Marriage of the Ghost Chapter 4

It rains a lot in midsummer, and the weather is unpredictable. In the morning, the sky is clear and cloudless. Just after noon, a distant thunderclap suddenly dims the sunlight by one third. In an instant, lightning flashes and dark clouds cover the city. Heavy rain falls without warning, as capricious as the princes who hold military power in the world.

Soon, the water formed a river. The naughty children ran by at the urging of their mothers, stepping on the water. Under the wall, the newly grown green grass that had just grown this summer was blown to the ground unexpectedly. The tall and straight ginkgo tree in the backyard was swept by a gust of wind, sweeping the fallen leaves to the ground.

In the grocery store, the skinny rabbit hopped back and forth among the sundries on the floor with an expert manner. Holding a thick account book in one hand, he looked up and checked the various odd-shaped goods one by one: "One-fifteen, ten, fifteen, twenty... Hey? Where's that bronze hundred-bird vase? Shanzha, you put things in the wrong place again."

"It's not me. Don't wrongly accuse a good person." The lazy cat spirit snuggled at Han Zhai's feet, raised its two paws high, and diligently placed the big bowl in front of Han Zhai, "Master, eat cherries. I just picked them. The third house on the right at Tofu Lane in the east of the city, his cherry tree is the best this year. I started to pay attention to it half a year ago."

As he spoke, he secretly reached into the bowl and grabbed two grapes, stuffed them into his mouth, and swallowed them all, including the stems and pits. Under Xingren's contemptuous eyes, Shanzha rubbed his belly contentedly: "In two days, the grapes in the yard of Old Man Li in the back street should be ripe."

"If you dare to eat secretly again, I will eat you." Han Wei cleared a space in front of the counter and moved a bamboo chair. He looked at the world outside calmly.

Ghosts are afraid of light and can only appear at night. Thanks to the heavy rain, he was able to step out of the inner room and take a good look at the long-lost fireworks of the mortal world.

There was a thunderstorm outside the house, with deafening thunder and heavy rain. The greedy raccoon cat chewed the cherry stem in his hand reluctantly and looked out the door: "Hey, isn't this the Taoist priest?"

He pointed at the alley entrance, and Han looked around. In the rain curtains, the Taoist walking slowly with an umbrella stood out among the hurried pedestrians. The old oil-paper umbrella, the slender fingers holding the umbrella handle, the Taoist robe with the corner lifted by the wind, was trimmed with pale blue piping. In the wind and rain, he slowly came from the turbid world. Under the apricot-yellow oil-paper umbrella, there was a handsome face without any emotion, and there was no ripple between his eyebrows and eyes.

"Tsk tsk... They say monsters are not human. Compared to us, this Taoist priest looks even less like a human." The cherry stalk in his hand fell to the ground, but Shanzha didn't care at all and just shook his head and sighed.

He was not a human to begin with. Han Zhi sneered after hearing this: "He is a true lord who came to earth, determined to eliminate filth and eliminate all evil spirits in the world. The sword on his back is called Youming, which is the most precious treasure of Zhongnan. It is said that it was forged by the True Man Fu Hu, and it can kill the Demon Lord, the Ghost King, and even the Immortal. Zhongnan is regarded as a secret treasure of the sect, and no one can take it lightly without the order of the head of the sect. How can such a person be compared with those ordinary monks in the secular world who claim to be compassionate?"

The Taoist who came in the rain stood slowly under the narrow eaves opposite the grocery store, and could just hear the ghost's words of praise and ridicule. Lucas Fu remained calm, holding an umbrella, listening to his discussion quietly through the rain.

Han Zhi didn't care and smiled at him, "Am I wrong?"

Taoist Mu kept a stern face, neither angry nor laughing, his voice was neither high nor low, and his tone was neither salty nor bland: "Sir, you are too kind." His words were humble, but there was not a trace of humility in them.

The sound of the rain drowned out the noise of neighbors closing their doors and windows, and the gurgling sound of water flowing into a river under the wall on the street. It isolated the two people sitting and standing inside and outside the store in a world of mist. There was nothing in their ears except the sound of rain.

The ghosts in the store looked at the Taoist in white clothes outside the store. Lucas Fu stood tall in the wind, like a pine tree on the top of Mount Zhongnan that remained proud despite the snow on its branches. His wide sleeves that reached down to his knees were blown up by the wind from time to time. His sleeves fluttered, and Han Yi saw that he still had the pendant he had given him tied around his waist. A meticulous Taoist. The ghosts thought.

Raindrops fell continuously along the eaves, hitting the umbrella and landing on the edge of his shoes, but not a single drop of them stained his inky black hair. It was as if his entire body was tightly protected by a barrier, and even though he was coming against the wind, there was not a single wet mark on the Taoist's robe.

"What a righteous person you are. You are impervious to swords and spears, and are immune to all poisons." Han Zhai praised sincerely, and a hint of thought flashed in his clear eyes. "When your master Jin Yunzi was your age, I'm afraid he didn't have such a level of cultivation."

Tian Gang Zheng Qi emphasizes the stability of Qi rhythm, which is as heavy as a mountain and as quiet as still water. A cultivator does not rejoice over things, nor does he grieve over himself. His five internal organs are all clear, and his seven emotions and six desires are completely eliminated. Only when one is extremely emotional, extremely true, and extremely pure can one achieve the Great Dao.

"An ordinary disciple who has practiced for more than ten years can comprehend one or two things, which is considered outstanding. I heard that your master traveled all over the world after leaving the mountain, experienced the ups and downs of life, and returned to Zhongnan at the age of forty. After ten years of seclusion, he finally achieved enlightenment. In the Zhongnan Sect, he is truly a rare genius. Ha... He has always been a genius. Everyone in Zhongnan knows that he is extremely talented."

The raindrops tinkled, hitting the black tiles on the roof and the banana trees in the yard. The rapids were like mountains and peaks, stirring the heaven and earth. The slow drops were like a gentle stream, moistening everything silently. It was just like the past that he thought he had long forgotten.

The white mist on the top of Zhongnan Mountain is as light as the sea of   clouds, the incense smoke that never dissipates from the Sanqing Temple all year round, and the young man practicing sword-fighting in the early morning of the severe winter on the Qixia Peak. He leaps and turns like a dragon, like a flying swan, and he swings his sword like a flower. The sword flowers bloom in the flying snow, in front of the silent mountains, and are reflected in his secretly peeping eyes.

They were both young men, but he was the favored son of heaven, with everyone loving him. He was just an ordinary man, with ordinary talent, ordinary understanding, ordinary fate, and ordinary life as a hermit. His life would be ordinary. Just like their destined ending, Jin Yunzi would ascend to heaven, while he could only die of old age.

But my brother doesn’t think so.

"One day, I will stand at the top of all living beings like him." The senior brother swore with a clenched fist, with a strange light flashing in his eyes, and his usual kindness and gentleness were completely gone.

He stared blankly, his eyes confused, suddenly not knowing which direction to look.

At that time, you and I were both young, and we didn’t know the wanderings of the mortal world, the dangers of the world, or the fickleness of human hearts.

After all the changes, now, the young boy who practiced sword in the snow has become a master, and the brother who swore an oath with clenched fist is truly famous throughout the world. Only he is still in a daze, with a confused look in his eyes, not knowing who to look at.

"Are you an old friend from Zhongnan?" the Taoist priest, who had been silent for a long time, asked.

The ghost, lost in his memories, listened attentively to the sound of rain, and threw the question back to him with a sly smile: "Guess."

Lucas Fu's face immediately darkened again. This Taoist priest was too serious and would not allow any doubt in his heart.

The sky cleared up, and the sound of children playing with their friends could be heard outside. The old copper bell under the door was blown by the wind, making a low ringing sound.

Standing up slowly, Han Wei took the already cold tea from the counter, turned inside, lifted the door curtain, and walked into the dim dark room again: "If you return to Zhongnan in the future, you can ask your master if you can get the purple gold incense burner back?"

The coarse porcelain teacup was tightly held in the palm of his hand. No matter how cold the world is, it is not as cold as the heartless and invisible ghost. In the hands of ghosts, everything is warm.

Han Zhi, who had his back to Lucas Fu, could not see the solemnity on the Taoist's face. In an instant, countless emotions flashed through Lucas Fu's eyes, doubt, confusion, and incomprehension... In the end, they all merged into one, becoming deep thought.

After the third thunderstorm this summer, the six-year-old son of Zhang the blacksmith disappeared. A few days later, the five-year-old daughter of Chen Xiucai also disappeared from home. Just when things were settled for a while, the city of Qujiang was in turmoil again. People were in panic, and every household closed its doors and windows. It was a bleak scene again.

On days like this, Lucas Fu would often stand in front of the grocery store and watch for a while. The taciturn Taoist priest would not speak or enter the house, but would stand blankly under the eaves of the house opposite, sometimes standing there for most of the day, and sometimes he would just glimpse a figure, but when he turned back, it was gone. The eaves were too low, and were about to press down on his tall hair crown. The proud Taoist priest rarely lowered his head, but his eyes were still cold as he looked into the grocery store, as if he was exploring, sizing up, and observing, penetrating the piles of messy goods and falling directly on the heavy door curtain blocking the door to the inner room.

"Master, the Taoist priest is here again." Shanzha always went to the curtain to report.

"Let him go." Sitting in the dim light of a room, Han Zhi replied coldly, "If you watch him for too long, he will naturally leave."

Day after day, he always came without fail, regardless of the scorching heat or the torrential rain. The Taoist, who buttoned his clothes meticulously to the tip of his chin, carried a long sword on his back, pursed his lips, and stood there like a wooden stake. There was no sign of his intention on his heartless face. He quietly and carefully looked at the people and things in the grocery store, as if he would never get tired of looking at them.

The master and his servants lived a simple life, opening the shop at dawn and closing it at sunset. Business was not very good, and every now and then someone would curiously come into the shop to ask questions. There were many people looking at the shop, but few people buying. The two fairies who were in charge of the shop were not discouraged. They diligently took out the goods from the shelves, wiped them, and then put them back carefully. The rabbit was stingy and greedy. When wiping the utensils, he always remembered to wipe his front teeth carefully with a rag. The civet cat was lazy and greedy. When the rabbit was busy, he would lie on the counter and eat cakes and pretend to have a stomachache.

There was a morning glory growing out of a crack in the wall by the door of the small shop. Most of the pink and purple flowers were in full bloom, bashfully entwined in the center of the left door frame. Under the threshold grew an unknown weed with three heart-shaped leaves and light pink flowers. When the alley was quiet, Lucas Fu could clearly hear the conversation between the two monsters in the shop. Almond coveted the golden candlestick in the teak box on the top shelf, and Hawthorn missed the big watermelon that sank into the well early in the morning.

Monsters hiding in the human world live a simpler life than ordinary people.

Han Zhi rarely appeared in the store during the day. At dusk, he would walk out of the dark room and sit behind the counter to flip through the thick account book. He turned his head slightly and glanced at Lucas Fu standing outside the room. There was no surprise or doubt in his eyes. He just glanced at him calmly, as if he was looking at a stranger he had never met.

When it rained, he often sat on the old bamboo chair that was about to fall apart. The chair's creaking groaning accompanied the scattered sound of rain, and he leisurely watched Hawthorn and Almond sorting the goods. There was no telling how many rare treasures were hidden in the shop as big as a door panel. The rabbit and the civet cat were tired of climbing up and down to clean it every day, but there were still many vases that could not be cleaned and wooden boxes that could not be filled.

"Take out the thing in your sleeve." Damien Han, who was taking a nap with his eyes closed, said to Xingren in an unquestionable tone.

The rabbit spirit's hands suddenly trembled. Standing on the tall wooden ladder, he tightly grasped the bronze mirror in his hand and said, "Master, I didn't..."

"Put it back or I'll break your teeth."

"I really didn't..."

Shanzha beside him shook the ladder impatiently: "Take it out quickly, even I saw it."

After some hesitation, Xingren took out a small wooden box painted with gold from his sleeve.

"Another one." The ghost kept his eyes closed and sat on the bamboo chair, enjoying the coolness brought by the rain.

There was a golden shrimp-whisker ring hidden in the other sleeve.

"belt."

Xingren's face wrinkled up, and reluctantly, he took out a jade belt hook from his belt: "It's really gone."

Han Zhi only gave him a bone-chilling look: "Shanzha, break off his gold teeth."

"Master, spare me! There's more! There's more!" She took off her shoes tremblingly, tears in her almond eyes, and dug out two silver lumps of different sizes from her shoes, "I like shiny things... I can't help it..."

"If it happens again..." Han Zhi interrupted him and opened his eyes, looking directly at Lucas Fu outside the house, "I will throw you into Lin Lake."

With a hint of coldness, his gaze moved away from Lucas Fu's face, passed through the heavy shelves, and swept towards the two monsters trembling under the shelves: "Hawthorn, you too."

The rabbit and the raccoon cat were so frightened that they dared not even breathe. They looked at each other for a while, then quickly hugged their arms and shivered violently. They both revealed their true forms and rubbed against his feet: "Master, wuwuwuwu..." Their eyes were filled with tears, and they looked pitiful.

"No future." Guimei looked at this one, then that one with a stern face, then flicked his sleeves and walked inside angrily.

Seeing everything, Lucas Fu watched Damien Han disappear into the dark room, and a smile slowly appeared in his frozen eyes.

"Mu Taoist." In the dark room, the ghost muttered in a low voice.

On the wooden table under the lattice window was a jade box. Someone had placed it in front of the grocery store this morning. On the box was a folded piece of paper. Han Zhi walked to the table and picked up the paper. Without even glancing at it, he raised his wrist slightly, and the short piece of paper between his fingers instantly turned into powder and scattered on the ground.

He stretched out his hand to open the jade box a little, and the cold air filled the air, freezing his fingertips. In the box were two hearts, the human hearts, no bigger than his fist, and no older than eight years old.

"Brother..." Han Zhao sighed and looked ahead. The diamond-shaped lattice window blurred the sky outside. Raindrops fell on the window with a "pa pa" sound, and every sound was pleasing to the ears and shocking.

There are mournful sounds of flutes beside the Lin Lake, the water shimmers, and green willows form a embankment.

A woman named Nianniao, wearing a rose-red dress, walked out of the lake. Her skin was as white as cream and her face was as red as a peach. "My dear brother, I haven't seen you for a few days. I miss you so much."

Han Zhi put down the flute and looked at her increasingly heavy makeup with a mocking look: "Is your injury healed?"

The fake smile suddenly turned into raging anger. Li Ji approached, and under the layers of lead powder, a red mark extending from the left cheek to the corner of the eye was still faintly visible: "Thanks, I will remember you for the rest of my life."

"That's not someone you can mess with." The ignorant ghost laughed even more sarcastically, "He should have warned you."

"This is exactly what the Heavenly Master asked me to warn you about." Li Ji sat down at the stone table, facing Damien Han. The gorgeous woman spoke in a crisp but cruel voice, "Do your duty well, don't be too smart. Be careful not to bring trouble upon yourself, or you will be in trouble."

Han Zhi said nothing and threw the brand new rattle on the table into the lake. Ripples appeared on the surface of the lake, but after a moment, there was no trace left.

"Hmph!" Li Ji said disdainfully, with the corners of her lips slightly raised and her eyebrows furrowed. She swayed slowly and walked towards the water again, "I have said everything I need to say, you can do whatever you want."

The intermittent sound of the flute was low and plaintive. Han Zhi took a look at her proud back with her head held high. Her silk drape was like clouds, her skirt was like waves, and her light gauze skirt showed off her slender waist. With such a beauty, she should be a Concub!ne in the palace of the gods above the nine heavens, not a vulgar evildoer in the filthy world. "You should take care of yourself."

Li Ji turned around, smiling sweetly, her delicately painted phoenix eyes full of contempt: "The Heavenly Master is right, you failed because of your compassion, you are too soft-hearted, too gullible, and you can gouge out the flesh of your heart when others shed an insignificant tear."

She shook her head and laughed. Her graceful and charming back was as beautiful as dancing with every step. Han Zhi, holding a bamboo flute, sat under the pavilion and asked her who couldn't stop laughing: "What about you? Aren't you credulous about him?"

"Shut up! I just like you!" Li Ji suddenly stopped laughing. She turned her head fiercely, staring at Han Zhi with wide eyes, her pointed chin outlined by the moonlight as sharp as a knife, "I like you. Because I like you, I believe in you. I believe in the Heavenly Master."

She spoke slowly, word by word, her chest tightly wrapped in the gauze heaving violently. Without her usual playfulness and frivolity, the enchantress on the lake who captivated everyone was no different from any ordinary woman in the world, she could be crazy, paranoid, and delusional, and she would not hesitate to destroy herself for a person who would never look back.

Han Zhao lowered his gaze and looked at his hand holding the bamboo flute. That hand was incomplete, with an empty space at the ring finger of his right hand.

A few days passed quickly, and nothing unusual happened in the city. The new peddler complained to widow Yang from East Street that a rattle was missing from his load, but a few coins were inexplicably added to his purse.

"A rattle doesn't need so much..." The honest young man frowned in embarrassment.

Widow Yang giggled, her fingernails long and sharp, and she grabbed the peddler's sleeve and dragged him into the house.

The ghost in the grocery store lifted a corner of the door curtain without leaving a trace, and the Taoist priest outside the store came into view as usual. The sunlight at noon in July was dazzling, and in the white light and shadow, the Taoist priest in white clothes stood outside the store with a dignified demeanor. His figure alone attracted the attention of everyone in the world.

After a moment, Han Zhao heard the rustling sound of his clothes brushing against the threshold, and the sound of footsteps came slowly from far away, just like the tone of his voice when he spoke, steady, dignified and rigid.

Three days ago, the Taoist priest who had always been watching from outside the store walked straight into the store and stood in front of the door curtain of the inner room: "Master Han, I have something to advise you."

The monsters outside the dark room and the ghosts in the dark room were all startled and pricked up their ears to listen to what he had to say.

The Taoist priest showed a rare hesitation: "If it is convenient..."

"Hmm?" Damien Han was getting anxious. "What?"

"Can you tidy up the shelves a bit?" As if he didn't think his words were straightforward enough, the stern Taoist priest said bluntly with a tense expressionless face, "It's too messy."

Being honest is cute, but if you are too honest, it is hateful.

Damien Han was speechless for a long time.

The Taoist priest stood outside the door for ten days, rain or shine, with his head held high, still waiting outside the curtain, determined to get an answer.

The ghost in the dark room gnashed his teeth and said, "Xingren, get out!"

He was not angry at all, he just lowered his chin slightly, bowed and said goodbye: "I am sorry to bother you."

When he reached the door, the ghost inside suppressed his anger and mocked him coldly, "Master, you are a barbarian who is not tainted by the mundane world. This little shop is shabby and I'm afraid it won't be clean no matter how much I clean it up. Could you please give me some advice?"

The Taoist priest's departing figure froze. The ghost behind the curtain smiled calculatingly with the corners of his mouth curled.

I thought he would leave as usual, with his chin up high. But I didn't expect him to stay. Without saying a word, he rolled up his sleeves, climbed up the wooden ladder, and quickly took down all the boxes on the top shelf. His movements were clean and neat, leaving no room for Han Zhi to interrupt.

There had been thunderstorms for days, and a damp smell was floating in the store. The old wooden shelves were weighed down and were about to collapse. Lucas Fu casually pulled out a wooden box from the shelf. The box was also stained with moisture, and inside was a small piece of dark yellow fabric that was so dull that you couldn't see its original color.

"This was cut from the dragon robe of the previous emperor." Xingren rubbed his hands and followed Lucas Fu closely, staring at the wooden box in his hand with a pair of round eyes. "Be careful. I bought it for three copper coins."

Lucas Fu looked up again and found a brass square box hidden among the piles of copper vessels. Although the box was small, it was very heavy and felt heavy when he picked it up. He held his breath and opened it, but inside was only a green and yellow feather.

"The feather of the bird." Shanzha lazily turned over on the account table and sniffed after returning to his original form. "That is a bird that brings disaster. The things on it are not auspicious either."

Gold and silver instruments, bronze mirrors, tinware, all kinds of things, countless. Transparent wine bottles from foreign lands, handkerchiefs made by local embroiderers, a dried flower picked up on the roadside, ancient relics that only exist in legends... The store has almost everything, the collection is as vast as the sea, as if it wants to take in the whole world with a small piece of land.

In just two days, it seemed as if he had seen all the objects in the world. Lucas Fu often stopped involuntarily and carefully examined the goods on the shelf. What was the ghost in the inner room doing with these things?

At the top of the wooden shelf closest to the inner room, there was a small incense burner standing alone. Unlike the other goods, which were clean and tidy, the incense burner was covered with spider webs and thick dust. Lucas Fu stretched out his long arms and couldn't help but reach for it.

"Hmph." A light snort escaped from behind the door curtain. The ghost who had been watching all the time folded his arms and leaned against the door frame, pulling the door curtain open a little, and looked at his actions coldly.

Brushing away the dust on the incense burner, it turned out to be an exquisitely crafted purple gold incense burner. Carefully rubbing the inner wall with your fingers, you can see scriptures engraved inside the incense burner. In just a few words, it tells the origin of this incense burner - it was taken from Kunlun, cast in Penglai, and stored in Zhongnan.

"This..." Lucas Fu turned inside.

The door curtain blocked Han Zhi's figure, and one could only see the sleeves of his gauze dress hanging on the ground through the gap at the door: "Take it if you want it." He was cold and distant, as if it didn't matter to him.

"Yes." The Taoist nodded and wiped the dust off the incense burner lovingly with his hand, "Things from Zhongnan must not be left outside."

Serious words, serious tone, serious eyes.

"Puchi──", the rabbit and raccoon cat in the store couldn't help but laugh out loud.

A sneer also came from behind the curtain. Subduing demons is the right way, taking back old things is the right way, and in the eyes of your Zhongnan Sect, as long as you think of it, it is the right way.

Before he could finish his sarcastic words, the other party suddenly reached out, passed through the door curtain, and handed over a string of beads. The wooden beads, dyed into an inky color by years of cigarettes, exuded a faint fragrance. Each bead was round and smooth, and was worn on the Taoist's wrist for many years.

Han looked down at his bony hands. The Taoist priest liked to be neat and tidy, so he always kept his hands clean. His nails were trimmed short and round, and his joints had thick calluses from sword practice. The dark pearl necklace hanging between his fingers swayed slightly, and his eyes couldn't help but sway with it: "What are you doing?"

"The things in Zhongnan are also yours. I will exchange them for other things." As always, his tone was as matter-of-fact as ever. It seemed that there had never been anything in the world that Lucas Fu could not say with confidence.

A narrow gap opened between the curtain and the door frame. The ghost inside the door lowered its head, revealing only a small part of its unusually pale face. The Taoist priest outside the door held out his hand persistently, his always righteous face also mostly hidden by the curtain.

"An incense burner is not worth so much." Han Zhi turned his eyes away, his sight followed his arm hanging in the air all the way to the pair of eyes as dark and deep as the beads in his hand, "If the Taoist priest really feels bad, I will ask for something from you."

Lucas Fu's eyes flashed: "What is it?"

"The Taoist robe you are wearing." The ghost behind the door curtain raised his head, his eyes were firm and his expression was solemn, without a trace of smile on his lips, "I want a Taoist robe that the Taoist priest is wearing."

The Taoist's face was filled with surprise. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded solemnly, "Okay. I will get it for you right away."

Without even asking why, he flew up the wooden ladder, put the incense burner back to its original place, and walked away proudly with a wave of his sleeves. After following his departing figure for a long time, Han Wei leaned against the door frame, stunned for a long time, and could not help but slowly curved his eyes: "What a wooden Taoist priest."

Taoist Mu left and never came back. Han Zhi sat straight under the lattice window in the inner room, watching the sunlight outside the window change from brilliant gold to fiery red, then to hazy gray, and then to complete black. The store was silent, and no more customers came.

Lighting the candle at hand, the ghost shook his head, raised the corners of his lips slightly, and a self-deprecating smile was reflected in the firelight. Picking up the bamboo flute, Han Zhi went to the edge of Lin Lake.

The mountains and waters of Lin Lake were the same as yesterday, and the dark water surface covered everything, leaving no trace. The moonlight was melting, the waves were sparkling, and the sound of the flute was scattered. The tune that had been played for a long time was intermittent, and it was blown away by the wind in a moment. Han Zhai simply stopped playing the flute, raised his right hand, and looked at the broken fingers. No wonder people say that you should leave an intact body. But I didn't expect that losing a finger would be so painful.

Stretching his arms and raising his hands higher, the ghost tilted his head and looked at his broken fingers again and again with interest. The space between the middle finger and the little finger just contained the narrow waning moon in the sky. He pinched and released his two fingers, and the moon appeared and disappeared, and the light in front of his eyes was sometimes dark and sometimes bright. Tired of playing, Han Zhi lowered his hands, and his eyes looking up at the sky fell with him. The moon between his fingers was replaced by the Taoist standing outside the pavilion.

This Taoist kept shouting about evil spirits, but he himself was like a demon, often standing in front of him without saying a word. Han Zhi raised his palm and smiled through his fingers at him as he walked slowly step by step: "I think the Taoist has changed his mind."

Lucas Fu still had the same rigid face that hadn't changed for thousands of years. Surprisingly, his monotonous voice was a little unstable at this moment: "My Taoist robe is old, this is my junior brother's."

In order to comfort the people, Zhongnan disciples were scattered all over the world. However, the nearest Taoist temple was in Yingshui City, Mingzhou. With the speed of a mortal, it would take three days to get there without sleep. Even for someone as skilled in magic as him, it was not easy to travel back and forth in just a few hours.

In the eyes of ordinary people, it was just a teasing joke. I didn't expect him to take it so seriously. Han Zhi was caught off guard. He dropped his hand and looked into his eyes in the moonlight. The Taoist, who was always well-dressed and walked calmly, had his white sleeves stained with soot, his black boots stained with wet mud, and his hair, which was pressed under his Taoist hat, loosened and scattered on his forehead, soaked with sweat.

His chest rose and fell violently, and he coughed twice. His dry voice could not cover his heavy breathing: "New, never worn before."

Even though he was out of breath, he still did not forget to explain in a serious manner.

Han Zhi smiled even more, leaning his elbows on the stone table, resting his chin on one hand, holding the bamboo flute in the other, and pointing at his chest: "What if I only want this one thing on the Taoist priest?"

The Taoist, who was still panting, tensed up and lowered his head, looking deeply into his smiling eyes. The cunning ghost looked at him calmly, maliciously trying to see the embarrassment in his eyes: "At that time, I said that I wanted a Taoist robe from the Taoist priest."

The two looked at each other, he said nothing, he said nothing, they stared at each other's eyes. After a while, Lucas Fu's eyes flashed: "Okay."

His shoulders shook slightly, and the wide outer robe was taken off.

Han Zhi saw a white field in front of him. After shaking for a few times, the Taoist's outer robe embroidered with light silver rolling cloud patterns was neatly folded on the table. When he looked up again, the Taoist had a serious face and was about to untie his belt.

"You, you, you..." He was speechless, the bamboo flute in his hand trembled as he pointed at him, his face full of disbelief, "You really are, really are..."

You Taoist priest, have you never heard of the word "joke"? The ghost, who was in a dilemma, didn't know where to start: "You Taoist priest...you...you don't take it off!"

Lucas Fu was still holding his belt, looking at him in confusion, "What do you want, sir?"

"Hahahahaha..." He couldn't help laughing out loud. With his arms across the table, Han Zhi covered his face and laughed so hard that he fell forward and backward. "You, you Taoist..."

What should I say to you? He laughed and shook his head. His clear laughter melted into the wind, creating ripples on the lake.

Lucas Fu remained silent and let him laugh. The honest Taoist only then realized that he had been fooled again. He frowned and tightened his collar in embarrassment, his eyes unable to suppress the anger.

Han Wei saw this and laughed even more mischievously. He coughed several times before he managed to stop laughing. He opened the robe on the table that the Taoist had sent from afar. It was indeed a brand new Taoist robe with straight and smooth creases, just like the man in front of him who kept his word.

"It's been so many years, and nothing has changed." The sigh in his heart came out blurt out, and the ghost was filled with emotion. The pale blue on the lapels and the delicate cirrus cloud patterns on the cuffs were both the same as before.

In the past, he was still an ignorant child. At that time, the Zhongnan Mountains were shrouded in the soft morning mist like a veil. The bronze bell on the bell tower rang three times in a long and low voice. During the morning class, the inside and outside of the Sanqing Hall were filled with Taoists who bowed their heads and chanted in a low voice. The exquisite Taoist crown like a lotus flower firmly held the ink-black black hair, and the pale blue piping on the lapels set off the snow-white face of the young disciples. The hardworking disciples sat upright, their eyebrows lowered and full of peace. The mist blew up their sleeves, and the patterns embroidered on the cufflinks were faintly visible. In the smoke-like mist, they were connected into a silver sea of   clouds. It was vast and boundless, shining into his dreams a hundred years later, like a dream, like a fantasy, like fog and like lightning.

"According to seniority, you should call me your uncle." Gui Mei's tone was full of deliberate boasting, but his face showed no pride. "Your master Jin Yunzi learned from the previous headmaster and was the first disciple. I was the last to join the sect. If it weren't for my senior brother finding me at the foot of the mountain, I would have been reincarnated and passed away long ago."

Master said that he was abandoned by his parents at the foot of the mountain. It happened that the senior brother sneaked out of the mountain gate to play and heard his crying, so he picked him up and brought him back. At that time, he was already three years old, but he didn't remember any of these things. Instead, the senior brother would tease him every few days, pinching his face and rubbing it repeatedly, and sighing: "Look at this delicate skin and tender flesh, I picked up a treasure."

Other brothers on the side started to make a noise: "What a pity it's a boy. It would be great if it was a girl. We could have picked up a wife for free."

The senior brother was not angry, and he grinned even louder than them. Only he struggled under the senior brother's hand and could not escape, and his eyes were filled with tears.

Because he was the youngest, his senior brothers always loved to bully him. He was young at that time and had not learned many skills. When he was bullied, he would just squat and cry. His senior brothers would always come to him anxiously, knock down the bullies one by one, and then touch his head, put his arm around his shoulders, and smile arrogantly: "I picked up my little junior brother, he is mine. Bullying him is not a skill, if you have the ability, come and fight me."

"Among our peers, senior brother is the most outstanding, except for your master." He pressed the Taoist robe on the table in his palm and rubbed it over and over again. His fingers lingered on the white clothes again and again. Han Zhao could not see the crescent moon in the sky, nor could he see Lucas Fu in front of him. His eyes were blurred, filled with these deep and shallow entangled patterns.

Lucas Fu said in a deep voice: "Master never told me this."

The head of Zhongnan Sect is an enlightened person who is about to transcend the Three Realms. All the past events, such as his death yesterday, have probably already been dissipated in the lingering incense in the Sanqing Temple day after day.

The ghost who was obsessed with the human world narrowed his eyes: "He doesn't know this."

The elder brother who stood out from the crowd only needed to walk proudly past the younger brothers with mediocre talents, leaving them with a graceful and elegant figure. The rest were irrelevant.

"Do you remember the names of all your fellow disciples? When did you join the sect? Who was your teacher? What is your level of cultivation?"

... Lucas Fu lowered his head and shook it honestly.

Han Zhai's fingers drew circles, and finally stopped at the chest of the Taoist robe near his heart: "So Brother hates him."

Regardless of envy, jealousy, like or hate, the most hateful thing in the world is that you talk about him day and night, see him, and engrave him in your heart, but he is indifferent and acts as if nothing has happened, and never even looks at you.

"In terms of hard work, my senior brother is no less than him. In terms of diligence, my senior brother has never slacked off. In terms of comprehension, my senior brother is also extremely smart. However, in terms of talent..." That is destined by heaven. No matter how hard people struggle, they cannot resist the understated stroke in the book of life and death. Just this stroke, but it has become my senior brother's lifelong obsession. The topic has gone too far. Han Zhao came back to his senses, looked at the Taoist priest with a focused expression, and slowly raised his right hand, "The first time your master looked at me was because of that incense burner."

Han Zhi stretched out his right hand with a missing finger to Lucas Fu and shook it. He took a deep breath, slowed down his tone, and asked him word by word: "According to Zhongnan law, what is the punishment for thieves?"

Lucas Fu spoke slowly as well, staring into his eyes without blinking. In his ghostly eyes, he saw a sad face: "Thieves are a disgrace, and are guilty of dishonoring our sect. Cut off one finger and expel me from the sect."

"So, I can't wear this robe anymore." He said it lightly, and his fingers that had been lingering on the robe slowly pressed the collar and drew the last line. Han Zhao fiercely retracted his gaze, just like the last look he took in front of the mountain gate that day. With a flick of his left hand, he covered the whole bundle tightly, without leaving any gaps. "My dear nephew, your uncle is amused by you. But do you want me to tell you where Zhongnan's treasures and magic tools are hidden?"

Ignoring his joke, Lucas Fu suddenly reached out and grabbed his right hand before he could retract it.

"You..." Han Zhi was shocked and struggled to free his hand. The Taoist's palm was burning hot, so hot that it reminded him of the warmth left on the medicine bottle. The ghost's nature was yin, and only a little heat was needed to fill the empty heart.

Lucas Fu's eyes still showed no joy or anger. He insisted on holding his hand, and his other hand stroked his wrist, like the warm spring breeze blowing from the willow forest by the lake in March, brushing over their clasped fingers, brushing over the back of Han Zhi's hand, and finally rolling up his sleeves to hold the ghostly thin wrist.

Han Zhi felt a warmth on his wrist. He looked down and saw that it was the bead necklace that Lucas Fu had handed to him through the door curtain during the day, which was now dangling around his wrist.

Before he could ask, Lucas Fu spoke first: "It will be beneficial to your practice and help you enter reincarnation sooner."

"I don't..." The refusal came out of his mouth, and Han Li pulled back hard, trying to break free from his hand. As a result, his left hand that was pulling the pearl chain was also clamped by him.

The Taoist's palm was pressed tightly against the back of his hand, their fingers intertwined and crossed. Han Zhi noticed that Lucas Fu was staring at his severed finger, and his heart skipped a beat. He struggled harder and harder: "Let go!"

Even at this moment, the Taoist priest who usually behaved himself did not give in at all. He flipped his palm and firmly grasped the back of his hand, leaving his hand, which was engraved with humiliation, exposed to the two of them.

"You!" Han Zhi's eyes turned red, he clenched his teeth and turned his head away, not wanting to see even a hint of disdain in his eyes. He had seen that look too many times. He didn't need this upright Taoist priest to repeat it again.

"Everything that happened yesterday is like my death yesterday." Between the severed fingers, his eyes were clear, still the selfless face that judged the evildoers, but the corners of his eyes and eyebrows were filled with indescribable tenderness and pity, "Reincarnation, the world is too painful."

When was the last time someone spoke to him like this? Such eyes, such a tone, such a burning palm, just eight words, all the way from the ears to the bottom of the heart, just like the rouge box he just threw into the lake, with a light "dong" sound, countless ripples. Sadness, grievance, sadness, anger, indescribable complex emotions were all awakened by his short words, gushing out from the deepest part of the heart, but all were blocked in the throat.

You, a high-sounding Taoist priest, what do you know! How much can you understand?

After a long while, the ghost, who had half-closed his eyes, slowly raised his head, and a pair of eyes full of ridicule appeared on his handsome face: "I don't want to."