The wind in the mountains was cold, the sky was dark, and the sky was full of stars.

The pair of young and old walked farther and farther, the figure gradually disappeared, entered the village, just as they stepped into the village, the red lantern went out, the village darkened, the quiet in the deep mountain valley, the village under the moon, reflected like a clear dream.

Chen Anzhi didn't move, he turned his head sideways and asked Mu Ruyi, "Shall we go in?"

Mu Ruyi took a deep breath, untied the snow-white long sword and held it in his hand, staring at the direction of Shenkeng Village without speaking.

A breeze fluttered, Chen Anzhi raised his arm, raised his head and poured a sip of wine, and the aroma of wine was overflowing in an instant.

With his slender arms in front of him, Chen Anzhi looked at Mu Ruyi suspiciously, and the girl's eyes moved away from his face, with a somewhat stubborn tone, "I want to take a sip too." ”

Chen Anzhi laughed suddenly, laughed loudly, and handed the wine gourd to the girl, knowing that Mu Ruyi was nervous.

Mu Ruyi held the sword in one hand and the wine gourd in the other, hesitated slightly, was ruthless, frowned, raised his head, his neck was white and delicate, and he took a big mouthful of dreams and brewed his belly.

The second time he drank, Mu Ruyi was not used to the spicy taste of the wine at all, but the wine entered his stomach, dispelled a little chill, and his body warmed up.

"Miss Mu. Chen Anzhi thought for a moment, took out a peach wood hairpin from his sleeve, and said: "It's very strange here, if something happens, I'm afraid I won't have time to take care of you." ”

Chen Anzhi didn't finish his words, Mu Ruyi knew what he was going to say, he didn't refuse, and naturally knew that if there was any emergency, he would only drag the other party down, so he nodded, stretched out his hand to pick it up, and remembered the story he saw when he was reading before, and he suddenly blushed slightly.

Such a shy look fell in Chen Anzhi's eyes, but he wanted to tease this little girl, but he dodged it with a hook of his wrist, and in Mu Ruyi's surprised eyes, he walked behind her and didn't get into the green silk tied by the ribbon.

Shenkeng Village is cut in half by a north-south dirt road, with a well in between, and a small ancestral hall with white paper lanterns hanging from behind, and a cypress tree behind the ancestral hall, lush and green, rising to the sky.

A slender figure carrying a lantern slowly approached, the light was faintly reflected in the wrinkled old face, it was the old man who had just dissuaded Chen Anzhi and the two outside the village, followed by a low little guy, he gently pushed open the door and walked in, closed the door tightly, hung the lantern aside, found a handful of incense and lit it, held it in his hand and bowed three times, walked to the wooden table in the middle, inserted it into the incense burner, and looked at the tablet with a sad look on his face.

In the corner of the ancestral hall, there are seven or eight men and women eating, all young people, dressed in different styles of Taoist robes, smiling, and the porcelain plate with paper embers still has smoke. The old man sighed, took off the lantern and walked over, hesitated for a moment, took out the wick of Yueyue, took out a handful of yellow paper money from his arms and lit it, and put it in the porcelain plate in front of them.

"Obviously a human, I want to live as a demon. The old man shuddered and turned back to the table, looking at the group of young monks who should have been on the avenue, his cloudy eyes inevitably showed a trace of disdain, and then he sneered again, and laughed at himself: "What right do I have to accuse them?"

When the smoke dissipated, the people in the corner sat up tremblingly, leaning limply against the wall, revealing a look of great enjoyment, as if they were drifting like immortals, accidentally knocking over the porcelain plate, and the gray-white paper embers flew up, rising and falling, like withered flowers, like withered snow, one after another, and fell on them.

The little girl sat on a bench, her legs swaying back and forth.

"Hengyou, it's been so long, stop it. The old man pleaded bitterly.

The little girl tilted her head and looked at the old man with big pure eyes, "Grandpa, what are you talking about?"

The sad old man opened his mouth and looked at the little girl gloomily, and in his eyes, the candle flame could not stop beating, throbbing, restless, despairing, and all the gloomy sadness was tilted down from these eyes.

In the small ancestral hall, there was a sigh, and the sky was full of 'snow'.

Chen Anzhi, who stopped at the entrance of the village, was moved, and looked up, someone on the other side of the dirt road was carrying a lantern and walking slowly, coming this way.

Mu Ruyi subconsciously clenched the long sword, and her eyes were clear.

I saw that the old man came to the front of him with a lamp and stopped, his eyes first fell on Mu Ruyi's face, to be precise, on the small hairpin, a trace of horror flashed in his eyes, he looked at Chen Anzhi after pretending to have nothing to do, and asked softly: "Housheng, why are you suffering?"

Chen Anzhi chuckled, put his hands behind his back, looked at him, and said in a straight voice: "Why are you bothered? All the books you have read over the years have been read to dogs?

The voice is sonorous and powerful.

The old man was stunned, obviously not knowing how to answer, in fact, what he was most shocked was the man in front of him, who looked young, but he couldn't see through anything, especially the reprimand, which was very similar to the way the gentleman blamed himself in the school.

"You..." The old man opened his mouth and asked bitterly, "How do you know?"

Although Chen Anzhi's cultivation is lost, he has not had a lot of experience reading people over the years, and the two people who had the best friendship with him three thousand years ago are the most knowledgeable in this world, one is Mr., and the other is the most respected boy surnamed He in Sanzhou and five places.

So when they met for the first time, the remnants of the old man's bookish anger, although mixed in the decay and almost imperceptible, were still discovered by him.

Chen Anzhi said: "Your granddaughter, sleeping?"

Speaking of the word 'granddaughter', Chen Anzhi paused slightly, squinting his eyes and looking at the old man.

The old man lowered his head slightly, looked at the white paper lantern in his hand, his eyes were confused, and his tone was low, "I am ashamed of the ancestor." ”

"How long does she have to sleep this night?" Chen Anzhi raised his chin slightly and looked at the moon higher up.

"I don't know. The old man shook his head, paused and said, "I know I can't persuade the two of you, it's getting late, if you want to rest, come with me." ”

Chen Anzhi sighed and said to himself: "People's hearts are unpredictable, the sea is immeasurable, and people are like this, not to mention that a hundred years of need, after all, it is a different path for a lady." ”

The old man turned around silently, walked a few steps with the lantern and stopped, "Don't hurt her." ”

At this time, the scene fell in the eyes of the girl on the side, so that she couldn't understand what the two of them were doing in the clouds, but when she heard that she was really going to enter the village, she was a little prepared.

It is very common to have small farm yards on both sides of the dirt road, which are very clean, you can see in the dim light of the lanterns, there are some green onions, ginger and garlic planted in the yard, as well as side dishes and other things, chickens, ducks and geese are kept in cages, so they look particularly clean and orderly.

Walking further, a woman wearing coarse cloth clothes and a headscarf was fetching water by the well, and when she raised her head, she saw the old man leading Chen Anzhi and the two of them over, raised her arms and wiped the sweat on her face, with the usual enthusiasm of the peasant family, and shouted loudly: "Ju Zai, what is the name of the poem you taught me last time?"

The old man didn't say anything while carrying the lantern, but the woman laughed to herself, "Oh, yes, yes, that's it, in my dreams, I don't know my body, I am a guest, and I am greedy for joy." ”

The woman wiped her face, lifted the bucket vigorously, and walked away with some difficulty, "As a scholar in our village, I will also let my rabbit cub learn more from you." ”

Mu Ruyi looked at the woman talking to herself with a puzzled expression, and subconsciously cast her puzzled gaze to Chen Anzhi's side, who was staring thoughtfully at the bucket in the woman's hand.

The bucket was empty, but the woman staggered and seemed to be particularly tired.

The old man didn't explain, he continued to walk forward, and passed a small courtyard, where a rough man was squatting at the gate of the courtyard, holding an empty bowl and snoring and putting it in his mouth, regardless of whether he had eaten or not, chewing with relish.

"Hong Ju is here!" The rough man suddenly put down the dishes and chopsticks, and smiled at the side of the road: "How else can you say that the little lady in the capital has fine skin and tender meat, and the work in bed is amazing, you have come back from Beijing like this, have you tried it?"

"Alas, alas, I'm just kidding, how do you do it. The rough man said and suddenly jumped to the side.

The old man surnamed Hong stopped his steps, with a thick sadness, turned to Chen Anzhi and said, "You saw it." ”

Chen Anzhi nodded, Mu Ruyi stood beside him, her face was a little uncomfortable, after all, since she stepped into this valley, she felt that there seemed to be a dark cloud pressing on her heart, plus now that she had witnessed such an abnormal scene, the woman by the well just now, the man squatting at the door, they were all talking to themselves. This feeling made her feel sullen, like being in prison, and only by leaning on Chen Anzhi's side did she feel more at ease.

"The people here, all of them are trapped in their dreams. Hong Ju lifted the lantern in his hand, and his thin fingers raised it and swiped it across the quiet courtyard one by one, and finally landed on his chest, "Except for me, but I am no longer a person." ”

Chen Anzhi still looked light, Mu Ruyi's eyes were tightened, and he bit his lip and didn't speak.

The night wind shook unscrupulously, rippling the old cypress trees behind the ancestral hall.

"Hong Juzai, if you beat me again, I will tell Hengyou everything about you and the girl with that treasure in the capital!"

Behind him, there was the angry voice of a rough man, coming from afar with the wind.

Hong Ju led the two of them forward, and at the end of the road, in front of a courtyard across the two paths of the small ancestral hall, five low houses, on the left is a firewood room, on the right is a few guest rooms, the main house in the middle of the door is closed, on which are two talismans, and the dim light leaks out of the gaps.

"Let's rest here. His eyes fell on the talisman, Hong Ju didn't know the meaning in his eyes, and then looked at Chen Anzhi who wanted to speak and stopped, stood in front of the door, and finally sighed and turned to leave.

After the old and young couple disappeared at the door of the house, Mu Ruyi turned around, put the snow-white long sword on the table, and looked at Chen Anzhi, as if waiting for the other party to speak.

Under the flame of a candle, the two looked at each other speechlessly.

"Miss Mu. Chen Anzhi couldn't hold back in the end, and took the lead in speaking: "You sleep on this bed first, I can sleep at this table." ”

Mu Ruyi looked directly into his eyes, didn't move away for a moment, and didn't speak.

Apparently that was not the answer she was looking for.

Chen Anzhi smiled helplessly, casually put the knife on his waist on the table, and then said, "I don't know if Miss Mu has heard of the mountain ghost." ”

Mu Ruyi nodded, "Isn't the mountain ghost a spirit, a mountain demon?"

Chen Anzhi shook his head and explained: "About mountain ghosts, there are many folk legends, mountain demons, spirits are not false, but not very accurate, where have ordinary people seen ghosts and ghosts, naturally will not be carefully divided, in fact, mountain ghosts and mountain demons are different, first there are mountain demons to seize people's hearts, and serve the soul, only then there is the saying of mountain ghosts, demons are demons, ghosts are ghosts, the two should not be confused." ”

"Hong Ju just said that he was not a person, that is, he was saying that he had become a mountain ghost. Chen Anzhi was about to continue, but Mu Ruyi hurriedly stretched out his finger, made a silent gesture, and pointed to the wall, which meant that the wall had ears.

"It doesn't matter. Chen Anzhi smiled dumbly, stretched out his hand and pointed to the knife on the table, and said: "The girl we just saw at the entrance of the village is the mountain demon who caused everything that happened this week, but it is also thanks to Hong Ju that he has read some books, unlike ordinary mountain ghosts, we were not slapped to death by that girl." ”

Mu Ruyi frowned and asked, "Why?"

"Most of the mountain ghosts are incomplete with three souls and six spirits, and naturally there is no one's joy, anger and sorrow, but this Hong Ju is different, he has sorrow and anger, and there is a trace of humanity, I don't know what method was used to lock up half of the mountain demon's soul, which makes the mountain demon unable to get out of this valley. Chen Anzhi sneered and said: "It can be regarded as the last fig leaf for his identity as a scholar." ”

But come to think of it, the talisman he locked the mountain demon was almost unable to support it. Chen Anzhi yawned, stretched his waist and said: "It's a coincidence that we came, the mountain demon should have been injured by the monk who came today, and now he is too busy to take care of himself, and we are also relaxed, Miss Mu, let's rest first." ”

In this situation, how could Mu Ruyi sleep, but looking at Chen Anzhi's care, he was always half distracted, and pulled off the peach hairpin with his hand, untied the ribbon that tied his hair, and the three thousand green silks spread out like a waterfall and draped them behind his back.

Chen Anzhi looked at the candle flame, as if he was stunned, he thought that he would take advantage of people's illness to kill people, rushed out with a knife and directly cut off half of the spirit of the mountain demon, and then uncovered the talisman and cut off the locked half. But after thinking about it, I always feel that there is a waste of this sword intent, I am now in the spiritual sea of healing, although I can't use any great powers, but it should be enough to protect my own bad life, Mu Ruyi has Haoran righteous hairpin to protect it, that is Lu Mingxian passed on to He Xiaoguy, not to mention this mountain demon, connected to the big demon of the sky, I am afraid that I am also a little afraid of the peach wood hairpin, but there is a little headache for Chen Anzhi, that is, this hairpin is like a turtle shell, and it will only be defended when it is beaten.

Tonight's wind was a little strong, chilly, unscrupulous, mixed with paper embers flying all over the sky.

At this moment, a very small crack was quietly added to the yellow talisman.

After an instant, the rain poured down, and it came in an instant.

The incense in the ancestral hall was extinguished, his eyes slowly opened, first he was puzzled, and then he was filled with anger, and his small body made a voice that was not similar to his appearance, "Hong Ju is here!"

The white candles flew out of each house and courtyard without fire, and spread along the door of the ancestral hall like a prairie fire, but it was not extinguished in the wind and rain.

The door of the main house was pushed open from the inside by a pair of white hands.

A woman dressed in snow-white mourning clothes walked out, holding a gauze fan, covering half of her face, her eyes were clearly closed, but she sensed the path of the candle flame, and slowly came step by step.

She walked step by step.

The little girl on the other side of the ancestral hall also walked over slowly, holding a piece of yellow paper money in her little hand to cover half of her face.

Both of them hid half of their faces.

The lips did not move.

But a gloomy voice sounded in the air.

Two voices.

Mature and immature.

At the same time, it sounded: "Ju Zaifu, why do you all have to force me~"

Slightly coquettish, overflowing with anger.

Some staggered figures came out of the house, their gray hair was messy by the wind, Hong Ju looked at the two figures in the air that were getting closer and closer, and there were water droplets flowing out of his cloudy eyes, and he shouted hoarsely in his throat: "Hengyou, don't be wrong again." ”

Disturbed by this voice, the two people who stood on the white candle road out of thin air slowly turned around, they gently put down the gauze fan that covered half of their faces, paper money, revealing half of their faces without any facial features, and laughed softly, but each had tears drawn down.

"Husband, is the concubine beautiful?"

"Husband, is the concubine beautiful?"

Chen Anzhi frowned, sighed lightly, he didn't expect it to come so suddenly, he just wanted to get up, reached out and grabbed the knife on the table, and the talisman that was sticking to the door of the main house fluttering in the wind flickered, and suddenly his body seemed to be stuck in the mud.

Mu Ruyi lay on the bed, frowned suddenly, seemed to fall into a deeper sleep, and when he opened his eyes again, he was like a dead soul floating in the air, looking at the scenes in front of him coldly, like reading a story in a book.

"Husband, is the concubine beautiful?" whispered, his eyes were gentle, as if the person in front of him was all he had.

"My lady is naturally the most beautiful. It was a high-spirited scholar who spoke, and if he looked closely, he was quite similar to Hong Juzai.

The woman whispered softly, a smile like the bright moon on the mountain, endearing, she raised her hand and gently pulled the corner of the scholar's clothes, worried: "I heard that the woman in the capital is extremely beautiful, and the husband must pay close attention to his studies when he enters Beijing to take the exam, don't be fascinated by those bewitching women." ”

The woman's words were tactful, as if she was just worried about the scholars rushing to take the exam.

Thinking so carefully, Hong Ju naturally knew, held the slender hands at the moment, and said with a smile: "Hengyou, don't worry, I, Hong Ju, swear to the saint in the sky, if I change my mind, I will let the mountain demon detain the soul and become the mountain ghost." ”

Before he finished speaking, he was gagged by Hengyou, and scolded him for not talking nonsense.

The next day, the light was slightly cool, and Hong Juzai got up early and rushed to the capital with Xu Erhan's car from the same village.

Heng You prepared the cake and wrapped it carefully in a clean cloth, but there was a deep sorrow between his eyebrows, which fell into the eyes of the scholar, but made him feel a pinch in his heart, and hurriedly comforted: "I went to the capital this time, and I will hurry back after the exam, and I will not let you wait too long." ”

Hengyou shook his head slightly, looking at the familiar face, and his tone was a little low, "I dreamed that you changed your mind last night, and I somehow feel a little sad when I get up today." ”

Hong Ju chuckled, reached out and touched the top of the woman's head, and said, "Dreams are all opposites, don't be too careful." ”

It was so comforting that Hengyou put his mind at ease, and then said some words of advice, and watched him get into the carriage and leave the village.

From sunrise to sunset, the wind passed through the water and then over the bend, and between the light and shadow, Mu Ruyi saw the dirt road dusty again, and a carriage carrying students galloping.

The candidate named Hong Juzai was on the list, won the champion, and returned in high spirits.

When I returned, the breeze and moon on my sleeves were so unpleasant.

It's just that Hong Juzai's mind and attitude are always a little different from before.

But the Erhan who drove the car, there was always a little strange look in his eyes, not color, but with that kind of hiding meaning.

"Hong Juzai, if you beat me again, I will tell Hengyou everything about you and the girl with the treasure in the capital!" The voice was not loud, but it made Hengyou listen to it sincerely, his eyes trembled a few times, and he looked at the silent Hong Juzai in disbelief.

Xu Erhan swallowed his saliva quietly, and hurriedly gestured and explained: "Hengyou, it's not what you think..."

"I'm sorry. Hong Juzai's voice was very small, but it fell on his ears like five thunderbolts, Heng You was a little dizzy, opened his mouth, and found that his throat seemed to be blocked by a cloth ball, and he couldn't speak, but tears couldn't stop falling from his face and falling to the ground.

"You told me that dreams are all reversed, I dreamed that you were gone, but you really left, but, when can I dream that you come back?" Heng You took a few steps back, dodging Hong Juzai's hand.

"Yes, the eldest lady in the capital is gentle and elegant, and she can fight against your son. Heng You tried his best to pull out a smile, and the title in his mouth quietly changed, "I'm just a rough village woman, I don't know a few big characters, and I'm not worthy of the son, you..."

········

"Husband, is the concubine beautiful?"

"Husband, look at the face of the concubine. ”

"It's been peeled off the Ribbon Girl's face. ”

The white candle jumped, hung in the air, and blood rolled like teardrops, dripping continuously.

The two people, one big and one small, held hands and walked down slowly, with a smile on each half of their faces, making a shy appearance, and she got closer and closer.

At this moment, a hand finally put on the handle of the knife, and slowly, pulled out more than an inch.