Chapter 127: Fengdu Guest: Reminiscence of the Past (Part 2)
Yang Qingyu went to Xiangxi in order to complete his half of the heavenly book.
In the past, Yang Qingyu's main source of income was funerals, which actually meant going to the countryside pretending to be a Taoist priest and presiding over wakes and burial ceremonies.
He negotiated a cooperation with the funeral shop in the city. The shop provided the goods and he provided the labor. He sewed a yellow Taoist robe by himself. Although it was not authentic, it was more than enough to deceive the old men and women in the countryside. Then he used a knife to carve a peach wood sword. Although it was not known whether this peach wood sword was useful for dealing with real ghosts, Yang Qingyu did perform a great shaman dance with it.
Of course, not every boss who asked him to perform funeral ceremonies believed in Taoism. There were also some Buddhists. At such times, Yang Qingyu would lie and claim that he was a monk who practiced Buddhism in the temple. Then he would put on his robes and start beating the wooden fish.
What's more, if he met a family that believed in both Buddhism and Taoism, Yang Qingyu would wear Taoist clothes, use a peach wood sword to knock on the wooden fish and recite Buddhist scriptures. Although it looked absurd, it made the host happy.
In Yang Qingyu's eyes, the favor of any god or Buddha is not as good as the smile of the boss. The smile of the god or Buddha can only give you a "Amitabha" or "May you be blessed with infinite happiness". The smile of the boss is real gold and silver.
If luck is good, the village will need Yang Qingyu to help organize the funerals of old men and women who have lost their entire families.
At times like this, Yang Qingyu often needs to play the role of a filial son, and Yang Qingyu welcomes this very much.
These employers were neither picky nor harsh. They would use up all their savings and only ask Yang Qingyu to help keep vigil for one night. At most, they would pretend to howl in grief during the funeral.
Although this kind of work is troublesome, it pays well. When people are alive, they always pretend to be grandsons, but pretending to be a grandson may not necessarily get money. However, pretending to be a son to a dead person will not save a penny, not to mention that the dead will not give you a bad look, so why not Yang Qingyu do it?
Sometimes, Yang Qingyu would take the opportunity to buy some old items from deceased elderly people in the countryside, and then resell them in the city, making money on both ends. His life was pretty comfortable.
Yang Qingyu actually did not lie to Zong Xuanlang. He bought half of the Heavenly Book from an old lady in the countryside for fifty cents. But it was not last month, but half a year ago. The old lady who sold books was also one of his employers. She had no children and her husband had passed away. She had no idea how to live in the future. When she heard that Yang Qingyu was willing to buy the useless old things left by his deceased husband, she was naturally happy.
So, when no one was around, she secretly took Yang Qingyu to open the storage room where her husband kept his things.
It seemed that the utility room had not been cleaned for a long time, and it was full of cobwebs. When Yang Qingyu entered the room, he was almost choked to death by the dust in the room. When the old lady lit the oil lamp, he finally saw the items in the utility room: they were all kinds of books.
There was only one bookshelf and a desk in the small utility room. The bookshelf and the desk were piled with all kinds of books. It was obvious that the old man must have read a lot when he was alive.
Yang Qingyu was stunned by the scene before him: "Don't you want these books anymore?"
The old lady looked at the books in the room, with regret and determination in her eyes: "No, what's the use of these? They are not even worth a bowl of rice."
Yang Qingyu didn't say anything, but just went in quietly and started picking out books.
He picked and chose between the bookshelves and desks, and finally selected a few ancient books that looked relatively well preserved, thinking they might be worth some money.
However, when Yang Qingyu turned around, he saw the old lady standing at the door waiting for him. She looked in Yang Qingyu's direction with cloudy eyes, and her hands were nervously stirring the hem of her clothes.
Yang Qingyu felt a little reluctant, but he himself was not rich, so he could not take all the books back. He could only take a few more books and put them away based on the principle of helping as much as possible.
This included the half of the remaining scroll of the Heavenly Book.
After returning home, he put these ancient books aside and never dared to open them again. It was not until a long time later, when he had nothing to do, that he accidentally opened this fragment and saw so many strange and supernatural methods.
Originally, Yang Qingyu didn't believe in these supernatural things, so he just read the book as a tool to relieve boredom. As a result, he encountered several dangerous situations in his life, and he actually solved them by relying on the strange methods he saw in this book. Yang Qingyu couldn't help but believe the content of the book and slowly learned it.
Unfortunately, only half of the book was left, so Yang Qingyu only learned half of the skills, and it ended at the chapter that talked about the relevant knowledge about zombies.
Yang Qingyu, who had only learned half of it, was a little anxious. He was very curious about what the book was going to say. It happened that the situation was turbulent in the past few years, and the people were worried. Yang Qingyu's funeral business also decreased, so he planned to take the opportunity to go to Xiangxi.
Since ancient times, there have been three evil things in Xiangxi: corpse driving, poison, and cave girls.
Also, because there are many mountains and few people, many old villages still retain the customs of the past, so Yang Qingyu plans to try his luck and see if he can find a way to complete the "Zombie Chapter of the Heavenly Book Fragments".
So, after the matter of Penglai Pearl was resolved, Yang Qingyu took the train to Xiangxi without hesitation. He was always like this, doing whatever he thought of. The sky was high and the sea was wide, and there was no place he couldn't go. He sat by the window bored, thinking about what he saw in the heavenly book.
The book states that after death, the soul and spirit separate , with three souls going to the underworld as ghosts, and the seven spirits remaining in the body and dissipating naturally. However, some people have too much resentment, causing the seven spirits to remain in the body.
A being with a soul but no spirit is called a wild ghost, and a being with a spirit but no soul is called a walking corpse.
But the walking corpse only has the possibility of resurrecting, and it is still a short distance from becoming a zombie. If it is buried properly, it will not cause any major harm. However, if the walking corpse is buried in a dangerous cave and nourished by evil spirits, it may give birth to a Yin fetus soul, which is different from the Yang fetus soul. The Yang fetus soul is born and raised by nature. It is the soul that has been tempered by reincarnation and brought out from the mother's womb. The Yin fetus soul is different. It is a ball of resentment condensed from the evil spirit, so it is extremely dangerous. After getting the Yin fetus soul, the walking corpse can become the legendary zombie that can move freely and is bloodthirsty and fierce.
The book also says that zombies can actually be created artificially, and the method of creating zombies is also included at the end.
The first step is to find a newly deceased person who has not yet reached the seventh day of death, and use a yellow talisman to seal the three souls in the physical body, because the three souls will dissipate within seven days after death.
Step 2: Pick a day to...
The words at the end have become blurred because the fragment is too old and has been affected by wind and rain.
Yang Qingyu was very confused. How could anyone in the world want to create zombies? Wouldn't that be courting death? He didn't think that this trip would be able to complete the second half of this method. At this moment, he only wanted to try his best to write about the customs and practices of Xiangxi and the chapters related to zombies.
Before setting off, Yang Qingyu told Zong Xuanlang the purpose of his trip.
Since they met each other last time , they could be considered friends. Although Zong Xuanlang looked nasty, he was very loyal to his friends. He immediately asked someone to help him contact the Zong family's forces in Xiangxi, which was also a convenience for him.
The Zong family was also very reliable. As soon as Yang Qingyu got off the train, they drove a borrowed truck to take him deep into the mountains without even giving him a sip of hot water.
Then, in a deserted village inn, the people from the clan packed up Yang Qingyu and his luggage and dropped them off.
The weather in the mountains was not good at that time, it was raining. The sky was gray and dark clouds hung low like a sky lake about to pour down.
Although the Zong family's work was not authentic at all, they were very polite. While they were moving Yang Qingyu's things out of the car, they said to him politely: "We are rough people who don't understand, but you are a cultured person. The main family called and said that you are here to do a cultural root-seeking journey, and you are not afraid of hardship or fatigue, and asked us not to delay you. So, we dare not delay you for a moment and sent you to the mountain."
Another one also said, "Yes, don't worry, Jiguang Village is just ahead. Cars can't drive in. You can get there in 20 minutes by yourself along this road. It won't delay you."
After saying that, these people stepped on the accelerator and went straight back to the city, leaving Yang Qingyu alone standing in the deep mountains in the heavy rain and breathing in the car exhaust.
The Zong family's people acted so quickly that Yang Qingyu didn't have time to react.
After a long while, he blinked his eyes and realized his current situation: "Am I in trouble?"
"Needless to say, it must be Zong Xuanlang's doing." Yang Qingyu thought viciously, "He must still be holding a grudge against me for stealing his Penglai Pearl."
Yang Qingyu stood in the heavy rain and looked at his left wrist, where a string of red Buddhist beads was hanging. It was the Penglai beads of the Zong family. Originally, Yang Qingyu planned to return the Penglai beads after saving the people. But later, because he became friends with Zong Xuanlang, he shamelessly kept them for himself.
Damn it, I didn't expect that Zong Xuanlang seemed to be silent, but he had already planned to make him suffer at the critical moment.
Yang Qingyu dragged his luggage and walked in the heavy rain for nearly ten minutes, but he didn't see the Ji Guang Village that the Zong family mentioned.
In fact, Jiguang Village was not far away. Following the direction that the clan member had just pointed out to Yang Qingyu, it would be reached in 20 minutes. But the problem was that it had been raining for almost a month, and the road that was originally used for people to walk had long been washed away and could not be seen clearly. In addition, it was difficult to tell the direction in the deep mountains in the rain, which led Yang Qingyu to go in the wrong direction.
Zong Xuanlang thought that Yang Qingyu was a knowledgeable man, but in fact Yang Qingyu had no experience in surviving in the wild and he was truly lost.
So, dragging his wet luggage, Yang Qingyu got lost in the mountains.
Yang Qingyu was cold and hungry, and he had already cursed Zong Xuanlang countless times in his heart. He walked quickly forward, and the rain almost made it hard for him to open his eyes, but suddenly he heard a loud suona sound from the mountains. Yang Qingyu looked up and saw the procession of the bride coming from afar, all in bright red, which looked very eye-catching. The drums and music were cheerful, and the string music was melodious.
Yang Qingyu saw it from afar and was overjoyed.
"Isn't this just like the sleepy guy meeting the pillow guy?"
Yang Qingyu hurried over to ask for help. He rushed over with his luggage and asked for help: "Fellow countryman! Help!"
Strangely, when the people in the ceremonial procession suddenly saw a foreigner who was soaking wet and carrying a lot of bags emerging from the depths of the mountain, they not only did not show any surprise, but did not even give Yang Qingyu a glance. They continued to walk forward at the same pace as before.
At this moment, Yang Qingyu realized that something wrong. He was clearly very close to the wedding procession, but why couldn't he see the faces of these people clearly? Moreover, in such a heavy rain, why was there not even a speck of mud on their clothes or on the walls of the sedan chair?
"Tsk, I thought I was saved." Yang Qingyu clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, "Maybe I was unlucky and met some wild monster."
It was really like a rainy day when it rains. He was too happy for nothing and lost his energy in vain.
Yang Qingyu was thinking this and was about to leave the wedding procession when he saw a little girl following behind the procession. The little girl's hands and clothes were covered in mud, and her face was covered in bloody scratches from branches. It was obvious that she had fallen several times in the mountains.
But the little girl still followed the crowd tenaciously, crying as she walked: "Wow, sister! Sister!"
It was obvious that this little girl was different from the people in the wedding procession.
When the little girl was almost in front of Yang Qingyu, Yang Qingyu asked her: "Little sister, what's wrong with you?"
The little girl was originally immersed in her own world, her heart and eyes full of the wedding procession going away, and she didn't notice Yang Qingyu in the bushes at the side. At this moment, Yang Qingyu suddenly spoke, which actually scared her: "Ah!"
After she calmed down and saw Yang Qingyu's miserable appearance, she finally asked uncertainly: "Uncle... is he alive?"
Yang Qingyu didn't expect her to ask this. It seemed that the little girl also knew that the wedding procession ahead was not simple. He was even more puzzled. If she knew that the procession ahead was dangerous, why did she still follow it all the way to such a deserted place?
"Of course, 'Brother' is so handsome, he must be a living person."
When the little girl heard this, she cried even louder: "Wuwuwu, uncle, help me, they have kidnapped my sister and said they want her to marry to the cave owner as a bride, wuwuwu."
When Yang Qingyu heard this, he understood that he had encountered Luohua Dongnv, one of the three evil spirits in western Hunan.
Yang Qingyu is a born nosy person. Before, he had no special abilities and knew how to do things within his capabilities. But now that he has become very capable, even causing trouble in the Heavenly Palace is no problem for him.
Without saying a word, he transferred all the luggage into one hand, then picked up the little girl and said with a smile, "That's right, 'brother' I'm tired and hungry, let's go, let's drink together at your sister's wedding."
After saying that, Yang Qingyu took a step forward and walked towards the wedding procession.
If today's wedding wine doesn't taste good, he will probably just smash that damn cave down; if it tastes good, he will probably drink it to his heart's content first and then smash that damn cave down.
In short, Yang Qingyu was all smiles, holding the bride's sister, pretending to be a member of the bride's family, and went to the wedding to drink.
