Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 190 Putting the blame on
The next day, Ye Aniu was exhausted from the days of exams and the intense storytelling yesterday, and slept until dawn.

He stretched and was about to get up, but suddenly found that the door was slightly open and a dagger was dropped on the ground. He was instantly shocked.

Who'd been here before? Did someone want to kill me? Was someone wary of my high school rank? Impossible. I hadn't offended anyone by coming here.

So he called Wanjun. After all, female ghosts don't need to sleep, and maybe she knew something.

"Wanjun, did anyone come here last night?"

A stream of white smoke drifted out of the backpack and transformed into a beautiful woman. She spoke softly, "Someone did try to harm you last night, but I scared them away."

Ye Ah Niu's heart trembled. Who did he have a grudge against? Could it be Zhong Kang? Lin Wanjun was murdered and Zhong Kang became the prime minister's son-in-law. So...

Hiss... Ye Aniu took a breath of cold air. No wonder when he asked Zhongda Kang about Lin Wanjun a few days ago, his reaction was as if he had seen a ghost. In this case, this matter must be closely related to him.

The one who wants to kill me is probably Zhongkang. He was so excited when I mentioned Wanjun yesterday. There must be something fishy going on.

Even if he didn't do it directly, he is still responsible.

Fortunately, there was a female ghost, otherwise I would be in real danger.

It seemed that he was in danger. What should he do? He couldn't confront Zhong Kang right now. What if he really wanted to kill him? Wouldn't that be like walking a sheep into a tiger's mouth?
I might as well not go out and just stay in the inn.

"Sir, what's wrong with you?" Lin Wanjun interrupted Ye Aniu while he was thinking.

Ye Aniu suddenly asked in a deep voice: "Wanjun, tell me, who killed you?"

Lin Wanjun was startled, her face changed unpredictably, and even showed fear. Ghosts hate to recall the scene of being killed in their lifetime.

"I don't know..." she said with a hint of fear, "I only remember that when I was passing by Black Mountain, someone pushed me off a cliff. As for who that person was, I didn't see clearly."

"Then do you remember who guided you there?" Aniu asked after thinking for a moment.

"Uncle Dakang!" Lin Wanjun replied without hesitation, "Uncle Dakang told me that my husband has been found, so I went to find him."

As expected! Ah Niu immediately guessed that this matter was closely related to Zhong Dakang.

Boom boom boom!
At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and the waiter's voice came: "Master Ye, the shopkeeper has prepared some food. Let me call Master Ye over."

"I see," Ah Niu replied casually, thinking, is this to make me tell a story? Since the enemy is in the dark and I am in the light, why not use this opportunity to lure the snake out of its hole? I can pretend nothing happened and tell the story in public to see how the other party will respond.

Soon, Aniu finished washing up and went downstairs. When the shopkeeper saw Ye Aniu, he hurriedly bowed and said, "Mr. Ye, yesterday's story was full of climaxes. I wonder..."

He had a big smile on his face, and it was obvious that he wanted Ye Aniu to finish telling the story from yesterday.

Whatever! We need to lure out the murderer anyway. Tomorrow is the exam. If the murderer doesn't act today, he won't have another chance tomorrow. He will definitely act again.

the other side.

Li Qingmei was sitting in a chair, waiting anxiously. She had her subordinates go to Wuzhuang Temple to invite a very powerful Taoist priest. It was said that this Taoist priest was a disciple of an immortal and was famous far and wide.

After a while, an old man holding a whisk and looking like an immortal walked in slowly, led by his servants.

"I am Yuan Gang, the abbot of Wuzhuang Monastery. Greetings."

Li Qingmei saw that he had a fairy-like demeanor and immediately became overjoyed and asked, "Can you catch ghosts?"

"What kind of ghost is harming people?" Yuan Gang waved his whisk and said in a serious manner.

Although he learned from the Xuanxin Sect, he was still unable to break through the Qi Refining Stage at the age of a hundred, so he was transferred out of the sect. Although it was called a transfer, it was actually the same as being expelled.

In desperation, he had to establish the Wuzhuang Temple and make a living by catching ghosts.

"Let him talk to you." Li Qingmei said, pointing to the subordinate next to her.

Seeing this, the subordinate began to describe the scene he saw that night.

After listening to this, Yuan Gang nodded and said calmly: "It seems that this ghost is not a fierce ghost, otherwise you would not be able to come back alive."

It’s good that it’s not a fierce ghost. I can easily deal with ordinary ghosts myself.

"In that case, I'll trouble you, Taoist Priest. Li Zhong, serve the tea." She then took out a bag of silver and said calmly, "This is the deposit. Once the task is completed, I'll pay you double."

at the same time.

After finishing his breakfast, Aniu began to tell the story of the Qianli Lake case of the young Justice Bao yesterday.

He kept gesturing with his hands, and everyone's eyes followed the rhythm of his hands.

"Gongsun Ce is in imminent danger, and Sai Zhongyuan is about to be taken to the execution ground because of Bao Zheng. Bao Zheng is in an unprecedented crisis."

At this point, everyone started discussing.

"If Sai Zhongyuan were dead, Bao Zheng wouldn't have to send him into exile!"

"Why would Bao Zheng save Sai Zhongyuan? Isn't it all over after the case is settled?"

One of the students, with a righteous expression on his face, angrily rebuked, "If Bao Zheng were as careless and irresponsible as you are, then he wouldn't be Bao Zheng. You have no bottom line, how can you still speak up for the people?"

Everyone was speechless after being refuted, and their faces showed shame.

Snapped!
Ye Aniu slapped the square wood and said loudly, "Then Bao Zheng asked Pang Feiyan to go to the palace to invite the emperor to the execution ground, while he himself hurried there in a hurry."

Then he began to narrate how Bao Zheng went to the execution ground to stop the execution, but it was already three quarters past noon, and how could Lord Cui Mingchong allow people to easily disrupt the execution ground.

Just when he was at his wit's end, the emperor suddenly arrived and everyone knelt down to pay their respects.

"The emperor looked serious and questioned Bao Zheng in a stern voice." Then Ah Niu imitated the emperor's tone and said, "Bao Zheng, it was you who tried to prove that Sai Zhongyuan was the murderer, and now it's you who are overturning the evidence."

"You know, if you overturn the evidence, you are deceiving the emperor, and if you don't overturn the evidence, you are disrupting the court."

At this point, the students also showed anxious expressions.

"What should I do? I can become famous without doing anything, but now I'm in a dilemma."

"Hey...both are serious crimes!"

"However..." Ah Niu paused, and suddenly saw a Taoist priest coming to the door. He was a little surprised, but he didn't care. He continued, "But Bao Zheng showed no fear. He just bowed and said that no matter what crime he was convicted of, he would say that Sai Zhongyuan was not guilty."

"Good! Great Bao Zheng, he deserves the title of Justice."

"We are ashamed. We should learn from Bao Zheng and recognize the meaning of reason. If we encounter injustice, we should die to prove our loyalty."

Then Aniu continued to talk. The emperor was furious and only agreed to give Bao Zheng one day. If he could not find the real murderer, he would execute him and Sai Zhongyuan together.

When everyone heard this, they shook their heads.

"When Ling Chuchu saw Bao Zheng's disheveled clothes, she immediately teased him, saying that aside from his intelligence, he was a complete mess, like he'd buttoned his top button down." Ah Niu said this, leaving the question unanswered. "Bao Zheng immediately understood everything and knew how the murderer had killed people and fabricated an alibi, so he immediately asked where Pang Feiyan was."

When everyone heard this, they all started to speculate.

"It seems the mystery is about to be solved."

"Sure enough! A few casual words can clear up any doubts."

"Bao Zheng is truly smart, paying close attention to every move he makes."

The Taoist priest, waving his whisk, stared intently at Ah Niu. Ah Niu knew that this guy might be coming for him, but he pretended not to know and continued his vivid narration.

"Then they came to Gongsun Ce's unconscious bed, pretended that Gongsun Ce had woken up, and spoke to him. Bao Zheng even pretended to bow his head and listen to what Gongsun Ce said."

A thin student said bluntly, "What a trick to lure the snake out of its hole."

"This is probably to lure someone in to silence us so we can catch them red-handed." Another person nodded in agreement.

As expected! Ah Niu began to narrate, at night, a man in black suddenly came to Gongsun Ce's window, raised his sword and was about to kill him, but suddenly found that the person lying there was not Gongsun Ce, but Bao Zheng.

Ling Chuchu, who had been waiting for an opportunity, immediately fought with the murderer. Chuchu was a skilled martial artist and quickly defeated the murderer.

"Just when they were about to uncover the mystery of the murderer..." Ah Niu said this, then changed his tone and said, "Suddenly..."

Hiss... Everyone's heart was in their throat.

Ah Niu then smiled slightly and said, "Suddenly, Grand Tutor Pang arrived with his men. He said that this man was a serious criminal of the imperial court and must be taken back to the prison. He also asked his men to take Bao Zheng away to assist in the investigation."

Then Aniu began to narrate. Master Pang asked Bao Zheng to open the memorial on the table. It said that Bao Zheng was loyal and devoted. Although he missed one subject, he still recommended him as the number one scholar. He also said that Feiyan liked Bao Zheng, and when he passed the exam, he could betroth Feiyan to him, and Bao Zheng would become his right-hand man like Cui Mingchong.

Ah Niu's expression suddenly became stern, and he said slowly and lowly, imitating Bao Zheng: "What if Bao Zheng can't accept it?"

Ah Niu's expression then changed, and he became a tyrant as he said, "I have never thought about this. I don't think anyone would refuse fame and fortune that is within their reach and choose a dead end."

"And Bao Zheng also said that if he had a choice, he would not be willing to personally identify the murderer."

He then went on to tell how, no matter how Master Pang threatened or tempted him, Bao Zheng always stood firm on his inner bottom line and remained unshakable.

Then he imitated Master Pang's tone and said, "I don't believe in gods or heaven. It's easy for me to escort someone out of the city, but if I want to kill someone, it's as easy as taking something out of a bag, no matter who that person is."

Then he continued to tell the story under the nervous gazes of many students. Seeing that threats and inducements were ineffective, Master Pang drew his sword. The sword flashed, and the cold light illuminated Bao Zheng's eyes, but he remained calm.

"Good! Bao Zheng is truly a role model for our generation."

"Don't fear power, and don't care about life or death."

"Stick to the bottom line. We scholars should take Bao Zheng as an example."

"Oh! That's not right. We should take Brother Ye as our role model. After all, Bao Zheng was a character created by Brother Ye."

Ye Aniu was full of thoughts. That was created by the divine book. If it were him, he would definitely be timid and cautious at first.

"Just when his life was hanging by a thread, the sound of horse hooves was heard. It turned out that the Eighth Wise King had arrived in time to save Bao Zheng."

He then went on to tell the story of the verbal confrontation between the Eighth Wise King and Grand Tutor Pang, who had no choice but to let the man go.

"It seems the mystery is about to be solved, but who is the murderer? Why am I still confused?"

"Me too, I haven't figured it out yet. I hope it's not the person I have in mind." Bang!
Ye Aniu slapped the square wood and pointed at the center of the inn, as if he were in the court. He imitated Lord He and pointed at the murderer kneeling in the court with a majestic tone, saying: "Who is here? Raise your head..."

"I saw the man slowly, little by little, raise his disheveled head... When he saw the murderer's face clearly, Lord He was shocked..."

"That person is actually..." Ah Niu paused mischievously when he said this, then grabbed the cup next to him and drank the water slowly.

"Hurry up and tell me!" A man picked up the banknote and threw it over.

Others followed suit and threw silver bills at Aniu.

Ah Niu accepted everyone who came, silently put away the banknotes and put down the water cup.

"That person turned out to be Cui Mingchong..." Aniu said in a heavy tone.

"what?!"

"It's really him, why?"

Aniu continued to tell the story, and Bao Zheng unraveled how Cui Mingchong fabricated an alibi and the secret of the poem on the stele, until Cui Mingchong confessed.

"Bao Zheng is indeed clever and managed to avert danger."

"Why, why did Cui Mingchong kill people?" Someone raised the question, there must be a motive for murder.

"Ah..." Ye Aniu sighed, his face filled with grief and indignation. At this moment, he suddenly noticed a petite, covered figure in a corner. Was it her? Master Zhongkang's wife?

But he remained calm and continued, "As the saying goes, love comes from nowhere, but it runs deep."

"Cui Mingchong has had a cousin named Yunshuang who has been in love with him since childhood."

Then he began to tell the story of how Yunshuang sold her property to support her cousin in taking the imperial examination. After Cui Mingchong passed the exam, Yunshuang was ecstatic and prepared to go to the capital to find him.

"But who knew... Cui Mingchong had already married the daughter of Grand Tutor Pang. Her heart was broken, and she knew she couldn't face her family, so she ended up living in a brothel." Ah Niu sighed and said, "When they finally met, Cui Mingchong wanted to give her a legitimate status."

"But she didn't want to, saying that Cui Mingchong only had a brother-sister relationship with her, not a husband-wife relationship. So she suggested that Cui Mingchong play the piano while she danced."

"That was the end! Yun Shuang collapsed in Qianli Lake. Because of her identity as a prostitute, she was afraid of implicating Cui Mingchong, so she took poison long ago. In the end, she became the tragic legend."

At this point, some students quietly wiped away their tears, and were moved by Yunshuang's infatuation.

"Ah...what is love in this world?" a handsome young man sighed.

"We...ah..." One person sighed, not knowing what to say.

"Okay, the story ends here." Everyone was still immersed in this sad beauty, but Aniu's eyes were always on the Taoist priest and the masked woman.

He deliberately slowed down his pace and walked towards the room.

The moment he pushed the door open, a figure flashed in, and then with a wave of his hand, the door closed automatically.

"The evil ghost is here." The Taoist priest looked at the backpack in Ye Aniu's room with a smile.

"Who are you?" Aniu asked with a frown.

The Taoist priest laughed and said, "Young Master, you are haunted by an evil spirit. I am here to save you."

Under normal circumstances, if there really was some hermit in the mountains who offered to help him exorcise ghosts, he would definitely agree unconditionally. But now he is being hunted and has to rely on ghosts for protection. The sudden appearance of a Taoist priest must be a trick, and he must not be allowed to touch the ghosts!

"There's nothing wrong with this. You've come to the wrong place." Ye Aniu said as he prepared to push the Taoist priest away.

But the Taoist priest just kept smiling, and there was a yellow paper talisman in his hand. He waved his hand and the talisman was stuck on the backpack. Suddenly, white smoke came out of the backpack. Aniu could even hear Wanjun's screams of pain.

In a panic, Ah Niu peeled off the talisman paper and tore it up, shouting angrily, "Where did this crazy Taoist priest come from? Get out of here!"

The Taoist priest was immediately shocked. This was the talisman paper he had drawn. How could an ordinary person touch it, and even tear it up? Could he also be a celestial being from some immortal abode, traveling to the mortal world? But judging by his actions, it didn't seem likely. I'll test it.

"Who are you?" The Taoist's tone suddenly became serious.

Huh? Could it be that this guy, like that fox demon, also thinks he's some kind of master? Ah Niu cleared his throat, his expression instantly returning to composure.

"It's not important who I am. What's important is why you are learning Taoism."

This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, exploding in Yuan Gang's ears and leaving his mind blank. Why learn Taoism? Such an ancient question! Why learn Taoism? Wasn't it originally to uphold justice, slay demons and monsters, and achieve immortality?

But what about now? For a few pieces of silver, he actually disregarded morality. Sigh... No wonder Master said he had no fate to become an immortal.

He immediately knelt down and said, "Please give me some guidance, sir."

As expected! When I just tore open his talisman paper, he must have thought he was some master, and ignored the fact that he was not well-trained.

What should he say? Ah Niu didn’t know, so he had to rely on the divine book.

He closed his eyes, and a radiant glow flashed around him. Yuan Gang looked up and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he hadn't taken action just now, otherwise...

Under the guidance of the divine book, Ah Niu finally got the answer. He then coughed and said, "The world is full of suffering. Learning Taoism is just to transcend fate, not be manipulated by fate, to save oneself and others."

Yes! That was my original thought, but it was a pity that I realized it too late. When Yuan Gang heard this, he regretted not having done it before. He had already lost his mind for a few pieces of silver. No! If an expert could guide me, there must be a way to remedy the situation.

"Please, sir... teach me how to crack it. How can I... remedy this situation?"

Remedy? Damn it, Ah Niu cursed inwardly! However, he still slowed down his tone and sighed, "You just lost your true nature. As long as you are sincere, you can regain your immortal fate. Of course, this cycle of cause and effect still needs your control."

"Thank you, sir." Yuan Gang finally understood that sir wanted him to be kind-hearted. Killing demons and monsters was in accordance with the will of heaven, not for money.

"Tell me! Who asked you to catch ghosts?" Aniu asked in a deep voice.

Yuan Gang confessed, "Sir, it was a beautiful woman. She only said there was a ghost. I don't know anything else."

Don't know? Never mind. This woman is most likely Zhongkang's wife. It seems Wanjun's death is closely related to her.

"You can go back without any worries, take her money, and say that the evil spirit has been exorcised." Ye Aniu turned his back and said in a tone that sounded like an expert.

Are you letting me off just like that? Yuan Gang was flattered. Not punishing himself? Not lashing out at himself? It seemed he was being superficial. Perhaps he had just sincerely repented, and now the gentleman was not holding him accountable.

"Thank you, sir." After saying that, Yuan Gang bowed, slowly walked out and closed the door.

Huh... Aniu breathed a sigh of relief and finally left. If he didn't leave, he really wouldn't be able to continue acting.

the other side.

A Taoist priest with an immortal appearance waved his whisk and said, "Donor, I have subdued the evil ghost. My mission is complete."

"Come here, bring the silver." Li Qingmei was overjoyed and immediately ordered her servants to bring a bag of silver and give it to Yuan Gang.

Yuan Gang took the silver calmly, but he was no longer as greedy as before. Instead, he turned around and left calmly.

After Yuan Gang left, Li Qingmei called over her servant Li Zhong and said, "Go and kill Zhong Dakang and his family, but..."

Then she leaned over and whispered in Li Zhong's ear, and Li Zhong nodded as he listened.

On the other side, just as Ah Niu sent the Taoist priest away, a dart suddenly flew over with a letter on it.

The letter read: If you want to know the truth about Wanjun, come to Zhongjia Village.

"What a fool!" Ah Niu cursed, "I'm not going."

After saying that, he put the letter away and lay down on the bed to sleep. Whoever wants to go can go. Going at this time is clearly a trap.

"Sir..." Just as he was falling asleep, the ghost girl Wanjun suddenly floated out, knelt down and said, "Please, sir, can we go to Zhongjia Village once?"

the other side.

Zhongkang was listening to the servant's story. When he heard that Yunshuang went to the capital to look for Cui Mingchong and eventually committed suicide, he couldn't help but think of Wanjun.

At this moment, another servant came to report: "Sir, the lady wants you to go out."

Zhong Kang was interrupted from his thoughts and felt a little unhappy, but he suppressed his emotions and replied calmly, "I understand."

He was seen walking slowly towards the door. Li Qingmei was waiting for Zhongkang with a happy face. When she saw him come out, she immediately stepped forward and took his arm affectionately.

"It's been a while since I've accompanied you back to your ancestral home. We've been back home for so long, you can't just keep passing by without entering!"

Zhongkang was not unwilling to go back, but he was afraid of being reminded of the past. Every time he went back there, his longing for Wanjun would surge in his heart like a tide, difficult to suppress.

This is also the reason why he has been working so hard, just to make himself think less about her.

"Madam is right." Zhong Kang sighed softly upon hearing this. Well, the dead are gone. We cannot always dwell on the past. The people in front of us are also worth cherishing.

Along the way, the two walked hand in hand and met many villagers, all of whom greeted them warmly. Zhongkang had made great contributions to the development of the village during his years as an official and was deeply loved by the villagers.

However, just as they were about to stroll happily to the door of Zhong Dakang's house, they happened to see Ye Aniu walking out of the village in a panic.

Zhongkang didn't think much about it, and still held Li Qingmei's hand, continuing to tell her interesting stories about his childhood in the village.

Sudden.

He smelled a strong smell of blood.

This smell came from Zhong Dakang's house.

"Oh no, something happened." Zhong Kang let go of Li Qingmei's hand and hurriedly pushed open the door of Zhong Dakang's house.

The scene before him was extremely tragic. No one in Zhong Dakang's family, young or old, was spared. They were all brutally killed, and it seemed that they had just died.

"Who did this..." Zhong Kang was filled with grief and anger. He stared at the dead Zhong Dakang and asked loudly.

"Could it be that person just now?" Li Qingmei reminded at the right time.

Zhong Kang reacted instantly. Could it really be him? But why did he kill people?

(End of this chapter)