When darkness silently engulfed the entire Wei Collection Hall, Mao Xiaoli and Kou Xuanling were trapped in the room. At that time, she was still holding the unconscious Wei Ning and Kou Xuanling was carrying Qi Yin. The passage to the hell was opened, and the wailing of thousands of ghosts almost pierced the eardrums. The unconscious Wei Ning shrank a few times and struggled to wake up. He found himself in the darkness and the horrible wailing and couldn't help trembling. Mao Xiaoli hugged him and comforted him gently: "It's okay, don't be afraid."
Wei Ning hesitated for a while, and then put his hands around Mao Xiaoli's neck to express his silent trust. Mao Xiaoli smiled, patted his back, and looked up and said to Kou Xuanling: "Old Kou, let's go out and meet up with the others first. According to the situation, we should use the Fengdu Pardon Token, and we have to go out quickly. Chen Yang should have a way... Old Kou?" She took a step forward and looked back, but she didn't hear any response from Kou Xuanling: "Are you there?"
Kou Xuanling did not respond. Mao Xiaoli walked towards the place where he was standing according to her memory. After walking three or four meters, she still did not see anyone. She had a bad feeling in her heart, so she walked forward two or three meters and finally confirmed this bad feeling. At a distance of five or six meters, she should have touched the wall, but now the road ahead was unobstructed.
It seems that the entire Wei Collection Hall has not only become a passage to the Infernal Hell, but has even become a chaotic space. Mao Xiaoli has only heard of the horror of the Infernal Hell, and has only a little understanding of the passage to the Infernal Hell. She has no idea that this is a chaotic space, and that one step might lead her to an unknown place.
Mao Xiaoli remembered that the hell passage led the evil spirits to the hell. In other words, if she didn't have the Fengdu Shelter Token, she couldn't leave this endless dark passage. What's more, every step she took would lead her to the hell. For a moment, she didn't know whether to move forward or stay where she was. She regretted not practicing well.
Wei Ning looked up and asked, "Sister Xiaoli, can't we get out?"
Hearing this, Mao Xiaoli smiled and said, "No, we can definitely get out. I'm just wondering which direction to go to find Brother Chen and the others. By the way, is Ningning afraid of the dark?" Now they are not only surrounded by darkness, but also have to guard against the evil spirits in the dark.
Wei Ning shook his head: "I'm not afraid, I'm used to it." Because of the relic, he has been harassed by ghosts since he was old enough to understand, especially when night falls, the ghosts are more rampant. When he was young, he was ignorant and thought they were friends. He trusted them too much and was almost dragged into the wall. Later, after he saw through their true colors, he was harassed every night.
Mao Xiaoli felt sad when she heard this. She hugged Wei Ning tightly and promised, "I will definitely take you out. Don't worry."
Wei Ning: "Where's Mom?"
"Old Kou is protecting... That's Kou Xuanling, a handsome older brother." Mao Xiaoli took out a stack of talismans from her pocket and burned them to illuminate the way, but the range of illumination was limited. If you couldn't tell the direction, you would get lost even with the light. She took out another stack of three-day noble blessing talismans, and watched with her own eyes as the blessing talismans in her palm were slowly corroded and turned into ashes.
Mao Xiaoli took a deep breath and said, "Let's go." Every step she took almost used up a Three Days Blessing Talisman. After walking about ten meters, all the talismans on her body were used up, and the evil spirits sensed that the breath of living people was rushing towards them. They lived in darkness all year round and were particularly afraid of fire. Once the talismans were used up, they would rush over.
Once the three-day blessing talisman is used up, there is a high probability that you will get lost in the passage and never be able to get out again. Mao Xiaoli's palms were sweating, her forehead was sweating, and her breathing was rapid. She didn't know whether she should gamble on her luck. She recalled the number of times she had drawn the lottery since she was a child, and she almost never won. Thinking of this, she felt even more nervous.
Mao Xiaoli stretched out her foot, and just as she was about to land, she heard Wei Ning say, "I think... it's better to go to the left."
Mao Xiaoli turned her head with a start, almost spraining her neck, but the pain in her neck was not as great as the excitement. She said, "Ningning, can you tell the direction?"
Wei Ning shook his head: "I can't tell, but I think I should go this way. Because there are a lot of noises in the front and fewer on the left." He couldn't accurately describe what he heard and felt. He only knew that if he walked forward, he would fall into a deep pit and be torn to pieces by the howling evil spirits below.
Mao Xiaoli hugged Wei Ning tightly: "Okay, let's go to the left. Ningning, tell me if you feel anything, don't be afraid."
After that, she walked forward along the path pointed by Wei Ning, and the light of the talisman slowly went out. Mao Xiaoli lit the talisman before the evil spirit pounced on her and continued to walk forward. There were only two talismans left in her pocket. When she lit the last talisman, she finally met Zhang Qiudao who came to look for her.
Walking in the darkness, the bright firelight gradually illuminated Zhang Qiudao's figure and face, and only her figure was visible in his dark pupils. The first thing Zhang Qiudao said was: "Are you okay?" The second thing he said was: "I'm here, don't be afraid."
Mao Xiaoli bit her cheek and sniffed, and used her free hand to tightly grasp the clothes on Zhang Qiudao's arm, lowering her head for a long time without saying a word. Zhang Qiudao lowered his eyes and stared at her quietly, his eyes full of tenderness, but Mao Xiaoli lowered her head and didn't see it.
Mao Xiaoli: "Thank you."
Zhang Qiudao smiled, took Wei Ning from her arms, and covered Mao Xiaoli's hand that was holding her arm with his other hand, and held it tightly without letting go. "Let's go, I'll take you out."
Mao Xiaoli: "Can you get out?"
"We have to give it a try."
Zhang Qiudao led the way. Mao Xiaoli's eyes slid from his serious face to their hands. The panic and fear in her heart seemed to have found a supporter and were all dispelled. She felt more secure and reliable than ever before. She mustered up the courage to ask, "Did you come to see me on purpose, or did you run into me by accident?"
Zhang Qiu said, "You have the final say."
"ah?"
"Whatever you think is up to you."
Mao Xiaoli frowned: "Just tell me what you mean, don't look away. What I think is my business. How can I know what you do and what you mean if you don't tell me clearly?"
"Are you sure you want to talk about this in front of a child?" Zhang Qiudao glanced back at Mao Xiaoli, and found her choked and speechless look funny. So he laughed out loud: "How stupid."
Mao Xiaoli laughed twice. Ma Shanfeng had mentioned in his popular science that if a person is in a desperate situation for a period of time, they will develop a dependent affection for the first person who appears in front of them. It seems that these experts' opinions are not all exaggerated. Fortunately, this false and unreliable dependent affection is relatively short-lived and will soon make people sober.
She wanted to shake off his hand and walk away, but Zhang Qiudao tightened his grip: "Are you still angry with me at this time? Holding hands will keep us from getting separated and then having to waste time and effort looking for you again."
Mao Xiaoli: "Will you say something nice?"
"Do you want to hear me say something nice?" Zhang Qiudao asked back.
Mao Xiaoli thought for a while and said, "Forget it. My greatest hope is that you choose to shut up." Hearing this, Zhang Qiudao snorted with a smile that could be easily captured.
Zhang asked, "Do you have any more talismans?" The fire above his head gradually dimmed and was about to go out. He no longer had any talismans, and wondered if Mao Xiaoli had any. Mao Xiaoli searched her pockets but couldn't find any talismans: "No more, have you used them up too?"
Zhang Qiu said, "Don't you always carry a lot of talismans in your pocket? Why do you use them up so quickly?"
Hearing this, Mao Xiaoli coughed twice in embarrassment: "Sold, sold."
Zhang Qiudao was speechless: "... Mao Xiaoli, can't you be less greedy for money?"
Mao Xiaoli argued: "A gentleman loves money but earns it in a proper way. I have not harmed anyone's interests. Besides, everyone has their own preferences. I just love money."
Zhang Qiu said, "Then I'll give you all my money, do you want it?"
Mao Xiaoli was stunned for a moment and then pretended not to hear and continued: "Haha, I don't really love money, otherwise I would have taken over so many big orders in the branch long ago. Even if the grade is small and I can't take it, I can cooperate with others to get some broth. But I said that a gentleman loves money and gets it in a proper way. I am just keen on selling talismans to make money and enjoy the process." After an awkward smile, she quickly changed the subject: "You and I have used up our talismans, so what should we do now?"
The last bit of the talisman's flame died out and fell, and the surroundings fell into darkness again. The evil ghosts watching them rushed over like vicious dogs smelling meat. Mao Xiaoli was about to take action, but Zhang Qiudao grabbed her hand and said, "Don't let go."
Mao Xiaoli: "If you don't let go now, the evil ghost will pounce on you and tear you to pieces and eat you all?"
Zhang begged: "Let go now, where should I find you later?"
"I—" Mao Xiaoli was stunned. She suddenly realized the danger and immediately raised her sword. She used her finger as a sword and quickly formed a hand seal to kill the evil ghosts that rushed over: "I can't suppress it." The evil ghosts rushed over from all directions, coveting the three living bodies in front of them. They had been hungry for a long time and were eager to return to the world of the living. So there was no way she would let them go. Mao Xiaoli put her sword finger in front of her chest and said: "Break through, force your way out."
Zhang Qiudao listened to the evil ghost's shrill cries and said, "One person cannot defeat a thousand troops, not to mention that we have run out of magic talismans and have no suitable magic tools. Moreover, time is limited. We must meet up with Chen Yang and the others before the Fengdu amnesty token expires and we can leave here." He suddenly turned around and handed Wei Ning in his arms to Mao Xiaoli: "He can take you to find Chen Yang and the others. You hold me and rush out later."
"I'll break out?" Mao Xiaoli: "What about you?"
Zhang begged, "I'll lead them away." When Mao Xiaoli was about to refuse, she was quickly stopped: "Don't be willful, whoever can go is the one. I have the Merit Treasure Edict on me, they dare not attack me. After I lead them away, I will come to you immediately-" He patted her head: "Mao Xiaoli, be good, listen to me this time."
Mao Xiaoli shook her head: "No. My Mao family is not timid, cowardly, and afraid of death. You have the Meritorious Edict, and I also have a trump card that I haven't played yet. It's just a thousand ghosts. I, Mao Xiaoli, have seen ghosts since I was a child. How can I be afraid?"
At this time, Zhang Qiudao lit the rhino horn in his hand, raised his eyes and looked at Mao Xiaoli steadily, and laughed at her for a while: "Usually, you draw talismans for three days and dry the net for two days. What useful trump card do you have?" He turned and slowly walked into the darkness: "I have something to tell you. Let's talk about it when we get back."
Mao Xiaoli stared at the burning rhino horn in his hand and quickly stepped forward to snatch it away, but unfortunately she could no longer see Zhang Qiudao after taking a step forward. She stood there in a daze, not knowing how to react for a long time.
Wei Ning asked cautiously: "Sister Xiaoli, are you crying? Is my brother in danger?"
Mao Xiaoli came back to her senses and realized that she had been crying. She wiped away her tears and hugged Wei Ning tightly and said calmly: "He will be fine. Let's go first."
A story in the Book of Jin mentioned that Wen Qiao, a Jin man, passed by Niuzhu and saw that the water was unfathomable, so he lit a rhino horn to illuminate Niuzhu, which attracted ghosts from the bottom of the water. Yin and Yang are different, and the ghosts collided with the yang energy of living people, and Wen Qiao died. There is a rumor among the people that rhino horns can see ghosts, but in fact, rhino horns can not only see ghosts, but also attract ghosts.
Mao Xiaoli was silent all the way. Although her face was pale, the light in her eyes was getting brighter and brighter. She seemed to be walking forward aimlessly, but in fact, she had a plan for every step. The talents of the Mao family have always been terrifying. If they are willing, they will definitely find a way out in desperate situations. With the help of Wei Ning who swallowed the relic, they soon met Chen Yang, Kou Xuanling and others.
Mao Xiaoli thought she would cry and complain about her fears when she saw Chen Yang and the others, but in fact, she was calm. After handing Wei Ning over to Kou Xuanling, she mentioned Zhang Qiu, who led away all the ghosts, to the others: "I want to find him."
Chen Yang rejected her request without hesitation, and then handed the Fengdu amnesty token to Kou Xuanling, and set out to look for it himself. Mao Xiaoli wanted to follow but was also rejected. She hesitated for only a few seconds before giving in. In an instant, she knew what everyone didn't say, because she was not very experienced. Even if she wanted to help, she would only be a hindrance. She had never realized how weak she was as clearly as she did now.
When they were going back, Kou Xuanling looked at her with a worried look. Mao Xiaoli couldn't smile and said, "I'm fine, and I'm sober. Let's leave the passage first." She paused and asked, "If we leave like this, can Chen Yang and Zhang Qiudao still come out without the Fengdu Pardon Token?"
Kou Xuanling: "It's okay. Did you forget about the situation?"
Mao Xiaoli followed everyone out of the hell passage and stood in the living room on the first floor of the Wei Collection. The continuous heavy rain outside had stopped and the sky was slightly bright. Suddenly, a warm hand touched her head. Mao Xiaoli subconsciously turned around and saw Kou Xuanling smiling. Kou Xuanling said, "Don't worry about Zhang Qiudao, he will be fine."
Mao Xiaoli blinked: "Yeah."
Chen Yang finally brought Zhang Qiudao back. He was seriously injured and had to lie in bed for a few days. Mao Xiaoli took care of him for a few days. In fact, Zhang Qiudao was already fine. Mao Xiaoli knew it but didn't say it. It was not until she figured it out that she said to them while everyone was there: "I want to go back to Maoshan."
Naturally, everyone refused. Chen Yang said, "I can't fire you unless you convince me."
Mao Xiaoli said: "Go back to Maoshan and learn Taoism." When the children of the Mao family become enlightened, they will go back to Maoshan to learn Taoism.
Chen Yang compromised: "The branch will always keep a position for you. If you finish your studies, you must come back."
Mao Xiaoli looked up at the people who tried to keep her, and was quite touched. "Well, I didn't want to leave anyway." She couldn't bear to leave Chen Yang's cooking skills, Ma Shanfeng's homemade fruit wine, and everyone. Of course, she seemed to be more reluctant to leave the person who appeared in front of her when she was scared and led away all the ghosts for her.
After everyone left, only Mao Xiaoli and Zhang Qiudao were left in the room. Mao Xiaoli fiddled with the porridge bowl without saying a word. Zhang Qiudao stared at her, his voice as cold as ice: "You don't have to leave. If I cause you any trouble, I won't appear in front of you again in the future."
Mao Xiaoli looked up in surprise: "What are you talking about? Did you hurt your brain?" She raised her hand to touch Zhang Qiudao's forehead, but was grabbed by the wrist. Zhang Qiudao grabbed her wrist and didn't let go, asking her without any concealment: "Do you accept or reject?"
Mao Xiaoli: “Hmm?”
Zhang Qiu said, "I like your things."
Mao Xiaoli: "Shh!" She pointed to the closed door to indicate that a bunch of mice were eavesdropping outside, then took out her cell phone and whispered, "Let me know on WeChat." She buried her head in her phone and typed a line of words: I don't know, there is no answer.
Zhang Qiudao frowned and stared at her after reading it, but Mao Xiaoli ignored him and continued typing: "Let me think about it. I didn't plan to fall in love or get married. Suddenly, something happened that disrupted my future plans. I didn't have time to think about it. This incident was like a world-shaking event for me, turning my future into an unclear vortex."
After reading it, Zhang Qiudao did not ask for an answer. Instead, he calmly prepared her luggage and sent her to the train station. Then he came back and took out his phone to read the passage over and over again, breaking down and reassembling each word and engraving it in his heart.
Mao Xiaoli did not respond directly, but her words showed that she was upset. She considered Zhang Qiudao to be part of her future, so even if her plan of not getting married was disrupted, she did not cut it off and did not completely deny Zhang Qiudao a chance. Mao Xiaoli usually laughed and joked, and seemed to not think too much about the future and just wanted to enjoy herself in the present, but in fact, she was very determined.
Live life to the fullest is just her attitude towards life. She likes to go to the alleys to trick customers into buying her peach blossom charms and luck charms, likes to roll over Da Pang to piss him off, likes to steal Ma Shanfeng's tea sets, and secretly stays up late to do summer homework for Wei Xuan, but ends up getting stumped by a simple question about chickens and ducks in the same cage. Mao Xiaoli is always chattering and irritable, which people who don't know her well would find annoying, but if you lose such a simple, easily satisfied, always happy and energetic person in your life, you would feel extremely lonely.
Zhang Qiudao typed five words in the writing box: I'll wait for you to come back.
Mao Xiaoli received the letter when she got off the bus. She smiled for a long time and replied with a smiley face. She went home and locked herself in her room for a few days. When she came out, she said to the people sitting around the dining table: "I have come to my senses. I want to practice in seclusion. Don't disturb me!"
The Mao family looked at her blankly, said "oh" and continued to eat. When Mao Xiaoli went downstairs to eat in the evening, the Mao family sat together. Mao Xiaoli's eldest brother Mao Xiaoying suddenly poked his head out of his bowl and said, "Xiaoli, aren't you going to practice in seclusion?"
Mao Xiaoli rolled her eyes: "I want to practice in seclusion, not fasting." She also needs to eat, otherwise how would she have the energy to practice magic
"Yes." Mao Xiaoying asked her again: "Why did you suddenly come to your senses?"
Mao Xiaoli ignored him and continued to eat very quickly. While Mao Xiaoying continued to talk, she served the second bowl of rice. Mao Xiaoying continued to speak slowly: "If the Mao family members have awakened, it must be because they have suffered a major blow in their lives and suddenly realized it. For example, my father was almost killed by his good friend ntr—"
Father Mao threw the chopsticks in his hand like darts at Mao Xiaoying's face, then pulled out new chopsticks from under the table and continued eating. Mao Xiaoying clamped the chopsticks, gently placed them on the table and continued: "I fell into a ghost cave and almost killed my friends. Several aunts became wise because of emotional problems. So Xiaoli, you—"
"Bang!" The Mao family members smashed their bowls on the table and looked at Mao Xiaoli. The Mao family aunts were heartbroken: "Xiaoli, who let you down? Let's kill him." Mao's father asked excitedly: "Do you have a partner?"
Mao Xiaoli put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hand and burped: "I'm full, I'll go upstairs to practice magic first, you guys eat slowly." After that, she stood up and wanted to go upstairs. Mao's father stopped her from leaving, Mao Xiaoli smiled coldly: "There is only one bowl of rice left in the pot, and you still have time to discuss my love life with me?"
Father Mao was startled and subconsciously looked towards the rice pot. But at this time, Aunt Mao, who was closest to the rice pot, took the last bowl of rice and said, "Thank you."
Mao Xiaoying looked at the less than half-eaten rice in the bowl and said after a while: "I only had one bowl..."
Mother Mao smiled kindly and said, "Keep up the good work next time."
When Mao Xiaoying set out for the Taoist Association, Mao Xiaoli specifically handed him a photo of Zhang Qiudao and said, "Pay attention to this person."
Mao Xiaoying stared at him for a long while: "Remember. Is this my brother-in-law?"
Mao Xiaoli looked up at the sky: "Maybe."
Mao Xiaoying: "Oh, brother-in-law." We will definitely get along well, fist clenched.
A month later, a great event happened in the Mao family. The soul of Mao Zhen, who had been in a coma for more than 20 years, was revived. The whole family was immersed in joy. Originally, the family asked Mao Xiaoying to take Mao Zhen's soul back to Maoshan immediately, but Longhushan was holding a Taoist cultural festival, and Mao Zhen wanted to stay there to participate in the Taoist cultural festival before leaving. At this time, the Mao family naturally obeyed Mao Zhen, as long as he was happy.
Mao Xiaoli took this opportunity to buy a flight ticket to Longhu Mountain, of course, it was a special ticket, and sneaked out at night. As a result, she was caught by Mao's father at the door. Mao Xiaoli shook her arms and legs and said: "I came out for a walk."
Father Mao looked meaningfully and said, "Girls should not be kept at home when they grow up." Then he turned back.
Mao Xiaoli's face twitched for a long time, and she almost wanted to tear Mao's father apart. He saw everything but said nothing, and squatted at the door in the middle of the night just to say this. Mao Xiaoli was indignant: "Isn't it just that he ate a little too much? He should have lost weight long ago." Mao's father's figure tended to be fat like a middle-aged man, and because of this, he was often attacked by the women in the Mao family, who asked him to eat less.
She didn't buy a flight directly to Longhu Mountain, but to fly to another province to stay for a day before taking another flight. Because she left in a hurry, she couldn't buy a continuous flight. At that time, Zhang Qiudao told her about the interesting things he encountered during the trip as usual.
Mao Xiaoli couldn't help but say: "I want to attend the Longhushan Taoist Cultural Festival. I heard it's very interesting... I'm already on my way."
There was a long silence on the other end before he said, "I'll pick you up."
Mao Xiaoli smiled: "Yeah."
When the Taoist Cultural Festival came, countless people lit up their own Kongming lanterns. When Mao Xiaoli got off the bus, she saw Kongming lanterns all over the city. The orange light flickered in the sky above her head, warm and beautiful, carrying the good expectations of countless people. The crowd was noisy, and Mao Xiaoli couldn't make a phone call or voice message, so she sent a message.
Zhang Qiudao kept staring at his phone and received the message as soon as possible.
I'll be there now.
When the Taoist prayer for blessings and warding off disasters began, people poured into the Tianshi Mansion like a tide, and soon only a few people were left on the street. When the spiritual sound was clear and loud, and the sound of gold and jade was like the music of heaven, Mao Xiaoli saw Zhang Qiudao standing in front of her.
"I can answer the questions you asked me then now." Mao Xiaoli said, "I accept it."
The author has something to say: ntr: refers to the spouse or partner being robbed.