I stood in the center, looking at the figure that was gradually wrapping me up, and I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

They no longer have the kindness they used to be, and they are all exposed. He looked at me with a malicious expression.

My hands were nervously clasped with each other, and I was extremely annoyed: "Why have you been so unlucky lately?" Why did you encounter dirty things again? ”

I was remorseful and hopeless. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind, and the ghost made a shout: "You can't kill me, I am the master of the empty house." ”

The old woman who pretended to be a girl sneered: "Do you want to scare me with this name? The hand of the empty house is too long. The old lady sues you, in this place where the heavens and the earth don't care, your set is useless. As long as you are a living person, you will be my substitute for the dead today. ”

Then, a couple of hands around grabbed me. I struggled so hard that I couldn't break free, and the old woman was already approaching with tea.

She leaned in front of me, a smile on her face, the folds of her face piled up like twisted dough: "Come on, drink it." If it's cold, it won't taste good. ”

Two hands reached out and broke my mouth open.

I closed my eyes in despair and thought, "It's over, it seems that I'll be the one who makes tea here in the future." ”

I waited with my eyes closed for a while, but found that no tea had been poured into my mouth. I opened my eyes and realized that something was wrong with the formation outside.

Out of nowhere, a thin black old man came out, holding a blunt knife in his hand and holding it around the old woman's neck.

The old woman was still holding the tea steadily, but she didn't dare to act rashly. I heard her voice a little annoyed: "The soul belongs to us, and the flesh belongs to you." This is a rule that has been established many years ago. What do you mean by that today? ”

The old man, known as the cobbler, said unhurriedly, "I have to make an exception today, I have some interest in this kid." ”

The old woman said angrily: "Just because he is the owner of some bullshit empty house? ”

The cobbler sneered: "Empty house? The old cobbler may not have taken it seriously. This person worked for me, though. ”

The old woman was obviously quite jealous of the cobbler, and although she was very polite in her language, she did not dare to disobey him in her actions.

The cobbler slapped me in the face with a knife, as if he were beating an animal: "Follow me." ”

I didn't want to go, but I didn't have the courage to go. I followed the cobbler and took two steps, and then I heard a snap behind me, and the old woman dropped the tea on the floor.

I heard the conversation between the cobbler and the old woman very clearly. The old woman wants my soul, and the cobbler wants flesh.

I thought to myself, "What does he want to do?" Skinned me alive? ”

While I was thinking about it, the cobbler had pushed open a small door and entered. I stood outside and looked around, and the cottage was very different from the bamboo huts around me. It is crudely made, with only one door and no windows.

After a while, there was a roaring fire. Apparently, the cobbler had made a fire inside.

I looked at the darkness around me and thought, "Why don't you run away now?" ”

However, the cobbler seemed to be able to read through my mind. I heard him whisper in the room, "Come in." There are an unknown number of imps waiting for you outside. As long as you get a hundred steps away from my room, you will be recaptured. ”

When I heard him say this, I trembled and pushed open the door. Death outside the house, there may be a glimmer of life inside.

There was no light in the house, and the light of the fire in the stove lit up the place.

I saw a lot of skins nailed to the wall, their limbs spread out, their expressions different, obviously, human skin.

I felt a wave of dizziness in my head, and it looked like I was about to faint here.

The cobbler sat by the stove and looked at me with a smirk.

My cold sweat kept flowing down, and after a while, I suppressed my throat and said, "Sir, what are you going to do to me?" ”

The cobbler did not answer my question, but pointed to one of the human skins and said, "Do you look at this man, is he familiar?" ”

After the human skin was peeled off, I don't know how many years had passed, and they had hardened and blackened. It's like a dusty painting.

I took a second look at that flat face, and immediately realized that this skin was the old woman just now.

The cobbler was a little proud, and said, "Whoever has drunk tea outside." None of the bones and souls can return to their hometowns. The soul was left outside to make tea, and I peeled off the skin and hung it here. ”

I said tremblingly, "I didn't drink that cup of tea, don't I have to be skinned by you?" ”

The cobbler smiled and said with a strange expression, "I'm curious, why did the Yin Ghost Woman choose you to be the owner of the empty house?" ”

I whispered, "I can't help myself." Ay? Do you know the Yin Ghost Woman? ”

The cobbler nodded, pointed to the human skins on the wall, and said, "These skins can be hung here, all thanks to the Yin Ghost Woman." I've lived here for many years and know something, so it's no surprise. ”

Then, he didn't wait for me to ask, and said briefly: "The Yin Ghost Woman has planted torture bamboos around here, and she is ruthless with her intentions. Old Man Xue was certainly the first to bear the brunt of it, and the little ghosts around him were also implicated. They were trapped by the torture bamboo and it was difficult to get out, so gradually a tradition was formed. ”

The cobbler didn't say anything more, but smiled at me: "That's what you just saw." ”

I stood in the cobbler's room, my legs trembling. But I could feel that although the dark and thin old man in front of me was mysterious and eerie, he did not seem to have any ill will towards me.

I cautiously asked, "So, what did you bring me here for?" ”

The cobbler said, "Since you claim to be the owner of the empty house, you must do what the empty house should do." ”

I asked, "What should I do in an empty house?" ”

The cobbler looked at me with some dissatisfaction, and then said: "The torture bamboo here was planted by the Yin Ghost Woman, since you took over her to live in the empty dead house, you should always pull out the torture bamboo, and then surpass the dead soul here." ”

I nodded hurriedly: "This is easy to say, this is easy to say." As soon as I said yes, I immediately remembered that the murder knife was coming, and then smiled miserably: "I'm afraid I won't be able to help you with this, because I'm going to die tomorrow." ”

The cobbler seemed unsurprised by my words, and he smiled and said, "When you dug up that knife here, I expected you to have such a day. That knife is fierce, you dare to take it with you, it's really a newborn calf who is not afraid of tigers. The old cobbler was just a cold looker, curious to see how long you could last. I didn't expect that in just one month, you were worried about your life, which surprised me a little. ”

I was now so distraught that I could only smile bitterly at the ridicule of the cobbler, and said nothing.

The cobbler continued, "If my expectation is correct, the knife will come and kill you tomorrow, right?" ”

I nodded, "yes, I'll die tomorrow." ”

The cobbler continued, "The second purpose for which I called you here is for the sword. Tomorrow you don't have to do anything, I'll die for you. ”

I was stunned for a moment, and I didn't react for a while. After I thought about it for a few seconds, I felt a mixture of ecstasy, surprise, and doubt. I asked, incredulously, "You're going to die for me?" Why? ”

The cobbler said lightly: "You just need to do your own thing." After surviving, take advantage of the lonely ghosts here. ”

Naturally, I agreed to this request. Then, he said with some doubts: "Old man, why did you die for me?" Who are you? Is it a person, or is it? ”

The cobbler smiled slightly: "What do you think I am?" ”

I thought to myself: You're fighting with these imps, and you're definitely not human. They want souls, you want flesh and skin, I guess some kind of evil spirit. That knife kills people and ghosts, since you are looking for death, then I don't have to stop it.

I thought so in my heart, but I didn't dare to say it, just looked at him with a grateful face.

The cobbler took out the blunt knife on the table, handed it to me, and said, "Cut off your middle finger and write the birth date on me." Tomorrow I'll be your stand-in. ”

The knife was so blunt that I took it and slashed my fingers, and the blades full of openings were like a saw, and I gasped in pain.

The cobbler turned around and showed me his back. I stretched out my fingers, and the pen walked on the dragon snake to write my birthday on it.

I wrote for a while, and then suddenly I stopped involuntarily. For I saw a visible scar on the back of the cobbler's head. It's like you've been slashed by some sharp blade. And this scar was hastily stitched with a thick line.

I saw that something seemed to be popping out of the scar.

I swallowed and foamed, and said boldly, "Old man, I can't see clearly, can we get close to the fire?" ”

The cobbler nodded, and sat down beside the fire. By the light of the fire, I looked closely at the wound and pressed my fingers against him.

Then I started sweating on my back. There is no flesh and blood in this old man's body, and this skin is full of straw.

My heart was beating violently: "He's not even a ghost, just a human skin, just a human skin......"