Chapter 114 Xiyi Xiansheng Zhenjun
After hanging up the phone, Ning Zhe continued to walk forward, and the wisp of smoke floating in the sky was getting closer and closer.
The overall layout of Yanglao Village is a large simplified Chinese character "Yang" spread out on the ground. The Shigandang at the south entrance of the village is on the bottom one, and the Earth Temple is on the two lines above the Chinese character "Yang". The middle of the fork in the road.
Behind the Earth Temple, there is an old ginkgo tree that requires more than a dozen people to hug it. Before you even get close, you can smell the burning charcoal.
Ning Zhe transformed into a holly bird and flew over the ginkgo tree. The heat wave almost knocked him over. The tree was on fire.
The trunk of the ginkgo tree is hollow, with a few sparse wisps of green smoke coming out from inside. The thick trunk is like a tall chimney, and long tongues of flame stretch out from the tree hole from time to time, licking the crown of the tree. The green leaves on the branches - the tree is still alive. Even alive and well.
Looking from above, only a small circle of yellowing in the center near the fire tree hole is seen in the entire tree crown. Above the dry and charred trunk is a leafy green crown, and the small fan-like ginkgo leaves are glowing in the heat wave. Under the breeze of salad, the young branches are full of vibrant green and pleasant new leaves.
Under the burning ginkgo tree is a small temple, slightly larger than the Earth Temple on the path outside the village. Ning Zhe turned back to his human body and walked closer, and saw two people, one old and one young. The woman knelt in front of the temple door and respectfully offered incense to the Tutu Temple.
The old woman took 3 incense sticks, and the young girl took 2 sticks. A total of 5 incense sticks were inserted into the ashes in front of the Tutu Temple. These should be Ji Taixun's grandmother and sister.
"Strange..." Looking at the backs of an old man and a young man sitting on their knees, Ning Zhe frowned slightly.
The old man's appearance matched the image of his grandmother in Ji Taixun's memory, but she was older than the grandmother he saw when he was a child. Generally speaking, he could still recognize him, but the girl next to his grandmother was...
"Ji Taixun...at least the Ji Taixun his grandfather knew. His memory has no knowledge and knowledge related to his sister." Ning Zhe's nerves were slightly tense, and he hesitated whether to continue. Go forward.
Forgetting what she looks like, would a normal person not even know the name of his biological sister?
Just for a moment of hesitation, the two people kneeling in front of the Earth Temple seemed to notice someone coming behind them. Grandma turned around and saw Ning Zhe standing not far behind, with a smile on his wrinkled old face. Suddenly he bloomed: "Oh, why didn't you tell your family when you came back?" "Sound, your mother said on the phone..."
Grandma stood up overjoyed and came to Ning Zhe, pulling on his clothes and cuffs to look up and down, talking nonchalantly. We haven’t seen each other for a few years. My dear grandson has grown taller and older, but he doesn’t look good and is thin.
The girl who was kneeling next to her grandmother timidly turned around. Between her soft hair was a face that was covered with red spots and acne, and was extremely eroded: acne, chicken pox, psoriasis, fungal infections...all kinds of skin imaginable. The symptoms of the disease can be seen on the girl's face.
She shouted softly in a hoarse voice: "Brother, you are back..."
There was a weak voice, and her throat seemed to be sick.
This face... Ning Zhe glanced at the girl's hands that were covered by long sleeves and smiled slightly: "It's been a long time since I saw you. Do you miss your brother?"
Ji Taijun's sister nodded vigorously: "I think about it every day."
As the identity of 'the brother my sister knows' was successfully stolen by Taiyi, Ning Zhe knew her name:
[Yin Lishang]
Isn't her surname Ji instead of Yin? ... Ning Zhe's eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed that Lan Shiwen was right what he said before. In order to avoid being chased by the Sanren Ascensioners, his family was forced to change their last name, literally becoming anonymous. But for some reason, Ji Taixun and his father Ji Wuxie both changed their surnames, but sister Yin Lishang did not. "Grandma, why is this tree on fire?" Ning Zhe asked instead.
In Ji Taixun’s childhood memories, this old ginkgo tree has always been good.
"It was struck by lightning." Grandma took Ning Zhe's hand and said:
"This tree has been growing in the village since grandma was not old enough for you. Yundu City sent people to do it for you over and over again. Grandpa’s ideological work required him to sign his consent to transplant this tree into a city park. Let me tell you, the old man is stubborn. He doesn't want the money he picked up for free, and he won't allow anyone to dig up the tree.
Maybe the ginkgo tree has been in the village for too long and has caused trouble. Even the land lord couldn’t stand it anymore. On the Dragon Boat Festival the year before last, there was a clear sky in broad daylight. The thunderbolt hit the heart of the tree impartially. Everyone hurried to look and found that the heart of the tree was already on fire."
Grandma stroked the palm prints of Ning Zhe's palm and turned around frequently. Looking at the ginkgo tree burning with blazing flames, he continued: "But this big tree is also It's a good idea. Even the thunder and lightning didn't kill it. The fire in the tree has been burning for 3 years, but the ginkgo tree is still alive and well. Last year, it even dropped its fruit."
"The fire burned it for 3 years. Year?" Ning Zhe couldn't believe it: "Is no one going to put out the fire?"
"You child, the Land Master is listening, don't dare to talk nonsense." Grandma hurriedly covered Ning Zhe's mouth and whispered: "This is the thunder and fire that the Land Master asked for, who dares to extinguish it..."
I almost forgot that Ji Taifun’s grandmother was a Buddhist...
Ning Zhe clicked his tongue lightly, his eyes passing over his sister Yin Lishang who looked at him timidly, and then looked at the ginkgo tree in front of him. The hollow trunk was burning with blazing fire, like a huge chimney. Green smoke was rising from the tree. The tree had lived in this condition for three years.
Reminiscent of the old people he saw in the village who were too old but still alive, Ning Zhe naturally came up with this guess:
"Yanglao There seems to be no 'death' in the village?"
If this is the case, Ji Taixun, who hurriedly fled into the village last night, may not have died at all. If he had not died, where would Ji Taixun be now?
"Grandma, let me ask you something." Ning Zhe took his palm out of his grandmother's old hand and asked: "I saw a land temple on the way into the village, and the land master in the temple It looks a bit miserable.”
“Have you seen the land master?” Grandma opened her eyes wide. This matter seemed important.
“Yes.” Ning Zhe nodded and said, “I saw the land master’s eyes were driven blind with nails, his ears were sealed with mud, his nose was cut off with a knife, and his mouth was sealed with needles and threads. The wounds on His body were still bleeding like a human being.”
It was as if someone had disguised a human corpse and put it into the temple in the official uniform of the Earth God.
"Oh my god... Xiyi Xian Sheng Zhenjun!" Grandma wailed, and was so frightened that she lost her breath.
(End of this chapter)