In the early years of Tongzhi, there was a small official named Chen Hao in Guangyuan Mansion, Sichuan Province. He was ordered by his superior to deliver official documents to the capital. Because the official documents had a deadline for delivery and could not be delayed on the road, he had to run more than three hundred miles every day. to arrive within the stipulated time. It’s the twelfth lunar month of winter, with short days and long nights. Riding a horse every day, the cold wind blows and the snow hits your face. Not only do you have no fixed meals, but you also have no fixed place to live at night. .
That day, he started on his way before dawn in the morning, and only ran for more than 300 miles at dusk. He only ate a little dry food at noon. It looked like this place was a wilderness, there were no villages, no shops, and no people around, and he couldn’t find a suitable place for a while. Seeing the sky was getting dark, he couldn’t help feeling a little anxious. Fortunately, after walking for less than a mile, he suddenly saw an ancient house not far in front of him. When he got closer, he found that it was a temple. The villagers live here, so it is better to stay in this temple for one night at this moment, and then leave in the morning.
Having made up his mind, he drove his horse to the front of the temple, and when he got off his horse, he saw that the walls of the temple were dilapidated, the red paint on the two gates was peeling off, and the temple gate was ajar, and there seemed to be no lights inside. He went forward and opened the gate to enter the temple, and found that the courtyard was full of dead leaves and weeds, the plot was half a foot thick, and even the original path was submerged in the weeds, making it difficult to distinguish.
I saw a Buddhist hall in front of the courtyard. The Buddha statue was covered with dust and cobwebs, and the Buddhist cabinet in front of the statue was broken and the incense was cut off. It seemed that it had been abandoned for a long time. On the left side of the Buddhist hall, there is a side room with hatchbacks. It must have been the place where monks lived in the past, but at this time it has been tilted and collapsed. There is also a side room on the right side of the Buddhist hall. There was a rattling sound, and through the door, a dark coffin was parked inside, and it was unknown how long it had been parked here.
Chen Hao didn’t dare to take a closer look, so he turned to the back of the Buddhist hall and found that it was a small courtyard with a few ginkgo trees planted, all of which had thick branches, and it must have been a few years old. So he brought the horse over and tied it to a tree, and he went back to the Buddhist temple to find a place to sleep.
After looking around, I suddenly found a hole under the Buddha seat, the size is just enough for a person to lie down halfway, and the hole is surrounded by wooden boards, probably used by monks to put things in the past. Chen Hao saw that this place was not only suitable in size but also able to keep out the wind and cold, so he put the saber he carried with him in the altar, took a blanket and spread it in the cave, took his own dry food, went in, sat in the cave and leaned against it. Eat dry food on the wall.
Just after eating a few mouthfuls, he suddenly heard the sound of horseshoes from outside the temple, and he arrived at the gate of the temple in an instant from far to near. Chen Hao was startled. look out. At this time, the light was dim from the beginning of the new year, and an old man was vaguely seen standing at the gate of the temple on a horse.
After the horse, he followed a hulking young man on foot, probably only about twenty years old. The old man jumped off the horse, handed the whip to the young man, waited for the young man to tie the horse to the tree in front of the temple, and then the two walked into the temple one after the other, and went straight to the main hall.
Chen Hao didn’t know whether these two people were right or wrong, and he didn’t dare to come out rashly in this wild place, so he hid in the cave quietly, hoping to see what the two of them wanted to do. I saw the young man took out a cushion and put it on the ground to ask the old man to sit down. He stood aside respectfully with his hands down, his face seemed to be full of fear.
After a while, I suddenly heard the old man say slowly: “I have been roaming the rivers and lakes since I was a weakling. Although I live by hunting and robbery, I have always obtained the right way. I have never dared to recklessly kill and abuse, because I will be punished by God.” .I often ask myself in the middle of the night, the reason why I have escaped from the French Open for thirty years and have never failed is probably because of this reason. I never thought that you would break my rules when you first entered my school.
In the battle of the night before yesterday, if I hadn’t left behind alone, would one of the more than twenty of you have survived? “After listening to the young man, he quickly bowed and answered: “Thanks to the master’s great power, we were each spared. “The old man said again:” Later I heard that there was a widow in his family, and you actually entered her room at night, raped her, and even killed her youngest son, can you feel at ease doing this? Such a vicious and cruel method is really outrageous, if the emperor knows, he will definitely not let you go, even if you slip through the net by chance, you will still be sentenced to death in the end.
If one day you are captured, it will definitely implicate all of us. You might as well think for yourself, will I still forgive you? “The young man’s expression changed drastically when he heard that, and he knelt on the ground in a hurry and kowtowed to the old man like garlic, and he only said: “The disciple deserves death, please forgive me, master, I am willing to accept the heavy responsibility!” “The old man closed his eyes slightly unmoved, and said with a cold smile: “You don’t need to say any more. At this point, do you still want to live? The way of a sage is nothing more than a word of forgiveness.
There are also women and children in your family, if you suffer such a disaster, can you be willing? You are still the soul in heaven who killed yourself to comfort the orphans and widows! “After speaking, he untied the saber on his body and let the young man take it. Hearing this, the young man knew that there was no way out, so he stood up from the ground, took the old man’s saber, and bowed three times to the old man, blood spattered three feet in an instant Died to death.
The old man just sat aside and looked at each other coldly without saying a word. Seeing the young man lying on the ground at this moment, the old man slowly stood up, looked at the young man’s corpse and sighed, picked up the knife and wiped off the blood on the knife, and then returned Putting the scabbard on his body, he picked up the cushion and whip, walked out slowly, got on his horse and left. Chen Hao hid in the cave without daring to make a sound, but now he heard the sound of hooves outside the door fading away, so he let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing the corpses in the ground, remembering the scene just now, he couldn’t help feeling a chill, but after thinking about it, what the old man said was a bit of a thief and a way, and he couldn’t help nodding in admiration. Seeing that the moonlight was about to be bright outside, Chen Hao didn’t dare to stay here any longer, and was about to take advantage of the moonlight to rush on his way. Just as he was about to take down the wooden plank, he suddenly heard a shrill cry from the side room on the right, like an old owl crying at night. , Chen Hao suddenly heard such a scary voice in this silent night, he couldn’t help but turn pale with fright, and a layer of goose bumps appeared on his body. wait and see.
After a while, there was a bang from the side room, like the sound of something falling to the ground, and then a monster came out from the half broken door. It was about a foot long, covered with white hair, Ju’s eyes were bloody and his claws were sharp. He walked to the courtyard and raised his head to look at the moon, his eyes shone like an electric switch. Seeing this, Chen Hao’s face turned pale with fright and cold sweat broke out on his forehead, his whole body trembled like a sieve, and his teeth were clenched tight for fear that it would notice him if he made a slight noise.
I saw this thing folded its claws together, bowed to the moon for several times, then turned around and went to the hall, looked at the corpse of the young man underground, kicked it twice, and suddenly clapped its claws and roared wildly, the sound was like tearing silk and tearing cloth. , then leaned over and picked up the corpse, tore off the head and threw it on the ground, put his mouth on the neck cavity and sucked it up, and when the blood in the cavity was sucked, he took off the corpse’s clothes and opened the blood basin He began to chew the bones and chew the meat with big mouthfuls, just like a cat eating a mouse. In less than two hours, he even ate up the belt meat, leaving only bones scattered all over the ground. After eating, the object was still full of emotions, so he picked up the head from the ground, held it in his hand, looked at it again and again, suddenly turned left and right, and danced for a long time. Voice, this thing just looked around in a panic, put its head aside, came to the courtyard again, closed its claws and worshiped the moon, and then slowly returned to the wing on the right, entered the coffin and closed the lid, and walked around Then it was silent.
Chen Hao’s hair was standing on end in the cave at this time, and the cold sweat on his body had soaked several layers of clothes. Seeing the monster return to the coffin in the side room, he gently took off the wooden plank and quietly climbed out of the cave, picked up his luggage and carried it on his back, tiptoed to the backyard, took off the reins, got on his horse, and went directly from the Buddhist hall to rushed out the door.
As soon as he got out of the temple gate, he felt relieved, and immediately galloped on for more than five miles, but he didn’t see any villages and towns on the roadside. Instead, there were birdsong and beasts in the dense forest on both sides. Beasts appeared, and he reached out to get the saber, but he didn’t expect to feel that his waist was empty, and then he remembered that the saber was still in the altar of the temple hall, he was too hasty when he left just now, so that he forgot to take it, and immediately groaned inwardly. I was thinking of not using this saber at all, and buying another one at the front market, but then I thought about the dead people in the temple just now being eaten by monsters, leaving only clothes and a head, and if someone sees this situation in the future, they must report it to the police , thinking that he was murdered by a strongman.
And his name was engraved on the knife, and he was the only one who saw what happened that night, even if the truth was true, no one might believe it, so what should I do if I set him up for murder? So take back the saber no matter what, lest there will be a prison in the future. With this thought in mind, he pulled the rein tightly with both hands and abruptly stopped, turned the horse’s head and hurried back towards the ancient temple.
When we returned to the gate of the temple, it was still dark, Chen Hao tied his horse to the tree in front of the gate, and was about to enter the gate, when he suddenly thought that the monster in the wing room was very scary, if he came out suddenly again, I might not be its opponent , even though it was almost dawn at this time, I had better go in quietly and take out the saber, so as not to disturb it. So he put his burden on the horse’s back, and tiptoed into the temple by himself, lest he would disturb the monster by making a little noise.
The situation inside the temple was the same as when he left. The young man’s head was still in the courtyard, his face was bloody and his face was messed up, and his clothes were still thrown around in a mess. It seemed that no one had been there. Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief, bowed and walked into the Buddhist hall quietly. While gently reaching out to get his saber from the Buddhist altar, he pricked up his ears to listen for any movement in the side room on the right. At this moment, there was silence all around, and even the sound of a needle falling on the ground could be heard. Chen Hao just got the saber with his right hand. Just as he was about to take out his saber, he heard the sound of horseshoes coming from outside the door. He heard the sound getting closer and closer, as if he was about to reach the temple gate. Even if he was covered in mouths, he might not be able to tell clearly. His right hand couldn’t help shaking in panic, and the saber in his hand fell to the ground with a clang. Chen Hao’s heart skipped a beat. He was about to bend down to pick up the saber, when he suddenly heard a call from the room on the right. There was a creaking sound, as if the coffin cover was moving. He yelled in his heart, and regretted it for a while, but he still startled the monster. Landing on the ground, the monster rushed out from the side room and came to him in an instant, staring at him with piercing eyes, hissing and emitting white gas from his mouth. Chen Hao saw the monster standing in front of him, his complexion was as white as paper, and he was terrified in his heart. He wanted to run away, but his feet were as heavy as lead, and it was difficult to take a step. Zhang wanted to twist his own neck, and at the same time opened his bloody mouth, and bit him with one bite.
Chen Hao’s mind went blank, and he closed his eyes and said in his heart: I didn’t expect that I would die here! At this moment, a white light flashed suddenly, the monster yelled, and staggered back. Chen Hao opened his eyes, only to find that there was a sharp claw on the ground, and the monster’s right arm shot black blood, obviously cut off by a sharp weapon. a paw. Chen Hao turned his head and looked, and there was a person standing in the temple courtyard, holding a sword in his hand and staring at the monster intently. This person was none other than the bearded old man from last night.
At this time, the monster also saw the old man, knew that he was hurt by him, and was furious in his heart. He raised his head to the sky and let out a long roar, and then jumped straight at him, looking menacing as if he wanted to tear the old man’s corpse into pieces. Seeing the ferocious approach of the monster, the old man yelled loudly, then jumped up and jumped onto the wall, at the same time, the treasure knife in his hand flew up, chopped off the monster’s head with a flash of white light, and rolled away for four feet, and then The white light flashed again, and the treasured knife was back in his hand. The monster lost its head, but its feet were still running, stumbling towards the opposite wall, and there was a bang, and the wall was smashed to pieces by it. Then his body fell down, black blood gushed out of his neck, and his legs twitched non-stop for a long time before he remained motionless. [A Complete Collection of Ghost Stories]
Chen Hao stood still in shock, seeing that the monster was killed by the old man in a flash, and he also escaped from death. The thrills and twists and turns in his heart were beyond words, and only the expression of panic remained on his face. The old man lightly jumped down from the wall and said to himself, “What kind of monster is this? It took so long to die after being cut off by my magic knife.”
It turned out that the old man wanted to leave last night, but on the way, he couldn’t bear to see this disciple’s dead body here. No matter how heartless the apprentice is, the master can’t be unjust, he hesitated again and again and decided to come back and take the disciple’s body Haosheng left after the burial, but he did not expect to see a horse tied to a tree when he arrived in front of the temple. Obviously there were other people in the temple. He was afraid that others would hurt him if they saw the corpse, so he was about to turn around and leave when suddenly Hearing the buzzing sound of the knife on his body, he couldn’t help being very surprised, because his precious knife was called the Swinging Demon Knife, which was given to him by a stranger when he was wandering in the rivers and lakes in his early years. People will automatically make a sound. At this moment, the sword rang suddenly, indicating that there must be a monster in the temple, so he quietly walked into the temple to check. Unexpectedly, he saw Chen Hao was about to die under the hands of the monster as soon as he entered the courtyard. Before he could think about it, the treasured sword in his hand flew out, which saved Chen Hao’s life. It was also a coincidence that Chen Hao’s life should not be lost. At this moment, the old man walked up to Chen Hao, looked him up and down, and asked, “I don’t know who the guest officer is?” I am also here, and I might be murdered, so I replied: “I am a small official in Guangyuan, and I am going to the capital to deliver documents. I want to come in and rest because I pass by here. I didn’t expect to see the head on the ground as soon as I came in.” , panicked in my heart, and was about to go to report to the police, but I didn’t expect this monster to suddenly rush out of this coffin, if you hadn’t saved me at a critical moment, I would have been killed by it long ago.”
After hearing this, the old man felt relieved, so he said to him: “I also passed by here occasionally and wanted to come in to have a rest. I just happened to meet this and saved you.” Chen Hao then discussed with the old man to burn the head clothes and the monster’s body together. , so as not to cause any trouble, the old man heard that it was just what he wanted, and immediately the two picked up firewood and burned the monster’s corpse and the human remains. After everything was packed, the two parted ways and set out on the road.
From then on, Chen Hao went all the way to the capital, and he didn’t encounter any strange things on the road again, but he never knew who this old man was, and he never heard anything about him again.