Pangolin paws, black donkey hooves, and rhinoceros horns have always been considered talismans to ward off evil spirits.
However, in fact, except for rhino horns, these three items rarely appear in folk collections. On the contrary, there is a kind of shady people who often use the latter two items.
This kind of people are generally called Mojin Xiaowei among the people.
Yin Xiu took the black pangolin paw and brought it close to his nose to smell it. In addition to the faint smell of blood, there was more of a sour smell that hit his face.
He often smelled this sour smell in chemical plants in the past. If he guessed correctly, it should come from some kind of particularly corrosive powder or liquid.
After checking a few more times and finding no other traces, I can probably imagine the situation under the grass now.
After a tragic battle, one party disposed of all the corpses and sprinkled them with a potion that could easily dissolve the corpses and clothes, making all traces of identification disappear, in order to cover up something.
What on earth was it that was worth the trouble they went through to collect the body?
Can't figure it out.
However, what Yin Xiu can confirm now is that among the dead, there should be the rumored Captain Mojin.
I just don’t know whether they are from departments in the imperial court or were summoned by the White Lotus Sect.
Perhaps there was an encounter between the two parties here, and then a bloody battle broke out, which was extremely brutal. After that, one party retreated or won. Anyway, in the end, someone stayed and disposed of the corpses without others discovering them.
"Some of them are doing the same thing as us."
Liu Banxian looked at the necklace but did not take it from Yin Xiu's hand.
"Maybe they have also discovered it. They have to go to the top of Baiyun Peak to see the source of the anomaly."
"I agree."
Ma Xiaoyu nodded and looked at the top of Baiyun Peak, which looked very quiet under the night. At this moment, it seemed to be connected with the stars in the sky.
"Then shall we leave now? Let's go to the peak to have a look?" Yin Xiu narrowed his eyes.
"Night tour of famous mountains and rivers?"
Liu Banxian smiled and had no objection, "This is really a very romantic thing. It is said that the ancients liked to invite friends to hold candles for night walks in the courtyard when the stars and moon hung high in the night sky.
Looking at the moonlight covering the blue brick floor like water, and the bamboos and cypresses swaying gently with the night wind, it seems that people are also escaping into nothingness, integrating with this long world and the long years, reconciling with themselves, and gaining Some kind of eternal tranquility. ”
"Eternal peace?"
Yin Xiu shook her head, "Don't say this nonsense, it's unlucky."
"You also know that you can't talk nonsense?"
Ma Xiaoyu took out a piece of talisman paper from his coat, chanted "Taiyi saves the Kutian Lord" a few times, and then threw it into the grass. This was considered a simple salvation.
"Let's go to the top of Baiyun Peak. Although I think it is dangerous to climb at night, even if we rest here tonight, I believe no one will be able to sleep."
"You still understand us."
Yin Xiu was about to hug Ma Xiaoyu affectionately, but she gently dodged him.
"Just talk, why are you moving your hands and feet? I really hope I don't know you so well that I know what you want to do as soon as you raise your hand."
Hearing this, Yin Xiu could only retract her hand angrily and signaled to Liu Banxian that she could turn back.
So the three of them closed their mouths and returned to the place where the rice balls were originally placed. By this time, the incense on the rice balls had long been extinguished, and the incense ashes fell on the rice balls, making them black and it looked as if they had been burned by flames.
"Why did you even attract those [hungry ghosts]?"
Liu Banxian frowned and looked at the rice balls, then pulled off the fragrant feet and threw them aside.
Hungry ghosts are ghosts who committed evil deeds during their lifetime and were punished in the underworld.
It is said that they are extremely hungry and eat all the time. However, no matter what it is, it will turn into hot coals as soon as it reaches their mouths, making them unable to spit it out or swallow it. If they pick it up with their hands, it will burn their hands.
So these hungry ghosts never have enough to eat and are always hungry.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva took pity on them, so he approved the people to provide food for them to eat and drink during the Hungry Ghost Festival every year. This is the origin of the Purdue Festival every year.
Because these hungry ghosts are too hungry, they will inevitably devour food and fight with each other without eating. Therefore, some of the sacrifices will have marks similar to burning or being stained by incense ashes.
Liu Banxian wondered: "Even if one day in the mountains lasts a thousand years, today wouldn't happen to be the Ghost Festival, right?"
"Of course not."
Yin Xiu glanced at the night sky. The moon was not full. Obviously tonight was not around the 15th day of the lunar calendar.
Moreover, winter is almost here, and the Mid-Autumn Festival was only celebrated two months ago, and it has nothing to do with July 14th.
"Is there anyone holding a Pudu Dharma gathering nearby?" Liu Banxian asked again.
"Probably not."
Ma Xiaoyu touched her earrings and said, "The Purdue Dharma Festival is a big project. It requires dozens of mages, tens of millions of money, various sacrifices, and countless three-animal cakes and fruits. Even if it is held in the city, it must be prepared More than half a month, let alone in the mountains.
No one has the leisure to do such strenuous things at this time. ”
"That's true. Even the gods can't help people now. Is it possible to ask ghosts for help?" Liu Banxian muttered.
"Can you ask the ghost for help?"
Ma Xiaoyu thought thoughtfully, "Do you think it is possible that there is a certain Taoist priest or monk who is summoning the ghosts who have completely fallen into the Yin body?"
"Huh?"
Yin Xiu also suddenly became alert, remembering that there might be such a possibility.
Someone is using some kind of ritual to drive the lonely ghosts in the Changbai Mountains to do things for him.
"Who has the courage to drive an ownerless ghost? Aren't they afraid of divine punishment and retribution?" Ma Xiaoyu asked.
Within the Ma family, there has always been a taboo and sensitivity about driving lonely souls and wild ghosts. It is generally not used lightly unless it is absolutely necessary. Even if it is used now, it will definitely end the cause and effect with those ghosts later without leaving any trace behind.
"Perhaps that person has fallen into such a state that he is no longer afraid of such things? Compared with divine punishment and retribution, perhaps other things are more urgent and make him unable to wait any longer, so he will not hesitate to cross the line and violate something. Taboo.”
"There are really all kinds of lunatics in this world." Liu Banxian said, holding his forehead.
Yin Xiu grinned, "I've already practiced Taoism. Isn't it normal for me to occasionally become obsessed with obsession? Otherwise, where would there be so many evil Taoist priests and demon cultivators?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Ma Xiaoyu again and said, "There are not many decent Taoist priests like me in the world."
"Are you related to the decent?"
Ma Xiaoyu glanced at him sideways, "Do you think this matter has something to do with the current situation?"
"Of course."
Yin Xiu's eyes became serious, "If it is normal, it is none of our business whether he wants to play with ghosts or zombies. A dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist. But now that the situation is so tense, even if He really just wanted some good friends to come out and have a party. We can’t just let him do it. We have to ask him to find out.”
"I agree."
Ma Xiaoyu nodded, "What else can someone who can hang out with the imperial court and the White Lotus Sect be besides evil cultivators?"
As she spoke, she took out grapefruit leaves, a stack of yellow paper, and a red thread, obviously ready to deal with the man.
"What are you going to do?" Yin Xiu asked.
"It's very simple. He can drive wandering spirits and ghosts, and so can I."
Ma Xiaoyu raised the talisman in his hand and said, "But I will definitely not do anything that would harm one's moral character. However, I can stop one or two good brothers and ask for directions. Not only can I find out that person, but I can also do it." Know his purpose ”
When Yin Xiu heard this, he was immediately satisfied and said: "Let's start quickly. I can't wait to find that person. I can't understand what I'm asking about ghosts. But if I want to find someone to ask some questions, I'll use the method of interrogating prisoners that Chun Dai taught me." , I still remember it.”
"Okay!"
Ma Xiaoyu immediately took out a pen, dipped it in red ink, turned around, found a stone, and started writing on the stack of yellow paper by the light of the fire.
Yin Xiu took a quick look and saw that her handwriting was beautiful and sharp, and she wrote something similar to a road guide.
After writing a few lines and filling up the yellow paper, Ma Xiaoyu lit the talisman paper with fire, held it between her fingers and shook it in all directions while mumbling the same words.
But unlike Liu Banxian, she didn't recite things muttered by old ladies on the streets. Instead, she often mentioned words like "Tianzun", which sounded more "professional" at first glance.
Finally, when the flames burned along the yellow paper and he was about to kiss her fingers, Ma Xiaoyu spread the yellow paper and let it fall to the ground and burn to ashes.
Then she waved her hands to the two of them, indicating that each of them also held a piece of talisman paper, stood in the open space to the side, and made sword skills with their hands.
After a while, when the last wisp of misty smoke was finally carried away by the breeze, there was some strange atmosphere in the air that only people like them in Xuanmen could sense.
Ma Xiaoyu handed the grapefruit leaves to Yin Xiu, and they each wiped their eyes.
At this time, what they saw was no longer those ghost-like ghosts, but a real "person".
He had a shape and a face, but his complexion was white and gray, and it was immediately obvious that he was not human.
Ma Xiaoyu signaled the two of them to be silent, then took out a piece of talisman paper from his pocket and secretly threw it towards him.
The talisman paper was seen spinning around in the air a few times, growing stronger when it saw the wind, and finally slowly turned into a yellow cloth, which instantly tied up the unsuspecting ghost, unable to move no matter how hard he struggled.
"Don't bother, it won't be good if you hurt yourself." Yin Xiuchong said to the ghost.
"That's right," Liu Banxian also stepped forward, "How can a brat like you resist the methods of Ma's Celestial Master?"
Seeing that Yin Xiu and Liu Banxian were talking to him, the ghost opened his mouth and began to murmur.
"Huh?"
“#%@￥%……”
"Huh!?"
Yin Xiu and Liu Banxian looked at each other, and then remembered the way Lan Po used to communicate with ghosts.
So Liu Banxian lowered his head, plucked a piece of clay from the sole of his shoe, and handed it to Yin Xiu, "Brother Yin, would you like to take a bite too?"
Yin Xiu was obviously very disgusted, shaking his head like a rattle, then walked to the side of the tree, picked out a piece of soft soil from the root, and kneaded it into a ball.
"You don't know the goods."
Liu Banxian frowned, and finally resisted the nausea and stuffed the mud into his mouth. At that moment, his pupils dilated visibly.
Yin Xiu separated a piece of the mud ball and handed it to Ma Xiaoyu, "I made a piece for you too."
"I have it myself." Ma Xiaoyu took a step back.
"Okay, then do it yourself."
Then Yin Xiu took a deep breath, finally opened his mouth, and stuffed the mud into his mouth. The earthy smell immediately hit Tianling Gai, making him almost squeeze out tears.
Ghosts eat mud, and ghosts eat mud. If they want to communicate with ghosts so that both parties can understand what the other is saying, strangers can only hold mud in their mouths to talk to each other.
After both of them stuffed the mud balls into their mouths, they both looked at Ma Xiaoyu, just waiting for her to taste the flavor of the fertile soil of Baiyun Mountain.
Knowing that these two people were quite gloating about their misfortune, Ma Xiaoyu put her hand into her pocket and took out two small long squares wrapped in candy wrappers.
Then, under the gaze of the two of them, she opened the wrapping paper, and there were two pieces of dark chocolate inside.
Ma Xiaoyu rolled the dark chocolate into the shape of a ball, then opened her mouth and sucked it in.
Yin Xiu looked dumbfounded, and then asked her in a whimpering voice.
Ma Xiaoyu pouted at this time, just squinted her eyes, and smiled without answering.
Liu Banxian was speechless as he watched. The color of the chocolate did not look much different from the soil, but he did not expect that such a rigorous Taoist priest as Ma Xiaoyu, the female heavenly master of the Ma family, would fool around on such a thing. It was really You can't learn anything from Yin Xiu if you lie to ghosts and eat tofu.
He couldn't help but complain more to Yin Xiu, feeling that if it weren't for Yin Xiu being here, Ma Xiaoyu wouldn't have allowed himself to be tricked and eat a mouthful of mud just to see a joke.
In this way, he could only sigh and swallow the mud ball in his mouth further down his throat. Suddenly, his throat also smelled earthy.
However, after swallowing the mud pills, the three of them finally heard what the ghost said clearly.
Just listen to the ghost begging for mercy: "Three immortal masters, I am just a lonely ghost passing by. I got lost and starved to death when I went into the mountains to collect medicine. Now I have become an ownerless ghost, exposed to the sun and rain." , when the sun rises, it looks like fireballs falling from the sky, and when it rains, it looks like arrows falling, which makes me miserable
I can neither reincarnate nor be reincarnated. There is no such pitiable ghost as me in the world. I just ask the three immortal masters to come around me once and let me, a little ghost who has always been kind to others, live. ”
He spoke so sadly that drops of blood flowed out of his eyes, which really made the listeners sad and the listeners shed tears.
However, Yin Xiu suddenly laughed when he heard these words, with a rather joking expression.
If Luo Wei were here and saw Yin Xiu smiling like this, he would definitely scold him: "People are so miserable and you can still laugh. Do you have any humanity?"
However, the other two people present were used to dealing with ghosts, so they were not surprised by Yin Xiu's behavior and just waited for him to speak.
After a pause, Yin Xiu said: "You said you are a herbal collector. Which herbal collector has scars on his face like you? Bandits are just bandits. Is it embarrassing to be in this profession? But speaking of you, you are kind to others. Can't get along either.
It should be said that you were a bastard when you were alive, and you are not a good ghost after death. ”
After being exposed by Yin Xiu, the ghost could only smile awkwardly, and quickly asked: "I wonder what the three immortal masters can help with?"
"Wouldn't it save you a lot of saliva if you started this way earlier?"
Yin Xiu smiled and said, "Tell me who is commanding you. If you tell me clearly, I will let you be reincarnated. If you don't tell me clearly, I won't let you even become a ghost!" (End of Chapter)