During the Tongzhi period, there lived a farmer's family at the foot of Songshan Mountain in Henan. The owner of the family was named Cao Minghua. In addition to his wife Zhong, there was a four-year-old daughter in the family. Cao Hua usually worked on the hillside farming, while Zhong took care of the housework at home. They worked at sunrise and returned at dusk every day. Although life was dull, the family lived a peaceful and leisurely life. Every year around the time of Jingzhe, his family can see two red lights on the top of Shaoshi Mountain. From a distance, the long one is about six or seven feet, and the short one is four or five feet. Every day, they flicker and circle up and down, like two red lights. Like a fire dragon, it disappeared at dawn when the rooster crows. This situation will continue until autumn. After September, the two red lights will disappear. They will not appear again until the beginning of the next spring during the hibernation time. This happens again and again, and people living nearby have no idea what is going on. .
Mr. Zhong usually raises a group of hens at home, and the eggs they lay can be taken to the market to exchange for some money to supplement the family income. In addition, they also raise a rooster as a breeding hen. This rooster is strong and powerful, weighing ten kilograms. None of the eggs laid by the hens that mate with it cannot be hatched. The Cao family The couple has always liked it, and they usually call it "Lao Xiong". They have been raising it for more than ten years and are reluctant to kill it. But a strange thing happened this year. The hens raised at home laid dozens of eggs, but in the end only one egg hatched a chick, and the others were all broken. Cao Hua was very upset because this was This hadn't happened in more than ten years, so he always thought it was an ominous omen. One afternoon, a foreign businessman came to the foot of Songshan Mountain. When he passed Cao's house, he was very thirsty, so he knocked on the door and entered the house to ask for a bowl of water. People in the mountains are hospitable, so Cao Hua poured him a bowl of tea and asked the guest to sit and drink in the yard. While drinking tea, the businessman suddenly saw the old male and the chicks walking in the yard. He seemed a little surprised. He stared at the chickens for a long time and didn't even bother to drink the tea.
When Cao Hua saw this, he felt a little puzzled. What's so good about this chicken? Could it be that he was so hungry right now that he wanted to buy one and take it back for a tooth ceremony? Then you don’t have to look at it for so long. Just as he was thinking about it, the merchant raised his head and said to him, "I wonder if you would like to sell these two chickens to me?" After hearing this, Cao Hua thought to himself: So many of Lao Xiong's eggs have broken this year. It is estimated that it is no longer useful due to its age, so even if it is kept, it will be of no use. It would be nice to sell it. I'll first see what price he gives, and if the price is right, I'll make the deal. So he said casually: "If you are willing to pay a high price, how can I not sell it?" When the merchant saw that he was willing to sell, he couldn't help but look happy and said quickly: "How much do you want this old chick?" "Cao Hua said: "Five hundred is enough." When the merchant heard this, he immediately said neatly: "Okay, just at this price." Cao Hua originally wanted to pay the price on the spot, but when he heard that the merchant didn't even pay back the price, He agreed and was greatly surprised. Seeing the joy on the merchant's face, he was very confused. Could it be that these two chickens were some kind of treasure? No, I have to try him again. Seeing the merchant take out five strings of money from his sleeve, he hurriedly said: "Wait a minute, the five hundred I just said refers to five hundred taels of silver, not five hundred copper coins." As soon as these words came out, the merchant's face immediately changed. From sunny to cloudy, it is unpredictable.
When Cao Hua saw this, he felt a little regretful. He was afraid that his asking price would be too high and scare him away. He was about to tell the merchant that it was a joke and that five hundred yuan would be enough. Unexpectedly, the merchant lowered his head and thought for a while, then raised his head and said to him resolutely: "If that's the case, then it's done, but you can't go back on your word. This is the price." Cao Hua was overjoyed when he heard this. If these two chickens were really sold at this price, it would be considered a sky-high price. It would be enough for his family to pay several bills. Ten years (one tael of silver in the middle and late Qing Dynasty was worth about 150-220 yuan, and one tael of silver could build about two thatched cottages. A middle-income family was considered to have 50 taels of silver a year). The guest said again: "It's just that I don't have enough money with me today. When I go back to get the money, I will deliver it to you tomorrow." After the two of them agreed, the merchant got up and left and went back. Cao Hua went into the house and told Ms. Zhong what happened today. Ms. Zhong was also very surprised. The merchant didn't look like a crazy person. How could he pay such a high price? Could it be that this chicken was indeed a treasure but he didn't realize it? So the two people immediately caught the chicken and put it in the cage. However, they looked around until their eyes were dizzy and their necks were sore, but they couldn't find anything unusual. They had no choice but to give up. Although they were doubtful, they thought they could sell it for a good price. , I will live a worry-free life in the future, but I am also full of joy, so I turn off the lights early and go to bed, waiting for the merchants to come tomorrow, and I will get these five hundred taels of silver.
When Lao Xiong crowed the next day, the merchant came to Cao's house early. After a few words of greeting, he took out five hundred taels of silver notes from his arms and handed them to Cao Hua. The chicken was put into the cage and handed over to the merchant. Then he smiled and said to the merchant: "I was just joking with you when I said five hundred taels of silver, but I didn't expect you agreed. So I am very curious. I don't know what you think about it. What are these two chickens used for at such a high price?" After hearing this, the guest smiled and said, "Since you ask, I dare not tell the truth. Have you seen anything in recent years? Two red lights on the top of Shaoshi?" When Cao Hua heard this, he was very surprised and hurriedly said to the merchant: "I see it very often, but I don't know why. Could it be related to this?"
The merchant nodded and said: "That's right. This is the red light emitted by the centipede spirit. These two monsters are a father and a son. If it takes another hundred years for the two spirits to grow up, then in the nearby land hundreds of miles away, all life will be reduced to nothing but beasts. They will eat away everything. In the end, if the domestic animals cannot satisfy their appetite, it will also affect the elderly, the weak and the children. By then, even the thunder from the sky will not be able to subdue them. It is really a serious problem here. Fortunately, the little ones are not there yet. When they grow up, the old ones are weak and do not dare to come out and wreak havoc openly. I have been looking around for a long time, but only you two chickens can subdue them. This old male is strong and has nothing to worry about. The only thing to worry about is that the chicks have just It has not yet grown up after hatching. If it can be raised carefully, it can thrive, enrich its feathers, and strengthen its energy. I heard that this chicken hatched from dozens of eggs, which shows that all the essence is Conceived in this one egg, no wonder the other eggs cannot hatch. By this time next year, the chick will have grown up, and then it can help the old man give it a try. It is not difficult to subdue two centipede spirits. "
Cao Hua was very puzzled when he heard this: "My old wife and I watched it for a long time last night, but we didn't see any difference between these two chickens and other chickens." The guest said: "The difference is indeed very small. , it is difficult for ordinary people to see. Generally, the eyelids of chickens are covered upwards, but this kind of chickens are covered downwards, so the chicken is named Nuqing, and it is said to be a branch of Phoenix inheritance." After saying this, he stood up and left. Went there, and before leaving, told Cao Hua to come visit again next year.
In the blink of an eye, a year passed, and just after the second year of the Waking of Insects, the merchants arrived as promised, and the two chickens were also put in cages and brought over. I saw that the old man was in good spirits, the wind was still strong, and the chicks had grown up. Not only is he strong and strong, but his body shape and appearance are also on par with Lao Xiong. This time the merchant stayed directly at the host's house, and the Cao family sold wine and made tea. One evening after three days, the merchants had just finished their dinner when they suddenly saw two red lights on the top of Shaoshi. The situation was just like in previous years. The merchants had been observing carefully every night for the past few days. When they saw it, they were very happy and hurriedly said to Cao Hua: "The monster has come out again." After saying that, he hurried back to the house to prepare things. The next day, he fed and drank enough for the two chickens to build up their strength. At dusk, he took them up to Shaoshi Mountain. Cao Hua originally wanted to go with him to have a look, but the merchant tried his best to stop him: "Your body cannot defeat the evil spirit. If you are poisoned and your life is in danger, it will harm me and I will not be able to concentrate on conquering the evil spirit." After hearing this, Cao Hua gave up his curiosity. But as soon as the merchants left, Cao Hua tossed and turned and couldn't sleep at night, so he didn't sleep at all. He stood in the courtyard and carefully observed the top of Shaoshi Mountain to see if there was anything unusual tonight.
After the second watch, he saw two red lights on Shaoshi Mountain again, like two strands of lightning, flashing or flashing, east or west, or bending into a circle, or forming a straight line. Cao Hua was watching intently when he suddenly saw two five-foot-long blue lights rushing from the side and fighting with the red lights in an instant. Suddenly bright and dark, red and green, fast and slow, high and low, the four electric lights may rise or rise, divide or merge, hover like an eagle, excite like a leaping fish, or curl up and pause. Comfortable, or about to step forward and then pause, it dazzles the mind for a moment, the light is pleasing to the eye, and it is really beautiful. Suddenly a red light shot straight away from the sky, followed closely by a blue light. Suddenly the red light fell down and disappeared in an instant. Cao Hua was secretly happy, knowing that one centipede spirit had been annihilated. At this moment, there was still a red light flashing left and right, but it was tightly surrounded by two blue lights. It was estimated that nothing could be done. After watching for a while, the red light gradually slowed down, and after another cup of tea, it became overwhelming, falling like a fallen leaf blown by the strong wind, and disappeared never to be seen again. At this time, the east was white, and Cao Hua knew that both monsters had been eliminated, so he cooked morning tea on the stove and waited for the merchants to return.
After an hour, the merchant came back as expected. He had a tired look on his face, holding a chicken coop in his left hand and dragging something with a branch in his right hand. Cao Hua hurriedly stepped forward and said, "I know you have accomplished your job, so I am waiting here to congratulate you." There was no joy on the guest's face, and he sighed and said: "Although the two monsters have been eliminated, the angry chickens have also been seriously injured. What should we do?" Cao Hua then saw the chicken coop. The grown-up chicks have lost all their feathers, are covered in bruises and are dying, while the old chicks also have sparse feathers and are depressed. Looking at the merchant's right hand, we can see that he has brought back the bodies of two centipedes on branches. The larger one is about six feet long. The pincers on the left have fallen off. There are still one or two legs squirming. They are not dead yet. The smaller one is about six feet long. It is more than five feet long, both pincers are gone, and most of the feet have been torn off. They have been stiff for a long time. Seeing this, Cao Hua couldn't help but be speechless, so he asked the merchant again: "Are the corpses of these two goblins still useful?" The merchant said: "There must be a red light candle in the body. There must be a lot of orbs in the body (similar to dog treasures and the like. It is said that they are made from the spirit of fairies. You can refer to Zhou Xun's "Painted Skin"), which can ward off hundreds of poisons. This corpse , peel off the skin and make a scabbard for the yin and yang ghost doctor , it can also be worth thousands of gold." After saying that, he handed the chicken to Cao Hua and said: "Please take good care of them, they have worked too much, and they are almost exhausted. In my opinion The chicks here will not live for ten days, and the old male will not live for half a year if he is slightly poisoned. They have done great service to people, and I hope you can be buried well. These two chickens are highly poisonous and must not be eaten. Remember, remember." After that, he gave another two hundred taels of silver to the Cao family as a thank you, then put the bodies of two centipede spirits in a wooden box and left with the Cao family and his wife. On the day that the merchant said, the two chickens died one after another. Cao Hua followed the merchant's instructions and buried them together.