"That's exactly what I want you to help me find out what the evil spirits are doing." Elder Shen's expression was serious, he looked at Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng in front of him with a sincere attitude, and said solemnly, "After you told me about the two things you have personally experienced, I have figured out one thing: if you want to make the souls stranded in the world transcend the other world, you must first figure out what the obsession that can keep their souls in the world when they die, and then you can prescribe the right medicine according to this to eliminate their obsession and let their souls disappear or leave. ”

However, Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng showed embarrassed expressions. "Those two couples are dead, how can we possibly know what they did to cause the evil spirits to come out and haunt them? The dead will not speak. Wu Yun said.

"You said that their souls were devoured by fierce spirits, and there was no possibility of even conjuring spirits......" Wei Xiaofeng thought of Grandma Yuan for the first time, but immediately realized that it was not feasible.

"That's right, but ......" Shen Lao paused, and the next words made Wu Yun and Xiao Feng couldn't help but be surprised and excited, "It's not without clues." ”

"What clues?"

"The legend of the origin of the name Lake of Mercy."

Xiao Feng gasped and said with some emotion: "Are you saying that there is a connection between Uncle Chen's daughter falling into the lake and dying six years ago and the little poor girl jumping into the lake to commit suicide in that legendary story?" ”

Shen Lao replied noncommittally: "I'm not sure if there is a connection, but if you think about it, there are many ways for a girl to commit suicide, why would she come to Lianhu Lake in a remote mountainous area to commit suicide?" ”

Wu Yun pondered for a while, and said slowly: "Or, she originally knew the legend of Lianhu and felt that this was the only place in the world that was the most suitable place for her to die, so she came here desperately to commit suicide; Or, or after she was hurt by love, she just wanted to distract herself from the lake, and she had no intention of committing suicide, but after listening to the local villagers tell the legend about the little girl, she had a strong sense of substitution, and thought of her own tragic experience, so she lost control of her emotions and committed suicide by jumping into the lake with the footsteps of the little girl. ”

Shen Lao twisted the long beard on his chin and agreed: "That's right, I think so too." ”

Wu Yun looked at Wei Xiaofeng and said, "Then we have to start with that legend, which should hide the key to the murderous spirit that prompted that girl to commit suicide six years ago and caused her to turn into a murderous spirit after her death." ”

Xiao Feng said with a slight frown: "But we only heard the old man on the painting boat say it once, and some details are not very clear. ”

"You don't have to worry about that." Shen Lao said to his granddaughter Sisi, who was sitting on his lap, "Sisi, go and bring the little notebook that Grandpa drew for you before." ”

Sisi answered with a milky voice, jumped off her grandfather's knees, and trotted all the way to her small room. After a while, she ran back with a small book that looked like a comic book and handed it to Shen Lao.

Shen Lao handed the small book to Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng, and said: "Well, this is the legend of the lake in our village that has been passed down from generation to generation. ”

Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng flipped through a few pages with novelty and eagerness, and couldn't help but praise sincerely: "You drew this by hand?" Great, no less than a professional painter! ”

Shen Lao was a little embarrassed, but there was no trace of his blush on his old rough face. "I've been a priest for so many years, except for the sacrifices, I'm a little busy, and when I have nothing to do on weekdays, I like to pick up a pen and draw a few strokes. When I was young, I always had the idea of making a small picture album of the legend of the lake with pictures, and I began to draw after Sisi was born, and I completed this booklet when Sisi knew how to read. Sisi had already read it several times and then put it aside and stopped turning it over, and I didn't think it would come in handy today. ”

Although the paintings in the album are all sketched with simple lines, without any color, and the details are not delicate, it can be seen that one of the strokes is full of Shen Lao's strong love for his granddaughter. Wei Xiaofeng asked a little embarrassedly, "Can this really be lent to us?" ”

Shen Lao did not hesitate: "I will give it to you as a souvenir of our acquaintance." My old man, who has buried half of his body in the loess, has nothing left to the world. Although the painting is a little simpler, the words are all summed up with the people in the village, and there is no difference between them and the stories passed down by word of mouth. ”

Wu Yun and Xiao Feng roughly turned two pages and closed them. The dim lighting is not real, and it is not good for eyesight, so they plan to go back to the hotel and take a closer look.

"If we find out what the cause of the evil spirits is going on, what will we do after that?" Wu Yun asked.

Shen Lao said word by word with a solemn expression: "Then you can draw a gourd in the same way, draw out that fierce spirit, and find a way to eliminate her obsession." ”

"Huh?" What a bold plan, like the two dead couples, face the resentful spirit, the danger of which is self-evident. Wu Yun and Xiao Feng were only shocked and let out a sound in surprise.

Shen Lao had already expected their reactions, and continued: "Lovers, and you have the experience of coming into contact with the spirit and helping the spirit to eliminate obsessions, no matter how you look at it, you are the most suitable person. ”

"Shen Lao, you misunderstood, we are not a couple, or ordinary friends." Wei Xiaofeng changed from shock to shame, and hurriedly defended.

Shen Lao laughed and said, "Is that so?" I'm so old, can't I see what kind of relationship you have? On the surface, you may not have established this level of relationship, but I can feel that both of you are full of care and love for each other. The story you experienced together in Dongmingshan before has added an extra bond between you, this bond is unbreakable, and you who are implicated by this bond are more connected and affectionate than ordinary couples. ”

After listening to Shen Lao's words, Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng couldn't help but look at each other. At this time, they suddenly realized that it was not that they could not see the love for each other in each other's eyes, but that they had long been accustomed to such eyes for each other and took them for granted.

"I know I'm talking about a risky approach, but we can't afford to put it off." Shen Lao didn't give them time to carry out your work and said urgently, "This village will soon become history with our old fellows entering the earth one by one, and the rituals and sacrifices to the lake spirits that have been handed down in the village since ancient times will soon disappear with the disappearance of the village, and it is impossible for us to slowly dissolve the obsession of this fierce spirit with years of sacrifice as we did hundreds of years ago." Once this evil spirit continues to exist in this lake, I don't know how many innocent couples will be sucked dry by the evil spirit in the future, and the consequences will be unimaginable......"

Listening to Shen Lao's words, Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng didn't have time to sense each other's hearts, imagining the picture of Shen Lao's narration, their faces became more and more ugly.

"Indeed, as Shen Lao said, the fierce spirit in the lake is like a time bomb, and if she does not eliminate her obsession and let her soul return to another place, the couples who come to the lake will be in danger of their lives all the time." Wu Yun said, "Because there will only be more and more people who will come to Lianhu to travel in the future, it is difficult to guarantee that there will not be a couple who will do the same thing as the two couples who were killed by the evil spirits and cause the evil spirits to haunt them." Once such accidents are frequent, the lake will inevitably be closed, and those who rely on the lake for food will have to leave here to find another way. Like dominoes, the ensuing effects are enormous. ”

"I understand the reason," Wei Xiaofeng said with a slight frown, "but even if we find the cause of the evil spirit and draw her out, then how can we eliminate her obsession after that?" If we don't solve this problem, we will simply go to ...... death."

Shen Lao's expression at this time was much more relaxed, and he said with a smile: "When you meet the fierce spirit, maybe you will naturally find the answer." ”

Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng looked puzzled, and just as they were about to continue asking, they saw that Sisi, the little girl who had been sitting on Shen Lao's lap, put away her innocent face, her expression became solemn, and she turned her head to stare at the direction of Lianhu. Her widening eyes flashed with a light that was seriously inconsistent with her age, and the words that came out of her small mouth were dry and cold: "Grandpa, she seems to be coming out again." ”

Shen Lao's expression froze, holding his breath and quietly staring at the direction of Sisi's eyes, as if sensing something. After a few seconds, he exhaled softly, and said in a hoarse voice, "I feel it too, she's coming out again......"

"'She'? Who is it? Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng skipped a trace of doubt in their hearts, but in the blink of an eye, they immediately understood, "Are you talking about that fierce spirit?" ”

Neither Shen Lao nor Sisi nodded, but from their eyes, Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng got a positive answer.

"How so? Could it be that another couple did something that angered the evil spirits by the lake? Wei Xiaofeng covered his mouth with his hands, feeling fear and pessimism about the tragedy that was about to happen again.

Wu Yun also frowned and said, "Isn't there another innocent person who is going to be killed by the fierce spirit?" ”

"Maybe it's too late for you to get over now!" Shen Lao slapped the table and said, "The place where the fierce spirit's resentment is deepest is not far from here, and she hasn't fully appeared yet. ”

A look of hope appeared on Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng's faces, and they asked urgently in unison, "Where is it?" ”

Shen Lao closed his eyes, tried hard to feel the location where the fierce spirit was about to appear, and said slowly: "From the place where we sacrificed just now, walk along the lake shore to the west for about five hundred meters......

Then he opened his eyes and continued: "If I remember correctly, there is a bush of reeds. ”

"Let's go!" After learning the specific location, Wu Yun and Wei Xiaofeng didn't say a word, grabbed the door and ran quickly towards the lake. Lives are at stake, and they are now in a race against time.

In the old house, Sisi looked at the old man with wide eyes and called "grandpa" softly.

The old man looked at the open wooden door and the backs of the pair of young men who disappeared into the night, sighed, stroked his granddaughter's hair, and said in a voice that only he could hear: "I'm afraid it's too late......"