Denghuaxiao

On a cold day, the sky and the earth turned white, and goose feathers fell one after another.

In the 35th year of Yongchang, southern Jiangsu ushered in a heavy snowfall that was rare in ten years.

Heavy snow quickly covered the long streets in the city of southern Jiangsu. The jagged tree branches cast strange shadows in the moonlight on the cold night. The doors of every house were tightly closed. Through the lighted windows on the two streets, the aroma of Laba porridge occasionally wafted out.

In the mass graves behind the execution ground, the ice and snow washed away the sticky bloody smell in the field, and the dead bodies were piled on top of each other. Their original appearance was not visible because they were condensed by the ice and snow, and they glowed green and white under the moonlight.

In this quiet snow, there are dark figures walking through it, like mice at night, moving quickly and cautiously.

Twelve-year-old Lu Tong walked in the graveyard behind the execution ground.

A few days ago, Yun Niang developed a new poison and asked her to go down the mountain to find fresh human liver.

She came down from Luomei Peak and stayed in Sunan City for three days. She waited until the execution of the death row prisoner ended today, the crowd of spectators dispersed, the executioner returned home, and the official officer threw the corpse of the death row prisoner into a mass grave. Then she left the ruined temple where she lived. come out.

The snow was heavy and quiet, and the snowflakes fell on the girl's tightly wrapped topcoat. The topcoat was covered with a layer of dampness, and was biting by the cold night wind.

Lu Tong seemed unaware, just lowered his head and carefully selected the dead bodies in the pile of corpses by the moonlight.

After the death row inmates in Sunan City are executed, those with family members will pay money to take the bodies back. Without family members, the corpses of executed prisoners were piled haphazardly in the graves behind the execution ground and buried hastily.

There is no shortage of corpses in the mass graves, some are fresh and some have been decayed for a long time. Those hideous wounds were solidified by the wind and snow, stopping in a bloody scene. Lu Tong was walking cautiously among the corpses when she accidentally tripped on a round object under her feet and almost fell. She steadied herself and took a closer look.

It was a head that had been chopped off from the neck down. The hair was as unkempt as black grass, the skin was as pale as wax, and only a pair of wide-eyed eyes could not hide the ferocity.

It should be the head of the death row prisoner who was beheaded today.

Lu Tong's body trembled.

She hurriedly lowered her head, clasped her hands together, and bowed in a low voice to the head in front of her. Then she bypassed the head and continued to move forward.

Even though he had seen all kinds of dead bodies, Lu Tong still couldn't be completely calm every time he encountered them.

Yun Niang is always making new poisons, and new poisons require a variety of materials.

Some are herbs, nectar, animal bodies.

Some are human hearts, human livers, and human bodies.

Of course, the body of a living person is the best, but Yun Niang cannot directly kill people to make poison. She can only do the next best thing and find the freshest corpse.

Sometimes, Yun Niang would find a newly bereaved poor family, negotiate a good price with the family, and buy the body.

Sometimes, Yun Niang would inquire about a patient who was dying soon, negotiate a good deal of money, and wait for the patient to be disappointed, so that she could immediately take the freshest medicine.

Lu Tong once saw that the little daughter of a poor family was seriously ill and died. Yun Niang negotiated a price with her father, and then she waited in front of the little daughter of that family and waited for the girl to feel depressed. It is terrifying to watch a living person take his last breath like a vulture.

But such families are not common, so more often than not, Yun Niang will ask Lu Tong to go to the graveyard to find fresh corpses. The mass graves on Luomei Peak are not fresh enough. If you want to find those who died recently, you have to go to the mass graves behind the execution ground in Sunan City.

These death row inmates without family members had committed heinous crimes while alive, and no one cared about their bones after death. They were the safest, and officials would not bother to take care of them. Even if you are discovered, just hand over a little money and it will be over.

This was not the first time Lu Tong came to the execution ground to look for corpses. She was always scared at the beginning, but as time went by, she became calmer. Sometimes I even feel that it is more reassuring to deal with the dead in such an execution ground than waiting for someone to be depressed in front of the hospital bed.

After all, sometimes the living are scarier than the dead.

Heavy snow falls from the sky, this is the coldest time of the year. There has been no snow in Sunan City for ten years, and the rivers in the city have frozen.

Lu Tong tightened her thin winter coat.

If we were in Changwu County in previous years, at this time of year, the cold would usher in the New Year, and it was time to prepare for the New Year.

Eating glutinous rice, drinking glutinous rice, making teeth, sweeping dust, pasting windows, making preserved meats, rushing to get married, taking advantage of the opportunity, taking baths, and applying New Year's greeting cards. The glutinous rice steamed by her mother was salty and fragrant. She and Lu Qian were always competing for the stove to sacrifice the stove. Sugar and oil cake fight.

It's just that this year's severe cold, there is no glutinous rice and stove candies, nor parents, brothers and sisters, only cloudy skies with heavy snow, and freezing clouds hanging on the ground.

Lu Tong stopped.

On the outermost side of the grave mound were several corpses.

Perhaps it was because it was snowing heavily today and it was too cold and it got dark early. The people at the execution ground did not even cover these new corpses with shrouds. They allowed the white snow to cover them layer by layer, freezing these human bodies into frost-white and hard bodies. ice sculpture.

The girl squatted down, rubbed her hands, and groped skillfully on these corpses under the dim moonlight.

After groping for a while, Lu Tong found a body that he was quite satisfied with.

It was a burly, headless corpse that looked like a middle-aged man. Among all the corpses, this corpse appeared to be stronger and stronger. It should be able to meet Yun Niang's needs.

Lu Tong brushed off the ice and snow on the body, opened the medical box, took out a jar and a knife, and opened the chest of the body with force, resisting the discomfort, and groped for what he wanted.

Heavy snow whizzed down on people, and in the empty execution ground, the only sound was the whine of the wind. The girl's figure in this cold silence is as young and frail as a foraging animal, agile and alert.

Lu Tong put the last piece of blood into a jar filled with ice and snow, closed the jar, put it in the medical kit, then reached out and grabbed a handful of snow water on the ground to wash away the blood on his hands.

The snow water soaked through the fingertips, and it was bitingly cold, like the human heart that had just been dug out.

When a person dies, there is no warmth. No matter how hot the blood is, after life passes away, it becomes a cold deep spring.

She moved the body and searched around for a long time, and finally found the head of the body. He is a thin, middle-aged man with sinister and gloomy features and wide eyes.

Lu Tong vaguely heard Ping Ren, who was watching the execution, mention that this man robbed passers-by, killed them and dumped their bodies, and that was why he was convicted and imprisoned.

She placed her head on the corpse's head, took two steps back, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the corpse several times.

"Uncle, I just took some things from you and found your head for you, so it's even."

Lu Tong said piously: "I didn't kill you. It was you who killed the person who will be punished. Every injustice has its own debtor, and I didn't harm you. If you feel unhappy, don't blame me."

"When the Qingming Festival comes next year, I will burn some paper money for you. Don't blame me. Don't blame me."

I've heard people say before that the prisoners who were executed were extremely vicious during their lifetime and would turn into evil spirits after their death. Lu Tong's act of digging out the heart and liver of a corpse was always a dishonorable act. With a guilty conscience, he could only dilute his guilt like this.

She had just finished reading and before she got up, she suddenly heard a chuckle from beside her.

"Who?!"

The next moment, a cold and sharp object pressed against his neck and shoulder. Someone was close behind him, and a voice came from his ears, clear and somewhat vague and hoarse.

"Where does this little thief come from and dares to steal things from dead people?"

Lu Tong's whole body was cold, and for a moment, his scalp felt numb.

She had stayed in the execution ground for such a long time, and she didn't realize when there was such a person here. When did this person come? She had just dug out the body and dug out the heart. How much had he seen?

After calming down, Lu Tong pretended to be calm and said, "Who are you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly smelled a strong smell of blood.

This bloody smell was different from the putrid and unpleasant bloody smell of the dead man just now. It was fresh and strong, coming from the person behind him. He was holding Lu Tong behind him, with the cold tip of the knife between his neck. Lu Tong could not turn around, nor could he see the other person's appearance clearly.

The man was silent and raised the tip of the knife slightly. Lu Tong felt a stronger pressure on his neck, accompanied by the man's smiling voice.

"I'm lost. It's very cold here. Take me to a place where I can rest. Otherwise," he lowered his voice slightly, "I will kill you."

Lu Tong froze in place.

This man seems to be injured, hiding here, maybe some kind of desperado. His knife was still across his neck, and it was too dangerous to argue with him at this time.

After a long stalemate, she gave in.

Lu Tong said slowly: "I know there is a ruined temple nearby to avoid the cold... I will take you there."

The other party gave a short laugh, wondering if he was pleased with her understanding. Then, an arm went around Lu Tong's back and put it on her shoulder.

From a distance, it looked like a drunk man holding her in his arms.

If you could ignore the dagger he had hidden in his hand and aimed at her neck.

Lu Tong let this man hold her and walked out of the execution ground one step at a time.

Half of the other person's body was leaning against her, and Lu Tong had to bear half of his weight. He was tall, and Lu Tong was supporting him, and she could smell the stronger bloody smell coming from him.

He was injured, Lu Tong was convinced.

But she didn't dare to escape at this time. The knife pressed against the tip of her throat was too sharp, and the man's body was too tight, like a beast that was ready to attack and could bite the throat of its prey at any time.

She didn't dare take risks. After walking about half a stick of incense, a crumbling temple appeared in the distance in the wind and snow.

The temple door is half open, there are no lights, only a little bit of night light shines on the thick broken beams.

Lu Tong felt the blade on his neck getting closer and quickly said, "There is no one here."

There's no one here.

The beggars and wandering monks in Sunan City often live in dilapidated temples, but no one cares about the dilapidated temples near the execution ground. Because people at that time often said that this place was close to the execution ground, and the ghosts of the dead who were executed at the execution ground remained, or became ghosts, and often wandered around here. Even the clay Bodhisattva originally enshrined in the ruined temple was damaged by the rain on a rainy day. After that, no one dared to spend the night here anymore.

Lu Tong often spends the night here because it is very close to the execution ground so that she can touch the corpses at night. Moreover, living with those beggars and wandering monks may not be safer than spending the night alone in the execution ground.

After all, dead people will not harm others, but living people may not.

Lu Tong led the man to the ruined temple, reached out and pushed the door out.

"Squeak-"

The temple door was fully opened.

The man blocked the door, put down his knife, and asked, "Is there a fire?"

Lu Tong replied softly: "Yes."

After saying this, he walked to the center of the temple, where he lay down under the altar table for the Clay Bodhisattva. After groping for a long time, he took out an oil lamp and a fire stick and lit it.

This was something she had hidden here before.

As soon as the oil lamp was lit, the surrounding area lit up.

In front of the altar, there is a clay statue of Bodhisattva that is as tall as a person. However, there was a heavy rain earlier and the temple leaked. The heavy rain for several days destroyed half of the colorful statue of the clay Bodhisattva, and even the face could not be identified clearly.

The wooden tray was empty, not even a piece of fruit was offered. No one had set foot here for a long time, and the corners were covered with layers of fine cobwebs and dust. There are some broken wooden boards stacked in the corner, perhaps beams that collapsed in the past.

Under the altar table, several tattered old futons were put together to vaguely resemble a bed. It was the "couch" made by Lu Tong, and she lay on it to rest at night.

The man's eyes briefly glanced at the futon mat, and he asked thoughtfully: "Do you live here?"

Lu Tong turned around suddenly.

It was cloudy at the execution ground, and my back was turned to this person, so I couldn't see his face clearly. At this moment, the lights in the temple were clear, and she could see the other party's appearance clearly from here.

He was a tall man, wearing a jet-black arrow suit and a black scarf. His face could not be seen, only a pair of very dark and very bright eyes were exposed, which shone a little coldly under the light.

His voice was very young. Although it was a little hoarse, it could not block the clear and bright voice unique to young people. Lu Tong guessed that he was only sixteen or seventeen years old, maybe younger.

When he saw Lu Tong looking over, he put the short knife in his hand back into the scabbard, casually walked to the middle of the temple, and began to look around.

He didn't block the door. Lu Tong's heart moved and she slowly walked towards the door.

Just as she was about to approach the broken door, a young man's cold voice came from behind: "Where are you going?"

Lu Tong paused.

She turned around stiffly, looked at the other person's back and spoke slowly: "I have brought you here, no one will come here..."

He interrupted Lu Tong: "Are you planning to sue the official?"

Lu Tong was stunned.

Without waiting for Lu Tong to answer, the person in front of her turned around, looked at her and said slowly: "If I sue the officials, I will say that we are a team."

"you!"

He looked at the medical box on Lu Tong's body: "Also, how do you explain your stealing the body?"

In fact, it is not difficult to explain the matter of stealing the body. Those officials would not really do anything to her, but if she got confused with the person in front of her...

Who knows where he came from.

Lu Tong calmed down and said softly: "I won't sue the officials. Don't worry, I will pretend I have never seen you today."

He glanced at Lu Tong in surprise, then looked out the window, and suddenly muttered: "It's so cold outside, where are you going? This is your territory. There is no reason for a guest to drive away the owner."

He flicked the scabbard in his hand with his fingertips, and his voice sounded like a smile.

"Sit down and live together."

Lu Tong stared closely at his scabbard.

The other party's demeanor was relaxed, and his tone could even be called friendly, but his quiet threat made people feel faintly heart-stopping.

She half-lowered her eyes and quickly glanced toward the door.

This place is located near the execution ground. Apart from the ruined temple, there are no inhabited houses. If she rushes out of the door, there will be no shelter outside, only a piece of heavy snow. Although he is injured, his breath seems to be stable now. It is always easy for a man to catch up with a little girl.

He could have easily killed her and buried her in the snow without anyone knowing.

The man in black looked at her again and said, "It's snowing heavily outside, please close the door."

The other party was not planning to let her go.

With such disparity in strength, head-on confrontation is always not a good idea. Lu Tong secretly tightened the straps of the suitcase, walked slowly to the door, and pushed the broken door that was about to fall off.

The wind and snow were immediately covered by most of it.

He sat down on the futon, with his back straight. He paused when his eyes glanced at the pile of broken boards in the corner, and then told Lu Tong: "Little thief, there is wood in the house, go and light a fire."

Lu Tong secretly gritted his teeth.

If this man wants to be killed or chopped into pieces, why not just give him a good time, so he just takes his time like this.

Lu Tong suspected that he was too injured and didn't have enough energy to do anything, so he treated her as a servant.

But she didn't have the guts to fight this man, not to mention the knife in his hand. There was always a huge disparity in physical strength between a young girl and a young man.

It would be great if she could possess the same exquisite poison skills as Yun Niang. At least she could blind the eyes of the person in front of her with a touch of poisonous ashes, which is better than letting others slaughter her like this.

Lu Tong silently walked to the corner of the temple, picked out a few shorter broken pieces of wood, carried them to the altar table, and burned them little by little with the fire of the oil lamp.

These pieces of wood were from fallen window frames and beams. Over time, they became slightly damp. Lu Tong fiddled with them for a long time and finally got some heat.

She snuggled a few short pieces of wood together, and a small fire was raised. The snowy night seemed not so cold anymore.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead, raised her head, and met the other person's gaze.

This man's eyes were very bright, like clear gems under the weak candlelight, but his gaze seemed to be staring at prey, and he was very aggressive.

Lu Tong was startled.

Although this man was covered with a black scarf and looked suspicious, his figure and manner were extraordinary, and he did not look like a fugitive who was cowering or embarrassed. Instead, he was calm and relaxed, with a pleasant demeanor. If Lu Tong hadn't been coerced by him all the way to this point, based on his appearance, he would have thought that this man was some kind of young knight with a mysterious identity that cannot be explained to outsiders.

Really outstanding.

But it’s hard to tell if you’re covering your face, maybe you have a pockmarked face underneath the scarf. Lu Tong thought harshly.

Naturally, the man in black didn't know Lu Tong was secretly complaining. He glanced at Lu Tong and then looked away.

At the feet of the muddy Bodhisattva, the altar table was empty except for a rusty copper lamp. The oil lamp was bright, and the candle flame became the only warm color in this windy and snowy night. Tiny lamp flowers exploded from the wick, forming a vague color on the altar table.

"Denghuaxiao..." The man in black raised his eyebrows slightly, "It seems that you and I are lucky."

Lu Tong didn't understand what he meant, so she just followed his gaze. The oil lamps exploded in all directions and fell on the dusty altar table, leaving tiny and delicate traces of oil.

As if seeing her confusion, the man in black tilted his head: "Don't you know?"

He laughed: "In the past, Lu Jia said that when lanterns explode, everything will be happy. In ancient times, there was a method of fortune-telling. If the lanterns explode one after another, the master will be very happy." After a pause, he said without sincerity: "Congratulations."

Lu Tong frowned.

She had never heard of lantern divination and suspected that this person was lying to her. What's more, she stayed at Luomei Peak every day to test medicine. How could such a happy event come about? She was so lucky that she would not have met the man in front of her, and was coerced by him all the way to the current situation.