I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 264 Telling Ghost Stories Under the Moon, Thunder Rumbles in Chang'an
"crunch-"

The door was pushed open, and a rather young head peeked out, with a small bun on its head.

When the whole person emerged, the men realized it was a young Taoist novice, pressed their chests, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Young Taoist priest is..."

"Are you here to deliver something? Come in," Jiang She said from behind.

The cat meowed once.

Several workers, trembling, carried the things in, each one moving with surprising speed and agility.

In no time at all, they had filled the yard with all sorts of utensils, and then quickly arranged them and moved them into various places inside the house.

It took less than half an hour to finish everything.

Seeing that they were all sweating profusely and working very hard, Jiang She asked, "Would you gentlemen like to rest and have a cup of tea?"

The men were shocked and quickly shook their heads in refusal.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir. We won't rest here!"

"Yes! I still have work to do at the shop, so I can't stay any longer."

As they spoke, the group fled as if they were escaping, without even having a chance to think about why the house was so clean, practically spotless.

Behind me, I heard the host's loud laughter.

"They were feared..."

Jiang She sighed, thankfully he was lucky to be alive.

Li Bai sat not far away, eating the fruits he had bought with Yuan Danqiu, remembering to save some for the horse to try. He said:

"Sir, you're awake?"

“I found out from outside that the broker didn’t say how the previous master died. It turns out that the family died a violent death.”

Sanshui's eyes widened.

They had never heard of anything so horrific.

Li Bai shared a slice of melon with each of them.

Yuan Danqiu, munching on a melon, continued speaking:
“This house was originally inhabited by an official family. The original gate was a black-headed gate, which was only used by officials. Later, when tenants moved in, it was changed to a regular wooden gate.”

Sanshui is curious.

"How did that high-ranking official die?"

Yuan Danqiu looked around and saw that Mr. Jiang was listening attentively, Sanshui Chuyi was extremely curious, and even the cat raised its head.

He had piqued everyone's interest before he finally spoke:
"I heard that the master of this family was a minister who was executed during the political turmoil of the previous decades. For some reason, his family members, who were supposed to be exiled, were attacked by robbers who came to steal from them the night before their departure, and the whole family was killed."

"So I heard that resentment was soaring."

Chu Yi found it strange and repeated what Master Yuan had said.

"I don't know why?"

Yuan Danqiu, holding half a melon in his hand, ate it with his head down and said:
"There are many possible reasons. Maybe the emperor sent someone to kill him, maybe he had an enemy, or maybe he was just unlucky enough to run into bandits. It's all hard to say."

Sanshui asked.

"Since it's a haunted house and many people have died there, why don't the people in the neighborhood move away?"

Yuan Danqiu put down the melon and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, there are countless haunted houses like this in Chang'an where people have died. If all the neighbors moved away, there probably wouldn't be many households left."

"Eh?!"

This was something the two teenagers hadn't expected.

Yuan Danqiu and Li Bai smiled mischievously and began telling them about all sorts of ghost stories they had heard of, as well as tales they had read in historical records.

Rumors circulated in Chang'an that there was a ghost market.

The story recounts how the family of Changsun Wuji, who once produced an empress, was forced to commit suicide in exile. It also tells of the fate of a once-renowned cruel official, whose enemies fought over his flesh.

It also tells of Shang Yang being torn apart by horses after his death. It tells of Li Si, who helped Qin Shi Huang unify the six kingdoms, being executed by being cut in half at the waist in Xianyang, and the extermination of his entire clan. It also tells of the Marquis of Huaiyin being beheaded in Changxin Palace.

No one is without sin, no one is without injustice.

The two children listened with astonishment.

One moment I felt a pang of sadness, the next I was filled with dread.

Hearing such a story in the courtyard at the end of summer brings a sense of coolness.

They talked slowly until nightfall, and as darkness fell, a small pile of melon stalks accumulated where they had been sitting. Li Bai seemed to have more to say.

He asked the two young disciples from Yunmeng Mountain with a smile.

"how?"

Sanshui scratched her head, put down the dried meat in her arms, and thought for a moment before saying:
“It feels like…” “From their own perspective, they did the best they could, but they still died.”

"Like that cruel official, he harmed others, and was also harmed by others."

She couldn't quite explain her feelings and looked at her junior brother.

Holding the tea, Chu Yi was somewhat speechless.

Yuan Danqiu thought for a moment.

"That cruel official was originally an idle rogue, naturally good at opportunism. When Empress Wu needed a knife, he was promoted because of his ruthlessness and ability to judge the situation. Later, because his methods were too cruel and he made too many enemies, he was eventually disliked by Empress Wu."

"Even after death, his enemies would dismember him, gouge out his eyes, cut out his heart, and trample his body into mud."

"Every cause has its consequences."

Is this what you're trying to say?

Both nodded.

Hearing these ancient tales gives one the feeling that the fates of these people rise and fall with them, and that it is inevitable.

I sighed for a while.

Sanshui suddenly looked at the person who had been listening to their discussion without saying much, and she became curious.

"What are your thoughts, senior?"

All eyes turned to them.

Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu exchanged a glance and looked over.

The clear moonlight shone on the courtyard.

The bamboo shadows swayed, scattering dappled silver light across the ground. A cat was still sleeping in Jiang She's arms. He put down the melon and pondered the question.

"Life is like being in a river, drifting up and down with the current."

"Those who can go against the tide for a time are the heroes of our time."

"Those who do not enter the rivers but only observe from the shore are like immortals. However, even in turbulent rivers, there is a possibility of being swept away by the waves."

Sanshui thought that might be referring to them.

"Then what is a senior?"

Jiang She paused for a moment.

He said casually, "If it were me... I would probably wade through the water, for even the longest rivers eventually flow into the sea."

"I await you all in the East China Sea."

After Jiang She finished speaking, he suddenly felt something.

He couldn't help but think of a time not long ago, also under the moonlit bamboo forest, when he sat on a high mountain discussing philosophy with Sima Chengzhen, gazing at the distant East China Sea. The sea was vast and boundless, its distance invisible.

Maybe I can go and take a look later.

Thinking this, Jiang She looked around and saw that Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu were both lost in thought, with melon rinds and stems scattered on the ground.

He picked up the last melon and wiped it with his sleeve.

"Gentlemen, snap out of it."

When Li Bai came to his senses, he suddenly heard a sobbing sound in his ear.

He raised his head and looked around. Many figures were emerging from the courtyard and the house.

Li Bai was startled.

He quickly called out to Yuan Danqiu.

Yuan Danqiu was also greatly shocked upon hearing this. Unlike Li Bai, he could not see these things, so he added a lot of his own imagination, making it even more terrifying.

Under the cover of night, a cold wind howled, and the old house was indeed eerie.

The two leaned against each other, their vests soaked with cold sweat.

"gentlemen!"

Jiang She woke up the cat, who had been sleeping all afternoon, and asked the sleepy-eyed kitten.

"Would you like to see what thunder magic is?"

The cat instantly snapped out of its daze.

……

There are later casual notes.

On the night of the 27th day of the seventh month in the seventeenth year of the Kaiyuan era, a great storm raged in Chang'an, with thunder rumbling throughout the night.

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)