Xu Xingzhi stumbled back into the house. After entering the door, due to his blurred vision, he almost overturned a pottery bottle to the ground.
Holding the bottle, the intermittent picture in front of Xu Xingzhi gradually became coherent.
But he was probably used to this kind of dizziness, and Xu Xingzhi didn't faint this time.
Leaning against the root of the wall, Xu Xingzhi gasped violently, and a large group of thick fog floated in front of him.
A street washed by autumn rain appeared in front of him.
On the side of the street across the street from the tea house, looking at the scenery of Nahua lanterns, it should be a brothel. Inside the small building of the brothel, there was a woman playing the pipa mournful song, mixed with the sound of autumn rain, which was very sad.
There were few people on the street, only a solitary cabbage rolled across the street.
A deaf old man selling candied haws squatted under the eaves of the teahouse to avoid the rain, and the grass handle beside him was full of bright candied haws that could not be sold.
The restaurant guy went out to blast him: "Go, go, don't you see the nobles here? If you collide with the nobles, your good fortune in the next life will be gone!"
The old man couldn't hear what he said, only knew that he was chasing him, so he got up and wanted to leave as usual.
Xu Xingzhi, who was sitting by the window, crossed the diamond lattice window to see this scene. The corners of his lips were slightly raised, and he said hello, "The store owner, I want to invite the old gentleman in for a cup of tea. Just do it."
After all, he threw the consistent money on the table, and the clanging of coins made the man's eyes green.
He rushed into the rain screen, pulled the old man, and after a long gesture, he nodded and bowed to welcome him back into the store.
Jiuzhideng, who was sitting at the same table with Xu Xingzhi, poured a cup of tea from his own teacup, held it for the old man silently, and took out the dry food wrapped in a tender lotus leaf in his arms and handed it to the old man.
The old man thanked him repeatedly, but he didn't change his expression, just nodded slightly, and got up and went back to the table.
Xu Xingzhi was discussing something with Meng Chongguang, and when he saw Jiuzhideng come back, he pulled him to sit down, pointed to the opposite side and asked, "Listen to the two of you, how well does that girl play the pipa?"
Jiuzhideng's expression was indifferent: "...it's acceptable."
Meng Chongguang on the side looked at Xu Xingzhi with a smile: "Not as good as senior brother."
Jiuzhideng glanced at Meng Chongguang and said nothing.
Xu Xingzhi took out a bank note from the palm of his hand like a juggler: "Wait for this time, senior brother will take you in to play?"
Jiuzhideng immediately flushed his cheeks, pursed his lips and shook his head: "Senior brother, it's the place of fireworks, you can't..."
Meng Chongguang held his cheeks, and interrupted Jiuzhideng with a heartless smile: "Okay, with senior brother, Chongguang is happy wherever you go."
The girl sitting at the same table with them coughed softly, and said with anger, "...Senior brother."
The girl is dressed in Fengling Mountain costume, she is very beautiful, there is no false strokes on her face, snow skin and black hair, she is a sculptural beauty. And for a woman who is fortunate enough to be able to entrust a woman with such an appearance, it is difficult not to be squeamish, and a girl is naturally unavoidable. It is inevitable that there is a bit more aggressiveness in her flying look: "Listen, senior brother, don't you often go to those places?"
Before Xu Xingzhi opened his mouth, Zhou Beinan, who was next to him, put a bar in and said, "...Don't listen to his nonsense. He doesn't have the guts to enter those gourds and washers. Pulling you guys is nothing more than courageous."
Xu Xingzhi: "Don't ruin my reputation in front of my brothers and sisters."
Zhou Beinan didn't even look at him, and said to the girl, "Last time, I went to Shouyang Mountain with you, Senior Brother Xu, to arrest the exiled ghost cultivator. After the matter was over, he said that he would take me there to see those gold-selling caves. It's like I've seen the world a lot, but I was persuaded when the girl pulled her trousers belt, saying don't say no, my daughter-in-law is about to give birth, and she pulled me away and ran away."
Xu Xingzhi: "... Fatty Zhou, are you going to die?"
Zhou Beinan showed no fear: "Just say whether it's true or not."
Only then did the girl show her face, she slapped her cheeks with a smile, and went to shy away.
Next to Zhou Beinan sat his sister Zhou Xian. She followed her brother's appearance, but not his temperament. Hearing her brother's strange words, she only covered her mouth with a gentle smile.
After listening to Zhou Beinan's words, Meng Chongguang and Jiuzhideng breathed a sigh of relief.
In the end, the one who ended the conversation was Wen Xuechen, who was sitting alone at a table.
He knocked on the cup and ordered Zhou Beinan and Xu Xingzhi: "You two, stop bickering."
Compared with the closed doors of other shops and the few courtyards, this small teahouse can be described as very lively.
Several main tables were occupied by four disciples dressed in various uniforms. Xu Xingzhi took Meng Chongguang, Jiuzhideng and his junior sister Yuan Ruhui to sit at a table, Zhou Beinan sat with his sister Zhou Xian, Qu Chi took three or four Danyang Peak disciples, and only Wen Xuechen occupied a table. , drink alone.
The two Qinglianggu disciples he brought, including Lu Yujiu, all sat obediently at the other table, behaved properly, and did not dare to overstep the slightest.
In addition to the four disciples, a beautiful and slender noodle child was sitting at Qu Chi's table, sobbing. Qu Chi coaxed him warmly, but he kept crying and crying, making people feel heartbroken.
Xu Xingzhi turned his head: "Qu Chi, can you do it? Can you ask?"
Qu Chi was also a little helpless: "Take your time, don't worry."
He grabbed the child's cold and soft little hand and asked in a good-natured way, "Where did you see those who kidnapped your brother go, tell us, okay?"
The child just choked, his eyes were red, and he opened his mouth to speak, but he was so nervous that he couldn't say a word.
Qu Chi put his hand on the back of the child's head and rubbed gently: "I know you were frightened, don't be afraid, now that you are with us, nothing will happen. Don't worry."
The child was bewildered, his pale lips parted slightly, but he remained silent.
Xu Xingzhi knocked on the table: "Ruji, you go try it out."
Yuan Ruzhou has been looking at Xu Xingzhi quietly since just now, with a peach complexion and a spring on the corners of his lips, but when Xu Xingzhi looked at her, she leaned back with her sword in her arms, raised her chin quite coldly, and replied: "Yes, brother."
When he stood up, Yuan Ruzhou secretly pressed the back of his hand to his hot cheek, and winked at Zhou Xian again.
Zhou Xian saw the mood of Yuan Ruzhou's youngest daughter into his eyes, and after laughing, he also stood up.
Women should be better at coaxing their children, especially beautiful women, who have inherent advantages.
Xu Xingzhi thought so, but the child didn't appreciate it at all, but when he saw Zhou Xian and Yuan Ruzhou approaching him together, he was so frightened that he got under the table.
Yuan Ruzhou stopped in her footsteps with a puzzled look on her face.
The waiter in the restaurant on the side scratched his scalp and explained for the child: "I've seen this child twice. Their opera troupe performs all year round near Dawu Mountain. I heard that the hostess of the troupe is a shrewd woman and punishes these elementary school apprentices. It seems that they have some grudge with them in their previous life. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I can hear these little things being punished crying. He also got the name of 'Ghost Seeing Sorrow'..."
Speaking of which, he shrugged: "This time the entire troupe has been kidnapped by ghosts, and the mother-in-law is afraid that she is going to see a ghost."
Speaking of this, it is not difficult for those present to guess that this child is afraid of being overwhelmed by the wife of the class leader, so he is afraid of women.
Yuan Ruzhou and Zhou Xian had no choice but to retreat.
Returning to the table, Yuan Ruzhou complained softly, "How could that woman treat the child like this, it's really inhumane. It's just right that Ghost Xiu took her away."
Xu Xingzhi coughed lightly, signaling Yuan Ruzhou to stop talking.
The baby-faced Lu Yujiu buried his head very low, not daring to say a word.
Since the Ming Crow Kingdom was broken, the ghost repairers who were not caught have been scattered. Two days ago, such a group of exiled ghost cultivators came near Dawu Mountain and took away the entire troupe who settled in the mountain temple. Only the little boy who was hiding behind the Buddha statue survived.
Everyone knows that two days have passed, and these troupe people have either been refined into awakened corpses or used to refine their souls and cast pills, and now they have no hope of surviving.
It is still a must to find out where the ghosts are hiding and catch them all. However, only this surviving child may know their whereabouts, but if they do everything they can, he is also hard to tell.
Qu Chi was a little helpless, and said to Zhou Beinan, "Beinan, come and give it a try."
Zhou Beinan waved his hand knowingly: "Farewell, I won't coax the child, I want to cry when I hear the child cry."
Qu Chi turned his attention to Wen Xuechen again.
Wen Xuechen was getting a headache from the noise, and was slowly rubbing his temples in the wheelchair. Hearing this, he only glanced at him, and the child simply burst into tears, crying as he cried, "Strange, monster... woo-white-haired …”
Wen Xuechen: "..."
Xu Xingzhi and Zhou Beinan both held back their laughter and their shoulders were shaking.
Qu Chi coughed lightly, and when he was battered, he rolled his eyes and saw the old man who was resting against the wall and devoured the dry food, and finally thought of a good way: "I'll buy you some candied haws to eat, don't cry, okay?"
However, he soon realized one thing and turned his head towards Xu Xingzhi: "Xingzhi, I came out this time, and I didn't have any money with me, can you lend me some?"
Xu Xingzhi held the teacup and raised a finger: "Okay. One hundred spirit stones."
Qu Chi: "… "
"It's not deducted from Danyang Peak, you don't have it in your own private library?" Xu Xingzhi took back his hand, "One hundred spirit stones, if you don't have it, don't give it."
Wen Xuechen couldn't stand it anymore: "Okay, don't bully Qu Chi."
Xu Xingyi was not polite at all: "Wen Baimao, when we come out this time, I will pay for the tea, can't I pay for it?"
Zhou Beinan was honest and rude: "That child is crying. It's just a few pennies. Do you have any sympathy?"
Xu Xingzhi patted Meng Chongguang's head: "Who can't cry. Chongguang, you cry too."
Meng Chongguang immediately held back two tears obediently.
Jiuzhideng, who had always been silent, also spoke on behalf of Xu Xingzhi: "... Young Master Zhou, Senior Brother is not a person without sympathy..."
"You Fengling Mountain don't talk about the order of superiority and inferiority?" Before Jiuzhideng's voice fell, Wen Xuechen interrupted him sternly, "A few of us are talking, you are a middle-level disciple, why are you interrupting?"
Jiuzhideng's face froze, and he said respectfully, "...Yes, this disciple knows he's wrong."
Xu Xingzhi's problem of protecting the calf immediately broke out: "Wen Baimao, why are you yelling at my little lamp? Put your prestige and wind to your Qinglianggu, our Fengling Mountain is not as big as your Qinglianggu."
Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, the good-tempered Qu Chi stood up again and made a round of it: "Okay, don't quarrel, a hundred spirit stones are a hundred spirit stones."
The business was done, Xu Xingzhi got up voluntarily, pulled out the stool, took out a few pennies from his wallet, squatted down and placed it in front of the old man selling candied haws, and chose a large one from his grass handle. The fruit-red candied haws were stuffed into Qu Chi's hands, and at the same time he didn't forget to remind: "Keep it on the account, don't be fooled."
Immediately, he turned over the restaurant stool with the backrest, straddled it, and dragged the child in front of him: "Don't cry."
The child twitched, his face pale.
Xu Xingzhi went straight in, half-heartedly: "Among the people who were taken away, there are people close to you."
Hearing the words, the child raised his head in shock, but his tears flowed even more happily.
Confirming what he thought, Xu Xingzhi leaned on the back of the chair, tilted the chair, and said while shaking, "Are parents? Sister?"
The child started to speak normally, his voice was tender and thin, not like a boy, but like a poor little girl: "...it's my brother, who was sent to the theater with me by my parents since childhood..."
Xu Xingzhi said, "I will help you get your brother's bones back, can you stop crying?"
Qu Chi was surprised: "...Okay, don't talk like that..."
Xu Xingzhi raised an index finger to signal Qu Chi to keep quiet.
The child listened to Xu Xingzhi's words, covered his mouth with his hands, and tried his best to shove back the cry, hiccups.
Seeing this, Xu Xingzhi knew more.
This child should have seen the picture of his brother's death with his own eyes, and knew that his brother could not come back alive.
Therefore, Qu Chi's many comforts to him before were of little use to him.
Telling him that he can retrieve his brother's bones is more practical to this child than the emptiness of consolation.
Xu Xingzhi stroked his messy long hair like a puppy: "Good. Tell me, where did you see those monsters running."
The child took a deep breath, dipped his hand in the tea in the cup on the table, and drew a mountain.
Zhou Xian was surprised, and glanced at Yuan Ruzhou, who puffed out his chest slightly, his face full of pride.
Meng Chongguang and Jiuzhideng both have a look of admiration.
"Dawu Mountain?" Seeing the sketch drawn by the child, Xu Xingzhi asked, "Did they hide in Dawu Mountain?"
The child shook his head and directed the waterline on the table towards the west.
Qu Chi, who was holding the candied haws, suddenly woke up: "...is it the tip of a white horse?"
The child nodded vigorously and stuttered a little: "I saw, I saw them going there, I don't know, they are still there now."
Zhou Beinan couldn't help but be surprised to be able to ask the result so quickly: "Xu Xingzhi, you can."
"It goes without saying, who am I, Xu Xingzhi." Xu Xingzhi accepted the compliment without any guilt, patted the child's head again, and asked, "Boy, what's your name?"
The child didn't answer, first glanced at Qu Chi with tears in his eyes.
With a smile on his face and a look of encouragement in his eyes, Qu Chi handed over the string of candied haws covered with golden candy.
Qu Chi's persuasion wasn't entirely ineffective, at least among the people in front of him, the child was still most attached to Qu Chi.
After a long while, he bit the candy tip on the candied haws and whispered, "...My name is Tao Xian."