Seeing the clouds

Chapter 18: Seventeen Fengdu Ghost Town
Jincheng is located in Liangzhou, bordering Yumenguan to the west, Tianshui and Chang'an to the east, surrounded by mountains and impregnable. It is the largest city in Liangzhou and the first strategic location on the Liangzhou Road.However, to the outside world, the name Jincheng is far less familiar and loud than the word "Ghost City".

When the Northern Han Dynasty was at war with Da Qin, and Chang'an, the capital of the Northern Han Dynasty, fell, Jincheng replaced Chang'an and became the first line of defense against Da Qin.Once Jincheng fell, the Qin army would be unstoppable, and the Northern Han Dynasty would never be able to recover.

The leader of the Qin army was Fang Qifu, who was once the prime minister and now guards Yongzhou. The person responsible for the siege of this battle was Fang Qifu's nephew, now the general who conquered the east, Tianding.

Facing two generals who were destined to go down in history, Wang Jian, the famous general of the Northern Han Dynasty at that time, chose to resist with the whole city despite knowing that he had no backup.

This siege, which shocked ancient and modern times, lasted for three years.

Three full years!

In this battle, the Qin side lost more than [-] elite soldiers, and the casualties in Jincheng exceeded [-], and the men were even dead!
In the end, Wang Jian saw that there was no hope of defending the city, so he stood on the city wall and uttered the words "Jian has no face to see his father and elders in his hometown" that countless Qin soldiers will remember, and then led all his trusted generals to commit suicide.

So far, there are no more men in Jincheng.

The king's flag changed at the top of the city. After the Qin army slowly entered Jincheng, the Qin soldiers, who had long been demoralized after three years of war, all shed tears when they saw only women and children left in the city.Even Fang Qifu, who was always known for his coldness in running the army, couldn't help but sigh with tears.

The poor bones are piled in the solitary tomb, and it is hard to be promoted to a general.

Fourteen short words are enough to express how tragic the Battle of Jincheng was.

Jincheng, which was once named after the gold dug out during the city's construction, has since had a population of less than [-] and has become a veritable ghost town.Some people even gave it a name that only existed in folklore.

Fengdu.

According to legend, Fengduluo Mountain is the underworld that controls the lives of all living things. After all living things in the world have expired, they will go to Fengdu to settle their grievances in life, otherwise they will become homeless ghosts.The ghost angel Black and White Impermanence first led the souls of all living things to the gate of hell and handed them over to the ghost soldiers with bull heads and horse faces. Then the bull heads and horse faces took the souls into custody and walked across the underworld road to accept the punishment of the civil and military judges in the Emperor's Palace: those who committed evil during their lifetime were sent to the punishment platform and entered the ten Those who have done good deeds in life will go to the Naihe Bridge and drink the bowl of Mengpo soup that no one knows the taste of, and they will be able to cut off their reincarnation.

As the saying goes, the living are in the Yang world and the dead are in the underworld. There are two realms of Yin and Yang. There is one life in the Yang world and one life in the underworld.Everyone says that the underworld is spooky and terrifying, but how good can the underworld be?
In addition, the evil sect of the Underworld, which was famous in the world in the past few years but has disappeared now, is rumored to be hidden in Jincheng.Although no one can confirm this news, it is not without reason.

And many rumors and legends also make Jincheng, a city that is already riddled with holes, even more mysterious and eerie.

When Zhang Chuo was still in Yunxia, ​​he had been to Jincheng many times, because his mother's biological sister had married Zheng Yuanfu, the current prefect of Jincheng.Although the Zhang family was now a wanted traitor in the world, Qin Hongwan, the sister-in-law of King Qi, had always been at odds with her brother-in-law Zhang Yunping. After the death of her sister Qin Hongyu, she completely distanced herself from Zhang Yunping and Not implicated.

Although Qin Hongwan had always been dissatisfied with Zhang Yunping, and even blamed her sister's death on her brother-in-law, she loved her two nephews very much.Zhang Yue clearly remembered that when his mother was still alive, whenever she came to visit her aunt's house during the holidays, her talented and beautiful aunt would like to stuff all the rare items in the house into the arms of herself and her accompanying younger brother.On the side, the cousin who had been strictly disciplined since childhood could only look at his mother who was serious and serious about him all the time, and could only show his eyes with great envy.

However, over the years, the person who suffered the most was Zhang Yuanfu's uncle, Zheng Yuanfu.

For him, it is really difficult to have both his beloved wife and his respected brother-in-law at the same time.Therefore, this Jincheng prefect, who is an upright official and a mediocre person, most of the time looks like Zhu Bajie in the mirror.

Inside and out are not people.

If he hadn't been a wanted felon by the court, Zhang Chuo would have really wanted to see his aunt and uncle. After all, they were his blood relatives. After not seeing each other for so many years, Zhang Chuo would naturally miss them and his cousin.

When Zhang Chuchu entered the west gate of Jincheng, he looked at the crowded streets that were a little bleak compared to other cities, and couldn't help but sigh: "It's been so long, and I don't know if my aunt and uncle are in good health."

It was already late at this time. Zhang Yue had been rushing on the road these past few days. He slept alone in the wild at night and did not dare to sleep deeply. He could only light a fire, sit down and meditate for the whole night.He heard that there was a capable stranger in the world called the Divine Walking Taibao, who could travel eight hundred miles a day, but he didn't know how he did it.

The dry food had been eaten two days ago. In addition to catching some game last night, Zhang had rushed to Jincheng early in the morning. At the beginning of the month, Zhang had not touched a drop of water or eaten a grain of rice. Naturally, he was already hungry.

People are like rice and steel. Even if you are a master of martial arts with extraordinary abilities, unless you ascend to immortality, you still have to eat obediently.

Zhang Chu found a relatively lively market at the beginning of the month. After sitting down at a dim sum stall with not many people, he noticed an unknown man at the next table who was slightly stout and was eating noodles with his head down, which caught his attention.Zhang Chuyi saw that he was eating with such gusto, and without hesitation, he quickly ordered the exact same pasta from the store.

Making dim sum and pasta takes time, and Zhang Chuo had to look around boredly.After a while, he noticed that not far from the stall, a woman and her two children hurriedly ran into an ordinary shop, and then hurried out again in the blink of an eye. When he came out, he seemed to be holding something in his right hand.

Immediately afterwards, the lady led a pair of children and ran to the four-corner incense burner surrounding the shop.Only then did Zhang Chuchu realize that what the woman was holding was the incense used for worship in the temple.In the end, the woman led a pair of children and began to kowtow in front of the four-corner incense burner in broad daylight in full view of everyone.What was most incredible to Zhang Chuedue was that not a single passerby around him showed any surprise or confusion, as if it was a commonplace trivial matter.

First of all, women in the Qin Dynasty have been very careful about their words and deeds since ancient times. They usually try not to appear in front of everyone so as not to lose the face of their husbands and their families.

Furthermore, Buddhism has already been deeply rooted in people's hearts since it replaced Mohism, so Buddhists basically do not burn incense and offer sacrifices outside temples or nunneries.

If you want to say that the two alone may not be worth mentioning, but if the two are put together, it is really quite rare. This does not arouse the surprise of passers-by. How can you not surprise Zhang Yue, who is new to this place?
It happened that the man at the table next to Zhang Yue had finished his pasta. When Zhang Yue took a look, he saw that the strong man didn't even have the soup base left and drank it all in one gulp.After eating, he wiped his mouth with his hand with satisfaction and sighed: "Old Chen's craftsmanship is indeed the best in Jincheng."

Zhang Yue found it interesting, so he asked apologetically towards the man at the next table who was barely mediocre in appearance: "Hello, big brother, are you a native of Jincheng?"

When the man heard the voice, he turned to look at Zhang Yue. Fortunately, the man had a warm heart and was not unhappy at being disturbed by a stranger. He smiled and replied: "Brother, you are really lucky. I am still one of the few." A native of Jincheng.”

Seeing that the man had a good temper, Zhang Chuchu no longer worried about whether he was disturbing others, and continued: "Brother, do you know what that woman is doing?"

After saying that, he pointed to the woman who was burning incense and worshiping not far away.

The man followed Zhang Yue's hand and saw the woman he knew well. He showed a look of surprise and explained: "You mean that woman? She is burning incense to drive away ghosts."

Zhang Yue was stunned: "Expelling ghosts?" The man nodded and said, "Brother, I think you are a foreign guest, right?"

Zhang Chuchu said: "Yes, my surname is Li Huizhi, and I am from Yumenguan, Liangzhou. I passed by here on my way to Beijing to take the exam. I saw the woman's behavior was a little strange, so I asked curiously."

The man naturally understood: "My surname is Xiong and my name is Xiong Xiaocun. If Brother Li doesn't mind, just call me Brother Xiong. Brother Li is not from Jincheng, so it's normal if you don't know him. But Brother Li should have heard of the name Ghost City, right?"

Zhang Chuchu nodded and said, "I heard a little bit about it."

Xiong Xiaocun said: "Jincheng experienced the tragic death of all men in the city during the Warring States Period, and only a few women and children were left, so the whole city was extremely gloomy. If Brother Li came here during the Ghost Festival, he would even be able to see hundreds of ghosts walking over Jincheng at night. A spectacular scene. Therefore, for the people living in Jincheng, occasional hauntings are not a common thing, but recently, for some reason, hauntings have happened more frequently."

Zhang Chuchu frowned: "Is it haunted?"

Although Zhang Chuchu could be said to be born into a family of princes, generals and ministers, he received more Confucian education since he was a child, so books are indispensable.

Of course, in addition to reading some classic works, Zhang Chuo would occasionally read some novels about gods, ghosts and monsters like "Natural History" and "The Legend of Ghost Fox" behind Bai Feng's back.So Zhang Yue was no stranger to monsters and ghosts, but when he returned to reality, he really had never encountered any supernatural events.

To this day, Zhang Yue still remembers the love between the generous and upright white-robed scholar Ning Caichen and the fox demon Nie Xiaoqian in "The Legend of the Ghost Fox".Although I was still a child at the time, I didn’t know what love was like, but in my spare time, I would secretly imagine that when I put on that scholar’s ​​robe in the future, I would be able to meet that tragic creature who turned into a ghost but remained the same. A kind-hearted fox demon.

But now, what I wear is really similar to the scholar in that book, but I can't wait for the demon fox that once made me dream.

It's not that the fox demon has changed, but that he has grown up.

However, what I see before my eyes and what I hear in my ears seems to tell me that there might really be some lonely ghosts, mountain gods and fox monsters in the world?
Then Xiong Xiaocun sat next to Zhang Yue and said with a mysterious face: "Yes, but the so-called haunting in Jincheng is not as simple as seeing a ghost with your eyes. It is really dealing with a ghost. If Brother Li is here tonight If you stay in the city for the night, you might even be able to have a night chat with the ghosts.”

Having a fireside chat with the ghosts, Zhang Chuchu imagined the scene and suddenly felt a little creepy.

Xiong Xiaocun smiled and patted Zhang Yue on the shoulder: "Brother Li, don't panic. Although the haunting is scary, it will not endanger your life."

Zhang Yue felt a little relieved after hearing this.However, he still wonders why there are still people willing to live here when Jincheng is desolate and haunted.Could it be that you feel your life is too dull and want to come here to find some excitement?

It's really puzzling.

Zhang Chuchu then asked: "Brother Xiong, Jincheng sounds so eerie and terrifying, why are there still people living here?"

Xiong Xiaocun sighed and said: "Everyone naturally wants to live in a peaceful and stable place. Who would be willing to deal with ghosts and monsters all day long? There are only two types of people who are willing to stay in Jincheng: the former is a native of Jincheng and is really reluctant to leave his ancestral land. , so I bite the bullet and live here now, like my family; the latter is because the tax revenue of Jincheng is much lower than that of other cities due to various rumors, so there is less pressure to survive, and the current Jincheng prefect is still an upright official. A good official."

When Xiong Xiaocun said this, Zhang Yue naturally understood that many situations in life are forced by helplessness and not his intention.However, Xiong Xiaocun finally praised Jincheng Prefect as his biological uncle, which made Zhang Chuo happy. It seemed that his uncle's family was very popular here.

Zhang Yue looked at the previous shop that seemed ordinary but people were coming in and out one after another, and asked: "Well, is there anything magical about that shop over there? I saw many people buying Buddhist scriptures in this shop. Then burn incense at the door to worship.”

Xiong Xiaocun pointed to the store and asked, "Which one are you talking about?"

Zhang Chuchu nodded.

Xiong Xiaocun said with a smile: "Because the peace charms and incense in that store are the most effective in the whole Jincheng, and the prices are also the cheapest, so countless buyers come here every day, and that store has never been haunted."

Zhang Chuchu understood immediately after hearing the explanation, and then praised Xiong Xiaocun: "Brother Xiong is indeed a native of Jincheng. He can even understand an incense shop that sells Buddhist incense and yellow paper."

Xiong Xiaocun scratched his head and said in shock: "Hahahaha, Brother Li misunderstood. The reason why I understand this incense shop has nothing to do with me being a local. It's just because that shop is opened by my mother at home."

When Zhang Yue heard this, he almost fell back from his stool. He didn't expect that it was rare for him to flatter others, but he actually slapped the horse's feet. He was really embarrassed.But as he spoke, he realized that Brother Xiong Xiaocun beside him was indeed an interesting person, so he didn't think much about it.

The stall owner brought over the noodles Zhang Yue ordered earlier, and Xiong Xiaocun stood up and left.Before leaving, he told Zhang Yue that he must go to his house if he had time. Zhang Yue naturally nodded and agreed.

After a while, Zhang Yue finished eating the noodles and went to the market to buy some necessities for the next trip.

By the time Zhang finished shopping at the beginning of the month, it quickly became dark, and he could no longer see the faces of passers-by even while walking on the road.

Just when Zhang Chuchu was on his way to find an inn, he found himself in a dark alley.Zhang Yue accidentally bumped shoulders with a young man in black robe walking towards him.Zhang Yue's physique was not weak at this time, but who knew that the young man was stronger? It was just a collision between two shoulders, and Zhang Yue was staggered by the collision.Zhang Yue quickly stood up and apologized, but the young man did not speak, but turned his head to reveal his face under the black robe. Even so, because it was too dark, Zhang Yue couldn't see the face of the person clearly.He only saw a pair of blood-red eyes looking at him coldly, and he suddenly felt a chill as if he had been bitten by a poisonous snake.Then the young man with rare blood-colored eyes disappeared into the darkness in an instant.

After this experience, Zhang Yue felt more and more that this city, known as a ghost town, was a bit eerie and strange at night.

But it was not enough to be afraid. After all, Zhang Yue still didn't believe in the existence of ghosts, gods and monsters in his heart, but he inexplicably felt that there were secrets hidden in this city that were not known to outsiders.

Afterwards, Zhang Chuchu found an inn to stay, and did not wonder what Jincheng looked like at night. He stayed in the room and studied the "Silent Sutra" for a while, then went to bed to rest.

Just when he closed his eyes and thought of those sleepless nights in the wild a few days ago, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart that having a bed to sleep on was a great blessing in life, there was a sudden commotion in the inn, and then he heard a woman shouting Said: "Help, it's haunted!"

Zhang Yue opened his eyes and stood up suddenly. At this moment, he really felt that his sigh was a bit premature. He was afraid that tonight would be another sleepless night like usual.

(End of this chapter)