Bai Wuliang, who had been driving, stopped the car, turned his head and looked at Jiang Mianmian expressionlessly.
The girl looked at him without avoiding his gaze. Although she had dark circles under her eyes, her gaze was still burning.
"Aren't most of the players in the card world sick? Like your sleep disorder, like my mysophobia." Bai Wuliang said.
"You know that's not what I'm talking about." Jiang Mianmian said.
After a while, Bai Wuliang admitted: "I was also sick at the beginning."
The car started moving again. Bai Wuliang asked, "How did you guess that?"
"Feel."
"Why does it feel so accurate?"
"A lot. You said that if just one person in a family gets this disease, the whole family will be in debt."
"Jiang Mianmian, you are really smart."
""
"Yes, I did have the disease at the beginning. I was raised by my grandfather and we had the same eating habits. When I was diagnosed, I actually had similar symptoms."
"Then I entered the card game as a dying man, won round after round, and my body returned to normal."
Bai Wuliang drove to the foot of the Qingyun Temple. Although the mountain is called "Xiaoqing Mountain", it is majestic and spectacular. At a glance, there is no visible edge of green. They did not climb the mountain directly. After all, if they climb such a high mountain by themselves, they would probably break their waists.
Bai Wuliang and Jiang Mianmian got on the cable car. While riding, they saw many extremely steep mountains.
"Look! Someone is burning dragon head incense!" A middle-aged man in the same car shouted, pointing to the top of the highest mountain.
Jiang Mianmian looked up and saw a cliff sticking out like a dragon's head on the top of a very high mountain. There was a small black dot vaguely suspected to be a pilgrim walking on that cliff without any protective measures.
The sun is shining brightly in the sky, and the sky is filled with mist, just like a mortal walking on the clouds on a pilgrimage.
"You are really asking for your life. In this day and age, you still believe that burning dragon head incense is effective." Another person in the group shook his head and said, "In ancient times, I don't know how many people fell from this and were smashed to pieces."
"Maybe he burned it for someone else? I heard that burning dragon head incense for someone else costs 8,888 yuan. I want to give it a try."
"Hey, don't be weak once you get up there."
Bai Wuliang took out a monocle from his pocket, raised it and looked in that direction. After looking for less than half a second, he immediately closed his eyes, tears seeping out from the corners of his eyes.
The cable car cannot go directly to the top of the mountain, but it goes around a steep mountain road. When getting off the car, Bai Wuliang asked the NPC who had just discussed the dragon head incense. The NPC casually told Bai Wuliang the whole story of the dragon head incense. It turned out that the dragon head incense was also known as the best incense in the world. It was said that burning dragon head incense was the most efficacious, and many believers would risk their lives to burn incense.
"I just looked there, it's extraordinary. After listening to the descriptions of these NPCs, it feels like an adventure with a buff." Bai Wuliang whispered to Jiang Mianmian.
Jiang Mianmian nodded.
There is a chance to encounter adventures in the card game, but if players go on these adventures, the dangers they encounter will be greatly increased, such as suddenly encountering an evil wind, or a stone under their feet suddenly loosening.
"I'll give it a try when I get a chance." Jiang Mianmian noted this adventure and sent it to the group. She and Bai Wuliang continued to climb the mountain. When the sun set, they climbed to the top of the mountain, burned incense, made donations, and asked to see Taoist Master Songfeng.
"You have come at an inopportune time. I am not at the gate. Please come again next time." The young Taoist politely declined.
After spending so much time but not meeting the Taoist priest Song Feng, Jiang Mianmian felt a little anxious. She looked at Bai Wuliang. Just now, she took Bai Wuliang to walk on the bridge that was said to make ghosts appear, but Bai Wuliang didn't change at all.
"I'm going to burn some dragon head incense." Bai Wuliang said to Jiang Mianmian.
Jiang Mianmian frowned and asked: "Now?"
"Yes. Since you can't find the Taoist priest you are looking for, then do something else, otherwise it would be a wasted trip." Bai Wuliang's attitude was that since he was already here, he would quickly buy some incense and go to the suspended dragon head incense rock without hesitation.
Burning dragon head incense requires sincerity. Believers believe that kneeling and crawling on the narrow "dragon body" without any protective measures is an act of sincerity.
Bai Wuliang stood on the dragon's body, which was full of traces of vicissitudes after being beaten by wind and rain, and looked down. The misty clouds, the endless green mountains, and the abyss were the smallest speck in this endless blue color. Even if he fell down, he would not leave the slightest stain on this magnificent natural picture.
Bai Wuliang held the incense in one hand and the other hand on the cliff, and walked forward steadily step by step. His physical fitness under the card game was far superior to that of ordinary people. Coupled with his superb mental quality, the height that would make a strong man's legs and feet weak did not change Bai Wuliang's expression.
The setting sun shone through the clouds and fell on his body, causing the scenery in Bai Wuliang's eyes to change strangely.
The rock under his feet suddenly turned snow-white, and the narrow dragon body spread to both sides, turning into large pieces of snow-white tiles.
Bai Wuliang narrowed his eyes, and what he saw in front of him was no longer the vast scenery, but instead a half-open door.
A conversation came out from the crack of the door, and a woman cried, "Why is this happening? Your father has this disease, and he got it too. The family has no money left, and we have borrowed from all our relatives and friends. Do we really have to sell the house? We owe so much debt, and if we sell the house, where will we live in the future?"
"Alas, it's already in the middle stage. Even if he's cured, he won't live long." The man sighed.
The woman lowered her voice and said again. The man was surprised and said, "Ari, are you really pregnant?!"
"Well, I was too tired today. I fainted at work. I went to the hospital and found out that I was pregnant. I wanted to get an abortion."
On the cliff, the figure in the mist stopped moving forward, and the bloody sunset light dyed the supposedly pure white mist red.
Jiang Mianmian held her breath and stared at Bai Wuliang's back.
Why did you stop
She didn't dare to make a sound, because if Bai Wuliang made any noise, she would fall from here.
The heart in his chest was hanging high, and Jiang Mianmian clenched it into a fist.
"Ask?" Bai Wuliang muttered to himself, "Normally, when the elderly and children in the family are sick at the same time, the parents will choose to save the children first. But my family is different."
"Not long after grandpa was diagnosed, I also had similar symptoms, but I kept it a secret and didn't tell you."
"This is my own choice, why should I complain?"
The half-open door in front of him was suddenly pushed open, and Bai Wuliang walked up to it without changing his expression. The illusion in front of him trembled, turned into ruins and fell from a high altitude into the abyss. Bai Wuliang walked to the incense burner, bent down with a solemn expression, and inserted the three khaki cigarettes in his hand into the incense burner.
A deep and distant bell sound rang out beside the golden roof, echoing again and again among the misty clouds. The wind made Bai Wuliang's clothes rustle. He straightened up and looked at the endless mountains.
He turned around again and looked at the girl who was watching him nervously not far away.
Bai Wuliang smiled.
Under the setting sun, this smile is inexplicably gentle.
"We didn't meet Taoist Master Songfeng, but we had an adventure at Qingyun Temple. Climbing the Dragon Head Incense will encounter a test similar to the question. The test is the most vulnerable. If you don't have the confidence to overcome your own psychological obstacles, I don't recommend burning the Dragon Head Incense."
"Bai Wuliang and I are still unclear about the specific rewards we can get. I will let you know if I find anything later."
Tangning received the message from Jiang Mianmian and was stunned for a moment. She asked Zhou Kang for the old man's contact number and then passed the number to Jiang Mianmian, "This is the contact number of another expert NPC that appeared in the diary. I met him at the vegetable market."
Jiang Mianmian was extremely surprised and expressed her gratitude to Tang Ning repeatedly.
After Tang Ning replied to Jiang Mianmian, he put down his phone and sat in the living room in a daze.
There was the sound of washing dishes in the kitchen. It was my mother washing dishes.
Amid the sound of water, footsteps were heard. Tang Ning raised his eyes and saw Su Anyun standing there.
"We've eaten so much today, shall we go together to digest the food after dinner?" Su Anyun invited.
The warm yellow sunset light poured in through the window, giving Su Anyun a warm golden edge.
Tang Ning did not move. Su Anyun stretched out his hand and spread out his slender hand in front of Tang Ning.
The beam of light fell right into Su Anyun's palm.
Tang Ning placed her hand in Su Anyun's warm hand and stood up with Su Anyun's help.
"We haven't taken a walk like this in a while." Su Anyun held Tang Ning's hand, like a reassuring brother holding a confused younger brother.
Tang Ning followed Su Anyun out of the room, down the stairs, and into the evening neighborhood.
The neighborhood is bustling at this time of year. People come out for a walk to digest their food after dinner. There are old people sitting on chairs watching their grandchildren play, young people strolling around with their pet dogs, and young couples walking slowly hand in hand.
"Xiao Ning." Su Anyun said softly, "You seem to be homesick recently."
Tangning didn't say anything.
Now I can already sense Su Anyun's position. The Taoist priest was arranged by Su Anyun to meet him, and Su Anyun hopes to use the talisman to hurt his mother.
"I had a chat with my aunt today."
Tangning blinked, and her dazed expression finally changed.
"Auntie told me that as a mother, what she most hopes is to see you have a better life."
"Go to a big city to study, work, meet more and better people, realize your ideals and ambitions, and don't live an ordinary life."
"She also told me that when she was young, she wanted to be a movie star, but she didn't have the opportunity. If one day she could see you on the big screen, she would be happy. She believes that in the future there will be many people who like you like she does. Even if she doesn't, there will be people who will love you forever for her."
Su Anyun stopped next to a street lamp. In the night, only the light was standing there.
Standing in the light, he asked Tangning, "Xiaoning, do you think she's right?"
Tangning didn't say anything.
To refute everyone in this world, except my mother who cannot refute me.
Su Anyun did not wait for Tangning's answer. She raised her head and looked at the moths that kept flying towards the street lamp. "I think she is right. So, Xiaoning, from now on, don't eat Auntie's cooking anymore."
"Why didn't she tell me in person?" Tangning asked.
"Because she couldn't bear to leave either."
Back in the room, Tang Ning lay quietly on the bed. She was so exhausted both physically and mentally that she fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed. She kept her eyes open, looking at the bright light on the ceiling.
There was a slight knock on the door, but Tangning was still staring blankly at the incandescent light.
Until the hoarse female voice sounded: "Ningning, Mommy has something to tell you."
Tangning got up from the bed, but before she got out of bed, she heard the female voice say, "Don't open the door, Mom will talk to you like this."
Tangning heard the woman say, "I made you a midnight snack."
Click.
That was the sound of porcelain plates and bricks colliding.
"I was afraid you might be hungry, so I left it at the door for you."
"Ningning, time flies. You will be going to college soon and will leave home. You won't have to listen to me nagging you every day. You said I always nag you and your ears are about to get calluses. You can recite all the things I said by heart. Do you think I want to nag you about this?"
"Now that you're out, I'm free as your mom. I've always taken care of you, taken care of you, and taken care of you for so long, but your Aunt Chen told me that I couldn't live like this anymore, so she told me to go on a trip! I'll plan to go on a trip in the next few days, as soon as your eighteenth birthday is over."
Tangning was stunned for a moment, not believing what she heard. Travel
"Your brother has things to do too."
Is Su Anyun going to do it
"When mom and brother are not home, don't eat out for every meal or order takeout. Takeout is unhygienic. Besides, you have to save some money. A takeout meal costs 20 yuan, while a meal you cook yourself is enough for two days. Also, remember to dry your quilt in the sun when it's sunny."
Tangning sat on the bed in a daze, then heard the voice say, "Where's the tuition money? Mom has put it on a card for you."
When Tang Ning heard these words, all his chaotic thoughts disappeared, and only these words remained in his mind.
She went to an art college, where the tuition was more expensive than that of ordinary schools. Her family was not well off, and Tang Ning accidentally found out that her mother had sold the gold bracelet her father had given her in order to pay for her tuition.
Tang Ning was sad when she found out about this, because this was a relic left by her father to her mother. Her mother had never bought any other jewelry in all these years and only wore that gold bracelet.
That day, Tangning impulsively called her mother to ask why she wanted to sell the bracelet. Her mother smiled and said, "No, I'm not selling it. When Ningning becomes a big star, buy me a bunch of gold bracelets, gold rings, and gold necklaces. I'll wear them on all ten fingers. That way, when I go out, everyone will want to rob an old lady like me."
Later, when Tang Ning was in college, she worked part-time to earn money, worked as a model, and starred in commercials. The day she saved enough money, she couldn't wait to go to the mall and buy a gold bracelet that was even more expensive than her mother's.
I asked for leave from school, bought a plane ticket for that day, and rushed back home to give my mother a surprise.
When I got home, no one was home.
I called my mother to ask what she was doing, and she said she was taking a walk outside.
He said it was too late and it was not safe outside, so he asked his mother to come home early.
My mother smiled and said, "How can it be unsafe? I have walked this street countless times."
Hearing her mother laughing, she also giggled while holding the red box containing the gold bracelet, and asked her mother with a smile, "Mom, why do you sound so happy?"
My mother said, how can I be happy? I am so annoyed. Other people’s children are very independent when they go to study outside, but you, you beat me every other day.
I opened the iron basin on the table and saw the braised crucian carp that my mother was cooking. She had eaten half of it, and there was still some left, which looked like it would be a midnight snack or left for tomorrow. I suddenly felt bad after seeing this. I couldn't help but wonder why my mother was like this? She was sick, but she still couldn't get rid of the habit of eating leftovers. I thought to myself that when my mother got home in a while, I must teach her a lesson.
Thinking of this, he couldn't wait to urge: "Mom, please walk faster and get home soon—"
The call was interrupted by a scream and a loud bang.
Since I grew up, every time I talk to my mother on the phone, she has never hung up first.
Tang Ning stood there in a daze, feeling an ominous premonition that could not be described in words like a dark cloud hanging over him. He dialed the number again and tried several times. On the fourth time, the call was finally connected.
Before I could even shout "Mom", I heard a strange voice, which anxiously said, "Are you this person's child? Your mom was in a car accident!!!"
The note she gave was, "Baby."
It was her darling, raised under her careful care, and had never been exposed to any wind or rain, until that day, when the flower in the greenhouse saw the world outside the glass for the first time.
Crash.
That was the sound of a dream being shattered.
Nothing was real.
When Tangning heard the death notice, she was still holding the red box and said to the doctor seriously, "Did you say that?"
"How can this be possible?"
"Do you want to confirm it again?"
They appeared at the police station together with the drunk driver. The driver, who was about the same age as my mother, kept crying and saying sorry. The driver's child, who was about the same age as my mother, also rushed over and they hugged each other and cried.
And still holding the red box that had not been given away.
Later, the funeral home saw my mother's body, which had been repaired several times but was still unrecognizable.
That was the last chance to give the bracelet away without opening the box.
I think, if it weren't for this bracelet, if it weren't for that phone call, if it weren't for that, none of this would have happened.
"The password is your birthday. Remember to hand it in. OK?" The woman's hoarse voice came from the other side of the door.
Tang Ning's mind buzzed and he stumbled off the bed. He walked so fast that he didn't even put on slippers and almost fell.
She stepped on it barefoot, and her shaking hands touched the door. With surging emotions surging in her chest, Tangning heard herself asking, "Mom, where is your bracelet?"
"The pattern on that bracelet is too old-fashioned. I put it away and don't wear it anymore—"
"You sold the bracelet, right?!" Tangning suddenly raised her voice.
The mother outside the door didn't say anything.
"Let's go redeem the bracelet now!" Tangning opened the door and saw someone standing outside -
monster.
It was indeed a monster. The right half of her body had rotted away, with the right hand that had come in contact with Tang Ning rotting away most thoroughly. Blood had stained half of her clothes red. The left half of her body was still barely maintaining the form of a living person, and at this moment, that half of her face showed surprise and panic.
She turned sideways in panic, with her right half of the body hiding in the darkness. She said, "Are you kidding me? You don't want to go to school? You don't want to study? Are you stupid? It's just a bracelet. When you become a big star in the future, buy me a bunch of gold bracelets, gold rings, and gold necklaces. I'll wear them on all ten fingers."
Tang Ning walked forward and she retreated in panic.
"Xiao Ning!!!" Su Anyun's voice rang out from the other end of the corridor. Tang Ning turned around and saw Su Anyun turning on a light in the corridor. The handsome young man was bathed in the light with a serious expression.
While walking tonight, Su Anyunhe's words also came to mind: "Xiao Ning, I think you now know what we have been hiding from you."
"Auntie died in an accident a long time ago."
"If she forces you to stay in this house, it will only cause harm to you."
"The ghost's instinct will make her unable to restrain herself from taking you away, but her mother's instinct will stop her. Plus, there are things in the house and about you that she is afraid of. This family can only barely maintain the illusion of peace. One day, this precarious balance can no longer be maintained, and you will be in danger!"
"Xiao Ning! Come to my side!" Su Anyun stretched out his hand, his eyes reflecting light, and his slender hands seemed to emit a faint glow.
This scene coincided with the one in his dream. Tang Ning looked at Su Anyun's hand bathed in light, then at the monster that kept hiding in the darkness.
The monster was watching too.
Eyes that flickered in the darkness watched.
Tang Ning glanced at the monster, turned around, and slowly walked towards Su Anyun.
It seems that the prince always lacks a firm choice and is always wavering between the two choices.
Tang Ning walked towards Su Anyun and looked at Su Anyun, her brother, and the prince.
Su Anyun's frown finally relaxed and he opened his mouth, as if he had a lot more to say to Tangning.
Tang Ning stopped and held the diamond ring hanging around her neck. This was the ring given to her by the prince. She had been protecting it to keep ghosts and monsters away.
I still remember the first time this person gave me this ring. He was wearing formal clothes, saying such long and sincere love words, and kneeling on one knee with eyes full of disbelief.
When I came to this copy, I had imagined the future. One day I would see the true face of this prince, ask about the truth of everything, ask about the love between us, and then ask about our future.
Will they grow old together? When their hair turns gray and their teeth fall out, will the prince still love them
Tangning untied the necklace with the ring on it.
With a frozen expression, Su Anyun returned the ring to its owner with trembling hands.
"I'm sorry." Tangning closed her eyes and a tear fell from her eyes. Countless past events seemed to emerge in her eyes.
So many pictures, the past and the future.
sorry.
Always say sorry to you.
sorry.
I'm really sorry.
Tears fell drop by drop like pearls with a broken string. The deep sadness and guilt made it impossible to look up at that person's expression.
sorry.
In this world, besides you, there is someone I feel even more sorry for.
Tang Ning turned around trembling, left Su Anyun, left the only light, it felt like Mo Dong had cut her in half, bloody, painful, so painful that she could hardly breathe, so painful that she could hardly walk any further. She remembered that day when she learned of her mother's death, she also walked home alone like this.
Tang Ning walked step by step towards the deepest darkness. In that darkness, he saw a glimmer of light, which was the light in his mother's eyes.
Why do mother's eyes sparkle in the dark
Because mom shed tears.
Tears fell from Tangning's eyes. She smiled and walked towards the monster mother curled up in the corner, crying and laughing.
The monster mother tried hard to hide her weird side in the darkness, but there was too much rottenness in her, and it could never be hidden.
"Give me your hand." Say this to your mother.
The monster stretched out its intact left hand, squatted down, and tightly grasped my mother's cold left hand.
The wrist is empty, without the heavy bracelet.
Tangning pressed her tear-stained face against the back of the hand and rubbed it like a kitten, "I'm sorry."
I'm sorry I made you sell the bracelet.
I'm sorry that you lost your life.
I'm sorry that you have given so much for me but have never enjoyed a single day of happiness.
The left hand that was being rubbed moved, and the rough hand carefully fell on the face, wiping away the tears on the face bit by bit.
Tang Ning shed even more tears.
While crying, he knelt down and whispered, "Mom, hug me, okay?"
"You are already so old..." a hoarse voice.
Tangning didn't wait for the voice to finish, he moved closer, stretched out his hands, and hugged the strange and cold body tightly.
She hugged me so tightly and tightly, as if she was afraid that her mother would disappear in the next second.
The stench of decay and blood mixed together, and even without light, Tang Ning could only imagine how terrifying the being he was holding looked.
So what
No matter how scary or frightening my mother is, if she wants to take me to die, then she will take me to die.
She was the one who brought me into this world, and she will also take me away.
"Mom." Tangning trembled as she spoke, "I love you."
The cold, blood-stained hand slowly rested on Tangning's back. The woman's rotting face rested on Tangning's shoulder. She spoke in a strange voice, "Mom loves you, too."
Su Anyun stood in the only light source, watching everything quietly. In his gaze, the monster hugging Tang Ning revealed a strange and sinister smile on his face.