After finally coming to the city, Liao Daqiu and others discussed it and decided that they should find a doctor to buy some medicinal herbs to take back. If the epidemic broke out, they might not be able to buy medicine by then.
So the group went to a more familiar pharmacy in the county. In the past, when someone in the village needed medicine, most of them would come to Jimingtang. This time, the owner of the pharmacy, who was also the doctor of this shop, was busy preparing and packaging the medicine with the apprentices in the shop.
Seeing that there were not many people in the store getting medicine, Liao Daqiu, Lao Zhang and others looked at each other and hurried forward to ask.
"Doctor Zhao, we want to get some medicine."
The shopkeeper heard the voice, turned around and looked to the side, and saw Liao Daqiu and his group who had already walked into the pharmacy.
In fact, many people knew about Lao Liao's leading the people of Maotan Village to build a charity cemetery. The owner of Jimingtang knew these people and was naturally aware of it.
Although many people would say that Lao Liao and the people of Maotan Village are stupid, as a doctor, I think that the people of Maotan Village do a good job both morally and in terms of medical principles, so I usually take better care of the people from this village when they come to see a doctor.
"Oh, it's Lao Liao and Lao Zhang, you guys went to the city? It's better for you to stay in your own village during this period. There's an epidemic in other counties, so it's better to move around less."
Hearing the doctor mention this, Lao Liao quickly spoke.
"Yes, yes. We are planning to get some medicine for future use. Doctor Zhao, please give us some medicine to prevent or treat the plague."
Doctor Zhao looked at the medicine cabinet.
"What a coincidence. I'm also preparing some. How much do you want? Let's put together a three-day supply for twenty people. If they really get infected, the medicine alone won't be enough, so they'll have to come to me."
"Yes, yes, you are the doctor, you decide!"
Liao Daqiu and the villagers quickly nodded in agreement.
Soon, several people carrying medicine left the pharmacy and then left the city directly.
When Liao Daqiu, Lao Zhang and others returned to Maotan Village, they could already see smoke rising from every household. After most of the day's work, a meal of soup and rice to reward the ghosts in the charity cemetery was almost ready.
Lao Liao and his group returned just in time while it was still early, and the largest rice soup sacrificial activity in the history of Maotan Village began.
Women and men either carried the pot of food in a basket or pushed it on a cart, and together they carried it to the cemetery. Of course, they also brought a large table and all the necessary sacrificial utensils.
The dishes are all served in bowls, some are soup bowls and some are simply clean wash basins. The main reason is that there are too many dishes and if we use plates, we don’t know how much it will take. Using bowls is more convenient and less likely to spill.
Soon, more than 40 people arrived outside the cemetery. The old village chief and Liao Daqiu picked out a few specially prepared dishes and placed them in front of the land temple. After placing the chopsticks, they poured two glasses of wine.
After lighting the candles on the candlestick and the incense in the small incense burner, he led everyone to worship the God of Land.
"Lord of the Land, may God bless you! Lord of the Land, may God bless you!"
After doing all this, the old village chief stood up.
"Okay, everyone, take the tables off the carts and put them on the open space over there, and put the dishes on the tables."
"Yes, yes, yes, hurry up and get ready, it will be dark soon."
Some villagers seldom come to the cemetery, and they were a little scared when they saw so many grave mounds. When they heard that it might get dark soon, they could not help but move more quickly even though it was still early.
Soon, pots of still steaming dishes were placed on more than a dozen large tables for eight people, and some were placed on the relatively clean ground around them. There were also wine cups and jugs, and candles and incense were lit.
Led by the village chief, more than 40 people came and kowtowed to the dishes on the table. Old Liao even shouted a few words in a slightly loud voice.
"My fellow warriors, the flags and weapons are being made. Today, we will provide you with some rice and soup. Our Maotan Village is not a wealthy place and our resources are limited. These dishes are the best we can offer. My fellow warriors, please do not despise them and enjoy them slowly!"
The temperature at the cemetery seemed to be lower than other places. The cool breeze made the villagers shiver.
The lit candle flames flickered violently, and everyone slowly left the inner area of the cemetery and came to the outside of the land temple, waiting for the soup rice to be finished. Usually, after the candles were lit on the altar and the soup rice was worshipped, there was no need to wait too long, but today they planned to wait for two quarters of an hour.
That night, every household in Maotan Village had a meal as sumptuous as that at Chinese New Year. With so many dishes, it was impossible for them to be wasted, so naturally every household took some home to eat.
However, when eating, many villagers felt that the food tasted much lighter and was far more exaggerated than the leftover food from ancestor worship at ordinary homes. But the more this was the case, the more the villagers inexplicably believed in the significance of this matter.
At night, the charity cemetery area gradually became eerie and ghostly. The God of Land appeared in front of the temple and sat on his own small temple, watching what was happening in the charity cemetery.
Ghosts are different from humans. Humans need to eat every day, but things like soup and rice are only needed a few times a year. The mental outlook of the ghosts today is very different from before.
"Time is running out. I can't train you all into good soldiers. But we are ghosts, and we are very different from humans, so we focus on our body movements! In short, we need 'steady'!"
"Everyone! We have sworn an oath in front of our benefactor. We will never let him and the people of Maotan Village down!"
Two warrior ghosts faced each other, their arms and claws interlocked as if wrestling, wrestling with each other to throw each other away, but neither of them was shaken, and one of them kept talking.
"Don't fall down at any time! You are surrounded by comrades. You must trust the weapons in your hands and the comrades around you! Drink..."
As he was speaking, the armored soldier shouted and threw another ghost soldier beside him away. The latter did not loosen his arm and actually carried him three feet off the ground, and then landed on a grave.
"Brothers! Everyone already knows that we ghosts are poor and miserable when we are alive, and our life span after death is also short. We have died once... Last time we died in a cowardly way. Even if we have to die this time, we must die heroically!"
The God of Land crossed his legs and watched from afar. He thought that the soldier was a genius and must have been a very talented person when he was alive. It was a pity that he died young.
…
Three days later, Liao Daqiu and some villagers went to the county town again, paid the remaining copper coins, and got the flags and weapons made by the paper craftsman.
After coming back, he did not stop but took the things directly to the public cemetery, piled them outside the cemetery and burned them. However, what Liao Daqiu and other villagers of Maotan Village did not know was that while they were burning these paper weapons, the God of Land had already been standing beside the fire chanting something, and was turning his own magical power into the fire along with the wishes of the villagers of Maotan Village.
After a long time, more and more news about the plague reached the county and the people of Maotan Village, but they only heard that there was an epidemic and didn't know the specific situation.
On this day, Liao Daqiu and the old village chief were squatting in a dry toilet at the end of the village, and their topic was naturally about the plague ghost.
"Why isn't this coming yet?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Are you still looking forward to coming?"
"Well, it would be best if you didn't come. It would be best if you didn't come..."
As Liao Daqiu was speaking, he suddenly felt a little dizzy and subconsciously looked towards the northwest sky. The more he looked, the more dizzy he felt. At this time, the voice of the old village chief also came over.
"Lao Liao, why do I feel like... the sky in the northwest is about to fall down?"
"I, I feel the same way, and I feel dizzy..."
Lao Liao rubbed his eyes and looked again, and felt that the sky over there was still normal. But if he stared at it for too long, he began to feel dizzy again, so he quickly concentrated on defecating.
“Woo… Woo…”
As gusts of wind blew, the branches and leaves of the trees not far from the dry toilet swayed, and the sound of the wind carried a sense of mournfulness.
What the old village chief and Liao Daqiu didn't know was that at this moment, the land official was looking towards the northwest with a look of shock on his face. Even though the journey was extremely long and he didn't know what was happening, that mysterious feeling was so strong.
'Someone is casting a spell!'
The night fell particularly quickly on this day, and the people of Maotan Village returned home early and closed the doors and windows as usual. Outside the village, as the sun had completely set, just like many days before, the ghosts of the cemetery holding weapons had appeared outside the village, each one training and ready for battle.
“Woo… woo… woo…”
The wind was blowing very loudly, as if someone was crying. The God of Land suddenly appeared at the entrance of the village and looked into the distance, while the ghosts at the surrounding charity tombs also stopped moving.
"coming!"
The God of Land said this with a serious face, and the ghosts were cheered up.
"Brothers and sisters, hold on to your weapons. We suffered in life, but we will be glorious after death. Lay out the battle flags—"
“Yes, sir!” “Yes, sir!” “Yes, sir!”
Even though the ghosts carrying the flags were just ordinary people in their previous lives, they responded to the orders loudly at this moment and then returned to their positions.
Green light was spreading from afar, and one could even hear painful wails and angry roars. The green light and the sound had a clear target, and were heading towards where there were living people.
"Huh... Huh uh..." "Uh ah huh..."
“Woo… woo…”
Outside Maotan Village, a group of Yizhong ghost soldiers lined up in formation, and the leading soldier shouted.
"Shoot!"
The arrow in the hand of the bow ghost flashed a glimmer, and the next moment.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh…
Dozens of arrows flew towards the distance. The ghosts didn't need to aim deliberately, the arrows would shoot towards the plague ghosts by themselves.
After about dozens of breaths, a louder roar sounded outside the village.
"Kill!" "Kill!"
“Go!”
…
In Maotan Village, whether it was Liao Daqiu, the old village chief, or many ordinary villagers, they all heard the sound of fierce fighting in their dreams. The sound echoed throughout the village, as if the whole village was sleeping on the battlefield.
Some people were awakened by this nightmare, but after waking up, it was not as exaggerated as in the dream, but they could still vaguely hear the sound of fighting...
In the northwest sky, a cloud was flying with a conspicuous Dharma light in the night, and the halo illuminated the whole area brilliantly.
Ji Yuan and Chang Yi deliberately revealed the Dharma light in order to tell any demons they might encounter that we are here. This would be considered as alerting the enemy and either driving them out or driving them away. In short, they do not want the demons to stay in the world.
"Um?"
Ji Yuan glanced with his Dharma Eyes and seemed to see the rising and oppressive death in the distance. This was what was called deadness. Chang Yi obviously saw something as well.
"Mr. Ji, it seems that the situation is indeed different."
"Walk!"
The clouds beneath him flashed with light, and his flying speed immediately increased as he flew towards the distance.