan's eyes couldn't help but widen. I saw that he was holding a bamboo bone oil paper umbrella in his hand, his originally smooth bun was a little loose, and his fine hair was wet with rain and stuck to his forehead. The luxurious, status-symbolizing purple brocade robe was also wet with rain, and it lost its luster.

He looked really embarrassed, but watching him approach step by step so quietly today, Zhong Ziyuan felt that his heart was throbbing unobediently. She was a little stupid, and she was stunned for a while. Until he got closer and closer, until she could clearly see his dripping forehead, see his frowning brow, and see his disapproving eyes. She suddenly came back to her senses and hurriedly closed the window with a "snap".

Guo Chengsi had almost walked to the bottom of the porch, and was startled by her abrupt demeanor. Looking at the closed window, he shook his head amusedly, put away the bamboo bone oil paper umbrella, and shook the water droplets on his body before opening the door curtain and walking in.

Zhong Ziyuan happened to lift the quilt and wanted to stand up, not thinking that she was suffering from the cold and hungry for a day, and her feet were actually empty and weak. finally struggled to stand up, but there was a rush of Venus shaking in front of him, his brain was buzzing, and his feet were soft and rushed forward.

Guo Chengsi happened to walk into the house, he was shocked, and hurriedly stepped forward to hug Zhong Ziyuan's soft body, and said anxiously: "Didn't you say that it was just the wind and cold, yesterday was fine, how did you get to the point where you can't stand on your feet today?" No, I have to go and find the verdict of the Liu Yuan. ”

Zhong Ziyuan leaned on his arms, quietly waiting for the dizziness to pass, listening to him still muttering, he couldn't help but feel ashamed and embarrassed. But when he raised his eyes, he saw that his eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was extremely concerned. His heart trembled slightly, and he hurriedly comforted: "It's okay, it's just that I've been hungry for a long time and I'm weak." I'll just have something to eat later. (To be continued......)