Guanqingzhai

Chu Jue squeezed the walnuts, then glanced at the woods and said, "There is no result today, but you have to be careful next time, brother. This matter is not as ordinary as it seems. After all, that strange boy gave you a look."

When Chu Jue said this, Hu Yue felt her eyelids start to twitch.He shook his hand, indicating that he didn't care about it.As he walked, he pretended to be relaxed and said with a smile: "Brother Chu, don't scare me, I have never seen the world, what's the matter...my donkey!"

Seeing Hu Yue's expression, Chu Jue finally couldn't help laughing. Everyone around looked at the two of them. Chu Jue gloated and pointed at Hu Yue and said, "Look, this will come true soon."

Hu Yue looked upset. He touched the broken silver in his pocket and said: "I rented this donkey, and the compensation has to be charged to Brother Chu. You caused this. Don't say anything." The source is me, I don’t even understand what this matter is, how can I be responsible for it? Don’t lie to me.”

Chu Jue nodded with a smile and said yes, then pointed to the academy and said, "It's just a donkey's money, it's nothing, but as a reward, can you spend the night with Brother Yu here? Maybe after this night you will have some thoughts on this matter." What about 'interest'?"

Hu Yue looked at Chu Jue looking at him sincerely, he shook his head and dropped the reins, flicked his sleeves and walked into the academy. Chu Jue looked at him with a smile, but the corner of his eyes turned to the nearby woods. A pool of blood flowed out on the ground, and suddenly a bloody donkey's head fell out, and then a face flashed out from between the mottled branches. .

Hu Yue entered the academy. At this time, there were still some unrepentant scholars looking for the mysterious teacher, but they found nothing. They went from anxious to disappointed, and finally became desperate. They hung their hands in a daze and sighed one by one. After leaving the academy, if the portrait of Confucius in that hall is really alive, I don't know how to feel when I see these students like this.

Hu Yue was led by Chu Jue to a wing room at the farthest corner. The door was not locked. The two lit a candle and quietly watched the students leave one by one until the sun was setting. All returned in vain, and the place became very quiet and solemn, but it was also very cold.The doorposts of the academy are all black, which is in line with Confucian ethics, but when the light is dimmed, it looks a bit mottled and dull.Just imagine how many books and classics in this academy have been rummaged by those students?Those students have worked hard to read thousands of volumes, but how many students really make it to the sky?Ten years of hard work may not be able to win the gold list, but why do so many students year after year yearn for it?

Such emotions tainted the place with a hint of resentment, making the dark and gloomy environment even more silent.

The blackness enveloped the academy, as if even the air had turned black, and one could smell the rotten and withered atmosphere of the book pages in one's breath, and it wasn't just the environment that was gloomy. Occasionally, one could hear fast footsteps walking on the steps , but no one was seen. Although Hu Yue looked relaxed on the surface, his eyes were always observing the surroundings.He felt as if there was something missing here.Or it could be said that she was lying in the dark after being woken up by those noisy students.

Chu Jue is somewhat familiar with this place, otherwise he would not have found such an unoccupied wing room. This place should be the residence of mountain chiefs or scholars who wrote books in the past. Apart from the Four Treasures of the Study and the Scroll Guqin, there are also some necessary daily necessities .Thinking that someone like Chu Jue would be so interested in this matter, Hu Yue was also aroused a little curiosity, and he asked with a smile: "Brother Chu is not haunted here, right?"

Chu Jue reached out and cut off the candlelight, and replied, "Maybe it's really haunted."

As soon as he finished speaking, he only heard a loud voice coming from the door. He only knew that those noisy voices had strange tones, as if they were scolding or arguing, but they couldn't make out what they were saying.But the sound seemed to appear suddenly, and then stopped abruptly.It makes people feel weird.

Hu Yue laughed a few times, Chu Jue leaned forward, cut off the candle and said: "The reason for this is actually this, the head of this academy passed away while observing filial piety in his hometown, and their family members are beside the corpse Found this half of a walnut, this matter has nothing to do with you and me, but he still holds a poem in his hand, this poem is not someone else's, but your friend."

Hu Yue nodded and said: "My ci is generally only circulated among the three schools of thought, among singers and dancers. The head of the mountain should also be a person of official career, but when he died, he still had such an unpopular song in his hand, Guada Li Xia, In order to keep the mountain chief's evening festival, it will naturally not be made public, but why do you know about it?"

Chu Jue smiled and said, "Because when you were not in Guanqingzhai, I filled up the wine in the wine gourd at the door for you as usual, and the academy boy thought I was you when he saw me."

Hu Yue sneered and said, "So you didn't deny it? On the contrary, you readily agreed to investigate the cause of Lao Shanzhang's death for others? Oh, are you so kind?"

Chu Jue nodded slightly and said, "Exactly. And this is the second time I've been here. The first time I came here..."

Before Chu Jue could finish speaking, there was a figure standing at the door. The figure was very thin. Such thinness could be blown down by a gust of wind.He didn't know when he came here, it seemed that he had been here for some time, but there was no sound at all.

Chu Jue raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and he said, "Brother Muran really keeps his word. Chu has been waiting for a long time."

Hu Yue watched the man walk in slowly, and through the candlelight, Hu Yue saw clearly that this man was a middle-aged man in his forties. Although he was not young, he had a handsome face and a sense of desolation in his eyes. .Chu Jue stretched out his hand: "This person is Hu Yue. The person who wrote the words in his hand when Chang Shan died."

The man named Muran glanced at Hu Yue, and said, "The flowers are blooming, a bustling scene, but in the end it's spring and autumn."

Hu Yue smiled lightly, and continued: "It's another year of snow, forgetting the original intention, keeping the wrong time, who knows that spring and autumn are not forgiving..."

The man smiled slightly, a little sadly, but with a hint of relief, he said: "It's rare for someone to write such a word, who knows that spring and autumn don't treat others, the young master is a man who knows destiny..."

Hu Yue waved towards the man, and the man sat down in his seat after returning the salute, Hu Yue asked: "Your Excellency should be the master who can guess the fame."

The man smiled slightly and said: "Young Master, this poem is not suitable for official career, nor is it suitable for being born in the world. In the final analysis, it is a person who is used to seeing joys and sorrows, life and death, but can't see through it. If he can't see through, it means that the world is not in the world. But there are people in this world. How many people can get used to it?"

Hu Yue froze for a moment, a trace of hesitation flowed under the indifferent eyes, but was annihilated by the indifference in a very short time.He smiled and stood up, and bowed to the man: "I'm Hu Yue, I admire you, it's rare for my master to praise you so much, I'm really ashamed."

Although the man is indifferent, he is also a person who pays attention to etiquette. Hu Yue is so solemn, the man stood up and worshiped: "I am Xu Jin, whose name is Muran. I am just a Qianshou (another name for the common people). I don't have any fame." , It is abrupt to make such a judgment on Mr. Hu, please don’t be offended. If I encounter something that I want to comment on, I will feel uncomfortable if I don’t say it. I hope Mr. Hu will not pay attention to it.”

Hu Yue didn't care, he stretched out his hand to ask Xu to enter his seat, and then asked three questions: "Then why is Mr. Xu related to the death of the mountain chief? Why did the mountain chief have my words in his hand when he died, and the half What is the meaning of a walnut?"

Xu Jin's expression was solemn, and he said: "The connection between the three is the reason why I want to come here with you. Because I suspect that the death of the mountain chief may have been killed by someone, and he was killed by mistake." The cause of the matter lies in the half walnut."

After speaking, he took out half a walnut from his sleeve, and then said: "Originally, this walnut is one."

Hu Yue asked: "You and the head of the mountain are half of each other?"

Xu Jin shook his head and said, "No, I'm with another person...and this person should be dead. But I don't know why it appeared in the hands of the head of the mountain."

Chu Jue, who had been silent by the side, said at this moment: "Indeed, I found out that the head of the mountain once said that a stranger had entered the old house during his filial piety, but neither the guard nor the attendants found anyone entering or leaving the door. It was also intact. After the death of the old mountain chief, they found that half a walnut was added to the case, and as for your words, it is up to you to answer."

Hu Yue said: "This phrase was originally written about a woman who lives in a boudoir and can't keep her age, but it does have another meaning."

Xu Jin's expression changed slightly, he leaned over and asked, "What does it mean?"

Hu Yue smiled slightly and said: "This is the content of the story, it's about the helplessness of a dishonest person, and the blunders of a loving person."

A painful expression appeared on Xu Jin's face. He covered his face with his hands, and lowered his head, he said, "It's my fault... Did he break his promise? Then why didn't he betray me..."

Chu Jue interrupted the two of them, and he asked, "Brother Mu Ran, do you know a child who is only about ten years old?"

Xu Jin shook his head and said, "The academy doesn't have such a small number of students, but...there is indeed a portrait of a child on the wall in the west wing of the academy. This is the second reason why I asked you two to come here."

Hu Yue and Chu Jue looked at each other, Xu Jin said: "The head of the mountain may have died at the hands of that young man."

Hu Yue looked into Xu Jin's eyes, his eyes flickered, but he didn't seem to hide it.Hu Yue smiled and said, "Could it be that this has something to do with your walnut agreement?"

Xu Jin was taken aback for a moment, and he said, "Why do you say walnuts are an agreement?"

Hu Yue smiled and said: "This is my rough guess, because you said that you and another person each held half of the walnuts, but that person died, and the person you agreed on was obviously not the head of the mountain, but the person in the hand of the head of the mountain With your walnuts and..."

He glanced at Chu Jue, Chu Jue moved his mouth, but still showed a hint of a smile, motioning Hu Yue to continue: "And my poem about breaking promises."

Xu Jin smiled wryly and said: "That's right, it was indeed an agreement between me and another person, but we each failed each other, so now he is dead, but the head of the mountain is an unexpected person, why did he die, and why did he die? Why are the walnuts in his hands. And... why did he kill him?"

Chu Jue asked, "Who is he?"

Xu Jin waved his hand and said, "This academy used to teach in the past, and produced many famous students, and he was the first person to be admitted to Jinshi, and he is also the youngest person so far, with high grades and early fame. They are the best since the academy was founded. That’s why his portrait has been kept in the academy for more than a hundred years.”

Hu Yue said, "Can you take us to see that portrait?"

Xu Jin hesitated for a moment, but still stood up and said, "Then let me go."

At this time, the night was already deep, and the wind was blowing outside the house. This kind of spring wind was blowing a bit more bitingly than the cold wind in winter.The candle in Chu Jue's hand was flickering like demon fire, and there was no moon tonight. Except for the scenery illuminated by the candlelight, which could be roughly distinguished clearly, the rest seemed to be stained with ink, and even the outline could not be seen clearly.

Chu Jue led the candle forward to illuminate the two people behind. Xu Jin seemed to be very familiar with this place, and he almost didn't need to rely on his eyes to get directions. Under the candlelight, his face looked very deserted. There was also a hint of gloom in the desertedness, and there was a kind of blue-black under the eyes.He turned his head to look at Hu Yue who was following behind him, nodded and guided politely.

Hu Yue has been following in the footsteps of the two of them. He found that there is something strange about this academy. The layout here is indeed a formal academy layout. There are also lecture halls, study rooms, library pavilions, and even a Confucian temple to worship Confucius. for.

But Hu Yue occasionally found traces of burnt incense candles and paper money in the open space of the forest garden. This is not a Confucian temple, and there is no altar for offering sacrifices to Confucius, but similar things can be seen everywhere.

But Hu Yue found that this place is no longer the appearance of the academy, there are still many black pillars, but these pillars are different from before.These pillars are pitch black, thick and thin, and there will be a lot of black liquid under the pillars.These things are definitely not the furnishings in the academy anymore. Hu Yue looked up at the sky and found that the sky was also like black, but he could still see the surroundings, as if these things themselves would emit a blue-gray light.

Hu Yue walked beside Chu Jue, and he smiled and said, "Brother Chu, don't you think we are no longer in the original academy?"

Chu Jue looked at the surrounding pillars, he laughed and said, "I don't know where we are now, but I haven't been here last time, maybe we can see something unexpected."

Hu Yue's thoughts were attracted by these strange pillars, and he gradually distanced himself from the two people in front of him. He found that these pillars were densely erected in this open space, and there was nothing else besides them. The trees and courtyards seemed to have disappeared. He turned his head and found that there was no way back, and there were these strange and tall pillars behind him.He looked around vigilantly, he felt that there seemed to be an inexplicable traction between these pillars, and there seemed to be something peeping at him behind these pillars.

Hu Yue stopped in his tracks, he held his breath, suddenly an animal appeared from behind the pillar, it looked like a civet cat, he exhaled, smiled self-deprecatingly, just as he was about to continue walking In an instant, he found that a small hand was pulling his clothes. He turned around and saw that pale and haggard child had pulled his clothes at some point, but he didn't notice it at all.

Hu Yue was also taken aback by his sudden appearance. The child stared at him with empty eyes, but his expression was very ferocious.

There seemed to be something stuck in the child's throat, and the moment he and Hu Yue's eyes met, a strange 'grunt' sound came out of his throat.

Hu Yue threw him away quickly, and just when Hu Yue was about to touch the child's hand, the child suddenly withdrew his hand.A civet cat sprang out from the darkness and rushed towards Hu Yue.The moment Hu Yue's gaze was attracted by the civet cat, the child disappeared without a trace.

Hu Yue found that there was a bloodstain on the corner of his clothes. He pinched the corner of the clothes and found that besides the strong smell of blood, there was also a strange aroma.

At that moment, he felt that the position of the pillar seemed to be different.A road appeared between those dense pillars, and there seemed to be a house at the end.

Hu Yue stepped into the passage, only felt the sound of someone running in those invisible scenes, Hu Yue couldn't go back, at this time, Chu Jue's shout came from the front, Hu Yue touched Touching his forehead, he answered and hurried forward.

Up to the westernmost point, there is indeed a building like an ancestral hall quietly there, and it seems to be old. Xu Jin pushed the door in, and there was a harsh sound from the door. The hall was also dark, but Hu Yue clearly It felt as if there was a wind coming from this most remote hall.At the other end of the ancestral hall, there may also be passages such as portals.

The three of them entered the hall, where there were many portraits and some plaques.But in the pitch-dark environment, with only that bit of candlelight, these things appear even more eerie and terrifying.There are so many portraits, except for the gates and windows, all the walls are hung with portraits, and there are some plaques on the beams, which are nothing more than "studying and understanding", "serving the emperor with courtesy" and so on. official way.There is an old and corrupt atmosphere in the air, and no one has been here for a long time.

When Xu came in, he pointed to the portrait and said, "This is the portrait of that child, and he is also the first bachelor here to be kept as a souvenir."

The portrait under the candlelight is yellow and old, but it is still firmly hung in a conspicuous position, and above the portrait, there is a plaque "Tian Zong Yingcai".It seems that this ancestral hall was built just for him, which shows how high the status of this child is.

Xu Jin looked at the portrait with blurred eyes. He held the main lamp in his hand and let the light shine on the child's face. The child already had the heroic spirit of a teenager, and there was a delicate beauty between his brows.

Chu Jue hummed, and motioned Xu Jin to lower the light, and they found a pool of blood under the portrait, which had solidified.Xu Jin frowned and said, "When did this appear?"

Chu Jue squatted down, stretched out his hand to touch the ground, he asked Xu Jin to take a picture, he also stretched out his hand and said: "It is reasonable to say that even if you look at the painting, you will stay a certain distance away, but look here, now On the ground against the walls, only under the portrait of the boy is free of dust, while other places are covered with dust.

Hu Yue frowned: "Indeed, if it's where you're standing, then what are you doing against the wall? Also, is this bloodstain the same place as the bloodstain in the boy's hand I saw earlier?"

Chu Jue raised his head and looked at Hu Yue, and he slightly raised the corner of his mouth and said, "It seems that you have discovered something because of the delay in front of you?"

Hu Yue smiled wryly and said, "There is no academy at all around here. There are some black pillars around here, and there are some other things inside."

Xu Jin's eyes flickered a little, he turned his head away from looking at the two of them, but Chu Jue and Hu Yue didn't mind at this moment.

Chu Jue turned the topic back to the portrait and said, "That is to say, brother Mu Ran thinks this painting is responsible for this matter? But why did he kill the mountain chief? Seeing it hanging here, it can be regarded as a collection." The admiration of everyone in the academy shows the importance attached to it."

Xu Jin looked at the painting, he laughed sadly a few times, and said, "What if the people in this painting didn't die normally?"