Miaojiang refers to the southwest of China, including Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Chongqing, Guangxi and other provinces and cities. The word "Xiangxi" has three concepts, one is the concept of geographical location, which refers to the western part of Hunan, the Yuanshui and Lishui Basin, including Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Huaihua City, Zhangjiajie City, and Changde City. In ancient times, it was called "Miao Jiang" and was a place where Miao and other ethnic minorities lived. This is the hinterland of Chinese mainland, bordering Dongting in the east, Chuangui in the west, and Guangxi in the south. The mountains are continuous, the pine fences are green, and the mist is thick, like a fairyland, which makes people linger. And I live in Taojia Village, southwest of Hunan Province, our village is surrounded by mountains, land transportation is inconvenient, there is a canal in the village through the border is an important passage to connect the outside world, in addition to a mountain road twists and turns can also lead to the state capital, our village has a total of more than 100 households, distributed in this radius of 30 miles, but this radius of more than 60 miles of mountains are under the jurisdiction of our village, we usually rely on the canal and this mountain to make a living, sunrise and sunset and rest in the village The days are relatively calm and comfortable, The people in the village get along harmoniously and harmoniously, and everyone usually helps together when someone has something to do. I am an orphan, my parents died early, and my grandfather depended on each other, my grandfather was a Taoist priest and feng shui master, and my grandfather was invited to preside over the red and white ceremonies in the village. When I was three years old, I saw my grandfather's two brothers and sisters at my house, and my impression was very vague, they lived in Miaojiang, Guangxi, and Sichuan. Due to the inconvenience of transportation, they rarely come and go, and occasionally they send letters to greet each other. Our family is the same as other people's houses, the house is quaint, 3 hard mud houses and a stove (kitchen) and thatched toilets, the furniture is simple, a draft well and a stone mill, usually rely on it to grind the food that grandpa exchanged from the state capital, and there is nothing else, but one of the three rooms in my house has a grandfather who never let me in, and the gossip Taiji plate with a round mirror is pasted on the door beam of that room, and I was very curious about what it was in it when I was a child, and I often secretly looked through the crack in the door, but I couldn't see anything in the dark. After being beaten a few times by my grandfather with a hemp vine, I never saw it again, and I never saw my grandfather open the door of this house, and the locks were rusty, and my grandfather often said that I was killed by someone, and I didn't live to be 18 years old, but in 7 days it was my 18th birthday. That night, the two of us were drinking tea and chatting in the courtyard. Grandpa muttered: "Time is so fast, you are almost 18 years old in a blink of an eye, I don't know if you can avoid this catastrophe."

I said, "Is this Life and Death Gu so powerful?" Even grandpa can't break it."

Grandpa said: "I have studied this Gu for more than 10 years and it really can't be lifted, but don't worry that my junior brother has found the antidote to break it in the past two days, on the night of your birthday, the person who gave you the Gu will definitely appear, so I am going to go to Miao Jiang in the next few days to find my junior brother to ask for the antidote." ”

I said, "Is that 7 days enough?"

Grandpa said: "It should be enough for my soul to come out of the shell." ”

I've heard the word soul out of the shell mentioned by my grandfather before, but I've never seen it. I only know that the body must be protected after the soul comes out of the shell, otherwise the soul will not be able to return to the original shell after it returns. ”

Grandpa said, "I'll teach you a few mantras tonight, and you can use them to deal with the people who trick you before I come back."

I have also followed my grandfather to draw talismans before, but the power of drawing talismans is not as strong as grandpa, after all, grandpa has decades of Taoism.

After a while, Grandpa carefully took out a torn and yellowed cheatbook from the drawer, this yellowed substance is like paper, not paper, it looks like an old and lonely book, with a few big characters written on it, "Yin and Yang Law Record", this book has been seen for the first time since I can remember.

Grandpa said: "This book of law is specially designed to deal with ghosts and spirits and witchcraft demons, and it has been passed down from generation to generation during the Yellow Emperor's war in ancient times. I've been studying for so many years, and I've only scratched the surface. ”

I said, "This book is so profound that even my grandfather can't figure it out, let alone me?" ”

Grandpa said: "You will know a lot of things in the future, children, this book is tailor-made for you, and you must memorize it in the few days when I go out." ”

My heart chuckled and said, "Why is it tailor-made for me, what is it that I have to know later, can't I not do it now?" I don't know why that room always has to be locked

What is inside the Word. ”

Grandpa deliberately avoided the topic and said, "I'll do the soul out of the shell at 7 o'clock tomorrow night, and I'll take you to uncover the answer in that room now." ”

Grandpa took out a kerosene lamp from the house, covered it with his hands, came out, gave me a key and said, "Go and get a high stool in the house."

I wondered and went in and moved the stool out

Grandpa said, "You put the key in and rotate the Tai Chi Pan on top of it. At this time, I very much want to know the secrets inside, I can't wait to open the lock, stand on the stool and rotate the Tai Chi pan, only to hear the "squeak" sound, the door slowly opens the black inside to reach out and see the five fingers, grandpa carefully covers the lamp to light the way, I don't know why the house is not cleaned all year round but spotless, but obviously feel a yin air cold swishing heart is more confused. In the middle of the room was a table, on which was placed an incense burner, in which only one stone incense was placed, and the steamed bread and fruits on the table were also made of stone. There is a painting on the wall, on which there are three heads and six arms, two hands together, one pointing to the sky and the other pointing to the ground. The two heads are born with long shoulders and flowing hair, a pair of velvet and splendid green and blue armor on his body, a pair of black leather boots under his feet, and a silk three-strand lion belt around his waist. A pair of eyes are like mirrors, and two eyebrows are as bright as red. The mouth is like a blood basin, and the teeth are lined with copper plates. Holding a "demon pestle" in both hands, he pointed at a monster as if he had something to say. In the corner of the room was a black cabinet, about 4.8 feet wide and 6 feet high, like a coffin standing upright. I was instantly disappointed when I saw these items, and I don't know why my grandfather didn't allow me to come to this house for so many years, and there is nothing mysterious about it. Grandpa said: "Tao Yi, are you wondering why grandpa hasn't let you enter this house for so many years?"

I said, "Yes, grandpa, this room is really ordinary but it always feels a little weird." Grandpa said: The above painting is for the "Xiangxi Holy Prince", and the Miao Jiang side is for the "Nanshan Holy Lady" This is the unified offering of our cultivators, as for why this house is spotless, it is because there is a secret door in our house, this secret door is in this cabinet, grandpa is waiting for you to fall asleep every time to clean and sprinkle. This cabinet was made by my two junior brothers when you were three years old, so that you could hide in it on your 18th birthday, so grandpa didn't want you to know this secret earlier, so he didn't dare to let you step into the house for more than ten years. Saying that, Grandpa opened the cabinet door, and two people could sit and stand inside at the same time. Grandpa said, "You push down the back of this cabinet." With a slight force, the back of the cabinet opened like a cabinet door to our bedroom. Grandpa said: "Tomorrow night I will make a shell, my body will be put in this cupboard, by the seventh day you must enter the cabinet, no matter who tells you, including me, do not agree, do not make any noise outside, let alone open the door of the cabinet to go out, otherwise grandpa and you will become sacrifices." After speaking, my grandfather told me to lock the door and close the cabinet, and by the way, I bowed to the Holy Father. I had been thinking about it that night, who gave me the vicious life and death Gu, why Grandpa said that this Fahua Record was tailor-made for me, what my parents looked like, and why they said some things, I will know later. Whose sacrifice will we become, will I be able to avoid this catastrophe? What's behind all this? Before I knew it, I fell into a dream, in which I saw my neighbor Tao Xiaohe, who was the same age as me, died tragically at home, unrecognizable, and dreamed of my parents, who were tall but could not see their faces.

After a nightmare that finally lit up, my grandfather got up early, prepared a light breakfast, began to bathe and burn incense, put on a Taoist robe, and meditated in the room with a whisk in his hand, and warned me not to disturb. I was also very bored after eating, and began to study the "Fahualu", although the book is broken but the handwriting is not damaged, open the first page with pictures and texts, it may be a book from ancient times, the words on it are not our Xiangxi unique font, but these words I am familiar with and I don't know where I have seen it, so I can read the words above, this page only wrote eight words "Tianyan is open, the veins are accessible", the picture is a person cross-legged

Look up at the starry sky and put your hands on your chest. I didn't understand what that meant. When the time came in the evening, my grandfather called me over to worship the Holy Father, and sprinkled a handful of beans in front of the cabinet, and I couldn't help but ask. Grandpa said: On the day of your birthday, you must come to the cabinet, remember to remember me, nodded heavily, and said, "Don't worry, grandpa, my birthday is still 6 days, I won't be mistaken, I will memorize the content and pictures of this book in the next few days."

Grandpa nodded, entered the cabinet cross-legged and said something in his mouth, his left hand bent his fingers to count, his right hand brushed the dust and swayed left and right, only to see a golden light emitting out of the house, grandpa froze still, I knew that grandpa had come out of the shell and left.

I closed the cabinet door, locked the house, went back to the bedroom, blew out the kerosene lamp, and lay quietly on the bed without my grandfather to accompany me, I felt a little lonely, I thought I would be scared, but at this time my heart was very calm, this is the difference between me and the children in our village, no one has ever seen me cry and sad, occasionally I heard other old people in the village say that my grandfather was a monk and was not married at all, so I was raised by my grandfather from other places, every time I heard this, I was very angry, every time my grandfather would tell me that he got married and had my father before leaving home, don't care about other people's gossip, I never doubted it after listening to my grandfather's words

The next morning, I went to Tao Xiaohe's house next door to play when I had nothing to do, Tao Xiaohe's father was in the "love Gu" and died, two years earlier his father went to Miao Jiang to do business, fell in love with a Miao girl and dated others, then was secretly Gu that Miao family woman told Xiaohe's father that if he didn't come back to marry her in three months, he would die, his father thought it was a lie and didn't take it seriously, and then died violently. He and her mother were left alone.

Tao Xiaohe said, "Where is your grandfather?"

I told him that my grandfather had gone to the state capital early in the morning to go for several days, and told him that I had dreamed that he had died tragically the day before yesterday, Tao Xiaohe grimaced and said: I also dreamed that the mountain gods in the mountain temple in our village have no eyes.

I said, "Did you dig it up naughty?"

Tao Xiaohe said: No, I really dreamed that our village was sealed by monsters, and the mountain gods were scared away with no way to escape, and you were the only one left to die in the end, so poor and lonely. ”

I thought he was joking with me and didn't take it to heart, and took out the Fahua record to show him, and he said that the text on it was ugly and he didn't know anyone, and this person was practicing martial arts. It's not surprising that he doesn't know the words on it, but in the last few days I've memorized all the words and pictures on it, and I do have a memory that ordinary people don't have.

This day is my birthday, I closed the door according to what my grandfather said, opened the door for the gods and walked into the cabinet, sat side by side with my grandfather and closed the door of the cabinet from the inside, it stands to reason that my grandfather should also come back, but why haven't I come back for a long time, I am a little worried that if grandpa doesn't come back tonight, then I am going to die, others say that there will be an omen when the person in the Gu is dying, why I have no omen. Regardless of everything, it depends on the will of God, and I unconsciously slept until about 11 o'clock in the evening, and my grandfather has not come back after the day is almost over, and my heart begins to worry about it. The two wind chimes on the door jingled and jingled non-stop, and my heart was in my throat and I didn't dare to come out, listening carefully to the movement outside. I shivered when a gust of wind blew through the cold, and suddenly an old voice said: "Tao Yi opened the cabinet door and moved my body out, I want the original spirit to return to its place." "Wow, it's grandpa's voice, my heart is excited, grandpa is finally back, I can't hold back the joy in my heart, and I was about to open the door, and suddenly remembered grandpa's words: No matter who calls your name, including me, don't agree, otherwise the two of us will become sacrifices." A cold sweat oozed from my forehead at the thought of this.

I shouted several times outside, but I didn't answer, and through the crack in the cabinet door, I saw "Grandpa" walking towards me, getting closer and closer, and suddenly Grandpa turned into an unusually oozing image of an old woman, this person was wearing a black old man's clothes, and the face was as disgusting as if a car had been pressed over. I only heard the old woman say: "Tao Yi, you can't run away, I will suck up your yang energy tonight to increase my strength, your Gu is my order, because you and I have a feud." After saying that, he sneered, and the voice made people shudder and goosebumps fell to the ground.

The woman said: "The stinky Taoist priest has done a good thing to me, thinking that a handful of beans will stop me, it is just wishful thinking, I will let you be my sacrifice tonight." Saying that, he walked towards me step by step, my palms were cold, my vest was all soaked, and I murmured in my heart, I can't let her hurt my grandfather's body even if I fight for her, otherwise my grandfather will become a lonely ghost. Suddenly, the two charms in front of the cabinet door emitted a cloud of yellow light and shot directly towards the demon woman, who waved her hand lightly, and the yellow light disappeared suddenly. Demon woman Tao Yi, you can't run away, even if the stinky Taoist comes back, he can't return to the sky, and obediently come out to die.

No matter what he said, I just didn't answer, the witch's hand slapped the cabinet, this force is still very great, my grandfather and I shook all over, only to listen to the witch and cast a spell on the cabinet door, but the cabinet door still has no signs of damage, the witch woman looked in through the gap in the cabinet door, we looked at each other and saw the witch's eyes like melon seeds moving pointed, it was not a human eye, I quickly closed my eyes and recited a spell to pass the fear in my heart, I knew that this cabinet witch could not be opened, but time passed minute by minute, and I already felt the "life and death Gu" There are signs of seizures.

Just listen to the demon woman: The moon wheel is slanting westward, and there is a stick of incense kung fu Gu poison attack, you will die, and if you can't absorb your yang energy, I will use your body and the body of the stinky Taoist priest as a sacrifice.

The more I thought about it, the more panicked I became, and I couldn't sit still with a stick of incense, and I was about to rush out and fight with the old witch. I just heard a familiar voice say, old witch, I'm coming. A golden light shot into the cabinet, and Grandpa returned to his place. Grandpa stuffed a red pill into my mouth, I knew it was an antidote, and swallowed it directly, and my body instantly felt a lot more comfortable. Grandpa opened the cabinet door and walked out and said, "The old witch didn't expect that 15 years ago I let you live, and today I will come to attack me again, if you don't die, there will be no peace in the world."

The witch said: "Stinky Taoist, hand over Tao Yi today and I will let you live, otherwise I want your whole village to lose your life." What our descendants want is yellow.

Before the yellow word was finished, Grandpa said loudly: Shut up, I'll let you die today. It was too late, and the grandfather flipped the palm of his hand, and a golden talisman shot towards the witch.