Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The Hermit Bought the Haunted Land

Henan has three prefectures on the north bank of the Dahe River; Zhangde, Weihui, and Huaiqing. Huaiqing Mansion is the most barren, with the Taihang Mountains surrounded by thousands of peaks and obstacles in the north, and cut off by the uncontrollable Yellow River in the south. But in terms of status, it is the key point that the military strategists must contend for. It is the channel to enter Shanxi and the throat to go south to Luoyang. From the capital to Guanzhong, all follow this road, and the market is quite prosperous. If this place was not important, how could the Ming Dynasty have established a palace here twice?

Because Taihang bandits often come and go, this prefectural city with a radius of ten miles is built in a square shape with a wall as high as three feet.But the moat was wider than any other city, more than five feet, it was difficult to fly across, and the besiegers felt the most headache. At that time, in mid-autumn, the autumn tiger was rampant, the scorching sun was unbearable, the vegetation withered, and the earth was scorching hot, like a big vigorous furnace.There is no cloud in the sky, and there is no wind. People are restless, and dogs are also restless. The Yunxiang Tea Shed in the northeast corner of Zhenshan Pavilion is a good place for people from all walks of life in the city to spend their time. They not only sell wine, but also sell tea. It costs thirty to forty yuan to spend most of the day.

Near noon, there are not many customers. The tea shed is built under a few big pagoda trees, and the guests are here in twos and threes, lazily making cups of tea to pass the scorching day. A brawny man with straight shoulders and bare upper body strode into the tea shed, took off the sun hat on his head, glanced at every corner of the tea shed, and hummed a small tune in his mouth: jujube sharp, sharp And sharp, the big girl came to the Yellow River Not far away on a bench next to a tea table, the big man with leopard head and ring eyes lying straightened up, giggled and said, "Damn it!"Pistachio, I thought it was barking chickens, cats and dogs, but it turned out that your brother was disturbing people's dreams.Hello!Did you just come?

The pistachio approached, stretched out his hand to push away the other party's hairy legs that were resting on the stool, and said: Fuck you!You fucking still have the heart to sleep here?It's really admirable. What, is the business done?If you miss Uncle Jiang's business, I guarantee that you, a laughing wolf, will have to go around. After finishing speaking, he sat down and called to the shopkeeper in the distance: "Little Sanzi, let me make a cup of tea, a plate of crispy dried tofu, a plate of peanuts, and a handful of walnuts." Laughing Wolf sighed and said: What the hell!If you are unlucky, maggots will grow in the salt tank, and you will not be able to do anything smoothly.Not only did Uncle Jiang's affairs get messed up, but even the third sister-in-law's odds and ends were messed up!well!The year has changed.What a fucking freak, freak!

What's so rare about this?What's not unusual these days?People are abnormal, the earth is abnormal, and the sky is abnormal.There has been no snow for three years in a row, there have been seventeen or eighteen earthquakes in the past two years, and there are thieves all over the world, what do you say?Er Pistachio wiped off the sweat from his face, and said: "Looking at the heat this year, I'm afraid it won't snow again. Last winter was just like his mother's Xiaoyangchun."In my opinion, within a few days, if there is no plague, there will be a plague of locusts.

Er pistachio, what are you afraid of?Anyway, you have a backer, and when the sky falls, you have a tall person to top it.How have you been doing lately?How come Diao Ke Zhang has disappeared recently.Laughing Wolf asked. Uncle Zhang went to Luoyang happily. He, a rich man, is reluctant to take you to see him?Your backer is really meaningless. Erhunzi smiled smugly, and said in a low voice: You don't know, Uncle Zhang is going to avoid the limelight.What am I going to do? Shelter? The land in Shuiyu Mountain was sold to a few people from the capital who took advantage of it. oh!You mean the haunted field?

yes!Only by selling it to outsiders can they sell it. People in this county, who would dare to take it? How much is it sold out? Not much, three hundred and fifty taels, vain official silver.Er Pistachio said proudly. God!Isn't this robbery?Fifty taels of silver is also no one wants the land, but You can't talk nonsense, that piece of hillside land stretches as far as the eye can see, and it covers six to seven hundred hectares. If it weren't for the haunting, it wouldn't be sold for three thousand five hundred taels of silver! Forget it!Only ghosts want the hillside land that has been deserted for four or five years.oh!The fields are all sold, so why avoid the limelight?

Those who took advantage of it didn't know that it was haunted, if Afraid that they will retreat? yes!Er Pistachio pouted and said, throwing a piece of dried tofu into his mouth. drink!Hanger Zhang is actually afraid of something, anecdotes!With your group of thugs, thirty or fifty people would never even think about touching him. Those who have been taken advantage of have long hands and big feet, and they have a lot of background!To be honest, we were a little scared of them.Especially the young man in his twenties, who closed his mouth firmly in spite of himself, and his sharp big eyes are really chilling. When staring at you, you seem to feel that he can see through your heart, and it is like being stabbed by a knife. He was as terrifying as a prick, and he seemed to be able to smell the breath of the underworld emanating from him.

Standing next to him made one feel uncomfortable for no reason, as if he was not a human being, but a devil who devoured souls and devoured hearts and livers.It's true, I really dare not deal with this kind of person.Erhunzi said with lingering fear, looking around guiltily, fearing that the person he was talking about was nearby. Laughing Wolf giggled, and said: Don't do bad things for people, and don't be surprised when you knock on the door in the middle of the night; this is because you people like Zhang Ke Zhang have done too many bad things, so you have ulterior motives, and you see people as evil. Ghost!giggling

During the same period, in the vast wasteland west of Shuiyu Mountain, six or seven people were chopping wood and building houses. Shuiyu Mountain, more than 20 miles north of Fucheng, is already the end of the southern foot of Taihang Mountain with thousands of peaks. In fact, this place is not remote. At the east foot of the mountain, there is a trail going up the Dan River, which leads to Wanzicheng Pass in Wanzicheng Mountain and enters Zezhou, Shanxi. There is a road in the south of the mountain, which leads to the Taihang Mountains six or seven miles away in the northwest, and goes directly to Zezhou.

Taihang Xing is the second Xing of one of the eight Xings in Taihang Mountain. The road is three steps wide and more than forty miles long.Eight Xings of Taihang Mountain, the first, second and third Xings are all in the territory of this prefecture. This hillside land, which has been abandoned for four or five years and no one dares to approach at night because of ghosts, is really six to seven hundred hectares in size. In the vicinity of the mountain, there are strange rocks like forests, clear streams are green, and there are many forests and springs. The night is quieter, and the sound of the flowing springs is like a zither. More than ten miles to the north is Fangshan Mountain, which is quite spectacular in four directions. In short, this is the edge of the mountain, haunted by ghosts is not a strange thing. There are six people who bought this land, the leader is Yu Yunzhong, who is about half a century old and tall; Wan Mingshen, whose hands are above his knees; Gao Cheng, a young man with a mole between his eyebrows; ;The young lad Xin Lao Wu, he was named after the ranking, originally called Xin Wu, but everyone called him Lao Wu. These six dear friends are said to be from the capital. They bought this field at the beginning of last month and settled here. At first they didn't know that the place was haunted, but later they found out many haunted rumors.The ghosts couldn't frighten them, so they called in workers and were rushing to build houses. One-third of the six wooden houses have been completed, and there are still about ten days and a half months to complete. For half a month, they didn't see any ghosts or demons appearing, and they were safe and sound. Even the people in the nearby villages thought they were lucky, and the evil ghosts obediently slipped away. The land they bought was surprisingly cheap. There were only 600 to 700 hectares of arable land. Including the uncultivable mountain land along the hillside, the total was about 1,500 hectares. The nearest villages are all more than five miles away, and it is impossible to manage them with the power of six people. They are not afraid of ghosts and ghosts, but the worst thing is that they can't hire long-term workers. No one dares to apply for the job. Even the construction workers dare not stop working after applying for licenses. They quit work early and left in a hurry, so the six of them had to do their best . This piece of land should be an ideal farmland. A small stream flows through the field and goes around the mountain north to flow into the Great Dan River. There is no need to worry about running out of water for irrigation. However, the eyes are full of thorns, weeds reach shoulders, and sometimes there are bushes more than ten feet high, which become the dens of foxes and rats. During the daytime, jackals and blue wolves can often be seen, and occasionally even a big black bear can be found wandering nearby. . After lunch, Wan Mingshen put on a green straight gown and a sun hat, beckoned to Xin Wu and said, "Old Wu, put on the sun hat, let's go for a walk to the north of the mountain." Xin Wu was the youngest among the six, about twenty years old, tall and strong, as strong as a lion, young and handsome, but taciturn and serious.He is Xin Wenzhao. Although it has been half a year since he left Xiao Luotian, he still has lingering fears and wants to hide here and cultivate. His surprisingly bright big eyes seemed to be much more mature than his age, with a wild and intimidating vibe, not like the eyes that people of his age should have. He wiped his sweat with a sweat towel, grabbed the coat hanging on the wood pile, and said, "Okay, we really should go and see this neighbor, let's go!" Yu Yunzhong got out of a built wooden house, his tall figure was like a mountain, sprayed out the mouthwash, shook the wooden ladle and said: Go early and come back early, hurry up!Remember to be polite and don't let people think we are bad neighbors. Wan Ming grinned deeply, grabbed a wooden stick at hand, and said: Don't worry!Brother Yu, you can't miss it, we new residents, we can't bear to let this go to ourselves, can't we? The two cross-country to the east, around the hilly area in the north of the mountain. While walking, Wan Mingshen said with emotion: It is also a kind of enjoyment to be able to leave those indiscriminate activities and be a peaceful and carefree commoner here. Xin Wu clenched his lips tightly, and hummed as an answer. Wan Ming walked in the grass, as if he had already expected that the other party would not want to answer, and said to himself: In a few days, we will bring our family members here. In this lifetime, we will be considered rooted and fallen leaves.oh!Fifth, do you have any family members? No.Xin Wu replied, simply. Are you friends with Sharpe, have you had a run together in the past? No, Brother Xia and I met at the Daming Mansion in the capital.He said he wanted to go to Henan to buy land and settle down, and I also had the same idea, so he followed. oh!Brother Xia and I were partners in the early years.Brother Yu and Brother Gao are also close friends, and Brother Fang is Brother Yu's cousin. I know. In short, the six of us, except you, were all people who used to roll on the mountain of swords and venture into the sea of ​​swords. Three years ago, we decided to leave the rivers and lakes and find a place to live in peace and happiness for the rest of our lives, so we made an appointment in Zhangde Government gathering. I'm not from the rivers and lakes, and I just want to settle down, so I followed. also good. If you are not welcome, I can quit.In advance, I have stated to Brother Xia that although I know nothing about all walks of life, I am willing to work hard and endure hardships, and I can handle farming. hehe!You are young, I am afraid that you will not be able to bear hardships.Xin Wu didn't think it was rebellious, smiled lightly, and said meaningfully: Whoever stays last will be the one who really wants to take root and fall leaves. oh!Do you think we are duplicity?Wanming's complexion was a little troubled, and he asked coldly, throwing his head. As you said, growing crops is very difficult. No one is afraid of suffering. Is it?He said it blankly, as if asking. Wan Ming shook his head deeply, smiled wryly and said: You are a bit unpredictable, it is difficult to speak. Is it?He still answered coldly. Wan Ming took a deep breath and said no more. He pushed the stick hard to push away the thorns blocking the way and tightened his feet. It took a lot of work, but there were no houses in the north of the mountain, and the mountains were scattered all over the place, and there was no sign of people nearby. Wan Mingshen was furious after looking for it, and said bitterly: That bastard Zhang Wanwan said that he couldn't find even a single tile or inch pillar in this area. Let's go to a high place, stand high and see far.Xin Wu said. The hills in this area are undulating, the vegetation is overgrown, and the field of vision is limited, so it is really difficult to find. Wan Mingshen had no choice but to agree, and muttered: All right!going up.The bastard said that there are people living under the mountain, but he didn't say that there are people living on the mountain. Xin Wu has been silently following behind, and has no intention of going ahead. This is a sign of respect for the other party, and Wan Mingshen is quite satisfied with him. Just after turning over the foot of a mountain, Wan Mingshen happily said: Hey!Xiemen, there really is a house!Such a secret place, the family will really enjoy it. Between the two hills and terraces, a high-rise building appeared in the gap between the trees, surrounded by towering ancient trees, and the cornices on the top of the building did not exceed the treetops, so if you don’t just turn out of the exit at the foot of the mountain, it is difficult to see the hidden from any direction. tall buildings. Wan Mingshen's feet tightened and he walked through the forest. Not far to the west of the building, he suddenly stopped and said in surprise: Hey!It seems to be an empty building! It is an empty building that has been abandoned for a long time.Xin Wu said. The building is two stories high with small windows on all sides. Some of the windows and doors are missing, and some branches have been stretched into the windows. In a year or two, they may be dismembered by the surrounding branches. The birds are flying and the cicadas are making noise. Due to the heavy shade and the sky, although there is no wind, you can still feel the coolness. The dilapidated building in front of him seemed to permeate the gloomy depths of hell, exuding the breath of death. From the peeling paint remnants on the outside, it is estimated that no one has lived in it in the last three to five years. Who spent so much time building this magnificent building here, and let it be eroded by wind, frost, rain and snow, and what is the reason for discarding it? Hi!anyone there?Wan Mingshen yelled. From the empty hall without a door, echoed: Hi!is there anyone Wan Ming was startled and said: "It's such a big building, you can tell by the echo that the interior is astonishingly large." Stone pillars, big brick walls, carved railings, small but not many windows, it is two acres in size, really like a palace. Xin Wu's sharp gaze kept sizing up this gloomy ancient building, like a courtier in a pawn shop carefully identifying an antique given away as a pawn. Let's go in and have a look.Wanming said deeply. Xin Wu suddenly listened, the cicadas and birdsong disturbed his hearing, but he had already heard the strange noise, so he patted Wan Mingshen on the shoulder and pointed to the right with his hand. Wan Mingshen looked in the direction of his fingers and asked, "What are you doing?" Xin Wu picked up a piece of mud and threw it to the undergrowth on the right. With a strange roar, the undergrowth rustled, and a seven-foot-tall black bear crawled out. It clawed wildly, and stood up with its back claws, roaring and approaching step by step. It's ridiculous. Wan Ming was taken aback, and said: This beast really knows how to hide, if it accidentally bumps into it, it will be finished? Xin Wu retreated to the building and said, "Go inside and take shelter." Wan Mingshen swung the wooden stick in his hand, and said with a smile: No, this beast is wandering around in this area, sooner or later it will destroy our fields and kill it, its skin is just used as a mattress, you get out of the way. The giant bear has approached within ten feet, and the ground is moving.The stench touched his nose, roaring and rushing forward, claws stretched out. Wan Mingshen moved to the left, shouted loudly, and stretched out his wooden stick to tease him. The giant bear stretched out its claws and rushed forward. Wan Mingshen's wooden stick had already been withdrawn in an instant, his figure was like lightning, and in a flash it reached the giant bear's side, poof!There was a knock on the bridge of the giant bear's nose.The wooden stick as thick as a child's arm was not broken, but the giant bear roared and jumped forward, landing on all fours, roaring and shaking its head violently, as if it had suffered a lot. At this moment, Wan Mingshen jumped up, and the moment he jumped over the giant bear, he struck the giant bear between the eyes with a stick. The giant bear jumped, rolled to the ground, rolled around, got up and fled like flying, its heavy body was like a big cart, and fled westward amidst the sound of treading leaves. Huh!It didn't shatter its skull!Wanming cried out in surprise. He struck out with the real strength of these two sticks, even a big rock can't withstand a blow, but he couldn't break the flesh and blood of the bear's head, he was really surprised. He looked at Xin Wu, who had his hands behind his back, Shi Shi ran up the stone steps and approached the open hall door. Don't be careless!He called, rushing up. The hall is tall and wide, with four doors leading to the left, right and back, and a wide double staircase.The roof of the hall is hollow, and you can see the dark and dusty roof. The door, pillars, ladders, and walls are all decayed. The only light is a large gold lacquer plaque hanging under the ceiling. The three big characters are engraved with Nai He Tian. The white characters on the gold background are vivid and eye-catching. The dusty and dilapidated run-down is completely different. Wan Ming looked up, suddenly shuddered, and said with horror: God, is it really the legendary Nai He Tian? What is Nai He Tian?Xin Wu asked. rewind!Wanming said urgently. Xin Wu smiled lightly and said: There is no one here. Wanming said in deep fear: If there is someone, we will be finished. There may be people in the evening. How do you know? That plaque is often wiped. Can you see clearly?high and dark Believe it or not, you can climb up and have a look. Wan Mingshen still changed his face and said: God, if it is really the legendary Nai He Tian that we will die without a place to be buried, how dare we go up to see it? Xin Wu had no intention of persuading him to go up and have a look, and said: Then let's go!It's good to be careful. Wan Mingshen exited hastily, as if he had infinite fear of this abandoned building. Want to look elsewhere?Xin Wu asked. No need, go back!Especially you, the farther you go, the better. Xin Wu didn't object, followed Wan Mingshen down the mountain in a hurry, and on the way back to Xinxin Farm, he caught up and asked, "Brother Wan, what happened to Naihetian?" You are not from the rivers and lakes, so there is no need to inquire.That was many years ago, who wants to mention it?