hell in disguise

Liu'er hugged her one-year-old daughter tightly, listening to her tiny body breathing with all her might.The exposed delicate skin was terribly hot, as if it had been exposed to the scorching sun for several hours.

But Liu'er couldn't feel how hot her daughter was, because she was also having a fever.Her lips were dry and cracked, but her eyes were so bloodshot that even the whites of her eyes could not be seen, like two black dots in two holes of blood, she looked terrifying like a ghost at first sight.The corner of her mouth was still stained with blood from the last cough, and the exposed skin was dotted with blue and black spots, like rotten and moldy mold.

Her former home is now just a half-collapsed thatched roof supported by dilapidated earthen walls on four sides. Her husband, her husband's parents, her own parents, her elder brother, her husband's second sister, her husband The twin sons of the second sister all died, but there was no decent funeral when they died. Several men wrapped their mouths and noses with rags and rolled up their bodies with straw mats before throwing them into a big pit outside the village. incinerate.The smell of rotten meat being burnt is obviously disgusting, but the people in the village have been hungry for too long, even if they know that the smell contains the poison of the plague, they still can't help swallowing greedily.

Some people say that the first time someone contracted this goddamn disease was because of years of famine, the earth was cracked and dried up, and nothing could grow.The imperial court kept talking about distributing disaster relief food, but there was no penny in their hands.Some people were so hungry that they caught all of them, whether they were mice or maggots, and ate them.In this way, the diseases tainted by those dirty things enter the human body and spread rapidly.

Some people in the village escaped from the famine, and some escaped from the famine but came back, but five people went out, but only one came back.He told the villagers that there was no need to escape, there was nowhere to escape.When they arrived, the whole family starved to death, died of illness, and did not find a place with rainwater and fertile soil.What's more, the prefects and prefects of those big towns were afraid that they would pour into the city and spread the plague, and they were also afraid that these rural refugees would steal and smash, so they closed the city gates, not only preventing them from entering, but also letting officers and soldiers drive them away with bows and arrows.The man's 13-year-old son was shot three times in this way, and one arrow was inserted into the eye socket, killing him on the spot.

He said that there were so many bones outside the city gate, and the stench was so foul that even vultures and crows didn't want to come to eat them.

When someone asked him what to do, the man laughed, went down to the base of the wall, and shouted, "Waiting for death!!! Waiting for death!!! What a poor life!!! It's worthless!!! God doesn't care ah!!!"

At that time, Liu'er also saw the unkempt and crazy appearance of the man, and a large black spot was faintly visible between the collar.

At that time, some people in the village were already suffering from the plague. Even if the villagers locked the plague-stricken people in their rooms immediately, the terrible disease still found opportunities to penetrate into people's bodies from every corner and crevice.

Liu'er also thought about running away, but her man didn't want to leave these three thatched huts, and he didn't want to leave his field passed down from his grandparents, and she didn't quite believe that things would go so bad.Later, when they wanted to run, it was too late.

In one month, in just one month, she changed from a woman with a perfect family to an orphan and widow.At first it was her sister-in-law, then her two children, then her mother-in-law, and then her father-in-law.At the same time, her natal family from a neighboring village also sent a letter, saying that her own parents had also died of illness, but told her not to go to the funeral, as they had already been buried.At least what her so-called burial looked like, a pile of rotting corpses piled up together, feet poking faces, no one could tell who it was, or buried or burned, there was no peace at all.

And finally her man.In her heart, he has always been so upright, as if there is no problem that he can't solve, and there is nothing that will scare him.But in the last few hours, he was trembling with fear, asking her where she would go after she died, crying over and over again saying that he didn't want to die.He was dizzy with fever and could not speak clearly, as if he had become a child again, and when he finally died in her arms, he was still asking her where his mother was.

After his man left, when she also started to have a fever, she vaguely knew that her time was not far away.All the fields within a radius of a hundred miles near the village were dry to the point of lumps, and the scattered wild fruits on the mountain had long been picked up by the hungry mountain people, and even the sparrows and crows were eaten clean.She hadn't eaten much for three days, and she didn't even drink much water.The water from the well was also like muddy mud, with a deadly stench.She could no longer remember the taste of clean well water. She remembered that the well water was clear and sweet when she was a child, and it left a fragrance on her lips and teeth after drinking it.But I don't know why the well water became cloudier every day after she grew up. At first, she remembered that her mother used stones and fine sand to filter it, and boiled the water for drinking.However, in recent years, the water has become more and more muddy and smelly, and it still turns yellow when filtered. It's just that people have gradually become accustomed to the bitter taste of teeth, and no longer care about whether it is clean or not.

But the more they drink the sewage, the worse people's health will be.No one knew whether the source of the plague was rats, water, or hunger.

Without her, her daughter would not be able to live. Instead of leaving her to struggle alone in this miserable world, it would be better for the two of them to go together.She hugged her baby tightly, gradually feeling dizzy and burning inside.The plague quickly eroded her sanity, and the world in her eyes began to distort in a trance. The air and the walls were covered with thick mold, and countless soft giant flesh worms as thick as arms and human legs were tangled together. , there was a smell of decay everywhere, and even the baby in her arms had turned into some limp, ugly thing full of tentacles.And her own hand also changed, covered with a layer of translucent mucous membrane, and her five fingers were glued together.

This hallucination comes and goes, blinking hard and everything becomes normal again.Because of this, she became more and more frightened, not knowing where she would go after she died.She asked herself that she hadn't done anything harmful to nature in her life, but she was not without resentment with others. After all, in life, who would not have one or two annoying enemies?What's more, she has never visited a temple piously. Will God also think that she is not good enough, and she is only worthy of reincarnation in the three evil realms in the next life?Will she become a pig, born to be slaughtered?Will he turn into a cow and spend his whole life until he dies of exhaustion?Will he be reincarnated as an evil spirit, unable to live or die in the pan of oil on the mountain of knives?

In this fear that came from the void in all directions, she gradually sank into the depths of the dream.

In the dream, her home changed back to the way it was before, with a thatched roof, freshly painted walls, bright and clean windows, and a pot of hot tea on the charcoal fire.

She looked down to see her daughter sleeping soundly in her arms.Her body was also very comfortable and light, and the hunger like tarsus maggots disappeared at all.In the distance, she even heard the familiar whistle. In the past, when her husband came back from the fields, he always liked to play that little tune, and it didn't take long before he could hear the sound of the chaimen being pushed open.

Filled with hope and the heat of ecstasy, she opened the door.

Outside the door is an endless sea of ​​red flowers.It was a flower she had never seen before, with curved petals, as beautiful as blood.The sky is a bright yellow color that reveals the taste of memories, and the sunset glow is like a veil.

She had never seen such a beautiful sight in her life, and her simple and innocent eyes were wide open, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly, a gentle and wonderful feeling quietly permeated her chest, as if it was the happiness full of security when she was a child at the lap of a loving mother.

Not only from nowhere, it seemed as if a slender red figure emerged from the air.Although there was still some distance away, but for some reason, the red figure seemed to be calling her silently, making her heart full of longing.She walked forward quickly, running towards the red figure who seemed to be reunited after a long time, but she couldn't help but stop when she saw the man's face clearly.

It was a man who seemed to be very young, but also seemed to be extremely old, with long hair like the night, a face like cold jade, and a pair of phoenix eyes that were both sentimental and ruthless.His body seemed to emit a faint light, making the suffocating beauty around him a foil behind him.He looks like a human being, but an indescribable noble and sacred temperament spreads around him, which makes people awe-inspiring.However, apart from the sacredness, there is also a trace of evil spirit that leads people to fall, unlike the gods in the temple that are not stained with mortal dust.

There were tears in Liu'er's eyes, and he wanted to cry for no reason.She asked in a trembling voice, "Where is this? Who are you?"

The man in red showed her a smile as bright as the sun, with dimples on his cheeks.

"You'll be all right, and your daughter will be all right," he said softly to her. "Tomorrow, a doctor will come to your town and you'll all be saved. Don't give up."

Tears flowed down the cheeks like broken beads, and couldn't stop.Her knees were weak, and she just knelt down like this, "Save my daughter...I don't want her to suffer, I want her to grow up safely and happily...I miss home...I miss my husband-in-law ,my parents……"

"Those who have passed away can't come back. But you still have a daughter and a future." The man in red gradually walked towards her, until he stood in front of her, with his compassionate eyes slightly lowered, he stretched out his left thumb , lightly pressed on her forehead, "The sky is cruel, and treats everything as a dog. You have to fight for your own happiness in the future."

The moment his thumb touched her forehead, a slight pain similar to being burned but not so painful woke her up from her dream.There is still a lingering aftertaste on the forehead.

At the end of the night, she couldn't fall asleep, listening to her daughter's heavy breathing, and watching the dawn break through the window.She couldn't forget that dream, and felt that her time was about to come, so she began to see some strange things.The man said someone would come to save them, but she didn't believe it.She believed in miracles when her in-laws were sick, and she also believed in miracles when her husband was sick, but now she no longer believes in miracles.

But not long after dawn, I really heard footsteps outside the door.

The dilapidated door was pushed open, and in the blurred vision, the figure of an old man walked into the room.With a kind face and a goatee, he carefully studied her complexion, opened her eyelids and looked at the bottom of her eyes.

"You are……"

"I am a doctor." The old man said in a steady voice, "Don't be afraid, you will get better soon."

She couldn't believe it.In their village where the plague has ravaged almost the entire village, no doctor would be willing to come.

The old man checked her pulse, and carefully checked her daughter's complexion, then he took out a water bag, unplugged it, and brought it to her lips.

"Come on, take a sip, and you'll be fine when you're done."

The clear and sweet spring water poured into the throat, just like the taste in childhood memories.She drank greedily, as if her internal organs had been thoroughly washed.

An indescribable comfort spread throughout the limbs, as if all the dirty things that had been starved and feared for years had been washed away.She felt the warmth of the sun spreading through her veins, and the strength she had lost gathered in her muscles again, and her cloudy and blurred vision gradually became clearer.

She was so surprised that she couldn't be more surprised, and she felt as relaxed and at ease as if she had been reborn.

The old man poured water into the baby girl's mouth again, and the hot little face soon returned to its original whiteness and cleanliness, and the face that had been wrinkled in pain also stretched out, without the suffocating heaviness. breathe.

Liu'er wept with joy, hugging his daughter and weeping bitterly.She knelt on the ground and wanted to kowtow to the doctor, but the old man held her back, "Don't thank me, I just want to complete my mission. You should thank the Sixth Heavenly Demon."

She froze for a moment, inexplicably remembering the man in red in her dream last night.

Seeing her crying with tears all over her face, the old man took out a handkerchief from his bosom and handed it to her, asking her to wipe her face, "If you want to see him, or want to know where your dearest relatives will be in the next life, it's convenient After three months, look for him at the foot of Heling Mountain."

She asked awkwardly, "Heling Mountain? I've never heard of it..."

"Go south, about one month, and you will be there." The old man said with a smile, "You have already seen him in your dream, and you will have a destiny when the time comes." After finishing speaking, he drifted away.

She walked out of the dilapidated small courtyard with the child in her arms, only to find that on the already devastated village road, there were a few other solitary figures coming out of their respective courtyard gates, all in tattered clothes, with expressions on their faces. The rest of my life is at a loss, but it is healthy and rosy.

Only about one-third of the people in the village survived. Some people said that they saw the doctor draw water from their local well and pour it into the water bag.But how could their water be so clear?A few villagers were dubious, so they went to the well in the middle of the village and threw the old wooden barrel down, hearing the sound of water.And the freshly brewed water is really clear and sweet, exuding an indescribably fresh fruit-like fragrance!

The miracle seems to continue.After they were rescued, rain soon fell from the sky. It wasn't a torrential rain, but it was fine and lingering for more than half a month.The originally dry and cracked land was moistened again, gradually recovering from the trauma.By late spring, new vegetation has sprouted.

Many villagers burned incense and worshiped God excitedly, using their bony bodies to pull the worn-out plows to turn up the land that had become fertile without knowing it.But more people whispered in the middle of the night, saying that before they were saved, they all saw a mysterious man in red in their dreams.

The man in red said they would be saved and told them not to give up.Later, the doctor who rescued them also said that he was just following orders.

Is the man in red a fairy?Is it the Bodhisattva who saved them?Otherwise, why the land that was drying up quickly, seemed to be nourished by some invisible force, revived in a short period of time. Various speculations spread among every village and town that gradually recovered its strength, and the name of the Sixth Heavenly Demon spread like wildfire. and go.

Heavenly Demon, isn’t it an evil god?Why does a Bodhisattva who saved them pretend to be a demon?

Although curious, although their hearts are full of mysterious yearning and admiration, most people still choose to continue the simple life before being destroyed by disasters in their own land.

But Liu'er was different. She carried her daughter on her back and set off with several other people from the same village at dawn one month later.

She wanted to find the sixth heavenly demon that the old doctor said, and she wanted to know where her man and her relatives went after death.After all, she had been so close to death before, so close that she seemed to see part of the afterlife.She couldn't imagine that the kind people she loved the most would live in such a bad place after death.

Death opened her eyes blinded by the trivial life of the past.How fragile life is, how lonely and fearful at the moment of death, and how to escape the terrifying feeling of being about to fall into the endless abyss, isn't it the most urgent and most urgent problem that needs to be solved?

After all, the lifespan of human beings is so short, even if they are lucky enough to survive the catastrophe now, what about the next time?

Since Heavenly Demon can save her, maybe it can also save those who have died?Anyway, now that she has nothing, instead of staying and pretending to live the rest of her life as if nothing had happened, it is better to clear up the doubts in her heart as soon as possible.

What she doesn't know is that there are many other people who think like her.

In March, the plague and famine that had been raging in the world were miraculously alleviated and controlled.There are many rejuvenating doctors from all over the country, as if they had made an agreement, they went deep into the hinterland of the epidemic area despite the danger of being infected, and saved tens of thousands of people.Strangely, many people claimed that the medicine they got was just a bowl of water that the doctor got from the local area.

At the same time, in the Jiuhua Hall of Lihentian, a fairy rushed in and reported to Changgeng Xingjun, who was meditating with his eyes closed, that the earth energy of the sixth heaven had been stolen, and it seemed to have flowed into the human world.

Changgeng Xingjun opened his ice-like eyes and smiled contemptuously, "I see. Don't startle the snake, go and invite the female demon here."