Chapter XXVII: Repayment of Debts at noon on the 12th
The sedan chair approached step by step, and I pulled Xue Qian back step by step. I ducked back as I pulled out the tooth from my pocket.
However, after the originally hard corpse teeth were pulled out, they suddenly began to become very loose. I touched it with my hand and it turned into a pile of powder.
Xue Qian was about to cry: What's going on?
I shook my head: Old Xue, your ancestor's knife is fine, but there is a problem with this place. Our babies are not used.
The two of us have retreated into a corner. Behind him is the little ghost who pushes the grind. And the sedan chair also arrived in front of the two of us.
The boat stopped. Slowly stepped aside, and then, with a withered hand, lifted the curtain. A scrawny man stepped out of the sedan chair.
There was no flesh on his face, and his cheekbones were even more high, and he only heard him say: "Two friends, I can lend you this sedan chair." Do you sit or not?
Xue Qian and I didn't dare to speak, and shook our heads like Bu Leng.
The man shouted twice and threw a fist at us: I am the owner of this cemetery. These imps are under my jurisdiction. You can call me Oni-sama.
I stood there in horror, peeking at him, trying to tell from his expression whether he was happy or worried, and what he was going to do with the few of us. It's a pity that he is too thin, and his skin is pressed against his bones, and he is so tight. I don't see anything.
Oni-sama pointed to the courtyard and said, "Please."
Xue Qian and I looked at the grinding disc in the yard, but we didn't dare to move.
The ghost laughed. Pointing to the little ghost who pushed the mill, he said: Didn't you come to him today?
I heard this and seemed to mean something, and I couldn't help but glance over there. This glance made me chuckle in my heart: Why is this grinding ghost so familiar?
Xue Qian had already exclaimed: Isn't this the fool Ah Fei? How did he get here? Isn't he kneeling under the rockery and burning paper?
I shook my head: this is not him, this is his soul. I understand. A part of his soul was seized and left here to grind, so he became a fool.
The ghost laughed twice: This friend has insight. Yes, I left him here.
Then he looked at me with great interest: the owner of the empty house? Unexpectedly, you are young and have come from a lot of roads.
My heart moved, and I couldn't help but ask: Can you tell that I live in an empty house?
The ghost nodded and said, "You have a special mark on your body.
I couldn't help but look down at my body, but I didn't find anything unusual.
The ghost looked at me calmly, and after a while, he said lightly: It seems that you haven't been in the empty house for long, and many things are not clear.
I stammered, not knowing how to answer.
Lord Ghost pointed to Ah Fei, who was grinding, and said lightly: Since you found this place today. Then you should know, why am I holding him here to grind?
After a little thought, I came to the conclusion that he had dug a grave here and stole your snuffbox.
The ghost nodded: Debt repayment. He stole my snuffbox, and I will stay here to do hard labor, and I will let him go when it is worth the price of the snuffbox.
Speaking of this, the ghost suddenly laughed, and his voice was gloomy and ugly. He laughed and said miserably: Money can make ghosts grind, hehe, this ghost owes money to the ghost.
I was tormented by his laughter. Waiting for his laughter to subside, he said carefully: He seems to have returned the snuffbox to you, right?
The oni-sama nodded slowly, and pulled the snuffbox out of his body. He picked out a bit of nasopharynx, wiped it on the top of his nose, sniffed hard, and sneezed.
I stood upright on the ground, my body a little numb. At this time, I noticed that there seemed to be something unusual about the snuff box in the oni-sama's hand.
I've looked closely at this snuffbox, and it depicts a ghost. But now in the hands of the oni-sama, the picture is a large tree.
When the ghost saw that I had been staring at the snuffbox, he snorted, pointed to the boat and said, "This kid stole my snuffbox." I drew his good friend on the snuffbox of his good friend, hoping that one day he would come to his senses and send it back to me. Unexpectedly, this wait is more than ten years.
The boat carried the lantern, as if carved out of stone, motionless and unresponsive.
I swallowed and foamed at the mouth and said, "Since the snuffbox is back." Can I take the two of them with me?
Ghost Dadao: These two boys, I haven't smelled snuff for more than ten years, can I let them go so lightly?
When I heard this, I panicked. I don't know any Taoism, and the only two treasures I rely on have failed. Are you going to plant here today?
When he was at a loss, the ghost suddenly said leisurely: However, after all, you are the owner of the empty house, and you still have to give this face. Well, I can let these two boys go back. But he will burn me thirty troaves of gold and silver.
I asked with some weakness: How much is a treasury of gold and silver?
The ghost lord said coldly: The old woman kneeling below will sue you. Hehe, this old woman is not shallow, and she knows how to intercede with the owner of the empty house.
I've heard the ghost mention the owner of the empty house over and over again, as if this identity has a lot of weight. But in this kind of place, I can't ask anything, I just want to leave early.
The ghost man paced slowly in the courtyard, looked at the stone mill, and said with some pride: With these thirty treasury of gold and silver, Lao Tzu can bribe Yin Cha and leave this ghost place. Hehe, Seon lost his horse, and he didn't know if it was a blessing. This mass grave has trapped me for years.
Me and Xue Qian, you look at me, I'll look at you. The expressions are a little complicated.
Oni-sama patted me on the shoulder: What's your name?
I saw that his voice was very kind, and my heart was a little more steady. He said as calmly as he could: My name is Zhao Mang.
Lord Ghost nodded and said, "Well, Zhao Mang." Brother Zhao, since you are the owner of the empty house, there are some things that you can't ignore.
I'm interested in asking: What's the matter?
The ghost said: The owner of the empty house has a lot of weight in the eyes of the little ghost, and he can be regarded as a character. Most of the imps, who won't hurt you, will sell you face. So over time, I'm afraid there will be a lot of people who have provoked little ghosts, coming to you to solve problems.
I nodded blankly, thinking: In this case, wouldn't I become a Taoist priest?
I heard the ghost say again: However, some people die with hatred and turn into ghosts after death. They don't care if you're the owner of the empty house or not. There are too few people who are as reasonable as me. Once those evil ghosts hit the idea of killing the fish and breaking the net, it is ferocious. When you first enter this door, I'm afraid you won't be able to resist it. So if you want to do things in the future, you should be careful
I said yes and said, "Yes, yes." Thanks for the pointers.
Lord Ghost sighed, waved his hand, and said, "In a few days, thirty treasury of gold and silver will arrive, and I will leave here." Brother Zhao, we will definitely see each other again in the future. I hope that when the time comes, you, the owner of the empty house, will no longer be in vain.
I listened to the Oni-sama, and it seems that there are many things I don't know. I was about to ask again. He slowly got into the sedan chair.
The ghost lord put down the sedan curtain and said lightly: Let's go, two ignorant boys, let them take it away.
The little ghost who carried the sedan chair didn't say a word, and slowly left with the ghost adult.
After the ghost disappeared, Xiao Zhou shuddered violently, as if he had suddenly regained his senses, he looked at me and Xue Qian in a panic, looked around again, and asked in a trembling voice: Where is this?
Xue Qian squinted at her: This is the Netherworld Mansion.
One sentence frightened Xiaozhou to the ground.
I ignored the two of them and slowly walked over to the millstone. Ah Fei is still tirelessly pushing the stone mill.
I reached out and slowly grabbed the corner of his coat. He walked more and more slowly, and finally came to a slow stop. I said softly, "Let's go."
Ah Fei was stunned, no different from the half of the soul outside. He followed me blankly, step by step outside.