The haunted place is an ancient tomb north of Lingqiu County, where a high-ranking official from the pre-Qin period and the two women he loved deeply are buried.
It has been nearly a thousand years since the pre-Qin period, so it is impossible for ghosts to appear only now. Besides, where are ghosts in this world? After listening to Duan Ganshan's description, Liu Zhuiyi firmly believed that someone was playing tricks.
"The people of Lingqiu County don't have the courage to do that. Who dares to play tricks?" Duan Ganshan said.
"Since he is not a citizen of Lingqiu County, he is most likely a tomb robber. The Pre-Qin period was nearly a thousand years ago. If a high-ranking official is buried inside, there must be many treasures buried with him." Bian Zhener drank the freshly brewed medicine and analyzed the matter carefully.
Duan Ganshan asked again: "But what about women crying?"
"If we can't figure out the reason, let's go down the mountain tonight and stay in Lingqiu County to find out the truth." Bian Zhener said.
Duan Ganshan nodded and said, "Then I'll go down with you. Anyway, I don't believe there's a real ghost. If I find out that someone is playing tricks, I'll punish him!"
Liu Zhuiyi thought for a while and said, "Mr. Duan, you should pay for all the expenses for going down the mountain." As she said that, she raised her eyebrows at him.
Duan Ganshan slapped his thigh and said, "Am I such a stingy person?"
"But I'm afraid that you are stingy." Liu Zhuiyi muttered softly. Fortunately, Duan Ganshan didn't hear it, otherwise, he would have to teach her a lesson again.
On that day, Duan Ganshan brought Liu Zhuiyi and Bian Zhener down the mountain, and asked Erye, Tuye and Gouge to take good care of Qiufeng Village. When the people of Lingqiu County learned that Duan Ganshan came down to help investigate the haunted incident, an inn specially opened three rooms for free. For this, Duan Ganshan boasted to Liu Zhuiyi several times.
At night, Bian Zhen'er and the other two sat on the first floor of the inn. At first, the three of them were energetic, but now Duan Ganshan and Liu Zhuiyi fell asleep, and only Bian Zhen'er was still awake. Although it was not winter yet, the north was colder than the south. Now it was already cold, and the north wind was blowing from outside the inn. Liu Zhuiyi rubbed his shoulders in a daze and murmured, "Cold..."
Bian Zhener got up and closed the door of the inn. When he came back, he took off his coat and put it on Liu Zhuiyi's shoulders.
It was already midnight, and the sound of the woman crying that the people had talked about had not yet appeared. Bian Zhener sat back and waited for a while, and saw that Liu Zhuiyi had fallen asleep on the table. He stood up, approached Liu Zhuiyi, and whispered, "Liu'er, I'll take you to the room to sleep."
“No, no, no, we still have to catch ghosts, catch ghosts…” Liu Zhuiyi waved his hands hurriedly, as if talking in a sleep.
Bian Zhener stretched out his hand, touched Liu Zhuiyi's hair, and stroked it gently for a few times, allowing her to fall asleep peacefully, and then he waited and went back.
There was complete silence outside the room. Bian Zhen'er held his chin with one hand, and he gradually felt sleepy.
At this moment, the lamp on the table suddenly tilted, as if there was a wind blowing in. But the doors and windows were all closed, so how could there be any wind? Suddenly, a woman's sobbing sound was faintly heard outside the house. Bian Zhener woke up from a dream and immediately became alert.
The waiter who was dozing off at the counter was so frightened that he woke up immediately and shouted, "That's the sound! It's coming again!" The waiter's movement woke up Liu Zhuiyi and Duan Ganshan. Liu Zhuiyi heard the faint, shrill and sad crying, and his heart was frightened. He hid behind Bian Zhener in fear.
There was a commotion outside the inn, and the people opened the doors one after another. Duan Ganshan quickly opened the door of the inn. The people pointed in the direction of the ancient tomb and said, "Master Duan, Master Duan, that's the cry. Listen, it's coming again!"
Duan Ganshan didn't believe in evil, so he picked up his sword and walked over there: "I want to see who is playing tricks over there."
Bian Zhener hurriedly pulled Liu Zhuiyi to chase after him.
As Duan Ganshan came to the ancient tomb, the crying became more miserable, and it sounded like it was coming from under the ancient tomb. Liu Zhuiyi tightly grasped Bian Zhener's arm, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Bian Zhener subconsciously reached out and held Liu Zhuiyi in her arms, making her feel more at ease.
Liu Zhuiyi was afraid of the dark and ghosts, and when he heard the miserable crying, his legs went weak.
Duan Ganshan looked at Liu Zhuiyi's pitiful appearance and said, "I should have let you stay in the inn earlier."
"No! I feel at ease when I'm with the little monk." Liu Zhuiyi shouted at Duan Ganshan unyieldingly. Duan Ganshan continued to tease her, "Then do you dare to come down with me?"
Liu Zhuiyi was not fooled and said, "I don't dare to go down with you, but if the little monk goes down, I will dare to go down."
Duan Ganshan rolled his eyes at her and used his sword to chop open the entrance to the ancient tomb. The earth there collapsed and the crying stopped abruptly. The world seemed to have fallen into a black ice cellar, and the silence was terrifying.
Liu Zhuiyi grabbed Bian Zhener's hand and came to the tombstone, bowing repeatedly and saying, "The dead are the greatest. We have no choice but to offend you for the sake of the people of Lingqiu County. Please don't blame us. I will definitely burn more incense for you tomorrow!"
Duan Ganshan found it funny. He was the first to jump down from the entrance of the ancient tomb and said, "Everyone, come down here."
Bian Zhen'er held Liu Zhuiyi's hand tightly and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here and I will never let you get hurt." Liu Zhuiyi's heart suddenly softened for no reason. Such feelings were very rare, but at this moment, Bian Zhen'er had the courage to look into her eyes, hold her hand and take care of her. Even if the end of this ancient tomb was Hell, she would accompany him to go there.
Liu Zhuiyi also held Bian Zhener's hand tightly and said with a smile: "Let's go down."
"Yeah." he said.
There was a winding, dark passage under the ancient tomb, and even with two torches, it was difficult to see the road clearly.
Bian Zhen'er and Liu Zhuiyi followed Duan Ganshan in walking through the passage for a long time, but they did not reach the end.
"Master Duan, did you take the wrong road?" Liu Zhuiyi asked from behind. Duan Ganshan interrupted, "It's just this one road, how could you take the wrong road?"
"Then why haven't we reached the tomb yet? It's so big?" Liu Zhuiyi asked again.
Duan Ganshan sneered, "No matter how big it is, I can find that guy."
"If you can find it out, then why did you call me and the little monk?"
"Is it your business?"
"Then you went to the little monk because you were afraid."
"No, Liu Zhuiyi, why are you so talkative?" Duan Ganshan turned his head and asked.
"I'll be scared if I don't speak." Liu Zhuiyi said it in a way that made it impossible to get angry.
"There is light ahead." Bian Zhen'er, who had been silent, noticed a glimmer of fire not far away. Duan Ganshan and Liu Zhuiyi heard this and looked ahead. The three of them looked at each other and walked towards the light.
The light grew brighter and brighter, and when we got closer we saw that it was a spacious tomb chamber.
The tomb is circular, about 20 meters long, with three stone coffins in the center, the middle one is the largest and most complex, and the two side coffins are exquisite and simple. Iron chains cross the stone coffins to protect them firmly.
Duan Ganshan and the other two were on the half wall of the tomb, which formed a circle with sixteen holes in total, and they were only in one of them. The hole was about three feet high from the floor of the tomb, and if one of them fell down without paying attention, he would definitely get hurt.
Duan Ganshan was about to jump down, but was stopped by Liu Zhuiyi, who asked, "Master Duan, how do we get up after we go down? The entrance to this cave is narrow, and the three of us have bent our backs when we got here. It's easier to go down than to get up."
Duan Ganshan turned his head to look at the entrance of the cave. There was no protrusion on which to tie the rope. If they jumped down, they would have no help to come out.
"Do you have a dagger and a rope?" Bian Zhener asked.
"I have a dagger." Liu Zhuiyi took out the knife, and Duan Ganshan quickly gave the rope he brought to Bian Zhener. Bian Zhener took it and said to Duan Ganshan, "Take Liu'er down first."
"Okay." Duan Ganshan moved quickly, stretched out his hand to hold Liu Zhuiyi and jumped down with his light kung fu. Bian Zhener tied one end of the rope to the handle of the dagger and nailed the dagger into the ground. He jumped down into the tomb with the other end of the rope, and the length of the rope was just four feet above the ground.
Only when we went down into the tomb chamber did we realize how spacious it was. The ground was paved with gray and white stones, and there was a strange gully between the ground and the half wall.
Duan Ganshan did not dare to act rashly. He just looked at the half-grown stone coffin and said, "Isn't this man too rich? The coffin in the middle is big enough for five dead people to lie in."
"I told you to come here to catch ghosts, not to see other people's coffins." Liu Zhuiyi glared at him.
Duan Ganshan smiled and said, "There are so many holes here, most of them are caused by the sound of the wind. Where are the ghosts? There is only one tomb, where are the ghosts? Come out."
Liu Zhuiyi was about to tell him not to yell, but before he could finish his words, he heard the shrill cry again. This cry was even more sad and clear than the one he heard outside the tomb. Liu Zhuiyi was so scared that he hugged Bian Zhener's arm tightly, and even a seven-foot-tall man like Duan Ganshan couldn't help but tremble.
The crying sound was so strange, as if it came from the main coffin, but it kept echoing in my ears.
"Look, I'm going to chop this tomb up, and see if she still dares to cry!" Duan Ganshan couldn't stand the crying, so he jumped towards the sarcophagus with his sword in hand. Bian Zhener felt something was wrong and shouted, "Master Duan! Stop!"
But it was too late. Duan Ganshan's sword fell on the iron chain that crossed the tomb wall, and the blade immediately broke in two. The iron chain was moving on its own due to external interference.
As if they had touched a mechanism inside, the ground where Bian Zhen'er and Liu Zhuiyi were suddenly collapsed, and other parts of the ground suddenly rose. Duan Ganshan was rebounded by the force of the chain being cut, and fell on a rising stone. He looked at the approaching tomb top, turned over, and fell on the collapsing stone.
Suddenly, the cemetery shook violently. The gray stones in the tomb sank into the ground, and the white stones were connected to the ground.
Liu Zhuiyi was held in Bian Zhener's arms. She could not see anything but could hear the sound of rocks rolling around her. Until they stopped sinking, the surroundings gradually became quiet.
"It's okay." Only after hearing Bian Zhener's voice did Liu Zhuiyi dare to slowly pull his head out of his arms.
A lot of lime rolled down Bian Zhen'er's body, and there were scratches on his cheeks from falling rocks. Seeing this, Liu Zhuiyi couldn't help but reach out to touch the wound on his face, frowning and saying, "Little monk, you..."
"I'm fine." Bian Zhen'er held her hand and helped her up. Looking at the small space they were in, she said, "Let's find Master Duan first, and then get out. I've seen the iron chains in the tomb before, and they don't look old after being buried underground for years. I'm worried that someone is playing tricks and wants to kill one of us."
"But we don't have any grudges against anyone." At this point, Liu Zhuiyi suddenly remembered that she had been poisoned. If that was not an accident, someone might have wanted to harm her life, but she didn't offend anyone.
A person's face suddenly popped up in his mind, which made Liu Zhuiyi shudder.
Bian Zhener picked up the extinguished torch on the ground, took out a tinder and lit it, and then it became brighter inside. He pulled Liu Zhuiyi over and said, "The terrain here has changed. In order to avoid repeating the same route, let's mark the places we have passed."
"Yeah!" Liu Zhuiyi nodded and drew two simple little figures on the wall with pebbles.
The terrain had indeed changed, but it was far more complicated than Bian Zhener had imagined. The terrain was like a maze, and if you weren't careful you would end up back where you were. Bian Zhener took Liu Zhuiyi on a walk and saw several places where Liu Zhuiyi had made marks.
"We are going around in circles." Liu Zhuiyi said, looking at the marks he made on the wall.
Bian Zhen'er's face was solemn. He couldn't see the night here and didn't know the time. If he didn't go out early, the consequences would be even more disastrous.
"Let's try calling Mr. Duan, can he hear us?" Liu Zhuiyi asked.
Bian Zhener said: "You can try."
Liu Zhuiyi let go of Bian Zhen'er's hand, came to the passage, and shouted, "Master Duan, can you hear me--" The sound hit the stone wall and bounced back. Bian Zhen'er's heart suddenly brightened when he heard it. He hurriedly said, "Liu'er, keep shouting. I will listen to the sound and determine the location. If the sound bounces back on the stone wall, then it is a dead end that cannot be taken. If the sound passes through the passage and does not return, then it is a feasible way out. As long as I can remember the feasible way, I can find the way out."
“Okay… okay!” Liu Zhuiyi cleared his throat, not caring what he was saying, as long as his voice could be heard. “Master Duan, can you hear me? If you can, reply. The little monk and I are looking for you…Master Duan, can you hear me? Are you still alive? Are you awake? Master Duan…”
Bian Zhener closed his eyes, concentrated his mind, listened carefully to the sound, and slowly formed a line in his mind. He was born smart. When he was young, he followed his master to Penglai and accidentally ate a kind of fruit because of greed. A cinnabar grew between his eyebrows, which gave him a strange ability. Later, he learned that the cinnabar between his eyebrows was called the eyebrow pupil, which had the ability to shake the world. However, this ability was too strange, and the master forbad him to use it for fear of hurting others.
He told no one and no one knew.
"Master Duan... Duan..." Liu Zhuiyi's throat became tired from shouting. She turned her head to look at Bian Zhen'er who was concentrating, and could not bear to disturb him, so she continued to shout at the top of her voice, "Duan Ganshan! You bastard, can you hear what I say?"
"I think he can hear it." Bian Zhen'er suddenly spoke. Liu Zhuiyi turned back in surprise. Bian Zhen'er smiled and said, "I found the way out, and I also know the location of Master Duan."
"Really!" Liu Zhuiyi jumped up in joy, and almost went over to give Bian Zhener a hug. At this time, a cursing voice faintly came from outside the passage. Liu Zhuiyi looked over in confusion and saw a figure walking over.
"Damn it, you little girl always say bad things about me with your back turned away!" Duan Ganshan's figure gradually became clear. Liu Zhuiyi looked at him with a grin, and his right arm had been hung around his neck.
Liu Zhuiyi hurriedly walked up to him and asked, "Master Duan, what happened to your arm?"
"He fell and broke his bones." Duan Ganshan didn't take it seriously and asked Bian Zhen'er, "Little monk, did you find a way out?"
"Hmm." Bian Zhen'er drew a route map on the wall with a stone and said, "This tomb is actually the same size as what we saw, but it's deeper. After you triggered the mechanism, the terrain rose and collapsed, changing the route and depth, but the size did not change. The reason why we are going around in circles inside is because the terrain is now chaotic, like a maze, and if we are not careful, we will end up back where we started."
Duan Ganshan looked at Bian Zhener with admiration in his eyes. He patted his chest and said, "Fortunately, I called you over."
"My little monk is awesome, right?" Liu Zhuiyi stood in front of Duan Ganshan with his hands on his hips, looking proud.
"Great, great! Let's go back first. This damn place is too annoying. I kept hearing weird noises along the way." Duan Ganshan waved his healthy hand, saying with lingering fear.
Liu Zhuiyi felt strange and asked, "What's that strange sound? Is it crying? Is that female ghost haunting you?"
"Go away, little girl, stop talking nonsense!" Duan Ganshan walked behind Liu Zhuiyi in a bad mood, let Bian Zhener lead the way in front, and he followed behind to cover them.
Bian Zhen'er led the two of them, and followed the correct path based on the route he remembered in his mind. After about an incense stick of time, they had found the exit. He climbed out of the exit first, and then pulled Liu Zhuiyi out. Duan Ganshan was injured, and Bian Zhen'er and Liu Zhuiyi worked together to pull him up.
The night sky outside was thick with clouds, and the moonlight was invisible. Duan Ganshan lay on the ground, listening to the chirping of insects in the wild grass, and said, "It's better to be outside, and it's better to be alive."
"Are you going back or not? How are you going to explain to the people of Lingqiu County?" Liu Zhuiyi asked.
Duan Ganshan didn't care and said, "Tell the truth. Where is the female ghost? I turned this place upside down but didn't see any female ghost."
Bian Zhen'er didn't pay attention to their conversation. He looked up at the clouds. A gust of cold wind blew the clouds away, and the dim moon hung high in the sky.
"It's two quarters past midnight..." Bian Zhen'er murmured, his breathing a little rapid.
Liu Zhuiyi looked back at Bian Zhener and saw that his eyes were blurry and his face turned pale.
"Little monk?" Liu Zhuiyi called him softly, but saw that Bian Zhen'er's body went limp. Liu Zhuiyi quickly supported Bian Zhen'er and asked anxiously, "Little monk, what's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong?" Duan Ganshan also came over nervously.
Bian Zhener was cold all over, and Liu Zhuiyi hugged him as if he was holding a large block of ice. Bian Zhener was barely breathing, and said, "Is it the beginning of winter...Liu'er?"
Liu Zhuiyi and Duan Ganshan looked at the night together. Yes, it was the beginning of winter at 2:02 pm on the eighth day of the tenth month this year, but what did this have to do with Bian Zhener's health? Liu Zhuiyi shook Bian Zhener and almost cried, "Little monk, don't scare me, don't fall asleep, what's wrong with you? I'll take you back to Qiufeng Village right away, and I'll see a doctor for you, okay?"
"Cold... I'm cold." Bian Zhen'er was dazed and fell asleep in Liu Zhuiyi's arms. Liu Zhuiyi was impatient and looked at Duan Ganshan and said, "What should we do, Master Duan? You are knowledgeable and experienced. Can you take a look at what happened to the little monk?"
Duan Ganshan was stunned. He swallowed and hurriedly comforted Liu Zhuiyi, saying, "Don't cry, I'll go get people to help and carry him to Qiufeng Village first." As he said that, he hurried back to the county to get people to help.
Liu Zhuiyi tried her best to wrap Bian Zhener's body with her clothes. She hugged him tightly, wanting to warm him with her body temperature, but it was of no use. Bian Zhener's body was still ice-cold, even colder than a dead person.
"Little monk..." Liu Zhuiyi rubbed Bian Zhen'er's ears gently, trying to get some warmth from him. She kept calling him, afraid that he would not be able to hear her voice and fall asleep. "Little monk... Little monk, you have to hold on, I will save you soon, soon, little monk..." Liu Zhuiyi hugged Bian Zhen'er, and the hot tears fell down her cheeks onto his skin, instantly condensing into frost.
Liu Zhuiyi opened her eyes wide, and the skin of Bian Zhen'er in her arms seemed to be covered with a thin layer of frost, and tiny ice bars condensed on her hair. Liu Zhuiyi trembled all over, hugged Bian Zhen'er, and shouted in the direction of Lingqiu County: "Master Duan...Master Duan! The little monk...he..."
He is almost dying...
No, you can't!
Liu Zhuiyi caressed Bian Zhener's face and kissed him with warm lips. However, although the frost melted when the kiss fell, it immediately solidified again in a short while. Liu Zhuiyi was helpless and cried while hugging Bian Zhener.
How could this happen? He has such a strange illness, why did she only know about it now!
Duan Ganshan and his men came over, and they carried Bian Zhener onto a homemade stretcher and wrapped him in several layers of quilts to keep him warm. Liu Zhuiyi followed the stretcher bearers to climb up to Qiufeng Village. She was afraid that Bian Zhener would fall asleep and never wake up, so she kept talking to him along the way.
She didn't care whether he could hear it or not. If the word "I hope" could have a twist, she would really hope that he could hear it.
After returning to Qiufeng Village, Duan Ganshan placed Bian Zhen'er in the lobby and lit many torches around him. But even so, Bian Zhen'er's body still could not warm up.
"What should I do... He has never encountered such a situation before." Liu Zhuiyi sat aside, staring at Bian Zhen'er lying in the middle of the hall. Duan Ganshan recalled the words Bian Zhen'er said, "2:00 am", "Is it the beginning of winter?" Could it be that Bian Zhen'er's strange behavior was related to the beginning of winter?
Thinking about the strange pupil between the eyebrows of Bian Zhen'er, Duan Ganshan became more and more certain of his thoughts. He sighed, put a hand on Liu Zhuiyi's shoulder, and said, "Sister, I'm afraid the little monk will be like this all winter."
"What does this mean?" Liu Zhuiyi asked, looking up, with fear in his eyes.
Duan Ganshan still had doubts, and said, "I have met someone who had the same eyebrow pupil as Bian Zhen'er before. That person used the eyebrow pupil to do many evil things. When winter came, he would become very strange, his whole body was like frost, and his temper was particularly bad."
"But the young monk just fell asleep, he didn't show any signs of being irritable." Liu Zhuiyi frowned. Duan Ganshan walked to Bian Zhen'er and said, "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he has used the eyebrow pupil less frequently. The eyebrow pupil can see a hundred miles away when blood drips, and can kill a hundred people when anger opens. As a monk, how could he have any resentment or hatred? I guess he has never opened his eye out of anger, so he has a heart as pure as water, and he just fell asleep."
Liu Zhuiyi chased after Duan Ganshan and asked, "If this is true, Mr. Duan, do you have any way to save the little monk? I'm so afraid that he can't make it. If he can't make it, will he..." At this point, Liu Zhuiyi choked up.
She was extremely worried that Bian Zhen'er would not be able to survive this harsh winter.
If he can't survive this harsh winter, will he never wake up again?
Duan Ganshan looked at Liu Zhuiyi's tearful eyes under the firelight, and was a little dazed. He envied Bian Zhener lying on the couch, and couldn't help but sigh that he was so lucky, as a person outside the world, but someone in the world cared about him.
"Whether you can make it through or not is all fate." Duan Ganshan sighed softly, "After so many years, hasn't he made it through?"
"But before that, he had his master by his side, and the little monk must have known how to get through it. But now he is unconscious, and I have no way of knowing." Liu Zhuiyi gently stroked Bian Zhener's face, feeling extremely anxious.
Duan Ganshan couldn't bear it, and said, "People with eyebrow pupils can hardly withstand the severe cold. They usually find ways to keep out the cold before the beginning of winter. This time, Bian Zhen'er probably did it on purpose."
Liu Zhuiyi frowned and thought for a while, tears rolled down her eyelashes. She pushed the time away and shook her head, "No, the little monk didn't mean it, it's because of me..." Duan Ganshan looked at Liu Zhuiyi, Liu Zhuiyi held back the tears and said in a hoarse voice, "If people with eyebrow-shaped pupils have to think of ways to keep warm before the beginning of winter, then I have delayed the little monk... Because I seemed to be possessed by evil spirits before, and they left the team first. I asked them to wait for me in Lingqiu. Later, the little monk who arrived in Lingqiu must not have had the opportunity to find any way to keep warm, because he came up the mountain to save me. And at this moment, it is already the beginning of winter, he has no time, you know?"
Duan Ganshan hesitated several times to say something. If he had to say it this way, he was also responsible for this matter. It was he who imprisoned Liu Zhuiyi first.
"Master Duan." Liu Zhuiyi grabbed Duan Ganshan's shoulders and said urgently, "You must have a way to save the little monk, right? You even pulled me back from the brink of death, you can definitely save the little monk!"
"I...it's not that I don't want to save him, I just don't know if this method is feasible!" Duan Ganshan said hesitantly.
"It has to be done even if it's not feasible! We have to give it a try, what do you think?" Liu Zhuiyi said with his eyes wide open.
Duan Ganshan couldn't persuade Liu Zhuiyi, and said, "We need to find 44 rare herbs and throw them into the hot spring, and let Bian Zhener soak in it for 12 days. But we need to start soaking before the cold poison in his body breaks out. He has already broken out, so the herbal hot spring will not be of much use."
Liu Zhuiyi knew a little about medicine, so she asked, "What if the cold poison in his body is transferred to someone else?"
Duan Ganshan was startled, guessing what Liu Zhuiyi was thinking, and couldn't help asking: "Could it be that you... This, this is not allowed! You are a girl, and girls' bodies tend to be cold. If you transfer the cold poison to yourself, you might lose your life."
"I can't care less." Liu Zhuiyi said, "Before I pass the cold poison, I will soak in the yam hot spring for a day, so that my body will have antibodies and there will be no problem with the cold poison." After that, she stretched out her hand and said stubbornly, "Write the prescription for me."
Duan Ganshan took a deep breath, not knowing what to say to Liu Zhuiyi.
"Hurry up!" Liu Zhuiyi said seriously.
"Yes, I've written it for you. If anything happens to you, just wait for Bian Zhen'er to peel my skin off!" Duan Ganshan was furious. Liu Zhuiyi forced him to do so, and he had to write it. Besides, Bian Zhen'er was such an important person in Liu Zhuiyi's heart. If he didn't write it, she would probably find other ways to save the little monk.
Instead of letting her mess around, why not try a herbal spa.
Liu Zhuiyi urged Duan Ganshan to write a prescription, and not to miss any herbal medicine. After getting it to the pharmacy, Liu Zhuiyi became worried and said, "Master Duan, don't tell Yun Yao about this for now. Just lock him up for as long as you can. If he finds out, he will definitely stop me from doing this."
"I understand." Duan Ganshan said, "I will copy a few more points and ask my brothers to buy the medicine. If they can't find it, they can go to the mountains to look for it. No matter how much money it costs or how far it takes, I will definitely find these 44 herbs for you."
Liu Zhuiyi felt warm in his heart and said, "Thank you, Master Duan. If the little monk is safe and sound, you are our lifesaver."
"I'm not doing this for the little monk's safety." Duan Ganshan turned away, dipped the pen in his hand in ink, and said, "It's for you."
As he spoke, he continued to copy the prescription on paper. The flickering candlelight in the room was reflected in his eyes and also in Liu Zhuiyi's eyes.
Liu Zhuiyi and his brothers from Qiufeng Village searched for five whole days before they gathered the forty-four herbs needed to treat Bian Zhener.
There is a cave on the back mountain of Qiufeng Village with a natural hot spring inside. Duan Ganshan brought Liu Zhuiyi and Bian Zhener here and put all the 44 herbs they found into the spring.
There was a biting cold wind outside the cave, but it was as warm as early summer inside the cave.
Duan Ganshan stared at the steaming hot spring in front of him and said, "I will protect and take good care of you two during these twelve days."
"Thank you, Master Duan." Liu Zhuiyi exhaled softly and turned his head and said, "Leave this to me."
"Okay, I'll come see you again." Duan Ganshan turned his back, paused, and left the cave.
Liu Zhuiyi sat down, undressed Bian Zhener one by one, and helped him to sit in the hot spring. Then, she undressed herself, got out of the hot spring, and sat behind Bian Zhener.
The two of them were naked in the hot spring, with the water just covering their chests. Clothes prevented the body from better accepting the treatment of the herbs, and only in this way could Bian Zhener have a chance to wake up, and Liu Zhuiyi could transfer the cold poison in his body to himself.
After a day and a night like that, Liu Zhuiyi hugged Bian Zhener from behind, holding his fingers tightly. She leaned against his broad shoulders, feeling the coldness in his body slowly eroding her body and bones.
The first time Liu Zhuiyi hugged Bian Zhen'er like this, she felt as if time had stood still. Her cheek was against his back, and she whispered softly, "Little monk, I don't know if you can hear me, but I don't know who to tell these words to, I just want you to listen."
What responded to her was the echo of the sound coming back from the cave.
Breathing gradually became difficult, and Liu Zhuiyi's eyes were full of mist. She whispered: "In my life, what I want to do most is to walk with the little monk until the end of time. I don't know if God is willing to give me this opportunity. Little monk, you have no home, and I have no home either. I think, if we can become one family, how wonderful it would be..."
The white steam from the hot spring became stronger and stronger, and Liu Zhuiyi's face could hardly be seen. One could only see the tears sliding down her nose and hear her voice that was no longer as clear as before.
"Little monk, meeting you is the greatest blessing of my life. If God has mercy on me and gives me some more luck, can you take me to see the red plum blossoms blooming in the snow? Can you play a song for me? Just the two of us, little monk, it's the beginning of winter outside, it looks like it's going to snow... It's snowing, wake up , okay?"
"Tick-tock——" is the sound of tears falling into the hot spring.
How great it would be if he was not that stubborn little monk in this life?
Liu Zhuiyi sobbed softly and finally said nothing more.
A year is so short, but twelve days are too long for them to wait.
The people at the bottom of the mountain were still talking about the strange crying, but Duan Ganshan had no intention of intervening. He would go to the cave every day and see the two people hugging each other tightly in the hot spring, waiting for them to wake up.
In the dungeon, Yun Yao sat at the door, asking about Liu Zhuiyi's safety every day. He would only feel at ease when he knew that she was okay.
After twelve days, the herbs in the hot spring gradually lost their medicinal properties. Liu Zhuiyi slept on Bian Zhener's shoulder, not waking up, but Bian Zhener frowned and slightly opened his lips to exhale, about to wake up.
Water dripped into the spring from the top of the mountain. Bian Zhener slowly opened his eyes, and the blurry scene in front of him became clear. He was wondering why he was in the hot spring at this moment, when he suddenly felt someone leaning against him from behind, and his hands were tightly intertwined with hers.
They spent more than ten days like this.
"Liu'er?" Bian Zhen'er called out subconsciously. He turned around and saw Liu Zhuiyi's body limply on his chest. Bian Zhen'er was extremely surprised, and then he seemed to have thought of something. He no longer cared about the fact that they were naked, and hugged Liu Zhuiyi with his arms, shouting, "Liu'er!"
Even in the hot spring, her body was still cold.
"She transferred the cold poison in your body to herself. I'm afraid she won't wake up for a while." Duan Ganshan's voice sounded behind him.
Bian Zhener was extremely worried. He knew that Liu Zhuiyi had deep feelings for him, but he didn't expect that she would be so stupid as to bet her life on the outcome of these twelve days. Bian Zhener's eyes were covered with mist. In this relationship that he had been avoiding, he was far less brave than her.
"She talked to you a lot during these twelve days. During the time she was looking for herbs, she also told me everything about you." Duan Ganshan squatted behind them and said, "Bian Zhener, you really don't deserve her love."
How could he deserve her love? He was not worthy of anyone's love. Bian Zhen'er was a cowardly person. She was throbbing when she first knew that Liu Zhuiyi was a girl, worried about her deep down when she knew she was in danger, and was willing to sacrifice her life to protect her.
Liu Zhuiyi loved him deeply, but he never responded.
If Liu Zhuiyi could see his look at this moment, she would definitely wipe away the tears on his face with a smile and say, "Little monk, you don't have to say anything. Liu'er knows it in her heart."
"Master Duan, please get clothes for Liu'er. She risked her life to save me, I will not stand idly by." Bian Zhen'er protected Liu Zhuiyi's body. Duan Ganshan walked over, picked up the clothes on the ground and threw them to Bian Zhen'er. Bian Zhen'er wrapped Liu Zhuiyi's body with the clothes and carried her out of the hot spring.
Bian Zhener asked: "Master Duan, can you find these forty-four herbs for Bian Zhener again?"
Duan Ganshan said: "I will go find anyone who can save Sister Liu."
Bian Zhen'er carried Liu Zhuiyi outside and said, "Liu'er's life is not in danger, but I'm worried that she will be too weak to even stay in bed after waking up. Grind the herbs and sew them into her clothes to warm her body. Then use the residue to make medicine to adjust the balance of yin and yang in her body. This is how Master protected me through the winter."
"Okay, I'll do it right away!" Duan Ganshan didn't dare to delay. Liu Zhuiyi had said earlier that Bian Zhen'er had a way to survive the severe cold, but he was unconscious so he had no way of knowing. Since Bian Zhen'er had survived by sewing clothes with herbs, Liu Zhuiyi might also wake up.
Duan Ganshan once again mobilized all the brothers in Qiufeng Village to collect the forty-four herbs. Bian Zhener brought Liu Zhuiyi back to the house, caressed her face lovingly, and said gently: "Liu'er, you will be fine."
Duan Ganshan ran into the house and said, "Monk! I asked all my brothers in Qiufeng Village to help. It will be over soon. Can this... this Liu sister hold on until we find the herbs?"
"It's OK, Liu'er can do it." Bian Zhen'er sat by the bed and held Liu Zhuiyi's hand, her mind full of Liu Zhuiyi's fearless appearance. How could such a tenacious girl not be able to hold on until that time?
Besides, Liu Zhuiyi hadn't waited for Bian Zhen'er to take her to see the red plum blossoms and the snow, and Bian Zhen'er hadn't played a song for her alone.
Therefore, she will definitely be able to hold on.
"Brother—Brother!" Someone suddenly broke into the room without any notice. Duan Ganshan kicked him angrily and said, "Why are you yelling? Can't you see that I'm resting?"
The servant who was kicked down quickly got up and knelt down, saying, "Brother, all the people in Lingqiu County have gone to Luoyan Mountain. Please save them!"
Bian Zhener looked over here after hearing this. Duan Ganshan put his hands on his waist and said in a rough voice, "What's wrong again?"
The servant explained, "When Mr. Li's son passed by the cemetery in the north of the city, he was sucked into the tomb by something strange. Mr. Li and his men searched for a long time but couldn't find him."
"What! That little hole can swallow people?" Duan Ganshan asked in surprise.
"The people of Lingqiu County are in a panic now. They say...that a female ghost is eating people." The servant knew that Duan Ganshan hated the mention of ghosts the most, so his voice gradually became lower when he said the last sentence.
Duan Ganshan crossed his hands on his hips, puffed his beard and glared, "Damn it, you're always looking for trouble for me!"
"Master Duan." Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Bian Zhen'er came over and said, "How about I accompany you to investigate thoroughly? It would be bad if someone else died."
Duan Ganshan was embarrassed and said, "That won't work. You still have to take care of Sister Liu."
Bian Zhener looked back at Liu Zhuiyi and said, "Release Yun Yao and Xun Yan, and let Yun Yao take care of Liu Er."
"That boy, can he take good care of others?" Duan Ganshan didn't trust Yun Yao. In his eyes, Yun Yao was a noisy, impulsive and reckless young master who was good enough at taking care of himself but wanted to take care of others.
Bian Zhener smiled and said, "Believe me, there is no one more suitable than Yun Yao here."
Duan Ganshan compromised and said, "Okay, okay, since you said it's suitable, then I'll let that guy take care of Sister Liu. You, you come down the mountain with me and see what's going on."
"Okay." Bian Zhener nodded.
Duan Ganshan ordered people to release Yun Yao and Xun Yan, and asked Erye and others to cooperate with Yun Yao to look after Liu Zhuiyi. When the two of them just walked to the entrance of Qiufeng Village, they suddenly heard someone behind them calling Bian Zhener's name.
They looked back and saw that it was Xun Yan who was calling. Xun Yan ran over, panting a little, and said, "Bian Zhener, let me go too."
"Miss Xun Yan, the tomb is full of dangers. It is better for you to stay in Qiufeng Village." Bian Zhen'er was worried. Xun Yan knew nothing and it would be of no help to keep her around.
Xun Yan shook her head and said with a firm look, "I don't know anyone in Qiufeng Village. I only know you. You think I'm afraid of ghosts because I'm a weak woman? I'm not afraid, Bian Zhener. I won't hold you back."
"But..." Bian Zhen'er was still worried. Duan Ganshan beside her waved his hand and interrupted, "Okay, stop nagging. Take her with you. Liu Zhuiyi is so good at martial arts. Didn't she walk out of the cemetery alive even though she hid behind you with her neck shrunk? Let's go."
Xun Yan showed a happy expression, and looked at Bian Zhen'er to ask for his opinion. Bian Zhen'er had no choice but to say, "Okay, then you follow me closely."
"Okay!" Xun Yan nodded vigorously.
When Bian Zhen'er and Duan Ganshan walked down the mountain with their backs to her, the smile in Xun Yan's eyes suddenly became strange.
They followed the original route to find the entrance to the tomb, but the main tomb chamber had changed from the last time, so it might be difficult to find.
"It's dark here in broad daylight, so annoying." Duan Ganshan complained, and the light of the torch in his hand was not bright enough. Bian Zhener asked Xun Yan behind him, "Be careful, you can catch me if you are afraid, I don't care."
"I'm not afraid." Xun Yan said.
Duan Ganshan laughed and said, "This girl looks fragile, but she is actually very brave. Unlike Liu Zhuiyi, she looks fearless, but she is like a little mouse when she encounters a ghost."
"I just don't believe that there are ghosts in this world, so I'm not afraid." Xun Yan said with a smile.
"That sounds good." Duan Ganshan was in a good mood and no longer complained about the dim light. The three of them walked to the previous cave entrance, but found that the entrance had been blocked.
Duan Ganshan spat and cursed , "What the hell? Wasn't this place not blocked last time I came out?"
"Let's find a new entrance?" Xun Yan suggested.
"Sixteen entrances! And if they are all blocked like this, how long will it take to find them?" Duan Ganshan was furious. Looking at the hole blocked by the black wall in front of him, he felt a surge of heat in his heart and kicked, "Fuck you!"
Suddenly, the black wall started to move. Bian Zhen'er was sharp-eyed and saw that the black wall was a group of bats, but the firelight was too dim to see clearly. He shouted to be careful, protected Xun Yan and lay on the ground. The bats flew away, and Duan Ganshan lost his balance because he stepped on empty air and fell into the tomb. He was bitten on the forehead by a bat.
After the bat flew away, Bian Zhener took Xun Yan down to the tomb. Duan Ganshan sat on the ground, holding a wound on his forehead, his face twisted in pain. Bian Zhener hurried forward to check and saw a bat tooth in the wound on his forehead. Bian Zhener asked Duan Ganshan to bear the pain and pull out the bat tooth. Then, Xun Yan tore off her skirt and helped Duan Ganshan bandage the wound.
Duan Ganshan took a breath and said, "Fortunately, I am lucky."
Bian Zhener stood up and looked around, and found that the topography of the tomb had returned to the scene they saw at the beginning. The two coffins, large and small, were still in the center of the tomb, tied with iron chains.
"Apart from the tomb, is there no other place here? Was it these three stone coffins that caused Mr. Li's son to be dragged in here?" Duan Ganshan also discovered the restoration of the tomb's terrain. Bian Zhen'er shook his head and said, "The coffin will not move, and it has nothing to do with these coffins. Maybe something else dragged Mr. Li's son in."
Duan Ganshan and Xun Yan were stunned for a moment, then said in unison: "Bat!"
"Or, it's something like a bat." Bian Zhener looked back at them.
"Is Mr. Li's son dead or alive? If dead, where is his body?" Duan Ganshan asked several questions in a row. Bian Zhener's eyes stayed on the coffin and said, "Most likely he is dead."
Duan Ganshan was shocked. Could it be that the bats in the tomb would eat people, or that there were some more ferocious man-eating monsters living in the tomb? He walked to Bian Zhen'er's side and saw him staring at the coffin in a daze, so he asked, "Monk, you don't suspect that those man-eating creatures live in these three coffins, do you?"
Bian Zhener nodded and said, "That's right."
"But these chains are mechanisms. How do those man-eating creatures live in there? If you move the chains a little, the topography of the tomb will change." Duan Ganshan still remembered the consequences of cutting off the chains last time, and asked in disbelief.
Bian Zhen'er seemed to understand something, and a smile appeared on his lips. He said, "I thought this mechanism was set up by someone later, but now I think that the workers in the pre-Qin period had already set up this mechanism when they built this tomb. Since this iron chain is a mechanism, maybe there is also a mechanism on the coffin." As he spoke, he approached the three sarcophagi. The large one in the middle was nearly the height of a person. He walked slowly around the sarcophagi and said, "The mechanisms in the tomb are reserved for dealing with tomb robbers. Since the people who built this tomb dared to build the mechanism on the coffin, there are only two reasons. First, they don't want future generations to open it. Second, the way to open the coffin is different from that of ordinary burial coffins. Ordinary burial coffins open the cover directly, but this one is the coffin body. Come and see."
Duan Ganshan and Xun Yan walked forward to where Bian Zhener was, and found a round protrusion on the coffin where his hand was pointing.
"This... could this be the mechanism to open the coffin?" Duan Ganshan asked.
"Very likely." Bian Zhener frowned.
The truth is just one step away, but they don’t know what horror is waiting for them inside the coffin.
"Then...should we open it?" Duan Ganshan was a little hesitant.
The group of ferocious bats just now frightened him, and his forehead was still hurting. If another large group of bats were released after the box was opened, the three of them would probably become their food.
Before Bian Zhen'er could answer, Xun Yan suddenly shouted in a sharp voice: "Bian Zhen'er, be careful!"
Before Bian Zhen'er turned around, he saw Xun Yan pounce on his back. Then, he heard Xun Yan groan and fell into his arms. A black bat flew away from her shoulder.
Duan Ganshan was bumped by Xun Yan when she pounced on him just now. He staggered a few times and his body hit the switch on the coffin.
At this moment, the coffin beside him suddenly made a sound of friction between stones, and at the same time, the sound of flapping wings came from inside.
Bian Zhen'er was shocked: "Not good!" He picked up Xun Yan and said to Duan Ganshan, "Jump to the exit before the terrain changes!"
Duan Ganshan immediately understood, and jumped up with Bian Zhener, touched the iron chain with his toes, and jumped towards the cave entrance.
Bian Zhen'er climbed on the cave entrance with one hand, and then sent Xun Yan up, and then jumped onto the cave entrance himself. Duan Ganshan followed closely behind. When Bian Zhen'er pulled him up, he found that the coffin was slowly opening, and a group of black bats rushed out from it. If it weren't for the fact that they touched the iron chain mechanism, changing the terrain and blocking the bats, the three of them would have been killed to pieces by the group of bats at this moment!
"Why is this cemetery so dangerous?" Duan Ganshan sat on the ground gasping for breath. He almost lost his life.
He turned around and said to Bian Zhen'er, "Little monk, thank you for what you did just now."
Bian Zhen'er shook his head, looked at Xun Yan who was sweating profusely in his arms, and said, "Let's go out first."
Duan Ganshan climbed up and walked towards the exit with Bian Zhener and Xun Yan. After climbing out of the tomb, Duan Ganshan found various sundries to block the entrance and said fiercely: "Wait for me to call someone to burn these beasts!"
Bian Zhen'er still had doubts in his heart, but he did not express them.
He knew that the situation under the tomb was dangerous and he didn't want Duan Ganshan and the others to get involved, so he planned to find time to handle it himself. What's more, Xun Yan had been bitten by a bat and needed treatment.
"Let's go back first." Bian Zhen'er carried Xun Yan and walked towards Luoyan Mountain. Duan Ganshan was a little worried and looked back at the entrance of the ancient tomb three times before Yu Liu followed back nervously.