Chapter 959 Old Forest
At this moment, the branches of the old tree suddenly danced, like huge pythons, and wrapped around Li Ming. Li Ming struggled desperately and shouted for help, but the strong wind covered his voice. The branches tightly strangled his neck, getting tighter and tighter, and soon Li Ming was motionless.
Wang Fang waited in the house for a long time, but Li Ming did not come back, and she became more and more anxious. She mustered up her courage, picked up Xiaolian, took another oil lamp, and decided to go out to look for her husband. When she walked into the yard and saw the horrifying scene in front of her, she almost fainted. Li Ming fell to the ground, motionless, and the branches of the old tree were still entangled around him, as if sucking his life.
Wang Fang screamed in fear and turned to run back to the house. But before she could take a step, the branches of the old tree stretched out towards her and Xiaolian. Wang Fang tightly protected Xiaolian and cried, "Don't hurt my child!" But the old tree had no mercy and its branches tightly wrapped around the mother and daughter. Xiaolian was so scared that she cried loudly. Wang Fang struggled desperately and tried to pry the branches with her hands. Her nails were broken and blood was flowing, but it was all in vain.
Soon, the three members of the family were brutally killed by the old tree, and their souls were trapped in the old house, unable to reincarnate. From then on, every night, there would be shrill cries and shouts from the old house, which was creepy. The villagers passing by could feel a gloomy breath coming towards them, as if a pair of eyes were watching them in the dark.
There was a young hunter named Zhang Yong in the village. He was bold by nature and did not believe in ghosts and gods. After hearing the rumors about the old house, he decided to go and find out what was going on and get rid of the evil for the people. One night, Zhang Yong came to the old house with a bow and arrow and a sharp hunting knife. Under the moonlight, the old house looked particularly gloomy, the door was closed, and there was a foul smell all around.
Zhang Yong took a deep breath and pushed open the door of the old house. With a creak, the door slowly opened, making a harsh sound. He walked into the yard and saw the old tree, and his heart tightened. At this time, the old tree had drooping branches and leaves, as if it was sleeping, but Zhang Yong could feel a strong evil force surging.
Suddenly, the branches of the old tree began to dance violently, and they came towards Zhang Yong. Zhang Yong reacted quickly and dodged to the side. He drew his bow and shot an arrow at the old tree, but when the arrow hit the branches, it bounced back as if it had hit steel. The old tree let out a strange laugh, and its branches danced faster and faster, surrounding Zhang Yong tightly.
Zhang Yong brandished his hunting knife and fought fiercely with the branch. But the old tree was too powerful and he gradually felt powerless. Just when he was about to give up, he suddenly remembered that the old people in the village had said that the old tree was most afraid of pure yang things. He quickly took out a bronze mirror from his arms. This bronze mirror was passed down from his ancestors. It was said that it had been consecrated by a monk and had the effect of warding off evil spirits.
Zhang Yong raised the bronze mirror and pointed it at the old tree. The moonlight shone on the bronze mirror, reflecting a dazzling light. The old tree seemed to be stung by the light and let out a painful roar. The movement of the branches also became sluggish. Zhang Yong took the opportunity to rush forward and slashed at the trunk of the old tree with his hunting knife. One cut, two cuts... As Zhang Yong attacked, cracks appeared on the trunk of the old tree, and green juice flowed out of the cracks, emitting a pungent smell.
Finally, the old tree made a loud noise and fell to the ground. As the old tree fell, the gloomy aura in the old house gradually dissipated, and the shrill cries and shouts also disappeared. Zhang Yong slumped on the ground, gasping for breath. He knew that he had won the battle, but at a huge price.
However, the story did not end there. A few days later, Zhang Yong suddenly developed a high fever and fell into a coma. He kept talking nonsense, as if he was possessed by something. The village doctor came to see him, but he also shook his head and said that he was powerless.
Zhang Yong's parents were extremely worried and asked around for ways to save him. Later, they heard that there was a Taoist priest in the neighboring village who had profound Taoist skills and could exorcise demons. So Zhang Yong's parents hurriedly took gifts and went to the neighboring village to invite the Taoist priest.
The Taoist priest came to Zhang Yong's house and saw Zhang Yong's condition. His face became very solemn. He took out a compass and probed around the house. Finally, he stopped at the head of Zhang Yong's bed. The Taoist priest frowned and said, "This child is haunted by a strong resentment. I'm afraid it's the resentment of the old tree spirit. Although the old tree has fallen, its resentment has not disappeared and is attached to this child."
As he spoke, the Taoist took out thirteen silver needles from his bag. These silver needles were not ordinary silver needles, but the "Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles" that he had refined for many years. It is said that these thirteen needles can open up the eight extraordinary meridians of the human body and expel evil spirits. The Taoist lit three incense sticks, chanted something, and then inserted the thirteen silver needles into Zhang Yong's acupuncture points one by one.
As the silver needle was inserted, Zhang Yong's body began to tremble violently, and a painful expression appeared on his face. The Taoist priest increased his magic power, and beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead. After a long time, Zhang Yong suddenly vomited a mouthful of black blood, and then slowly opened his eyes.
After Zhang Yong woke up, he had no memory of what happened before. He just felt that he had a nightmare, in which there was a scary old tree and the wronged ghosts of a family of three. The Taoist priest told Zhang Yong that although he had temporarily gotten rid of the old tree spirit's resentment, the resentment was too strong and he should be careful in the future.
Since then, Zhang Yong is no longer as reckless as before. He knows that everything in the world has spirits, and some things cannot be easily provoked. The old house was also completely demolished by the villagers, and the land was reclaimed into farmland. But every night when it was quiet, you could occasionally hear faint crying coming from there, as if telling the tragic past...
After Qi Tongwei finished telling this story, there was silence all around. The children were so scared that they clung to their parents' arms. The adults were pale and filled with fear. A cool breeze blew, and the branches and leaves of the old locust tree rustled, as if accompanying this terrifying story. After a long time, someone broke the silence and whispered, "The evil spirits in this world are really scary..."
Qi Tongwei looked at the frightened faces of the crowd, sighed slightly, took a sip of tea and moistened his throat. At this time, a child asked timidly: "Uncle Qi, can you tell another story? Don't be so scary..." Qi Tongwei smiled, glanced at the crowd, and said slowly: "Then I will tell another one, but this time, it is a warm story, about an old tree spirit saving people." The curiosity of the crowd was aroused again, and the tense atmosphere eased a little. They all pricked up their ears, ready to listen to this different story.