Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 66: Ghost Market at Dusk
Chen Xu was sitting in the carriage and saw Cui Jingxian use ten taels of silver to appease the coachman's anger.

The driver honestly turned his anger into joy, after all, the other party gave him too much.

Then, Cui Jingxian raised the scroll in his hand and explained the new rules of the poetry meeting to all the students who came from afar in the carriage.

Finally, he said to everyone: "Everyone, please offer yourselves a chance to write a poem. This is one.

But I have another prize here.

If there is any poem here that can complement this ancient painting in my hand and make it produce green smoke, I will be willing to pay you three hundred taels of silver and three sticks of Taiqing incense to wake you up."

As soon as the words fell, there was silence everywhere.

Not to mention the three hundred taels of silver, the Taiqing Awakening Incense is indeed a spiritual object that is rare even with money.

It was too shocking that Cui Jingxian, a member of a branch of the Cui family, could casually take out three sticks of Taiqing Xingshen Incense just to use as a prize for a poetry gathering on the roadside.

Finally, someone in the pavilion couldn't wait to say, "Brother Jingxian, if you had told me earlier, if you had told me that this lucky charm contained the Taiqing Awakening Incense, I would have composed ten poems for you right then and there. Why would you have to look for someone on the roadside?"

But someone retorted, "You do? Even if you write a hundred poems, can you find one that can make a painting come alive?"

Everyone burst into laughter.

On the official road, students from Jichuan County and Qingyan County couldn't help but get off the carriage.

Chen Xu also got out of the car and watched the scene calmly.

Over in Qingyan County, a young student, his clothes faded from washing, couldn't help but ask, "What is Huasheng Qingyan? What is Taiqing Xingshenxiang...?"

This person's name is Chang Song.

No one answered him, and some even lowered their heads slightly to hide their embarrassment.

It turned out that no one in Qingyan County could respond to Chang Song's question.

The scholars carefully selected from the small town traveled for several days, but did not even have time to enter the gate of the provincial capital. It was as if they were separated by an inexplicable thing between two worlds.

Fortunately, Wang Mochuan spoke up: "The best works in the world can always resonate with the spirit, and when they are put on paper, they are like clouds and smoke on paper.

Green smoke is elementary, purple smoke is superior. If there is golden light rising to the sky, causing heaven and earth to resonate, then it is the best of the best, a masterpiece that will astound the world."

As for the Taiqing Awakening Incense, before Wang Mochuan had the chance to explain, someone at Changting burst into laughter.

"If you don't even understand the clouds and mist on paper, why are you joining in the fun of a poetry gathering?"

"Go to the provincial capital as soon as possible and find a private school to study hard for twenty days. Maybe you can learn something. If you are lucky enough to pass the exam, you can go back to the countryside and become a master.

Don't even attend the poetry gathering!"

"Hahaha……"

There was another burst of laughter on the spot, which made Chang Song blush with shame and anger.

Just when everyone thought he was going to leave with his face covered in laughter, the young man suddenly shouted, "Am I the one who wants to attend the poetry reading?

Aren't you the ones who stop people on the street and make fun of passers-by?
I don’t know what is meant by clouds and smoke on paper, but what about you? Do you know what the suffering of the people is?

Can you tell the difference between grains and rice? What else can you do with your studies except to amuse others?

Chang Song, who had a fiery temper, said with increasing rage, "I don't understand the concept of smoke and clouds on paper, nor can I write a poem or fu that can produce smoke and clouds on paper.

But can you really do it?
If you can't do it, why are you laughing at me? It's just the pot calling the kettle black! "

Inside the pavilion, the person playing the zither made a clang sound and stopped playing.

The laughter on both sides stopped, and everyone looked at Chang Song.

Chang Song's overheated mind calmed down a bit, but he still mustered up the courage to continue speaking loudly: "Although I am not talented enough, the people around me are all famous and talented.

Just open this mysterious painting of yours and let the world see if it is worthy of the poems of my brothers!"

These words really irritated everyone in Jichuan County, and Chen Xu couldn't help but frown slightly.

But at this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Cui Jingxian again.

Because he did as he was told, he raised his hand and gently shook the scroll downwards.

The contents of the scroll unfolded instantly. Under the dusky sky, a gentle breeze suddenly blew. Then, a silver bell-like laughter was heard: "Hee..."

Where does the laughter come from?

When everyone heard the sound, their heads buzzed. Then they looked carefully and saw that the bright moon in the painting was pale.

Under the moon, there is a graceful woman wearing a veil hat, a shawl on her shoulders, and her clothes fluttering.

Suddenly, the woman raised her head and lifted the gauze on both sides of her veil, revealing half of her face. Her face was as rosy as a lotus, and her face was as fragrant as orchid, she was extremely beautiful.

Why is it half a sheet?
It turned out that the woman had only half a beautiful face, and the other half had no flesh and blood, only an empty skull.

Everyone was caught off guard. When they saw such a face, an exclamation was heard from the crowd.

Another "hehe" laugh was heard, and then Cui Jingxian's face suddenly changed drastically. He said in surprise: "What is this? No, let's go..."

He shook his hand, threw the scroll in his hand away, and turned to leave.

But after he let go of the scroll, it grew in the wind and turned into a veil that leaped into the sky.

The veil fell from the sky, and in an instant the world in everyone's eyes changed.

At dusk, the ancient plain turned into a wilderness under the moon, and the ten-mile long pavilion turned into a quiet bluestone road.

Dimly glowing paper lanterns rose into the air from both sides of the road. Suddenly, both sides of the street were filled with stalls.

A series of hazy shadows appeared in the air behind the stalls, and under the illumination of paper lanterns, the objects on the stalls were revealed.

"Ah!" A middle-aged scholar suddenly screamed, "Eyes, eyeballs... Help!"

He turned around and tried to escape, but the eyeball on the stall suddenly jumped up, and countless bloody little arms grew out from all sides, sobbing and hugging the middle-aged scholar's neck.

boom!
The middle-aged scholar fell on his back, his face purple, and he seemed to be breathing more than he was breathing in.

A sinister, hoarse voice came from behind the stall, saying, "Sir, why are you so anxious? Since you've come to the ghost market, you must be buying something.

You want to leave without buying anything, do you think you don't like the things on our stall?"

Who, who looks down on the things on their stalls?

No, that's not right!

Who can look down on her? Who dares to look down on her?

The dazed people finally realized what had happened and panic broke out.

What are the sons of noble families, wealthy sons, and talented scholars...

At this moment, everyone has become like loose sand in a plate and ants in a pot, which is pathetic and ridiculous.

Some people stood frozen on the spot, their legs trembling;
Someone turned to run, but fell to the ground with a thud;
Someone screamed in panic, about to cry, but a pale hand stretched out from nowhere to cover their mouth...

Of course, there are occasionally a few who are a little calmer.

"I have great righteousness, evil spirits, retreat!" Cui Jingxian shouted, exhaled green air, took a step forward and rushed to one end of the bluestone street.

He strode forward, and the ghosts on both sides retreated.

It seemed like he was about to rush out from the shadows at the end of the long street, but he took a step forward, and in a flash, he appeared at the other end of the long street again.

He couldn't get out. He couldn't get out at all.

Suddenly, a sigh was heard.

It's like the morning bell and evening drum, resounding in everyone's heart.

It turned out that he was the instructor of the Juren in Jichuan County, Mr. Wu Zhengze.

He held the Wenxin Seal in his hand and reminded everyone in a deep voice, "Don't rush in vain. This is the ghost realm. Although it is a thing in the painting, it was not created in the painting.

It is the result of an accidental connection between the Nine Springs and the underworld and spiritual creatures, and it has been nurtured over a long period of time.

Only a great scholar or a highly accomplished cultivator could possibly break through by force!"

(End of this chapter)