(3) Second night
The thin sleeves showed a cold blue color like the night wind, and the ghost singer slowly turned her skirt in the wind. An Zhen knew that "she" was here again. He didn't know why, but he just knew that she was dancing under the tree. It's a "she".
There are faint traces of wind flying in the sky, and a strange dark fragrance floats, similar to sandalwood, and there is a hint of fishy smell in it. It is not as strong as fishy smell, but more weird than fishy smell. An invisible dancer sings. There is deep resentment in it——
Startled but turned back… I have hatred and no one to save me… I picked up all the cold branches and refused to live on… The lonely sandbank is cold…
The invisible singer comes from a distant place, where there is no sunshine all day long. Even the brightest noon is only as cold as the dusk on earth. There is… the other shore!
An Zhen suddenly shuddered and found himself lying on the table and falling asleep. It was late at night, and some relatives were accompanying me in the mourning hall. What happened yesterday frightened many people, and they were all afraid of a "mismatch" happening.
The so-called "Qi Da Qi" is a folk legend – if a family holds a funeral, no second person can die within the "Qi Qi" period. If a second person dies, he will continue to die. endless. Although it is a folk legend, in this extraordinary period, everyone thinks it is better to be cautious.
Relatives on the side were chatting and chattering. The sound strongly stimulated the eardrums. An Zhen's head felt dizzy. He wanted to shout, but he couldn't make a sound. The ghost dancer seemed to have discovered him and gradually stepped forward from under the hibiscus tree. He moved and looked in through the window, his pale eyes looking straight at An Zhen. An Zhen felt cold all over. He wanted to say, look, she is here, but the voice could not come out, it was all held in his chest. , it swelled up painfully, An Zhen tried his best to clench his fists, he tried to turn his head, he was extremely nervous, and instinctively shouted in his heart, Dad, I'm afraid!
His whole body suddenly relaxed. An invisible, generous hand caressed his head. The warmth returned and the blood began to flow again. An Zhen looked up and found that he was just lying down and had a nightmare. His father had been by his side. The feeling is so real. Did my father save me again? If so, who wants my life? An Zhen looked at the people around him. Even though they were so close, they couldn't save him.
(1) Mourning
The autumn wind blows, and yellow falls everywhere. Occasionally, a few pieces of ginger-yellow paper money float in the air, cut into circles, with a square hole on them. They float with the wind to the fields on the outskirts. It won't be long before they appear there again. A new tomb, the name on the tombstone will be "The Tomb of Loving Father An Youxiang", and there will be this inscription below: Dutiful Son An Zhen Yiwei Year Gengshen Month Wuxu Day.
Do you want an epitaph? If so, what should be written on it? Do you want to indicate the identity of your father, a layman? An Zhen thought in vain about the scene seven days later, but his heart felt empty, as if his soul had left with his father.
The "Great Compassion Mantra" echoed in the mourning hall, and the Buddha's music lingered. The whole world seemed to be shrouded in the compassionate eyes of the Buddha. The music that was beyond the world made the place extremely desolate. All the relatives and friends who came to express their condolences went to have dinner. An Zhen looked out the window. The sky was dim yellow, and a few jackdaws were standing on the branches, calling hoarsely – it was an ordinary autumn, but his father was no longer here!
An Zhen was sitting in the mourning hall, staring blankly at the black and white portrait of his father. In the photo, An Zhen had a kind look on his face and a smile on his lips, but a cold feeling came to his heart. The moment the sun sank into the horizon, there was a sudden blowing sound outside the window. A gust of wind rushed into the room against the window. An Zhen was a little dizzy between hot and cold. The ethereal figure with a bull's head and a horse's face seemed to be passing through him, floating in the air, looking at An Zhen's hopeful coffin, trying to take away his father's soul. , and the impermanence of black and white, with chains in hand, can the elderly father bear such a burden? The pain of bereavement hit his heart. He looked out the window and suddenly realized that he had lost his loving father forever. From now on, he would walk on the long road of life alone, without any kind eyes behind him. Regardless of success or failure, No one has anything to say to himself selflessly anymore.
As if sensing the sad mood, the jackdaws outside the window suddenly stopped talking, and the movement of mice grinding their teeth in the mourning hall suddenly stopped. A feeling of emptiness surged in my heart, and a sour feeling finally broke out at the tip of my nose – I hope my father will walk slower, and he will be watching. Take a closer look at yourself on the stage…
The first day I lost my father.
The door opened heavily, and there was a burst of noise. An Zhen immediately thought that it was the puppet show troupe. Speaking of puppet shows, this is a major feature of Anjia Town. The puppet shows here are not for entertainment, on the contrary. It has been endowed with the function of warding off evil spirits. People believe that puppet theater has a mysterious power that can confront evil spirits, bless the souls of the dead, and at the same time protect the safety of the living. This kind of puppet show is only performed on special occasions and times, such as haunted places, ominous places, even the completion of temples and funeral ceremonies. Puppet theater troupes are invited to ward off evil spirits. This evil exorcism ceremony is not allowed to be seen by outsiders, except for Except for the victim and the family members of the deceased, most people are afraid to avoid it.
When he was a child, An Zhen used to like puppet theater very much, because there was very little entertainment at that time. It was very interesting for some puppets to wear beautiful costumes and perform on a small stage. However, his family prohibited him from seeing it. It is said that filial sons, children, and sick people can easily be bewitched by the puppet because their souls are scattered or incomplete.
In addition, each troupe has a certain number of puppets, usually thirty-six torsos and seventy-two replaceable heads. Why do the numbers of torsos and heads differ? An Zhen was very curious about this question when he was a child. He asked the old puppeteer. The old artist had been singing roles all his life. Although he was old, his voice could no longer be strong. The wrinkled face of a man and the voice of a woman all sounded together. It was strange that the old artist held the orchid and pointed at An Zhen's forehead, and said coldly and forcefully: "That's because numbers like thirty-six and seventy-two represent the number of Tiangang and Earthly Evils. Only in this way can we control those things."
An Zhen asked, "What are those things?" The surroundings suddenly became quiet, the mice stopped grinding their teeth, and everyone else was silent. The airflow blowing through the eaves stopped instantly. The surroundings were unusually quiet. An Zhen still remembers that he was slightly open. He opened his mouth, confused because of the sudden change in the atmosphere.
The old artist brought his face closer, stared at An Zhen, and said slowly and word by word: "It's just… ghosts. At the beginning of every dusk, they will wander on the other side, wanting to return to this world. If someone is willing to take them, When they come back, they will take over that person's body, and that person will dance every cold night until they die!" The voice carried a gloomy air, running up to An Zhen's spine, and then straight into the bottom of his heart. For a moment, An Zhen felt as if his soul had left his body and was looking down at him from a certain position in the sky.
He ran and ran desperately through that gloomy dusk. The bushes on both sides of the road were like the arms of ghosts and monsters, touching his face ferociously. He ran home in one breath, rushed into the bedroom, covered himself with the quilt and refused to go out again. It was as if the ghost mentioned by the old artist was lingering outside the window. That strange dusk has remained in An Zhen's memory. Until now, An Zhen has never thought about it. I don't like dusk, I don't like puppet shows.
However, the puppet show invited this time is from a famous troupe within a hundred miles. It is said that the puppets of this troupe are very effective. Any place where evil things have happened, Feng Gui Legend Biqu Pavilion will dissipate the evil spirits in this place if they sing. , there will be no wandering souls bewitching strangers, and the souls of loved ones will rest in peace.
(2) The first night
Under the moon, a secret dance begins.
There are no dancers, and what seems to be dancing is just the cold wind of late autumn. The wind draws arcs after arcs in the air, and there is a faint low singing, like the whispers of wilderness elves. Listen carefully to the Legend of Fenggui Biquge , Yet it is clearly distinguishable, as if the singer is very close.
The missing moon hangs on the sparse tung trees… The first silence of the people is broken… Who can see the lonely people coming and going alone… The misty and solitary shadow…
Without accompaniment, this invisible a cappella song has the soul-stirring magic power. It is lingering and sad. An Zhen feels sad for a while, like "Who sees a lonely person walking alone"? The moonlight seems to be even colder, and the thin moonlight is like a veil. Like the mysterious colors on the night cage, countless undead slowly float away from here as the singer sings. From the lingering mist, from the void invisible to the eyes, they overflow from every corner. Deathly pale.
Where do ghost singers come from? Is it a happy place? An Zhen stood up suddenly. He was light and airy. He actually yearned for the world on the other side so much. He forgot that he was born as a human being, forgot to observe filial piety, and even forgot that he should live. He had not yet married a wife and had children. There were many things in life. He has no experience at all. He is still a young man in his twenties, and his life is far from settled.
A long, long line of ghosts stretched forward, and the last one was An Zhen. He stared blankly ahead, where there were flowers blooming all over the place. The color was scarlet, like the faint coagulation of blood in the dead body, and the black The Mingchuan flows roaringly, as if it contains astonishing resentment, making the entire space feel depressed. The two long and narrow columns of black and red form two columns of footsteps of life and death, reincarnation and reincarnation, which is thrilling.
In front of you is the Naihe Bridge over the Mingchuan River. After crossing this bridge, where should you go? A wrinkled old man turned around. Different from the pale eyes of other undead, he had cloudy eyes. His lips moved silently. Although he couldn't hear what he was saying, An Zhen suddenly understood. What the old man meant was that he was telling himself not to cross the bridge but to go back. Then, the old man's skinny arm suddenly stretched out long, and his old and thick nails scratched An Zhen's hand, causing a twinge of pain. An Zhen suddenly fell from the floating queue. Below was the black Mingchuan River, which was eerie. The cold river water overflowed An Zhen's body. An Zhen tried his best to flop, but his feet suddenly lost strength. He seemed to be falling into a bottomless abyss, falling and falling. He could not reach the end no matter what, but his heart was beating wildly. Beating…
A large white light suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. An Zhen rolled his eyelids, surrounded by warm whispers. He woke up, he finally woke up…
Opening his eyes, An Zhen found himself lying on the bed, surrounded by familiar faces. When his aunts and uncles saw An Zhen open his eyes, they all let out a sigh of relief. The seventh aunt held An Zhen's hand and kissed her roughly. The dry skin made An Zhen sting when he touched it: "Zhen, you are scaring me to death!"
This kind of touch was very familiar. An Zhen suddenly thought of the old man in his dream, with cloudy eyes and gray hair. He told himself, don't cross the bridge, never…
His hands were so thin, with the rough, dry skin of the elderly, and he scratched the back of An Zhen's hands. An Zhen pulled his hand from the seventh aunt's hand in confusion. There was a shallow crack on it, and the small blood beads that oozed out had dried up. An Zhen suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared at the wound blankly. He finally remembered this Who is the old man? The old man is An Zhen's deceased father – An Wangwang. It was his father who had become an undead who saved him!
An Zhen was discovered by the seventh aunt at three o'clock in the morning. At that time, he fell on the ground of the mourning hall and had fainted. His lips were purple and his face was pale. The seventh aunt said that old man An called her to get up in his dream, saying that An Zhen was about to cross the bridge. .