The strange coughing sound was really terrifying. Although Madam Xin was worried about these girls, she decided to leave the generals' tent alone and go to the central army commander's tent to seek Zhu Li's help.
As for Gao Su, the person she really wanted to see when she came to Jiuyuan this time, she had no intention of looking for him.
No matter how much Zhu Li praised Gao Su, in her heart, the strong and powerful general who could scare even women away was just an embroidered pillow, good-looking but useless. She really didn't know what she was thinking.
Outside the big tent, a cold wind was blowing.
It was pitch black all around. She knew she was in a military camp. There were torches lighting up the central army in the distance, and a faint light was visible in the distance. But at this time, due to her anxiety, Madam Shen still could not see the road clearly. She could only follow her feeling and rush out.
This time, something unexpected happened again.
The area is nearly a hundred acres, which is not too big, but not too small either. It should take a cup of tea to get out of this area.
However, due to her anxiety, Madam Xin let her heart run fast, and occasionally looked around and behind her, as if she was worried that something was following her. She walked for more than half an hour and had not yet left the area.
The more this happened, the more anxious she became. However, the more anxious she became, the faster she walked and the more often she turned her head to look around. This made it even more difficult for her to get out of this area.
Half an hour later, Xin Qinnan was horrified to find that she was back next to the big tent again, and the "cough cough" sound happened to be heard again at this time. In this cold night, this sudden sound seemed extremely terrifying, and she was so frightened that cold sweat dripped down her body and her body trembled.
A strange yet familiar word suddenly emerged in her mind, "ghost wall", could this be a ghost wall
Thinking of that word and that horrifying legend, she suddenly felt a chill all over her body and goose bumps appeared all over her body.
At this moment, it was estimated that it was already midnight. If she was asked to go out now, she would be really scared. But if she was asked to return to the big tent in disgrace, she would not be able to let go of her dignity.
In this way, Madam Shen was caught in a dilemma. She stood alone in the wind, shivering, as pitiful as a young wife who was not loved by her husband and mother-in-law.
Xin Qinnan was a brave, strong-willed and stubborn girl. She was also very persistent in doing things. Since she was too embarrassed to go back to the big tent, she might as well rush out bravely. As soon as this thought came to her mind, she resolutely turned around and walked outside again.
This time she walked in a more panic. About an hour and a half later, she was shocked to find that she had walked back again. At this time, she felt like she was going to collapse. She wanted to rush into the big tent without caring about her face.
Perhaps it was the two strange things that made her a little discouraged, but she calmed down instead. Even if it was really the legendary ghost wall, at least she was still fine. This was her confidence. After calming down, she chose a torch as her target and ran directly towards the torch.
Perhaps it was God's will that she finally walked out of the craftsmanship area smoothly. It took her less than a quarter of an hour to get out of there. Looking back at the dark area that had trapped her for nearly three hours, Shen Qinnan was still frightened, but she also breathed a long sigh of relief.
It’s finally out, it’s finally out.
At this time, the patrolling palace guards also spotted her. They didn't know this young lady, but they knew that Shen Qi Niang was wearing an official uniform, and knew at a glance that she was a Yu Cheng. A patrol captain hurried over and politely said, "It's Shen Yu Cheng.
Why are you not sleeping in the middle of the night and wandering around?"
Shen Qiniang raised her hand to wipe the sweat off her face and said urgently, "I, the Minister of You, have something important to report to the general. I hope the general can do me a favor and take me there."
At this moment, she didn't dare to walk on the dark road alone even if she was beaten to death, so she made the request rashly.
"Meet the general?" The captain's face was full of surprise. It was the middle of the night and a female minister wanted to meet the general. It was hard not to be surprised.
Team leader looked at Shen Qiniang with a strange look, and said quickly: "Okay, I'm happy to serve you. Shen Youcheng, please come this way."
The captain, who was also a veteran from Shuozhou, couldn't help but fantasize while giving directions to Shen Qiniang.
As everyone knows, there is a heroine in Shuozhou, and it is said that she is still fighting with others in Hedong; the general also has an incredibly beautiful secretary under his command, and it is said that she can be taken into the general's room as soon as he asks.
Now suddenly there's a Prime Minister named Shen You. This girl is not bad either, with her slender figure, charming posture, and beautiful face. She might be another general's wife.
Xin Qinnan had no idea that this guy had thought of so many things in an instant. When she saw that the team leader had agreed, she hurriedly thanked him, as if leading the way was a great favor.
The captain on duty was so moved that he sighed repeatedly, saying, "What a kind lady! The general is so lucky."
Zhu Li was not displeased that Shen Qiniang came to ask for a meeting in the middle of the night. He quickly dressed and met the lady in the general's tent.
As soon as she saw Zhu Li, Shen Qiniang was like a lost child who suddenly saw her family. She said eagerly and anxiously, "General, General, there is a ghost in the place where we live. Please bring some people to pick up my subordinates."
"Haunted?" Zhu Li was stunned when he heard this. For Zhu Li, whose soul came from the afterlife, he did not believe in the existence of ghosts and gods. But looking at Shen Qinnan's pale face, it didn't seem like she was lying.
After a moment of suspicion, Zhu Li had to ask about the situation in a gentle voice. Shen Qinnan did not hide anything and told her about how she heard a cough outside the tent, how she went out to look for no one and how she came to ask for help but was stuck in a rut. She poured out all her grievances to him.
The commotion here also attracted Gao Su's attention. After a while, he hurried over. However, Shen Qiniang did not give him a good look for his arrival.
The reason was simple. Among the three, Zhu Li and she had just arrived yesterday and were not familiar with the environment here at all. The person who was most familiar with this military camp was, of course, Gao Su. However, the place that Gao Su allocated for their workshop was haunted. How could she give Gao Su a good face
After listening to Shen Qinniang's story, Gao Su also had some thoughts.
Zhu Li couldn't understand why there was no human figure when Shen Qiniang heard the coughing sound, but he could explain the "ghost wall" thing.
Therefore, he asked calmly: "My lady, when you came out of the big tent and asked for help, the first and second time, did you not choose a reference point, that is, did you not use a specific object as a guide?"
Shen Qinnan didn't understand, but nodded anyway.
"And the third time, my lady, the reason you were able to get here was because you chose a torch as a reference, which allowed you to succeed. Is that right?"
Zhu Li's reminder made Shen Qinnan realize that something was wrong, and she nodded again quickly.
Seeing her admit it, Zhu Li smiled and said calmly: "Then I can guarantee that my lady is not in a 'ghost wall'."
"Ah, but I did wander in the dark for two or three hours." Madam Shen was terrified, but still insisted stubbornly.
Zhu Li raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling her to be patient, and explained seriously: "People have two feet. Usually, the steps of the right foot are always bigger than the left foot."
"If you walk around in the dark without a specific goal, it's easy to go around in circles in a small area. But as long as you choose a specific object as a reference, this won't happen."
"Is there such a saying?" Madam Xin exclaimed in disbelief. After that, she looked at her feet carefully, as if she wanted to verify immediately whether her right foot really took bigger steps than her left foot.
But when she thought about it carefully, she realized that the first and second time, she did not choose any reference objects, and ended up going around in two big circles; but the third time, she calmed down, chose a torch as a reference, and she got out quickly.
Doesn’t this fact just verify what Zhu Li said
Gao Su, who was standing next to her, looked at Zhu Li with admiration when he heard this. He didn't think much of Zhu Li before, but the more he got along with this general, the more he felt that he was extraordinary.
For example, this statement that "a person's right footsteps are bigger than his left foot" was the first time he heard it. This also explained how the "ghost wall" had been formed for countless years, which made him admire it.
While expressing his admiration, he also turned to Shen Qi Niang and said with a bow, "Mr. Shen Youcheng, may I ask you a question?"
Xin Qiniang was in a state of confusion about Zhu Li's words. She glanced at him and said impatiently, "Just say what you want to say. What's the point of asking for advice?"
Gao Su looked at the other person's unhappy look and felt a little uncomfortable, but he was a gentle person, so this discomfort came and went quickly. He said calmly: "My lady, is the coughing sound you heard like this? 'cough cough'?"
Hearing Gao Suxue's "cough cough" sound, Shen Qinnan suddenly trembled all over, turned her head abruptly, and glared at him fiercely. After confirming that the other party was just learning the sound in the dark, she nodded dissatisfiedly.
Seeing the other party admit it, Gao Su also smiled and comforted her in a gentle voice: "Then you don't have to be afraid, my lady. If Gao's guess is correct, there is an uninvited 'guest' outside your tent."
"Uninvited guest?" This is called comforting someone. What kind of uninvited guest is there? Not even a ghost can be seen. Shen Qinnan turned around, her beautiful eyes surging with anger. She stared at Gao Su's charming face, and suddenly she had the urge to slap him in the face.
"That's right. However, this 'guest' is a very common small animal on the grassland. It is a hedgehog." Gao Su explained patiently, "Hedgehogs like to build their nests in places with lush weeds. My lady and others will not be able to find any human figures if they check, because he is not a human, but just a cute little animal."
"The hedgehog made sounds that sometimes sounded like sneezing and sometimes like coughing, which is why it disturbed my wife and the others."
Shen Qiniang did not completely believe Zhu Li and Gao Su's explanation. In order to reassure her, Zhu Li and Gao Su took a few soldiers and went to Shen Qiniang's tent in person. They found a hedgehog near the tent, which verified Gao Su's explanation.
At the same time, Zhu Li asked a few people to use torches or tents as reference points and go from the big tent to the front camp. Sure enough, they never encountered any ghost stories again. Facts speak louder than words. The so-called ghost stories were just these ladies scaring themselves.