I sat on the sofa and listened attentively to Aunt Huang's statement.
Although what Aunt Huang said was indeed very sensational, I didn't hear that the cat demons had any ill intentions towards the Huang family. Magu from the underworld told me that Su Su's death might have been caused by a demon, but now it seems that even if the cat demons had had an intersection with the Huang family, they had no intention of harming their family.
I asked Aunt Huang in confusion, "Aunt, you said that Uncle Huang encountered cat demons on Yuanbao Mountain. This is indeed very strange. But didn't the cat demons let Uncle Huang go? And they didn't hurt the Huang family."
But Aunt Huang shook her head and said, "Tianyi, listen to what I'm saying."
"Okay, Auntie, go on, I'm listening!"
Aunt Huang continued, "Indeed, the cat demon in white skirt had no ill will towards your Uncle Huang, and was planning to send him down the mountain at dawn. But after dawn, when the cat demon in white skirt sent your Uncle Huang down Yuanbao Mountain and left, the old cat demon ordered the other two cat demons to kill your Uncle Huang on the way."
Kill Uncle Huang
It seems that the old cat demon really has no intention of letting Uncle Huang go.
"And then?"
I asked a little nervously.
"Later, fortunately, your Uncle Huang met a monk on the way. The monk called himself 'Master Xiangyun'. It was Master Xiangyun who saved your Uncle Huang and drove away the two cat demons that wanted to harm people."
At this point, Aunt Huang looked at me, and seeing the thoughtful look on my face, she asked me, "Tianyi, you must be thinking that this matter will just end here, right? After all, the cat demon has been driven away, and your Uncle Huang is fine."
I do think so.
I nodded, looked at Aunt Huang in surprise, and asked, "Could something else have happened later?"
Aunt Huang nodded helplessly and said, "Later, your uncle Huang brought Master Xiangyun back to our home."
"It's strange, but when your Uncle Huang and Master Xiangyun came back to our house, my stomach started to hurt. My due date was still more than a month away, but on that day, I actually gave birth to Su Su."
"When Susu was born, your uncle Huang and I were very happy. But Susu was a premature baby after all, and her body was very weak. Even her skin was waxy yellow, and her body was very cold. Seeing this, your uncle Huang and I planned to send Susu to the county hospital."
"But Master Xiangyun stopped us. He said that even doctors couldn't save Susu's body. Later, Master Xiangyun called your Uncle Huang aside and talked to him. As for what they talked about, I don't know."
"Then what?"
I frowned and continued to ask.
At this time, tears appeared in Aunt Huang's eyes.
She sobbed softly and said, "After that, your uncle Huang gave Su Su to Master Xiangyun. I didn't know what was going on at the time, so I said I didn't agree at all. But your uncle Huang insisted on doing so. In the end, he gave Su Su to Master Xiangyun."
"But Master Xiangyun promised us that he would return Susu to our family in three years. He also said that during these three years, our family could go to see Susu during festivals. And so, Susu was taken away by Master Xiangyun the day after she finished drinking my milk."
After listening to Aunt Huang's words, I was certain that Master Xiangyun must have known that Susu was a "Xuan Yin Body". Otherwise, Master Xiangyun would not have taken Susu away.
He also said that it would be returned to the Huang family in three years.
I thought about it and asked Aunt Huang, "Aunt, where was Su Su taken to? Can you tell me?"
Aunt Huang did not shy away from the question and said bluntly, "Susu was taken to Xiangyun Temple, which is a few kilometers away from Dongtang Village. Your uncle Huang and I would go to Xiangyun Temple to see Susu every New Year and other festivals. So I would not be wrong."
"And later on, your uncle Huang also learned magic in Xiangyun Temple and became a ghost-catching Taoist priest."
"Um!"
I nodded, thinking, it seems I will have to meet that Master Xiangyun. But so many years have passed, and I don't know if that Master Xiangyun is still alive.
Forget it, no matter he is alive or not, I still have to go to Xiangyun Temple. After all, Su Su's survival has a lot to do with Master Xiangyun.
As for Su Su's death, it cannot be proved now that it was caused by those cat monsters.
Near noon, Aunt Huang cooked noodles. I ate two bowls, but she didn't touch a single bite. I knew that Su Su's death had a huge impact on Aunt Huang.
You have to know that Aunt Huang is the only relative she has in the world.
"Aunt, some things are inevitable, and we have to learn to accept them. Don't worry, I will find out the cause of Su Su's death. And I will try every means to save Su Su. After all, she was killed before her life was over, which violated the laws of the underworld."
"And Susu's soul is still controlled by the monster that killed her. I will also find a way to bring her soul back... Aunt Huang, you must take good care of yourself now. If you can't take care of yourself, I believe that even if Susu is alive, she will be sad."
With my comfort, Aunt Huang finally felt a little relieved from her depressed mood.
I picked a bowl of noodles for her, and she started eating. But even so, she only ate half a bowl of noodles. The sadness in her eyes was obvious, which I could understand. After all, anyone who loses a daughter will be sad.
After eating the noodles, I went to see Susu again before leaving the Huang family.
Aunt Huang wanted to give me a ride, but I refused.
I went downstairs and drove straight to Xiangyun Temple according to the address Aunt Huang gave me.
Xiangyun Temple is located on Xifeng Mountain. I calculated that it is about 70 to 80 kilometers away from Aunt Huang’s home by car.
The journey was smooth. After driving around on the winding country dirt road, I finally arrived at Xifeng Mountain at around four o'clock in the afternoon.
Xifeng Mountain is covered with lush trees and jagged rocks, and a small river flows gently at the foot of the mountain, but the water is not deep.
After parking the car by the river, I rolled up my trouser legs and waded across the river.
When I got to the foot of Xifeng Mountain, I found a stone staircase on the mountain. Although there were a lot of dead leaves on the stone steps, it did not hinder me from climbing the mountain. And halfway up the mountain, I found a pear tree.
The fruits on the pear tree are tender yellow and ripe.
I picked a few fruits, wiped them with the lapel of my windbreaker, and started eating them in big mouthfuls.
The fruit is sweet and juicy.
Although it was already past four in the afternoon, it was still bright.
After eating the fruit, I felt that my mental strength had become much more abundant. Then, I quickened my pace and headed towards the top of Xifeng Mountain.
According to Aunt Huang, the Xiangyun Temple was built on the top of Xifeng Mountain.
When the sun was setting, I finally saw the Taoist temple in the glow of the setting sun.
Xiangyun Temple is not big, and there are many plants planted around it.
The peach trees are full of fruits at this time, and the fragrance of the fruits can be smelled from a long distance away.
And I found that there was actually wisps of smoke rising from Xiangyun Temple. There must be someone inside Xiangyun Temple. The old monk, Master Xiangyun, might still be alive.
I was so happy that I didn't even bother to appreciate the scenery around me. I walked quickly towards Xiangyun Temple.
Xiangyun Temple was surrounded by white walls, many of which had cracked and fallen off. The door was open, and two red lanterns were hung at the door. The paper on the lanterns was torn, and the candles inside had burned out.
Without thinking much, I walked straight into Xiangyun Temple.
But as soon as I entered, I was dumbfounded.
I saw a bald monk sitting cross-legged beside a fire under a peach tree. He was holding a peach in his hand and eating it bite by bite. Above the fire, there was a small rack with a chicken stuck on a wooden stick.
The chicken had become greasy under the smoke of the flames and looked very appetizing.
I glanced at the monk.
That monk should not be the so-called Master Xiangyun. He was not very old, about fifteen or sixteen years old, and not very tall.
But how can a monk eat chicken, and eat roasted chicken openly in a Taoist temple
This made me suspicious.
However, before I opened my mouth, the little monk, without even looking at me, said in a loud voice: "Donor, you are here. I have been waiting for you for a few days. I didn't expect you to come just now."
I was stunned. The little monk not only knew that I was coming, but also said that he had been waiting for me for a long time.
Although I felt a little surprised and something was wrong, I still walked towards the little monk.
The little monk ignored me and ripped a chicken leg off the roasted chicken on the stick and started to eat it voraciously. His hands and mouth were stained with grease, and he didn't look like a monk at all.
Everyone should know that monks don’t eat meat, right
I stood aside and asked in a deep voice, "Monk, who are you? Why are you in Xiangyun Temple?"
The little monk chewed the chicken leg, grinned with his bulging cheeks, and said to me with a smile: "Donor, please don't misunderstand me. I am not an outsider, but a monk in Xiangyun Temple."
"As for what you see now, actually, as long as you regard it as fake, it's nothing. I am a real monk who ate fake roast chicken... If you think like this, then it doesn't matter!"
This little monk is really interesting.
But I have important things to do and I don't have time to hang out with him.
I asked directly: "Little monk, since you are a monk in Xiangyun Temple, you must know Master Xiangyun, right?! I want to meet Master Xiangyun, I hope you can introduce him to me."
But the little monk ignored me.
He turned his head and asked me, "Donor, you haven't eaten yet, right? Why don't you sit down and have a meal together? Oh, I have a gourd of good wine here, we can have a few drinks!"
As he spoke, the little monk really took out a gourd of wine from his short monk robe.
He shook the gourd, opened the lid, smelled the wine inside, and said with a smile: "See, this is the best peach blossom wine, but I brewed it myself, it smells delicious and tastes sweet."
Damn it, when I asked him a question, he started talking nonsense to me. How abominable!
(to be continued)
(End of this chapter) (End of this chapter)