Great Sui Guoshi

"Let's talk again..."

Sun Yingxian must have been exhausted all the way back. After saying a few words, he fell into a deep sleep. Amidst the sound of snoring, there was the soft sound of pages turning.

On the side, Nie Honglian was lying on the altar quietly looking at the scholar's concentrated side face, her lips curled up, and a pair of dimples appeared in a chuckle.

".…..So lovely."

Not long after, a golden light appeared in the far east, piercing through the clouds and pouring down, pushing away the black edge covering the world inch by inch.

The old donkey neighed excitedly. A group of people in the temple had already packed their bags and walked through the mountains to the county town in the north. They talked and laughed along the way, and it was very lively.

Chapter 50 Strange things in Zhou Mansion

Hegu County is located in the southeast of Nanchen, with the Jiyu Mountains in the east and Qixia Mountain in the southwest. The five counties under its jurisdiction are not rich as a whole, and they are only a few circles larger than Fushui County. The streets are wide and paved with stone bricks. , There are also low-eaved alleys, slate dirt roads, summer rain soaked in silt, and there are footprints of people, chickens and dogs everywhere.

Lu Liangsheng led the old donkey into the city gate, and encountered no accidents on the way.

Between the streets, pedestrians are bustling, orderly and noisy.

The first thing to do after entering the city is to take out the letter from his mentor Wang Shuhua. In a sense, after being admitted as a student, Lu Liangsheng has already stepped into the official career and the circle of scholars. To visit.

"Zhou Zhen..."

Sun Yingxian came over to take a look, shrugged his shoulders and turned away: "You scholars, you don't interfere with your own way, just go shopping around."

"Well, you can go shopping around, but first go to the inn to settle down." Lu Liangsheng put away the letter, walked through the long street with the Taoist, and found a market where the inns were more concentrated.

I searched for a few, and found that they were all fully booked. After inquiring, I found out that this year's autumn opening, the students who traveled a little farther, came to the city in advance and booked a room.

Afterwards, he walked two more places before finding an inn called Furui. He stored the old donkey in the backyard of the inn and opened two guest rooms. Lu Liangsheng took a shower and changed into the clothes he bought when he left home. On the one hand, he spoke to the coiled toad that stepped on it.

"Master, when I left Fushui County, my mentor asked me to visit an old friend of his here. I'll go and see him later. Whether he's here or not, he still has to be polite."

Daoist Toad stretched out on the quilt, locked in the small shelf of the bookcase all the way, his limbs twisted and annoyed, when he heard his apprentice's words, he raised his frog webbed and waved it feebly.

"You go on your own. There is a female ghost to accompany you as a teacher. When you go out, remember to ask the store to bring up some food and put it at the door."

"Okay, but don't scare others." Lu Liangsheng smiled, "I may stay there for dinner at night. If there is something delicious, I will quietly bring some back for Master to try."

After saying that, without disturbing Taoist Toad's rest, he quietly left the room. Sun Yingxian had been waiting outside for a long time, and when he saw Lu Liangsheng coming out, he snapped his fingers, and then stretched out his hand.

"Give me some silver taels."

"You have no money?"

The Taoist opened the only yellow silk bag on his waist, "Besides the yellow talisman and the demon-subduing mirror, do you think there is room for money all over my body?"

"Then save yourself, I didn't bring much with me when I went out." Lu Liangsheng counted out a few pieces of silver for him, and the two parted ways after leaving the inn.

Autumn will start in three months. At this time, all the streets in Hegu County are quite lively and crowded. Lu Liangsheng is also a little strange about this big city. There are tall and low buildings, wine shops and tea shops with door flags hanging Noisy, literati and elegant guests talking about the test questions about Qiu Wei, and occasionally one or two warriors with weapons on their backs cross the street and enter the brothel not far away. Leaning on the wooden fence, looking at the passing pedestrians with a smile, and humming a song, looking forward to the future.

Lu Liangsheng walked through the bustling long street, the hustle and bustle gradually receded, and found the location of Zhou's house according to the address. The long green brick courtyard wall was quaint, and a few pine branches protruded from the inside to the street. There are two red lanterns hanging on the gate of the mansion, and two stone lions at the gate are covered with moss.

The old trees in the compound appear quiet and warm.

Lu Liangsheng glanced at the word "Zhoufu" written on the door plaque. Compared with the gate of Chen Yuanwai's house that he had seen in Fushui County before, it was more simple and grand.

After knocking on the gate of the courtyard, the old concierge came out. After receiving the letter, he looked at the scholar in front of him again, as if he was sizing up, led him to the concierge for a while, and then went in to report. Soon, a steward greeted Lu Liangsheng , Welcome into the living room.

Along the way, Lu Liangsheng couldn't help looking around. There were many flower gardens and potted plants around, and there were gazebos and lofts in the distance. It wasn't luxurious, but it was relatively elegant, but it always gave people a somewhat gloomy feeling.

There seemed to be few maids and servants in the mansion, and when they met occasionally, most of these people were silent, with strange expressions, and they seemed to be in a hurry.

Lu Liangsheng watched a maid put down the teacup and left in a hurry, but he didn't want to ask too many questions when he was a newcomer. After a while, the manager who had left came back, and half a step ahead of him was an old man with gray beard and hair, neatly combed, The robe on his body is plain.

Here, the scholar put down the teacup, got up to salute, and announced his name. The old man who came over was Zhou Zhen, and with a kind tone, he called Lu Liangsheng to sit down.

"I have known Mr. Shuhua for more than ten years, but I didn't know that he was in Fushui County. He has lived a good life in these few years, isn't he in good health?"

As the old man said these words, he also looked at the scholar opposite him.

Lu Liangsheng sat down and cupped his hands: "Master is in good health and spirit, and when he went out, he went to the city gate to see him off."

"I can rest assured that."

Zhou Zhen nodded, probably had read the contents of the letter before, knew Wang Shuhua's request, and told Lu Liangsheng about Qiu Wei, and tested his studies by the way.

"Well... Your teacher's letter said that you are talented, but it's a pity that your school days are short and your foundation is weak. Come with me."

The old man spoke sincerely, so he beckoned to Liangsheng and asked him to follow behind, and turned to the study in the backyard. There were only three bookshelves inside, a red sandalwood desk, brushes of different sizes hanging on the pen holder, and there was still ink left. Over the pen.

"From now on, when you come here, you can browse through the books here. By the way, Liangsheng, what books do you like?"

Lu Liangsheng reached out and brushed the neatly arranged books on the bookshelf, and then replied with a smile.

"It's not particular about it. Apart from what I need for my studies, I usually read some short stories about ghosts and unofficial histories to pass the time."

The old man didn't say anything after that, such as accusing him of not doing his job properly, of deviating from the right path, but instead he took a few books from the shelf with a smile.

"It's a good thing to be able to read books. Articles such as strange and unofficial histories often have simple and easy-to-understand truths in life." He took out one of them and handed it over.

"This book of mountains and seas not only talks about the customs of various places, but also contains absurd beasts, which is very interesting."

Lu Liangsheng took the book and flipped through a few pages, all in a few simple sentences, outlining the absurd terrain, or strange or ferocious beasts, accompanied by illustrations, all of which were never-before-seen images.

... How could those who wrote the book think of these strange monsters.

If I use illusion to redraw it for Hong Lian and the others...it should be interesting, and maybe it can scare many people.

Lu Liangsheng couldn't help laughing at the thought of outsiders seeing the vivid monsters in these pictures, and then asked the old man about his studies. After all, there is no end to learning.

Unknowingly, it was dusk, and suddenly there was a knock on the door outside the study, and someone whispered outside.

"Master, Miss is ill again."

Lu Liangsheng put down the book, frowned slightly, and looked at the old man opposite, Zhou Zhen's expression was not very good, and he said, "Liangsheng wait a moment."

Opened the door and walked out.

In the room, Lu Liangsheng didn't want to eavesdrop, but since he practiced, his eyes and ears have become more sensitive than ordinary people, and it's hard not to listen.

"... When did you get sick?"

"Just now, taking medicine is useless."

"Did you go to the doctor?"

"I've already sent people away...but master, I suspect that Miss is bewitched."

"Don't talk nonsense... what kind of bewitched, it's just a headache."

"But...Master, that old woman who appears in the mansion every night..."

sick?

Old woman?

Lu Liangsheng's brows tightened even more. Hearing the voice, it should be the previous manager.

Chapter 51 The Old Woman

Lu Liangsheng has only read a few medical books, but he is not proficient in them. At this time, he has the heart and dare not rush to help others heal.

After talking outside for a while, he got up and walked out with those books, and said goodbye to the old man who was speaking under the eaves.

Zhou Zhen nodded, walked to the front yard with this junior, and sent him out, probably in the intention of relaxing.

"...At first I wanted to talk more with Liangsheng, but something happened at home. However, I have already prepared a dinner in the kitchen. When it's time for dinner, I will send someone to look for you. I don't know where Liangsheng is staying?"

The old man is still good.....

Lu Liangsheng sighed in his heart, at least that was the case among the people he met, except of course the dead Lu Erlai, the rich and heartless Chen family father and son.

Thinking of the conversation I heard in the study before, I couldn't help but speak.

"Just now... I heard Mr. Zhou talking to the steward. It's a little presumptuous to say it, but I still want to ask, what happened in the mansion?"

The old man didn't seem to want to be known about the family affairs, but now that it was revealed, his cheeks swelled up, he hesitated for a moment, and then sighed.

"It is true that something happened at home. This old man has two sons, one daughter, and the youngest daughter. She also made a marriage arrangement with a family in the city..."

In the words of the old man, he slowly told the ins and outs of the matter.

About three months ago, the old man's daughter suddenly contracted a strange disease. Every night when she fell asleep, it was as if countless people were talking in her ears. There were men and women, and even the neighing of horses and the sound of carriage shafts. downtown.

At first, I didn't care about it, thinking it was just a strange dream, but after the third day, I started to have a splitting headache, fell on the bed and couldn't get up again, and most of my energy faded away.

Hearing this, Lu Liangsheng couldn't help but think of the technique of dreaming that his teacher had used on him before.

Could it be that someone used a sorcery to suck Yang Qi on Miss Zhou's family?

Walking out of the eaves, he asked casually: "The steward also mentioned an old woman... What's going on here?"

Mentioning the word 'old woman', Zhou Zhen pursed his lips tightly, as if lost in memory, and it took him a long time to continue talking.

"That old woman... I don't know anyone in the mansion, as if she came out of thin air. Whenever the little girl gets sick, she will definitely appear and walk around the house. Squirt water."

"Mr. Zhou has seen it?"

"I haven't seen the old man once, but I just feel that things are too weird, so some maids and servants misunderstood."

An old man and a young man had already walked to the courtyard while talking, and a servant came up from behind, panting and shouting: "Master, miss is very sick this time, she seems to be crazy, smashing things."

"Liangsheng, let's go, I can't accompany you any more now."

Zhou Zhen was also a little flustered, so he summoned a nursing home and asked him to send the scholar out of the mansion, then turned around and followed the servant back.

The sky was gradually sinking and the wind was blowing. Lu Liangsheng looked at the back of the leaving man, then looked at the book in his hand, and quickly followed the old man without waiting for the nurse next to him to speak.

Before reaching the side courtyard, from a distance, a woman could be heard screaming, ping-pong-pong smashing things, several maids in the courtyard stood outside the door and did not dare to go in, one of them had blood on his head and face, It must have been accidentally injured by Miss Zhou's family.

Seeing Zhou Zhen approaching, they stood on both sides in a panic, bowing their heads respectfully.

"master."

At this time, Mrs. Zhou from the backyard also rushed over after hearing the news, and rushed into her daughter's boudoir together with her husband. Lu Liangsheng stood far away from the door, and it was naturally inconvenient for her to enter the boudoir.

There was a bang, something was thrown out, a bronze mirror jingled and fell to the ground, Zhou Zhen protected his wife and retreated to the door, still trying to persuade his daughter in the room.

In the gap of movement, one could vaguely see Miss Zhou's hair fluffy and disheveled, clad in obscene clothes and trousers covering her head and screaming frantically, her originally dignified face was distorted and ferocious, her feet were in a mess, all was swept down books, decorations.

"Ah ah ah..."

Strands of hair were torn between her fingers, blood was streaming down the side of her face, and her delicate face was twisted and crying.

"Father...Mother...Rong'er hurts so much...It hurts so bad...Ahhh——"

He threw himself on the ground, tears and snot stained his face with dust, and writhed like a maggot, making the faces of Zhou Zhen, his wife and the maid outside turn pale.

"Daughter...my Rong'er, you are so old, think of a way!!"

"The old man is not a doctor, how can he do it!?"

"What should I do...Miss has become like this, what should I do..."

……

Amidst the flustered words, Lu Liangsheng carefully looked at the writhing figure. Between the hanging hair and the wide-open eye sockets, the white of the eyes was more than black, and the pupils were out of focus.

"...Maybe she is really bewitched, let her be quiet for a while."

Under the wide sleeves, he pinched out the finger and pointed to the room through the air. A warmth spread throughout the writhing woman on the ground. After struggling and screaming a few times, she gradually became quiet.

"Rong'er!"

Mrs. Zhou yelled, and when she rushed in, Lu Liangsheng withdrew the spell, turned around and left quietly, all the way out of Zhou Mansion and back to Furui Inn.

Amidst the noisy noise of people eating in the hall on the first floor, when they went up to the third floor and opened the door, they saw Sun Yingxian sitting at the table, Taoist Toad standing on the table, stretching out his frog webs, the two were fisting, and there was a jar of wine beside them .

"you……"

Sun Yat-sen slapped off the mud seal on the mouth of the altar, poured two bowls of wine, and laughed.

"The two of you are really boring. This Taoist teacher, Master Toad, has just started drinking and punching. Do you want to come?"

By the window, Nie Honglian, who was watching the night street outside, floated over and closed the door.

"Didn't the young master say that he would come back after eating there? Why is it so early?"

Lu Liangsheng put down those few books, went to the copper basin to wash his hands, turned around and sat down at the table, picked up a chopstick and picked up a fried bean.