The strange story of Huai'an Inn

On the sixth day of the night, they don't have to go to work the next morning, and they can catch up on sleep until the afternoon.He returned to the room in the early morning, washed his face hastily, and got into bed.

Zhu Yi turned over and muttered something.Chong Liu did not dare to listen carefully, and hurriedly covered his head with the quilt.

After a while, he still didn’t feel sleepy. When the rooster crowed far away, he heard Zhu Yi get up, rustle his clothes, go out to wash, and heard the voices of people gradually coming from the small yard... His My thoughts are still spinning on the things I saw and heard yesterday that are too much beyond my normal life, and everything is as unreal as in a dream.

Although the work of alchemists is very popular nowadays, it is too far away from the lives of ordinary people. Those monsters and ghosts seem to only exist in the storyteller's stories, and even imagination has limits.But all the "monsters" he saw these two days were far from what he had imagined.

An invisible, unknowable, and uncontrollable dark world is quietly unfolding a boundless curtain, about to engulf him.But he... lacks the fear he should have, but instead has a strange and inexplicable curiosity and yearning.

He wanted to know more...wanted to see more...even if those things scared him...

It was as if some force was urging him.

Da... Da... Da Da... Da...

At dawn, the irregular sound of hoofbeats came from a distant place, shaking the earth and humming.A distant and ancient fear seized him, causing him to shrink under the quilt, not daring to move.

It's the City God who's patrolling the territory again.

The countless hands, feet, hooves, claws, and tentacles quietly unfolded in the void, blowing across the misty roof... When this inexplicably drilled image appeared in his mind, the roof tiles also Correspondingly, there was a rustling sound.

Da da da da... da da... da da da da...

The hooves sounded intermittently, but continued.For a while, Chong Liu couldn't tell whether he was awake or had entered a dream.He felt that his body became light, like something flowing and uncertain, suddenly rose from the gap in the quilt, and floated out of the room like light smoke.

A light gray mist enveloped everything, and all the houses were submerged in the chaotic cloud of smoke.He was taken to the atrium by a gust of wind, and the huge ancient locust tree stood in the mist, it seemed to be taller and taller than usual, and... it looked different from usual.

If you look closely, the branches stretching out in all directions are not tree branches, but extremely long arms with many bends and different thicknesses.There were hands at the end of each arm, some resembling human hands, others decidedly not human, with too many fingers and the wrong color of skin.Those hands swayed gently in the mist, as if they were waving at him, making rustling clapping sounds.

The sound of clapping has been heard for a long time, and it seems to have a certain rhythm, just like drums.And under the tree, a circle of people dressed in costumes sit cross-legged. Although there are men and women, they are all dressed in women's uniforms, but they seem to be the costumes of a certain dynasty in the past, with rouge on their faces and wearing rouge on their heads. A dazzling flower crown covered with glass.Wearing a uniform dark red robe with large sleeves, the hem of the robe was spread long on the ground, but Chong Liu had never seen various symbols embroidered on the robe, like chaotic branches stacked together.

Following the weird clapping sound from the tree, these people chanted some language he couldn't understand, and their bodies shook slightly with a certain rhythm.Then, a figure turned out from behind the tree, and it was a tall and thin man, wearing a flowing skirt and cassock like the others, but with a goat mask on his face and two huge horn thorns. into the air.There are many red strings tied around the wrists of both hands, and he dances some kind of dance steps similar to Wu Zhu, with an elegant and calm posture.The red rope danced in the air, and gradually seemed to have its own consciousness, dancing like a spirit snake.

He danced three times around the locust tree, dancing more and more frantically, the red rope stretched and bloomed with his movements like tentacles.His black hair followed the red robe and swirled into a whirlpool, as if trying to absorb the person's mind into it.

Suddenly, the dance stopped, and the clapping stopped, and everything seemed to have fallen into a strange state of stillness.

Then, the people in the circle who were sitting upright and chanting suddenly raised their heads at the same time, exposing their necks.And the "twig" like a waving hand suddenly swirled around at an extremely fast speed, swept across the necks of those people, and made a rustling "tearing" sound.

Red gushes out from every direction, splashing on the trunk of the locust tree.The originally hard bark suddenly started to squirm and suck, sucking up the sprayed blood in an instant.

Chong Liu stared dumbfounded at the circle of people whose blood flowed on the ground, seeped into the ground, and was also sucked clean.Immediately afterwards, even their bodies that fell on the ground began to be pulled downward by some kind of force, bit by bit sinking into the supposedly hard ground, as if being swallowed by a swamp.Chong Liu can even hear a sound made by a brittle bone being chewed.

was eaten by...

And that locust tree is like a glutton after a full meal, the whole body of the tree is filled with a certain red color, and those arm-shaped branches extend farther, as if they are stretching after eating and drinking.Those arms danced in the air, getting longer and longer, and finally stretched into the sky, stirring up the heavy fog in the air.

And in the gap where the mist was pushed away, Chong Liu saw something in the sky.

Huge, obscuring things...

Boundless panic engulfed him, making him afraid to look any more.He lowered his head just in time to see the dancing wizard take off his mask.

But it was the shopkeeper Zhu.

Chong Liu woke up suddenly, but it was already after noon.The warm sunshine in the afternoon fell on his quilt through the window screen, making everything in the dream just seem like a world away.

He sat up holding the quilt and rubbed his painful temples with his hands.He felt as if he hadn't slept, was exhausted, had a splitting headache, and even had tinnitus.

How could you have such a strange dream?

Putting his hand down from his forehead, Chong Liu suddenly noticed something was wrong.

Under the nail of his right index finger, there seemed to be a granulation, but the color was slightly black.His nails were also bulged a little, but it didn't hurt to the touch.

What is this?

Chong Liu pressed hard, but felt a strange tingling sensation under his nails.He felt a little irritated in his heart. Although the granulation was not big, but it grew in such a tricky place, he always had the urge to lift his nails and pull out the little bulge...

"Sixth brother?"

Chong Liu was startled, and when he turned his head, he saw Xiao Shun, who was carrying the firewood to the kitchen, calling him.

Chong Liu hastily put down his hands, raised his habitual smile, "Xiao Shun, how are you doing, are you busy today?"

"Not very busy." Xiao Shun replied obediently, but he was concerned about Liu's expression, "Brother Liu, are you okay?"

Chong Liu looked at himself, "It's pretty good, why do you ask that?"

Xiao Shun hesitated for a moment, then glanced at a certain position next to Chong Liu, as if he was looking at something.However, there was no one around Chong Liu, and everything was normal.

"Brother Six... the tall sister asked me to tell you that you will never leave this inn again."

The tall sister is Xiao Shun's invisible "friend".

Chong Liu stared blankly at him, not knowing which play this was playing.

Xiao Shun's expression was sincere, without any mischievous or threatening expressions, as if he was talking about a simple objective fact, or repeating something that even he didn't understand, "the tall sister said, come to this room The people who work in the inn are not chosen by themselves, but selected by the inn. Some of those who come in can escape, and some will stay here forever. You had a chance to escape, but now There is no escape."

After Xiao Shun finished speaking, Chong Liu suddenly felt something touch the back of his neck.He shuddered suddenly, but when he turned around, he couldn't see anything.

But... the air seems a little... out of place.

He also couldn't tell what it felt like, that is, in the original continuous field of vision, there was an area that seemed a little separated from other places.

What the hell is this? !

"Xiao Shun... Can you stop doing this in broad daylight? You want to scare your sixth brother to death?" Chong Liu said in a dry voice, dragged Xiao Shun hastily and left the backyard.

Seeing that locust tree again, a gloomy chill turned into a shiver that spread along the skin and flowed all over the body.Knowing that it was just a dream, but looking at those luxuriant branches and leaves and stretched branches, I felt that they seemed to be dancing at any time.The root system that penetrates deeply into the ground, I don’t know if it also has dense mouths, sucking the flesh and blood flowing into the ground...

Could it be that there are really a hundred dead people buried under this locust tree...

Chong Liu walked past under the locust tree without squinting, but was suddenly stopped.

"Liu'er~~~" Chong Liuyi turned his head, and saw the shopkeeper wearing a crane cloak embroidered with white magnolia flowers, and his hair was not combed much, squatting under the tree and teasing him with dogtail grass A fat tabby cat.

Chong Liu immediately remembered last night, under the locust tree with twisted arms, the shopkeeper was wearing an elegant and gorgeous women's dress, with scarlet wide sleeves and the red scarf tied around the plain white wrist that danced like a snake. The silk rope flutters like a poppy blooming, and the ghostly dance is accompanied by blood flying all over the sky...

Chong Liu swallowed, and didn't know whether he thought it was scary and weird or... thought it was a bit beautiful...

That indescribable beauty that blooms in filth and treachery...

Chong Liu was so tired of the description in his heart, he secretly thought that such a strange dream should not be leaked and let the shopkeeper know...

The fat cat lay sprawled on the ground wriggling, trying to grab the dog's tail grass in the shopkeeper's hand.The shopkeeper looked at it with a doting smile, that expression made Chong Liu want to become that one...

Chong Liu coughed, and hurried over, "Boss?"

The shopkeeper glanced at him, "Come out with me later."

Occasionally in the past, when the boss went out to discuss business with wine merchants and dim sum shops, he would bring him or Zhu Yi along to help bring back the snacks to try or the wine as a gift.Chong Liu did not doubt that he was there, with a flattering expression, "Okay!"

Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper looked up at him again, his eyes fell on his old blue cloth gown with one or two patches, he seemed a little picky, and clicked his tongue lightly, "Do you still have neat clothes? "

Chongliu was puzzled, and pulled his fringed sleeves a little embarrassedly, "Shopkeeper, don't I wear it like this every day?"

The shopkeeper threw the dog's tail grass to the fat cat, stood up and faced Chong Liu, and touched his chin with his hand as if thinking about something.Chong Liu felt terrified at the sight, and was a little shy, "Master, why do you look so like Butcher Liu across the street, wondering where to cut the knife..."

The shopkeeper was amused, "Don't underestimate yourself, you are much prettier than a pig."

Obviously, it seems that it should be hurting yourself, but after all, it can be regarded as the shopkeeper praising yourself for looking good, right?Chong Liu laughed awkwardly.

"Come with me." The shopkeeper walked to the backyard after speaking.Chong Liu followed up in a daze, "Boss, where are you going? I have to go to the hall to help Zhu Yi clean up..."

"I have some clothes, I can lend you first. I think we are about the same size, that is, we are a little taller than you, so there shouldn't be much difference."

The shopkeeper... want to lend him his own clothes for Chong Liu to wear? !

Those beautiful clothes that are bad for the shopkeeper, and even splashed with water will make your face black for a long time?

What are they going out for?

Chong Liu had obviously blurted out the question, but the shopkeeper answered it simply.

"The national teacher has arrived in Tianliang City today, let's talk business with him."

National Division? !Are they actually going to see the national teacher? !

And also want to discuss business with the national teacher? !

The author has something to say: a small note: in traditional Chinese folklore, many wizards and great gods, especially those who worship some female gods, will wear women's clothing in the puja~