New Times, New Hell

"I need his eyes." After being revealed his true identity, Ghost Emperor did not appear flustered, "Luo Wanxiang was born with the eyes of the enlightened, able to see nothingness."

"...I can also see the way to call back Fengdu Ghost City."

"I saw."

The Ghost Emperor looked deeply at Shang Que, "I have hibernated in Luo Wanxiang's body for 20 years, and I have traveled all the places where Buddhism has gone. I don't think anyone can empathize with you more than you for what I have done."

The truth about the sinking of Luofeng Mountain is actually not important anymore, even the worlds of heaven and earth have been destroyed, and the grievances between right and wrong have long since disappeared.

But for Emperor Fengdu who once ruled Luofeng Mountain for 4000 years, the fall of the [-] subjects of Fengdu Ghost City is an eternal obsession, and he must be recalled at any cost.

"In 1000 years, the Three Realms of Heaven, Man and Earth have long forgotten Luofeng Mountain, but I know you won't." Ghost Emperor said firmly, "You, like me, have never forgotten your own people."

Yu Zhengdu suddenly understood one thing.

The ghost emperor used Luo Wanxiang's body, but he never concealed his identity from the beginning to the end. He has been revealing his true identity to Shang Que since he made an excuse to watch "You Song Feng Ge".

All this is not because he can't hide himself, but because he needs Shang Que.

From the very beginning, Shang Que was in his plan.

Yu Zhengdu's eyes turned cold all of a sudden: "You have already calculated it?"

Ghost Emperor didn't seem to expect him to be so perceptive. When he heard his question, he glanced at him in surprise, and then smiled, but he didn't hide it: "Yes, I have been in the world since 50 years ago, before the destruction of heaven and earth. Wait for this day."

"At that time, some people noticed that the enchantment of the Chaos Realm was about to fail, which indicated that the ghost king of Luofeng Mountain might return to the human world. But at that time, the Three Realms were too busy to take care of themselves. Even if they knew, they could only watch."

The aura of heaven and earth has been exhausted, and the belief in the world has collapsed. Even if the barrier of chaos is loosened, so what if Shang Que returns to the world?

But the Ghost Emperor has already planned everything since then. Before the end of the Dharma Era, he will send King Qin Guang to the human world to preserve his last power, and he will send his divine consciousness to the world before the power of the Three Realms returns to the sky. Cast into the world.

He could have gone straight to the birth, but he didn't.

He tried his best and finally found Luo Wanxiang, who was born with the eyes of the enlightened one, and invaded his body, but Luo Wanxiang is only a mortal body after all, and the naked eye cannot truly awaken without enough power.

The ghost emperor's consciousness was also scattered due to the collapse of the world, and he was even weaker when he was trapped in a mortal body. He could only practice in Buddhism for 20 years in the name of Luo Wanxiang, and traveled all the places where the Dharma went. It is waiting for enough power to awaken and open the real Buddha eye.

The Buddha's eye can see everything, and what he wants to see is the way to save the ghost city of Fengdu.

And Shang Que's return to the world had been in his plan from the very beginning.

He knew that if there was one person in this world who wanted to save Fengdu Ghost City more than him, it must be Shang Que.

"That day I was meditating under the pippala tree in Bodh Gaya. King Qin Guang and the evil spirits from Luofeng Mountain sacrificed his last strength. The Buddha finally opened his eyes." The ghost emperor leaned back a little, Carelessly caressing the bodhi bracelet in his hand, "I saw the current situation of Fengdu Ghost City through the eyes of the Buddha."

"So I'm back for you."

Yu Zhengdu couldn't help asking: "The ghost city of Fengdu has been fallen for so many years, can it be revived?"

"You might as well give it a try." The Ghost Emperor lowered his eyes and smiled slightly, "When Luofeng Mountain sank, Zhang Fang, a Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, single-handedly transformed the subjects in the ghost city and saved their souls. One soul is enough to support them through this long 1000 years."

Yu Zhengdu was stunned. He remembered that a long time ago, when he was in Qinglian Temple, Shang Que had mentioned this story to Mu Daochang and the little Taoist priest in Yuan and Qing Dynasties. The sky, the ground enshrines the gods.

But it turned out that the ones who were saved were actually one hundred thousand subjects of the ghost city of Fengdu.

"The times have changed." Shang Que's eyes darkened slightly, but his posture remained unmoved. "There is no room for Fengdu Ghost City in the world."

He cast his gaze outside the glass wall, high-rise buildings, busy traffic, pedestrians and vehicles coming and going in a hurry. This is a peaceful and prosperous era, but it is no longer their era.

The indifference and self-reliance he showed surprised Ghost Emperor a little.

Yu Zhengdu was not surprised. When he was in Siling, Shang Que's nostalgia and guilt for Fengdu Ghost City was not accidental. He even felt that, perhaps in the past 1000 years, Shang Que had never given up the idea of ​​resurrecting the ghost city. .

Earlier, after the Hungry Ghost Festival, Shang Que had shown him the former Luofeng Mountain.

The majestic ridge, the winding mountain line, the floating soul lamp, and the majestic ghost city under the reflection of the soul lamp are all as clear as yesterday.

Shang Que never forgot the place where he was born.

Shang Que looked at the ghost emperor: "Recall Fengdu ghost city again, and create ten or hundreds of Silings?"

Back then, the mountain range of Luofeng Mountain traversed the entire Netherworld, but now, where in the world can accommodate such a ghostly city?

The ghost emperor's eyes turned dark all of a sudden: "Did they sink into the ground for you?"

Shang Que sneered, "Really?"

The ghost emperor was dumb for a moment.

Luo Fengshan was shaken to save Shang Que, but if he really wanted to investigate, it was because of the siege of Shang Que by the Three Realms.

No one spoke anymore, and the atmosphere became dignified and depressing, almost giving people a feeling of suffocation.

After a long time, the glass door of the cafe opened again, and the people who came in took a look here, then walked over, and greeted Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que with a smile: "Mr. Shang, Mr. Yu, we meet again."

It was Captain Ming Peiran of the national special department.

After saying hello, Ming Peiran looked at Ghost Emperor: "Second Young Master Luo, it's almost time, it's time to go."

It was only then that Yu Zhengdu remembered that Luo Wanxiang's blessing ceremony in Ledu Jujing Mountain was imminent, and Ming Peiran specially escorted him to Jujing Mountain.

What Yu Zhengdu thought was exactly what Shang Que thought. Shang Que raised his head to look at the Ghost Emperor, implying something: "Pray for the Dharma Assembly?"

The ghost emperor did not deny it, but his eyes became more determined: "I must do it."

Ming Peiran thought they were just talking about the blessing ceremony, and smiled: "By the way, Mr. Shang and Mr. Yu haven't told me whether I want to attend the blessing ceremony?"

Yu Zhengdu looked at Shang Que, and Shang Que lowered his eyes: "I won't go."

Ming Peiran was stunned for a moment, he thought he had persuaded Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que before, but he didn't expect them to refuse at the end, and seeing the slightly delicate atmosphere between them and Luo Wanxiang, he couldn't help muttering in his heart, could it be that they were with Luo Wanxiang? Luo Wanxiang was unhappy.

But Luo Wanxiang's performance was completely different. He stood up, twisted the bodhi bracelet on his wrist lightly with his fingers, lowered his head slightly, and said to Shang Que, "I'll be waiting for you in Juejing Mountain."

Ming Peiran led Luo Wanxiang out of the cafe suspiciously.

Yu Zhengdu went to see Shang Que: "He wants to revive the ghost city of Fengdu through the blessing ceremony?"

Shang Que nodded: "Yes."

No one knows what Luo Wanxiang's eyes saw, but at least they can be sure that the real purpose of that blessing ceremony is definitely not to pray for blessings.

If what the ghost emperor said today is true, then what he wants to do is probably to call back the ghost city of Fengdu, but he is not strong enough alone, so he needs to use the magic power of a human practitioner.

Yu Zhengdu frowned slightly: "Should we tell Captain Ming the truth?"

"No need." Shang Que shook his head, "Without me, he couldn't do it."

Yu Zhengdu's mood eased a little, and he wanted to say something more. When he looked at Shang Que, he found that his eyes were empty, and his expression was full of emotions he had never seen before.

Yu Zhengdu's heart twisted suddenly, and he vaguely realized that Shang Que's failure to stop the Ghost Emperor was not so much because the Ghost Emperor was not capable enough alone, but... Maybe he himself still didn't let go.

If the Ghost Emperor really has the ability to call back Fengdu Ghost City...will Shang Que stop it?

"Let's go." Shang Que stood up, took Yu Zhengdu's hand, thought for a while, and held it tightly again.

The two walked out through the glass door. It was the end of spring and summer was coming. The bright but not very warm sunlight fell on the concrete wall, reflecting incandescent light.

Neither of them spoke, they just clasped each other's palms tacitly, and walked slowly along the road in the direction of the community where Shang Que lived.

There was a hustle and bustle of people and loud firecrackers at the intersection ahead. At the same time, the confetti of firecrackers and salutes also floated over with the sound.

It was only then that Yu Zhengdu remembered that today is the opening day of a shopping mall nearby.

That place used to be a wholesale market, but with the development of this area, the rent has risen, and it is gradually not suitable for the positioning of those wholesale merchants. It announced its withdrawal two years ago and was taken over by a famous chain shopping mall brand. After repositioning, planning and decoration, it finally officially opened this year.

The style of the shopping mall is young and fashionable, and its reputation has always been good. Seeing that Shang Que was in a low mood, Yu Zhengdu suggested, "Would you like to go shopping in the newly opened shopping mall?"

"Okay, let's have a meal by the way." Shang Que checked the time, and it was time for dinner.

Yu Zhengdu was a little moved. Naturally, Shang Que didn't need to eat. He always ate to accompany him, but he didn't expect that under such circumstances, he would still remember such a trivial matter.

The two walked in the direction of the mall, and saw crowds of people in front of the gate of the mall, cheering from time to time, and the sound of gongs, drums and musical instruments could be heard when they approached. It seemed that there was some kind of performance, which was not surprising. It is a routine operation for people to perform to add to the fun.

Yu Zhengdu is tall, and when he tiptoed a little, he glanced over the crowd and saw a lion dance on the red carpet in front of the mall gate. Two bright yellow lions were jumping alternately. The actor in the robe is wearing a mask and is making drunken steps to the music. It turns out that he is doing a dance performance.

Jumping to add officials is a long-standing folk culture in China. It is a content of the Nuo ceremony and jumping Zhongkui. It is also called jumping to add crowns and jumping to ascend crowns.

In the old days, when a new theater opened or an old theater changed hands and reopened, the first night performances would include performances of "Jiaojiaguan" and "Jiaojiaguan" to celebrate auspiciousness. A mandatory blessing performance for new store openings.

Jiaguan actors wear bright red or big green and rhubarb undressing robes, veil masks on their heads, and perform drunken steps along with the music, holding wat boards or banners in their hands. Jue", "Fugui Changchun" and other words.

When Yu Zhengdu looked over, the official actor just turned around, raised and lowered his hands, and unfolded a stack of banners at an angle, writing four large characters: Blessings from Heavenly Officials.

At the same time, the two lions also stabilized their bodies, and each of the lions spit out banners from their mouths. One side says good luck and the other side says wealth and wealth, which is very in line with the demands of the opening of the new store.

The jumping official performance ended, and the crowd of onlookers suddenly dispersed and rushed into the shopping mall.

Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que happened to catch up with this wave of people. They realized that it was too late to back away, and they were engulfed in the middle of the turbulent crowd, and almost didn't get swept away.

"Everyone, please be careful and pay attention to safety." The mall quickly used a loudspeaker to remind.

Yu Zhengdu also held on to Shang Que more tightly, and the two were pushed into the gate of the shopping mall in a state of half pushing and half squeezing. After finally passing through the gate, the crowd dispersed, and finally recovered.

"It's really popular." Yu Zhengdu said with a smile.

"Yeah." Shang Que nodded, pondering, "Our community should raise prices again."

Yu Zhengdu pondered for a while, and then joked: "It means that you really need to choose a good location to buy a house."

The two looked at each other and smiled, and were about to move forward when Yu Zhengdu suddenly stopped, and saw the jumping official mask lying on the ground in front of them, probably the official actor couldn't escape the turbulent water in time. The flow of people was such that even the masks were squeezed out.

"Give it to the staff." Yu Zhengdu, a good citizen, bent down and picked it up. This is a rather finely crafted mask, but the image is a bit hideous. Yu Zhengdu's limited reserves of folklore knowledge cannot be seen at a glance. Recognize the image of which priest is portrayed.

Shang Que took a look and said, "Zhong Kui."

Yu Zhengdu suddenly realized, and nodded in praise: "Very powerful."

He still had a youthful heart, so he put Zhong Kui's mask on his face without any hassle: "You take a picture of me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene in front of him suddenly changed.

Through the eye holes of Zhong Kui's mask, he saw a completely different world.

The author has something to say:

Longhushan Taoist Zhang Fang appeared in Chapter 61. It has nothing to do with Zhengdu, he is just a powerful Taoist priest.

Xiaokui takes Zhengdu to recall the scene of Luofeng Mountain in Chapter 57.