Chapter 628
There are Beidou Division chasing troops in front and Youming Pavilion killing array behind.
Fu Shaoping laughed suddenly and knocked his pipe heavily on the bluestone slab: "I have been in seclusion for three years. Do you really think I am a sick cat?" Nine fire dragons jumped out from the cracks in the ground, burning the golden wire cage with crackling sounds.
Nangong Wan took off her coarse cloth dress, revealing the robe with flowing cloud patterns underneath: "Liu Xingjun, Beidou Division is colluding with Youming Pavilion, aren't you afraid of being liquidated by the Immortal Alliance?"
Carpenter Liu sneered: "Who will know after I kill you?" He took out his life-saving magic weapon, the Measuring Ruler, and seven blood-red stars suddenly lit up in the night sky.
At the most critical moment, an old man suddenly chanted from the bottom of the river: "The heaven and earth have righteousness——"
A rusty butcher knife broke through the water and split the bloody star in half! Shopkeeper Li came over on the waves, his body full of alcohol and transformed into a green dragon phantom: "You are going wild in my territory? Have you asked the land god?"
It turns out that Qingxi Town was originally the site of an ancient battlefield, and the townspeople are all reincarnated soldiers. Shopkeeper Li is the fallen Azure Dragon Lord, Wang Po is the reincarnation of the Kitchen God's maid, and even the old man who fishes all day is the remnant soul of He Bo.
The Netherworld Pavilion had anticipated this and had deliberately used blood sacrifices to pollute the earth's veins in order to awaken the dormant evil spirit.
"What should we do now?" Nangong Wan's golden thread has crushed the seventh puppet.
Fu Shaoping suddenly pulled her onto the roof and pointed his pipe at the mountain behind: "Look!"
At the top of the mountain, the real Aunt Zhang was hung on the ancient locust tree, with the embroidery needle that was supposed to be given to Wang Po's daughter stuck in her chest. In the shadow under the tree, the left envoy was using red thread to control the wedding dresses of the entire town. They held scissors and stabbed their necks -
Using the evil spirit to break the earth veins, this is the real killer move!
Under the ancient locust tree on the top of the mountain, the red line of the Left Emissary of the Netherworld Pavilion spread like a spider web. Dozens of brides in wedding dresses had empty eyes, and the cold light of scissors was against their throats.
"Stop!" The golden thread shot out from Nangong Wan's sleeve, but was bounced off by the blood-colored barrier in mid-air. The left envoy laughed sinisterly: "The happy evil has already happened, you can't stop it--"
Before he finished speaking, a rusty butcher knife came whistling and "clanged" into the trunk of the locust tree! The whole mountain suddenly trembled, and two ancient seal characters "Zhen Sha" appeared on the blade, and the brides' movements suddenly froze.
Shopkeeper Li came in mid-air, his alcoholic smell transformed into dragon scales: "I once used this knife to kill a dragon, so why would I be afraid of your evil spirit?"
The shadow of a blue dragon hovered in the night sky, and Shopkeeper Li's pupils had turned vertical. He formed a seal with one hand, and the rusty knife flew back to his hand with a buzzing sound. Where the blade pointed, there was a loud sound of chains breaking from the ground -
"Not good!" Carpenter Liu's measuring ruler suddenly turned, "He is unlocking the evil spirits in the earth veins!"
Fu Shaoping knocked his pipe heavily on the ground: "Idiot! The one suppressed underground is the remnant soul of Xuanwu!"
As if to confirm his words, the entire Qingxi River suddenly reversed, and the riverbed cracked into a deep abyss. A giant claw covered with moss stretched out and slammed the left envoy and the locust tree into the ground!
Wang Po had been standing on the edge of the abyss without her knowing. The tofu spoon in her hand turned into a bronze tripod: "The Kitchen God's tripod is here, the evil spirits please retreat!" Smoke rose from the tripod, purifying the blood mist into sweet rain.
In the rainstorm, Aunt Zhang's body fell from the branches of the locust tree. Nangong Wan flew over to catch it and found that half of the "One Hundred Ghosts Night Parade" was embroidered on her chest - it was the formation map of the Netherworld Pavilion.
"She was switched a long time ago." Fu Shaoping turned over the body, revealing a cinnabar talisman on the back of the neck. "The real Aunt Zhang died three months ago."
Carpenter Liu suddenly groaned. Everyone turned around and saw a red line coming out of his chest - at some point, the puppet thread of the right-hand man had penetrated his Big Dipper Seal!
"Brother, you are still so soft-hearted." The right-hand man walked out of the shadows, holding hundreds of red strings in his hand, and the other end was connected to the necks of all the children in the town, "Either let us go, or..."
She hooked her fingertips and the children raised their scissors at the same time.
At the critical moment, an old chant was heard from the bottom of the river.
An old man who was fishing came floating in his broken boat, with seven river lanterns on the bow. Each wick was dancing with the flame of a soul. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the peddler who drowned the year before last and the private school teacher who died of illness last year.
"The soul lamp leads the way, and all grudges are settled." The old man's raincoat turned into a black official uniform, "This government sentences you all--"
The sound of the gavel hitting the water was like thunder, and all the red lines broke! The right-hand man screamed, and the backlash made her bleed from all seven orifices. Fu Shaoping took the opportunity to throw out his pipe, and the sparks ignited the puppet diagram in her sleeve, and the flames instantly engulfed the witch.
At dawn, Qingxi Town returned to peace.
Shopkeeper Li's rusty knife was stuck in the center of the town, and a clear spring oozed out from the cracks on the blade, forming a new water source. A long line formed in front of Wang Po's tofu stall - today's soy milk can calm the soul and calm the nerves.
Nangong Wan burned the painting "One Hundred Ghosts Parade at Night" in front of Aunt Zhang's grave, and a jade hairpin appeared in the ashes. Fu Shaoping poked it with his pipe: "Oh, it's a token from the elder of Beidou Division."
Carpenter Liu (or Yaoguang Xingjun) said goodbye with a bandage on his body: "Although the Netherworld Pavilion has retreated, the Immortal Alliance's pursuit is coming." He looked at the two of them deeply and said, "Take care."
Three days later, under the old locust tree at the entrance of the town.
"Are you really leaving?" Shopkeeper Li handed over a pot of Xinghuachun tea, "It would be great if you could stay and become the god of the land."
Fu Shaoping took a sip of wine and put his pipe back on his waist: "If you stay any longer, I'm afraid your broken town will be demolished."
Nangong Wan distributed the embroidered amulets to the townspeople, and finally handed Wang Po a handkerchief: "May the mandarin ducks play in the water and live happily together forever."
As the morning light fades, Qingxi Town gradually wakes up in the mist.
Fu Shaoping, holding his pipe, walked slowly to the river. The river water was clear, reflecting the morning glow, like a layer of gold. He squinted his eyes, took out half a dry and hard steamed bun from his arms, broke it into pieces and threw it into the water.
"Splash--" Several black carps floated up, fighting for the crumbs.
"Tsk, you're so greedy." He cursed with a smile, tapped his pipe on a stone, and added a handful of new tobacco.
Wang Po’s tofu stall has been set up, with steaming soy milk bubbling in the pot and the aroma of the soy beans wafting across half the street.
"Doctor Fu, is it the same as before today?" Wang Po scooped a spoonful of tender tofu, put it into the bowl with swift movements, and poured a spoonful of honey on it.
"Hmm." Fu Shaoping took out two copper coins and placed them on the chopping board, took the bowl, squatted on the side of the road and started eating. The tofu was smooth and tender, and the honey was sweet. He squinted his eyes while eating, like a sated cat.
Shopkeeper Li came over with a wine jug in his hand and yawned, "I heard some noise in your yard last night. Could it be that the cat is disturbing you again?"
Fu Shaoping didn't even raise his head: "Yeah, wild cat, pretty fierce."
Shopkeeper Li made a "tsk" sound, obviously not believing it, but he was too lazy to ask any more questions. He turned around and started chatting with Wang Po about this year's harvest.
Nangong Wan sat in front of the embroidery frame, her fingertips weaving golden threads, embroidering a picture of "Spring Creek". Aunt Zhang (a new arrival, honest and dutiful) came over to take a look and exclaimed: "Mrs. Nangong's craftsmanship is really amazing, the water ripples look like they are alive!"
Nangong Wan smiled faintly and didn't respond.
Aunt Zhang didn't care and kept muttering to herself: "I heard that the daughter of Old Liu's family in the east end of the town is getting married, and she is worried about not being able to find a good embroiderer to make her wedding dress..."
Nangong Wan paused for a moment and raised his eyes: "I'll take it."
Aunt Zhang was stunned for a moment, then she smiled happily: "Oh, that's great! I'll go tell the Liu family right away!"
After she walked away, Nangong Wan pulled out a yellow talisman from under the embroidery frame, shook it gently, and the talisman paper burned out. A few grains of gold sand fell out of the ashes - this was looted from the puppet of the Netherworld Pavilion a few days ago, just enough to melt the gold embroidery thread.
As the sun rose higher, Fu Shaoping walked to the river with his fishing basket. The old man who was fishing was already there, and when he saw him coming, he moved aside and made way for a stone.
"The fishing is good today." The old man squinted his eyes, and his fishing rod did not move at all.
Fu Shaoping said "hmm" and threw the hook into the water. The two sat side by side, neither of them spoke.
After a while, the old man suddenly said, "Last night, the thing at the bottom of the river moved again." The sparks in Fu Shaoping's pipe flickered: "Yeah, I heard it."
"Aren't you worried?"
"What are you worried about?" Fu Shaoping blew out a smoke ring. "If it dares to come up, I will kick it back."
The old man laughed and said no more.
In the evening, Nangong Wan was carrying a basket of vegetables on his way home. He passed by Manager Li's tavern and was stuffed with a bag of braised beef.
"It's freshly pickled and goes best with wine!" Shopkeeper Li winked.
She thanked him and just turned around when she heard Wang Po calling from behind: "Madam Nangong! There is still a bowl of tofu pudding left. Take it back to Doctor Fu in your house!"
When I got to the door of the house, the basket was already filled with tofu pudding, braised beef, a handful of tender green vegetables, and two salted duck eggs that Aunt Zhang had stuffed into it.
Fu Shaoping squatted in the yard and made a fire. Fish soup was stewing in the pot, and the milky white soup was bubbling. Seeing her come back, he looked up and smiled: "It's a good harvest today."
Nangong Wan put down the basket, the golden thread slipped out from his sleeve, and he quickly set up the firewood: "The deposit for the Liu family's wedding dress is enough to buy half a sheep."
Fu Shaoping raised his eyebrows: "Then I will go to lead the sheep tomorrow."
The moonlight was like water, and the two sat in the yard drinking.
Shopkeeper Li's "Apricot Blossom Spring" was very strong, and Fu Shaoping's cheeks turned slightly red, and the sparks in his pipe flickered. Nangong Wan took a sip and suddenly said, "This kind of day is good."
Fu Shaoping turned to look at her. Under the moonlight, her profile was as cold as jade, with only a hint of redness at the corners of her eyes, which added a bit of liveliness.
"Yeah." He responded, and gently touched her wine glass with his pipe, "To peace."
In the distance, a green stream gurgles and fireflies flicker among the grass.
Fu Shaoping woke up at daybreak.
He opened his eyes and stared at the spiders weaving webs on the beams for a long time before he slowly got up. He had dreamed again last night, and the dream was full of bloody and fiery past events. When he woke up, he could still feel the stinging pain in his palms from pinching his fingers.
"Tsk, bad luck." He muttered, grabbed the pipe on the bedside table, and walked out with it in his mouth without lighting it.
In the yard, Nangong Wan was already hanging clothes. The morning mist wet her temples, and her hair stuck to her cheeks, like the light ink in an ink painting. When she heard footsteps, she didn't even turn around and said, "The water tank is empty."
Fu Shaoping said "hmm", picked up the wooden bucket and walked towards the well. The windlass creaked, startling the sparrows on the jujube tree.
There was still dew on the bluestone road. Fu Shaoping, wearing cloth shoes, walked slowly to Wang Po's tofu stall.
"Today's tofu is tender." Wang Po lifted the gauze, and the hot air mixed with the aroma of beans hit her face, "I added freshly ground sesame seeds, it's very fragrant."
Fu Shaoping took out three copper coins and laid them out. Suddenly, he saw a bowl of chili oil in the corner of the chopping board. Wang Po followed his gaze and said with a smile, "Manager Li sent it over at midnight last night. He said it was a recipe from Shu."
"He's free." Fu Shaoping scooped a spoonful of chili and mixed it into the tofu, which immediately turned red. After the first bite, sweat broke out on his forehead and the tip of his tongue was numb from the spiciness, but he couldn't stop eating.
While eating, Aunt Zhang rushed over: "Doctor Fu! My wife has a cough again!"
Fu Shaoping wiped his mouth and took out a celadon bottle from his arms: "Loquat paste, take a spoonful before going to bed." He paused and added, "Don't mix it with wine."
Aunt Zhang thanked her profusely and left. Grandma Wang smiled and shook her head: "Ever since you cured her baby's night crying, she has been treating you like a living Buddha."
Fu Shaoping held his pipe in his mouth and said vaguely: "Buddha can't cure hiccups."
On Nangong Wan's embroidery frame, the outline of a mandarin duck's wings had already begun to appear. The golden thread flowed in the morning light, occasionally mixed with a few strands of silver thread - that was the spiritual silk that was taken from the puppet the day before.
The daughter of the Liu family stood timidly at the door: "Sister Nangong, my mother asked me to measure the size."
The little girl was only fifteen or sixteen years old, twisting the corners of her clothes with her fingers, but her eyes were staring at the embroidery frame. Nangong Wan waved her to come closer, and the gold thread turned around her wrist, and then she measured the shoulder width and waist circumference.
"What pattern should be embroidered on the wedding dress?"
"Mother said she wanted peonies." The little girl suddenly lowered her voice, "But I want hibiscus."
Nangong Wan paused. Hibiscus blooms in the morning and withers in the evening, which is the most unlucky image. She looked up and found a light red mark on the girl's neck - as if it was strangled by some silk thread.
"Okay." She responded calmly, picking out a few strands of marigold silk from the sewing basket, "How about a pair of butterflies?"
The little girl's eyes suddenly lit up.
As the sun was setting, Fu Shaoping came to the river with his fish basket. The old man who was fishing sat in his old position like a dead tree, with his bamboo hat pulled down very low.
"What did you catch today?" Fu Shaoping squatted down and tapped his pipe on a stone.
The old man slowly lifted up the fish basket, and inside it lay a crucian carp the size of a palm. Fu Shaoping chuckled, "After fishing all day, this is all?"
"Why are you in such a hurry?" The old man took out his wine gourd and took a sip. "At 3:30 pm, there will be a big fish."
As he was talking, ripples suddenly appeared on the water surface. Fu Shaoping squinted his eyes and saw a dark shadow swimming at the bottom of the river - the outline was definitely more than seven feet long.
The old man's fishing rod suddenly bent into a full moon.
When Nangong Wan came back, fragrance was already wafting from the kitchen.
Fu Shaoping squatted in front of the stove and added firewood. The iron pot was stewing milky white fish soup, and the small stove next to it was warming yellow wine. Seeing her coming in with a basket, he raised his eyebrows and said, "The Liu family sent something again?"
"Yes." Nangong Wan took out two pieces of red satin and said, "It's a thank you gift."
Fu Shaoping took a closer look at the dark patterns on the satin and suddenly laughed: "Shu brocade? This Liu family is not simple."
Nangong Wan didn't respond, but took out the embroidery frame and continued to work. The golden needle shuttled back and forth under the candlelight, occasionally flashing a cold light - one of every three needles must be a thread mixed with talismans to ward off evil spirits.
Fu Shaoping poured a bowl of fish soup and placed it next to her, and leaned against the door frame with his pipe in his mouth. The night wind blew through the hall, causing the candlelight to sway and casting mottled shadows on his face.
"The red mark on that girl's neck," he suddenly asked, "is it a puppet string?"
Nangong Wan's needle tip poked a tiny hole in the satin: "Well, it's leftover."
"Tsk." Fu Shaoping blew out a smoke ring, "The ghost is still there." (End of this chapter)