Late spring 1998.

There is still a month and a half before the college entrance examination, Wen Shuo will get up early every morning and go to the river embankment north of the Xianren Bridge to recite some knowledge points - in fact, this year, with the average level of grades he has maintained in high school for three years, he is studying in a high school in a small county like Dongyun, even if it is an ordinary university, the probability of being admitted is very low.

But since her mother, who raised her alone two months ago, began to talk a lot, hoping that her son could be admitted to college to win glory for her, Wen Shuo naturally had to "sharpen the gun in battle, and fight hard even if it is unhappy".

At dawn that day, Wen Shuo came to the embankment of the Worsa River again, and found an old man sitting on the stone under the largest old locust tree.

The old man was dressed in a plain gray tunic with a bare head, and I don't know if it was because he was bald or because he had shaved his hair for convenience, but he had a few long gray beards on his forehead. With wrinkles and age spots on his face, he looks like he is in his prime, holding a book with a blue cover in one hand, and he is looking at the rippling water surface of the Wakata River.

Wen Shuo was surprised, and stepped forward and asked politely, "Grandpa Han, what are you doing sitting here early in the morning?"

The old man turned his head when he heard this, and said with a pleasant face, "Wait for you." ”

"Huh?" Wen Shuo was stunned: "What are you waiting for me to do?"

The old man's surname is Han Kehu, he is a native of Liujiaying Village, which is close to the Xianren Bridge and the South Ring Road, and he is also an old god stick who sets up a stall on the Xianren Bridge all the year round - unlike most of the face-to-face fortune tellers and charlatans of the yin and yang feng shui, Han Kehu does not face to face fortune telling, and the second is unbearable Feng Shui, and the third is not the countryside goddess and the god stick who ask the gods to come up, he will only write talismans and chant mantras to set up the altar to cure some folk so-called collisions, ghosts and other false diseases and external disasters.

When Wen Shuo was a child, because his mother set up a stall in the farmers' market to do a small business, she neglected to take care of him, so she often went to the fairy bridge to play, where there were many small traders, some monkeys and acrobatics, as well as the stalls of many charlatans such as playing chess and playing chess, selling dog skin plasters, fortune-telling and feng shui, etc., which were very lively.

At that time, Wen Shuo, who was white and honest like a small ball of meat, was really likable, so the vendors and characters who often set up stalls on the Xianren Bridge liked this little guy who grew up playing on the Xianren Bridge every day.

Especially Han Kehu, he especially likes to squat in front of his stall, staring at a "Tranquility Talisman" that can ponder Wen Shuo for a long time.

Unlike other peers who sit upright and read books or close their eyes and pretend to be superior, Han Kehu likes to chat with people when he is idle and has no business, and then he is really annoyed that no one accompanies him to chat, so he began to pass the time with Wen Shuo, teaching him to draw talismans, and passing on some oral messages that are either rhymed, plain and harmonious, or obscure, esoteric and difficult to understand like unintentional spells, and also taught him to compare some hands that can ward off evil spirits and exorcise ghosts, sometimes Wen Shuo is annoyed, Han Kehu will tell him about ghosts, spirits, evil and foreign objects, Interesting superstitious stories such as ghosts and ghosts.

At that time, Wen Shuo was young, simple and naïve, and he was willing to learn these things from Han Kehu, because he really wanted to become one of those immortals with great powers in "Journey to the West", who could subdue demons and eliminate demons, and could fly to the sky and turn over rivers and seas......

Later, after entering high school, Wen Shuo rarely went to Xianren Bridge, and even if he went occasionally, he tried to avoid Han Kehu.

Because learning these superstitious things will not do you the slightest, but will be ridiculed.

But if you don't study, you will inevitably be embarrassed when you see Han Kehu.

Now, Han Kehu looked at this guy who had grown up, wearing the uniform of the No. 1 High School in East Y County, with a height of 1.77 meters and a weight of 200 pounds, white and chubby like a fat polar bear, obviously not as cute and eye-catching as when he was a child, but Han Kehu still never got tired of looking at it and liked it very much, he said with a smile: "In the past three years, you have not been going to Xianren Bridge to play, I miss you a lot." Recently, I feel that I am getting older, and my body is afraid that I won't be able to survive for long, so I want to teach you some more things. ”

"Don't ...... You are so old and capable, you will live at least a hundred years. Wen Shuo hurriedly waved his hand and explained with a smile: "Grandpa Han, I'm about to take the college entrance examination, I really don't have time or mood to learn those things recently, you see my ......."

"I'm eighty-three years old. Han Kehu's eyes showed a deep sadness and hope, as well as a little pleading.

Wen Shuo's heart softened.

"I'll tell you about it again...... Han Kehu keenly grasped the hesitation in Wen Shuo's eyes, and also understood that the kid was soft-hearted, so he immediately climbed down the pole and beckoned: "Little fat man, come, come here, sit next to me, let's have a good chat." ”

"Grandpa Han. Wen Shuo reluctantly walked over and sat down, scratched his head and said: "Let's talk about it, before, I was young and ignorant, and I followed you to learn these superstitious things purely for fun, and now I am about to graduate from high school, I really don't want to learn this, let alone do this kind of thing, not to mention anything else, think about it yourself, how many times have you been arrested by the police station over the years because you went to other people's houses to set up altars to draw talismans and recite spells?"

Han Kehu didn't care about Wen Shuo's words at all, grabbed Wen Shuo's fleshy hand, and said, "You definitely don't believe it now, but you will believe it later." ”

"How is that possible?" Wen Shuo pouted, and he noticed that Han Kehu's hands were cold.

"If you see something weird that science can't explain, will you believe it......? Ghost!" Han Kehu was mysterious, but he looked very confident, seeing Wen Shuo's surprised expression, he immediately changed the topic and said: "Although you kid is naturally smart and has a good memory, you don't need to learn it for so long, and there are so many things I taught you before, I should have forgotten it almost now, right?" I will consolidate and consolidate it for you again this time......" As he spoke, Han Kehu's right hand was raised and naturally placed on Wen Shuo's forehead, like a kind old man, touching his grandson's forehead with his hand.

Wen Shuo frowned, Han Kehu's hand was too cold.

But the old man accompanied him through a lot of his childhood leisure time, and he was really good to him, and he also bought snacks for him to eat, so Wen Shuo, out of the most basic courtesy, had to be patient, listening to the old man babble about those mysterious knowledge, but not obscure, because the old man said this, all in the most understandable vernacular.

It's a pity that Wen Shuo's left ear goes in and out of his right ear, so he doesn't have to think about it at all.

The old man chattered endlessly, Wen Shuo was really annoyed, so he looked at the rising red sun, and excused himself to hurry back to breakfast and school, otherwise he would be late, so he ignored the old man's retention, and ran away as if he was leaving.

Descend from the river embankment, along the north street of Liujiaying Village, go west to Yuntai Street, and cross Yuntai Street is the cotton spinning factory community where Wenshuo's house is located.

Recently, Wenshuo has to go back and forth every day.

Today, when I was about to walk out of Liujiaying Village, I saw a lot of villagers gathered outside the door of a dilapidated house on the north side, and there were villagers coming in and out of the gate from time to time. Wen Shuo knew that it was Han Kehu's home, so he was very puzzled, Han Kehu was a lonely old man, and others were not at home, what were these villagers doing here?

When he got closer, Wen Shuo heard the villagers' discussions, and was stunned suddenly-Han Kehu died last night!

He's dead?!

Who was the old man who had been babbling to himself on the embankment for a long time just now?

Wen Shuo remembered that the old Han Tou's hands were very cold!

Through the open gate of the dilapidated fenced courtyard, you can see that the open and wide courtyard has simply erected a pergola with sticks and felt cloth, and under the pergola, there is a shabby single wooden bed, which is covered with straw and reed mats, and a thin corpse with a shroud on it lying upright, with a black cloth covering its face.

Wen Shuo's back was cold, and he suddenly turned his head to look at the river embankment to the east, and the willows swayed on the river embankment under the rising sun.

Fear surged in his heart, Wen Shuo opened his mouth to shout, and wanted to say something to these villagers, but he couldn't spit out a word. Under the surprised gaze of several villagers, Wen Shuo trembled, his eyes turned white and he lay on his back.

He was so frightened that he fainted.

......

I don't know how long he was in a coma in the dark, Wen Shuo's consciousness woke up little by little, and the first thing that came to mind was this terrible encounter, why, the dead old Han Tou would appear on the river embankment to talk to him?

But then, Wen Shuo found that his eyes did not open.

Haven't woken up yet?

In a dream?

A terrible headless man suddenly appeared in his mind, the broken half of his neck was still bleeding, the broken flesh was torn into silk by the flesh skin, drooping, the black clothes were dirty, the bloody head was carried in his right hand, and his bare feet were braided and walked step by step in front of Wen Shuo, a painful and hideous smile appeared on the face of the head, and the lower half of the neck dragged the minced flesh and tickled with blood...... Wen Shuo was so frightened that he wanted to turn around and run away, but he found that his limbs did not obey the call, he wanted to shout, but he couldn't make a sound with his mouth open.

At this moment, Old Han Tou suddenly appeared beside him, smiled and handed over a talisman, and said to him: "Little fat man, this is the Five Thunder Exorcism Talisman, you take it in your hand, pinch the sun and throw it at the headless ghost, and then silently recite the thunder spell, you can blast it to death...... Well, you didn't cultivate enough, but it was enough to drive it away. ”

"Yes, yes...... Okay?" Wen Shuo finally spoke, but his voice trembled and he trembled.

"Soon, it's too late!" the old Han head urged.

Wen Shuo hurriedly took the Five Thunder Exorcism Talisman with his right hand, and then pinched out the Sun Duel, threw it with a flick of his hand, and at the same time silently recited the Thunder Guiding Charm, only to see that the Five Thunder Exorcism Talisman was like a line of streamer, shooting into the chest of the headless ghost, and suddenly bursting out with a dazzling brilliance.

The light dissipated, only to see the blood on the ground, the bloody head was thrown on the ground, and the headless ghost had fled in a hurry.

"Works, right?" said Old Han Tou proudly.

"Hey, it's really spiritual!" Wen Shuo had forgotten his fear, and was a little excited—Lao Tzu had learned a spell that could drive away ghosts, so could he become a master like in a horror and supernatural movie in the future......

Suddenly remembering that the old Han Tou was dead, Wen Shuo shuddered, turned his head to look at the old Han Tou standing beside him, but saw the old Han Tou looking at him with tears on his face, grinning a little hideously and madly: "I am unwilling to die, I don't want to die, little fat man, I used to be so good to you before, you ignored me for three years......"

As he spoke, Old Han turned his hands into claws and pinched Wen Shuo's neck!

"Ahh......h

"Shuo, Shuo, what's wrong with you?" came her mother Li Qin's anxious and worried voice.

Wen Shuo only felt that his eyes lit up, his eyes opened, and his eyes were white, and his mother sat next to him with tears in her eyes, grabbing his arm with both hands.

Here, it's the hospital ward.

There is also a needle in his left hand, connected to an infusion set and a hanging bottle.

"What's wrong with me?" Wen Shuo frowned, the scene in his dream, as well as his previous experience, became blurred.

But I still remember some.

What's going on?

Was it just a nightmare?

Seeing his stunned appearance, his mother burst into tears, sobbing and said with great guilt: "The doctor said that you have been under too much pressure recently, studying too hard, tired, low blood sugar, and sudden low blood pressure. Shuo, it's all bad for my mother, let's not take the university entrance exam, in the future, don't stay up late at night, and don't have to get up early to study. ”

"Mom, actually, ......" Wen Shuo didn't know what to say for a while, his mind was messy, and many memories that seemed real and imaginary were turning over and over in his mind.