The sun is just right and the sky is bright.
Zhang Hao stood at the entrance of Shibei Village, silently looking into the depths of the village, but a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes.
For some reason, he felt an inexplicable coldness on his body even though he was at noon when Yang Qi was at its strongest.
Zhang Hao thought that there was a problem in Thirty-Six Village, but he didn't expect that he had just stepped through the entrance of the second village and immediately ran into something strange.
Of the thirty-six villages, there are only eight villages left. Is it possible that he actually won the grand prize three times in a row?
The weird one in the first village is Granny Liu, and the weird Taoist in the second village.
What's weird about this third village?
Zhang Hao was thinking silently in his heart, but his feet didn't stop.
Shibei Village is not big. Compared with the previous two villages, the overall area of this village is more than half smaller.
Zhang Hao just looked around for a moment and found that there was no breath of life here.
It is difficult to hide the aura of a living person, especially in this place where Yin Qi gathers. The aura of a living person is like a torch lit in the darkness.
And it’s sunny noon time again...
Zhang Hao was just thinking when a exclamation suddenly sounded in his ears.
"Don't stand there!"
The sound appeared extremely unexpectedly.
The moment the sound appeared, Zhang Hao immediately looked to the side. However, except for various stone monuments, there were only a few wild grasses and wild flowers on the roadside. There was no other scenery, let alone living person.
Could it be that he was hallucinating?
Zhang Hao was shocked and couldn't help but look up to the sky.
The dazzling sun hung high in the sky, the sky was blue, and there was no evil at all.
At this time when the sun is at its peak, even evil spirits dare not come out to cause trouble at this time.
Zhang Hao was even more shocked.
What the hell is going on?
This stone monument village looks nothing out of the ordinary, but it gives off a feeling that strangers are not allowed to enter.
Zhang Hao deduced based on the voice that the other party should be behind a dozen stone tablets in front.
The overall layout of Shibei Village is long and narrow from north to south and wide from east to west.
The location Zhang Hao went to happened to be the narrowest place on the south side.
There are more than a dozen stone tablets scattered around each other. On the stone tablets, totems of different levels are carved. They are ranked according to the ritual sacrifices. The closer to the periphery of the village, the lower the level.
The speaker's voice came from under a stone tablet with a green face.
The peacock is an auspicious animal that has always had a distinguished status in various sacrificial cultures.
However, the auspicious peacock here has a green face and fangs, with a ferocious look, like a fierce ghost.
Zhang Hao looked up and down the peacock several times, and found no other abnormalities except that the peacock was often wiped.
While he was observing the green-faced peacock, a gap suddenly opened on the stone tablet. At the same time, a pair of vigilant eyes appeared where the peacock's eyes were.
I saw these eyes staring at Zhang Hao, full of displeasure.
"You brat, I was talking to you just now, why didn't you reply?"
Zhang Hao was startled and went in to observe. Only then did he realize that the sound came from inside the stone tablet.
"Old sir, why are you hiding inside the stone monument? Can you come out and speak?"
Zhang Hao said hurriedly.
Hearing this, the old man in the stone tablet looked wary and observed Zhang Hao for a long time, then snorted coldly and said:
"Although you are a stranger, you have a lot of yang energy in your body. You should not be a evil ghost. Old man, let me believe you for once. Please step away for a moment."
Zhang Hao felt helpless. Although his whole body was full of weirdness, this kind of weirdness was only within control.
Anyone who sees him will exclaim that he is full of energy and yang energy.
This old man actually associated him with evil ghosts. I don't know whether he has seen too many evil ghosts or underestimated him too much.
After a while, Zhang Hao retreated outside the stone monument.
He didn't know why the old man let him leave, but since the other party didn't want him to see the secret, he didn't bother to look.
Just like everyone has their own secret to save their lives.
Zhang Hao doesn't want to spy on others, and naturally he doesn't want others to spy on him.
The ground shook three times. Just when Zhang Hao was on guard for the next shock, he saw a skinny old man walking out between the stone monuments.
I saw that this person was about 1.56 meters tall. Standing next to the stone monument, his height was actually not as tall as the stone monument.
The old man was about fifty or sixty years old, a little younger than Zhang Hao expected. His eyes were full of vicissitudes of life and vigilance. However, after discovering that Zhang Hao had no other companions and retreating as he asked, he finally revealed a hint of smile.
"Young man, don't blame me for being unkind. This Stone Tablet Village is different from other villages. Anyone who is not careful will already be dead."
The old man explained.
While listening to the old man's words, Zhang Hao stepped forward and handed over his kettle.
The old man's lips were chapped. When he spoke to him, his eyes were staring at the kettle in his hand. He had obviously been hungry and thirsty for a long time.
"Young man, you are a good man."
The old man held the kettle and immediately started swallowing.
Zhang Hao stood aside, thinking secretly in his heart.
He had never seen anyone eat with such ferociousness, as if he had been hungry for several lifetimes.
Zhang Hao prepared some food. In addition to the water bag, there were several pieces of baked bacon and accompanying grain in the backpack behind him.
Except for two pieces of bacon that were too dry to chew, Zhang Hao's nearly three days of rations were all eaten by the other party.
Even after eating all this, the old man still seemed dissatisfied. He swallowed hard and stared at Zhang Hao, as if he wanted to eat again.
However, besides Zhang Hao himself, where is there anything to eat?
Zhang Hao narrowed his eyes slightly, and the Buddhist aura flickered in his hand, turning into a talisman.
Just when he was about to take action, the old man suddenly raised his hand, opened his fangs, and bit his arm hard with his big mouth.
Drenched with blood.
The old man suddenly let out a scream, and in the next moment, his expression calmed down a lot.
"Old sir, do you have any health problems?"
Zhang Hao asked casually, but the talisman in his hand did not fall.
When traveling in the world, survival depends on the mind, not the so-called means.
How many so-called masters in this world have been harmed by villains because of their carelessness!
The old man didn't seem to be in danger, but the look in his eyes that looked like he was eating someone just now, and the teeth that were so sharp that they could grind through bones, proved that he had a big problem.
The old man tore off a piece of clothing and wrapped the wound with rags.
During this period, Zhang Hao discovered that the wounds on his body showed no signs of death.
The wounds between dead people and living people are completely different.
At this point, Zhang Hao finally felt relieved.
Although the old man's good and evil are unknown, and his temperament is unknown, at least he is a living person. A living person is better than a dead person.
Thinking of this, Zhang Hao stepped forward to help the old man and invited him to the stone bench next to the village.
With the sun shining brightly, an old man and a young man sat on a stone bench in this uninhabited village and started chatting.
According to what the old man himself said, his name was Lowens, and he was a mason in this village.
But the reason why this village is named Shibei Village is because throughout the dynasties, they have relied on the skill of chipping stones with their hands to support their families.
"Old sir, according to what you said, your craftsmanship has been passed down for hundreds of years, so it must be very good."
Zhang Hao said with a smile.
He just said it casually, but when the old man heard the words, he looked embarrassed.
"Young man, our villagers don't have any ancestral craftsmanship. It's just a skill of the diners. For hundreds of years, when the ancestors' records were at their peak, they only did two jobs for the Taoist masters."
The old man said, with a wry smile on his face.
Zhang Hao looked evil, and felt a bit absurd in his heart.
A craft that has been passed down for hundreds of years has no reputation?
However, in this world, there are so many inherited craftsmanships that it is normal for some companies not to be famous.
Zhang Hao did not delve into this matter. He approached the old man just to open up the next topic.
As Zhang Hao continued to chat, the secrets about Shibei Village were gradually torn apart by Zhang Hao.
According to what the old man said, Shibei Village has been divided into five families in the past few hundred years.
Five companies share the stone tablet business, but each company only does business through one channel.
For example, the family at the head of the village only makes water dragon stone tablets, and the family at the back of the village only makes earth dragon stone tablets.
"The so-called earth dragons and water dragons are the big shots who make a living on waterways."
Lawrence Lu said with a smile.
"Those who run the boat business are generally richer, so the houses at the head of the village are bigger and their families are richer.
Those who do business on the road are generally poor. Not only do they have no money, but most of them are related to bandits. If they are not satisfied, they will not only refuse to give money, but will even draw a knife to kill them. ”
The old man spat and said, obviously very familiar with these things.
Zhang Hao listened silently and couldn't help but ask.
"Old sir, according to what you said, the village is divided into five families. Which family are you in?"
The old man, who was still talking non-stop, suddenly changed his expression when he heard these words.
"I don't belong to any family. I just work as a helper in the village. If this family needs people, I will come to this family. If that family needs people, I will go to that family and make a living for all families."
The old man said awkwardly, but as if he was afraid that Zhang Hao would look down on him, he continued:
"You may think that I can't get into the top five families, but my craftsmanship is not bad. Otherwise, how could I make a living in every family?"
Zhang Hao nodded silently when he heard this, but the strange look on his face never disappeared.
The old man said for a long time that feelings are just an apprentice's work, and he is not good at it.
Otherwise, the five families in this village would compete with each other, and it would be impossible to let a skilled master go.
According to what the old man said, the five families in the village seem to be doing five types of business with clear respect, but in fact, what matters in the end is money.
The ones at the head of the city have the best craftsmanship, so they can be the richest customers, while the ones at the end of the village have worse craftsmanship, so they can only take on business that other families don't want.
Business here is not only less profitable, but also extremely dangerous.
After all the calculations, the old man was even worse than the worst family.
"Old sir, the village is divided into five families. Why are you the only one now, and why are you not living a good life?"
Zhang Hao said, placing the two remaining pieces of bacon in front of him.
Lawrence Lao couldn't bite these two pieces of dry bacon, so he smiled awkwardly and said:
"Business in the village has deteriorated, and most of them are running away. I am homeless and have no worries. I originally thought about leaving, but then I thought about it. Even if I leave here, where can I go? ”
When the old man said this, the expression on his face suddenly became a little solemn.
"Perhaps God thought I was too pitiful, so he made a special trip to save my life. Those who went out to seek a living died, but I, the one who stayed, survived."
After saying this, the old man suddenly became excited. He threw away the bacon, grabbed Zhang Hao's hand, and suddenly got into the stone monument.
In the forest of stone tablets, the road was rugged. Zhang Hao followed Lao Wensi for a circle, but he felt at a loss.
There seemed to be a kind of formation hidden in this forest. Zhang Hao was walking in it, and after only taking a few steps, he realized that everywhere he could see, there were all kinds of weird and dense forests.
The stone monument made the road difficult to pass. Without the old man accompanying him, he would not have been able to identify the direction.
It wasn't until he walked a few hundred meters that the old man stopped, pointed to a small bridge and plank road in front of him, and said:
"Little brother, you treat me to a meal. I won't cheat you. You probably came to Stone Tablet Village for that thing. It's inside."
A gust of wind blew. Before Zhang Hao could realize what happened, he saw that the old man had disappeared.
Like a gust of wind, Lao Wensi disappeared without a trace, but Zhang Hao had no idea what "that thing" he was talking about!
A chill surged into his heart, Zhang Hao hurriedly summoned the Taoist and Buddhist energy to strengthen himself, and then walked forward step by step.
The place where the old man took him was originally just a stone wall, but as the old man disappeared and the cold wind blew, the stone wall in front of him instantly turned into ashes.
After the ashes disappeared, what appeared in front of Zhang Hao was a stone bridge and plank road.
Opposite the stone bridge plank road is a small white island covered with various stone monuments and large shady trees.
The island is surrounded by water, and there is no wind or wave in the water. It seems that there is some kind of bottomless monster hidden in the water.
Zhang Hao stood on the side of the road, silently observing the distance, with a chill flashing in his eyes from time to time.
The weirdness of the third village may have just been revealed.
He looked back and saw that the road he came from had completely disappeared.
The village of stone tablets and the forest of stone tablets all disappeared into nothingness!
The place where the old man brought him in was probably not an ordinary road at all, but an extremely weird psychedelic formation.
But he didn't check for a moment and fell into the old man's trick.
How could the world change so quickly?
This old man, no matter how he is a temporary worker in Shibei Village, is clearly a master of illusion formation!
Even though Zhang Hao took every precaution, he still couldn't prevent the opponent's plan.
But Zhang Hao did not panic.
Just as he was being led into the illusion by the old man, Lao Bao, who was in a hospital outside the city, suddenly trembled.
"What's wrong with you?"
Beside him, Getu looked at him strangely and couldn't help but said:
"The two of us have agreed that I will press it for you first, and then you will help me. You old boy won't cheat on you, will you?"
The two of them have been together since they were admitted to the hospital.
The others are all women, which is inconvenient on the one hand, and there is nothing in common with them on the other.
When they are bored, they massage each other.
However, it was said that they were massaging each other, but Lao Bao always acted secretly. Whenever I massaged him, he would always use excuses such as pain or dizziness to be lazy.
"I'm not lazy, I just... seemed to hear Zhang Hao's voice."
Lao Bao hurriedly explained, but a trace of astonishment flashed in his eyes. (End of chapter)