dragon pen

[A long, long time ago, an ancient and remote small village ushered in a once-in-a-century snowfall, which covered the entire mountain. At that time, the sky and the earth were covered with crystal white snow.

On the first day when the first snow fell, the accumulated snow formed a white and fat snowman. Because of the cold weather, the snowman not only did not melt, but became fatter and fatter. On the 30th day, the snowman absorbed the aura of heaven and earth. The snowman lived, and it became a plump young girl. She named herself Snow White, went to the depths of the forest, and blew, and a house appeared among the trees, and Snow White lived in it.

Since the appearance of white snow, the heavy snow in the forest has never melted again... Animals in winter always behave slowly, so this attracts many human hunters to hunt.

One day, someone knocked on the door of Bai Xue's house, and someone outside the door asked——

anyone there?anyone there……】

"It's human, it must be human!"

"Can't open the door, can't open the door!"

"The protagonist in the story just likes to seek his own death. At this time, pretend that he didn't hear anything and nothing will happen—"

"That's a no-brainer. The plot requires...how can there be humans in the real deep mountains?"

The two frog monsters sitting in front of Zhang Ziyao were very involved in the play, hugging each other with trembling faces, looking at the monster who told the story with horror and expectation.

Zhang Ziyao: "?"

[Bai Xue opens the door. 】

Frog Monster No. [-] hugging Frog Monster No. [-] tightly: "Ahhhhhh!"

Frog Monster No. [-] hugged Frog Monster No. [-] tightly: "Ahhhhhh!"

Zhang Ziyao sitting behind them: "?????"

[Bai Xue found a handsome young hunter standing outside the door, with a tired face and wounds on his body, he said——

I lost my way in the mountains, and it will be dark soon, can I borrow a night at your house?Just give me a mouthful of hot water and a quilt. As long as you promise, I can do anything.

Bai Xue agreed, and the young hunter entered the house gratefully. He got everything he wanted, and even took a hot bath happily... At night, the hunter looked at him busy in and out, not so busy. Bai Xue, who skillfully prepared food for him, asked very touched——

Kind girl, is there anything you need me to do, I will definitely do it.

Bai Xue, who was preparing the cod for the hunter, heard it. She thought for a while and said, I want you to marry me.

Hunter agreed.

So a week later, everyone in the village knew that the youngest and most handsome hunter in the village was rescued by a fat girl who lost his way in the snow-capped mountains. In order to repay her, the young hunter promised her body and married her. 】

Frog Monster No. [-] gasped.

Frog Monster No. [-] covered his ears.

As the two monsters continued to tremble, Zhang Ziyao felt that he would become incomprehensible if he struggled with their reactions any longer. He turned his head and said to Zhu Jiuyin, "A quilt, a bucket of hot water and a plate of cod will do the trick. Bring the handsome hunter to his knees."

Zhu Jiuyin: "What's the matter?"

Zhang Ziyao: "How long have you slept with my picture scroll? How many times have you let me bask in the sun with you? How many bean paste buns from bun shops have you eaten?"

Zhu Jiuyin looked vigilant: "How is it?"

Zhang Ziyao: "I want to make a wish too."

Zhu Jiuyin: "I'm not good at Long Yang, you should give up your heart."

Zhang Ziyao ignored him, put his hands together and closed his eyes and prayed devoutly: "I hope that Zhu Jiuyin will become a dumb dragon, and after leaving Yunqi Kingdom, he will go as far as possible."

Zhu Jiuyin: "..."

Zhang Ziyao wanted to say something more, when the terrified frog monster duo turned around and stared at him angrily——

Frog Monster No. [-]: "Hush! Don't talk! Don't talk!"

Frog Monster No. [-]: "That's right! The atmosphere of horror has been destroyed by you! Next, Snow White is about to encounter a terrible thing! You all shut up!"

Zhang Ziyao had no choice but to keep his mouth shut, although he didn't know where the so-called "horrible atmosphere" was coming from the mouths of the two frogs.

[The silk made by Baixue is smooth and bright, and it is incomparable to all the girls in the village. Every time it is brought into the city, there are cloth dealers scrambling for it, and every time it can be sold for a good price; The house is cleaned tightly and spotlessly clean; the meals made by Bai Xue are always delicious, no matter how bad the weather is, she can bring the freshest food——

I thought it was all good.

However, the hunter was not satisfied.

Because Baixue is a fat girl, although her facial features are exquisite and her skin is fairer than snow, but because of her chubby face, those facial features are squeezed out of shape, and her body is round, so everyone laughs at the hunter, saying that he took an ugly woman home... ...As time passed, the gratitude for being rescued by Bai Xue faded away. Every time I went home and saw that chubby body, the hunter would think: Why would such an excellent person like me marry such an ugly woman as my wife?

So the hunter became more and more reluctant to go home, and finally one day, he couldn't bear it and said to Bai Xue: "Why do you work every day at sunrise and rest at sunset, and you are still so fat?"Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and your body is twice as wide as the woman next door the same age!

Bai Xue turned around suspiciously, and looked down at herself: she never felt that she was any different from other human girls, after all, she had looked like this since the moment she turned into a monster.

You should lose weight, I can't formally marry you with your appearance, can you wear the bride's Bai Wugou?The hunter said impatiently, can you still see that thing on your body? 】

Bai Xueji floating in mid-air has an indifferent expression, surrounded by ice and snow, her body is white and windless, and her eyes are covered by a wide hat——

[That night, Bai Xue took out Bai Wugou who had been sewing for a long time, the exquisite needlework made it the most perfect wedding dress, Bai Xue gradually sewed it stitch by stitch with anticipation. Well, it's more like a dream from Snow White.

The hunter's words woke her up from her dream.

The next day, just before dawn, the hunter was still sleeping and Bai Xue got up. After she went out, no one knew where she went, and of course the hunter didn't care at all—what does it matter if such an ugly woman goes out alone?

The hunter still ate the breakfast prepared by Bai Xue for him as usual, and then went out to hunt. He promised the daughter of the old hunter next door to give her a fox fur to make her warm hands when winter came, so he went out early Yes, when he came back at night, he found that Baixue was already at home——

Bai Xue looked a little different today.

Although not obvious, she seemed to be a little thinner than yesterday.The eyes are a little bigger, and the waist has a slight outline.

The hunter thought it was because he was dazzled and didn't take it to heart. He enjoyed all the food and hot water prepared by Bai Xue with peace of mind for a long time, and then sent the hunted snow fox fur to the little daughter next door, who took it. The beautiful snow fox fur was very happy, and asked casually: Does your fiancée have a copy too?

The hunter was stunned for a moment, and then said indifferently: "She is so fat, why is she afraid of the cold?" 】

Zhang Ziyao couldn't listen anymore, and approached Zhu Jiuyin in a low voice: "Is this tarnishing the image of human beings?"

Zhu Jiuyin was inexplicable: "Human beings are despicable, shameless, indecent and inferior, what image can they have?"

Zhang Ziyao: "I feel like I'm listening to a ghost story now."

Zhu Jiuyin: "It was originally a ghost story."

Zhang Ziyao: "I want to kowtow three times to sister Bai Xueji and then say that human beings are so despicable and men are so scumbags. I'm sorry."

Zhu Jiuyin: "Go, then all the monsters present will know that you are a human representative sent by a fake monk to participate in the Hundred Ghosts Night Festival in friendship, and they will welcome you warmly."

Zhang Ziyao: "..."

[Since the hunter made it clear that she disliked her, Bai Xue went out early and returned late every day, and she lost weight at a speed visible to the naked eye, but became very emaciated——After a long time, the hunter finally noticed the change of his fiancée. Bai Xue, who was thinner and more beautiful, was very happy in his heart. He didn't care whether she was haggard or not. She went home early every day and was willing to talk to Bai Xue. One day, he He even took the initiative to ask: Bai Xue, how is your Bai Wugou sewing going?Let's finish the wedding before the cold winter comes.

To this, Bai Xue just smiled slightly, and replied lightly: Soon.

That's okay, you should be a little thinner, a little thinner, and you will be the most beautiful bride in the whole village in Bai Wugou.

As the hunter spoke, he couldn't help but look at the profile of his fiancée—the gradually thinning face made her eyes bigger, her nose higher, and her lips became angular.

She is a beautiful woman, thought the hunter, if only she were a little thinner.

While thinking this way, he finally noticed that Bai Xue went out early every day, and came back on time at noon when the sun rose the highest. He guessed in his heart that this was probably the reason why his fiancée lost weight, so this day.He quietly followed behind Bai Xue and went out——

So he saw it with his own eyes.Bai Xue came to the deep mountains.She took off her clothes and stood under the rising sun. When the warm sunlight shone on her white body, thin drops of water emerged from her delicate skin...

When there were more and more drops of water, Bai Xue's whole body seemed to be soaked in the water, but at the same time, the fat on her body was also getting less and less——

It's like melting.

Knowing Baixue's secret, the hunter was surprised and delighted, turned around and went home first. When noon came, he heard the footsteps of his fiancée coming home from afar, and locked the door directly from the inside.

At noon, the sun was shining brightly. Baixue wanted to go home but found that the door was locked. She knocked on the door. At this time, she heard the hunter shouting from inside: "Let's bask in the sun for a while, Baixue, for a while, you are The most beautiful bride in the village.

Bai Xue knew that the hunter might follow her and know the secret of her weight loss. She raised her head and looked at the sun in the sky. Big drops of water came out from her forehead at an unimaginable speed. She became anxious and pleaded outside the door. The hunter opened the door, and she said—

Please, open the door, this sun will kill me.

But the hunter refused to believe it. He thought to himself, how could someone be killed just basking in the sun?So no matter how Bai Xue knocked on the door or pleaded outside, he remained unmoved at all, until the painful crying and pleading sound became smaller and smaller, then he thought "it should be almost there" and opened the door——

But there was no one outside the door.

There was only one piece of clothes outside the door that Bai Xue wore out this morning. The clothes were soaked and fell into a puddle of snow. 】

After Bai Xueji finished speaking, she slightly raised her bright red lips, and there was a flash of ridicule and indifference in her eyes, and then she slightly opened her lips and exhaled a breath of ice and snow, and blew out the candle in her hand that was dyed with a blue flame— —

At this moment, the whole campfire was so quiet that one could hear a needle drop on the ground...

The woman dressed in white Wugou sat down from mid-air holding an extinguished candle——Zhang Ziyao noticed that Xue Nu's white wedding dress didn't seem to fit her, to be precise, it was too loose.The belt around the waist tightly tied her slender waist, but there was obviously excess fabric on the hem and chest...

This dress is more like a wedding dress sewn for a fat bride.

However, whether this is because he thinks too much, it seems completely unknown...

"—I just said, don't open the door at the beginning!"

"—human beings, human beings, it's really scary! You don't even know that the plate that lives in the house on the third street was smashed by humans! Oh, it's a good plate, I saw it a few days ago It was still alive and well and said that it needs to find a painter to repaint it! It said that the painting looks better, maybe it can be used again, but it was smashed that night!"

"—It's terrible, it's terrible, you touch me, I'm covered in cold sweat, just like Snow White."

The two frog monsters sitting in front of Zhang Ziyao were discussing with one another. During the discussion, they hugged each other tightly, as if recalling that Xue Nu was locked outside the door and begged in the sun, but finally turned into The scene of a puddle of snow water is very scary...

Until the next genie stands up and starts telling his ghost story—

Zhang Ziyao moved his buttocks and asked Zhu Jiuyin: "What happened to that Bai Xue?"

"What else? Another winter is coming, a beautiful but frosty woman knocked on the door of the dead hunter, and the hunter was blown into an immortal ice sculpture the moment he opened the door." Zhu Jiuyin She curled her lips, "When people find out, everything in Hunter's house is intact, only the white piece made by his former fiancée is gone."

Zhang Ziyao turned his head to look at Bai Xueji who was sitting not far behind him.

"Of course, the version with this ending is a horror story for you humans." Zhu Jiuyin patted Zhang Ziyao on the shoulder with emotion, "After all, God made a turning point."

"..."

"Have you been inspired after hearing this story?"

"What inspiration?"

"Just a reminder, back then you thought my tail smelled like fish..."

"Yeah, but I didn't pickle ginger, onion, and garlic for you to remove the fishy smell." Zhang Ziyao squinted at him, "You haven't been pickled into a salted fish, but you just stick to my face with that big tail. , Forced to argue that I am not good at all..."

For some reason, Zhu Jiuyin imagined that if she were Bai Xue, she would probably use her strong body to press down on the hunter while yelling "I am as beautiful as a flower"—until he surrendered, until he recognized him. Indeed, he is as beautiful as a flower——

Ah, what a picture.

"You have to say that my self-confidence and persistence may be one of the correct ways to avoid a tragic ending."

"..."

During the conversation between the two, the monsters finished telling different "ghost stories" one by one, and most of them were stories related to the monsters themselves. , greedy, selfish characters.

Looking at the blue bonfire burning in front of him and the ninety or so candles that were being blown out one after another, Zhang Ziyao felt in his heart that instead of calling this activity "Hundred Stories", it would be better to call it "A Hundred Things Tell You How Lovely Humans Are" "Story Contest of Disgusting"... When the two frog monsters in the front were once fainted by the hateful humans in the story, Zhang Ziyao had deep self-doubt about his own existence for the first time.

The impulse to kowtow to Xuenv in apology instantly sublimated to the level of wanting to kowtow in apology to all creatures in nature.

... time goes by little by little.

When the person sitting next to Su Lian blew out the candle in his hand, all the monsters focused on Su Lian——

"It's the God of Misfortune."

"Why is he here?"

"You look young, maybe you just took office?"

"I heard that something happened in the Central Plains some time ago, and it was related to the God of Fujin... I don't know if this lord will tell a story related to that."

While the monsters were whispering, Zhang Ziyao also turned his head to look at Su Lian. It was hard to imagine what this usually emotionless face would look like when he was telling ghost stories——

Unexpectedly, Su Lian told the story of the god locked up in a box, starting with the god accidentally losing an important magic weapon, and being locked up by a big monster in a treasure box that cannot be broken free. This purpose was sent into the hands of a human being—

"'My lord, please keep me in the post; my lord, keep me safe from disaster'... Women hold wooden boxes and chant these words every day, pious and full of faith," Su Lian said lightly, " But the god who was locked in the treasure box didn't feel her respect at all, every sentence, every word, made the hatred and darkness in his heart deeper—"

"It was locked in a pitch-black box. It couldn't feel the sun. It couldn't feel the wind, frost, rain and dew. There were only narrow walls, and sometimes you couldn't see your fingers... It tried to struggle. It tried to break, but the cage was indestructible, even if it was a god. power cannot be destroyed."

"The magical artifacts lost by the gods are spread out and pasted on the four walls of the treasure box. Every time, when a disaster occurs in the mortal world, the woman who recites devout prayers every day will insert her hairpin into the box—— The sharp weapon stabbed the god, causing it to howl and howl in pain! It was struggling, and its sharp claws scratched the treasure box that imprisoned it, and the words on the magic weapon were scratched, and the disasters in the world stopped—— —”

"Once upon a time, when I heard the sound of heavy rain outside, and heard the maids discussing that the imperial city might be submerged, the god was very happy. The flood will wash away every brick and tile in this city, I will let the flood take the names of everyone in this city, let the floating corpses fill the capital, and turn this imperial city into a purgatory on earth."

Su Lian stopped when he said this, he raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky, the dim yellow light of that round of full moon poured down on the earth, imprinted on that golden pupil——

The golden pupils changed.

"The moon on the night the god was locked in the treasure box. It looks exactly the same as tonight."

As Su Lian finished speaking, his pupils also changed from pure gold to orange, as if stained with a layer of blood mist... Immediately afterwards, an inexplicable gust of wind blew across the ground, and the tall bonfire stand made a "creaking" unbearable sound. The sound of weight--

He opened his mouth wide and looked at Su Lian's frog monster No. [-] with his eyes widened, and then he stared straight and wide, and was so frightened that he passed out!

The monsters at the scene fell into a little confusion, Qing Xingdeng yelled "Sir, calm your anger" from a distance, and at the same time Zhang Ziyao's heart skipped a beat, and in his anxiety, he couldn't take care of many people and stretched out his hands to hug Su Lian who was looking at the bright moon. Su Lian fell down, the candle in his hand rolled to the ground, and then went out with a "pop"...

The howling wind suddenly stopped.

The monsters who hadn't realized what happened in the chaos raised their heads, each with a confused expression of "what happened, who am I, where am I"——

Zhang Ziyao gritted his back molars and firmly held the child in his arms.

After a long time, I heard the person in my arms who had been silent for a long time slowly say: "I'm fine."

The tone is flat.

Zhang Ziyao's heart ached, but the hands on his shoulders clasped even tighter. Su Lian's bandage-wrapped hands on the young man's waist moved, but in the end he didn't move and fell back to the original place—his face was pressed against the young man's arms. , Su Lian's voice sounded a bit dull, for a long time, I just heard him calmly say: "Let go of me, I don't have a bandage on my face, be careful if you touch something you shouldn't touch, it will hurt you."

Zhang Ziyao didn't move.

At this time, he only saw from the corner of his eye that the flame of his candle was rising higher——

Realizing that it seemed that it was time for him to tell a story, but at this moment Zhang Ziyao was not in the mood to tell any ghost stories to these monsters, and stopped his family's Misfortune God with one hand.Picking up the candle with the other hand, puffing out the cheeks and blowing on it——

I saw the candle flames flickering, but not extinguished.

Huh?

Zhang Ziyao was stunned, and was about to ask if the broken candle would not be extinguished without telling a story, but at this moment he heard the monsters around him explode——

"He can't blow out a candle!"

"Only humans can't blow out candles!"

"Humans, humans! Humans have mixed in—"

Frog Monster No. [-], who was sitting at Zhang Ziyao's feet, joined the team that had just passed out.

At this time, Zhang Ziyao caught a glimpse of Zhu Jiu's dark pupils as deep as blood from the corner of his eye. He blinked, and the candle in Zhang Ziyao's hand was extinguished.

Zhang Ziyao was stunned for a moment, his originally tense emotions relaxed, and he had a sudden idea and announced to the dazed monster: "My story is over."

The monsters were silent.

After a long time, it seemed as if he suddenly reacted, and there was thunderous applause among the monsters——

In the conference on criticizing human ghost stories, the ghost story brought by Zhang Ziyao is: Hello everyone, I am a human being who can't blow out candles.

Everyone sighed, this is the best night.

When Zhu Jiuyin lazily announced that she "has no story to tell to please you mentally retarded" and directly blew out her own candle perfunctorily, the bonfire in front of her began to tremble, and finally there was a loud "pop", thousands of people The cyan flame butterfly flew out of the bonfire——

Flying into the sky, circling for a long time and refusing to leave, finally gradually converging into the shape of a tightly closed door——

The clock finally struck.