After coming out of Taiji Palace, Fang Jie didn't go back in the horse-drawn carriage, but walked slowly on the street facing the snowflakes. Before leaving Miyagi, the snow covered the ground with a layer of white. After turning two streets, the snow was already as thick as the sole of a boot. The remnant snow of the last snow has not yet melted, and this snow is coming one after another. I don't know if God thinks that the city of Chang'an is not beautiful enough, so it can be decorated in winter.
Feeling the snow under your feet getting thicker and thicker, if you carefully experience it, there is a very boring sense of wonder. Fang Jie, who looked relaxed, was actually so preoccupied that his steps were a little heavy. He lowered his head slightly as he walked, watching the smooth and clean snow surface being stamped out by his feet. Step by step, so clear.
The emperor's words kept ringing in his ears. The emperor who picked him up with his own hands seemed to be very playful. He threw him into the cage and let him out, and then kicked Fang Jie into this place. In the game, the emperor is very happy, but Fang Jie has to go all out.
If Chang'an City is a big lake, then the imperial court is the deepest part of the lake. Few people can easily come and go on a boat on it. Fang Jie now has only one reed under his feet, and wants to cross the lake... How easy is it
There were very few pedestrians on the street, and there were no people on the carriages passing through the city. When the carriages passed by Fang Xie, the driver warmly greeted him to get on the carriage. Perhaps he didn't see Fang Xie's uniform of the Academy of Martial Arts, and he shouted The boy does not sit in the car, and eight copper coins will take you to the door of your house.
Fang Jie asked seriously, isn't it five copper coins
The coachman twitched and said, "Isn't it snowing heavily? It wouldn't be too much to add three copper coins."
Fang Jie asked, no matter where it is sent, it will be eight copper coins
The coachman said that if you only take one mile, would I have the nerve to charge you eight copper coins? Within ten miles, there are still five copper coins. Is it fair or unreasonable to charge three more for more than ten miles
Fang's explanation was really fair, but I didn't sit down.
The coachman almost turned his nose in anger, and said to himself, why don't you sit and talk to me for a long time? He glanced at Fang Jie with the most disdainful eyes, then urged the horse and whipped the carriage to leave. Fang Jie smiled foolishly, as if he had taken advantage of it.
The sky is getting more and more gloomy, and the clouds are so low that it seems that you can pick off a bunch of newly opened snowflakes with your hand. Fang Jie suddenly regretted not taking the carriage. If he walked all the way back to the shop, it would take at least an hour. The courtyard clothes are dirty and have to be washed by themselves, although there is a woman... But Shen Qingfan is not the type who is willing to wash clothes with a wooden basin.
So he decided to cut corners.
Turning into another street, Fang Jie looked at the sign at the entrance of the street when he walked into this street.
East Eighteenth Street.
Fang Jie calculated the distance, and it was still far away from Dong Ersan Tiao where the shop was located. There is no pedestrian on this street, and it looks extraordinarily clean and peaceful. The layout of each city in Chang'an City is almost the same. Straight streets divide the city into pieces like tofu. If you can overlook it from a high altitude, you will be shocked at how this majestic city is built in such a regular manner.
The sound of feet stepping on the snow was very clear. Fang Xie looked at the shops on both sides of the street as he walked. Walking into East 18th Street for about 100 meters, he found that there was a dilapidated house in this supposedly bustling place. Looking at the incomplete appearance, at least it has been decades since no one cared about it. We must know that although Chang'an City is very large, every inch of land is expensive, how could merchants look at such a good place and ignore it
So he couldn't help but stopped and took a closer look at the house.
The walls have collapsed in several places, but the door opening is still intact. The iron lock, which had been rusted into a ball, could not see its original appearance, and it was almost fused with the iron chain. Fang Jie looked in through a gap in the wall, and found that the withered grass had covered the entire yard. It's not clear what the house looks like inside, but the exposed black and broken window is like the gate of hell, which makes people feel chills.
Fang Pu was puzzled, why was this place deserted
He stopped in front of the yard for a while, always feeling that there was something wrong with the house. So he was not in a hurry to go home, but walked into a tea house across the street not far from the house. Originally, the business of this teahouse was not very good, and the owner of the teahouse so close to that dejected place was miserable. On this snowy day, a guest came in, and the boss greeted him in person.
When he saw the uniform of the Academy of Martial Arts on Fang Jie's body, he became even more excited. The students of the Martial Arts Institute can go out for three days every month, and the students don't have to go back to the Martial Arts Academy at night when classes are suspended for these three days. When Fang Jie was released from the prison, classes at the Academy of Martial Arts were suspended.
"My lord, please come in."
The veteran picked up a duster and swept the snow off Fang Jie's body. His enthusiastic attitude made people feel very happy. Fang explained his thanks, and then chose a seat by the window to sit down.
"What do you drink, son?"
asked the boss.
Fang Jie didn't know much about the tea ceremony, so he casually pointed to a medium-priced tea on the list, neither ostentatious nor low-key. The boss first sent someone to deliver four small dried fruit snacks, and then made tea for Fang Jie himself.
"Boss, has the house over there been abandoned for many years?"
Fang asked.
The reason why he was curious was because he wanted to know why no one was interested in the sought-after and valuable land.
"You said there, cough...don't talk about it, that place is extremely unlucky!"
The boss sighed, as if full of complaints.
He waved away a stray cat that appeared at the door, with disgust in his eyes. The wild cat looked back, walked to a wall and lay down, looking a little pitiful in the heavy snow.
…
…
Mentioning the house across the street not far away, the owner of the teahouse started talking. He sat down opposite Fang Jie with his own purple sand pot, and asked Xiao Er to add two more dried fruits. In this weather, there is only one guest, and the boss may be too boring, so he can't stop talking.
"It is said that a royal official lived in this house a long, long time ago. I remember hearing my father or my grandfather mention it... Even if this place has not been dilapidated for a hundred years, it has been seventy or eighty years. It is said that because of that lord He was deprived of his official rank after committing a crime, and his family was kicked out of Chang'an City. Before he left, he sold the house to a wealthy businessman at a low price. This place used to be prosperous, and now the most prosperous Dong Ersan Tiao can't compare to it. It used to be prosperous here."
The boss took a sip of tea, soothed his throat and continued: "Because this was one of the most prosperous places in Chang'an City at that time, the rich businessman bought the house at a low price and was naturally happy. After tidying up a bit, he brought his family to live in. It's also strange, maybe because his status couldn't suppress the atmosphere of the house, the family members died of illness one after another. Later, their family was even poisoned to death by their business rivals."
"There are dozens of people in the family, and there is not one left."
"oh?"
Fang Xie couldn't help asking: "If he's so rampant, there must be nothing good for the murderer."
"That's natural. It is said that the emperor personally decreed that all of them died. The family of the rich businessman who poisoned him was cut off dozens of people, and the rest were enslaved."
The boss sighed and said: "Later, this house was bought again, and then accidents happened one after another. Either the servant fell into the well and drowned, or died of illness. This place is getting more and more evil. The adult who was dismissed from office was so sad and angry that he poisoned his family members as soon as he left Chang'an, and then returned to Chang'an city alone, where he hanged himself in a side room of the house, and his body was found after a long time. They all said It's because of too much resentment, too much ghostly spirit, and no one will be unlucky."
"So this house has been abandoned. Because of this dilapidated house, the entire East Eighteenth Street has been in decline, and few people come here on weekdays. It is also because of this ruin that East Twenty-Three Streets is prosperous. got up."
Fang Jie nodded, and couldn't help but glance at the house again. He didn't believe in any ghosts. If the successive accidents in that house were not coincidences, it was because someone deliberately did them at that time. But I don't know why I didn't take over the house later. As for so many ghost stories, most of them are rumors.
"Who owns the title deed to this house?"
Fang asked.
"do not know."
The boss shook his head and said, "It's probably in the Yamen of Chang'an Mansion."
Fang Jie hummed, drank the tea in the cup, and looked at the house again: "If you buy this place, it should be fine to rebuild a courtyard. After all, so many years have passed. Even if there are ghosts, It should have disappeared long ago.”
"Not always!"
The boss said: "There are naughty children who often crawl in to play hide-and-seek. This morning, a few of the children were so frightened that they ran away crying, saying that there were evil spirits inside. Originally, a wild dog lived was dead, its head was bitten off, and I don’t know what killed it. But it can kill a wild dog silently, and there can’t be any wild beasts here, except evil spirits. What could it be?"
In order to prove his words, the boss pointed to the shivering wild cat curled up at the base of the wall outside and said, "Look, even the wild cat dare not enter the house to avoid the snow."
Fang Jie looked at the boss's finger, then frowned slightly.
Indeed, that stray cat would rather curl up against the wind and snow in the corner than enter that dilapidated house, which is unreasonable.
Perhaps, there is something strange in that house.
Fang Jie smiled and dismissed the thought of this dilapidated courtyard. Originally, he was just curious, spent the money for a pot of tea, and heard an interesting story, and the afternoon passed like this. Fang Jie got up, settled the tea money and walked out of the teahouse. After walking a few steps, the owner of the teahouse chased him out and gave him a half-new oil-paper umbrella.
"It's worthless, the young master is holding a windshield."
The boss stuffed the umbrella into Fang Jie's hand, waited for Fang Jie to say thank you, and ran back contentedly. It had been a long time since anyone was willing to sit down and listen to him tell a story. This boy was a good listener. Fang Jie walked back holding the oil-paper umbrella, and couldn't help but take another look at the wild cat.
I don't know why, but there seems to be a very complicated application in the wild cat's eyes.
Fang Jie smiled, and said that he became suspicious after hearing a story.
On the snowy road, the boy walks alone.
When he disappeared at the intersection of East 18th Street, it seemed that a dark cloud quickly fell from the sky and fell into the dilapidated courtyard. The wild cat curled up in the corner let out a shrill cry, turned and fled. The owner of the restaurant curled his lips when he saw the wild cat fleeing in panic, and said in his heart that you don't want to scare me.
He watched the boy leave, but didn't notice a pair of gloomy eyes looking out from the crack in the wall in the dilapidated courtyard.
The boss thought that the boy had given him an extra twenty Wen tea, which was enough to buy a new oil-paper umbrella. He got a favor by sending the umbrella himself, maybe he would have an extra regular customer, so he was a little proud, thinking that he was really a genius in business.
The wild cat fled without a trace, and the boy's figure also disappeared.
On this day, three more murder cases occurred in Chang'an City.
The three who died were all students of Yanwu Academy.