I collect cultural relics in the human world

Chapter 240 It's Her (Part )

He Si stood aside, staring at the face that looked exactly like her own, motionless. It was really scary in this deep mountain. Fortunately, she was just an invisible ghost.

He Si slowly recalled the additional parts of this illusion. The moment the girl opened her eyes again while lying on the corpse, she seemed like a different person. Her grief and despair were replaced by calmness and determination. She was happy for her, but also unwilling for her. The pity in her heart rose and fell with the rising and dissipating of the night fog. Finally, she sighed and sat down beside the girl.

The night was cool as water and the mountains were quiet. Although he knew he could not touch her, He Si still reached out his hand, trying to smooth the girl's frown. But the moment his hand touched her brow, the girl suddenly opened her eyes.

"Is it you?" The small voice was carried by the night mist, and even had a hint of the cool scent of pine.

He Si was so frightened that she dared not move. She held her breath and waited for the next words. However, she did not expect that the eyes moved around the room and closed again. So that's how it is. You didn't sense me, but thought that the heroic spirit of the boy came to accompany you. He Si thought, and actually reached out again to touch the girl's slightly trembling eyelids. A drop of crystal fell from the corner of the girl's eye, and a sense of satisfaction slowly surged in He Si's heart, as if time had gone back. The self who had gone through countless hardships stood in front of the self who had just experienced a huge change, and comforted softly - it's okay, everything will be fine, look, I'm still standing here, and that boy, he will appear again.

Thinking of this, He Si actually fell asleep, and woke up again because of the noise of the girl getting up. It was not yet dawn, but the trees were dense in the mountains, so He Si could not tell the exact time. She rubbed her eyes and found that the girl had taken off her plain clothes and changed into a gray monk's robe. Her long hair was gathered in a nun's hat. It was probably taken from some corner of the temple. It was wide and big, but not abrupt. She really looked like a little nun. Before He Si could react, the girl had already raised her foot and walked out. She came to the tree, touched the trunk, her eyes flashed, waved to the colt, jumped on the horse, and turned around and galloped down the mountain without any reluctance.

He Si was startled, thinking she was about to lose the girl, but she never expected that the mountains, forests, temples and the girl's silhouette all faded away before her eyes. An invisible brush was waving in front of her, outlining the appearance of a post station at the foot of the mountain. The plaque was mottled and weathered, but the gate was clean and tidy.

The girl stopped her horse, pushed open the creaking wooden door, and poked her head inside.

"Young master, do you want to take a rest?" There were not many people here, and when the host saw a guest coming, he immediately came to greet him.

The girl nodded, then shook her head, thought for a moment, and then said, "I want to sell the horse."

The owner was stunned for a moment, then followed her gaze, was stunned for a moment, looked at the girl again before saying frankly: "It's a good horse. We can't afford such a good horse."

The girl was not disappointed. She blinked her eyes which were still tinged with blue-gray and asked, "Does the donor know if there are any other towns nearby?"

"Yes, go east along this path and you will see a fork in the road soon. Then take the road on the right. It will take about six or seven miles to Liuquan Village, which is now the largest market town nearby," the host said, pausing and solemnly emphasizing, "Remember, you must take the road on the right."

"Is there any problem?" The girl did not rush to thank and go on her way, but instead asked a question.

The honest middle-aged man did not hide it and sighed, "If you take the left hand path, you will enter the Yama Palace, and there is no return."

"Are there... bandits over there?" "That's Yuxianqiao Village, which used to be the largest and busiest market town nearby, but it was hit by an epidemic not long ago. Alas," the man said, and couldn't help but sigh again, shaking his head and saying, "Now the villagers there are neither human nor ghost. If you go there, even if you come out alive, other places won't dare to accept you."

"Then there are still people in the village?" The girl looked at the man's puzzled expression and added, "I mean, didn't the villagers flee in the early stage of the epidemic?"

The man nodded, with a look of regret or relief on his face. "At first, they were unwilling to leave. Yuxianqiao Village was very prosperous before. Why was it called that? That was the village where Zhang Guolao rode a donkey and became an immortal. There are still donkey hoof prints on the bridge. Several elders thought they had someone to rely on, and they just caught a cold and could just see a doctor. Ordinary people with families couldn't just leave. Seeing that the wealthy merchants and gentry didn't leave, they naturally didn't want to leave. Who knew that the epidemic was out of control, and when they wanted to leave, they couldn't leave."

Because of the name Zhang Guolao, He Si couldn't help but be stunned. She thought of Lu Dongbin, but seeing that the girl was also stunned, she didn't know what she was thinking of.

When the picture was formed again from the haziness, He Si saw that the girl had covered her whole body tightly, especially the mouth and nose, where she carefully wore a cloth towel, which was very similar to the masks of today. She had reached the fork in the road, hesitated for a moment, and stepped onto the fork on the left.

As if she had known the girl's choice for a long time, He Si was not surprised, but she didn't know the girl's specific plan, so she quickly followed. She watched the girl trek for a long time, until the outline of the village vaguely appeared in front of her, then she patted the horse's back, signaled it to rest on the spot, and walked onto the Yuxian Bridge alone.

The bluestone roads that were lined with shops are now empty, with no one around. The doors of the silk and grain shops are closed, and the teahouses and wine shops are full of spider webs. The buildings with carved beams and painted buildings show the prosperity of the past, but also contrast with the current depression. There is a burnt smell in the air, as if someone is burning something, and along with the smoke, there is also an indescribable depression and silence.

The wind blew through the lonely streets, making a whimpering sound like the sobbing of a wandering ghost. He Si and the girl tightened their collars at the same time.

The fallen leaves broke under her feet, and He Si suddenly heard light footsteps coming from behind her.

"Who!" The girl shouted in a low voice, obviously she was also startled, and wanted to use this voice to give herself courage, but her eyes softened when she turned around. She saw a timid little girl, about six or seven years old, with messy hair, dusty cheeks, chapped lips, and a look of neglect. But if you look closely, although the girl's clothes are dirty, the material is exquisite. Her complexion is not good, but you can still see the fair and tender appearance before. Obviously, she was well taken care of in the past, and she must have suffered a great change recently.

The young girl was still thinking when she heard the girl ask, "Are you He Xiangu?"

"Who?" The girl was stunned for a moment, and then she reacted after thinking about the legend she had just heard. She looked at the girl's eyes that were shining with hope in her gray eyes, nodded and said, "Yes."

"Great, I knew it." The girl ran over. "The teacher also said that the legends in our village are fake and that there are no gods in the world. I don't believe it. Mom is sick and won't let me go back. I'm waiting here. I know that the gods will come. Please go and save my mom."

As she spoke, she jumped to grab the girl's hand, but she didn't expect the girl to react quickly and immediately evaded. Ignoring the girl's sad expression, the girl said coldly, "Lead the way."