"Okay, then I'll say it in advance, don't regret it then!"

Xu Tianchuan looked at Xing Chang and Jiao San, and the originally serious expression on his face gradually showed a smile.

Now that they have all followed, there is really no need to be hypocritical and grinding.

"You...... How many of you know each other? ”

The boatman with a shotgun next to him heard the words of the three of them talking and laughing after meeting, and his nervous heart suddenly relaxed, but because he was frightened just now, he was almost scared of endocrine disorders, so he looked unhappy, and it seemed that he wanted to make up for the mental loss.

"I'm sorry to surprise you."

Xu Tianchuan politely apologized, and took out two pieces of ocean from his backpack and handed them over.

The boatman took the two pieces of ocean handed by Xu Tianchuan, and then slowly calmed down the frightened little heart.

After all, these two oceans are not a small amount, and the one-way ferry fare is only ten oceans, and it is still a high price.

Xu Tianchuan, Xing Chang and Jiao San are also reunited by the Iron Triangle.

Because the three of them have worked together once before, they should have a more tacit understanding.

After the three of them entered the boathouse, they discussed a topic with each other until the second half of the night, because there was still business at dawn, and even if they were not sleepy, they had to sleep for a while to replenish their spirits.

The next day, early in the morning.

The sky was just gray.

Xu Tianchuan woke up from his sleep, stretched, got up and walked out of the boat.

In the early morning, there was a heavy fog on the surface of the Ru River, and the fog was thick, clinging to the surface of the river, as if milk had been poured into the river, as if you were in a fairyland outside the sky.

There is no end in the thick fog, but some outlines of the mountains under the thick fog on the left and right sides can be faintly seen.

Xu Tianchuan walked to the bow of the boat, squatted down, held the river water with both hands, and washed his face.

Although Xu Tianchuan's body was too heavy with yin qi and he couldn't feel anything cold, he guessed that the river water must be very cold.

To be honest, in fact, this season is indeed not a good time to go looking for the underwater ghost god.

That is, Xu Tianchuan just squatted down and washed his face with the river water, and the water surface was rippled, and along this wave of ripples, a piece of paper money floated to Xu Tianchuan's hand with the ripples on the water surface.

Where does the paper money come from on the water?

Xu Tianchuan was surprised and reached out to pick up the paper money that was cut into the shape of copper coins floating on the water, also known as the dead money, which was specially burned for the dead.

The paper money is very thin and can float on the surface of the water without being dissolved, indicating that it has not been scattered for a long time.

Early in the morning, he picked up the money when he went out, Xu Tianchuan felt that this was a bit unlucky!

"Shopkeeper Xu, you're really early!"

Jiao San and Xing Chang Yitong walked out of the ship.

Xu Tianchuan, who was squatting on the bow of the boat, looked back at the two.

But as soon as he turned around, Xu Tianchuan was directly stunned, not looking at the two of them, but looking at the river behind the two of them, his eyes were wide and surprised.

The two also seemed to see that something was wrong with Xu Tianchuan's eyes, and at the same time subconsciously turned their heads back.

I saw that after the wooden boat passed through a layer of dense fog in front of it, and then looked at the entire river, there was a piece of yellow paper money floating in the river, as far as the eye could see, so dense that it was no longer possible to see the surface of the water.

How can there be so much money scattered on the river?

The three of them frowned at the same time, feeling very weird.

"People! Dead person! ”

Jiao San suddenly pointed to the side and exclaimed.

Xu Tianchuan immediately followed the direction of Jiao San's finger and looked over.

I saw a corpse in red clothes floating on the water on the left side, because of the thick fog, the view was not very comprehensive.

"There's still one ahead!"

As the wooden boat slowly moved forward, through the thick fog, it saw not only one corpse floating on the surface of the river, but many, all dressed in red clothes, and even some with only stumps such as thighs and arms.

"Are you sure you've reached the Ru River at the foot of Wufeng Mountain?"

The three of them looked at the corpses floating on the river around the wooden boat, and the thick fog shrouded them, and the expressions on their faces became solemn.

In the Luoyang area, Xu Tianchuan had never heard of water burials.

And even if it is a water burial, it is impossible to throw the body directly into the river, because the Ru River is the main source of water in the nearby area, and throwing the body directly into the river will naturally cause water pollution and even plague.

A real water burial is cremation followed by scattering of ashes into a river or lake.

At this moment, a cool breeze suddenly blew on the surface of the river.

Under the blowing of the breeze, the thick fog against the surface of the river seemed to be filled with smoke, and the corpses floating on the surface of the river also swept with the breeze.

The distance was closer, and Xu Tianchuan saw the whole picture of these corpses clearly.

Not a real corpse!

It's all paper-pierced!

, it turned out to be a false alarm!

Looking at these paper people, Xu Tianchuan couldn't help but smile bitterly, it seemed that he was too nervous.

But it's no wonder that you can be wrong, first of all, because the fog on the river is too thick, the visibility is very low, and these paper people are very exquisite, the proportions are the same as people, not only the limbs, but even the details of the facial features are in place, and they do not fade when they encounter water, and they are all 'young and beautiful women' wearing red clothes.

"His grandmother's, scare Lao Tzu! What kind of custom is this, throwing so many paper people in the river, and all of them are beautiful women, is it for perverts? ”

Jiao San next to him looked at the paper-piercing people floating to the bow of the boat, and not only cursed.

That is, as soon as Jiao San's words fell, the boatman walked out of the other boathouse with a smile.

This boatman makes a living on the ferry of the Joux River, and he should know a little about the local customs and customs.

So Xu Tianchuan planned to ask the boatman what the situation was.

But before the words could be spoken, the boatman, who had just come out of the room yawning, looked at the situation on the river, and the sleepiness and tiredness on his face disappeared in an instant, and his frightened and panicked eyes seemed to have seen a ghost.

"Oh no...... Today...... What time is it today? ”

The boatman's face changed color, and before Xu Tianchuan could speak, he asked Xu Tianchuan first.

What is the first day?

"The ninth day of the first month!"

Jiao San next to him answered directly.

It's just over the Spring Festival, and I don't even remember the day.

But looking at the frightened and flustered expression of the boatman, and the first sentence was to ask what time it was today, Xu Tianchuan already had a bad premonition in his heart, so he added a sentence after Jiao San: "But this year is a leap year, and it happens to be the first month of the leap year!" ”

A leap year is still a leap month.

This is a very special year, with the longest intercalary month in history taking place more than 1,400 years apart.

"Huh? Leap New Year? ”

As soon as the boatman heard Xu Tianchuan's words again, he was directly frightened and his legs weakened, and he sat down on the deck of the wooden ship.

"Dog, come ...... Dock quickly...... Hurry up and get ashore! ”

The boatman, who was slumped on the deck of the wooden boat, shouted at his men who were paddling almost hysterically, as if he had met a ghost.

When the guy who was paddling heard the boatman's words, he hurriedly turned the bow of the boat.

But now it is in the middle of the river, and this body of water is the source of the River Joux, and it is also the widest section, several hundred meters wide from both banks.

Not only did the boatman shout in panic, but he also took out a few spare oars and desperately helped paddle on the side of the wooden boat.

This wave of operations by the boat family really confused Xu Tianchuan and the three of them.

"What are you still doing in a daze, you don't want to die here, just hurry up and come over to help, we have to go ashore quickly!"

The boatman shouted at the indifferent and confused Xu Tianchuan.

"Boatman, don't panic first, what's going on, you can make it clear first."

Xu Tianchuan asked with a serious expression.

"Don't panic? Don't panic anymore, you're going to sacrifice to the river god! ”

The boatman said loudly while paddling desperately with his oars: "This is the source of the Ru River, the waters of Wufeng Mountain, and it is said that there is a river god living under this water, and the river god is angry, which will cause floods and flood both banks. In order to avoid flooding, the local people hold a very large-scale ceremony on the ninth day of the second month every year to worship the river god.

On this day of worship to the river god, not only a large amount of paper money and virgins are thrown into this water, but also five adult bulls, twenty adult rams, and a hundred chickens, ducks and geese are pushed into the river. This day is also the time when the river god receives the sacrificial tribute, and all the food on the water will be taken away by the river god as a sacrificial tribute to it! So no one can touch the surface of the water on this day.

Because this year happens to be the first month of the leap month, the river god sacrifice has been advanced! If we don't go ashore soon, I'm afraid we will be treated as a sacrificial tribute to the river god! ”

After listening to the boatman's explanation, Xu Tianchuan understood.

It turns out that so much paper money and paper people are scattered on the river, all of which are used to worship the river god!

But in the conversation for so long yesterday, I hadn't heard the boatman say anything about the river god at all.

As mentioned earlier, the Ru River is one of the branches of the Huai River, and it is difficult to control the floods that occur every year.

The ancients were very superstitious, especially in the case of such natural disasters, it is a very common and normal phenomenon to worship the mountain god by the mountain and the river to worship the river god.

"Cut, what should I do, River God? I'm also the Dragon King of the East China Sea, this kind of superstitious custom is usually just to make a show and comfort yourself. ”

Jiao San looked at the boatman and sneered with a big grin, although Jiao San also believes in superstition, but not all superstitions are believed.

Especially this kind of mountain god river god blessing, and such as sending the child Guanyin, the god of wealth Yue Lao and so on.

The geographical location is not good, even if he gives his wife to the river god, there should still be a flood, so it is normal for Jiao San to sneer at it.

"Bastard, you're disrespectful to the river god!"

The boatman immediately refuted and angrily refuted Jiao San's words, and at the same time quickly knelt on the deck, facing the river, bowing and bowing, and there were words in his mouth, asking the river god for forgiveness.

"I said you ......"

Jiao San was very unhappy when he was scolded, and was about to refute, but was interrupted by Xu Tianchuan with a serious expression: "San'er, I'd rather believe it than not, don't forget what we're here for, hurry up and help!" ”

Xu Tianchuan's words calmed Jiao San, and at the same time, he also wanted to make Jiao San realize in his heart what Xu Tianchuan meant, the real river god may not have it, but it does not rule out other evil things, such as the main purpose of his group - the ghost god!

If the 'river god' worshipped by the people on both sides of the strait is the god of Guigu......

"Uncle has a point! I also feel that this water surface is not suitable for a long time, it is better to go ashore as soon as possible! ”

Xing Chang, who had been silent, stood on Xu Tianchuan's side, and at the same time picked up an oar and helped to stir the water.

Several people paddled with oars at the same time, and the wooden boat traveled more than twice as fast on the water, and layers of ripples quickly rippled outward.

But Xu Tianchuan faintly felt that at this time, the dense fog around not only did not disperse, but became thicker and thicker, and the visibility in front of him became lower and lower, and the outline of the distant mountains he saw before was also completely covered by the increasingly thick white fog, and with the caress of the breeze, the air was still filled with the smell of burning incense.

It was already seven o'clock in the morning, and although it was said that the mountains were foggy, the thick fog gathered was really a little too strange and strange.

After sliding forward for about ten meters, the dense fog in front of me was broken through layer by layer, and the originally clear river water suddenly slowly turned red!

This red is blood!

Almost the entire body of water in front of us was crimson blood!

"River God...... The river god is already angry...... The river god is already angry......"

Looking at the blood in the surrounding waters, the surface of the river was dyed with blood, and the boatman was already frightened like a puddle of mud, his whole body was paralyzed, and he didn't even have the strength to escape with the last oar, and his expression of fear was full of despair, and he trembled.

In addition, Xu Tianchuan also noticed that not only the blood stained the surface of the river red, but also some fragments of internal organs and black stumps and flesh floating on the surface of the river.

After all, this is only the Ru River, not a big river, even if it is a fish, it rarely weighs more than 30 catties.