Knife splashing

Chapter 5 A knock on the door in the middle of the night

The cuisine of Guanzhong has a long history.

As the capital of several generations, chefs from all directions gathered in Chang'an, and delicacies from all over the country were gathered together. Not only were there many varieties, but the taste was also very exquisite.

In addition to soup cakes and Hu cakes, the staple food also includes Qingjing rice from the south. It is soaked in the juice of "Nanzhu" and steamed and dried nine times. The resulting Qingjing rice has small, black grains like pearls. It can strengthen the muscles and improve the complexion, and whiten the skin if taken for a long time.

There is also rice with oil, with more than a dozen ingredients. Qingfeng rice is refreshing, Yujing rice is served with steamed lotus root, not to mention the sophora leaf noodles and cherry dumplings.

There are all kinds of livestock, including pigs, sheep, cattle and horses, and the production methods are dazzling. Although the capital has moved north, some traditions have not been cut off.

Li Yan was a glutton in his previous life, so naturally his cooking skills were not bad.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, some foods are not suitable for preparation, and there is no ice cellar, so most of the fat pigs need to be processed with preservation as the main focus.

Guanzhong smoked meat is best made in the coldest months of winter. If you make it now, it will become maggoty and stink if you are not careful.

But Li Yan obviously has plenty of solutions.

The lard is refined, part of it is used for cooking, and the other part is used to seal large pieces of pork belly so that it can be preserved for a long time.

The rest was used to make steamed pork, braised pork, and dry-fried meatballs.

Of course, a pot of good meat sauce is indispensable.

The whole yard was filled with fragrance, attracting the village dogs to linger outside the door.

"roll!"

Li Yan laughed and scolded: "Blind Third came into the village, and everyone was too scared to scream. They are all useless people."

Having said that, he was still confused.

These local dogs in the village would still dare to attack even if a pack of wolves came, so why did they let "Blind Old Third" get into the village?

Unfortunately, the incident has passed and no one knows the reason.

They had noodles with minced meat for lunch, and rice porridge, steamed buns and dishes cooked with lard for dinner. The father and son ate until their stomachs were full, and they squatted on the doorstep, enjoying the cool breeze, all their worries disappeared.

Life in the countryside is peaceful but boring.

When night fell, except for a few men who were still tormenting their wives in bed, the rest of the people had already turned off the lights and gone to bed.

The busy farming season has arrived, and we have to get up early tomorrow to work in the fields.

Soon, the whole village was silent.

……

In the main room of Widow Wang's house, the candlelight was dim.

There is an altar in the house, filled with offerings.

In the open space in front of it, there were more than a dozen red wooden sticks inserted and wrapped with red ropes to form a circle, in which a little girl was lying.

The girl was only four years old. Unlike the dishevelled widow Wang, she was dressed in clean clothes and looked fair and tender because she had not seen the sun for many years.

The girl seemed to be in a nightmare at this moment. She curled up, her face flushed, her eyes closed, her eyelids trembling, and her forehead covered with sweat.

It was her daughter.

Widow Wang was kneeling on the ground, her face pale. She looked at her daughter worriedly and glanced outside the door from time to time.

It seemed that she sensed something. She held three incense sticks above her head and kept bowing, muttering:

"Third aunt, may you bless me, Third aunt, may you bless me..."

……

In the side room, Li Yan, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes.

He stood up suddenly and touched his back in confusion.

It feels cold to the touch but hot around, like touching ice on a hot day.

what happened?

Li Yan's eyes were uncertain.

He has practiced martial arts for many years. Although he has never been able to break through the hidden power due to his age and lack of combat experience, his perception and control over the body are far beyond that of ordinary people.

If there is any problem, it can be detected at the first time.

This feeling is very familiar. It appeared once after killing the evil wolf "Blind Third".

But it disappeared quickly after a short while, making him think it was just an illusion.

Why did it appear again and so obviously?

Could it be that the beast was unclean and caused him to be infected with the disease?
Li Yan did not panic, but tried to use a substitute statue.

This treasure of his can instantly replace any physical injuries, whether caused by poisoning, sword injuries, or even illness. As long as the three life fires are extinguished, he is almost immortal.

But something weird happened.

The statue didn't work!

The back was still cold, and even getting colder.

It’s strange, could it be a psychological problem?
Boom!
Just then, a voice was heard outside.

It seemed like something was knocking on the wooden board.

Although faint, it is very obvious in the quiet night.

Li Yan's brows furrowed, and he quickly got up from the bed, casually put on his pants, took the Guanshan knife from the wall, slowly pushed the door open a crack, and looked outside.

The action was silent.

In Guanzhong, rural life is peaceful and simple, but it is not without danger. Wolves are just one of the dangers, and even more terrifying are the bandits.

Although the only landlord in Lijiabao, Village Chief Li, may not be able to make much money, there might be some people who have gone crazy due to poverty.

There are also some low-class people in the underworld.

I heard from his father that there are many kinds of people in the underworld, some doing business honestly, but there are many more who cheat and deceive. For example, the Eight Gates are divided into the Clear Eight Gates and the Hidden Eight Gates.

The eight visible gates are gold, leather, color, hanging, review, group, tune and willow; the eight invisible gates are bee, hemp, swallow, sparrow, flower, orchid, kudzu and glory.

Among the Eight Gates of Ming, there are people who tell fortunes, look at faces and do feng shui. Some of them have real skills, but most of them are half-baked and make a living on the streets.

The “Ma” branch of the Dark Eight Gates is a lone swindler.

Some of them would pretend to be Taoists and monks. Those who were capable would cheat wealthy families, while those who were not would go to the countryside to fool the common people.

They will smear eel blood on your front door, causing bats to knock against the door at night, making it look like a ghost is knocking on the door.

They will also grind saltpeter and sulfur into powder, hide it in peach blossom paper, and replace the wick in your house, causing the candlelight to flicker and create the sound of a ghost blowing out the light.

In short, they will scare you half to death first, and then pretend to be an expert to cheat you out of your money.

There are all kinds of strange and bizarre methods used in the underworld.

But if you fool him, it's like an old man eating arsenic and he's tired of living.

Li Yan smiled secretly in his heart and looked outside.

However, the moonlight was dim and there was nothing in the yard.

Boom!
Just when he was wondering, the voice sounded again.

This time I heard it clearly, it was outside the gate of the yard.

The sound is very faint, could it be a mouse or a cat?

Even so, Li Yan did not dare to be careless. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his dragon eyes gleaming with cold light. He slowly drew his sword and walked towards the gate lightly.

His knife is extremely sharp.

If he really was a thief or a bandit, he could be stabbed through the wooden door!
But when he approached the courtyard gate, Li Yan's expression changed instantly.

He could feel that there was nothing outside the door, but he could smell a fishy odor, bloody and cold.

The taste is very familiar, it’s exactly “Xia Lao San”!
Isn't this guy dead?!
Li Yan felt a chill in his heart and got goose bumps.

He was not sure, so he carefully felt it again. There was clearly nothing inside, but the strong fishy smell was stronger than before and full of malice.

Ghost?

What was happening before his eyes was beyond his comprehension.

Although I felt that "Blind Old Third" was a little strange at the time, he was still a flesh and blood body after all. The white knife went in and the red knife came out, so I had to kill him.

But what to do now?
Why do even animals have ghosts seeking revenge?
Boom!
The voice sounded again.

Li Yan was stunned and looked up.

This time he heard it more clearly, as it came from above the courtyard gate. Judging from the location, it was the plaque with the inscription "Mighty in a Hundred Battles" that belonged to his grandfather.

At the same time, he also smelled another scent.

It smelled of metal and wood, with a hint of incense.

It was a strange feeling. Metal and wood had no smell, but this was the first impression that came to Li Yan's mind when he smelled it.

The stench from "Blind Old Third" was accompanied by a chill.

The taste of Baizhan brand is inexplicably burning.

Boom!
The two smells collided and made a sound again.

Li Yan suddenly understood.

I didn't expect that the plaque in my house is also a treasure, but it is usually not noticeable. It will only be activated when the evil thing comes to the door.

And he has this weird sense of smell, he can smell unusual things.

Now it is certain that it has nothing to do with the substitute statue, but comes from the predecessor.

What is going on with all this?

Li Yan's palms were sweating. Facing this unknown and strange thing, for the first time he felt helpless and that his fate was out of his control.

As if sensing his breath, the fishy smell of "Blind Old Third" outside the door became stronger and the frequency of its collision with the plaque became faster and faster.

Boom, boom, boom!

The sound was faint and not noticeable in the darkness.

But to Li Yan's ears, it sounded like the sound of a death drum.

He did not move, thinking of his grandfather who was sleeping in the house. He did not dare to step back, let alone push the door open. The sharp Guanshan knife in his hand could not give him the slightest sense of security. He could only hope that the plaque "Mighty in a Hundred Battles" could block it.

The sound of "dong dong dong" kept ringing.

Li Yan could feel that it was getting colder and colder behind him, as if there was a piece of solid ice, and the chill was all over the place. At the same time, the resentful look in the "Blind Third"'s eyes when he died kept echoing in his mind.

curse?

Li Yan had some guesses in his mind, but he wasn't sure.

Fortunately, he could feel that as the two forces collided, the taste of each other was weakening.

Before I knew it, an hour had passed.

Boom!
Finally, after the last impact, the smell of "Blind Old Third" outside the door slowly dissipated and disappeared without a trace.

Wang Wang Wang!
In the darkness, the sound of dogs barking could be heard.

The silent and cold atmosphere was then broken.

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but his face remained gloomy.

The chill on his back still hadn't dissipated...

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(End of this chapter)