Seven Evil Slips Chapter 18:

As soon as he heard that he was going to go to the mountains, and to see the cemetery, Cao Yanhua’s face was twisted into a bitter melon – if he twisted harder, the bitter juice would be lost.

Luo Ren has three reasons.

One is that there is not much time left, only 15 days left.

Secondly, Wan Fenghuo’s side didn’t make much progress, the five of them couldn’t just sit and wait, they had to do something.

Third, based on what we have heard in the past two days, that “Rong Town” may really be destroyed and there is nothing left.

After all, if “going up the mountain” is a local tradition from generation to generation, then those people in the town, old master Wei and Miss Wei from private schools, should all be lying on the mountain. If you are lucky, look at the epitaph, The inscription may provide some clues.

A show of hands voted, unanimously passed, although Cao Yanhua raised his hand reluctantly.

It is expected that there will be no progress in the short term. Luo Ren went to the front desk to renew the room for two more days.

There are quite a lot of scenic spots in this area. After all, it has a long history. In addition, Hangu Pass has been known as the “No. 1 Xiongguan Fortress” since ancient times.

“Hey, Fatty, be careful when entering the mountains.” He read to the leaflet, “The Qinling Mountains are rich in wild animals, wild boars, black bears are also hidden… and there are the most abundant pheasants in the world.” Chicken group, wow… Liberation is expected.”

Cao Yanhua got angry and glared at the joyous Cao Jiefang in the cage beside his feet: “What are you jumping about? This kind of chicken in the mountains is uneducated and not suitable for you.”

Speaking, he looked at the opposite neighborhood wonderingly: “What is my little master taking sister Hongsha to do?”

When getting into the car, this question was finally answered. Kiyo came back with several knives of yellow paper, incense and paper treasures.

Admonish along the way: “When we get to the place, let’s burn incense together and pay respects first. Be respectful and don’t make loud noises. When walking inside, always pay attention to say ‘excuse me. ‘…”

Cao Yanhua got goosebumps all over his body when he heard it: “Little master, you are too superstitious, the more you talk about it, the more afraid I become…”

Kiyo grinned on purpose, unfastened his seat belt, turned around, knelt on the co-pilot seat, leaned on the seat with his arms, and looked at Cao Yanhua with a half-smile.

Cao Yanhua kept shrinking back: “Little… little master, please don’t, I’m afraid of you like this…”

Kido is gentle and gentle: “Cao Fatty, think about it, he has been dead for hundreds of years, lying quietly on the ground, I don’t know how quiet it is, suddenly you ran away, took Not to mention a whole body of human taste, but still running around on the roof of other people’s houses…”

She actually called that “roof”, Luo Ren really couldn’t laugh or cry.

“What’s wrong with asking you to burn a piece of paper? It’s polite. When you visit someone’s house, you still have to bring a door gift, and the decoration disturbs the neighbors, and you have to say hello in advance to forgive them. How can it become a superstition?”

Cao Yanhua is obedient: “Little master is absolutely right.”

Kiyo snorted, turned around and sat down again, and glanced at Luo Ren looking at her, so he looked back with vigor: “What’s the matter?”

Luo Ren said: “Bring the safety to me and fasten it.”

***

After arriving at the mountain pass outside the city, the car was not easy to enter. Cao Jiefang stayed in the car to watch the car-if it entered the mountain and barked “He Duo Luo”, it would be too undignified.

A few people got out of the car, took their own backpacks, brought dry food and water, and walked inside on foot.

This is like a trail in a canyon. On both sides of the mountain, there are tall trees and dense forests.

There are many hills, one after another, Kiyo scanned with a telescope, faintly, on each hill, one or two monuments hidden among the long grass can be occasionally found.

The workload of this “grave sweeping” is not small, and Kiyo has inquired beforehand that there is no fixed group of tombs in the mountains, that is to say, each is buried, and the burials are high, low, close, and deep, all depending on The financial resources of the head of the household and the site selection of the Feng Shui master at that time.

If you can work in groups, the efficiency will probably be higher, but before Luo Ren can express this idea, Cao Yanhua has already trembled: “I think, everyone should be one by one, don’t get separated, so Take it easy.”

So according to what Kidai said, first burned the incense, and worshiped four times. Even so, when I went up to the first mountain, my heart was still beating wildly, and I couldn’t help but hold my breath. You are an outsider, and you have entered another realm, so you have to pay attention and be careful everywhere.

It was a bit dark in the woods, a few people didn’t discuss it, and a division of labor was naturally formed. Mudai would help Luo Ren play a flashlight so that he could see the words on the tombstone clearly. , 13,000 will help her light the fire and put it down. As for Cao Yanhua, his hands are almost always clasped in front of his chest, anytime, anywhere, in all directions, “excuse me” and “don’t take offense” all the way.

There is really no logic in the distribution of the graves. Some are solitary graves, some are grouped together by three or five people with the same surname, some are built with bricks and stones, and some are just a wooden stake. After a hundred years of wind and rain, the characters have long been blurred, the wood is rotten, and fungus even grows in the cracks.

It took more than two hours to scan this mountain, and there are about twenty of them. In terms of age, there are some from the Republic of China and some from the late Qing Dynasty.

During the break, standing on a high place and looking at the mountains beyond the horizon, Luo Ren was a little worried: This is the first mountain of the first canyon they reached, this speed…is really worrying .

Indeed, this day, I swept four hilltops and found nothing. I also came across a tomb from the late Ming Dynasty. It was probably stolen. The lid of the coffin was tilted open.

Come back to horror, a few people combined, they were still buried in the ground, which is considered a merit.

Strange to say, after repairing this tomb, Cao Yanhua didn’t feel afraid any more, and told Ten Thousand Three that there are gods three feet above the head, and if people really have spirits after death, they would also know about us Not a bad person, will bless us.

When we left the valley, it was already dark. On the way back, Cao Yanhua hugged Cao Jiefang, held a handful of millet in his hand, and watched him eat it. Let’s form a group.

The first day passed.

The next day, they were divided into two groups, and there were more places to be scanned, but the result was still the same. Not all graves had tombstones, and most of the tombstones were just “examination of **** first”, “dead wife xx”, Even if there are words, they cannot form a message.

Luo Ren almost doubted whether his direction was correct.

During the phone call with Wan Fenghuo, there was no progress yet, and the magic stick also called, but he was not worried about anything, and said: “Then I won’t be in a hurry, and I will study and study-this silver-eyed bat, Don’t fly at all.”

On the third day, nothing was found again. The countdown card turned to “13”, and the morale in the car was extremely low.

Luo Ren said: “Go back and find a restaurant and have a big meal.”

Cao Yanhua came to the spirit: “Hot pot! Xiao Luo, on the way back, there is a ‘Chongqing Old Hot Pot’. I have been thinking about it for a long time.”

***

When I entered the store, it was already past the meal time, and they were the only guests at this table, the middle table, the big mandarin duck pot was boiling, the clear soup was rolling fresh, the red oil was fragrant, what kind of beef and mutton slices, fresh lotus root and potatoes The two tables were filled with fresh shrimp and bean curd, and the heat of the hot pot was rolling upwards, making it very lively.

Cao Jiefang was tied to the corner of the small table near the door, because the shop owner asked apologetically, “Don’t leave the chicken, this hot pot restaurant, if it slips and burns…”

This excitement has nothing to do with it, Cao Jiefang is somewhat sad.

In the middle of eating, 13,000 chopsticks picked up a bean curd and asked Cao Yanhua, “Does Cao Jiefang eat bean curd?”

Cao Yanhua is busy rolling the mutton slices into the spicy oil dish: “Beans are for eating, but the bean skins don’t understand.”

“I’ll try it.”

He picked a bean curd with great interest, and when he walked halfway, he saw Hongsha who had come back from the bathroom talking to the shop owner.

“Can you make a bowl of noodles for me? I want to eat noodles.”

“I’m sorry, girl, we don’t have noodles in this hot pot restaurant. There was one that was boiled in the pot, but it was sold out…”

…

When I came back, the table was still busy, and the faces of the steaming people could not be seen clearly.

Cao Yanhua asked him: “How about it, do you want to liberate yourself from eating bean curd?”

“Looks like… not much interest.”

***

It was already very late when we returned to the hotel, and we all washed up. Cao Yanhua almost cried at the countdown card: “In an hour or two, it will become ’12’.”

Yan San was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, and was gurgling to rinse the water, when out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Yan Hongsha’s back as he opened the door and went out.

He quickly spit out water, wiped his mouth and came out to ask Kiyo: “Why is Azusa going out?”

“When people go to buy things for girls, why do you ask everything.”

Is that so, ten thousand three felt strange, after thinking about it, he opened the door and went out.

The elevator stopped on the ground floor, and it seemed that the red sand had gone down, so Wan San hesitated for a while, and then pressed down.

When I got out of the elevator, there was no one in the lobby, so I asked the front desk, and the waiter gave him directions: “Here, I’m going to the back kitchen.”

Three trotted over, the back kitchen door was open, Yan Hongsha was inside, gesticulating and talking to a chef wearing a chef’s hat.

Close up and listen at the door.

“Just a bowl of ordinary noodles, noodles in clear soup, some vegetables, and a poached egg for me.”

“Girl, this is not a hotel service. It’s not on the menu. You have to pay for it.”

“Well.”

After a while, there was no movement inside, and Yi Wan stretched his head to look. There was a casserole on the stove, and the tongue of fire was licking the bottom of the pot. The chef was washing small green vegetables with a net, and Yan Hongsha was sitting on a small bench. , holding his knees, staring at the casserole all the time.

10,000 came out, turned around suddenly, ran back to the lobby, pressed the elevator to go upstairs, and after getting out, ran all the way to the door of the room, banging on the door.

Cao Yanhua drove very impatiently, and complained to him: “The ones who come out and go in don’t know how to bring cards.”

Ten Wan pushed him away, rushed to Yan Hongsha’s luggage in a few steps, opened the zipper and looked through it, Kiyo was surprised: “Ten Wan, what are you doing?”

He didn’t answer, but flipped through everything, and pinched the inner layer of the luggage bag. It was hard, like a card, so he quickly pulled it away.

Luo Ren is here, so are Cao Yanhua and Muyo.

Thirteen looked at Yan Hongsha’s ID card, and after a while he said sullenly: “We are all idiots… Today is Hongsha’s birthday…”

***

Yan Hongsha ate it in small bites, biting the noodles one by one, the poached egg was candied, the chopsticks pierced it, and the golden heart flowed out, fainting in the noodle soup, this feeling is simply happiness up.

She tried her best to procrastinate, trying to make this bowl of noodles last longer, but the chef who procrastinated was getting impatient, and she drank the last mouthful of noodle soup.

She put the empty bowl into the sink and said, “Excuse me, please wash the dishes.”

And then come out.

Entered the elevator, pressed the floor, and went up quietly.

In the past, every birthday was celebrated grandly. The old man Yan would reserve a private room in a big hotel and serve a large table of carefully cooked dishes. I want to eat birthday noodles.

The simplest one is silver noodles, green leafy vegetables, and a poached egg. The old man Yan said: “This is longevity noodles. You must eat them if you live a long life.”

The interior of the elevator was like a blurry mirror. She stood upright, staring at her own image, then waved to it and said, “Happy birthday.”

After getting out of the elevator, the corridor was quiet, and the door card opened with a beep.

The room is dark, everyone is asleep, really, they don’t wait for her.

Yan Hongsha pursed her lips, felt the darkness, and walked in lightly.

Just took two steps, suddenly heard the sound of a match being struck, a small warm flame was shining in the darkness, gradually fainting the darkness, she saw Kiyo holding a matchstick, be careful Go to light the number candles on the cake.

23, that’s my birthday.

When the candles are lit, the light gradually spreads. Yan Hongsha sees Muyo, Luo Ren, and Shisan, stacked cake boxes, paper plates, plastic table knives, and birthday gift tubes. It’s a bit like a dream. , eyes gradually blurred, Yan Hongsha closed her eyes hard, and sucked her nose again.

Seeing Kiyo smiled and said: “Hongsa is a poor little girl, why don’t you say it on your birthday.”

Yan Hongsha replied dryly: “Because you are all very busy…”

Suddenly he couldn’t continue, so he squatted down on the spot, hugging his knees and crying.

Suddenly, Muyo couldn’t hold back any longer, and fell into Luo Ren’s arms and secretly shed two tears. After 13,000, he wanted to help Yan Hongsha get up, but Yan Hongsha hugged his arm and continued to whine crying.

One thousand three said: “Er Huo, don’t be too moved…”

Yan Hongsha was still crying, and ten thousand was a little helpless.

“Such a second fire, can we discuss it? The preparations were hasty, and I didn’t buy you a gift. If you like this arm so much, you can forget it. You can scratch it if you have nothing to do… “

Yan Hongsha burst out laughing, threw his arm away, sniffed, and said, “Fuck you.”

So he wiped away his tears and was surrounded by the cake. He looked around and wondered, “Where is Fatty Cao?”

Luo Ren pouted towards the back room: “Here we come.”

As soon as the words were finished, the door of the inner room opened, and the lights there were bright. Cao Yanhua had a serious face, holding a bunch of flowers, lilies, tulips, and irises in the sky, and Cao Jiefang stood at his feet.

Yan Hongsha sprayed Cao Jiefang when he saw Cao Jiefang. Not knowing what Cao Yanhua was thinking, he tied a marigold on Cao Jiefang’s head with transparent glue. Cao Jiefang rolled his eyes and looked annoyed.

Cao Yanhua held flowers, and solemnly walked towards Yan Hongsha. Everyone asked him to take up the responsibility of presenting flowers. He tried to get the same effect as walking out of the red carpet, but obviously things backfired. He squatted down on the table, and Kiyo laughed and fell into Luo Ren’s arms. As for Luo Ren, he tried his best not to look at him.

Okay, Cao Yanhua is embarrassed.

I had no choice but to say: “Sister Hongsha, I really can’t buy any gifts at night, and the shops are closed. We have agreed that we will make up the debt first.”

Yan Hongsha almost burst into tears from laughter, took it and said, “Okay.”

Then she made a wish, the candle was flickering, she kept staring and said: “I hope, we can find clues about this Long Town tomorrow.”

Kiyo stomped anxiously: “Hongsa, are you stupid? Make this, no, start over, make a promise about yourself, beautiful and happy.”

Yan Hongsha is not sure: “Do you really want to start over?”

13,000 said: “Let’s start again.”

Yan Hongsha thought for a while, and then said: “I hope that after many, many years, we can still be together, everyone is safe, even if our hair is gray, we can celebrate birthdays together and go out to play together. “

After finishing speaking, he lowered his head, huffed and blew out the candle in front of him.

There was a bell ringing at twelve o’clock in the middle of the night in the distance.

***

The next day, Cao Yanhua woke up the earliest. Last night’s birthday party boosted his morale, and his whole body was full of enthusiasm for going to work. San’s quilt was also lifted: “Brother San San, get up quickly, we’re going to visit the grave!”

Before 13,000 roared, he rushed to the living room and opened the curtains with a swipe.

Dumbly, it’s cloudy.

On the sofa behind him, Luo Ren stretched out his hands to cover his eyes, sat up yawning, and said, “It’s not a good day today, it’s probably going to rain.”

…

Really what Luo Ren said was true, the weather has been bad all the time, as if the gods have shamed them, they are also nervous, racing against time, subconsciously separated – although they are still on the same mountain, but Almost one person checks an area alone. The signal in the mountains is not good, so the walkie-talkie comes in handy.

After noon, Mo Yun climbed up the hill, covered in darkness, almost covering the top of the forest, although not to the extent that you can’t see your fingers, but it’s almost the same as at night. A few people have just climbed half of the mountain and are going to investigate from the other side At this moment, a bright bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky.

Luo Ren’s voice came from the walkie-talkie: “Put on the raincoats, and go back after getting off the mountain. This rain is not small.”

He Xiao said, not only was it not small, but it fell down in an instant, crackling, raindrops hitting people’s heads like small stones, and the intercom was full of ghosts and wolves, Cao Yanhua ran down the mountain with his head in his arms, the wind was heavy and the rain was heavy Big, the water in front of my eyes was muddy, and I heard Luo Ren say: “Hide under the big tree, it’s a torrential rain, it won’t last long, don’t run down, you’ll fall!”

Cao Yanhua was anxious, he couldn’t stop a step, his foot slipped, and he rolled down, and his rolling voice came from the four walkie-talkies of other people almost at the same time: “Ah, ah, ah, ah…”

Kiyo and Yanhongsa shouted.

Kiyo called: “Hold your head, protect your legs…”

Yan Hongsha shouted: “Catch, hold! If you have something, grab it…”

There was a muffled sound, as if it had fallen somewhere, but the sound was not very heavy.

After that, there was a second of silence. It was strange that the sound of the rain in his place seemed to be much quieter.

Thirteen tentatively called: “Fatty?”

Luo Ren said in a deep voice, “Maybe he fainted from the fall, or maybe he didn’t recover. Cao Yanhua, speak!”

Cao Yanhua’s scream suddenly came: “Dog! Dog!”