I have a weird dynasty

Chapter 73: Life-seeking (asking for monthly ticket)

Kou Yushan was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "The Yin soldiers are borrowing the road, everyone kneel on the ground, don't look up, don't make any noise, and leave the rest to fate! Also, from now on, don't mention these four words again, and don't think about this matter!"

Sang Que was confused and asked He Shouhui who lived nearby. She then learned that every Zhongyuan Festival, various places would encounter ghost soldiers asking for passage. These ghost soldiers traveled throughout the Xuan Dynasty and would randomly capture able-bodied men when they encountered villages or cities on the way.

If you are at home with your doors and windows closed, you can offer food and paper money outside the yard to comfort the ghost soldiers, and you can avoid disaster.

It is precisely because of this that the Xuan Dynasty attached great importance to the Zhongyuan Festival. During the Zhongyuan Festival, every household would slaughter livestock and hold large-scale sacrifices.

But they were fleeing this time without any preparation. If they encountered evil soldiers trying to pass through, they would probably be conscripted.

The Gui Dynasty was full of dangers. When Sang Que recalled what she had experienced in Xujiawan Village, it was simply incomparable. In Xujiawan Village, she could rush around with a knife, but here, even if she had a Yin child and many Yin objects, she had to abide by the rules and stay put.

Kou Yushan and his guards have done everything they could, and now all that is left is to pray.

At eleven o'clock at night, the ticking sound in Sang Que's head finally stopped, and her tense nerves relaxed. She didn't sleep last night and had been traveling all day today. Fatigue immediately surged up and made her yawn continuously.

The summer cicada has the mind of a child and often spends the night outside. Now it is curled up under a tree and asleep. Its hair hanging on the ground occasionally moves, as if it is on alert.

Xuan Yu stayed beside Xia Chan and glanced at Widow Li from time to time.

Sangque stood up and stretched his muscles, thinking that he should bring some coffee next time, even if it was just chewed dry, it would help to refresh himself.

At this moment, no one dared to approach the hanging rope, and Sangque was not afraid to look up. Suddenly, a white thing came into view, falling from a high place. It turned out to be a piece of paper money in the shape of a copper coin.

More and more paper money appeared out of thin air and floated down to the ground. A low cry was heard from the crowd, and everyone shrank nervously, glancing at the falling paper money.

woof!woof!
The two black dogs started barking, and Kou Yushan hurried forward to comfort them.

"Be quiet, don't make any noise."

Xuan Yu also became alert, looking in a certain direction outside the camp, and making a threatening sound in his throat.

Sang Que quickly grabbed the iron sword leaning against the tree, took out a ghost soldier talisman from his arms, and looked in the direction Xuan Yu was looking.

Under the red moon, in the woods filled with gloomy air, a group of people in mourning clothes seemed to appear suddenly, carrying a coffin, with white banners flying and paper money all over the sky. Everything was pale and everyone was dead silent and cold.

On the night of the Ghost Festival, these creatures can also be seen by ordinary people. Some children are frightened and their parents cover their mouths tightly before they can even utter a word. The atmosphere instantly becomes extremely depressing.

Sang Que lowered his eyes, not looking directly at the faces of those 'people', and watched them carrying the coffin passing by outside the camp with full alertness.

boom!Boom!

There were constant banging and scratching sounds coming from the coffin, and the coffin lid was shaking, as if a living person was locked inside.

Sangque did hear a faint, desperate cry.

"Help, help me, let me out, I don't want to die, let me out!"

boom!Boom!

The vibration sound struck everyone's heart, making people's hair stand on end, fearing that the group of 'people' would suddenly turn around and come towards the camp.

Fortunately, the team carrying the coffin quickly passed by the camp, walked onto the road outside, and slowly disappeared.

After they left, many people collapsed, covered in cold sweats, and dared to release some of their fear, allowing the children to cry quietly for a while.

Sang Que walked up to Kou Yushan and asked, "What is that?"

Kou Yushan glanced at the distance with lingering fear, "If the coffin bearers pick up paper money, they will be arrested within seven days. Sometimes paper money will turn into silver and jewelry and fall on the roadside to attract people to pick it up. It is commonly known as life-saving money."

"If you accidentally take the money, the only way to save you is to let someone else take the money from you willingly. Fortunately, they have already caught the person and didn't stop here."

Starting with the word "ghost", it must be a fourth to sixth level existence, which Sangque must not provoke now.

After the ghost carried the coffin past, the camp became quiet again. Everyone was uneasy, and no one except Xia Chan could sleep peacefully.

Occasionally, cries, children's laughter, and cries for help could be heard from the forest, which made people live in constant fear and torment.

Liu Tianyou and the old village chief led the young children who could not control themselves to recite poems of sages in a low voice to divert their attention.

Just after twelve o'clock, a strange wind suddenly blew in the woods, and the temperature dropped sharply, making people shiver. A group of red-eyed crows circled above everyone's heads, crying and refusing to leave.

Kou Yushan told Sangque that those were blood crows that appeared in groups at night. As long as you didn't provoke them, you would be fine. Once you angered the crows, your eyes would be pecked out.

"He Shouan~"

Suddenly, a strange and ethereal cry came from the depths of the woods. Everyone could hear it, and they all looked in horror at He Shouan who was curled up in Qin Fangru's arms.

"Hehe~ He Shouan~"

He Shouan was so frightened that he trembled and grabbed Qin Fangru's clothes tightly.

Qin Fangru also turned pale and covered He Shouan's ears. "Don't be afraid. Mom is here. She won't let them catch you."

Sang Que only found out later that when she was calling back He Shouan's soul in the woods, she called out He Shouan's full name many times, and He Shouan's soul responded, which made He Shouan remembered by the evil spirits in the forest.

Whenever he was in the woods on cloudy days or at night, he would be haunted by evil spirits.

But given the situation at the time, there was no way to bring back He Shouan's soul unless you called his full name.

He Baosheng and Qin Fangru also knew this, so they never said anything to Sang Que. As long as He Shouan never stepped into the woods at night, he would not be unable to survive.

This is why Kou Yushan repeatedly emphasized to everyone not to call people by their full names in the woods. If someone calls you by your name, just don't respond and walk out of the woods into the sun or go back home and everything will be fine.

Many families call their children Da Lang, Er Lang, San Niang, and Si Niang for this reason. Including Shou Hou, who deliberately let everyone forget his real name and always call him Shou Hou.

It's not that they don't have names, but it's the safest way. Real names play many important roles in the Gui Dynasty, and they are also needed when praying to ghosts and gods for blessings.

In the Gui Dynasty, when everyone is born, they will have a horoscope with their real name and date of birth written in cinnabar and rooster blood.

The fate cards have the effect of calming the soul and can protect the baby from being disturbed by evil spirits for three years. These were also mentioned in Mingzhang Notes. The fate cards for Widow Li's two children were originally written by Yan Daozi.

"He Shouan!"

The voice suddenly jumped from the depths of the woods to outside the camp, closest to He Shouan, and a red light flashed on the hemp rope soaked in black dog blood.

"He Shouan!!"

The voices turned from laughter to anger, red lights flashed one after another on the surrounding hemp ropes, the crows above head cried restlessly, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

It was as if an invisible evil spirit was angrily ramming into the camp's outer defenses, trying to rush in and capture He Shouan.

At this time, a child with hollow eyes and blue skin appeared on the outskirts of the camp. She raised one hand and made a virtual grab, and a wisp of black smoke dissipated from her palm.

The evil spirit that is less than the second floor is similar to a hanging rope.

The sound stopped, and everyone looked at Yin Tong in horror as he disappeared into the darkness. Their awe of Sang Que deepened, and many people even had a flattering smile on their faces.

Qin Fangru looked at Sang Que with tears in her eyes, her lips moving, "Thank you, thank you, thank you..."

Being saved this time does not mean being saved forever, and He Shouan's future is destined to be difficult.

"what!!!"

Another scream suddenly erupted from the back of the camp. Everyone couldn't help but turn their heads to look in that direction. At this moment, all the fires in the camp were extinguished without any warning.

Under the bloody moonlight, the shadows of the trees were baring their fangs and claws, roosters were screaming and flapping their wings, and a woman with disheveled hair was squatting under a tree with her back to everyone.

She grabbed a rooster and tore it apart with all her might. Blood spilt and chicken feathers were scattered all over the ground. The hemp rope that could have been tied into a circle was also torn apart, and the broken thread ends swayed weakly in the wind.

The woman slowly turned her head, her mouth full of chicken feathers and blood, her eyes ferociously smiling.

The widow of the Li family!

lol~
The baby sleeping in the bamboo basket nearby was holding a rattle and laughing strangely.

　see you tomorrow~

　　(End of this chapter)