I survive in the weird Liaozhai

Arriving at the door of Taoist Qi Yuan, Gu Nian'an still knocked politely.

There were three soft sounds of "dong, dong, dong".

The voice of Master Qi Yuan was heard in the room.

"Is this Nian An? The door is not locked, just come in."

Gu Nian'an entered the room and saw the old Taoist sitting at the table making tea.

He walked forward and took the kettle from the Taoist priest's hand, and began to flush water, wash tea leaves, and brew tea skillfully.

This tea was bought by Gu Nian'an for Taoist Qi Yuan in Langhuan County a few days ago.

He knew that the Taoist priest had such a hobby, and he had just received a huge sum of money.

So I just spent a lot of money to get some of the best Wushan Maojian tea for the old Taoist priest.

I heard that this tea is sweet and slightly bitter, with a long aftertaste in the mouth. As time goes by, the sweetness gradually exceeds the bitterness and finally ends with sweetness. The taste of a sip of tea shows a full contrast and comparison, which will bring a magical impact and enjoyment to the taste buds. This tea is a favorite of many people who understand tea.

He didn't know much about tea, but the ancients of this era should have been relatively simple and honest, so he thought that ten taels of silver per pound of tea wouldn't be too rip-off.

After brewing the tea, Gu Nian'an placed it on the table in front of Taoist master Qi Yuan, then poured himself a cup before sitting opposite the Taoist master.

Taoist master Qi Yuan watched his disciple busying himself with a smile.

After the tea was brewed and half a cup was sipped, the old Taoist spoke in a gentle voice.

"Nian'an, you have worked hard these days. Tell me what happened these days."

Gu Nian'an picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip. The tea tasted sweet and not bitter at all, which was quite good.

Putting down the teacup, he thought for a moment, and told Taoist Qi Yuan what had happened at Gufeng Mountain in a concise manner.

He did not tell the Taoist priest about any of the thrills and excitement involved. As it was already over, there was no need to make the Taoist priest worry.

Taoist master Qi Yuan listened carefully to his disciple's narration, but the more he listened, the more frightened he became, and his expression became more solemn.

Although the disciple did not describe how dangerous the incident was, the old Taoist knew that dealing with that kind of ghost thing was almost a life-and-death situation.

Therefore, I can say that the reason I was able to survive this time was all thanks to my disciple’s desperate efforts.

As for how the eldest son of the Li family turned into an unknown female corpse, Taoist Qi Yuan did not ask much. This matter was suspicious in every way and there was no need to delve into it.

After a moment of silence, the old Taoist said in a serious tone, thinking for a while and then asked:

"Nian'an, tell me some more details about the woman in the coffin. Is there anything that you find special?"

Special, he felt that Sister Red Coffin was special from head to toe.

Sister Red Coffin gave him the feeling that a living person was cut into eight pieces and then put back together, and it was not completely put together.

Without any impatience, Gu Nian'an recounted some details about Sister Red Coffin to the old Taoist priest.

After listening to his apprentice's description, the old Taoist pondered for a long time.

Gu Nian'an felt that Taoist Qi Yuan should know something, but he did not interrupt the Taoist's thoughts.

He continued to drink the tea, taking sips at a time. Such good things worth ten taels of silver per pound should not be wasted.

It was not until Gu Nian'an added tea for the third time that Taoist Qi Yuan slowly spoke:

"Nian'an, I have some guesses. I think I know what is in the coffin. It's really a sin."

Gu Nian'an was a little surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect that Taoist Qi Yuan actually knew some inside information.

So he put down the teacup and wanted to see what Taoist Qi Yuan had to say. He was still somewhat interested in Sister Red Coffin.

"If my guess is correct, then the person in the coffin might be the ghost mother."

"About thirty years ago, your uncle and I traveled around the world. We experienced something when we passed through Muzhou, a border town in Daqian."

"Muzhou borders the northernmost grasslands, and there are constant wars all year round."

"So that area is quite chaotic, with bandits and robbers running rampant."

"But it is also because it borders the grasslands. Muzhou has a prosperous trade. Merchants from all over the Central Plains can make a lot of money by shipping furs from the grasslands to the inland areas."

"Besides, the casting technology on the grassland is not perfect, and there is a great demand for cloth, porcelain, grain and other items from the Central Plains. As long as ordinary merchants can travel back and forth safely, they can make a lot of money."

"So, although Muzhou is a bit dangerous, it's nothing for merchants."

"Besides, it's not a problem for ordinary bandits to help transport goods as long as you can satisfy their appetite."

"But if you are unlucky and encounter bandits, that would be fun. Bandits have no territory and no fixed place to live, so they do things without any bottom line. If a small caravan encounters them, it would be impossible for them to survive."

"In the Black Wushan area of ​​Muzhou, there is a large group of bandits called 'Dangshan Tigers'. They are probably composed of hundreds of young and strong men."

"There are quite a few martial arts masters among them, especially their leader, Du Biao, the Mountain Tiger. He is very skilled in using the Falling Wild Goose Knife. His martial arts skills can be considered second-rate in the martial arts world, and he is quite famous in Muzhou."

"But this person has a perverse personality and does things by any means necessary. Under the leadership of Du Biao, the Dangshanhu bandit gang can be said to be capable of committing almost any evil. Therefore, few merchants traveling to Muzhou will have a good ending if they encounter them."

"It was probably the winter of the fourth year of Dingwu. The entire Muzhou was covered in snow and the mountains were extremely cold."

"Under such circumstances, it is difficult for a normal caravan to move. In addition, the Dangshanhu are roving bandits, and their stockpiled supplies are not sufficient."

"So they made up their minds and massacred a village in Muzhou. Not a single male in the village survived."

"As for women, ah... it's better for them to just die."

"For the entire winter, the Dangshan tiger lingered in that village and spent the three coldest months there."

"At the beginning of spring, when the weather improved a little, the Dangshanhu group left the dead silent village."

"In fact, they themselves knew that the government would not let them go after committing such a serious crime, so they disappeared without a trace."

"After the beginning of spring, when the snow blocks the mountains, the government will send personnel to each village to check the damage, so as to avoid difficulty in collecting taxes on time."

"But when the government officials came to the village that had been attacked by the tiger, they were all stunned. The whole village was in a dead silence, not even a single person was seen."

"It was not until they found the women's bodies, which had not yet decayed, in the village chief's courtyard that they almost vomited their bile. It was such a tragic scene."

"There was no one left alive in the entire village. Later, the government intervened and hastily buried the bodies of the villagers."

"As for the bandits of Dangshanhu, we can only issue a warrant to arrest them first. After all, bandits are too difficult to deal with."

"If we send out a small number of people, we may not be able to defeat them. If we send out a large number of people, it will be easy for them to escape."

"The bandits are more familiar with the terrain of Muzhou than the government. As long as they are willing to hide in a ravine for a while, tens of thousands of troops will be helpless."

"Finally, after the government buried all the bodies in the village, I thought the matter was over."

"But later we found out that there was a problem in the surrounding villages. Children from several neighboring villages kept disappearing for no apparent reason, and neither the living nor the dead were found."

"The government is generally not willing to intervene in such trivial matters, but later even the neighboring Qionghua County had problems, and the eldest grandson of the Song family in Qionghua County disappeared."

"This has really stirred up a hornet's nest."

"The Song family of Qionghua County is a truly prestigious family. Even the Li family of Langhuan County is far inferior to them. The most important thing is that the Minister of Rites at that time was from the Song family."

"This scared the Qionghua County Magistrate at the time. If he dared to cheat in this matter, he would probably have no future. The whole family would have to go down to the grave to accompany the Song family's grandson."

"The magistrate of Qionghua County was also very angry at the time. He mobilized almost all the forces in the county."

"No matter if they are runners or famous local people, all of them should join the search. As long as we can find the grandson of the Song family, everything will be fine."

"There is strength in numbers, and they actually found some clues."